On the recordJanuary 30, 2018
I also rise today to pay tribute to Rabbi Isaiah Zeldin, who just passed away at the age of 97. For me, Rabbi Zeldin was Uncle Shy. For the Stephen Wise Temple in Los Angeles, he was their founder, their rabbi, their teacher, and their friend, according to the announcement they posted on their website. Rabbi Zeldin was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father's picture, Morris, is in my office. Morris Zeldin was a respected scholar and ardent Zionist. Rabbi Zeldin moved to Los Angeles in 1954 to establish the California branch of Hebrew Union College and served as an 11-State regional director of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. In 1964, he and a nucleus of 35 families founded Stephen Wise Temple on a beautiful 18-acre mountain site situated between the city's two largest Jewish population centers: the West Side and San Fernando Valley. {time} 1015 It is a beautiful temple. When you are there for a service and hear the great singers and see the sunset out the windows, you know that you are in a very special place. This temple became one of the largest Jewish congregations in the entire world. Uncle Shy, we miss you. We thank you, and we know that you have impacted tens of thousands of people so positively, and we will honor you, remember you for your legacy and your impact on generations to come. ____________________
