Jewish News, Oct. 6, 2023

JEWISH PRIDE

Ben M. Freeman wants Jews to be galvanized by a sense of pride in their Jewish identity

Jewish organization is part of effort to get abortion amendment ‘across the finish line’

Roughly a year after a Pima County Superior Court judge’s ruling lifted an injunction on a Civil Warera total abortion ban in Arizona, marking the state’s first big fallout from the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, the National Council of Jewish Women Arizona (NCJW AZ) hosted an event designed to rally its members for the long and expensive battle to “get abortion on the ballot.”

Last September’s ruling came two days before Rosh Hashanah and inspired an interfaith clergy-led prayer circle, which included six local rabbis. Though the Arizona Court of Appeals issued a stay shortly afterward, allowing the law to revert to the 15-week abortion ban signed a few months earlier, the last year has left a muddled landscape regarding abortion rights in Arizona and a lot of uncertainty about what’s to come.

Even with a Democrat in the governor’s office, passing new abortion legislation through the GOPled Legislature would be a heavy lift, requiring two Republican votes in each chamber to reach a majority.

Recognizing the unlikelihood of that happening, Gov. Katie Hobbs, who campaigned on “restoring reproductive freedom,” suggested last spring that voters may ultimately need to figure it out for themselves with a ballot initiative.

Arizona for Abortion Access, a coalition of abortionrights and justice organizations, including Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, NARAL Arizona (Reproductive Freedom for All), Healthcare Rising

COMPASSIONATE CALLERS

Local woman starts calling service to help caregivers

Daniel Efron, Mesa cancer survivor, goes to Washington

At only 41, Mesa’s Daniel Efron has already survived two separate instances of brain cancer. He shared his againstthe-odds story with members of the United States Congress, including Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, as part of the 17th annual American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Leadership Summit and Lobby Day in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 19.

In fact, Efron’s personal narrative was so compelling to organizers it stood out as Arizona’s “pillar story,” according to Alex Wiles, ACS CAN senior regional media advocacy manager.

Efron, who called himself “a big-time Jew,” joined more than 700 cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones from across the country to meet lawmakers and urge them to pass adequate research funding and make quality health care more affordable.

“Roughly one in three Americans will hear the words ‘you have cancer’ in their lifetime. We need a full and unwavering commitment from Congress to take action to help prevent, detect and treat cancer,” Efron said. “We want our lawmakers to know that volunteers from Arizona, and every state across the country, are counting on them to take a stand.”

Those three words, “You have cancer,” are not just a bit of rhetorical flourish for Efron. He has heard them personally twice. Additionally, he lost both of his parents, an aunt and a grandmother to cancer.

Efron grew up in Sleepy Hollow, New York, where he became a bar mitzvah. He loved growing up in a town where playing Ichabod Crane in his eighth-grade theatrical production of SEE

3

Vandalism at ASU

In the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, Sept. 27, ASU Police Department officers discovered pro-Nazi graffiti on the downtown campus. See page 8. COURTESY OF EFREN TREJO PANTALEON

6, 2023 | TISHREI 21, 5784 | VOLUME 76, NUMBER 1

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

SURVIVOR, PAGE

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

Daniel Efron spoke with U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema at the 17th annual American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Leadership Summit and Lobby Day in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 19. COURTESY OF DANIEL EFRON

Washington Irving’s spooky story literally hit home. “It was the best town for Halloween,” he laughed. Efron moved with his family to Las Vegas at 18 and then to Arizona in 2017 to take a job in medical sales. He participates in various Chabad programming and observed this year’s High Holidays at Temple Emanuel of Tempe.

In 2015, Efron experienced severe crippling symptoms: he felt like an ax was burying itself into his brain and could take no more than a few steps without vomiting. He was diagnosed with a grade III glioma, a malignant brain tumor, and told he had two to four years to live.

The day before he had brain surgery, his mother died of stage IV pancreatic cancer, which she had only discovered two weeks earlier.

Efron said his mother was “in bad shape” well before that but her doctors assumed her pain was due to her degenerative arthritis. At that time, there was not a screening available for pancreatic cancer. Eventually, she fell and was taken to the hospital where the late-stage cancer was discovered, but far too late for an intervention.

It was part of the story he told Sinema about when they spoke one on one. Part of his advocacy that day was to encourage sponsorship of the Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act, introduced on June 21, 2023. Both Sinema and Sen. Mark Kelly are co-sponsors of the legislation, which would pave the way to make new screenings available to those on Medicare, something that Efron believes could have helped his mother.

Kelly was not in Washington for the event but Efron spoke with members of his staff.

“Sinema was great,” he said. “After my presentation, we had a great conversation and I told her how cancer has ravished my life, how finding a cure for it drives me.”

Sinema was grateful for the chance to hear directly from Efron, she told Jewish News in an email.

“Stories from remarkable survivors like Danny help raise awareness to strengthen cancer research, preventative measures and treatments. I’ll continue supporting

valid voter signatures by July 3, 2024, to qualify for the November election. However, the coalition has set a goal of 800,000 to provide a bulwark against challenges, Liggett said.

It’s an imposing number but Liggett is encouraged by the fact that in the two months after Roe was overturned, a group called Arizonans for Reproductive Freedom sprang up and worked to get something on the ballot for the fall. Without much time or planning, organizers were able to get about 175,000 signatures.

bipartisan bills that strengthen cancer research, raise awareness and support and strengthen preventative measures to better inform, detect and treat cancer,” she said.

“Early detection cancer screenings save lives and lower treatment costs for patients and their families. I appreciate Danny’s advocacy and am working to remove barriers to these life-saving tests,” Kelly told Jewish News in an email.

Efron and other survivors there that day rallied for an increase of medical research funding at the National Institute of Health (NIH) by $3.5 billion for a total of $51 billion and $2.7 billion for cancer research at the National Cancer Institute for a total of $9.98 billion.

“High-grade brain tumors are extremely difficult to treat and carry a poor prognosis. While there have been breakthroughs in other cancers, brain tumors remain poorly understood, and treatment has been the same for decades,” said Dr. Nhan Tran, professor of cancer biology at Scottsdale’s Mayo Clinic and an expert in glioblastoma.

“We must improve our understanding of these tumors on a cellular level to treat them. NIH-funded research is integral to providing hope for brain tumor patients and their loved ones,” he told Jewish News.

Efron recovered from his first bout with cancer, even after discontinuing his chemotherapy treatment against doctor’s orders. He had witnessed his father’s debilitating treatments when he had

“That was incredible and it is one of the reasons we are so optimistic,” Liggett said.

Anita Malik, NCJW AZ vice president of advocacy, told Jewish News that NCJW members are excited to get to work and are already signing up for training on how to gather signatures.

“People are amped up and ready to go. Everyone’s hungry right now and people are motivated,” she said.

Her goal is to keep that momentum sustained over the next several months. As someone involved in politics, she knows

prostate cancer, the disease that would kill him, and decided he couldn’t go through it. He spoke with several doctors, followed alternative therapies and made lifestyle changes. Within six months, he was cancer free and remained so for the next seven years.

In 2022, Efron found out he had stage 4 glioblastoma, another brain tumor. This time, he followed a course of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. He also had surgery and two weeks later suffered a stroke in his parietal lobe, which is vital for sensory perception and integration, including the management of taste, hearing, sight, touch and smell.

For the next three months, he suffered blindness, hallucinations and terrible pain.

Efron had a five-year-old son who helped him get around the house but whose face “looked smeared” because of Efron’s “crazy” hallucinations. “My own face looked like it had been shot off by a shotgun when I looked in the mirror. I felt like I was in a horror movie,” he said.

Efron used a cane for visually impaired people but he couldn’t remember where things were in his house. His fiance helped him find items but he always felt that his compass was spinning and the walls were contorted.

He compared the experience to the 2010 movie “Inception” and its portrayal of lucid dreaming.

“I couldn’t tell where I was in the house. I didn’t know where the bathroom was. I would freeze in place and it was so scary,” he said.

Finally, his doctor suggested ketamine therapy, which became his turning point. He could remove the patch from his left eye without a burning sensation for the first time. He recovered his sight and stopped hallucinating.

Efron shared his harrowing experiences with legislators and also encouraged them to pass HR 1826, PSA Screening for HIM Act, which would waive out-of-pocket costs for individuals with the highest risk of prostate cancer, something especially dear to Efron’s heart because of his father’s experience.

While Efron doesn’t consider himself very religious he’s very proud to be Jewish “and wears it on my sleeve,” he said. He teaches his son that Jewish history is about “fighting through adversity,” something he takes very much to heart. JN

how draining and intimidating this kind of work can be.

“This will require everybody’s effort but it’s doable and it’s exciting,” she said.

Gunnigle seconded that sentiment.

“This is our last push y’all,” she told participants. “This is our last sprint and we need to run as hard and as fast as we can to get this over the finish line.” JN

To learn more, go to ncjwaz.org.

Daniel Efron and his son. COURTESY OF DANIEL EFRON

Yuma synagogue and others received bogus bomb threats over holiday weekend

On Sunday, Sept. 17, the second day of Rosh Hashanah, Yuma’s Congregation Beth HaMidbar received an email claiming an anonymous person had placed a bomb inside the “Jewish Center.”

The Yuma Police Department (YPD) was contacted on Sunday morning, confirmed YPD Sergeant Lori Franklin.

Because the email spoke of a bomb, YPD called in the nearby Marine Corps Air Station Yuma bomb squad as well as its own bomb squad.

“The area was checked and it was clear,” Franklin told Jewish News.

Beth Hamidbar rents space at the Yuma Spiritual Center, which was evacuated. There were no Jewish services that morning, but other religious services were interrupted to ensure the safety of everyone present.

Rabbi Jeff Glickman, who was in Yuma to lead High Holiday services for Beth HaMidbar, pointed out that the Spiritual Center was the one who “took it on the chin. They had to evacuate their Sunday morning programming. It’s important to state how incredible the community of Yuma has been in providing support since the news got out, especially the Spiritual Center,” he told Jewish News.

“That’s how this stuff is going to stop: We stand up for others and they stand up for us,” he said.

The telephone number included in the threatening email was traced back to Pennsylvania and the local authorities were alerted and contacted the number’s owner, Franklin said.

It turned out that the same email had been sent to other synagogues across the state, according to Phoenix Police

Department Detective Michael Hillman.

“Once again, police precincts in Phoenix and across the Valley are doing everything they can to help with the overall safety and security of your synagogues,” he wrote to Jewish clergy and synagogue administrators before the High Holidays. “Local police officers have been asked to write reports while parked in your parking lots, and to drive through frequently when they have time.”

“It’s unfortunate that this is going around but we investigated and cleared the threat. We will always do our due diligence,” Franklin added.

Jewish leaders across the nation were on high alert heading into the High Holidays. The Anti-Defamation League reported that at least 49 threats had been made against synagogues over the previous two months across 13 states. Security organizations warned that although none of the previous cases were credible, all threats should be taken seriously.

“It’s a shame that it’s becoming a thing,” Franklin said.

Police investigated bomb threats at a number of synagogues across the United States during the two days of Rosh Hashanah. All of the cases were ultimately deemed not credible and no incidents of violence were reported during the weekend holidays, as thousands of synagogues celebrated the Jewish New Year and Yom Kippur.

In the days leading up to Sukkot, a man in Peru was arrested and charged by the FBI with making a string of bomb threats targeting U.S. Jewish institutions, including synagogues on Rosh Hashanah. The threat to a New York synagogue

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

Google street view of Yuma Spiritual Center.

listed in the FBI complaint uses identical language to that which was sent to Yuma and other Arizona synagogues, and all were sent on the same day.

The news in Yuma was first made public by Jennifer Blackwell, a Z93 radio personality. KYMA TV in Yuma then picked up the story.

Samantha Byrd, a Jewish reporter at KYMA, did a longer day-two story on Monday. She attended Rosh Hashanah services at Beth HaMidbar before the email was sent.

“This was a first for me in terms of covering antisemitism. I felt it was my responsibility to share the information, even though it was upsetting to me. We shouldn’t hide things like this when they happen. We should share it to overcome it,” Byrd told Jewish News.

Glickman was impressed with the local Jewish community’s response. They rose to the situation instead of panicking, he said.

“Yom Kippur is all about the power of words and these were only words; there was no action behind it,” he said.

This is not the first time false bomb threats have been called into Jewish institutions. More than 100 threats were called into Jewish community centers in the early months of 2017. Most of the calls, it was later discovered, came from a teen in Israel. In 2020, dozens of JCCs received a separate series of emailed bomb threats.

Glickman was mindful that people are susceptible to the power of words, especially those that tap into our fears, even if the words are false. Fear is something the Torah touches on, he said.

“The way to respond to fear is with faith, so walk with your head up and be proud. I wish everyone in this new year would lift their heads up Jewishly and be proud of it,” he said. JN

OCT. 10: “If These Shoes Could Talk” with Phoenix Art Museum docent Debbie Ray

OCT. 17: “TropicalZion:TheJewsofSousa,Dominican Republic” with travel journalist Dan Fellner

OCT. 24: AuthorTaraIsondiscusseshernewestbook, “At the Hour Between Dog and Wolf”

OCT. 31: “JewishLegendsandTheirIdeas”withRabbi Mendy Deitsch of Chabad of the East Valley

SAVE THE STORIES

Mondays, Oct. 16-30 10-11 a.m

Three workshops presented byDaughters of Jacob Genealogy

evjcc.org/genealogy

GENERATIONS AFTER

Wednesday, Oct. 18 10-11:30 a.m.

Adena Bernstein, author of “Living Among the Dead: My Grandmother’s HolocaustSurvival Story of Love and Strength” evjcc.org/generations-after

IL M SERIES

about achildless young ultra-Orthodox couple who faces a crisisafter a traumatic treatment for barrenness

This article incorporated material from Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

"IT’S IMPORTANT TO STATE HOW INCREDIBLE THE COMMUNITY OF YUMA HAS BEEN IN PROVIDING SUPPORT SINCE THE NEWS GOT OUT, ESPECIALLY THE SPIRITUAL CENTER.”

RABBI JEFF GLICKMAN

DANIEL SCHNEIDER, CPP

FAMILY SALES COUNSELOR

Organization: Mt Sinai Cemetery

Contact:

Please send resume to Ira Mann, at ira@mtsinaicemetery.com.

Description:

Mt Sinai is looking for a Family Sales Counselor. The position requires meeting with families or individuals who wish to make end of life arrangements. Familiarity with Jewish customs is helpful; being motivated, having compassion, and an attention to detail are essential. Phone work, follow-up, and building connections with clients is the key to success.

Mt Sinai is a Jewish cemetery located in north Phoenix. Our small, dedicated staff has created a very positive company culture and pleasant workplace. Being a team player is important for this rapidly expanding business

Cemetery training is provided, as well as competitive remuneration, annual bonus, generous PTO, and healthcare benefits.

address Jewish teens, who are exposed to a daily barrage of hateful messages on social media.

“Ben is a very passionate and relatable speaker and will have an impact on our community,” she said.

Social media is something of a doubleedged sword for Freeman. He first gained public prominence on Twitter roughly five years ago when he spoke out against Jeremy Corbyn, ex-leader of Great Britain’s Labour Party, alleging antisemitism.

Before becoming an influencer, Freeman was a Holocaust educator for high school and college students. Now, he is the author of two books and a columnist for the Jerusalem Post, the oldest and largest English-language daily newspaper in Israel, and the most-read Jewish news website in English.

Although Freeman acknowledged that social media “gave me a career” and that it’s an avenue for “Jews to form

community and connect,” he said that it also needs to be used responsibly and thoughtfully.

He appreciated that some people do better by disconnecting from it completely and admitted that even though he is interested in serious discussion and debate, “there have been instances where my judgment got the better of me and I’ve responded to someone sassily,” he said.

He reminds people that blocking other users is perfectly acceptable “because you don’t owe them anything,” and he backs off on his own social media usage in the summer just because “it’s exhausting” and he needs a break, he said.

Freeman’s two talks in Scottsdale will both revolve around Jewish pride but they won’t be duplicates. Tailoring content to a specific audience is a skill honed through years of being a classroom teacher and one that he still quite enjoys.

An introvert generally, Freeman takes energy from his audience and observes

people’s reactions to see what resonates, where to go deeper and when to back off. He loves the constant feedback while he’s talking and said it “keeps me on my toes.”

Regardless of the age of his audience, Freeman is “always trying to educate and discuss everything in a way which is accessible,” he said.

Still, he draws firm boundaries on what’s appropriate.

“My journey to LGBTQ+ pride has played such a huge role in the formation of the Jewish pride movement and my own work, but there are layers to that story that I would speak to adults about

— but not young people,” he said.

The best part is sharing a message about pride that he believes is “transformative” with a Jewish audience.

“The most thrilling thing is forming a connection and having these conversations with Jews in Phoenix that I’ve had with Jews all over the world,” he said. JN

To register for the event, go to phoenixcjp.regfox. com/2023-ben-freeman-moderated-event.

Jewish

News is published by the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix, a component of the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix.

WE DESERVE A PRIDE MOVEMENT LIKE OTHER COMMUNITIES, AND WE SHOULD USE THE LANGUAGE OF JEWISH PRIDE WITHOUT TALKING AROUND IT.”

ASU students, staff grateful for official support after pro-Nazi graffiti discovered on downtown campus

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

In her rush to get to work early Wednesday morning, Emily Fox-Million, a sophomore at Arizona State University (ASU), didn’t notice the swastika spray painted in red on a sign in front of ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s downtown Phoenix campus.

“I walked right by it and if I had only looked up, I would have seen it,” FoxMillion told Jewish News.

It wasn’t until after she sat down at her desk that her co-workers told her about the vandalism and showed her pictures of the swastika and other pro-Nazi graffiti painted on and around the journalism school where she works as a student success coach.

“It’s devastating to see hate like this, especially at my college. Knowing I have to go to class with this graffiti out there is hurtful and really scary,” she said.

Happily, she felt the support of campus officials right away. Hillel at ASU’s staff reached out to her first.

“They do an incredible job to make sure we know we’re cared for when anything arises,” she said.

Debbie Yunker Kail, Hillel at ASU’s executive director, is concerned whenever this kind of vandalism occurs on campus.

“Our job is to remind the students that we’re here for them because these things hit people differently,” she told Jewish News.

Fox-Million also appreciated how quickly the leadership of the journalism school reacted. She spoke to Assistant Dean Melanie Alverez about ways to better support Jewish students on the downtown campus. Meanwhile, her senior associate dean, Rebecca Blatt, sent a reassuring email to Cronkite students about the graffiti and “the distress this may cause” and reminded them that ASU counseling services were available if needed.

“My dean took the time out of her day to ask how I’m doing,” Fox-Million said.

As a Jewish student, she felt cared for but as a journalism student, she felt curious. She and her fellow journalism students dug into the details right away, even contributing to the reporting about what she termed “the most important story” in The State Press, ASU’s independent, student-operated newspaper.

In the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, Sept. 27, ASU Police Department officers on patrol discovered the graffiti, Adam Wolfe, the police information, media

relations and strategic communications officer for ASU PD, told Jewish News.

The swastika covered an ad for “Relentless Courage,” an exhibit of photographs taken during the war in Ukraine. Beneath the swastika “1488” was painted, a number that serves as a symbolic shorthand for white supremacists, according to the AntiDefamation League. The “14” signifies “14 Words,” or “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children,” while “88” stands for “Heil Hitler.” (H is the eighth letter of the alphabet, and thus 88 = HH = Heil Hitler.)

On the journalism school’s window was another promotion for the exhibit, covered in the same red paint that spelled out the name “Dmytro Kozatsky” and the words “Canadian war hero inside.”

Kozatsky, whose photographs are among those on display in the exhibit, was a member of Ukraine’s Azov regiment, a far-right all-volunteer infantry military unit whose members have been accused of promoting neo-Nazi and white supremacist ideology.

“There were so many messages tied into one and it felt so confusing and random, so hard to find one consistent line,” Fox-Million said, adding that all the student journalists were speculating about what the reference to the “Canadian war hero” meant and whether the fact that the episode happened the same day as a scheduled speech on campus by Charlie Kirk, a controversial right-wing activist who promotes Christian nationalism, had anything to do with the vandalism.

Fox-Million suspected it was more likely tied to the Jewish High Holidays but admitted that none of them knew the answer.

“At the end of the day, the only intention was to spread fear and hate,” she said. “It’s alarming to see a swastika as a Jewish student and the neo-Nazi messaging attacks all minority groups at ASU.”

Wolfe said there was no evidence to suggest the Kirk speaking event was connected. The suspect, Denis Zyalik, was arrested Wednesday afternoon and charged with ARS 13-1604A2 Aggravated Criminal Damage, a Class 5 Felony. So far, he has offered no motive or explained the meaning behind the graffiti, said Wolfe.

However, “anytime there’s a swastika involved it raises the question of antisemitism. While this seemed more targeted toward Ukraine, you can’t rule antisemitism out. Intentional or not, I would say the antisemitic angle is pretty clear,” he said, adding that he has Jewish heritage.

Efren Trejo Pantaleon, an ASU junior and Fox-Million’s colleague, saw the graffiti at approximately 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, when he was walking back to his room with friends.

His first thought was of how ASU stressed the importance of inclusion and how those messages were anything but welcoming.

“I felt upset on behalf of my Jewish co-workers, who had just celebrated a holiday — it’s so disrespectful,” he said.

He was relieved to see the graffiti removed a few hours later.

“We see those who perpetrate such actions under the cover of darkness for what they are: weak and hateful fearmongers and cowards,” said ASU President Michael Crow in a statement released Wednesday.

Madeline Salvatierra, president of Jewish Law Student Association (JLSA) at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, was “really impressed by how ASU handled things,” she told Jewish News. Before the official statement was released, the head of the law school called her to let her know what was happening.

In a message Salvatierra sent to JLSA members, she expressed her gratitude to the dean “for how seriously ASU Law is

taking this matter. I also spoke with the ASU PD officer who filed the initial report. He answered many of my questions and assured me that we do not need to be worried or afraid.”

She remembered pro-Hitler and antisemitic flyers that hit the campus twice when she was an undergraduate student at ASU and she wanted to assure her students that she understands how they feel and they have her support as well as the administration’s.

“I know ASU has our backs,” she told Jewish News.

ADL Arizona was alerted to the incident by ASU officials and released its own statement condemning the vandalism and reminding people that “whenever Holocaust symbolism and imagery is used to send a message, it denigrates the memory of the millions of people murdered by the Nazi regime and disregards the longstanding impact on the Jewish community.”

Hillel at ASU released a statement Wednesday about the incident on Instagram and Facebook. The message ended with a reminder that Sukkot is coming up fast and it’s a time to “come out of our buildings and visibly display our Jewish pride and presence.”

That’s a message that resonates with Fox-Million. If anything, an incident like this serves as a call for the community to come together, she said. It wasn’t until coming to ASU that she became more in touch with her Jewish identity.

“It’s important that people know that Jewish students are proud to be here. We’re lucky to have the Jewish institutions we have and the leadership that’s ready to support students when the time comes,” she said. JN

Swastika and white supremacist graffiti appeared on and around ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s downtown Phoenix campus in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Sept. 27.

COURTESY OF EFREN TREJO PANTALEON

Emily Fox-Million COURTESY OF EMILY FOX-MILLION

Year of Torah

his year, at our synagogue, we have begun a “Year of Torah.” We have not only commissioned a new Torah scroll, but we have planned many learning sessions asking all sorts of questions about Torah from lots of different angles and specialties. Our first session asked, “Is the Torah an accurate recording of history or a legend in which some kernels of truth are hidden?” Take, for example, the giving of the Ten Commandments. There are many differing views about what happened at Mount Sinai. For instance, Rabbi Yochanan claims that God’s voice was divided into seven voices and the seven voices were further divided into the 70 languages spoken by all the peoples of the world at that time. Extending this idea that all the books of the Hebrew Bible were given to Moses at Mount Sinai, some of the ancient rabbis claim that God gave two Torahs to Moses. One they call Torah Shebichetav, “Written Torah,” comprising the Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,

Numbers and Deuteronomy. The other they call Torah Shebealpeh, “Oral Torah,” made up of all the books of the Prophets, the Midrash Agadah, the Talmud and all decisions and explanations of Jewish law by rabbinic scholars through the ages.

TClearly, the ancient rabbis have added their own versions of what actually happened between God, Moses and the people of Israel at Mount Sinai. Their belief that two Torahs were given, including answers to all questions that might arise throughout all time, not only adds to the mystery of whatever occurred at Mount Sinai but also grants special authority to all subsequent interpreters. This is an important point that should not be overlooked. As a result of their theory of “two Torahs,” rabbis now have the right to say that their own interpretations or decisions are “the law according to Moses at Mount Sinai!”

This conviction that something wonderful and awesome took place between God and the people of Israel at Mount Sinai is also central in the philosophy of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. He comments that “a cosmic fear enveloped all those who stood at Sinai, a moment more staggering than the heart could feel.” Heschel explains: “What we see may be an illusion; that we see can never be questioned. The thunder and lightning at Sinai may have

been merely an impression; but to have suddenly been endowed with the power of seeing the whole world struck with an overwhelming awe of God was a new sort of perception ... Only in moments when we are able to share in the spirit of awe that fills the world are we able to understand what happened to Israel at Sinai.”

Heschel’s conception of the wonderfilled event at Mount Sinai maintains that something extraordinary took place between God, Moses and the Jewish people. He does not, however, identify what of the Torah might have been revealed at that time. What is significant about the moment at Mount Sinai is that God spoke and the people of Israel responded.

So, what happened at Mount Sinai? According to Heschel, God spoke and the people of Israel listened. They heard the commandments and responded that they would live according to them. The moment was one of the most important in Jewish history because in it God chose and challenged the Jewish people to live according to Torah and the Jewish people answered, “All that God has spoken we will do!”

We have discovered many theories about what actually happened at Mount Sinai between God, Moses and the Jewish people. Perhaps two complete Torahs were given by God in that wonder-filled moment. Or,

OCTOBER 13 - 5:39 P.M. SHABBAT

OCTOBER 14 - 6:32 P.M.

a God-inspired Moses delivered the Ten Commandments and later generations, also inspired, wrote down the other commandments that were compiled and edited into what we know today as the Torah.

All that can be said with certainty is that whatever happened at Mount Sinai, the people of Israel never forgot the wonder of it. They recalled it as momentous, mysterious and awesome. They believed that God had spoken and that they had been chosen to become a “treasured people ... a holy nation.” At Sinai, God and the Jewish people entered into a sacred covenant filled with mitzvot; ethical and ritual responsibilities that not only continue to evolve but give meaning to our lives and the blueprint for all of us to “Do Jewish.” JN

Sukkot is a holiday of homecoming and homelessness

RABBI JAMES PONET | JTA

What is home? The question sounds like it would best be answered by a children’s book on which each page proclaims a sweet tautology like, “Home is where you feel at home.” There would be a picture of the family nest, parents, grandparents, kids and a dog, a fire in the hearth and soup on the table. Home as Norman Rockwell painted it.

But pondering what home really is opens us to what is arguably the most troubling political and theological puzzle of our times. For we have entered an age of homelessness and Homeland Security, of mass migrations and refugees fleeing scarcity, tyranny, drought and famine, of rising oceans, poisoned air and water, ongoing wars that destroy homes while killing and displacing whole populations. We have entered the age of the loss of home.

It is especially important for Jews to reflect on the meaning of home today. Not only because that is precisely the philosoph-

ical task of this week’s Sukkot holiday, but because we live in the aftermath of a war in which we were almost erased from the earth. And because we live in the presence of a 75-year-old reborn Jewish state, where many Jews feel they have come home to a security unavailable elsewhere.

Historically, Jews know much more about exile than home, more about wandering the wilderness than inhabiting the land. On Sukkot, we are instructed to consider that home may not be fixed, stable and enduring but rather fragile, temporary and portable.

Consider the thinking of a man who left his home in Warsaw voluntarily at the age of 17 to study and teach in Vilna and Berlin before eventually finding himself a refugee in the United States in 1940. In his short classic, “The Sabbath” (1951), Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel writes of finding spiritual home not in space, but in time: “The Bible is more concerned with

time than with space. It sees the world in the dimension of time. It pays more attention to generations, to events, than to countries, to things; it is more concerned with history than with geography.”

Yet just weeks after the Six-Day War of 1967 and the Israeli army’s lightning conquest of Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Sinai peninsula and the Golan Heights, Heschel visited Israel. Smitten by what he experienced there, he wrote a book, “Israel: An Echo of Eternity,” which seemed to many readers a repudiation of his earlier thinking. He writes: “There are moments in history which are unique, moments which have tied the heart of our people to Jerusalem forever. These moments and the city of Jerusalem radiate the light of the spirit throughout the world. The light of the spirit is not a thing of space, imprisoned in a particular place. Yet for the spirit of Jerusalem to be everywhere, Jerusalem must first be somewhere.”

A NOTE ON OPINION

Was Heschel overcome by a moment that felt like homecoming? Or shall we say he lived and thought like a pilgrim who understood that while life is always about the quest, there are nevertheless times when a pilgrim needs, sometimes desperately, glimpses of home both in space and in time?

Heschel was able to take up the task of working for and with African Americans in their own struggle for home. When you feel at home you feel commanded to extend that feeling to others. Sukkot teaches that home is the place and the moment to offer shelter to strangers. JN

This story was originally published on My Jewish Learning.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

Rabbi Jeremy Schneider is the spiritual leader of Temple Kol Ami in Scottsdale and the president of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Phoenix.

Find area congregations at jewishaz.com, where you can also find our 2023 Community Directory.

RABBI JEREMY SCHNEIDER | PARSHAH SHEMINI ATZERET: DEUTERONOMY 14:22 - 16:17

We are a diverse community. The views expressed in these opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of the officers and boards of the Jewish Community Foundation, Center for Jewish Philanthropy, Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, Cleveland Jewish Publication Company or the staff of the Jewish News. Letters must respond to content published by the Jewish News and should be a maximum of 200 words. They may be edited for space and clarity. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters and op-ed submissions should be sent to editor@jewishaz.com

SHABBAT CANDLE LIGHTING

ENDS

Rabbi Jeremy Schneider PHOTO COURTESY OF RABBI JEREMY SCHNEIDER

A‘compassionate call’ can make a big difference

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

Bina Colman’s father was diagnosed with dementia in his late 50s and passed away a few years later. Before his passing, he moved into a memory care facility, where Colman visited him often, doing what she could to help. Meanwhile, she was also busy raising her young children and working full-time. She remembers it as a very stressful time.

“I was going through all this thinking, this is crazy! There have to be other solutions and other resources that are out there, but there aren’t,” she said.

Colman’s experience is common among the approximately 2.5 million members of the “sandwich generation,” people, mostly women, who are simultaneously caregivers for their young children and aging parents. Despite being a professional gerontologist, a social worker for the elderly, Colman felt overwhelmed and frustrated by the lack of assistance for people in her situation.

Almost one quarter of adults who provide care for at least one parent over the age of 65 also take care of at least one child under 18, according to a recent

University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry study.

“Our analysis highlights the extraordinary level of demand faced by sandwich generation caregivers,” said Lianlian Lei, one of the study’s authors. “More research is needed on this specific population’s challenges and needs.”

After doing her own research, both having experienced it and working as a care coordinator for a national company, Colman started Compassionate Callers, a calling service she hopes will become one of the missing puzzle pieces for caregivers.

Colman, a member of Temple Kol Ami in Scottsdale, grew up in Greater Phoenix, as did both of her parents. In college, she considered becoming a children’s social worker but decided it would be too emotional.

“I gravitated toward the elderly because often people have lived a great life, and I’m helping them figure out living arrangements and resources for the end of their journey,” she said.

As her father’s condition progressed,

his hands stopped functioning well so she got him an Alexa for his room. He called Colman and her mother roughly 20 times every day.

“I think if he knew that somebody would be calling regularly, he wouldn’t have needed some of those phone calls,” she said.

A monthly plan pays for Colman or her staff to call an elderly loved one up to five times a day, seven days a week and many of the calls serve as a reminder to take medicine, to eat or simply an opportunity to chat.

“We’re really taking those calls off

people’s plate who are also feeling the pressure of being in the sandwich generation,” she said.

Every new client goes through an assessment to determine how many calls are necessary, when to schedule them, what information should be ascertained in every call, etc.

But the calls aren’t all business.

“I’m calling people every day, and I really get to know them. One of my clients loves his lawn and we talk about that. He gets to talk about what he wants to talk about,” she said.

Everybody also has an emergency

“I GRAVITATED TOWARD THE ELDERLY BECAUSE OFTEN PEOPLE HAVE LIVED A GREAT LIFE, AND I’M HELPING THEM FIGURE OUT LIVING ARRANGEMENTS AND RESOURCES FOR THE END OF THEIR JOURNEY.”

BINA COLMAN

plan. If someone doesn’t pick up the phone at the allotted time, Colman calls back. After all, it could be a matter of a bathroom break. After that, there’s a

contact from the care plan or 911 if need be.

senior community when families need extra support to ensure loved ones’ needs are being met,” said Jennifer Brauner, director of the Jewish Family & Children’s Service Center for Senior Enrichment.

Some people she calls are very chatty, while others make her feel she is pulling teeth.

“But this gives their loved ones’ peace of mind that even if they can’t make the call, someone can. I want to get the most information I can out of them. I ask if they went outside, if they’re drinking enough water, what movies they’ve been watching,” she said.

One of her “talkers” collects comic books. When she told him that her husband also loves them, she put him on speakerphone and the two ended up talking for about 10 minutes.

The University of Michigan study found that only a minority of caregivers use support groups or training to help them with their duties.

Colman wants to increase that number and has been talking to several local companies about making her service an employee benefit.

“It turns out that if you’re a fulltime employee and a full-time family caregiver, your productivity is down

because if you’re worrying about your loved ones, it’s hard to concentrate on work,” she said.

“Policymakers and employers should pay special attention to the individuals caught in this ‘trilemma’ of being caregivers to two generations and members of the workforce at the same time,” said Donovan T. Maust, another of the study’s authors. “Making support services and paid time off available to all caregivers of older adults, whether they are taking care of aging parents, other relatives, friends or neighbors, could make a difference in workforce participation and even nursing home use.”

Recently, Colman added a list of expanding resources on her website for seniors and is also working with insurance companies to cover her service. For now, it’s an out-of-pocket charge but it’s an affordable supplement to people who are doing a minimum of homecare visits, she said. JN

For more information, visit compassionatecallers. com.

Bina Colman with her husband and children at an Arizona Diamondbacks game. COURTESY OF BINA COLMAN

RESORT-STYLE SENIOR LIVING IN SCOTTSDALE

From mascot to Hollywood, Gilbert man recounts his life as a firefighter

M.V. MOORHEAD | SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

When Gilbert resident Ira “Jim”

Goode says that he began his career as a mascot, we might picture him in a funny animal costume on the sidelines at a sporting event. But for firefighters, the term mascot can have a different meaning.

“I was about 12 years old when I became a mascot at a fire station, in 1954,” said Goode. “We had a fire station (Engine 95 in the city of Chicago) within walking distance of my house. I started hanging around the station after school and on weekends.” He ran errands and helped around the station and even went on a few calls with the firefighters, riding in the front seat of the engine.

This early exposure to the fire service had a lifelong effect on Goode’s career path. “The years went by and in 1970 I decided to join the Skokie Civil Defense Rescue Squad of Skokie, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago,” said Goode.

In 1975, Goode joined the North Maine Fire Department in Des Plaines, Illinois. “I was a paid ‘on-call’ until April 30, 1977, when I became a full-time firefighter/paramedic on the North Maine Fire department,” he said.

Goode is Jewish and when asked if he encountered any antisemitism in his firefighting career or if being Jewish presented any challenges for him, he said, “No, because the fire chief was Jewish.”

He was promoted to lieutenant in 1984 and retained that position until his retirement from North Maine in 2000. In 1989, for eight months, he was a fire prevention inspector and was certified by the office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal. He then reported back to his shift position for the remainder of his career.

Throughout his career, Goode had many memorable experiences. “I helped deliver five babies,” he noted. He also had a brush with Hollywood, albeit on location in Des Plaines. “I worked as fire watch on ‘The Breakfast Club.’” As fire watch, Goode kept everyone safe on the set of the classic 1985 John Hughes movie by keeping an eye out for fire hazards and ensuring that flammable materials were kept away from ignition sources.

Perhaps most memorable of all, however, was the day he got to spend

a couple of hours with Muhammad Ali.

“He was a friend of a friend of one of our trustees,” Goode explained. “He had an old ‘50s Cadillac, and our guys were going to work on it. I got a call, ‘Muhammad Ali is going to be there in an hour.’ So, I hung out with him for two hours while the guys worked on his car.”

After his retirement, Goode moved to Valley Center, California in 2002, where he volunteered for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). He moved to Gilbert in 2010 and soon was volunteering for Gilbert Fire & Rescue CERT and COM 251 (Community Assistance). In this capacity he performs emergency, non-emergency and routine tasks that support the functions of the Gilbert Fire and Rescue Department (GFRD). At 81 years old, he is still volunteering with them.

“On March 17, 2014, I joined the GFRD Fire Prevention Division as a volunteer inspector,” said Goode. “Since joining fire prevention, I have logged 1,206 hours and 6,292 commuting miles.”

Furloughed from Gilbert for a few years due to the COVID pandemic, Goode and the rest of the COM 251 team have recently been reactivated and are currently going through driver retraining. “Everyone has to complete it, although I drove our COM 251 van for three years before we were furloughed,” he said.

It was in September of 2020 that Goode became a volunteer at the Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting in Phoenix. It grew out of a home hobby; Goode, who also worked as a remodeling contractor, used his woodworking skills to build wooden ‘Thin Red Line’ flags in honor of the fire service. The black striped flag with a prominent red line is a symbol used by fire departments to show respect for those injured and killed in the line of duty.

“My brother came into town from California and visited the museum.” Goode recalled. “He said, ‘Why don’t you make one of your flags for the museum. So, I did and when I presented it, Chuck (Hall of Flame Executive Director Chuck Montgomery) said, ‘Why don’t you become a volunteer?’”

Goode’s wife Carrie was enthusiastic about getting him out of the house. “My wife jumped on it; she said, ‘You’re doing

something.’”

His “Thin Red Line” flag still hangs in Gallery 3 at the Hall of Flame Museum. Goode volunteers at the museum several days a week. Ironically, his wife sometimes volunteers too. JN

M.V. Moorhead is a freelance writer living in Phoenix who writes for Phoenix New Times, Phoenix Magazine, East Valley Tribune and Wrngler News.

Jim Goode is a volunteer at the Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting in Phoenix. COURTESY OF JIM GOODE

Welcome to Hollywood!

Nearly 200 youth from Conservative synagogues across Arizona, California and Nevada enjoyed an annual turnaround Labor Day weekend jaunt to Universal Studios Hollywood. Kids from Scottsdale’s Congregation Or Tzion, Beth El Phoenix and Temple Beth Sholom of the

participated.

Community Tashlich

Valley Beit Midrash and Arizona Jews for Justice organized a community tashlich at Scottsdale’s Chaparral Park for members of the Greater Phoenix Jewish community.

Say cheese!

Welcome to Judaism

a synagogue and learn about the High

Security brought to you by the FBI

Members of the FBI Phoenix division’s leadership team met with leaders of the Greater Phoenix Jewish community at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Center in Scottsdale. The FBI office wanted to share support around the High Holidays and reiterate the collective commitment to fighting antisemitism.

Jenni Hyams (left) and Kelley Sucher (right) and their children take a moment to smile for the camera at Baby & Me Shabbat, a program of the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Phoenix. COURTESY OF MARINA AWERBUCH

Pictured from left, Temple Solel Rabbi Stiel, Congregation Kehillah Rabbi Bonnie Sharfman, Arizona Faith Network Interfaith Manager Bhikku Vasu Bandhu and Beth El Phoenix Rabbi Nitzan Stein Kokin. The three local rabbis led a program called Judaism 201 for the Arizona Faith Network. This two-hour session at Beth El Congregation was an opportunity for non-Jews to see

Holidays. PHOTO

East Valley

COURTESY OF SARAH BOCHENEK

COURTESY

Featured Event

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 18

‘Living Among the Dead: My Grandmother’s Holocaust Survival Story of Love and Strength’:

10-11:30 a.m. East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler. Join Generations After for a presentation by author Adena Bernstein. She will speak about her grandmother’s story of survival, her visit to her grandmother’s hometown (which is now in Ukraine) and her experience of nominating a Polish woman to receive the designation “Righteous Among the Nations” through Yad Vashem. Cost: free to attend; books available for $15. For more information, visit evjcc.org/generations-after/.

Events

SATURDAY, OCT. 7

Simchat Torah Holiday Collaboration: 5:308:30 p.m. Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley, 3400 N. Dobson Road, Chandler. Join TBSEV and Beth El Phoenix for a Simchat Torah celebration with dinner and dancing. For more information, visit tbsev.org.

SUNDAY, OCT. 8

Israeli Film Series: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Online. Join the East Valley Jewish Community Center for the film, “Barren.” Sign up to receive the link and watch it from home anytime that day. Cost: free. For more information, visit evjcc.org/film/.

CommuniTeen Simchat Torah: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Join JTeen, Hebrew High, Or Tzion Youth, BBYO Mountain Region and B’nai Tzedek Youth Philanthropy Program of Greater Phoenix for a celebration to close out the holiday season. Cost: free; bring donations for Just 3 Things Drive. For more information, visit jewishphoenix.com/ events/communi-teen-simchat-torah/.

MONDAY-TUESDAY, OCT. 9-10

Teen Philanthropy Fall Break Bootcamp: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Middle schoolers can join the B’nai Tzedek Youth Philanthropy Program of Greater Phoenix for a two-day program including hands-on community service projects, decision making, leadership development and exploring Jewish values in giving. Cost: $180 per person. For more information, visit phoenixcjp.regfox.com/ bnai-tzedek-philanthropy-boot-camp-2023.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, OCT. 13-15

Documentary Film Series: All day. Online. Join the Arizona Jewish Historical Society for a free online streaming of the documentary, “A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting.” For more information, visit azjhs.org/ documentary-film-series.

SATURDAY, OCT. 14

Mahjong Party: A Friendly Tournament

“Lite:” 12-4:30 p.m. Via Linda Senior Center, 10440 E. Vía Linda, Scottsdale. Join other seniors from all over the state for a friendly tournament. Cost: $30. For more information, contact Kevine Herrick, director of Via Linda Senior Center at 480-312-5810 or Sue Weiner, mahjong instrustor and tournament director at 623-521-5702.

Welcome Back Italian Feast: 6-8 p.m. San Portales, 7215 E. Silverstone Drive, Scottsdale. Join Brandeis National Committee Phoenix Chapter for an evening of fun and friendship. Cost: $36, $54 or $72 per person. For more information, visit brandeisphoenix.org.

SUNDAY, OCT. 15

Jewish War Veterans: A Legacy of Service and Advocacy: 9:30 a.m. Oakwood Country Club, 24218 S. Oakwood Blvd., Sun Lakes. East Valley Chabad Rabbi Mendy Deitsch will address Jewish War Veterans, Post 619 and discuss the origins, mission and

accomplishments of the Jewish War Veterans organization, highlighting its role in supporting Jewish veterans, advocating for their rights and preserving their historical contributions.

Cost: free. For more information, contact Elliott Reiss at 480-802-3281 or ElliottBarb@q.com.

Art on the Wild Side! A Phoenix Zoo Art

Exhibit: 5-8 p.m. Phoenix Zoo, 455 N. Galvin Pkwy., Phoenix. Join Temple Solel for a new art exhibit at the Phoenix Zoo featuring the Ramat Gan Safari Park in Ramat gan, Israel, a sister city to Phoenix. Cost: $25. For more information, visit phoenixzoo.org/events/the-biggerpicture-art-exhibit-fundraising-reception/.

TUESDAY, OCT. 17

Jet Set to Israel: 6-8 p.m. Dolce Events, 9343 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale. Join Jewish National Fund-USA JNFuture Young Professionals for a virtual journey to Halutza, home to thousand s of business owners, professionals and families. Cost: $18 general admission. For more information, visit jnf.org/events-landing-pages/jet-set.

SATURDAY, OCT. 21

Hoedown: 5:30-8 p.m.. Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, 12202 N. 101st Ave., Sun City. Join Temple Beth Shalom for a barbecue dinner, cake walk, line dancing lessons and more. Cost: $18; reservations accepted until Oct. 18. For more information, call 623-977-3240 or visit tbsaz.org.

Meetings, Lectures & Classes

SUNDAYS

Jewish War Veterans Post 210: 10 a.m. Online. Any active duty service member or veteran is welcome to join monthly meetings, every third Sunday. Cost: free. For more information, email Michael Chambers at c365michael@yahoo.com.

Sundays are for the Family Weekly Feed: 3-5 p.m. Tempe Beach Park, 80 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., Tempe. Join Arizona Jews for Justice and AZ HUGS for the Houseless every Sunday to serve food to those in need. For more information and to RSVP, email Arizonajews4justice@gmail.com.

MONDAYS

“Israel in Crisis: What’s Happening and Why:” 10-11 a.m. Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, 12202 N. 101st Ave., Sun City. Join Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan for a discussion on Israel including judicial reform efforts, the settlers, the Ultra-Orthodox, the moderates and the left, as well as the threat of brain/income drain in the country. Oct. 9, 16 & 23. For more information, visit tbsaz.org.

Mahjong: 1:30-3:30 p.m. East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler. Come play mahjong each week. For all levels. Cost: free; registration required at evjcc.org/mahjong/.

Partners in Torah: 7:30 p.m. Online. Join a growing group of inspired learners with Project Inspire. Cost: free. Tune in at: us04web. zoom.us/j/3940479736#success, password is

613. For more information, email Robin Meyerson at robin@projectinspireaz.com.

Learning to Trust in God: 7:30 p.m. Online. Learn with Rabbi Yossi Friedman. Tune in at: ChabadAZ.com/LiveClass. Cost: free. For more information, visit chabadaz.com.

Jewish Single Parent Zoom: 8-9 p.m. Every other Monday. Online. Join Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Phoenix for this new group for Jewish single parents who are looking to from friendships and build their support system. Cost: $18 suggested donation. For more information, visit bjephoenix.formstack. com/forms/familyu_single_parents.

TUESDAYS

Let’s Knit: 1:30 p.m. Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Share the pleasure of knitting, crocheting, etc. outside the social hall in the campus. Can’t knit? They will teach you! Every level welcome. Cost: free. For more information, visit vosjcc.org.

Maintaining an Upbeat Attitude: 7 p.m. Online. A class exclusively for people in their 20s and 30s, learn how Jewish Mysticism can help with your attitude with Rabbi Shlomy Levertov. Cost: free. Tune in at: JewishParadiseValley.com/YJPclass. For more information, visit chabadaz.com.

WEDNESDAYS

History of the Jews: 11 a.m. Online. Learn the Jewish journey from Genesis to Moshiach with Rabbi Ephraim Zimmerman. Cost: free. Tune in here: zoom.us/j/736434666. For more information, visit chabadaz.com.

Torah Study with Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Online. Weekly study group explores that week’s portion and studies different perspectives and debates the merits of various arguments. Intended for adults, Torah study is open to students of all levels. For more information, contact the TBS office at 623-977-3240.

Happiness Hour: 11:30 a.m. Online. Class taught by Rabbi Pinchas Allouche that delves into texts and references culled from our traditions to address a relevant topic. For more information or to join, visit cbtvirtualworld.com.

Torah Study with Chabad: 12 p.m. Online. Take a weekly journey of Torah with Rabbi Yossi Levertov. Cost: free. For more information, visit chabadaz.com.

Lunch & Learn: 12:15 p.m. Online. Grab some food and learn with Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin. Cost: Free. Get Zoom link by emailing info@ chabadtucson.com. For more information, visit chabadtucson.com.

The Thirteen Petalled Rose: 1 p.m. Online. Kabbalah class that studies “The Thirteen Petalled Rose” by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz, focusing on the many concepts of Kaballah and Jewish Mysticism and applying them to everyday life. For more information or to join, visit cbtvirtualworld.com.

JACS: 7:30-8:30 p.m. Online via Zoom. Support group for Jewish alcoholics, addicts and their friends and family on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Cost: Free. For more information, email jacsarizona@gmail. com or call 602-692-1004.

THURSDAYS

Ladies Torah & Tea: 10:30 a.m. Online. Learn about the women of the Torah with Mrs. Leah Levertov. Cost: free. Tune in at: ourjewishcenter.com/virtual. For more information, visit chabadaz.com.

Teen Discussions: 7-8:30 p.m. Online. Learn with Rabbi Tzvi Rimler. Cost: free. Tune in at cteen.clickmeeting.com/east-valley. For more information, visit chabadaz.com.

SATURDAYS

Saturday Mindfulness Gatherings: 9:30 a.m. Online. Hosted by Hospice of the Valley. To join by phone, dial 1-253-215-8782, meeting ID 486 920 2119#. To get the Zoom link or for more information, contact Gill Hamilton at ghamilton@hov.org or 602-748-3692.

Book Discussion: 1:30-2:30 p.m. Online. Join Or Adam Congregation for Humanistic Judaism on the third Saturday of every month for a book discussion. For more information and to register, contact oradaminfo@gmail.com. JN

ELI JACOB BLAU

Eli Jacob Blau became a bar mitzvah on Sept. 2, 2023, at Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley. He is the son of Aaron and Kimberly Blau of Gilbert.

Eli’s grandparents are Ilene Blau of Tempe and the late Alan Blau; and James “Skip” and Judy Brindle of Gilbert. A student at Highland Junior High School, Eli enjoys soccer, Dungeons & Dragons, video gaming and science JN

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT

NATHAN SIMON SAKS

Nathan Simon Saks was born on July 27, 2023. He is the son of Lauren and Sam Saks of Scottsdale. His sibling is Michael David, 3.

Grandparents are Norman and Anne Zaslow of Scottsdale; and Judy Saks of Los Angeles, California and the late Hershey Saks.

Nathan was so excited to meet his new family, he arrived a month earlier than expected! JN