Lisa Niver's Blog: We Said Go Travel, page 63
September 26, 2021
Stephen Wise Temple: A Place to call Home

I had never felt bigger in my life. I was 6 years old and I had just received my celebratory Torah during the Hagigat ha torah ceremony at Wise Temple. My grandfather, a holocaust survivor with one amputated leg, hoisted me high onto his broad shoulders. I could feel his pride radiating out as he marched around Wise with a joyful smile across his face. But just four decades before that moment, my grandfather’s life had been shattered. His entire family had been murdered in the holocaust. His father, his mother, his brother, all his cousins, all his aunts and uncles. All of them. And as he rode alone in a packed train car heading to the camps, it seemed as if Judaism would die with his generation.
Yet, through a miracle of G-d, he escaped and survived and here he was, carrying his grandson around this beautiful temple continuing the link of Judaism. L’dor v’dor. From generation to generation.
Fast forward ahead to last year and I am at my son’s Hagigat ha torah. It is a little different because it is during Covid and Rabbi Stern is in my front yard with a mask on, a hazmat suit and some kind of contraption to hand a torah to my son from 6 feet away. But as Rabbi Stern starts to say some beautiful words and a prayer, my eyes well up. First a single tear streams down my face, then a waterfall. This was yet another link in the chain. I was doing my small part in the 5,000 year history of our people. I was doing to my part for my grandfather. L’dor v’dor. From generation to generation.
[image error] Koosed Family [image error] [image error] Eight Grandchildren [image error] KOOSED FAMILYWise Temple was not only a part of this journey for me, it made this journey possible. My parents, who are here today, signed up to be members of this temple over 40 years ago. A young couple just trying to figure out how to raise Jewish children in LA, and not face the traffic of going to the city. They started going to services and then put me and my two sisters in the Wise school. As time went by, we all had our Bar and Bat Mitzvahs with Rabbi Herscher, went through the confirmation program, spent every high holy day here, got married by the Wise clergy and made lifelong friends. In recent years, the Wise community supported my family to help our charity, Save the Syrian Children, send over 50 pallets of humanitarian aid to children in war torn Syria! And now, our sons and our 3 nephews attend Wise school causing even more chaos than I caused when I was here. I am sorry Ms. Itri, Coach Star, Ms. Volterra and many of our multigenerational teachers who have had to deal with multiple generations of us. As we all pursued our careers and got caught up with the busyness of life, the one constant for our whole family has been Wise Temple.
There is no doubt that Judaism has struggled to find its path with my generation. Sadly, I have seen some of my friends over the years become jaded and completely disconnected from Judaism.
Without a place like Wise Temple, life can get busy and Judaism can fade away. Not all at once. Just slowly, generation by generation.
[image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] THE BIG FILLBut Wise Temple won’t let that happen. Because Wise Temple is an amazing community of love and tzedakah that lives up to its creed of making meaning and changing the world. But it is not just that. It’s bigger than that. It is also fundamental to the continuity of our Jewish faith and traditions. Wise Temple gives families like mine and yours the opportunity to pass Judaism from generation to generation making sure, that not only does Judaism survive, but that it thrives.
I ask that you join me in supporting this vital mission. Give today not only to support this incredible community, all it stands for and the change we make together. But give today to preserve the very existence this Jewish faith that we all so dearly love. Too many generations before us, too many, have made the greatest sacrifice for us not to do everything we can to make sure that our bright light continues to burn from generation to generation. Shana tova.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] SYRIAN CHILDRENLEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIG FILLLocal Synagogues Aid Syrian Children
Couple devises DIY method of getting critical medical supplies into Syria[image error]
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Thank you SHOUTOUT LA for the interview!

September 13, 2021
We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Niver and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Lisa, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
Thomas Edison said: “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try one more time.”
I have learned that I need to keep taking small steps towards my goals. I have had to change my path literally and figuratively many times. I used to feel like my train was derailed and jumping off the track when things did not work out—when I left one grad school program for another, when my company went bankrupt right after 9/11, when I left my marriage, but now I realize I was just changing trains. In order to go in a direction, sometimes you have to take a bus or walk or find the next platform. When COVID started, I could no longer travel so instead of writing about travel as a travel journalist, I read books and worked on my own book. It was not what I thought I would be doing but it has turned out to be much better for me.
As Martin Luther King Jr. said:
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
Every day I work on making progress towards my goals.







For many years, I taught science at Curtis School, Brawerman Elementary School and CCUSD middle school. When I was leaving to go travel, my students were sad and wanted to keep in touch. I created a monthly newsletter to share my adventures which eventually became my We Said Go Travel website in 2010 and led to my journalism career. https://www.wesaidgotravel.com/ I also began to shoot video and one of my 5th grade students taught me to use iMovie during recess. I now have over 1.35 million views on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/WeSaidGoTravel
I have loved being able to share my travel stories on KTLA TV.
https://ktla.com/tag/lisa-niver/ and recently I was on an episode on REELZ TV channel so now I am on IMDb:
The best lesson I have learned is to use the “F” word—which of course is FLEXIBLE. Whether your plane is late, or there are no planes or plans because of a pandemic, we have to be ready for changes and to go with the flow.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my friends were visiting Los Angeles, I would take them to my favorite places: THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL for a concert and where I recently saw The Princess Bride
HIGH Rooftop at Hotel Erwin for Sunset views and drinks
Santa Monica beach for a long walk
MOLA art studio (Members Only LA—where I create my ceramics https://www.instagram.com/simplyceramics2 and you can too!)
CHA CHA CHICKEN for Caribbean food by the beach
THAI BOOM for Thai food in Culver City





I would like to dedicate my Shoutout to Stephen Wise Temple and its incredible clergy. When I was traveling full time in Asia, I missed being able to participate in the Jewish community that I grew up in and it was part of my reason to return to Los Angeles. During COVID, our services were all on Facebook Live, Zoom or YouTube. I really appreciate all of their efforts to hold the spiritual space in a new way online. I am grateful to the entire team.
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September 24, 2021
Your Tango: Books to Help When Getting Divorced


Written by two psychologists, this book explores a phenomenon often undiscussed after trauma: when someone “bounces forward,” or pushes past traumatic events like divorce to become even better and more successful. Give yourself a post-tragedy confidence boost with this read.
“During my divorce, I felt like a failure. I felt embarrassed and worried about what to tell people. I read books like a lifeline to the future. I wanted something to make me feel better. I told everyone I was living in CrazyTown and I could not stop crying. When I read David Feldman and Lee Daniel Kravetz’s book Supersurvivors: The Surprising Link Between Suffering and Success, I was shocked to learn that “the disorientation and groundlessness experienced by many people after trauma can ultimately be advantageous.”
I figured that my post-traumatic growth was going to be superb since I had leaned in so hard to my feelings I had dug underground. A huge shift for me was when I read this: “Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could be any different. … Forgiveness means breaking the psychological ties that bind you to the past, giving up the quest to change what has already happened. … Rather than dwelling on the past, she found herself asking the hopeful and forward-looking question ‘What now?’”
I was stuck in a loop in my head that said, “If only I had never met him.” Once I read that part of the book, I remembered that you cannot drive into the future if you only look through the rear-view mirror.”
—Lisa Niver, journalist
READ ALL THE BOOK SUGGESTIONS: CLICK HEREThe post Your Tango: Books to Help When Getting Divorced appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
September 10, 2021
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Reframing Resilience: Our Scars and Our Struggle Make Us Stronger

Rosh Hashannah Morning Sermon 5782
Congregation Emeth, Morgan Hill, CA
[1] Mishkan HaNefesh Rosh Hashanah p. 121
[2] Mishkan HaNefesh Rosh Hashanah p. 122
[3] Babylonian Talmud Brachot 60b
[4] Spirituality of Imperfection by Kurtz and Ketcham, p. 2
[5] Babylonian Talmud Baba Batra 14 b
[6] Thank you to Lisa Niver for help with this phrase and overall editing. Lisa Niver took Hebrew class at University of Pennsylvania with Rabbi Dantowitz
[7] The Cracked Pot, www.moralstories.org
Ahavat Olam for Congregation Emeth by Benjamin Dantowitz, Daniel Dantowitz, Ezra Dantowitz, and Samuel Dantowitz [image error] Hiking in Northern CaliforniaThe post Reframing Resilience: Our Scars and Our Struggle Make Us Stronger appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
September 6, 2021
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Puerto Rico: Our Perfect Day Out at Frutos del Guacabo, the Beach and Bacardi Mixology Class!

I went to Frutos Del Guacabo on Aug 14, 2021. I loved our tour with Efrén Robles. He and his family work with 200 chefs and restaurants providing food from 50 farmers. They work as a hub for distribution and teach techniques like hydroponic farming so that more people can grow food. In Puerto Rico, 80 to 90% of food is imported.
Frutos del Guacabo is a family business that began in 2010 as a small farm for the development of hydroponic products, now they also focus on the sustainability of products and processes. Their innovation includes the production and development of edible flowers, micro-sprouts, breeding-handling of animals especially goats to make cheese, and its certification as an agro-tourism farm so they can give tours and share their educational mission.
At Frutos del Guacabo, culinary agriculture is promoted through a “Farm to Table” experience. Chefs, waiters, diners, and students exchange their knowledge and experiences to continue developing the gastronomy of the island. On your tour, you can see their goats, rabbits and horses as well as taste the edible flowers, micro-greens and the goat cheese among many other tasty treats. We had a lovely lunch and tour. I highly recommend you visit and milk a goat like I did!
[image error] We visited Playa Mar Chiquita in Puerto Rico after our tour at Frutos del Guacabo and on our way to the Bacardi Factory for our Mixology Tour. It was a beautiful beach and I would love to go back! [image error] I loved the Casa BACARDÍ Factory Mixology Tour!The grounds are beautiful, there are so many spots for fun photos and they even have hula-hoops! We had welcome drinks and then got on the tram to learn about the history of the brand.
Did you know there are 300 brands that are now part of the Bacardi Family? That it is family owned and 85% of the world production happens in Puerto Rico! It is the most awarded world’s largest premium rum distillery. They produce 100,000 gallons a DAY!
Don Facundo Bacardi Masso started the brand in 1862, and his wife selected the fruit bat as their logo and good luck symbol! Our guide was great and we had a very spirited mixology class.
Thanks to Jared and Andy for filming with me with assistance from Xiomara! We made mojitos first which were excellent but I loved the shake to the music for our pina coladas! I think that was the best pina colada I ever had.
Thank you to Discover Puerto Rico, Distrito T-Mobile, T-mobile and Ketchum for inviting me to the grand opening party August 14, 2021. See all the videos from our adventures at this link: https://bit.ly/Distrito2021
See all of Our Adventures in Puerto Rico!Welcome Distrito T-MobileWhere to STAY and Where to EATWhat to DO: Zip-line, Movies and Live EntertainmentPuerto Rico: Our Perfect Day Out at Frutos del Guacabo, the Beach and Bacardi Mixology Class!The post Puerto Rico: Our Perfect Day Out at Frutos del Guacabo, the Beach and Bacardi Mixology Class! appeared first on We Said Go Travel.
September 3, 2021
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Distrito T-Mobile: Zip-line, Movies and Live Entertainment

In San Juan, Puerto Rico, buy your tickets for your next concert at Coca-Cola Music Hall with all the greatest artists. We went on a behind the scenes tour to see the VIP suites and the greenroom where the artists get ready. I cannot wait to come back for a concert! The 129,000 square foot facility is OPEN and has a seating capacity of up to 5,000 guests. Jorge Pérez, General Manager of the Puerto Rico Convention Center and the Coca-Cola Music Hall, said “This world-class venue is designed to host concerts, family shows, and other events for the benefit of all visitors, that is steps away from a variety of restaurants, hotels, and other entertainment alternatives.”
[image error] Are you ready for ADVENTURE?Zipline from TOROVERDE Urban Park past the Sheraton, Aloft and land at the Convention Center! [image error]
“In TOROVERDE Urban Park you can choose from a variety of ziplines in which you will glide above those enjoying DISTRITO T-Mobile’s outdoor spaces, resulting in a multisensory experience that is complemented by its music, lights, and unique energy. The Sky Bull consists of three ziplines, ranging from 150 to 400 feet long, that launches at 90 feet high from the main tower and takes you all around DISTRITO T-Mobile. Then, there’s the Blazing Bull, with two ziplines at 900 and 650 feet long. In this one, you’ll glide at 120 feet high in a “Superman” position around DISTRITO T-Mobile and to the Convention Center District.
For another type of adventure, there’s rock climbing at Pico del Toro. This custom-built rock-climbing wall is the biggest in the Caribbean in a park of this nature. Even more good news: no experience is required to enjoy it, as there’s different levels of difficulty for every type of adventurer.
Another record-breaking attraction is the Bull Maze: the biggest string maze in America! Its installation consists of 40 obstacles with different difficulty levels, adapting to the physical skills of any type of adventurer. “
[image error] Where to watch the next Blockbuster MOVIE? I love SCREEN X at Caribbean Cinemas in Distrito T-Mobile! [image error]
Caribbean Cinemas VIP at Distrito T-Mobile has laser projectors and a complete surround sound system so you will be fully immersed in your movie. I have seen 3D, 4D and 3D with 4D which I love, but I also really loved Screen X. Relax into your luxury recliner with fantastic footrests and cup holders and reserve your seat in advance.
WHAT IS ScreenX? “The world’s first multi-projection theater technology with a 270-degree panoramic view that will take you beyond the traditional frame and surround you with imagery –almost like they you are inside the film.”
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