A Special Welcome from Rabbi Joel Nickerson

From our community’s first leader, Rabbi Newmark in 1862, to Rabbi Magnin, Rabbi Wolf, Rabbi Fields, and then to Rabbi Leder, this community has been led by those who have understood their role to be much more than just the rabbi at a synagogue.  The senior rabbis of Wilshire Boulevard Temple have always looked beyond the walls of the temple to the greater Jewish and secular world.  Their mission - to strengthen the Jewish heart, the Jewish mind, the Jewish soul.  It has been to embody the spirit of ‘am segula’ and ‘or l’goyim’ - a treasured people and a light unto the nations.  

Today, as senior rabbi, I am honored, excited, and hopeful to continue on that path and move us forward into our next chapter. 

Together we are building upon the strength and beauty that has come before us and continue to create a community that is a center of Jewish living and learning in Los Angeles, where people feel deeply connected to one another and a responsibility to improve themselves, our city, and the world. 

B’shalom.