by Julian Brenman
Exuberant, intentional, and authentic are all attributes of the compassionate community at Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles, from which I have benefitted immeasurably…without ever having set foot on the campus. As we say in Hebrew, נָעִים לְהַכִּיר, na-im l’hakir, or “nice to meet you!” My name is Julian, I am a high schooler, and I have the distinct pleasure of streaming Wise’s Shabbat services each week from my abode just outside of Philadelphia. I have a passion for synagogue life, ritual, and Jewish music, and since discovering Wise on the internet about three years ago, it has been a tremendous influence and light on my Jewish journey. It is evident that much consideration and collaboration are invested into each prayerful moment. I laud how Wise’s leaders are unafraid to explore unknown territory and persistently innovate and improve—as evidenced by the community’s trailblazing multimedia endeavors, dynamic new machzor, and pursuit of nuanced and difficult-yet-necessary dialogue. The rockin’ music program at Wise never misses a beat. The teachings of Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback, Cantor Nathan Lam, and the entire team ensure I always leave shul (or in this case, turn off my laptop) feeling educated and refreshed. Indeed, the leadership of Wise is quite wise.
With an increasing number of synagogues nationwide “going live” with Shabbos, there is growing concern that congregants will retreat from temple life even more and tune in to shul from their sofa if and/or when they feel they need a spiritual fix. While there exists a phenomenon in which a relatively insignificant amount of folks who would otherwise actually be in synagogue are doing just this, my streaming experience enhances, not replaces, my involvement in brick-and-mortar Judaism. (Initially, one attractive aspect of streaming Wise’s services was that the time difference between Philly territory and the land of the Dodgers allowed me to stream in real time after returning from my shul on a Friday night.)
Perhaps what I treasure most about streaming Wise services is how it enables me to experience a style of Judaism different from that of my local surroundings, and then the following week, incorporate its electric ruach and music into the services I lead on the East Coast. The iconic and irrepressible spirit of Stephen Wise Temple is enjoyed throughout the world. For this, I say Todah Rabbah, “thank you very much,” for allowing me to “stream the dream.”
*For the sake of total transparency, the reish in “dream” is a complete copy of Rabbi Yoshi’s genius blog title, “Living the D רeam.” I highly recommend his blog—it’s “d רeamy”!
Julian Brenman is an emerging musical leader who utilizes his signature enthusiasm to transform Jewish communities. In 2019, he was called to Camp Ramah in Northern California as Rosh Shira (Head of Song). Since 2016, he has been the inaugural Director of Jewish Life at The Hearth at Drexel Senior Living in Bala Cynwyd, PA.
