congregant stories

Zach Hertzman and his family get caught in the pandemic timeline.   Zach’s Bar Mitzvah, scheduled for March 28, 2020 was in the final planning stages when the State of Ohio bega [...]

Have you felt guilty witnessing the pandemic-inspired culinary exploits of people who are making the perfect loaf of challah from scratch instead of binge-watching Netflix in their pajamas? [...]

Jenny and Bob Oestreicher have lived in their house for four years but could count on two hands the number of times they actually sat at their kitchen table and had a family meal together. T [...]

Julie and John Cohen enjoy a long history at Wise Temple, having married at Plum Street Temple 48 years ago. But that isn’t the half of it. Julie’s mother, Bess Shavzin, was the temple l [...]

Family Time Galore. Tina and Michael Best appreciate how their family bonds have strengthened due to the pandemic. Tina, an art teacher at Cincinnati Public Schools, welcomed time during th [...]

An old-world wedding in an old-world setting.   Ben and Tess Rosen spent March, April, and most of May not knowing if they would be married on June 6 or not. They had been engaged f [...]

The Faces of the Future. Eliana Goldner is not waiting to make the world a better place. Sophomore Eliana Goldner plays soccer, both elite and on Turpin’s JV team. She’s also in Student Council, Key Club, and Innovation Club. And she’s WOOTY’s Vice President of Programming, so she’s all in on participating and being involved.

Last fall, Karen Goodman and her husband Richard became empty nesters. And in this new life space, Karen has found a way to give voice to her Jewish values. Although she and Richard are both from Amberley Village, they didn’t solidly connect until they found each other as young adults living in Boston. Marriage and three children later, a confluence of events led them back to Cincinnati, and Wise Temple, where Karen teaches about nature and does yoga with the kids in the Open Room on Sundays.

Matt Nitzberg’s background in what he calls “the data and insight fields” has taught him many lessons about analyzing a situation. He’s logical, pragmatic and practical, with an objective eye for assessing the impact of his and others’ efforts in the new Civic Engagement program. But at 14, he engaged in his first political foray, volunteering for George McGovern, a presidential candidate he was not old enough to vote for, a candidate who lost every state but his home state, and D.C. “I grew up very aware that my parents felt strongly about social justice issues in the late 60s and 70s. They were very clear about their views, and I absorbed their message and became involved.”

When Marcy Kanter was a young mother, her life revolved around her family, her volunteer efforts at the temple (mostly with the Sisterhood), her wardrobe consulting business, and her involvement in her children’s schools. “I lived in this little Jewish suburban mom bubble. It took up all my time. I felt like I could trust elected officials. Even if I didn’t vote for them, I felt they would do the right thing. Once my kids were in college, it was a real eye opener to discover that the next generation was getting involved in the election process and was actually excited about certain candidates.”