The Wilshire Boulevard Temple on Sunday celebrated the groundbreaking of its Karsh Family Social Service Center, which will provide essential services to the neighborhood, possibly as soon as winter 2015.

In addition to breaking ground on the new social services center, the Wilshire Boulevard Temple also unveiled its new exhibit, “Wilshire Boulevard Temple — Making History”. (photo by Aaron Blevins)

The temple recently celebrated the restoration of its sanctuary, and officials are now looking forward to the next phase of work. Officials will renovate the two existing school facilities on the site and construct a new building that will house the Karsh Center, a 450-space parking lot and a rooftop sports complex.

“No other congregation anywhere has done this,” said David Lash, managing counsel for pro bono and public interest service at O’Melveny & Myers LLP. He is helping coordinate the free legal services the center will provide. “No congregation has even tried to do this. It’s as ambitious as it is impactful, and we should all be very proud.”

When completed, the center will offer an expanded food pantry, dental and eye care, mental health services, legal services and other forms of assistance. The Karsh Family Foundation has been a major supporter, offering $5 million for the center and an additional $1 million to name the center’s eye clinic after Martha Karsh’s late father, Dr. Donald R. Lubin.

Los Angeles City Councilman Herb Wesson, 10th District, said the center will be a “really, really important” addition to his district, and that the Karsh family has set a good example for others.

“Even though we might not have the financial wherewithal to do what they do, each of us here has a talent — we have a gift — and that’s something that we can share with others as well,” he said.

The temple has partnered with the Korean Health, Education, Information & Research Center (KHEIR), which will oversee the dental and vision services at the center.

Wesson said the organization has a good track record of delivering services. He said the vision services will assist young people on their path through school.

“If you have difficulty reading — if you can’t see — how can you really perform? Because of the component that deals with vision, they will be changing lives of young boys and young girls in this city, and for that I salute you,” Wesson added.

Yeghig Keshishian, of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office, presented temple officials with a certificate from the city. He commended the temple and congregation for pursuing another milestone.

“For the mayor, nothing, perhaps, better exemplifies what Angelenos can accomplish when communities come together,” Keshishian said.

Rabbi Beau Shapiro said the center will exemplify the core of being a Jew — to be a good, kind, humane individual. He said the services will reflect that, as it will reach out to neighbors in attempt to make lives better.

“But we can’t do this alone. We can’t do this without the partnerships that we have built and continue to build,” Shapiro added.

Erin Pak, CEO and executive director of KHEIR, said she is pleased that the organization is partnering with the Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

“Thanks to the vision that you provided, the temple and the KHEIR center will be partnering to provide dental and vision centers to the most vulnerable population,” she said. “The government says these people can have free eye exams, but they have to find their own means of getting eyeglasses. They’ll tell you if you have cavities, but they won’t pay for your filling or root canal.”

Last year, the KHEIR center hosted 32,000 medical visits, provided 39,000 hot meals and had 25,000 case visits, Pak said. She said most of their clients come from within a three-mile radius of the facility, which is near the temple.

“Though we’re only minutes away from the most affluent neighborhoods in the country, our clients — 93 percent of our clients and patients — live within the federal poverty level,” Pak added.

Lash, formerly the executive director of Bet Tzedek Legal Services, discussed the formation of Bet Tzedek 40 years ago and the importance of providing free legal aid.

“What we learned from that in the ensuing forty years is that kind of service really saves lives,” he said, adding that the organization has assisted many low-income families and helped preserve the dignity of thousands of Holocaust survivors.

Lash said the center will encapsulate the Hebrew phrase “tikkun olam,” which mean “repairing the world.”

“It’s going to be the centerpiece of justice, and with that centerpiece, we can all pursue the true essence of tikkun olam,” he said, adding that the center will provide “remarkable” opportunities. “Today we are breaking ground. When we open this in 2015, we are going to be groundbreaking.”

Karsh attended with several family members, including her husband, Bruce, and her daughter, Katie. She said the family’s philanthropy generally centers around education, but they were eager to support the center.

“Funding the center resonated with us,” Karsh said. “It fosters good neighbor policy … extending a hand to the community immediately surrounding the temple that needs us so much.”

She said eye care is very near and dear to her, as her later father was an eye doctor for more than 50 years. He passed away in April 2013.

During the ceremony, Cantor Don Gurney and the Wilshire Boulevard Temple Community Choir performed “Peace by Piece” by Robbie Solomon and led the crowd in singing Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me”.

Prior to the groundbreaking celebration, Rabbi Steven Leder and Skirball Foundation trustee Dr. Uri Herscher unveiled the temple’s new exhibit, “Wilshire Boulevard Temple — Making History”. Leder said it tells the story of the temple and Los Angeles, as well as the history of the Jewish community in Los Angeles.

“We are Los Angeles, and Los Angeles is who we are,” he said.

Herscher, who is also the founding president and CEO of the Skirball Cultural Center, said the foundation was pleased to donate to the exhibit on behalf of the late Audrey and Jack Skirball.

“I am grateful for the exhibit, which gives life to names, because we don’t celebrate names; we celebrate lives,” he said.

The temple is located at 3663 Wilshire Blvd. For information, visit www.wbtla.org.