Temple News

On March 12, the effort to count every resident in the United States will once again officially start, as Census responses are collected. For the first time, the Census will be almost entirely digital. Individuals who don’t have personal computer access are being directed to community spaces that will host kiosks to fill out the Census. The Karsh Family Social Service Center is proud to be a Census kiosk site this year, and from March 12 through the end of April, we will welcome our clients, neighbors in Koreatown, and members of the community at large to come make sure that they are counted. 

We are so proud of Jonas and Leni Schneider! Grade 7 Religious School students, the brother-and-sister duo shared their b’nei mitzvah February 1. 

Look at these incredible centerpieces from their celebration. All of the edible fresh fruits and vegetables were donated to the Karsh Center food pantry to be disbursed the Sunday morning following the Schneiders’ simchah. This is an important part of what we hope to teach our students. 

Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps believes that every child deserves a Jewish-camp experience. However, four years ago, we noticed that there wasn’t a local program that provided that life-changing experience to the special needs community of the greater Los Angeles area. We reached out to HaMercaz, a division of Jewish Family Service that works intimately in the special needs community, and started brainstorming about what kind of program could engage this community in a meaningful and affordable way. Fast-forward to today—we’re so excited to host our fourth-annual Camp Kulam on May 17, 2020, at the Temple’s Irmas Campus!

On February 1, our Erika J. Glazer and Mann Family Early Childhood Centers held their Annual Gala: After Hours @ Wilshire. All proceeds from this amazing night help support scholarships and enrichments for our Early Childhood Centers. We are all so fortunate to be part of such a committed, passionate, and generous community. It gave us great pride and joy to see our community of parents come together in support of our schools to benefit the scholarship fund and operating budget. 

Our commitment to instilling the values of integrity, kindness, and honor come before anything we teach in a textbook. So, when we travel to Israel with our soon-to-be graduates, we’re more than happy to hear them recall historical facts they’ve acquired throughout their seven years at Brawerman. But the most profound and lasting impression they can make is when they put others first. Picking up a bag that was left behind, helping a classmate who loses their footing while hiking down Masada, making room for another seat at the breakfast or dinner table aren’t checklist items on a report card or a multiple-choice question on a standardized test, but they are what truly matters. 

Audrey Irmas Pavilion donors describe their enthusiasm for Wilshire Boulevard Temple and how they envision the Audrey Irmas Pavilion will serve the community. This month, we spoke with Alan Epstein and Megan McGowan Epstein.

The month of March contains one of the most enjoyable holidays of the year—Purim. While it is known for carnivals, costumes, and comedy, there are themes of the holiday that help move us beyond the joy of dressing up and acting silly. In addition to our tradition demanding that we celebrate the holiday with sometimes raucous behavior, there are two Purim mitzvot that touch on deeper values: Matanot l’evyonim is the commandment to give gifts to the poor, and mishlo-ach manot are the gifts, the packages of goodies, we give to our friends.