Kehillat Wise at Stephen S. Wise Temple is an initiative empowering congregants to help other congregants during this current economic crisis.

The most severe economic recession since the Great Depression has created various levels of distress for almost everyone. Some already bear the brunt of home foreclosures, unemployment, and loss of savings. Others anticipate the ripple effect of a downward spiral and worry whether they and their families will be next. The worst effects of this economic crisis are not material (though none of us are dismissive of that reality); rather, the most profound effects involve feelings of insecurity, the loss of trust and hope, the emotional experience of isolation, and rising anxiety about the future. As personal loss of home, job, or savings is internalized, sadly, many people also experience an unwarranted sense of shame.

The Stephen S. Wise Temple Kehillat Wise project takes its name from the Kehillah, which was the name of the medieval Jewish community which existed in Christian Europe and was semi-autonomous in its self-regulation. The Kehillah was the community and everyone in it was responsible for everyone else. Sometimes, a helping hand was extended, but with the understanding that the helping hand was to get people back on their feet.  So too, the Kehillat Wise Project, here at Stephen S. Wise Temple is an opportunity for us to help eachother, congregant to congregant, neighbor to neighbor, and friend to friend. 

We hope that you will find these resources helpful as we move forward together.