20 | JULY 27 • 2023
learning about their needs,
taking notes and building pro-
grams that could serve those
needs.
It’s a 24/7 job. To this day,
when the phone rings, and
someone is in a situation or
crisis, Kari is there. But as
Sosnick envisioned, Kari’s role
was always about more than
the crescendo of a crisis, it was
about normalizing care and cre-
ating supportive avenues that
helped before a situation would
become dire.
As the Family Life Center
evolved, Kari remembers, it
quickly became an educational
resource and touchpoint for all
phases of a person’s life cycle.
Kari and Robert would meet
every three months to discuss
the progress of the Family Life
Center. They would meet in
a boardroom that had a large
marble table, maybe 16 feet in
length. At the first meeting they
were on opposite ends of the
table, with Kari giving a presen-
tation.
With each meeting they’
d
slowly get closer together, that
massive table felt smaller, and
the presentations became less
formal.
“We’
d eventually sit next to
each other at the table, and I’
d
just tell him about the stories
of the people we’
d help, the
difference it was making in
people’s lives,
” Kari said. “
And
he just wanted to hear those
stories. This was a mitzvah for
him. It was all about making a
difference for people who never
would have known he made it
happen.
”
The Temple Israel Family
Life Center didn’t become “The
Robert Sosnick Family Life
Center” until after Robert’s
death, when his wife, SuSu,
and children decided to endow
the center, continuing Robert’s
work and honoring his legacy
by breaking the anonymity.
While he never wanted
his name on the Family Life
Center, Sosnick’s vision has
lived on for more than two
decades after his passing with
Kari Provizer’s leadership. The
Family Life Center has evolved
and grown, it’s been on the
forefront of understanding and
education, and it’s become a
vital connection for the greater
Jewish community.
“
As a rabbi, having that type
of person, that type of resource
right down the hall in Kari,
someone who has the expertise
in so many spaces, it’s amaz-
ing,
” Rabbi Josh Bennett said.
“I think when Kari came in,
part of the plan was to have
someone who could support
the rabbis and better help them
connect with the Temple mem-
bership, which she has. But Kari
has taken it and done so much
more, creating a space that goes
above and beyond.
”
Kari Provizer
OUR COMMUNITY
continued from page 18
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