Sales Community
Center Team
MEET THE SALES COMMUNITY CENTER PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM
Over the past several months, every Friday morning at 9:00 am, a group of Isaians met to discuss topics such as air circulation, floor elevations, cabling conduit, and carpet specs. The group’s objective: refurbish the property Temple Isaiah acquired adjacent to our existing campus and transform it into our vision of a multi-purpose ‘living-room’ adult meeting space. To make the challenge more interesting: Have it ready for when it’s safe to meet in person; tie it to our existing campus to make it feel homey and Isaian; ensure it’s done to a tight Board-approved budget; and ensure it’s safe for post-Covid gatherings! The Project Team was led by an incredible group of Isaians who gave generously of their professional expertise and time.
Beth Raanan and her family joined Temple Isaiah almost 20 years ago when their oldest child entered the Preschool. She began her career as a commercial architect and then transitioned to her own consulting practice in Meeting Facilitation and Graphic Note-Taking. She and her husband, Uzzi, have two children (Ben–age 20, and Emma–age 19) that went through Isaiah’s Preschool. The family then participated in the Shabbat B’Yachad program of the Religious School. Beth has volunteered in various areas of the Temple over the years. She served as the Chair of Tot Shabbat during Cantor Kent’s tenure and was Chair of the Preschool Advisory Committee (then called the Preschool Cabinet). Beth was a member of the Senior Rabbi Search Committee after Rabbi Gan’s retirement. In recent years she has been very involved in Isaiah Women, serving as Programming Chair and is currently serving her second year as President. She was Co-Chair of the Isaiah-East Vision/Use Committee and now is serving as Co-Chair of the Planning and Refurbishment committee with David Snow.
Sheri (& Michael) Hirschfeld joined Temple Isaiah 34 years ago to attend Mommy & Me classes with her son. Both her son Ben and daughter Ari went through kindergarten, Bar and Bat Mitzvah and Confirmation classes at Temple Isaiah.  As a 50th birthday present to herself (a few years back), she participated in the B’nai Mitzvah program. Temple Isaiah has continued to be a home away from home for all of the Hirschfelds and many fellow congregants have become their second family. Sheri managed interior design showrooms for over 30 years until she opened her own interior design business 8 years ago, with a focus on kitchens and bathrooms. She also serves as the Chair of the Architectural Commission in the city of Beverly Hills. This year, Sheri and Michael will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. They also just welcomed their first grandchild, Rowan Tabak, into their lives.
Chester A. Widom FAIA was the founding partner of WWCOT, an 185 person firm, subsequently merged with the DLR Group, with four offices in California and an office in Shanghai, China. After leaving WWCOT, he served as the Senior Architectural Advisor for the Los Angeles Community College District’s $6.1 Billion construction program. In December of 2011, Governor Brown appointed him California State Architect and Deputy Director of the Department of General Services.
As a former President of both the National American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the California Council AIA, Chet has been awarded Honorary Fellowship by the Japan Institute of Architects, The Federacion Colegios de Arquitectos de la Republica de Mexicana and by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and, served as the 2011 Chancellor of the College of Fellows for the American Institute of Architects. Chet was the 16th recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award by the School of Architecture at USC where he has taught and sat on the school’s Board of Councilors. He has been a frequent guest lecturer at numerous universities including Harvard, Yale and UCLA. He currently teaches at East Los Angeles College. He was elected to the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission representing the 6th Council District and subsequently served on both the Building and Safety Commission and the City Planning Commission and as a member of both the California Hospital Building and Safety Board and the Bond Oversight Committee for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Chet was the architect for the first major expansion and renovation of Temple Isaiah in the 1970’s and subsequently for the current Sanctuary design. As a 50 year member of the Temple, he served on the Board and as the Vice President for Social Action, along with a variety of other committees.
Chris Falone (z’l) joined the Temple Isaiah team in August 2016. Prior to that, he spent over a dozen years in the property management world, overseeing the maintenance and repairs of private homes and large apartment communities in both Massachusetts and North Carolina. He saw the increase in congregational events and activities put a premium on available space throughout the week. What a wonderful problem! The new Sales Community Center provides for that expansion of community gatherings, an opportunity for Isaians to continue the meaningful work they do for our members, staff, and beyond.
Beth Braen and her family joined Temple Isaiah almost 20 years ago and she has been active as a lay leader in many capacities ever since. In her professional life, Beth is a strategically minded senior marketing and live events executive with deep roots in trade association and member organization management. Known as an accomplished, passionate and creative leader, she has more than 25 years of experience creating experiential marketing campaigns and high-profile conferences that expand organizational influence, enhance mission and vision, increase attendance and effectively position companies for success. Currently she is VP of client services at boutique PR agency, Bob Gold & Associates.