Jewish News, Nov. 7, 2025 by jewishaz

HEADLINES | 5

WINNER, WINNER

High school junior W. Ira Parsons won a Library of Congress award for the second time

DOCUMENTARY DEBUT

Holocaust survivor Hanna Zack Miley will show her documentary in Phoenix on Nov. 18

Talli Dippold selected for leadership program in combating antisemitism

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

Talli Dippold, executive director of the Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center, has been selected for the Spertus Institute’s Leadership Certificate in Combating Antisemitism, a national program designed to equip Jewish leaders with the tools to address rising antisemitism in their communities.

The competitive program, offered by Chicago’s Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership, brings together senior Jewish professionals and lay leaders from across North America to collaborate on strategies and share best practices for confronting antisemitism in a time of growing hate and misinformation.

“I’m extremely honored to have been selected for this cohort,” Dippold said. “They know that I’m new to the Phoenix community, and I think they felt that the learning and the support of this cohort would really help me in my new role.”

This fall, for the first time, both professional and lay leader cohorts will come together at the Spertus Institute to exchange ideas and tackle the multifaceted ways antisemitism impacts Jewish organizations and communities.

“The challenges of contemporary antisemitism require bold, innovative and collaborative responses,” said Dr. Keren Fraiman, vice president and chief academic officer

SEE PROGRAM, PAGE 2

AZ Jews for Pride march with joy and unity at Phoenix Pride Parade

Nearly 100 Valley Jews filled Third Street in downtown Phoenix with song, a shofar and a celebratory mood on Sunday, Oct. 19, as they marched together in the annual Phoenix Pride Parade. Behind a large white banner reading “AZ Jews for Pride,” the group sang Jewish songs, waved rainbow flags and even broke into the horah as thousands of spectators cheered them on from the sidelines.

The marchers, wearing matching purple T-shirts emblazoned with the Hebrew word “Ahavah” (love), created a striking wave of color and energy as they made their way north. One marcher sounded the shofar at the front of the group, its call echoing through the downtown streets.

Following them was a white truck adorned with rainbow stickers and affirming messages such as “You Belong Here,” “I Love Queer Jews,” “You’re Safe Here” and “Acceptance, Support, Love.” The message was clear: LGBTQ+ Jews and allies have a proud place in both the Jewish and queer communities of Greater Phoenix.

Two politicians well-known to the Jewish community took part in the parade. Phoenix’s Jewish mayor, Kate Gallego, served as one of the community grand marshals, while Arizona Congressman Greg Stanton stopped by to greet the Jewish marchers before the parade began. Stanton took photos with the group and accepted one of their extra-large purple T-shirts to mark the occasion.

SEE PRIDE, PAGE 3

Blanket Boosters

Crocheters gather twice every month at Beth El Phoenix to create blankets for children in Arizona’s foster system. See page 14.

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

Marcia Reynolds

said. “There’s an enormous amount of support that comes from joining a cohort like this.”

SOPHIE STERN

said Jon Meyers, director of ADDPC.

about her Judaism with her fellow council members and speaking out for her rights

of Spertus Institute. “That is why we are training both professionals and lay leaders, with the same historical context, language and tools, to understand and navigate together the complexity of antisemitism and how it appears today.”

Fraiman said participants receive “real examples and nuanced approaches that have proven to be effective in the field,” which they can adapt for their own communities.

For Dippold, who came to the Valley earlier this year to lead the upcoming Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center in downtown Phoenix, the program’s timing feels especially meaningful.

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Dippold appreciates Spertus’ focus on equipping leaders with both knowledge and practical skills.

said Jon Meyers, director of ADDPC.

“Our hope is to create and promote opportunities for people to be embraced, become part of the community and find equitable opportunities wherever they might live,” he said.

“Many of us know about the problem and the history, but on the ground, we’re trying to figure out the actual applications — how to help communities that are dealing with this rise in antisemitism,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to gaining skills and knowledge that help me be a better community leader and help solve this issue that’s been plaguing society for a very long time.”

“Our hope is to create and promote opportunities for people to be embraced, become part of the community and find equitable opportunities wherever they might live,” he said.

Meyers first came to know Stern through her mother, Amy Silverman, who read her personal essays about raising a daughter with Down syndrome on KJZZ, National Public Radio’s Phoenix affiliate station.

Meyers was so captivated by the essays that he reached out to Silverman, and the two became friends.

The certificate includes eight online sessions and a five-day intensive seminar at Spertus Institute in Chicago, which Dippold will attend later this fall.

Meyers was so captivated by the essays that he reached out to Silverman, and the two became friends.

That’s how Stern first learned of the open council seat, but there’s no doubt she earned her position, Meyers said.

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“We know antisemitism does not exist in a vacuum,” she said. “It’s fueled by disinformation, political manipulation and social media networks that threaten everyone’s civic trust. One of the major goals of the Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center is to educate students, educators, parents and community members on how to combat that hatred, and to create a society where we can have more civil discourse and discussions across lines of difference.”

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That’s how Stern first learned of the open council seat, but there’s no doubt she earned her position, Meyers said.

To become a council member, Stern had to apply and demonstrate that she had something valuable to contribute, he said.

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After the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, Dippold said interest in the Spertus program “skyrocketed” and it became highly competitive.

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“They launched the certificate program before Oct. 7, and even then, they didn’t think there would be that much interest,” she said. “But post-Oct. 7, the enrollment just skyrocketed. For this cohort, they had the highest number of applicants they’ve ever had.”

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The program’s structure appealed to her because it offers separate, but intersecting, tracks for professionals and lay leaders. “It felt like an opportunity to work with individuals across the country who are dealing with very similar challenges,” she

“It’s supposed to be an incredible, very intense opportunity to work with a lot of the professionals at Spertus, learn from one another and also interact with the parallel program for lay leaders,” she said. “We manage boards and community members who are looking for assistance, and as leaders, we have to be equipped to have the difficult conversations that we’re having everywhere.”

“She’s on the council because she deserves to be on the council,” he said.

To become a council member, Stern had to apply and demonstrate that she had something valuable to contribute, he said.

Stern is creating a life and career as a member of her community, which makes her a great addition.

“She’s on the council because she deserves to be on the council,” he said. Stern is creating a life and career as a member of her community, which makes her a great addition.

Dippold said she’s particularly looking forward to engaging with peers from across North America.

“The Jewish community in Florida is facing very different issues than in Portland, Oregon,” she said. “It’s fascinating to learn from one another. Some are dealing with legislative issues, some with school boards, others with antisemitism on college campuses. The program is designed to bring together that breadth and depth of experience so we can put what we learn into action.”

She already has some practice at

about her Judaism with her fellow council members and speaking out for her rights

“One time, I was in class and someone called me the R-word and I told him not to. The teacher was in the hallway and another student repeated the word,” she said. Rather than letting the situation go, she told her theater teacher, who was able

She already has some practice at

“If someone has a disability, saying the R-word is like saying the F-word,” Stern said.

“Some people feel that if Holocaust education had been doing an incredible job all along, antisemitism wouldn’t be rising to the levels it is now,” she said. “So we’re taking a lens of teaching antisemitism through the long history of antisemitism and through the lens of Holocaust education.”

While performing in the musical “Hairspray,” she had another occasion to tangle with the offensive word, which appears in the script.

“That’s really bad and my friend said it on stage. I was not OK with that, so I went to the director and told her it was a bad word for people with disabilities, but she wouldn’t take it out,” Stern said.

The Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center, scheduled to open in about two years, will play a central role in that effort, she said.

Stern graduated from McClintock High School in Tempe last year and now attends Glendale Community College, with a focus on dance. She is a regular performer at Detour Company Theatre, a Scottsdale theatre company for adults with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities.

She let her mother know about the conflict and they were able to convince the director of the need to remove the word from the script.

“Part of the goal is also to address antisemitism and work closely with the local community,” she said. “Fortunately, there are many organizations here already tackling this issue, and I’m looking forward to learning from and collaborating with them.”

In fact, when Stern attended her first council meeting in January, she couldn’t wait to tell people of her involvement with Detour and share information about its upcoming shows.

At the local level, Dippold is especially interested in exploring how Holocaust education can remain relevant in confronting antisemitism today.

“My friend Al was next to me when I told the director and he gave me the biggest hug ever and said that he loved me so much,” Stern said. Sadly, Al died in a car crash on Oct. 24, 2021.

Heart Can’t Even Believe It: A Story of Science, Love and Down Syndrome,” Silverman’s book about her daughter. When Gesher’s speakers’ bureau, Damon Brooks & Associates, was asked to find a speaker about Down syndrome for an event this spring, Hummell first asked Silverman to speak, thinking Stern might be too young.

They decided instead that Stern should tell her own story; it’s a real bonus that she is not afraid of public speaking.

“That was hard; it’s very hard to get emotions out and I was very, very upset,” she said.

“My friend Al was next to me when I told the director and he gave me the biggest hug ever and said that he loved me so much,” Stern said. Sadly, Al died in a car crash on Oct. 24, 2021.

“That was hard; it’s very hard to get emotions out and I was very, very upset,” she said.

On the recent anniversary of his death, Stern made a cake and took it to the crash site.

Through her participation in the Spertus Institute program, Dippold said she hopes to bring new strategi es and insights back to Arizona to strengthen those collaborations.

“There’s no question that she is going to thrive,” Meyers said. “She’s very gregarious and passionate about the things that matter to her.”

Stern looks forward to sharing insights

“There’s no question that she is going to thrive,” Meyers said. “She’s very gregarious and passionate about the things that matter to her.”

Stern looks forward to sharing insights

“I don’t know how I did it without crying. I’m so proud of myself,” she said.

On the recent anniversary of his death, Stern made a cake and took it to the crash site.

“Combating antisemitism requires education, empathy and engagement,” she said. “This program gives us the opportunity to do all three and to bring that knowledge home to make a real difference.” JN

“I don’t know how I did it without crying. I’m so proud of myself,” she said.

Amy Hummell, executive director of Gesher Disability Resources, agreed that Stern is a good fit for ADDPC because of her ability to self-advocate.

Hummell co-hosted a book event with Meyers a few years ago for “My

Amy Hummell, executive director of Gesher Disability Resources, agreed that Stern is a good fit for ADDPC because of her ability to self-advocate.

Hummell co-hosted a book event with Meyers a few years ago for “My

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They decided instead that Stern should tell her own story; it’s a real bonus that she is not afraid of public speaking.

“It’s not the same when someone tries to tell a person’s story for them,” Hummell said.

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Additionally, helping people with disabilities find jobs was one of the reasons for acquiring the bureau. Unemployment in the disability community is upwards of 75% and of that percentage, 75% are ready, willing and able to work — but haven’t been given the opportunity, Hummell said.

“People have it in them to speak up but don’t know how, and often they’re not cheered on. Sophie has family support

Sophie Stern at her high school

Talli Dippold was chosen to be part of the Spertus Institute’s Leadership Certificate in Combating Antisemitism. COURTESY OF TALLI DIPPOLD

Even the parade’s emcees, Priscilla Ornelas of 104.7 KISS FM and Mix 96.9, and ABC 15 anchor Nick Ciletti, gave the Jewish marchers a special shoutout. They highlighted the recent High Holidays and hoped that those who observed Yom Kippur earlier in the month “had an easy fast.”

This year’s parade also marked a milestone for AZ Jews for Pride. With the addition of the new purple shirt, the group has now created a T-shirt in every color of the Pride flag. To celebrate, they displayed one of each color from past years, strung together on a banner carried proudly behind their main sign.

But the most significant change for the group came in its organizational structure: AZ Jews for Pride is now officially under the umbrella of the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix (CJP).

For Elana Berlin, one of the group’s leaders and a member of The New Shul, the new partnership represents both growth and sustainability.

“With the help of CJP, we’ll have a much bigger reach,” Berlin said, adding special praise for Andrea Cohen, CJP’s director of youth philanthropy and community engagement. “Andrea has been so instrumental in making our participation possible this year. She put so much heart into it.”

Berlin said her own involvement began a few years ago, when AZ Jews for Pride was still housed at Temple Chai.

“I moved from Connecticut postpandemic, and I was looking for community,” she said. That search led her both to her local synagogue and to work canvassing for the Human Rights Campaign. “I became very passionate about LGBTQ rights, even more than I was before.”

Soon, she joined the leadership team of AZ Jews for Pride. “I wanted to be involved in the cross section of the two things I’m most passionate about: the Jewish community and LGBTQ rights,” she said.

For Olivia Kaufman, another AZ Jews for Pride leader and a Temple Chai member, this year’s parade was particularly meaningful. She attended with her wife and son, knowing that she and her family are helping ensure that Jewish LGBTQ+ visibility continues to thrive in Phoenix.

Kaufman and her family moved to the Valley a couple of years ago from Texas. When Temple Chai’s Cantor Ross Wolman and congregant Jesse Goodsell, who previously led AZ Jews for Pride, moved out of state, they asked Kaufman to take on the leadership role.

“They asked me to fill their really big shoes, and I was honored,” she said.

Working with Cohen and CJP, Kaufman helped shape the group’s new chapter.

“We outlined our wants, needs, expectations of a partnership, and we were lucky enough to be put in contact with Andrea Cohen,” she said. “We had several meetings detailing leadership and programming, and we could not be happier.”

Kaufman said that while CJP’s support has been invaluable, it was important to her that the group remain queer led.

“One thing Andrea has been really gracious about is that she’s allowed us to remain queer led,” Kaufman said. “She’s a fierce ally to our community, but she’s allowing us to spearhead things.”

The group is already planning yearround programming to keep LGBTQ+ Jews and allies connected and visible.

Kaufman confirmed that AZ Jews for Pride has family programming in the works and that they partnered with PJ Library for the “Sparkle Havdalah” event held the night before the parade.

“We’re looking to do more fun things like that,” Kaufman said. “Partnering with PJ Library and others, we want to come up with programming throughout the year to keep our community engaged.”

That message of inclusion and engagement drew new volunteers, including Aubrey Bernal, a member of Congregation Or Tzion, who joined AZ Jews for Pride for the first time this year after hearing about it through a CJP

newsletter.

“I wanted to come out and volunteer, to show support and be part of the Jewish community in this way,” Bernal said. “I’m really looking forward to other events throughout the year.”

For many, marching in the parade is an act of joy, solidarity and visibility. Marcia Reynolds, an Arizona native who has marched with AZ Jews for Pride for four consecutive years, said she comes back each time because of the powerful sense of unity.

“I love the solidarity of the Jewish community,” Reynolds said. “It’s important that the world sees us standing together for unity with humanity.”

For Eris Raskin, a 24-year-old transgender woman and Temple Chai member, this year’s parade was her first. She brought her mother along to share the experience.

“I expect to cry,” Raskin admitted before the parade began. “I’m excited to be with my Jewish community, and I know that they have my back.”

Samantha Feigenbaum, attending her second Phoenix Pride Parade with AZ Jews for Pride, echoed the same spirit of love and inclusion.

“I’m here to support all walks of life,” she said. “I know a lot of people in the LGBTQ community all over the country and I love them, and I love being part of this.”

As the purple-clad group made their way down Third Street, the blend of Jewish melodies and rainbow flags told a story of pride, resilience and “ahavah.”

For AZ Jews for Pride, now under the CJP umbrella and powered by a new generation of leaders and allies, the Phoenix Pride Parade was more than a single day of celebration. It signaled a commitment to the same message written on the group’s truck: “You Belong Here.” JN

A group of Valley Jews marched together at the Phoenix Pride Parade on Sunday, Oct. 19.

Jewish doctors warn against the erosion of science and democracy

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

On Sept. 16, Jews for a Secular Democracy hosted a virtual program, “Confronting Religious Extremism in Medicine and Science: The First Amendment and the Fight for Facts!” The discussion, co-sponsored by the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center’s Rabbi Joseph H. Gumbiner Community Action Project and Or Adam Congregation for Humanistic Judaism in Scottsdale, featured vaccine scientist Dr. Peter Hotez and biotech entrepreneur Dr. D.J. Kleinbaum and was moderated by educator and activist Alliyson Feldmann.

The conversation ranged from the persistence of vaccine misinformation to the corrosive effects of religious extremism on public health and democracy. Both speakers underscored that the defense of science is not simply about data, but about protecting truth, democracy and vulnerable communities.

Feldmann opened the program by framing the urgency of the discussion.

“Our tradition teaches that knowledge and science are not in conflict with faith. They are essential to life and to progress,” she said. “Yet today, extreme religious ideology is being used to attack science, restrict health care and undermine democracy itself. Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion in government. No one’s private faith should decide another person’s health, their rights or their access to medical care.”

She emphasized how anti-science movements — often rooted in religious extremism — harm women, LGBTQ+ people and marginalized communities.

Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, recounted his career as a vaccine scientist. His early work on hookworm anemia vaccines now shows promise after 40 years, and his team pivoted their coronavirus research to develop a low-cost COVID-19 vaccine that reached more than 100 million people.

But his personal life made him an unexpected target. His daughter Rachel has autism, and when false claims linking vaccines to autism spread, Hotez became a natural voice to counter the myth.

“I had a year of phone calls with him [Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.], but he was dug in and not interested in the science,” Hotez recalled. His book debunking the vaccine-autism myth put him in the crosshairs of anti-vaccine activists.

“What I didn’t anticipate was the aggression against vaccines and vaccine scientists. Speaking out takes you to a very dark and scary place.”

The attacks were not limited to his science. As a Jew, Hotez was smeared with antisemitic conspiracy theories, accused of being part of a “secret cabal” with George Soros and the Rothschilds. He received swastikas in the mail and was stalked after speaking at a Houston synagogue.

“No one was speaking out,” he said. “And I thought, ‘if I don’t say something here as a vaccine scientist, pediatrician and parent of an adult daughter with autism, who does?’”

Dr. D.J. Kleinbaum, co-founder of Emerald Cloud Lab, approached the problem from both scientific and civic angles.

“The challenging thing about these anti-science narratives, whether driven by religious ideology or otherwise, is that if you’re making decisions based on ideology instead of evidence, that leads to a very dark place,” he said.

“Democracy only works when there is trust in the system. If people stop trust-

ing elected officials or the institutions they oversee, that’s a steep, slippery slope toward a loss of faith in government in general. And that way lies madness.”

Kleinbaum warned that the wellness industry and social media personalities prey on people’s instinct for simple answers.

“Science is always more complicated, more nuanced,” he said. “If you can’t have that more sophisticated conversation, it’s really easy to lose an argument to someone who isn’t playing by the same rules.”

Both speakers noted that the COVID19 pandemic crystallized the dangers of anti-science extremism. Hotez pointed to the summer of 2021, when Fox News and the Conservative Political Action Conference gave anti-vaccine activists a platform, cementing ties between vaccine denial and partisan politics.

In Texas alone, Hotez said, 100,000 people died of COVID, half of them unnecessarily, because they had refused vaccines that were readily available. Nationally, he estimates at least 200,000 unvaccinated Americans died after vaccines were widely distributed, particularly in Republican-led states.

Hotez also criticized Kennedy’s current leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy has advocated for registries of people with autism, which Hotez compared to the lists of “mental defectives” compiled in Nazi Germany.

“It’s very dark and very twisted,” he said. “We have to stand up and say: No, we’re not going to put up with that.”

Both panelists reflected on the relationship between science and Judaism. Hotez noted that while small religious subsects, such as some Haredi groups,

oppose vaccines, Jews overall have long embraced science. After all, Jonas Salk, who developed the first successful polio vaccine, was Jewish.

“There’s nothing fundamentally antiscience in modern Christianity either,” he added. “But you get that one individual who exploits it for political gain and control.”

Kleinbaum described how his upbringing in a tight-knit Jewish community shaped his scientific worldview.

“It’s the acknowledgment that we’re all in this together,” he said. “A lot of the benefits of medical research are things we reap as a whole. That sense of community binds science and my Jewish upbringing together.”

As the conversation drew to a close, Feldmann asked the speakers how Americans can defend science under the First Amendment when religious extremists seek to undermine it.

Kleinbaum warned that although scientific journals are not yet censored, “it’s not hard to imagine that they will be. The coercion is indirect now, but the funding is being cut. It’s getting really scary, really quick.”

Both he and Hotez called for stronger science education, greater public communication and community advocacy to protect the truth.

Ultimately, their message was not only about defending vaccines or medical research, it was about defending democracy itself.

“When religious extremists use their faith to restrict our rights and undermine medicine,” Feldmann reminded the audience, “the fight for facts is also the fight for freedom.” JN

For more information, visit jfasd.org.

Pictured clockwise from top left are Alliyson Feldmann, Dr. D.J. Kleinbaum and Dr. Peter Hotez. SCREENSHOT

Local Jewish high school student wins second National Library of Congress history prize

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

Chaparral High School junior W.

Ira Parsons walked onto the stage this summer at the University of Maryland to accept the Library of Congress’ “Discovery or Exploration in History” award, hardly able to hear his name thanks to the loud cheers of the crowd. Yet, he was no stranger to that sound, because this was the second time he won the prestigious honor. He is the first student to achieve a second win.

Parsons, a member of Scottsdale’s Or Adam Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, was one of 500,000 global competitors in this year’s National History Day (NHD) contest, which culminated in June. The 2025 theme, “Rights and Responsibilities in History,” challenged students to examine the intersection of individual freedoms and civic obligations through original research.

Winners from 49 states, Washington D.C., U.S. territories and international schools competed in the national round, judged by 540 professional historians and educators.

“I was just really happy to get the award again,” Parsons said modestly.

Parsons’ sophomore paper, “Rights Without Responsibilities: How the Framers of International Space Law Failed to Foresee Privatization,” earned him the Library of Congress prize this year, one year after his freshman entry, “The Fastest Man On Earth: How Col. Dr. John Stapp Revolutionized Space Medicine,” also bested the field.

The back-to-back victories make Parsons the first two-time recipient of the Library of Congress’ prize since it was introduced to NHD.

Talking about his unprecedented second win, Parsons said not only has he enjoyed the competition, but “I suppose

I have figured out a few things.”

“I’ve always liked writing, and I’m good at writing — at least, I like to think so,” he said.

Parsons’ latest paper examines how international treaties governing space, drafted in the 1960s, focused almost exclusively on preventing nuclear conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. By concentrating on state-sponsored activities, he argued, the framers overlooked the potential rise of private space enterprises.

“This private sector loophole has allowed private space companies to abuse and exploit access to space through space junk and all that sort of stuff,” Parsons explained.

In his research, he explored how corporations like SpaceX and other commercial ventures are now pushing the boundaries of exploration with far less regulatory oversight than government agencies.

The topic reflects Parsons’ own passions. He has long been fascinated by space travel and science, and says he hopes to study physics in college.

“I enjoy this competition because it allows me to take something I like learning about and put it into words,” Parsons said. “It allows me to see all these new connections and learn about things I never really learned otherwise. And it also allows me to combine a passion for science with my passion for writing.”

This year’s paper not only brought Parsons national recognition, it also earned him a special invitation to participate in a writer’s workshop at the White House Historical Association, founded in 1961 by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

For Parsons, the opportunity represents another way to bridge his interests in research, history and storytelling.

“National History Day continues to be one of the most important activities students can participate in during their middle and high school years,” said Dr. Cathy Gorn, NHD executive director, in a press release. “The critical thinking, research, writing and analysis learned from NHD will benefit students far beyond academics as they become successful professionals, community-minded leaders and engaged citizens.”

Parsons is no stranger to the contest. He has advanced to the national level four years in a row, an achievement few students can match. With two more years of eligibility ahead of him, he says he fully intends to compete again, and is already preparing for his junior-year paper.

A couple of years ago, his project carried a deeply personal dimension. His paper, “Goy Washing History: From Bunker Hill to Boot Hill, the Jewish Pioneers that Hollywood, Pop Culture and Textbooks Forgot,” examined the erasure of Jewish contributions from popular narratives of American history.

In addition to entering it in competition, Parsons chose the project as his bar mitzvah project, linking his scholarship to his Jewish identity.

“I had just heard stories throughout my life of various Jewish figures that nobody knew about,” Parsons said. “I decided to write about these underrepresented Jewish stories throughout American history that have been set aside.”

Founded in 1974, National History Day is a nonprofit based in College Park, Maryland, that works to improve the teaching and learning of history. Students present their projects in various forms, including documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances or websites. Competitions begin at the local level,

advance to state and affiliate rounds and culminate in the national finals. Each year’s theme serves as a unifying thread, but students choose their own research focus. For Parsons, that has meant moving between cutting-edge space science and overlooked Jewish history.

“It’s just fun to be able to dig deep into a subject and then share it,” he said. Although only a high school junior, Parsons has already made an impressive mark on the competition. Twice honored by the Library of Congress, invited to the White House Historical Association and still eager for his next project, he says the contest continues to spark his curiosity.

With two years left to compete, and dreams of studying physics on the horizon, perhaps Parsons will make history again with a third win. JN

W. Ira Parsons wears his Library of Congress medal proudly.

Jewish roots of meditation explored in Valley Beit Midrash talk

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

On Thursday, Sept. 11, Rabbi Yisroel Juskowicz led a virtual presentation for Valley Beit Midrash on a topic that has become increasingly mainstream: meditation. But while many associate meditation with Eastern religions or secular mindfulness programs, Juskowicz sought to show how the practice has deep Jewish roots and how guided meditation can become a distinctly Jewish spiritual experience.

An artist, musician, author and speaker, Juskowicz has recorded three CDs and written three bestselling books on Jewish themes. His newest work, “The Jewish Meditation Companion,” was published in honor of his late brother, whose encouragement first introduced him to the practice of meditation.

“Honestly, meditation was something I had no interest in at all,” Juskowicz told attendees. “I thought it was for monks in ashrams or New Age gurus. I already had a strong spiritual side through music and art, but meditation just wasn’t for me.”

That changed when his brother, a finan-

cial analyst and self-described “numbers guy,” found relief in meditation during the last years of his life.

“He said to me, ‘Yisroel, if it can help me, I know it can help you,’” Juskowicz recalled. Skeptical, he nevertheless gave it a try, starting with recordings by Jon KabatZinn, the pioneer of secular mindfulness.

At first, it was a struggle. Juskowicz described dealing with ADD, restlessness and difficulty focusing. But with practice, he began to feel calmer, less anxious and more present. Still, he felt the lack of a deeper purpose.

“I felt like I was on a journey without a destination,” he said. “It helped me destress, but it didn’t make me into a better person. That’s when I asked, ‘Can meditation be Jewish? Can it be rooted in Torah, in our own spiritual tradition?’”

That question led him to research, experiment and eventually develop meditations that draw on Jewish texts, ideas and imagery. He shared several examples during the program, weaving together Hasidic

teachings and biblical stories.

Juskowicz emphasized that meditation requires stepping out of one’s comfort zone, something Judaism itself teaches. At Mount Sinai, he noted, God instructed the Israelites to stand “michutz la’machaneh,” outside their camp, before receiving the Torah.

“Your camp is what’s familiar,” Juskowicz explained. “Sometimes you have to step beyond it to soar to greater places. Meditation asks the same of us.”

He also pointed to the 18th-century Hasidic master Reb Nachman of Breslov, who said the essence of faith lies in imagination. For Juskowicz, Jewish meditation combines imagination with Torah concepts to awaken the neshama, the soul.

Meditation, he stressed, is not just spiritual but practical, pointing to studies that confirm its benefits for heart health, blood pressure, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Juskowicz shared the story of Archie Stamen, an Israeli soldier tasked with recovering bodies after the Oct. 7 attacks. Before each mission, Stamen and his team would huddle, close their eyes and breathe deeply together. “He told me those meditations saved his life,” Juskowicz said.

Even a simple moment of silence can serve as a form of Jewish meditation.

“We live in a world that’s only getting faster, more overwhelming,” he said. “Meditation is screaming to us today: You need this for your own sanity, and for your soul.”

Drawing from biblical and rabbinic texts, Juskowicz showed that meditation is not foreign to Judaism. He cited the Torah’s description of Isaac going out to “meditate in the field” at dusk, a verse the Talmud later linked to the afternoon prayer service. The Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism, taught that this liminal time, neither day nor night, parallels the meditative state of being partly in the physical world and partly beyond it.

Juskowicz also revisited the story of Moses at the burning bush. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, the 19th-century rabbi who shaped a modern Orthodox community in bridging traditional practice and enlightenment thinking, interpreted God’s command to remove his shoes as a call to stay grounded in the earth. But a Hasidic Holocaust survivor, the Klausenberger Rebbe, offered a second reading: The Hebrew word for “shoes” can also mean shackles, suggesting God told Moses to remove his chains and soar. “These two interpretations are two sides of Jewish meditation,” Juskowicz said. “Grounded

in this world, but also rising above it.”

One of the themes Juskowicz returned to was the difference between escaping life and experiencing it. Recalling a line from a movie he recently watched, he said, “A tourist goes to escape life, but a traveler goes to experience life. Why go through life just escaping, when you can go through life experiencing? That’s what Judaism wants of us, and that’s what Jewish meditation is about.”

Quoting Psalm 34 (“Taste and see that God is good”), he argued that Judaism must be experiential.

“In order to see God, you first have to taste Him, to experience Him. Meditation is one of the ways to do that.”

Toward the end of the presentation, Juskowicz prepared participants for a brief guided meditation, rooted in breathing and Jewish imagery.

“When you quiet the body, then the mind, only then can you hear the voice of your soul,” he said.

For Juskowicz, the practice remains deeply personal. He published “The Jewish Meditation Companion” on his brother’s yahrzeit, dedicating it to the sibling whose encouragement launched his journey.

“It’s really because of my brother, of blessed memory, that this book came about,” he said.

More broadly, Juskowicz sees meditation as a tool urgently needed today.

“We are spiritual beings having a human experience,” he reminded listeners, paraphrasing the French priest and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. “Judaism gives us a way to live as souls, not just as bodies. Meditation helps us access that. It’s not an escape, it’s an experience of God, of life, of who we really are.” JN

For more information, visit valleybeitmidrash.org.

Rabbi Yisroel Juskowicz holds his new book. COURTESY OF VALLEY BEIT MIDRASH

PJ Library director reckons with realities — good and bad — of TV game-show prize

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

arly this summer, Marcy and Rand Lewis spent five days and four nights in Aspen, Colorado. The Scottsdale couple browsed the high-end boutique stores, went white-water rafting and got some of the best sleep of their lives in one of America’s premier playgrounds for the rich and famous.

Yet, the trip, while “beautiful and amazing,” was not one they had dreamed of. Remarkably, it was a prize Marcy Lewis won on “Let’s Make A Deal” (LMAD), the classic daytime television game show on CBS.

“Aspen wasn’t on our bucket list, but we went because when were we going to get another chance to go on a trip that we won on a game show?” Marcy Lewis, program director for PJ LibraryPhoenix, a program of the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix, told Jewish News.

LMAD contestants “make a deal” with the host by trading or keeping items they’ve selected blindly. In her first deal, Lewis won a sailboat, a rather inconvenient prize given that she lives in a landlocked desert.

Happily, the contestant with the most valuable prize of the show, a trip to Fiji, gave up his spot in the “Big Deal of the Day” finale, and Lewis, having the second most valuable prize, got another opportunity to make a deal.

Her son, Noah, advised her before she went on the trip that if given the chance, she should pick “door number 2.” Lewis told the televised audience about her son’s advice, which he later denied giving, as she selected the middle door. Before revealing her prize, the host opened the other two doors. Behind one was a 2025 Range Rover. Lewis, who right then needed a new car, just had to take it in stride. Behind the other door was $18,000 in cash.

“When he started to open my door, I knew I had to be excited no matter what it was. He opened it to show a trip to Aspen, and I cheered like I had always wanted to go,” she said.

Lewis then found out what winning an all-expenses-paid trip from a TV game show really means.

The first surprise was that she had to wait to take the trip until the show aired, more than 18 months after she actually filmed it. The trip had to happen within a year of the airing, but she was only given three dates from which to choose.

The trip was reportedly worth $13,000, but that figure was pre-tax. The flight from Phoenix to Grand Junction was said

to cost $6,000, but they didn’t have firstclass seats and Lewis had to pay extra to travel the remaining 132 miles to Aspen.

The show paid for the “beautiful” hotel but not the resort fees and taxes, and Aspen is the nation’s most expensive vacation destination, according to a report by Travel + Leisure.

“It was the most expensive ‘free trip’ ever,” Lewis laughed.

Aspen is nearly 8,000 feet above sea level and Lewis is prone to altitude sickness. Her doctor gave her something to help her manage, but the pills knocked her out.

“I slept about 13 hours and then napped on top of that,” she said. “The first two days, I was like a zombie.”

Her husband played pickleball, binged Netflix and also slept a lot, something she attributed to “the most comfortable bed ever.”

On the plus side, she enjoyed a good rest.

“It was a much-needed break that I didn’t know that I needed. My husband’s a teacher, and he works at a summer overnight camp. This was like our last little hurrah before he left for camp,” she said.

They both enjoyed window shopping and finding interesting places to eat. For example, they found a gourmet taco truck at a gas station and had some of “the best tacos” they’d eaten.

“We just love being around each other,” she said. The two have been married since 1998, and the trip had a honeymoon quality.

Twenty-five years ago, Rand spent a week river rafting on the Colorado River with his family, while Marcy, who was seven months pregnant, had to hang back. Now, she finally had her chance to go. Knowing she was a newbie, the leader of the raft put her in back with him.

“I thought you just sat in the raft, but it was work! We had to row and we went down a seven-foot drop, which was scary.

I got a blister on that trip,” she said.

The next day, the couple visited some natural hot springs and spent the day going from pool to pool. It was a perfect salve for the body aches developed on the raft.

“My body was killing me, and it was such a nice way to cap off the trip,” Lewis said.

The story of the unexpected jaunt to Aspen started back in August 2023, when Justin, Lewis’ son, first moved to Los Angeles. He called her one random Tuesday to ask what she was doing that Friday, three days later.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because I’m going to be a contestant on ‘Let’s Make a Deal,’ I can bring one guest and I want it to be you,” he told her.

“Of course, I did what every good Jewish mother would do. I threw a costume together and I hopped on a plane,” Lewis said.

Everybody wears costumes for the show, even members of the audience.

Since her son had just graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Lewis printed out images of chocolate chip cookies and put them all over his cap and gown, turning herself into a “smart cookie.”

Having recently performed in a theatrical production of “Beetlejuice,” Justin simply donned his show costume.

Before filming began, Lewis, Justin and all the other contestants and their guests waited in a room, playing games and interacting with one another while music played in the background.

“I didn’t realize that the producers were watching all of us to see who seemed like fun,” Lewis said.

She went with Justin to meet the producers face-to-face, and she watched her normally outgoing son suddenly become shy. She turned on the charm as his cheerleader, and it must have convinced them because Justin did get to play. He won $5,000.

Lewis flew home after thinking she was finished with her game show journey. The following Monday, however, she received a text from a producer.

“We loved you so much that we want you to come back and be a contestant on the prime-time special,” it read.

LMAD usually airs during weekdays. Six times a year, a prime-time version airs.

Marcy and Rand Lewis enjoy Aspen’s hot springs. COURTESY OF MARCY LEWIS

Marcy Lewis and her son, Justin, pose in costume with “Let’s Make A Deal” host, Wayne Brady poster.

COURTESY OF MARCY LEWIS

Hebrew High lifts up Mizrahi heritage in November

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

Recently, Aleyna Lange, a senior at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, approached Hebrew High Principal Sada Gilbert about officially recognizing Mizrahi Heritage Month this November.

The month was created to celebrate the culture and history of Jews from the Middle East and North Africa, while also commemorating the displacement of Jews from Arab countries and Iran in the 20th century. It generally features educational programs, cultural events and community gatherings to highlight unique Mizrahi traditions, music and food, and to ensure their stories are part of the broader Jewish narrative.

Lange spent her spring semester studying in Israel, thanks in part to a Hebrew High scholarship.

“While I was in Israel, I was exposed to a lot of different kinds of Judaism, and I thought that was something really important to bring to our Scottsdale, Ashkenormative community,” Lange said.

She is also an intern with StandWithUs, an Israel education organization whose mission is to support Israel and fight antisemitism. Lange explained that part of her internship responsibilities include creating community programs about Judaism, Israel and combating antisemitism. Having been a part of Hebrew High for the entirety of her high school career, and having learned more about Mizrahi Jews in Israel, she thought it was the

perfect match.

“I was really drawn to Mizrahi Heritage Month, because I never got any education around it before,” she said.

Gilbert couldn’t have been happier about the idea.

“I am so glad that we’re able to provide the space for Aleyna to continue to grow as a leader and support her in putting on this event, which also helps other Hebrew

High students learn more about this important part of our shared history and identity,” she said.

Gilbert reached out to East Valley Jewish Community Center CEO Rabbi Michael Beyo, who agreed to be the event’s guest speaker. “He will bring a depth of knowledge to our conversation,” Gilbert said.

As a kid in a small Jewish community in the northern Italian city of Milan, Beyo was steeped in Sephardi traditions, he told Jewish News in a 2022 interview. His father was born in Turkey, the country where his family had lived for 500 years after being expelled from Spain during the Inquisition. But when he stepped outside his home, Beyo was surrounded by the dominant Ashkenazi culture of his mother and his country.

For years, he didn’t question the prevalence of Ashkenazi Jews. But when he was 12, a teacher told him that if his Hebrew pronunciation was Sephardi, rather than Ashkenazi, God wouldn’t

hear his prayers.

“He was a teacher, and I believed him,” Beyo recalled.

Before he moved to Israel in his 20s, Beyo’s experience of the wider Jewish world was dominated by Ashkenazi Jews; whether in Italy, England (where he moved when he was 15) or France. Much later, when he moved to the United States, he would find the same was true here.

“I studied in Ashkenazi schools and went to their yeshivot,” he said. “I only realized later that I had been deprived of my Sephardi heritage.”

In Israel, he saw something new. Sephardi Jews there had started to assert themselves and their traditions in a kind of counter revolution. “Young Sephardim were saying, ‘Enough is enough! We want to celebrate our traditions, our foods, our music,’” Beyo said.

After hearing from Beyo and Lange, attendees will listen to Mizrahi music, eat traditional Persian cookies and play games.

“We’ll just be able to celebrate and learn about what it means to be Mizrahi,” Lange said.

Though Lange is involved with StandWithUs and BBYO, it’s Hebrew High that gives her “my only opportunity to really discuss Jewish thought and Jewish history,” she said.

Especially after her time in Israel, she

feels empowered “to share the education I got there and discuss these things with younger students and other people who are interested in Jewish topics, because I don’t always get that in other activities,” she said.

“The more that we bring in these events, (the more) we help to honor the entire tapestry of Jewish history,” Gilbert said. JN

For more information, visit bjephoenix.org/ hebrew-high.

On those nights, the prizes are bigger and more valuable.

Lewis booked another trip to L.A. about three weeks later, and brought Rand as her guest. Toward the end of the show, when Lewis was giving up hope she

would be chosen, she was called to the stage, this time dressed as a bookworm.

Not only did she get to be on television, she got to shout out PJ Library and explain to a national audience what it is.

The final hiccup in the whole experience is that she had the air date wrong. She let everyone know to watch her episode, but her episode aired a week earlier than

she thought. She was only alerted when a friend texted to tell her they were watching her win a trip to Aspen. In a hurried group text, she let everyone know to turn on their televisions immediately.

While she still thinks longingly of that Range Rover she missed out on, she harbors few regrets about the whole experience — except that she can’t buy

that mattress from the hotel.

“It was a Sealy pillow-top mattress, but evidently, the best ones are made only for hotels,” she said with a resigned sigh. JN

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

Aleyna Lange, left, visited Masada with her friend, Ava Bain, while she was studying in Israel.

Holding on and letting go at the same time

GENESIS 18:1 - 22:24

RABBI ELANA KANTER

Parshah Vayera concerns itself with moments when we are asked to let go of our assumptions about people we love. God commands Abraham to send his son Yishmael away, and then God commands him to bind his son Yitzchak to the altar and then Abraham must accept the destruction of Sedom, even after he has advocated against it. The challenge of letting go is essential for us to consider because, over the course of a lifetime, we’ll be asked to let go of people and parts of our lives that are precious to us, and eventually, to let go of our own life.

According to Rabbi Jack Riemer, one of the greatest sermons of the last 100 years was about the art of holding on and letting go at the same time. It was a sermon by Rabbi Milton Steinberg, rabbi of the Park Avenue Synagogue in the 1950s, entitled “To Hold with Open Arms.” It was written as Steinberg was recovering from a heart attack.

Steinberg tells of what it felt like when, after many weeks of being cooped up in the hospital, he was finally released and got to go outside. The sun was shining in all its splendor. When he sat there in his garden and looked at the sun, he was overwhelmed by how beautiful the world was. And then he saw the sun was beginning to set. And he realized that there was no way to hold on to the sun, no way to keep it from setting. And if so, then why had he reveled in the sun so much, if it was not going to last very long? On the one hand, he should appreciate the sun and enjoy every single

moment that it shone. But he was also aware that he was not the owner of the sun, that it was only on loan to him and that he had to be prepared to let it go. And he realized that it is easier to let something go if you know it is a loan, and if you are giving it back to the One from whom it came. And he ends his sermon by saying: The goal of life is to hold tight to everything that is precious and good, but to hold it with open arms.

It is remarkable that Steinberg could write when he had so recently come face to face with his own mortality and that eventually he would be asked to let go of his own life. It is one of the things that our tradition tries to train us for. Judaism constantly reminds us that our lives don’t belong to us; life is a gift we are given, and one we will have to return.

Our parshah and Steinberg are asking us to pause, to try to feel this truth and to act with an awareness of it. Judaism is always pointing us toward opportunities to feel

In the tunnels of Gaza, hostage Eli Sharabi found

RABBA SARA HURWITZ | JTA

In synagogue this past Yom Kippur, someone handed me a machzor with a bookplate that read: “Dedicated by [X] in memory of Rabba Sara Hurwitz and Josh Abraham on the birth of Natan.”

Thank God, my husband Josh and I are very much alive. Somehow “in honor of” was replaced by “in memory of.” But my son, Natan, has just turned 9 years old — so what better reminder could there be to pause and examine my life? To ask the big questions that Shmuel in the Gemara (Yoma 87b) insists that we ask in the waning hours of Yom Kippur during Neilah: Mah anu, what are we? Meh chayeinu, what are our lives?

These questions don’t end with Yom Kippur. They echo back to the very beginning of our story as a people, when God calls Avram in Genesis 12:2, to leave his home with the divine promise: “I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing.” The structure of this verse, which will be read in most synagogues this Shabbat, is striking. God doesn’t say “I will bless you” (that comes in the previous verse). Here, God says something different: “You shall be a blessing.” Avraham is not a passive recipient but an active agent. His very existence, his life itself, will be a source of blessing to others. This is God’s answer to Shmuel’s questions: What are we? We are blessings. What are our lives? Our lives are meant to be a

source of blessing to the world. How do we live lives that fulfill this divine mandate?

This year, I hold these questions alongside the words of Eli Sharabi, the first hostage to publish his account of captivity. To call his book “Hostage” merely an autobiography misses its essence. It is a sacred text about what it means to live in darkness and fear and still choose life, still choose to be a blessing.

In the tunnels of Gaza, stripped of everything, Eli was forced to answer Shmuel’s questions in the starkest terms imaginable: What am I? What is my life? You would expect the answer to be: I am nothing. My life is nothing. But instead, his answer reverberates with a fierce, almost defiant vitality:

“I don’t want to survive just for them [his family]. I don’t want to live just for them. I want to live for myself too. For me, Eli Sharabi. I want to live. I love life. I crave it.”

If Eli, who lived for 491 days in constant hunger, dealing with the brutality of his captors, living in the filth of the tunnels, without knowing if his beloved family were alive or dead — if he can still crave life against all odds, then I too, even when I feel shrouded in darkness and fear will not take what I have for granted, and I will embrace life.

To be a blessing begins with recognizing the gift of simply being alive, of breathing freely, walking down the street. When we crave life itself, we become capable of blessing

thankful, and in doing so, training us to see things like breathing, talking and eating as gifts. When we know that all things are gifts — and temporary ones at that — it can help us imagine letting them go, because we come to feel that we have already been given more than enough.

That’s the paradox. By understanding our life as a gift, even one we’ll have to surrender, we end up feeling overwhelmed by how much we have. May we be blessed to internalize this wisdom and let it make our lives feel richer, increasing our sense of blessing for all we’ve been given. JN

a way to be a blessing

others. Eli writes: “I want to breathe life, to walk free, to return to the open skies, to go back home, to work, to purpose…. To return to the roads, to driving, to walking down the street, to my simple regular worry-free day-to-day.”

Sadly, Eli was released to learn that his wife Lianne and daughters Noiya and Yahel were murdered on Oct. 7 and that his brother Yossi, too, had been abducted and then killed in captivity. This week, we watched as Eli and his family buried Yossi in Israel, at long last.

Still, Eli’s testimony offers something even more profound about what it means to fulfill “and you shall be a blessing.” In absolute darkness, starving, and humiliated, he and his fellow hostages created a daily ritual to think of good things that happened to them each day and express gratitude — from sweet tea to a day without humiliation. In hell, they chose to find gratitude and see the tiny, miniscule blessings in their lives. And in doing so, they became blessings to each other. Hope was the hostages’ spiritual practice. Gratitude became resistance. Searching for good was an act of defiance against fear, and a way of being a blessing to those around them. In the tunnels of Gaza, Eli wasn’t just surviving, he was creating a practice of blessing. This is what God means when telling Avraham, “and you shall be a blessing.” You don’t need to wait for perfect conditions.

A NOTE ON OPINION

space and clarity. Unsigned letters

You don’t need to be free, comfortable, or secure.

As we move forward into a new year, Shmuel’s questions travel with me, now illuminated by God’s command to Avraham: Mah anu. What are we? We are called to be blessings. Like Eli, can we search for good even in difficulty? Can we be sources of hope and light for those around us, even when we ourselves are struggling?

Meh chayeinu. What are our lives? God tells Avraham that his life will be a blessing. What about ours? Do we only celebrate the extraordinary moments, or can we embrace the mundane — like walking down the street, breathing, being free to be at home with our loved ones? This is the wisdom of someone who faced death and chose, deliberately, consciously, to love life and to be a blessing, not despite the darkness, but in the darkness. This year, I will hold Eli’s courage and search for good even when it’s hard to find. I will strive to make hope and gratitude a daily practice. I will try to fulfill “and you shall be a blessing” — to raise up those around me, in big ways and small. JN

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 Elana Kanter is the founder of the Women’s Leadership Institute and co-rabbi of The New Shul.

Find area congregations at JewishAZ.com, where you can also find our 2026 Community Directory.

Rabbi Elana Kanter COURTESY OF RABBI ELANA KANTER

Phoenix Holocaust survivor debuts documentary in November

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

When the lights dim at the Herberger Theater Center on Tuesday, Nov. 18, and the first frames of “i was 8814” flicker to life, an audience in Phoenix will witness not just the retelling of a harrowing childhood journey, but the culmination of a lifetime devoted to memory, reconciliation and education.

The new documentary, produced by Holocaust survivor Hanna Zack Miley and her husband, George Miley, chronicles Hanna’s escape from Nazi Germany as one of the last children to leave on the Kindertransport, the rescue mission that saved approximately 10,000 Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Europe just before the outbreak of World War II.

The title, “i was 8814,” refers to Hanna’s number in line as she boarded the train that would carry her away from her parents, her home and everything she knew.

“It shows the measure of my parents’ fear and their desire to save my life. That they would do that, put me on the train without knowing what would happen when I arrived,” Hanna said.

Hanna was born in a small hamlet in western Germany in 1932, the year before Adolf Hitler seized power. She was just 11 months old when the Nazi regime began reshaping German society, and only four when she first saw Hitler in person.

“He was visiting the opening of a nearby castle he used for the indoctrination of the young military students,” she recalled. “I saw him in an open car being driven along the main street on his way from the railway station to the castle. That’s when I saw him and the people raising their arms in the Hitler salute.”

Even as a child, the moment left an indelible mark. “I was pressing my nose to the window, watching the car, the crowds, the adulation,” she said. “My parents were crouched back on the couch. They must have been terrified.”

Hanna’s childhood quickly became defined by fear and exclusion. She remembers the day at school when all the Jewish children were suddenly separated from their classmates. “We were gathered together, and there was a circle of German children dancing around us, singing virulently violent songs,” she said. “After

that, we were no longer allowed to go to that school.”

Her town’s synagogue was burned on Kristallnacht in November 1938, and Jewish-owned shops had their windows smashed. Soon after, the family fled to Cologne, Germany. There, her father managed to secure her a place on one of the final Kindertransport trains bound for England.

When Hanna arrived at London’s Liverpool Street station, she was one of a small group of children without sponsors or relatives waiting for them. An aid organization in central England took them in, placing Hanna with a family in Coventry.

She was a young child alone, and she didn’t speak a word of English.

“I can remember feeling intense fear that I would not be able to communicate with anyone in the world,” she said. “They couldn’t speak a word of German. I couldn’t speak a word of English. And I thought, ‘I will forget my German, and then who can I talk to?’”

The young boy in her host family became her informal English teacher through play. But the trauma of separation weighed heavily. “I was an only child,

Hanna Zack Miley is holding the tag she received as one of the last children to board the Kindertransport in Germany. COURTESY OF GEORGE MILEY

very spoiled, and trying to deal with all these losses. I acted up,” Hanna said. Eventually, she was moved to a stricter household, where she stayed until the end of the war and into young adulthood.

Hanna was 12 when she learned through the Red Cross that her parents had been murdered in the Holocaust.

In the years that followed, Hanna built a life of education and service. She became a teacher in southern England and later met George Miley, an educator from the United States, at an international conference in Belgium. They married in India and spent decades in global development and educational work before settling in the U.S. in 1984.

“We spent many, many years in international work,” George said. “When we decided to settle down, we did what we never thought we would do — we came to America. I brought my alien wife with me to America in 1984.”

They first lived in San Diego, then moved to Phoenix eight years later. “We’re not exactly retired,” George said with a laugh. “We just keep finding new projects.”

Among those projects is Hanna’s memoir, “A Garland for Ashes: World War II, the Holocaust, and One Jewish Survivor’s Long Journey to Forgiveness,” which concludes with her visit to the Polish forest where her parents were murdered. She held a yahrzeit at the site of the incinerator where they perished.

“The book and the film are kind of a package,” Hanna said. “The book is the first edition; the documentary is the second.”

While the documentary is grounded in Hanna’s deeply personal memories, it also situates her story within the broader historical and moral landscape of the Holocaust.

“We wanted it to be set in the wider background of what was actually happening,” Hanna said.

The film features several prominent voices, including Dr. Amy Williams, a fellow at Yad Vashem and one of the world’s leading experts on the Kindertransport. “She talks about my Kindertransport journey and puts it in context,” Hanna explained. “Her professor, Bill Niven, talks about Nazism and the background.”

Another remarkable presence in the film is an Austrian historian whose father was a leading Nazi official. She speaks with Hanna about living with the guilt of her father’s actions.

“It’s a very personal story of loss,” Hanna said, “but it’s also about confronting history and what it means to live with the legacy of that history.”

The documentary has already received recognition at the Austin Film Festival, the Berlin Indie Film Festival and the Cannes Short Film Festival. The couple has submitted it to several more festivals,

“IT’S A VERY PERSONAL STORY OF LOSS, BUT IT’S ALSO ABOUT CONFRONTING HISTORY AND WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE WITH THE LEGACY OF THAT HISTORY.”

HANNA ZACK MILEY

hoping to reach audiences around the world.

The Phoenix Holocaust Association (PHA), on whose board Hanna serves, is helping promote the film’s premiere in Phoenix.

For the Mileys, education remains central to the project. “Suddenly, there are a lot of schools, universities and groups wanting to hear the story,” George said. “It’s so meaningful that young people are still eager to learn about the Kindertransport.”

Hanna agreed. “It’s very significant that there’s such interest in educational places for the Kindertransport and the Holocaust,” she said. “It’s really heartwarming, in light of the political atmosphere, that there are so many opportunities to talk about it.”

For Hanna, telling her story through words, film and dialogue is a way of honoring the parents who made the impossible decision to send her away.

Every time she recounts her journey, she reclaims her childhood number, 8814, not as an anonymous figure in history, but as a living testament to resilience. JN

For more information, visit hannamiley.com.

The poster for “i was 8814.” COURTESY OF MICAH DAILEY

I am a caregiver: A personal story, a national reality

BOB ROTH | COLUMNIST

Iam a caregiver. I cared for my mother, my stepmother and my father.

Are you a caregiver? Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter once said there are four kinds of people in this world: those who have been caregivers, those who are caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers. It’s a powerful truth, one I’ve come to understand not only through my work, but through the life I have lived.

In the spirit of November being National Family Caregiving Month, I want to share something personal because at my core, I am a caregiver.

My journey began in 1985 when, alongside my dad and brothers, I became a caregiver for my mom. That experience lasted nearly 18 years, until her passing in 2002. In more recent years, I walked that road again; first supporting my stepmother, then my father. These experiences shaped me deeply, not just as a son and stepson, but as a human being.

These caregiving experiences laid the foundation for what would become the essence of Cypress HomeCare Solutions. Caregiving, I have learned, is more than

support or companionship, it is a commitment rooted in love.

Being a family caregiver is both a privilege and a challenge. It’s not simply about “being there.” It’s about showing up, emotionally, physically and spiritually, day after day. I know the weight caregivers carry, and I know the love that sustains them.

For me, caregiving meant driving to doctor’s appointments, sitting beside my loved ones in exam rooms, asking questions and taking notes. It meant managing medications, preparing meals or getting them out for a change of scenery. When I couldn’t be there, my wife, Susie, my siblings or my sister-in-law, Lori, stepped in. Some evenings, I’d just sit with them, watching TV, just being there for them. On the most intimate days, I helped my father shave, an honor I will never forget. Caregiving, in all its forms, is truly a labor of love.

That labor has never been more needed. Roughly 63 million Americans, one in four adults, now provide unpaid care to a loved one.

Not everyone can provide the kind of care I was able to give my parents. Many don’t have access to professional caregivers. It

demands time, energy and deep emotional reserves. But whether you’re giving daily care, coordinating from afar or checking in regularly, you’re a caregiver, and your role is vital.

And yet caregivers often carry this responsibility with little recognition or support. According to AARP, unpaid family caregiving was valued at $600 billion in 2021. Caregivers are not just part of the long-term care system; they’re holding it up.

Caregivers frequently sacrifice their own health, careers and savings. Many juggle full-time jobs or parenting alongside caregiving. Others live in quiet isolation, doing everything they can, often doing it alone.

That’s why this message matters, not just during National Family Caregiving Month, but especially during the holiday season. As families gather, it’s the perfect time to ask: who among us is carrying the hidden weight of caregiving?

If you are a caregiver, you are not alone. Local organizations like Duet: Partners in Health and Aging and AllThrive 365 (formerly Foundation for Senior Living) offer vital support, support groups, respite care, adult day programs and more. These

resources exist because people need, and deserve, them.

And if you know a caregiver, don’t wait to be asked. Bring a meal. Send a note. Lend a hand. The smallest gesture can ease the heaviest burden. Many caregivers, especially from older generations, hesitate to ask for help. Let’s show them they don’t have to, because we’re already there.

We also need systemic change. Caregivers deserve tax credits, paid leave and workplace flexibility. We must invest in respite care, training and aging services, not just for today, but for the future.

In Jewish tradition, we speak of honoring our fathers and mothers and of tikkun olam, repairing the world. Supporting caregivers is both. It’s an act of love, justice and profound respect.

My caregiving journey began nearly 40 years ago. It changed me forever. It continues to shape how I lead, how I serve and how I love. To every caregiver out there: you are not alone. And to everyone else: let’s be the village that ensures no caregiver ever feels that way. JN

Bob Roth is the managing partner of Cypress HomeCare Solutions.

We understand that the cost of senior living may not always be clear – but we’re here to change that.

At Clarendale Arcadia, we believe in complete transparency –so you’ll always know exactly what you pay for.

No hidden fees. No unexpected costs. Just straightforward pricing that makes it easier for you and your family to Redeﬁne Ready and make the most informed decisions about the future.

Call 480-608-9102, scan the QR code, or visit ClarendaleArcadia.com/Pricing to learn more.

Kugel comedy is recipe for senior theater success

MALA BLOMQUIST | MANAGING EDITOR

Two years ago, David Martin was looking for a way to bring his neighbors at the Clarendale Arcadia senior living community in Phoenix together. Many years earlier, he had done some community theater in Florida, and remembered how enjoyable it was.

“I thought a drama program might be a fun way to bring our residents together, both as actors and as viewers,” he said. “Most of us have had a challenge adjusting to apartment living, often coming from expansive homes. So, I searched online and purchased a catalog of plays.”

Martin purchases one-act plays from ArtAge Publications’ Senior Theatre Resource Center in Portland, Oregon, for The Prime Time Players, the name he gave the group that performs plays monthly for fellow residents and public guests.

As director, Martin picks the person he thinks will fit the part best rather than hold auditions. For the group’s Oct. 9 production of “How to Marry the Rabbi,” he knew he wanted to have an all-Jewish cast.

Clarendale residents Martha Rockwell, Suzi Scher, Valerie Richter, Elaine Kort and Richard Mesh performed in the play about a rabbi whose wife left him and the women in the congregation who each felt they had a chance at being the next rebbetzin by wooing the rabbi with a kugel dish.

About three weeks before the production, Jewish resident Al Cohen told Martin he heard about the play and would like to be in it. By then, Martin had cast everyone and they were already rehearsing, but he had an idea for how they could use their “resident comic” Cohen.

“I knew we wanted to have an introduction for the Yiddish terms in the play because many people here wouldn’t understand them,” said Martin. “I said, ‘You can do that,’ but I didn’t realize how wonderfully he would pull it off.”

When Cohen got to the microphone, he joked, “If I fall, don’t get excited, I can do this lying down.”

He said that “Fiddler on the Roof” is performed every day somewhere in the world, and that they expected “How to Marry the Rabbi” to follow suit. He also congratulated everyone in the Mountain Vista Room at Clarendale for being able to get tickets. “We’ve had requests from across the country,” he joked.

He then went on to explain the meanings of words in the play that some of the audience might not be familiar with, such as rabbi, rebbetzin, shiva and kugel.

“Most important is kugel. A baked Jewish pudding or casserole that can be

savory or sweet,” he said. “I’ve never made one, but many find the recipes an important point of pride.”

After his introduction, the 20-minute play began with Rockwell, Scher and Richter all discussing the rabbi’s wife leaving him and wondering who would be the next rebbetzin. “She’s sitting right here,” said Scher, playing the part of Deborah.

Plotting and planning ensue as each woman finagles a meeting with the rabbi to try and win his heart through his stomach with their signature kugel dish featuring broccoli, spinach and potato (though when the rabbi admitted he didn’t like potato kugel, it was immediately switched to noodle).

This was the fourth performance with The Prime Time Players for Mesh, who played the rabbi. When asked about his acting background, he said, “I was a public defender for a number of years, so acting is not a unique experience for me.”

This was the first time in a play for Rockwell, Richter and Kort. Rockwell played Miriam and Richter played Leah, two of the women hoping to be rebbetzin; and Kort played Lillian, the rabbi’s longtime secretary who was a widow.

“I was a theater major in college,” said Scher when asked about her previous acting experience.

She also said that before moving to Clarendale, all the women in the play knew each other from the Jewish community. “I belonged to Beth El and Beth Israel synagogues, and I knew the ladies from there,” she said. They all said how much they enjoyed the experience and hoped to be in more productions.

Martin was pleased that every seat in the room was filled, noting that their first play had an audience of about 10.

“It’s grown and grown,” he said. “We’re very happy with it.”

In the end — spoiler alert — the widowed, steadfast secretary ended up winning over the rabbi, and she didn’t even need to make him a kugel. JN

For more information, visit clarendalearcadia.com.

From left, Martha Rockwell, Valerie Richter, Suzi Scher, Elaine Kort and Richard Mesh take a bow after performing “How to Marry the Rabbi” at Clarendale Arcadia. COURTESY

Beth El’s Blanket Boosters wrap foster kids in comfort and community

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

Two Sundays every month at Beth El Phoenix, a small circle of crocheters gathers with yarn, hooks and plenty of conversation. What begins as loops and knots of colorful fiber slowly grows into a soft, tangible expression of care for children in Arizona’s foster system.

They call themselves the Blanket Boosters, and for more than two decades, their handmade blankets have offered comfort to children who need it most.

The group began in 2001, when Beth El congregant Sandy Robbins visited her daughter’s synagogue in California and was inspired by its crochet group that made blankets for local charities. Robbins brought the idea home to Beth El, and soon after, the Blanket Boosters were born.

Since then, members have created and donated hundreds of blankets to community organizations. In recent years, they’ve focused their efforts on the Arizona Children’s Association, the state’s largest foster care provider. Their

2024 donation included 42 blankets, and 35 more are ready to be delivered this year.

“It’s such a simple thing, but it means so much,” said Alana Berrett, who coordinates the group today. “This blanket you’ve made is helping out a child. It’s a thing that’s all theirs. They can take it with them wherever they go.”

Berrett first stumbled upon the Blanket Boosters in 2019. One afternoon, while dropping off one of her children at Beth El for Hebrew school, she noticed a few women sitting together and crocheting.

“I asked what they were doing and if I could join,” she recalled. “They weren’t accustomed to someone my age showing interest. They thought they’d have to teach me, but I told them, ‘I already know how, and I even have my own yarn!’”

Berrett learned to crochet years earlier while in graduate school, taught by her mother’s bowling partner in Tucson. “My mom’s a crafter, but she’s left-handed and I’m not,” she said. “It didn’t quite work

Alpha Epsilon Pi Presents Trippie Redd to benefit AFSP Arizona

This year, the brothers of Alpha Epsilon Pi-Upsilon Alpha Chapter at the University of Arizona proudly partnered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Arizona Chapter to raise awareness and funds for suicide prevention.

Through the event, Alpha Epsilon Pi Presents Trippie Redd, and a week of philanthropy activities including raffles, local fundraisers and community outreach, the chapter raised over $26,000 to honor the father of one of the brothers who passed away earlier this year.

The goal wasn’t just to host an event, but to start a conversation about mental health within the Greek, and student, community. Seeing thousands of students come together to support such an important cause reminded us that awareness and compassion can start anywhere — even at a music event.

November 15, 2025

Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Scottsdale, AZ

What began as a fraternity music event has grown into something far more meaningful — a way to unite the campus and Tucson community around mental health awareness, hope and connection.

After the event, Jackson Fields, Ryan Becker and Samuel Gottfried presented the proceeds from their fundraiser to Stephanie DeLeon, AFSP Arizona Chapter board member.

Schedule:

Check In: 8:00 AM (MST)

Event Start Time: 9:00 AM (MST)

“We are proud to support AFSP’s mission to save lives and bring people together, and we look forward to continuing this partnership for years to come.” Said Alpha Epsilon Pi–Upsilon Alpha Chapter in a statement.

November 15, 2025

Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Scottsdale, AZ

University of Arizona Fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi check presentation from their fundraiser

Schedule: Check In: 8:00 AM (MST)

Event Start Time: 9:00 AM (MST)

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Arizona Chapter offers compassionate support for those who’ve lost a loved one to suicide through healing events, support groups and community connection. AFSP provides education, advocacy and hope to help survivors know they are not alone. You can make a difference by registering for or donating to the Phoenix Out of the Darkness Walk at afsp.org/Phoenix, your gift helps fund lifesaving programs and supports those impacted by suicide across Arizona.

Join us for the walk or donate to our cause

Collage of blankets crocheted by the Blanket Boosters.

University of Arizona Fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi check presentation from their fundraiser

Advertorial

out for her to teach me.”

Before long, she became a fixture in the group, welcomed by members who were, on average, a couple of decades older. “I knew I had been integrated into the group the first time I made a pattern and someone asked if they could use it,” Berrett said.

Over time, she stepped into a leadership role as some of the original members aged out or moved away. Robbins, the founder, now has arthritis and can no longer crochet, but her idea continues to thrive through a new generation of volunteers.

For Berrett, the cause feels personal. Her brother and sister-in-law in Tucson are foster parents who have long supported Arizona’s foster care network. She sets aside several blankets each year for them to share directly with children entering their home.

“It’s fun to see the kids pick out the blankets they like best,” she said.

Her connection to the cause goes even deeper. Growing up in Arizona, one of her childhood friends was in foster care, though at the time, Berrett didn’t think much about it.

“She was just another girl in my Girl Scout troop,” she said. “Only later on did I realize how much that experience shaped her life and the challenges she faced.”

That realization reinforces why she continues to crochet for the Blanket Boosters.

“Every child deserves something warm, something that’s theirs,” she said.

Though the group’s mission is simple, Berrett sees Blanket Boosters as part of Beth El’s broader commitment to social justice.

“This group is in keeping with Beth El’s social justice work,” she said. “Not everyone can show up for a food drive or a clean-up day. This is perfect for people who want to contribute but can’t do more physical volunteering.”

Most of the crocheting is done individually, at home and on members’ own schedules. The group meets twice a month — once in person and once over Zoom — which allows participation from people who’ve moved away from the Valley but still want to contribute.

Some members donate unfinished projects left behind by relatives, and others complete those blankets. “Even the yarn and hooks get passed along,” Berrett said. “It’s a real legacy of crafting and caring.”

And the group’s inclusivity is as generous as its mission. “We also take knitters; we do not discriminate in our fiber arts,” Berrett joked. “Some people try to learn crochet, give up and just donate yarn. We accept that too.”

Each blanket must meet specific guidelines: at least 45 by 54 inches, big enough

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Hope Starts with You: Supporting the Fight Against Crohn’s & Colitis

Every day, more than three million Americans live with the pain and uncertainty of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis — two chronic, debilitating inﬂammatory bowel diseases (IBD) with no known cures. For many in the Phoenix Jewish community, these illnesses are invisible but life-changing, a ecting children, teens and adults alike.

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is committed to changing that reality. As the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to finding cures for IBD, the Foundation funds innovative research, advances cuttingedge treatments and provides education and support to patients and families across the country. Locally, their resources help people navigate new diagnoses, access care and find connection in a community that understands.

A charitable gift to the foundation is more than a donation — it’s an investment in hope. It fuels medical breakthroughs that can transform lives. It o ers comfort and support to families navigating di cult diagnoses. And it brings us closer to a future where no one has to live with the daily challenges of Crohn’s or colitis.

Your generosity matters. Whether it’s $25 or $2,500, every contribution helps build a healthier tomorrow. Together, as a caring community, we can bring hope and healing to those who need it most.

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Visit crohnscolitisfoundation.org/chapters/southwest or call 332-999-5518 to make your charitable gift today.

Because hope starts with you—and with hope, we can change lives.

Hope Starts with You!

for an older child or teenager to wrap around themselves and machine washable for easy care. Otherwise, creativity is encouraged: any color, any pattern, any stitch.

Depending on complexity, a single blanket can take 20 to 60 hours to complete. Berrett usually makes five or six per year, though some members are even more prolific. “One woman made that many in two months,” she said, “by churning out squares while visiting her mother in the hospital.”

Though the work is slow and steady, the results are anything but small. The

Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation | 332-999-5518 crohnscolitisfoundation.org/chapters/southwest

finished blankets represent patience and skill and are literal threads that connect generations and communities.

“Blanket Boosters is an under-theradar activity,” Berrett said. “We’d love for more people to know we’re here and that this is something they can do, too.”

The group is open to anyone in the community, not just Beth El members. As Berrett put it: “We pride ourselves on integrating with the larger community in every way we can.” JN

For more information, visit bethelphoenix.com/ blanket-boosters.

Hope Star ts with You!

Every day, more than 3 million Americans live with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis For many, these are invisible illnesses that bring daily pain and uncertainty

With your gift, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation can fund groundbreaking research, provide patient support, and bring us closer to cures

Your generosity can turn hope into healing.

Chapter PO Box 6160, Chandler, AZ 85246 - 332-999-5518 crohnscolitisfoundation.org/chapters/southwest

Crohn‘s & Colitis Foundation-Arizona

The Ruby Gala Sparkled! The Ruby Gala Sparkled!

to the

www.gesherdr.org

CALENDAR

parachute play, crafts and a family Shabbat experience. For more information, visit bjephoenix.org.

Welcome Shabbat: 11-11:30 a.m. Online. Celebrate Shabbat with the JFCS Virtual Center for Senior Enrichment. Each week a different guest host will lead the program with song and celebration. Cost: Free. For more information, visit jfcsaz.org/cse.

Shabbat at Beth El: 5:45 p.m. on Zoom; 9:30 a.m. at Beth El Phoenix, 1118 W. Glendale. Ave., Phoenix or livestreaming at tinyurl.com/beclivestream. Celebrate Shabbat with songs, blessings and teachings with Rabbi Stein-Kokin and Cantor Sarah Bollt. For more information or to join, visit bethelphoenix.com.

Erev Shabbat Service: 5:30 p.m. Online. Rabbi Alicia Magal will lead a service livestreamed for members of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley. Cost: Free. For more information and to obtain the Zoom link, visit jcsvv. org/contact.

Shabbat Service: 5:30-6:30 p.m.; Oneg at 5 p.m. Temple B’rith Shalom, 2077 Brohner Way, Prescott. Join Temple B’rith Shalom for a musical and spiritual Shabbat service. For more information, visit brithshalom-az.org.

Shabbat Services: 5:30 p.m. nosh, 6:15 p.m. service; morning service has varying dates and times. Temple Chai, 4645 E. Marilyn Road, Phoenix. For more information, contact Joan Neer at jneer@templechai.com.

MILESTONES

BAR MITZVAH

HAWKINS WALTER HASS

Pre-Shabbat Kiddush Club: 6 p.m. Online. Say Kiddush with Rabbi Mendy Levertov. Cost: Free. Use this link: ourjewishcenter.com/virtual. For more information, visit chabadaz.com.

Shabbat Services: 6 p.m.; 9:30 a.m.; followed by a light Kiddush lunch. Beth Emeth Congregation of the West Valley, 13702 W. Meeker Blvd., Sun City West. For more information call 623-584-7210 or visit bethemethaz.org.

Shabbat Services: 6 p.m.; 9:30 a.m. Congregation Or Tzion, 16415 N. 90th St., Scottsdale. Services are also live streamed at otaz.org/ livestream. For more information about services, events and membership, visit congregationortzion.org or call 480-342-8858.

First Friday Shabbat Services: 6:15 p.m.; Oneg at 7:15 p.m. Valley Unitarian Universalist, 6400 W. Del Rio St., Chandler. Join Congregation NefeshSoul for Friday night services the first Friday of each month in the sanctuary building of Valley Unitarian Universalist. For more information, contact Jim Hoffman at 480-329-3316.

Shabbat Services: 6:15 p.m.; 10 a.m. Congregation Beth Israel, 10460 N. 56th St., Scottsdale. Services held in the Goldsmith Sanctuary. Participants must pre-register by Thursday at 5 p.m. Priority will be given to members first and then guests. If there are more requests than available seats a lottery system will be used. For more information or to make a reservation, visit cbiaz.org/shabbat-services.

Kabbalat Shabbat and/or Shabbat morning service: 6:30 p.m.; 10 a.m.; dates vary. Congregation Kehillah, 5858 E. Dynamite Blvd., Cave Creek. Join Rabbi Bonnie Sharfman and cantorial soloists Erica Erman and Scott Leader either in person or via Zoom. For safety reasons, please register ahead of time. For dates, visit congregationkehillah.org/event/. Register by emailing info@congregationkehillah.org.

Shabbat Services: 7 p.m. Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, 12202 N. 101st Ave., Sun City. Services are followed by an Oneg. Services are live-streamed on YouTube. For more information and to get the YouTube link, visit tbsaz.org or call 623-977-3240.

Shabbat Services in Sun Lakes: 7-9 p.m. Sun Lakes Chapel, 9240 E. Sun Lakes Blvd. North, Sun Lakes. Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation

Pauline Staman

Hawkins Walter Hass will become a bar mitzvah on Nov. 22, 2025, at Temple Solel. He is the son of Mark and Sara Hass of Paradise Valley.

Hawkins’ grandparents are Suzanne Walker of Lexington, Kentucky; and the late Walter Hass, Miriam Hass, Mark Donaldson and Quentin Walker.

For his mitzvah project, Hawkins and his friend Gabriel Brown volunteered together at Ability 360, a center for independent living. They supported programs for veterans, people with disabilities and their families; helped at adaptive sports tournaments and wheelchair basketball events; and raised money with a raffle for tickets to the College Basketball Classic.

A student at Phoenix Country Day School, Hawkins plays basketball for his school and on a club team and is on his school’s flag football team. He manages a fantasy football team with his dad, rides bicycles with his mom and plays volleyball with his sister. Aside from sports, he is interested in finance and follows the stock markets, managing a small portfolio of his own. JN

JONATHAN

DAVID MAXX PHILLIPPI

Jonathan David Maxx Phillippi became a bar mitzvah on Oct. 25, 2025, at Chabad of Fountain Hills. He is the son of Samantha Phillippi.

Jonathan’s grandmother is Marisa Phillippi.

For his mitzvah project, Jonathan has committed to putting on tefillin every day and attending weekly Shabbos services to be part of the special minyan group at Chabad of Fountain Hills.

Jonathan enjoys gaming, engineering projects and both performing and backstage work in community theater. JN

OBITUARY

HENRIETTA JOY “COOKIE” MERENS

Henrietta Joy “Cookie” Merens of Chicago, Illinois, and Miami, Florida, died on Oct. 7, 2025. She was 80.

Cookie was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Merens; and she is survived by her brother, David Gerstel (Elaine); stepdaughter, Merideth Bolandhemet (Peyman); and stepson, Bennie Merens (Michelle); nieces Elisa Slobodow (Brian) and Marni Gerstel; and many grandchildren.

Services were held on Oct. 13, 2025, at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago, and officiated by Rabbi Charlene Brooks. JN

conducts Reform Shabbat services on the second Friday of each month. New members welcome. For more information, call 480-612-4413 or 480-580-1592.

Shabbat Services with Beth Ami Temple: 7 p.m. Services held at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix, 4027 E. Lincoln Dr., Paradise Valley. Join Beth Ami Temple Rabbi Alison Lawton and Cantorial Soloist Michael Robbins as they lead Shabbat services twice a month. For more information, visit bethamitemple.org.

Third Friday Shabbat: 7-9 p.m. Group meets at a North Scottsdale location. The Desert Foothills Jewish Community Association hosts a Shabbat service followed by a program. Contact 602-487-5718 for more information. JN

Pauline Staman, 96, passed away on Oct. 18, 2025. Pauline was born in Velký Bočkov, Czechoslovakia, the daughter of Samuel and Chaya Berkowitz.

Pauline was the youngest of 10 children. She had a happy childhood, doted on by her parents and many siblings. That was until her life was interrupted by the Nazi takeover of Europe. She and many in her family were deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where Pauline’s parents and two nephews were immediately murdered. She survived torturous conditions, near starvation and illness through strength, resourcefulness and luck. Freedom arrived in April 1945 when she, along with two sisters, a brother and her sister-in-law were liberated by American forces. Two sisters managed to avoid the concentration camps, while three other sisters were murdered.

After returning to Czechoslovakia, Pauline was flown to Manchester, England, as part of a group of young orphans known as “The Boys,” though many were girls; it was organized by The Central British Fund for German Jewry. There she was placed with a local Jewish family. She lived in Manchester and Blackpool, where she learned English and resumed her education. Eventually, her Uncle Walter in Pittsburgh found her and sponsored her entry into the United States.

After immigrating in November 1948, Pauline lived with her uncle and her sister Rose, who had also immigrated to Pittsburgh. Through a mutual cousin, Pauline was introduced to the love of her life, Paul Staman. Following a whirlwind courtship, they married at Temple Beth Israel in October 1950. During their many years in Phoenix, Paul and Pauline were members of Temple Beth Israel, Beth El Congregation and Temple Chai.

Pauline kept busy raising three kids, being involved with various charitable organizations and working for husband Paul, a home builder. She led an active social life with many friends and family. Her resilience and kindness touched all who knew her. She was fortunate to enjoy a wonderful marriage for 72 years, until Paul died just shy of 103 years old.

Pauline is survived by her children Marc Staman (Susan Getz), Cindy Kleiman (Jeff) and Barbara Staman Wolff (Tom); her grandchildren Josh Staman, Rachel Staman (Sam Ricci), Cheryl Kleiman (Blake McLaren), Michael Kleiman (Karli Watland), Ilana Wolff and Joe Wolff; and great-grandchildren Max Ricci and Penny Kleiman.

Donations in her memory may be made to the Phoenix Holocaust Association (phxha.org) or the Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center (hfhecaz.org).

David R. Frazer

David R. Frazer, age 96, of Scottsdale, passed away peacefully on Oct. 16, 2025.

Born February 2, 1929, in Detroit, Michigan, he earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Michigan. In 1953, he married Joan Mintzer; they had two sons, Douglas and Thomas. After Joan’s passing, he married Marilyn Leventhal.

David began his legal career with a clerkship on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and as a trial attorney for the U.S. Dept. of Justice Tax Division. He practiced in New York before relocating to Phoenix in 1962. David was a partner at several prominent law firms and in 1989, co-founded Frazer, Ryan & Goldberg.

A dedicated community leader, David held leadership roles with the Jewish Federation of Phoenix, the Flinn Foundation, the National Council of Christians & Jews, Anytown Arizona, the Cancer Support Community Arizona, ASU Hillel, the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley and the Jewish National Fund.

He is survived by his sister, Frieda Frazer; sons Douglas (Karen Schapiro) and Thomas (Roslin Falk Frazer); and grandsons Ben, Nathan and Jacob.