Name: Ron Stern Title: Rabbi Contact: x2203 Biography: Rabbi Ronald Stern is originally from Morristown, New Jersey. He graduated cum laude from the University of Rochester and was ordained at Hebrew Union College in New York. He also attended HUC in Los Angeles. Rabbi Stern joined the clergy staff at Stephen S. Wise Temple in 1998 after serving as Associate Rabbi at Temple Ahavat Shalom in Northridge. At our Temple, Rabbi Stern is responsible for implementing two aspects of our Temple`s five part vision - Social Justice and Community (http://www.wisela.org/corevalues/home.aspx). He has been working with the Community Development task force for more than four years and as a result of his efforts, in coordination with other key staff and lay-people, significant changes have been realized at Stephen S. Wise Temple. Of note, is the expansion of the Wise Hearts Caring Community into a network of volunteers and home visitors able to respond to the widest variety of life-cycle needs presented by our Temple members. Under his guidance, the New Member and Member Retention programs have evolved into highly-structured programs that integrate new and continuing members more deeply into our Temple community. The observance of Sukkot has become an event for the entire Temple community as Temple members open their homes to their Temple neighbors for Sukkot-in-Your-Neighborhood. Recently, through his supervision, our Havurah program has enjoyed terrific success and continues to grow both in number and quality of programming. Stephen S. Wise Temple enjoys the support of vast teams of volunteers in our Schools, fundraising efforts, social action programs, and a variety of affinity groups. He has led the way toward a coordinated and integrated program to manage, recognize, and track our volunteers through the Volunteer Network. The conversations that he initiated about community development throughout the Temple have helped to achieve structural changes at Wise, including an upgraded employee training program, enhanced web presence, expanded communications department, and changes in other departments of the Temple, as well. He has recently extended the scope of his responsibilities to the Social Justice Task Force and is involved in a comprehensive survey and review of Temple social justice work. Once completed, Stephen S. Wise will restructure its already highly-developed Social Action department to increase member participation and our Temple`s impact on the world around us. Already, we are working with religious institutions throughout Los Angeles to combat global warming through advocacy to members, involvement in the community, and greening of our own facility. Rabbi Stern serves on the Executive Committee of the Southern California Board of Rabbis and the Interreligious Affairs Council and the Energy Independence committee of the American Jewish Committee. He is also a pioneer member of the award-winning Jewish Family Service Rabbi-Social Worker Roundtable. There, community rabbis and social workers participate in professional support, education, and mutual consultation to enhance the effectiveness of these Los Angeles community professionals. He is also a member of the Council on the Environment and Jewish Life`s "Kitchen Cabinet" of religious leaders engaged in community advocacy to fight global warming. Rabbi Stern and his wife, Becky Sobelman-Stern, have two children, Noah and Eliana. Both children have benefited from the excellent Stephen S. Wise Temple School system. Noah attends UC Berkeley and Ellie is at Milken Community High School. Becky is a national vice-president of Consulting at United Jewish Communities.
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