Kehillat Israel will honor Cathie Wishnick and David Rosenstein at its annual Social Action Shabbat on Friday, March 24, at 7 p.m. in the temple, 16019 Sunset Boulevard. ‘The public is invited to join us as we present our Tikun Olam (Healing the World) awards to two members who have worked tirelessly to make a difference in the world,’ said Gili Wolf, KI’s communications manager. ”Cathie Wishnick has been an active volunteer with KI’s Turning Point Shelter Task Force and concluded her seven-year chairmanship of this 150-person outreach group in 2005. She assembled numerous teams, consisting of 11 households each, to prepare and serve dinner to the 55 residents at the Turning Point Transitional Housing Shelter in Santa Monica twice a month. She planned the menus and delegated the cooking responsibilities. ”KI family task force members treated the shelter residents to special international-themed dinners including ‘Persian Night,’ ‘All-American Barbeque,’ ‘Tostada Buffet,’ and ‘Traditional Jewish Holiday Dinner.’ The task force also provided an elegant Thanksgiving dinner for the residents each year. ”Participating on the task force gave an excellent opportunity to KI families and young people to meet the shelter’s formerly homeless residents in a friendly and safe setting. Task force members provided the residents with encouragement and caring in addition to delicious meals. ”Wishnick also introduced other churches and synagogues on the Westside to the Turning Point Shelter, and they have started their own outreach programs to assist shelter residents. ”’I loved my role as chairman,’ she said, ‘because I love cooking and I love bossing people around!’ ”Wishnick, whose husband Arnie is executive director of the Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce, also founded the KI ‘Handi-Corp’ Task Force to assist low-income senior citizens with minor household repairs and was co-chair of the KI Women’s Club for three years. In addition, Wishnick served as president of the 1,800-person Los Angeles Chapter of the Brandeis University National Women’s Committee for the past three years. ”David Rosenstein is the founder and president of Intex Solutions, Inc., a commercial carpet and textile care company that is a model of environmentally and socially responsible practices. He is the former executive director of The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life of Southern California (COEJL SC) and a co-founder of New West Charter Middle School. He currently does volunteer work for a variety of organizations, including those concentrating on environmental issues (Natural Resources Defense Council and Rainforest Action Network), literacy (Access Books), homelessness (The Giving Spirit) and education (New West and Canyon Charter Schools). ”Rosenstein and his wife, Tori Nourafchan, have three children: Gabriel, Theo and Isabel. They live in Santa Monica.
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