Mayor Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson, 10th District, joined Wilshire Boulevard Temple administrators and lead donors Bruce and Martha Karsh on Nov. 10 for a grand opening ceremony at a new service center named after the benefactors.

Mayor Eric Garcetti said the Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Karsh Family Social Service Center will provide many benefits for people living in the surrounding communities. He is pictured with the temple’s Senior Rabbi Steven Z. Leder (center) and Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson, 10th District. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The temple is partnering with community organizations such as Bet Tzedek, Public Counsel, The Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Los Angeles, The Alliance for Children’s Rights and many others to provide needed services to residents of Koreatown and Wilshire Center. The Karsh Family Social Service Center also includes a food pantry.

“Within a five-mile radius of our temple, about one-third of adults go hungry some of the time, and nearly four in 10 adults cannot afford any dental care. An estimated one in four families in our community lives below the federal poverty level,” said Wilshire Boulevard Temple Senior Rabbi Steven Z. Leder. “With the generous support of the Karsh family and our sponsors, we’ve created the most comprehensive outreach to neighbors of any synagogue in America, and perhaps the world.”

Leder said the new center exemplifies the Jewish tradition of tikkun olam – a concept of helping others and fulfilling social responsibility.

“Tikkun olam is both a responsibility and a privilege, and indeed, an essential family value,” Martha Karsh said. “We are thrilled the Karsh Family Social Service Center will foster the temple’s good neighbor policy, extending a hand to those in need in the multicultural community immediately surrounding the center.”

The Karsh Family Social Service Center is located at 3750 W. Sixth St. and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with additional evening hours scheduled to be announced this month. The center was part of the temple’s renovations of the Glazer Campus on Wilshire Boulevard. It follows a model of integrating services in one place so recipients can receive all the resources they need.

Members of the public can receive health care and dental care, mental health care, legal services, education and literacy assistance, child care referrals, English as a second language classes and more. Hope Net and the Leanse Ratner Family Food Pantry will offer assistance with meals.

Garcetti described the community surrounding the temple as a “village” that is ethnically and economically diverse. He thanked temple administrators for taking the surrounding neighborhood who otherwise might not be able to afford or receive services.

“Strong communities exist because everyday people stay committed to reaching out and supporting their neighbors,” Garcetti said. “The Karsh Family Social Service Center is special because it extends a hand to children and families of all faiths, with education and health care resources that can help them build better lives.”