The Wild Spiritual Ride of a Hollywood Screenwriter

Chabad at Lake Tahoe will be celebrating 5 years and it's been a Shrek of a Trek. Please join us for an Evening with David Weiss, screenwriter of Shrek 2. Sunday Aug. 26, 4:00pm at a private home in the Tahoe Keys.

Emmy nominated Hollywood screenwriter David Weiss. Weiss’s world-traveled presentation springs from his unlikely adventures as a nice Jewish boy who spent years as a charismatic church youth worker before returning to his Jewish roots via a blockbuster screenwriting career. Says Weiss, “When you find yourself under a wedding chupah with a gorgeous blonde in a Presbyterian Church being married by a Jews for Jesus Rabbi, something has to give.”

Weiss is the screenwritter of Shrek 2, The Smurfs Movies, Rugrats and co-wrote Clockstoppers, Are We There Yet? and Academy Award- nominated Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. He was nominated for an Emmy as co-head writer for the Rugrats Series and has various other Film and TV credits, including the MGM classic, All Dogs Go to Heaven, for a combined box office exceeding $2.3 billion. David recently completed work on the sequel to the Amy Adams hit musical, Enchanted, for Disney. An award-winning short film director, David is a proud member of the Motion Picture Academy, a former Vice President of the Writers Guild of America and has also written several children’s books. He lives in Los Angeles, with his wife, Eliana, their two kids, plus two cats, two birds, two dogs and a desert tortoise.

The evening will feature personal and professional stories from David Weiss, titled a Shrek of a Trek, a silent auction, gourmet hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.

Founded in 2013, the Chabad center was established to provide full-scale religious and social services to the growing Lake Tahoe Jewish population, in addition to cultivating a strong Jewish community.

“A Jewish community means more than just study and prayer,” explains Rabbi Mordey Richler, who, along with his wife Shaina, is the co-director of Chabad at Lake Tahoe. “A community is a family, a place where strong and meaningful relationships are formed.”

The Richlers are part of the global Chabad-Lubavitch movement, with over 3,500 centers servicing Jewish communities worldwide. Their mission is to provide a non-judgmental setting for all those seeking to reconnect with their Jewish heritage, regardless of affiliation or religious practice.

“At first I was more than a bit skeptical,” admits Joey Wolf, a Lake Tahoe resident, who met the Richlers when they visited his home to put up a mezuzah. “Mordey came to our house, and made me feel like I had family here. I look forward to learning and sharing experiences with other Jewish people here in Tahoe.”

Mezuzah services are just some of what Chabad at Lake Tahoe offers. Their other programs include Shabbat and Jewish holiday services and programs, the Jewish women’s circle, kosher camping trips, Jewish tourist accommodations, early childhood education programs and a variety of adult education classes and lectures.

“The best way to ensure a bright Jewish future is through education,” said Shaina Richler, “we give them the tools to live a Jewish life and pass on our traditions to their children.”

The evening will be a celebration of Chabad’s growth over the first five years, as well as an opportunity to set their visions for the future.

“We are thrilled to have met and connected with so many special people here in Lake Tahoe,” Rabbi Richler said. “We are constantly focused on what more we can do for the community, and how many more Jews we can bring together.”

For more information about Chabad and to RSVP visit www.JewishTahoe.com/Shrek or contact 530-314-7677.

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