Building Lives - The Campaign for Wilshire Boulevard Temple

Brawerman graduate Emma Maier won the Milken Family Foundation 2nd Annual Jewish Educator Awards Student Essay Contest, writing about her High Holy Days experience at Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

"It was an auspicious way to begin the year, singing words of my ancestors in such a magnificent and spiritually enriching environment. Our rabbi spoke of how we must "hold the Torah high," a metaphor that inspires us to live full and meaningful lives. Singing these words in this sacred space was my way of "holding the Torah high." I felt particularly enriched as I walked down the steps from the bimah to join my family once more."

Read the full essay here!

Additional coverage in the Jewish Journal.

The annual "Big Give" that took place Nov 20, where congregants and volunteers packed full Thanksgiving meals for our city's most needy families, is covered in this month's Larchmont Chronicle.

Actor Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter) presented the award to our own Vinny Green and students in our Religious School!

"The night featured a heartwarming awards presentation, where Jason Isaacs presented the Synergy Teamwork Award to Vinny Green and the Children of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple School for donating their change to help provide educational scholarships for women living at a New Way of Life."

Hollywood Reporter includes Wilshire Boulevard Temple in its article on LA's select few "power synagogues."

The Temple's redevelopment is featured in an article by Martha Groves in the LA Times!

Including wonderful photo gallery.

LA Weekly has named Wilshire Boulevard Temple "Best Jewish Reform Synagogue Built by Hollywood - 2011"

"We will ensure a powerful future - the perpetuation of our great Temple - for us, our neighbors and our legacy in Los Angeles." -Rabbi Steve Leder

Please let us know how you will participate by completing the form on our Temple website.

We cannot move forward without you. Together, we will build the future!

During services in the Magnin Sanctuary these High Holy Days, take special notice of your surroundings - the sound of the P.A., the height of the bimah, the wear and tear on the carpets, the chipped paint, the faded colors, the temperature, the tent. It will be one final look at the Sanctuary of old, before its renewal in 2013. The day after Yom Kippur is the first day of the physical transformation that will restore, redevelop, and revitalize our beloved, historic Sanctuary and Temple Campus - fulfilling the dreams of our past, and securing our future.

As construction begins, we will capture each moment with our hearts and our cameras. Look forward to monthly updates with photos, and witness as our Temple transforms into a vital Jewish village for all of us in the heart of our City. We have already begun with the clearing of retail spaces along 6th Street to make way for a temporary parking lot, as well as the construction of new classrooms for the first kindergarten class at Brawerman Elementary School East. Watch us renew and grow with pride.

We are a congregation representing the Jewish soul of one of the world's great cities - and our revitalization begins now. The Master Plan for the Building Lives Project for our historic Temple Campus has been officially approved by the City of Los Angeles. The approval process began with a full Environmental Impact Report for the phased plan to redevelop and renovate the entire block from Wilshire to 6th Street, and Hobart to Harvard. This most conservative, thorough approach guarantees the approval of the ten-year phased plan with the city, and allows us to move the project forward with confidence. This fall, scaffolding goes up and shovels hit the ground.

Our historic Temple Campus will soon become a vital Jewish village in the heart of Los Angeles. The initial increment of the first phase includes the complete restoration of the Magnin Sanctuary as well as many improvements and upgrades to the historic buildings. Classrooms in the historic school building will also be renovated to house the first kindergarten class of the newly opened Brawerman Elementary School East - already at full enrollment for fall 2011. The balance of the first phase will continue with the construction of a new school building, a parking structure, new Tikkun Olam Center, a rooftop play space and athletic field. Future phases will include a second school building and a new event/program/administration building at the corner of Wilshire and Harvard.

At the redeveloped Temple Campus, families will attend lectures, meet with friends, and study with rabbis while their children attend school. Congregants and community members will participate in social services programs; children will learn first-hand joy and gratitude doing tikkun olam. The Temple will become a center for the arts, and increase its attraction as a must-see local tourist destination. Personal and communal bonds will be forged, including the building and nurturing of relationships with our neighbors. Culture will be enriched, iconic and historic architectural landmarks marveled at, and a people educated and set forth into the world to enact great change for the good of all. There are no limits to our future!

Wilshire Boulevard Temple announced July 19, 2010 a gift of $1 million from Ambassador Lester and Carolbeth Korn to restore its renowned Kimball organ. Longtime congregants whose involvement with the Temple spans four decades, the Korns' gift is in memory of their daughter Dr. Jessica Susan Korn and in honor of their daughter and granddaughter, Jodi Korn Radoff and Sloane Korn Radoff and son-in-law Robert Radoff.

"We are very happy to be able to make this gift and hope that it encourages others to support the restoration and redevelopment of our historic Temple," notes Ambassador Korn. Both of their daughters attended the Temple's religious school and Sloane is a student at Brawerman Elementary.

At the time of the sanctuary's dedication in 1929, the Kimball Organ Company was the largest in America, and the Korn Kimball organ is one of the finest examples of its kind. With more than 4,000 pipes housed in five chambers above the sanctuary choirloft, it presents a magnificent array of sound. It has been showcased by the American Guild of Organists at its annual meeting and can be heard with full choir during the High Holy Days and Shabbat morning services. Although the organ still retains all its original parts, it requires extensive work which the Korns have generously underwritten.

Ambassador Korn and Mrs. Korn have long and distinguished careers in business, diplomacy and public service. Ambassador Korn is the founder of Korn/Ferry International, the world's largest executive search firm, where he served as Chairman and CEO from 1969-1991 and thereafter Chairman Emeritus. He is also the founder and CEO of Korn Capital Group. He served as Ambassador to the United Nations and as US Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council during 1987 and 1988. He was also a member of the President's Commission on White House Fellowships. From 1989 to the present, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Council of American Ambassadors.

Mrs. Korn has a notable career as a civic leader and philanthropist. A founder of the First Beverly Bank, she is a director of Korn-Tuttle Capital Group. She and the ambassador have both been active in the L.A. Music Center and both serve on the Board of Directors of the Music Center of Los Angeles County. Mrs. Korn was Chairman and CEO of the Founders League where she was elected Chairman Emeritus. She has been a Blue Ribbon member for nearly 30 years and serves on its board. Mrs. Korn also serves on the President's Council of the Richard M. Nixon Library and is a member of the Chairman's Club of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. She is also a founding member of the Los Angeles Library Foundation Council.

As UCLA alumni, Ambassador and Mrs. Korn have been active and generous supporters of their alma mater. Mrs. Korn created the Carolbeth Korn Prize Endowment in the School of Public Health and had the Dean's Conference Room named in her honor. The Ambassador serves as a director of the UCLA Anderson School of Management. The Regents of the University of California named the Korn Convocation Hall in their honor and it is on the UCLA Anderson Campus. Together they assisted in the development of the John Wooden Center and the James E. West Alumni Center.

Now spanning a 3.9-acre city block, the site plan for the redevelopment and restoration of the historic campus of Wilshire Boulevard Temple was approved by the Board of Trustees at their January, 2010 meeting. With master plan complete, agreement has been reached by the Board on the phasing of the project, with work to begin in the Sanctuary after High Holy Days in 2011.

It is anticipated that the sanctuary will be closed an estimated 18-24 months and reopen for High Holy Days in 2013. Historic restoration will also include life and safety upgrades to Piness Auditorium and Stalford Hall as well as new heating and cooling systems. Future phases include:

- Restoration of the historic school building
- New construction of a four-story school building to house the Erika Glazer Early Childhood Center as well as the initial classes of Brawerman Elementary School East.
- Restoration of Piness Auditorium and Stalford Hall
- A six-story parking structure featuring a rooftop playground along 6th street which will house the Karsh Family Tikkun Olam Center.

With clear vision and enthusiasm, we move forward with this historic project; revitalizing our beloved Temple Campus, reaching out to our Wilshire Center community, and building lives.

It was a Shabbat we won't soon forget. On Friday, March 6, 2009, we dedicated our new early childhood center in honor of philanthropist Erika Glazer.

The morning began in Meitus Hall as children, parents, and other honored guests arrived early to enjoy bagels, blintzes, coffee and conversation in a pre-Shabbat service breakfast gathering. Next, the group moved to Factor Chapel to hear a warm welcome from Carol Bovill, the Temple's Early Childhood Centers Director. Rabbi Steve Leder followed, introducing Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and representatives from the L.A. City Council who presented Erika with a commendation.

Temple Board President Julie Miller expressed the congregation's deepest gratitude as she presented Erika with a gift of artwork and a photo album created especially for her by the children. To an enthusiastic audience of ECC families, Trustees and staff, as well as her father, Guil Glazer, Erika reminded us all that "the most important part of our heritage is educating our kids." And then it was time to sing.

The happiness of the occasion was clearly evident as Rabbi Leder concluded the Shabbat service and led the group downstairs where Erika hung mezuzot upon the doors of the new classrooms. The mezuzot were specially made at the 90th birthday party of congregant Bernie Harris for this very purpose.

The group moved outside to a beautiful Southern California morning to watch Erika officially open the playground by cutting a royal blue ribbon. With the dedication of the Erika J. Glazer Early Childhood Center complete, it was time to play as dozens of children joyfully took to the slides, swings and climbing structures.