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STAYING SAFE
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Daniel Schneider, founder of Empower Training Academy, shared tips at a safety training in October
Jewish artist Louise Nevelson created the first large-scale piece in Scottsdale’s collection
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ASU Jewish Studies gives context to Israeli-Palestinian conflict complexity SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER
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osters with photos of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas have been tacked up by Jews and their allies in cities across the United States with the word “KIDNAPPED” printed at the top and a brief description of the person pictured. Alternately, videos of some of these same posters being ripped down are on social media, becoming only the latest form of grievance and confrontation regarding Israel’s war with Hamas that seems to intensify daily, especially once Dr. Victor Peskin Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza COURTESY OF ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY began. JEWISH STUDIES To those putting the posters up, the images serve both as a reminder of Hamas’ violent and deadly incursion into Israel on Oct. 7, and a wish to reclaim the more than 200 people the terrorist group took hostage. Those tearing the posters down interpret them as Israeli war propaganda against Palestinians. The posters are drawing passionate responses from people on both sides of the conflict. Some, like Miles Grant, a 24-year-old Jewish New Yorker and member of Youth Alliance for Housing, are frustrated by their “lack of context,” as he told the New York Times. Explaining the historical context of a conflict that has raged long before Israel’s founding in 1948 is a big job, but Arizona State University’s Jewish Studies department decided to tackle it in the weeks after the Oct. 7 attack. On Monday, Oct. 30, “The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Why SEE CONFLICT, PAGE 3
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Israeli hostages represent missing guests at Shabbat tables at Arizona State House SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER
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alit Tsadik considers herself “one of the lucky ones,” an Israeli who did not lose a close family member in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Last Friday afternoon, in the pre-Shabbat hours, she admitted that was small succor for someone who comes from a country where “everyone knows someone.” Like most Israelis, she knows people, friends of friends, who were injured, kidnapped and killed. Tsadik greeted the crowd of approximately 200 people who had come to honor and pray for the return of the more than 240 hostages taken by Hamas during its deadly Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel. As people passed by security guards and through metal detectors set up on the lawn in front of Arizona’s State House, Tsadik handed out posters, each with the image, age and nationality of one of the hostages and topped with the word “kidnapped.” After searching for ways to volunteer for her country after that fateful day, Tsadik discovered Phoenix Israel Community Situation Desk (PICSD), a grassroots group that took shape the day after the attack and the organizer of Friday’s event. Shiry Sapir, one of PICSD’s founders, told Jewish News that the group exists to remind people that “these are our brothers and sisters that got slaughtered on Oct. 7, and the world needs to know about it and be aware.” SEE TABLES PAGE 2
Empty Shabbat table representing the missing Israeli hostages. COURTESY OF GREGORY COHEN
Cool Kosher treats Tom’s Incredible Ice Cream in Scottsdale is dishing up kosher-certified ice cream and more. See page 10. COURTESY OF JENNIFER KAPLAN
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Friday’s gathering was encircled by empty Shabbat tables set with plates and glasses that would go unused, symbolizing the absence of the hostages from the normally celebratory meal. Dozens of national flags also sat atop the table to show the diversity of the hostages’ home nations. Governor Katie Hobbs attended the event in person and told those present, “It’s painful to think about what the hostages and their loved ones are going through right now. These are children, parents, grandparents, neighbors; they’re people like you and me, whose lives have been ripped apart just because of who they are and where they live.” Hobbs did not mince words when describing the events of Oct. 7: “Let me be clear. This was a terrorist attack and has been devastating, not only to those experiencing it, but those of us watching halfway around the world. It is devastating to humanity.” Several of the state’s elected leaders were also in attendance, including Jewish Reps. Alma and Consuelo Hernandez, both of whom were grateful that the governor came, as well as the support of many of their colleagues. “The governor’s been supportive since the first day,” said Alma Hernandez, who arranged the event’s logistics. “It’s all about community and I’m glad that everyone’s united and trying our best to stay positive and making sure that we’re as vocal as possible,” Consuelo Hernandez said. Reps. Jennifer Longdon, Seaman *BestKeith of Magazine and Quantá Crews all came to show **Annual Directory solidarity with their Jewish colleagues and the Jewish community at large. “As an elected member, part of my jobWWW.JEWISHAZ.COM is to oppose antisemitism publicly
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about her Judaism with her fellow council members and speaking out for her rights and beliefs. She already has some practice at advocating for herself. “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 to intervene. “If someone has a disability, saying Jewish Arizona Representatives Consuelo (left) the Alma R-word is like saying the F-word,” and Hernandez. COURTESY OF JEWISH NEWS Stern said. 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. 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. “My friend Al was next to me when Galit Tsadik out and posters hostages on I told the passes director he of gave me the Friday, Nov. 3 atever the Arizona Statethat House. biggest hug and said he loved COURTESY OF JEWISH NEWS 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. “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 Gov. Katie Hobbs addressed those gathered on of her to self-advocate. the lawnability behind the State House on Friday, Nov. 3. Hummell co-hosted a book event Rabbi Pinchas Allouche spoke after the governor. COURTESY OF JEWISH NEWS with Meyers a few years ago for “My
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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. 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. That’s how Sternthe first learned ofIdan, the Sophie Plapp is wearing poster of Avigail her cousin’s three-year-old who open council seat, but granddaughter, there’s no doubt was by Hamas. COURTESY OF JEWISH NEWS she kidnapped earned her position, Meyers said. To become a council member, Stern and show solidarity with the Jewish had to apply and demonstrate that she had community,” Longdon told Jewish News. something valuable to contribute, he said. Balbir Grewal, a Sikh congressional “She’s on the council because she staffer, also wanted to show her “support deserves to be on the council,” he said. for humanity,” something one doesn’t Stern is creating a life and career as a need to be Jewish for, she said. Brenda member of her community, which makes Gifford, a Christian participant, told her a great addition. Jewish News that she and her mother, Stern graduated from McClintock Nola Perkins, came because they love High School in Tempe last year and now Israel and they have friends whose attends Glendale Community College, children were injured and kidnapped from with a focus on dance. She is a regular the music festival on Oct. 7. performer at Detour Company Theatre, Sophie Plapp pinned to her shirt Avigail a Scottsdale theatre company for adults Idan’s image, her cousin’s three-year-old with intellectual, and granddaughter, whodevelopmental was kidnapped from physical disabilities. Kfar Aza after witnessing her parents In fact, when Stern attended first murdered in front of her. Idan’s her brother council meeting in January, she couldn’t and sister hid from Hamas terrorists in a wait tofor tell15 people ofand her involvement closet hours thus avoidedwith the Detour and share information about its same fate. upcoming “Avigail shows. was covered in her father’s “There’s thatbut shewe is going blood whenno shequestion was taken, know to thrive,” Meyers said. “She’s very she was alive,” Plapp told Jewish News. “I gregarious and passionate about pray that she is still alive and OK.” the things matter toto her.” Liorathat Hamu came Friday’s event to Stern looks forward to sharing insights
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Sophie Stern at her high school graduation in 2022 COURTESY OF SOPHIE STERN
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. “It’s not the same when someone tries to tell a person’s story for them,” Hummell said. Additionally, helping people with disabilities find jobs was one of the reasons for acquiring the bureau. Unemployment in the disability community is upwards *Best of Magazine of 75% and of that percentage, 75% are ready, willing and able to work — but **Annual Directory haven’t been given the opportunity, Hummell said. “People have it in them to speak up but WWW.JEWISHAZ.COM don’t know how, and often they’re not cheered on. Sophie has family support
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HEADLINES be with other people who understood her plight. Her mother, who has Parkinson’s disease, lives in Be’er-Sheva, and it is impossible for her to get to a bomb shelter when the sirens go off. She has a full-time caretaker living with her but she has not been able to leave the house in the last three weeks. “I’m going to her and I don’t care how I get there,” Hamu said. “My mother can’t be trapped in her house.” Noa Ozer, a 17-year-old Chaparral High School student, spoke to the crowd in one of the most emotional moments of the afternoon. She told of Amit Shani, a teenager just like her, who Hamas kidnapped from a kibbutz called
Be’eri. Ozer is part of the Israeli Scouts of Arizona’s Be’eri group and felt duty bound to share some details about Shani’s story, such as that he is an “excellent high school student who loves to run and surf.” Through tears, Ozer said, “he is in Gaza, alone, scared, and hopefully, still alive.” Congregation Beth Tefillah Rabbi Pinchas Allouche also spoke to the gathering, about receiving a call from his son, a sniper in the Israel Defense Forces who is currently fighting in Gaza. His son, who saw the results of the horrific attack on Oct. 7, told his father that on that day, “evil terrorists had tried to lower the Jewish head” but now “our response must be to raise our heads up high.”
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ten by many, all set the stage for problems to intensify when Israel was founded in 1948. Holding up a detailed map, Peskin explained the United Nations General Assembly’s Resolution 181 that authorized the creation of two states in the so-called UN Partition Plan, allocating approximately 43.53% of the territory for a Palestinian state and 56.47% for Israel. Then Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion referred to the UN’s plan and the global legitimacy for Israel as the greatest achievement of the Jewish people. On the other hand, Arab states and Palestinian leaders rejected the UN’s plan mainly because it gave their larger population less land. When the British left in May 1948, Jewish leaders declared Israel a state and neighboring Arab nations declared war and invaded Israel. Peskin then took viewers through the various wars that followed: the war of 1956, the Six Day War in 1967, the Yom Kippur War of 1973, the first Lebanon War of 1982, the first Intifada of 1987, the second Intifada of 2000 and the second Lebanon War in 2006. He also talked about the rise of Palestinian terror organizations and an Israeli expansionist settler movement. Jesse Goodsell, AZ Jews for Pride cochair, called Peskin’s presentation, “an impressive scholarly effort to condense a lot of history into a little time.” Goodsell told Jewish News, “It seemed fair to the different sides involved in the conflict.” Peskin also detailed attempts at peace, focusing especially on the Oslo Accord. He reminded people of the moment when Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, stood together with President Bill Clinton in front of the White House. He said the scene “convinced many that Oslo’s promise for final settlement would, in fact, take place and that the United States would guarantee its implementation.” Lisa Kaplan, Jewish Studies’ associate director, was at the White House that day and recalled how filled with hope she was after witnessing the exchange. However, Hamas denounced the agreement as did many on Israel’s far right.
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Have Peace Efforts Failed So Far?” was the first in a series of free virtual presentations offered by the department. More than 400 people registered. Before starting the presentation, Jewish Studies Director Dr. Hava TiroshSamuelson reminded viewers that “we are committed to understanding this complex history of the conflict, and we want to do so in a very civil manner that respects divergent views and conflicting interpretations.” Victor Peskin, ASU associate professor in the school of politics and global studies, who has taught courses on the IsraeliPalestinian conflict and whose research focuses on the intersection of international relations, comparative politics and human rights, started his talk by admitting that when Tirosh-Samuelson first contacted him to participate, he hesitated. Part of his hesitation was that he hadn’t been immersed in the topic for several years. But he also had to consider wading into an issue that is “so fraught, so complex and so confounding. Discussions about the conflict are filled with metaphorical landmines to such an extent that language itself, as well as expressions of empathy, have become landmines,” he said. Other universities have advised colleagues of his not to hold any events or lectures about the conflict, Peskin told Jewish News. “Emotions are running very high and there’s a lot of anger and trauma and disagreement. The hesitation is a reality but the event was important.” If the conversation itself is a landmine, “then understanding the conflict and envisioning a way out of it certainly becomes impossible,” he said. Peskin, who is Jewish, leaned into his “brief overview of the long arc of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” which started in the 1880s as political Zionism first took root. With so little time and so much history, Peskin could only briefly touch on such early historical highlights as the Balfour Declaration, British-controlled Palestine and restrictions against Jewish immigration and the 1930s Arab revolt against British rule. These events, forgotJEWISHAZ.COM
Temple Chai Cantor Ross Wolman sang the “Star-Spangled Banner” and accompanied Israeli Scouts Ozer, Orian and Wandrove Shina as they sang “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem. Shabbat candles were handed out to all attendees and lit to end the event. “This Shabbat table is symbolic of the Jewish presence in our lives,” Sapir told Jewish News. “It’s something that we all cherish whether we’re religious or not, and we want the world to understand that we’re proud to be Jewish and we will fight for our brothers and sisters to come back home.” JN For more information, visit phxil.com.
Hamas had ambushed and killed several Israeli soldiers by the time Rabin was back in Israel, and on November 4, 1995, the Israel prime minister was assassinated by Yigal Amir, an extremist Jew opposed to the Oslo Accords, just after a speech Rabin gave to a peace rally of tens of thousands of Israelis. “Oslo wasn’t easy but it was an accomplishment,” Kaplan told Jewish News. “Since Rabin died, the people most committed to peace have gone underground. I’m just struck by how long and entrenched this all is. I used to think that there were answers and now I’m not so sure what they are and what will work and who you can trust and who you can’t.” After Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, it became apparent that people were not educated on the history of the conflict, Kaplan said. Jewish Studies wanted to educate ASU students and the community at large, given that students, and Jews in general, “feel like we’re put in a position that we want to defend Israel so we are giving people the history and background they need to have conversations about it.” Kaplan noted that “it’s a little scary to be Jewish right now,” but emphasized that “ASU is a great place to be a Jewish student because the administration and deans are very supportive.” Peskin was encouraged by the large response to his talk. Even in “a terrible time in Israel and Gaza, it was heartening to see so many people in the ASU community show interest in learning more about the conflict. It’s a small silver lining in an otherwise grim situation,” he said. He helped Jewish Studies put together a reading list for people interested in learning more and highly recommended Sandy Tolan’s non-fiction narrative,“The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East,” for a general audience. “Studying the history of the peace process cannot magically solve the current predicament that we are in, but understanding the contested histories of this conflict may go some way to illuminating the obstacles to a sustainable peace,” Peskin said. JN To register for future lectures in the series, visit jewishstudies.asu.edu/JSZionism.
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Arizona’s Jews want to know how to stay safe SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER
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n Sunday, Oct. 22, a few dozen people gathered to talk about how to keep Jews safe, especially in the light of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Amid the discussion, one woman described her recent dilemma when trying to park at her synagogue. She always parks in the same spot, but the last time she tried to park there, an unfamiliar car was ahead of her. What gave her pause was the way this stranger was just sitting in the car, not making a motion to get out. She waited for a few minutes, toying with the idea of approaching the person and trying to ascertain who they were and what they were doing there. “I was wondering if I should say, ‘Can I help you?’ or should I just leave him alone? I chose to leave him alone, but was that the right choice?” The woman, who asked not to be named, came to Congregation Beth Tefillah (CBT) in Scottsdale on Sunday morning looking for answers. Daniel Schneider, founder of Empower Training Academy in Wickenburg, scheduled Sunday’s free training long before Hamas’ attack but said the terrorist attack has increased its need. Schneider was born and raised in Israel and served in the Israel Defense Forces. “Most of us Jews don’t like to hear about security. Unfortunately, we don’t have a choice anymore,” he told attendees on Sunday. “My mission is trying to change people’s views about security and why we need it now, before it’s too late.” Schneider responded to the story of the stranger in the synagogue’s parking lot by advising the woman to call the police to do a welfare check on the car should it happen again. That was seconded by a Christian attendee who does security for his church and came to get new ideas. Also in agreement with Schneider’s advice was Alex Sachs, a member of the
Scottsdale Police Department, who presented a list of things people can do to increase their safety at synagogues, Jewish gatherings or at home. Sachs, who is Jewish, shared several police resources available to the community: a citizens academy for people interested in seeing up close the work of the police; “coffee with a cop,” which enables people to speak with police leaders oneon-one; security surveys, where police talk citizens through ways to secure their homes; a power program, where police lead a sports program at Pardes Jewish Day School for kids so that they better trust the police; and its Faith & Blue program, based on the idea that strong communities are built through mutual respect and understanding and that law enforcement and faith institutions are stronger when they work together. Sachs also stated that while incidents of swatting (when someone makes a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address) have increased in Scottsdale, including to Scottsdale synagogues, it has not resulted in violence. “We have such good relationships with our synagogues, the (Valley of the Sun) Jewish Community Center and Pardes that when they call us, we engage with the people in the community who let us know that nothing is happening,” she said. Sachs alleviated the concerns of people in the room from other cities by assuring them their own police forces had similar crime prevention programs and were in good communication with one another. The war with Gaza has increased fear in the Jewish community but it hasn’t changed Schneider’s goals or those of his event: increase people’s awareness of security risks and encourage safetyplanning measures. He hoped that people would leave feeling more knowledgeable
Daniel Schneider explains certain types of threats to an audience on Sunday, Oct. 22, at Congregation Beth Tefillah. COURTESY OF JEWISH NEWS
“MOST OF US JEWS DON’T LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT SECURITY. UNFORTUNATELY, WE DON’T HAVE A CHOICE ANYMORE.” DANIEL SCHNEIDER
about current threats, more observant of their surroundings and interested in connecting with other members of the Jewish community throughout Arizona. Robin Frielich, vice president of Temple B’rith Shalom in Prescott, made the drive for Sunday’s event. The Prescott synagogue was one of the recipients of an email hoax of a bomb threat over the High Holidays. Additionally, strangers sometimes show up in the small synagogue’s parking lot. Luckily, the synagogue has a good relationship with local police, she told Jewish News. Still, “if there’s something we should do that we’re not doing, we want to know and be safer.” David Most, a recent Jewish convert in
Show Low, also came to the event since he’s part of his community’s in-house security team. “I feel like a father protecting his family,” he told Jewish News. Hazzan Lev Ettelson, spiritual leader of Beth Emeth Congregation in Sun City, came with a few other congregation leaders. They came in search of “practical advice,” Ettelson told Jewish News. Not everyone was representing a synagogue, however. One CBT congregant came simply because she is an older woman who lives alone. “I saw it in the newsletter and thought, ‘Why not?’” JN For more information, visit empowertrainingacademy.com
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Local teens sign pledge to be active Jewish adults ELLEN BRAUNSTEIN | CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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cottsdale resident Jordanna Schreck, 16, wrote a pledge that she will remain an active and productive member of the Jewish community well past her years as a leader in Shapiro B’nai B’rith Girls (BBG) and Mountain Region BBYO. Every two years, she will receive a text to remind her of her promise. A letter will arrive every five years to nudge her if she needs it. Josh Goldenson, 17, of Scottsdale, also charted a path forward when he wrote a pledge to stay involved with the Jewish community and raise his own Jewish family someday. Like Jordanna, Josh will get periodic reminders about what his teenage self wrote to his adult self. The signed commitments — stored in a digital time capsule — now number 16,000 across North America and Israel. The promises from young people, ages 13 to 24, are part of an organized movement called Jewish Youth Pledge (JYP) to ensure a vibrant Jewish life for future generations. Jewish Youth Pledge is an Atlanta-based initiative designed to strengthen ties between 45 Jewish youth programs and their alums. The project debuted officially at the BBYO International Convention in February 2022. “JYP’s mission is to redefine how Jewish youth and alums connect, engaging them in meaningful conversations and inspiring a renewed dedication to their shared heritage,” said Mike Leven, a retired hotel industry executive and philanthropist who founded Jewish Youth Pledge. JYP is a sister initiative of Leven’s Jewish Future Pledge, which seeks a nonbinding commitment from Jews to earmark 50% of the charitable dollars in their estate to Jewish causes or the State of Israel. To date, more than 24,000 individuals have made this pledge. Leven, 85, got the idea of JYP because once he entered adulthood, he did not hear from the Jewish organizations of his youth — camp, Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA) and the Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA). While that is not the case these days, he said, “the time capsule idea puts Jewish adults in constant memory of the experience they had in their younger days.” The Jewish youth organizations — ranging from camps to the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) — have access to the pledges, but JYP sends the reminders. “The Jewish Youth Pledge and digital time capsule are powerful tools to
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remind people that the profound Jewish moments of their youth can be guideposts for their adult lives,” said BBYO CEO Matt Grossman in Washington, D.C. “Organizations like BBYO stay relevant in their memories as we encourage them to build meaningful Jewish lives.” Jayme David, senior vice president of community engagement for BBYO in Phoenix, has been actively involved in getting young people to take the Jewish Youth Pledge at conventions. “I think it’s a really great tool,” she said. “We want our teens to be proud of their involvement in Jewish life and to build an affinity towards BBYO. When you’re asked questions about what Jewish life means to you and you take that moment to think about it and reflect about your experience, that’s really special.” The online pledge begins with a prompt meant to inspire young people to write their own message: “I hereby pledge to act today and throughout my lifetime to strengthen the Jewish people here and in Israel. I make this commitment because I have a responsibility to ensure that my generation writes the next chapter of the Jewish story and remains a strong link in the chain of generations.” The prompt resonated with Jordanna, a BBG board member who helps plan programs and recruit new members. A member of Temple Chai in Phoenix, she looks forward to the future texts and letters that will remind her of how much she loved being involved in her Jewish community when she was a teen and how important it is that Jewish people collaborate and continue to be strong. “It is important to celebrate and embrace our Jewish identity to help build our community for future generations,” said Jordanna, who is also on the board of the Jewish Student Union at Horizon High School in Scottsdale. Josh attends Desert Mountain High School and is a vice president of BBYO, in charge of regional events. He says that everyone should take the Jewish Youth Pledge and welcome reminders down the road. “It keeps you motivated and reflective.” Founder Leven said he started Jewish Youth Pledge to do all he could for the survival of the Jewish people and Israel. “I don’t want to be the last Jew.” JN To take the online pledge, visit jewishyouthpledge.org. Ellen Braunstein is a freelance writer based in Chicago.
JEWISH NEWS
NOVEMBER 10, 2023
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HEADLINES LOCAL
Jewish advisory council falls into place at University of Arizona SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER
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his month, the University of Arizona in Tucson marked a grim anniversary: the campus murder of Professor Thomas Meixner, head of the Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences Department. Though Meixner was not Jewish — he was a practicing Catholic — his murder did have implications for the university’s Jewish students. A graduate student named Murad Dervish allegedly entered the building housing Meixner’s department and shot and killed him on Oct. 5, 2022. He blamed Meixner and other professors, whom he also threatened, for being fired from his teaching assistant position and expelled from the university. The murder, which happened on Yom Kippur, took place across the street from the University of Arizona (UA) Hillel Foundation during a period when 30 to 40 students were spread out in different corners of Hillel’s building, engrossed in a variety
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of activities — studying texts, watching services online, doing restorative yoga or simply resting. Jessica Emerson McCormick, Hillel’s then-executive director, said that she and her staff locked down the building and kept everybody inside for several hours, including the armed guard Hillel hired for large gatherings. “Thank God it didn’t happen at the height of morning services when we had our largest crowd,” she told Jewish News. From the windows, she could see a large police presence but the information the rest of the day was convoluted. The campus was not officially locked down and hours later everyone received a message from the university saying the campus was being cleared and to return home. The lack of official communication was frustrating. Much worse was waking up on a Sunday morning two weeks later and
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Hillel Foundation at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
reading in the Arizona Daily Star that the alleged killer had both wrongly believed Meixner was Jewish and had expressed antisemitic sentiments in threatening texts, about which the university administration knew but had failed to warn Hillel, or any Jewish organization. McCormick wrote a letter to the administration calling for steps to ensure this would not happen again. The first of those steps was a meeting between university administration officials, Hillel and representatives from Tucson’s Jewish organizations. At that first meeting, Celina Ramirez, U of A vice president of university initiatives, called it “very productive.” She understood the concerns and why people were “feeling understandably scared,” she told Jewish News. The idea for an advisory council for Jewish students, similar to those representing other minority groups, was proposed and the months-long planning process began. “We feel committed to wanting this community to feel heard and to feel safe and supported and the advisory council is a positive step,” Ramirez said. Not every detail for the Joint Advisory Council on Jewish Life and Antisemitism has been hammered out yet, but its main goals are to work with the university administration to create a protocol for responding to antisemitism on campus, improve crisis communications, improve campus climate around Jewish identity, promote learning about Jewish history and culture and partner on Hillel’s annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day program. The council will also consider ways to enhance Jewish student life and wellbeing on campus, which extend to things like increasing the availability of kosher food. “A wonderful thing about the councils is that if there are concerns we don’t know, it’s a good way for us to learn about them,” Ramirez said. The administration also welcomed training from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which involves explanations of who the Jewish people are, a history of antisemitism, (including
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both historical and modern examples) and a breakdown of how antisemitism manifests on college campuses, specifically, and what to do about it, explained Sarah Kader, ADL Arizona’s community manager. Ramirez had been through similar training in other venues but said the ADL training was “excellent” and added, “every time you see the stats about the rise in antisemitism it’s concerning, and that landed in a significant way with the entire team.” In the year since Meixner’s death, the administration has added a number of security enhancements, including more stringent background checks, updated emergency building plans, new locks on classroom doors, safety information posted in all buildings, restructuring the way cases are handled and new security personnel, according to Ramirez. The Tucson campus is the 20th destination in the country for Jewish undergraduates and has about 5,000. Hillel’s ultimate goal is to have “meaningful relationships with at least 1,600 kids a year,” McCormick said. When she took the Hillel job two years ago, an advisory council was the last thing on her mind. McCormick focused on engaging as many of the young Jews on campus as she could, and she made real strides during her tenure. In the past year, Hillel interacted with roughly 1,000 students, more than twice the yearly average before the COVID-19 pandemic, and creating and nurturing those “meaningful relationships” is still a priority for Hillel. McCormick left her position in July, after having outlined the main goals for the council. Recently, Hillel staff met with Dr. Jennifer Hatcher, the new interim director of U of A’s diversity and inclusion office, Jennifer Camano, Hillel’s interim executive director, told Jewish News. JN JEWISHAZ.COM
HEADLINES LOCAL
Digital billboards in Greater Phoenix keep awareness of Israeli hostages alive SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER
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n Tuesday, Oct. 31, 80 digital billboards across Greater Phoenix began displaying photos of more than 240 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7. Greater Phoenix Jewish community leaders Steve Hilton and Jonathan Hoffer came up with the idea in the weeks after returning from Israel and viewing firsthand the devastation wrought by Hamas’ surprise attack on the Jewish state. “Since we got back, we’ve been thinking of what we can do to help, to make a difference. We want to build more awareness for what’s going on over there,” Hilton told Jewish News. Through friends, Hilton learned of the website “KidnappedFromIsrael.com,” a global project whose stated goal is “to bring these individuals (the hostages) back home safely.” Based in New York City, Israeli artists Nitzan Mintz and Dede Bandaid partnered with Israeli designers Tal Huber and Shira Gershoni to create this work that they refer to as “guerilla public art.” The unfunded campaign asks people to download the images from their website and put them up in public spaces. “I’ve been watching the news about these posters going up and being torn down and I thought it would be a great thing to put these same images on a digital billboard,” Hilton said. Hoffer contacted Mark Becker, whose company, Becker Boards, owns the digital billboards around the city. Becker is Jewish and active in the Greater Phoenix Jewish Community. The three men talked about the idea over the weekend and a day later, Hilton woke up at 4:30 a.m. and started sending emails to friends he knew would be willing to donate money to the cause. Within two hours, he had raised more than $100,000. “A dozen friends kicked in the money and after the billboards went up, people asked me why I didn’t reach out to them,” Hilton said. “There are plenty of people out there who would do this for Israel and our Jewish community.” The images appear on billboards along the I-10, I-17, Loop 101, US60, Loop 202 and Rte. 143 freeways. They are also displayed on wallscapes, with city-wide coverage throughout the metro area including Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Scottsdale and Glendale. The hostage photos appear for about eight to10 seconds before another advertisement cycles through. With the
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money raised and Becker discounting the cost of the billboards, the images will run for three weeks. “The sole goal of this billboard campaign is to remind people driving by that there remain over 240 hostages (men, women and children from all around the world) that are still being held by Hamas, and to show our unwavering support for their safety and release,” Hoffer told Jewish News in an email. “We picked posters with pictures of children and babies. I want people to know how atrocious and barbaric the situation is and what Hamas did,” Hilton said. “This initiative is a practical way to keep the hostages front-of-mind for everyone — Jews and non-Jews alike,” said Richard Kasper, CEO of the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix (CJP). “More than that, Arizona’s Jews are a part of K’lal Yisrael — the worldwide Jewish community. Perhaps now more than ever, it’s critically important to ensure that the entire Jewish community is unified, and that no one feels alone or forgotten.” In addition to contributing its own funds to this initiative, the CJP is facilitating the project so the collected dollars can be stretched further — by making them tax deductible — before dispersing the funds to Becker Boards. “It was very exciting to see how quickly a small group of community leaders and the CJP could come together to make this happen,” Hoffer said. “This was a grassroots entrepreneurial effort. It was spontaneous,” Hilton said. “The billboards are definitely getting noticed,” added Kasper. “We’ve received a flood of positive responses from all corners of the community.” Rachel Hoffer, CJP’s board chair, emphasized the importance of remembering the hostages and advocating for their release. “The CJP’s connection to Israel and its people runs deep and as a community, we want to show our unwavering support and make sure that Greater Phoenix remembers the barbaric attacks on Oct. 7, what’s at stake and the importance of bringing each individual that Hamas savagely took as hostage back home,” she told Jewish News in an email. The day after the Hamas attack, Hilton and Jonathan Hoffer were forced to cancel their fifth-annual men’s mission trip to Israel. The two leaders, who were already in the United Arab Emirates “to see the site of the Abraham Accords” before heading to Israel, decided to make
One digital billboard in Greater Phoenix reminding the community of the plight of more than 240 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas. COURTESY OF STEVE HILTON
the trip themselves to bring donations to people in need of them and to tell the stories of the people on the ground. “This won’t be the last thing we do,” Hilton said. “We want to build awareness and counter anti-Israel sentiment around the country.”
“We are so lucky to have incredible community leaders that spearheaded these efforts,” Rachel Hoffer said. JN Jewish News is published by the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix, a component of the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix.
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HEADLINES LOCAL
Antisemitism and racism intersect south of the border SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER
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here is no single reason Pedro J. Gonzalez Corona can point to when asked why he took such an interest in antisemitism and the Holocaust that it would eventually become a key focus in his academic career. Certainly, the Holocaust had ripple Pedro J. Gonzalez effects on countries Corona COURTESY OF PEDRO J. GONZALEZ around the world, CORONA including Mexico, where Gonzalez was born and raised. “Mexico, just like the rest of Latin America, was affected by what was happening in Europe at the time and that could be one answer,” he told Jewish News. However, Gonzalez is not Jewish and does not have Jewish ancestry or a direct connection to the nations where the Holocaust played out. Still, his interest in the history of ideas, specifically 20th-century ethics, Mexican history and human rights, opened a door to the Shoah and anti-Jewish prejudice that he walked right through. As a graduate student at Southern Methodist University in Texas, he studied with a professor who specialized in the Holocaust and Gonzalez went on his organized pilgrimages to Poland’s death camps. When Gonzalez went to the University of Texas at Dallas, he furthered his research at the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies. The Holocaust, its history, causes and continuing ramifications, in addition to his fascination with antisemitism and its intersection with Mexican racism, are why he is at Northern Arizona University’s Martin-Springer Institute in Flagstaff for the current academic year. Gonzalez is the institute’s fourth postdoctoral scholar, and his lecture “Echoes of Racial Fantasies: The Politics of Mexican Antisemitism” drew a crowd of 180 people, nearly filling the auditorium where he spoke on Thursday, Sept. 28. “The topic clearly touched a nerve in our larger community,” said Björn Krondorfer, Martin-Springer’s director. “He was really good at putting antisemitism into the larger context of how people are racialized in Mexico and how its colonial identities expanded over the years so that antisemitism suddenly became another force in the racial classification.” Krondorfer was especially pleased with the number of students who attended, joining faculty and community members in the audience. Education, after all, is the reason for the institute’s existence. 8
NOVEMBER 10, 2023
Pedro J. Gonzalez Corona gave a lecture on Mexican antisemitism in Flagstaff on Thursday, Sept. 28.
“THINGS BASED ON PREVIOUS HATREDS CAN APPEAR HARDLY RECOGNIZABLE TO NEW GENERATIONS, BUT IF YOU LOOK, YOU CAN SEE THE THREADS." BJÖRN KRONDORFER
Martin-Springer has a dual mandate of studying Holocaust history and its legacy and addressing today’s conflicts — including the treatment of refugees, mass violence and genocide. “His presentation expands our view of what we have in mind when we talk about the Holocaust and antisemitism,” Krondorfer said. Mexico’s racial issues are detrimental for anyone not considered to be in the highest racial castes, Gonzalez told Jewish News. It’s been the cause of violent acts, economic inequality and discrimination. “Within that formula, we have this special kind of hate that we identify as antisemitism,” he said. Claudia Sheinbaum, the former mayor of Mexico City (Gonzalez’s hometown), is running to become Mexico’s next president, and should she win, she would be the country’s first Jewish leader. “She has been accused of doing things because of certain antisemitic essentialism — because she’s Jewish, she’s gonna do something shady or weird,” Gonzalez said. She’s also faced the antisemitic
trolling comments that she’s not “a real Mexican” because of her Judaism. That’s what former Mexican president Vicente Fox was doing when he called Sheinbaum a “Bulgarian Jew” (her grandparents left Sofia, Bulgaria, in the 1940s to escape the Holocaust) and said her opponent, Xóchitl Gálvez, was “the only Mexican” in the race. Sheinbaum has released her Mexican birth certificate twice and runs ads highlighting her Mexican identity. “That idea that she’s too cosmopolitan and has no real concern regarding Mexican people, that’s something we see in many examples of antisemitism over the centuries,” Gonzalez said. Mexican antisemitism blends in with “a very old and very rancid way of looking at people in terms of categories,” he said. To illustrate the point, he used an example from San Juan Chamula, a small town in the Mexican state of Chiapas. Spanish colonizers punished the indigenous people, whom they accused of making human sacrifices, for behaving like Jews, referencing the centuries-old blood libel.
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COURTESY OF ROBIN LACORTE, MARTIN-SPRINGER INSTITUTE
In his talk, Gonzalez spoke of the concept of resonant violence, how damaging legacies of hatred, prejudice and injustice lead to continued violence and social divisions, which resonate for centuries, Krondorfer said. “Things based on previous hatreds can appear hardly recognizable to new generations, but if you look, you can see the threads. He (Gonzalez) was able to show those threads very effectively,” he said. “We are so lucky to have him with us for a year.” At the Q&A following the lecture, there were several questions but none were about his biography or his interest in these subjects, something that has been asked of other non-Jewish speakers, Krondorfer said. Some people are surprised when they learn of his work, Gonzalez said. “Some have expressed certain resistance and rejection or they’re suspicious of my intentions.” Luckily, many scholars, like those in Flagstaff and Texas, welcome his research and are excited to collaborate with him. Gonzalez also gave Martin-Springer’s first-ever Spanish lecture on Oct. 30, about “the disappeared” in Mexico and its impacts on Mexican society. JN To learn more about the Martin-Springer Institute, visit in.nau.edu/martin-springer/.
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RELIGIOUS LIFE
SHABBAT CANDLE LIGHTING NOVEMBER 10 - 5:10 P.M. NOVEMBER 17 - 5:06 P.M.
TORAH STUDY
Going above and beyond RABRABBI EMILY E. SEGAL PARSHAH CHAYEI SARAH: GENESIS 23:1 - 25:18
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ur Torah portion begins with the devastating loss of our foremother Sarah after the trauma of her beloved son Isaac Rabbi Emily E. Segal COURTESY OF RABBI EMILY E. SEGAL narrowly avoiding being sacrificed by her husband, Abraham. After securing a resting place for Sarah in the Cave of Machpelah, Abraham turns his attention to making sure that Isaac is partnered and cared for. He sends his servant Eliezer to his relatives in Aram-Naharayim, instructing Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac, but giving him no further instructions or details of what qualities this young woman needs to possess. Having arrived in town during the time when young women would draw water at the well — imagine ancient happy hour — he devises a test. As the young women pass, he will ask them, “Please, will you tip your water jug so I may drink.” And the young woman who not only complies with this request but also offers to water
his camels — an enormous, physical and time-consuming task — is the woman who should be Isaac’s wife. I am reminded of the principle of “yes, and” in improv comedy, in which players build on the energy of the scene by building on what is happening in the sketch by saying “yes” to what the other players have established “and” adding to the scene. Doing this, you not only avoid taking the wind out of the sails of the story happening on stage, but you also add value and creativity through your presence. This requires openness and positivity; it requires a willingness to see where the scene will take you. This tendency is what Rebekah demonstrates as well in responding to Eliezer’s request: Yes, please drink some water, and I will water your camels, too. When Eliezer suggests to Rebekah and her family that she come with him immediately to marry Isaac, Rebekah says yes, and she declines to delay engaging in the typical elaborate leave-taking rituals. Rebekah showed herself to be a “yes, and” kind of person, which Eliezer’s test was looking for. He understood that Isaac needed a partner who would not only show him kindness but would go above and beyond by saying “yes,
and” in life with Isaac. There is a principle in halakhah, Jewish law, called Lifnim M’shurat HaDin, which essentially means “going beyond the letter of the law.” It is based primarily on Deuteronomy 6:18 which says, “Do what is right and good in the sight of God.” Rabbi Elliot Dorff explains that this means that sometimes, morality or justice — or what is truly good — might require more than the law specifies and it is our duty to strive toward the highest value. Sometimes, life calls upon us not only to fulfill our obligations but to do what is good, going above and beyond to display compassion and kindness, reaching higher to do what we know in our kishkes is the right thing to do, and not just what we must to. This past month has been a time of so much heartbreak and darkness. Our Torah portion challenges us to go above and beyond, to say “yes, and” even in this time — perhaps especially at this time. As we strive to live meaningfully, how deepening and enriching it would be for each of us to look to our Jewish lives — our prayer, our learning, our tikkun olam — and consider where we could be saying “yes, and” where we could be taking things a step
SHABBAT ENDS NOVEMBER 11 - 6:06 P.M. NOVEMBER 18 - 6:03 P.M. Find area congregations at JewishAZ.com, where you can also find our 2024 Community Directory.
further. As antisemitism rears its ugly head worldwide, we can respond by going above and beyond in showing our commitment to our Judaism, expressing our Jewish pride, standing in solidarity with Israel and finding meaning and joy in our Jewish practice and our connection with Jewish community. In the coming week, let us strive to emulate our foremother Rebekah by living out the principle of Lifnim M’shurat HaDin, going above and beyond, asking ourselves how we could be doing more — more to support those around us, more to help those in need, more to engage in our Judaism, more to care for ourselves during this challenging time. Let us respond by following that improv theater protocol of “yes, and” — responding to live with positivity, believing in possibility, clinging to hope and by refusing to be deterred living according to our highest values. Kein Y’hi Ratzon, may this be God’s will. JN Rabbi Emily E. Segal is the senior rabbi of Temple Chai in Phoenix and is the national co-president of the Women’s Rabbinic Network.
OPINION
Commentary
College leaders must act to protect students ADAM LEHMAN | JTA
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magine being a Jewish college student on campus today. You wake up on Saturday, October 7, and learn of the most violent and murderous attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. In those first few hours during which the extent of Hamas’s atrocities are still becoming known, you log on to social media and see fellow students posting a laudatory graphic of a Hamas terrorist on a paraglider — the same paragliders that were used in an attack to gun down Jews your age at a music festival. In the days that follow, you leave your dorm to attend a vigil for the 1,400 Jews who were slaughtered, but your mourning and grief are interrupted by pro-Hamas protestors. You arrive at class for a required course where the professor asks all the Jewish students to remove their backpacks and belongings and huddle together in a corner so they can feel what it’s like to be a Palestinian in Gaza. You see that a Hamas leader has called for “a global day of jihad” against Jews around the world. And this is all within 72 hours of seeing graphic images of thousands of Israeli civilians – people to whom you feel connected
or may even know – being slaughtered, raped, taken hostage or maimed. These are just a few of the very real and horrifying examples of what has been happening on campuses nationwide. And when you hear it, it’s easy to understand why Jewish students are scared. In fact, based on our survey of Jewish college students last week, more than half (56%) report being scared, isolated, angry and sad. Worse yet, a quarter of Jewish students surveyed said there has been violence or acts of hate committed on their campus since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. That’s one in four students subjected to violence on campus in the span of three weeks in what should be a safe space. We can’t allow it to go unnoticed or unaddressed. Even with the efforts of those administrations that have spoken up about the initial Hamas atrocities and the subsequent spike in antisemitism, only 41% of the Jewish students we surveyed reported feeling satisfied with support from their university leaders. Hillels around the world are doing all they can to provide additional security,
community space, programming, wellness support and advocacy on behalf of Jewish students. However, Hillel professionals and student leaders can’t solve this problem alone. They need — and Jewish students deserve — campus administrators to continue speaking up, showing up, and standing up for their Jewish student communities, which does not in any way preclude them from doing the same for Palestinian-Americans or other students being impacted by the war. In particular, university administrations must address faculty and staff who use their platforms and resources to traffic in biased and discriminatory agitation that alienates, silences and marginalizes significant minority communities on their campuses. I understand the needs and protections for academic freedom and free speech, but those freedoms are not a license to create an environment of harassment, bullying and threats for Jewish students, or for any students. Even amid this degrading campus climate for Jewish students, there is a basis for hope. We’ve seen Jewish students and
Hillel communities show up with courage and resilience in mourning for the victims of the massacre, and in showing compassion toward the continuing civilian victims of the war — both Israeli and Palestinian — even as they understand that it is Hamas who has put those victims in harm’s way. Jewish learning and tradition teaches us to bring light into these darkest moments, and our students exemplify that tradition. While students have a role to play in repairing what’s broken in their campus communities and in the broader world, that does not absolve the university administrators, faculty and staff from doing everything within their powers to ensure the well-being, safety and support for all of their students, including their Jewish students. JN Adam Lehman is the President and CEO of Hillel International, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world. 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.
A NOTE ON OPINION
We are a diverse community. The views expressed in these opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of the officers and boards of the Jewish Community Foundation, Center for Jewish Philanthropy, Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, Cleveland Jewish Publication Company or the staff of the Jewish News. Letters must respond to content published by the Jewish News and should be a maximum of 200 words. They may be edited for space and clarity. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters and op-ed submissions should be sent to editor@jewishaz.com JEWISHAZ.COM
JEWISH NEWS
NOVEMBER 10, 2023
9
SPECIAL SECTION CELEBRATIONS
Kosher ice cream store seeks to bring ‘happiness’ to Jewish community SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER
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om’s Incredible Ice Cream, a small kosher-certified ice cream shop in Old Town Scottsdale, is the result of Jake Weintraub’s search for “some sort of novelty item” he could offer the Greater Phoenix Jewish community. “I was thinking, ‘It’d be nice to see if there’s any opportunity for something kind of cool — no pun intended,” Weintraub laughed. Weintraub and his family moved to Arizona six years ago from St. Louis, and aside from being co-owner of Tom’s, his primary occupation is with Hope & Healing Addiction Treatment Centers in Mesa. Tom’s got its start several months ago when he started searching for a partner with whom he could start a “cool” business that would offer something for Jews who keep kosher. Meeting Tom Medrano was the start of “a great relationship,” Weintraub said. After one meeting at a Starbucks, they began brainstorming ideas. Initially, the duo thought of opening a Rita’s Italian Ice franchise. Then Medrano suggested they should forget about a franchise and do something original. In June, a real estate agent showed the partners their current Scottsdale location, formerly an edible cookie dough store that had recently been remodeled. Weintraub simply looked at Medrano and said, “Let’s do this!” The only real problem was that Medrano, a Catholic, had to ask, “What is kosher?” Weintraub gave him a thorough explanation and showed him the kosher symbol, proving that he was already familiar with a lot of kosher-certified brands. Medrano was a quick study and
was excited to discover the shop could use ice cream from Hershey Creamery Company, a kosher product unrelated to The Hershey Company that produces chocolate. (Both are Pennsylvania companies, but Hershey Creamery was founded years earlier in Harrisburg.) One big benefit for Tom’s is that Hershey’s ice cream is not sold in grocery stores. Fans of the premium ice cream can only find it in a few specialty shops. “People are blown away by it,” Weintraub said. “Since we’re essentially the only company in Arizona that offers it, it’s something we really like to showcase.” His favorite flavor is cappuccino crunch, while Medrano’s is butter pecan. While Tom’s started with kosher ice cream, in August the entire store was certified kosher by the Greater Phoenix Vaad HaKashruth, which verifies that every product is kosher. Now, about 60% of the shop’s customers are Jewish. “A lot of Orthodox Jews will not go to a store that isn’t certified kosher,” said Weintraub, an Orthodox Jew and member of Phoenix’s Beth Joseph Congregation. One little hiccup occurred in the brief period after the store was open but before it was certified kosher. Tom’s originally offered Skittles as a topping, however, the American-made candy is not kosher. Right after the certification, an older Jewish woman came in and saw the sign for Skittles that was mistakenly still listed on the wall with the other toppings. She smiled, assuming they must have imported them from Israel where they are kosher, and told Medrano, “I’m going to kiss you!” He quickly retorted, “You’ll have to save that kiss because we don’t
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Tom Medrano (left) and Jake Weintraub (right) hold one of their specialty cakes at Tom’s Incredible Ice Cream. COURTESY OF JEWISH NEWS
Storefront of Tom’s Incredible Ice Cream.
actually have them anymore.” The store gets a lot of regular foot traffic and many people don’t notice the kosher certification. Vegans tend to like Tom’s for its many non-dairy products. “We’re just a regular ice cream shop, and we like to be for everybody,” Medrano said. Still, the regulars are mostly Jewish and Medrano said he and his staff have learned a lot about being kosher and being Jewish. “The Jewish community is full of great people,” he said. “I’ve made a lot of friends and Rabbi Harris Cooperman is like family. He just walks in and I like to tease him if he’s been away too long.” Cooperman certifies the store under Vaad. When asked why the store is named for only one partner, Medrano laughed and said Weintraub doesn’t like attention, that he even recedes into the back of the store when too many customers come in. “I like to keep a low profile,” Weintraub
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COURTESY OF JENNIFER KAPLAN
said shyly, marking his personality as the antithesis of his partner, who wears a big smile on his face and likes to schmooze with his customers, something he learned in his first job at a Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour in Phoenix’s Chris-Town Mall in the 1970s. Aside from the ice cream, they’ve recently added breakfast items such as bagels and lox, avocado toast and waffles. They get a big breakfast crowd on Sunday mornings. But it’s their specialty cakes that “mesmerize everyone,” Weintraub said. “They’re out of this world.” Tom’s customizes the cakes for any celebration, including birthdays, b’nai mitzvahs and brit milah ceremonies. Ultimately, the business is about making people happy. “Ice cream makes people happy; there’s always a positive energy in here,” Weintraub said. JN For more information, visit tomsincredibleicecream.com JEWISHAZ.COM
SPECIAL SECTION CELEBRATIONS
Israelis are going forward with their weddings despite war and loss in their own families DEBORAH DANAN | JTA
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onatan Perez was 10 days out from getting married when his world was torn apart. Perez was shot in a battle with Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 when they invaded near the kibbutz where he was stationed as a soldier. His brother Daniel Perez went missing in action, his tankmates all dead or abducted. Their country was plunged into despair. And yet he stood with his bride Galya Landau under the chuppah as planned on the date set months prior, despite the pain felt by everyone who stood with them. “We couldn’t really think about [the wedding] for the first few days, and with Yonatan injured, we didn’t quite know what to do,” Doron Perez, Yonatan’s father, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. But five days after the attack, when Daniel was officially declared missing and it became clear that Yonatan would recover enough to return to his unit, the path forward became clear. Yonatan and Landau, whose family had been evacuated from their own kibbutz, wed at Yad Binyamin, where the Perez family lives, on Oct. 17. “It wasn’t a difficult decision but it was difficult to go through the experience of the decision,” said Doron Perez, a rabbi and executive chairman of the Mizrachi World Movement. The wedding itself, he said, was “a happy event” despite the circumstances. “It just felt holy,” he said. “It felt like we’re living in a special time of big things happening … and even though the price has already been so difficult, the overriding feeling was one of happiness, one of just celebration.” The family’s experience was an extreme version of what many couples in Israel are going through, as they decide whether and how to follow through with their weddings despite the pain and upheaval instigated by Hamas’ attack on Israel. Some are downsizing their celebrations because family and friends from abroad are unable to come. Many also want to ensure that guests can get to bomb shelters if needed. Others are seeing the guest list grow as bringing joy to brides and grooms has joined the tasks for which Israelis are volunteering in droves. Some couples are rushing their nuptials in advance of grooms heading to the reserves. And a few have gotten married on the front lines, their parents and fellow soldiers the only guests at ceremonies in the shadow of war. Reuven Lebetkin, 25, and Shirel Tayeb, 23, were supposed to get married JEWISHAZ.COM
Singer Ariel Zilber posted a video of a wedding in the north of Israel on Oct. 26, with the bride wearing military attire along with a veil and flowers. SCREENSHOT VIA INSTAGRAM
on Monday with many of their family members in attendance from overseas. Both moved to Israel with their families as children, Lebetkin from Miami and Tayeb from France. Instead, they had an intimate wedding at Israel’s northern border, where threats from Hezbollah in Lebanon loomed. “That’s the date that we decided beforehand. We don’t believe that it’s good luck to push it off,” Lebetkin said. “Also, if we do it means that we give into the terrorism.” The couple had chosen a song by Israeli musician Noam Banai to play during the veiling ceremony, called a bedeken. They were shocked to see Banai himself at the wedding, in a surprise organized by his friends. Banai ended up playing for the entire ceremony. Other prominent Israeli musicians have made appearances at wartime weddings. The religious pop star Ishay Ribo played at a backyard wedding where the groom was on a 24-hour leave, according to a report in the Times of Israel, and Ivri Lider sang his hit “I was Fortunate to Love” at a wedding that was downsized from a 400-person hall to an apartment balcony. (Lider also sang the song at the funeral of a soldier who had planned to
have it played at his wedding on Oct. 20.) Hanan Ben Ari surprised another couple, Nadav and Noam, at their ceremony on a military base. Eden Hasson sang for a couple after encountering their wedding while visiting a military base to cheer up soldiers. And the singer Ariel Zilber posted a video of himself performing at a different wedding in the north on Thursday, a red carpet laid down next to a military truck, the bride wearing military attire along with a veil and flowers. The weddings frequently go viral on social media, in an indication of how deeply the traumatized nation is craving signs of joy and hope. For the Perez family, just being able to hold the wedding at all was a triumph. It was Yonatan who had alerted his father that Daniel’s tank was missing from their base near Kibbutz Nahal Oz — a fact they found reassuring. “It was a good sign,” Doron Perez said, pointing to the tank’s indestructibility. But Yonatan, who was shot in the leg during a five-hour gun battle in the Gaza envelope, painted a dire picture of the base, which was overrun by terrorists. “There was death and destruction all around. RPGs everywhere. Every army vehicle had been destroyed,” Perez said, citing Yonatan. One of the soldiers from Daniel’s tank, Tomer Liebowitz, was found dead. Another, Itay Chen, was confirmed captured. Chen’s father, Ruby, last week also celebrated a lifecycle event — a bar mitzvah — in the absence of his older son, telling JTA that his youngest son “deserved to have a happy bar mitzvah.” Then he flew to the United States to lobby at the United Nations and in Washington, D.C., on behalf of his son and the more than 220 other Israelis taken hostage. Daniel’s absence was palpable at Yonatan and Galya’s wedding. “When the rabbi mentioned him, it was very, very hard and I broke down,” Doron Perez said. “I had my son holding me up, instead of me holding him up.” His daughter, meanwhile, said the hardest part of the wedding was being pictured with all her siblings — minus one. “It was a moment that was hard, and we acknowledged that and validated it.” But, Perez continued, even though Daniel’s “presence, or lack thereof, permeated the whole wedding, it didn’t set the tone.” Jewish weddings have a built-in acknowledgment of catastrophe amid
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joy, in the breaking of the glass that takes place at the end of the ceremony. Jewish tradition also holds that weddings should go on as planned whenever possible, no matter the circumstances. Perez said he had gained a new appreciation for those ideas, in an acutely personal way. “Unfortunately, I’ve had to learn that it somehow is possible to live with such conflicting, contradictory feelings as deep pain, worry, dread, fear… and at the same time to marry off a son,” he said. “I have learned that it’s possible to do both. To sort of compartmentalize, and I think I did that at the wedding.” He said he knows his family isn’t the first to forge forward in moments of crisis. “I’ve also drawn a lot of strength that throughout the most challenging times, Jewish people got married and had families,” he said, citing the Holocaust as an example. “We are part of a people that sanctifies life. It’ll be a new dawn and a much better time for the Jewish people going forward.” JN
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SPECIAL SECTION ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Scottsdale celebrates 50 years of public art with Jewish artist that started it all MALA BLOMQUIST | MANAGING EDITOR
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n Oct. 26, Scottsdale Arts and the city of Scottsdale celebrated the 50th anniversary of “Windows to the West” by artist Louise Nevelson, the first large-scale piece in the city’s collection of public art. Nevelson was born Leah Berliawsky in 1899, in part of the Russian Empire that is now Ukraine. The late artist was Jewish and emigrated with her family to the United States in the early 20th century. Her first exposure to art was at age nine when she saw a plaster cast of Joan of Arc. She studied art full time at the Art Students League of New York, where she met Diego Rivera and Rivera’s wife, Frida Kahlo, an artist Nevelson admired. After meeting the couple, Nevelson began taking sculpture classes at the Educational Alliance in Lower Manhattan. In the late 1950s, Nevelson became known for her monochromatic abstract, wall-like sculptures that began as collections of discarded wooden furniture, crates and tools. In 1969, she was commissioned by Princeton University to create her first outdoor sculpture. When Scottsdale civic leaders were planning the then-new Scottsdale Civic Center Mall in the early 1970s, along with architect Barnaby (Bennie) Gonzales, they were looking to make a significant, modern impact with the site, which required an equally impressive work of public art. “Scottsdale needed to have a monumental work of art and they got a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for ‘monumental works of art in small towns.’” said Wendy Raisanen, curator of collections and exhibitions for Scottsdale Public Art. They shortlisted Nevelson and a couple of local and national artists, all men, for the piece. “I just think it’s incredible that the civic leaders of Scottsdale at that time chose a woman because most public art commissions, and most artists that anybody knew of, were men.” When Nevelson came to Scottsdale to survey the site for her work, she said, “In a way, it is fortunate that Scottsdale has attracted people who are so mature and realize how much it will mean to the environment to have good art.” Raised in Scottsdale, Raisanen attended the nearby, now-demolished Scottsdale High School when they were building the park. “I remember reading articles in Time Magazine about Louise Nevelson and it was really inspiring because as a powerful woman artist, she was kind of my idol.”
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Louise Nevelson’s “Windows to the West.”
Raisanen went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in sculpture from Arizona State University and worked in steel and bronze before becoming a fiber artist. She explained that “Windows to the West” — more formally titled “Atmosphere and Environments XVIII” — was part of a series of pieces located in other states, with the Scottsdale piece the only one ever commissioned for the western United States. The medium Nevelson used was CorTen steel — named after its properties of corrosion resistance and tensile strength — developed to eliminate the need for painting by forming a rust-like appearance after exposure to the elements over the years. “At that time in the 70s, Cor-Ten steel was a new material for sculptors and had been used in shipbuilding forever,” said Raisanen. “It was a bit of a leap for her (Nevelson). She was already familiar with working with it, as she had done a few other of these pieces out of this material, but this was the only one that she did in the West.” When the artwork was unveiled in 1973, there were a lot of people who would have preferred to have a more traditional piece like a Western-themed bronze sculpture. “It was a bit of a controversy but,
COURTESY OF BRIAN PASSEY
“I REMEMBER READING ARTICLES IN TIME MAGAZINE ABOUT LOUISE NEVELSON AND IT WAS REALLY INSPIRING BECAUSE AS A POWERFUL WOMAN ARTIST, SHE WAS KIND OF MY IDOL.” WENDY RAISANEN
eventually, the ar twork became a community favorite,” said Raisanen. “About 20 years ago, we did a poll of the favorite works of art that Scottsdale had, and she was number 10.” Being out in the elements for almost 50 years took its toll and the massive sculpture was loaded on a flatbed truck and shipped back to Beacon, New York, to the foundry where it was created, for an extensive renovation. In September, the city officially unveiled Scottsdale Civic Center’s remodel but shortly before the opening of its first phase in Januar y, “Windows to the West” returned to a new location north of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts at a prominent entrance to the mall. Originally, Nevelson wanted her artwork to be in a place where people could interact with it. When first installed, the piece stood at the southeast corner of Scottsdale City Hall, near 75th Street. Nevelson said in a statement to public
JEWISH NEWS
art administrators in 1978, “I would like to reconfirm that ‘Atmosphere and Environments’ was created for a more enclosed mall situation in which a continual flow of people would interact with the sculpture to complete my envisioned environment. The interactions of people with my work is the grace by which it lives a vital existence. The mall placement with its proximity to the vitality of the Fine Arts Center is also meaningful.” Raisanen said the sculpture’s new location finally fulfills the artist’s vision. “Nevelson wanted people to interact with it and for it to be part of the community. Now, it’s right there between the Center for the Arts, the hotel and the walkway down towards Brown Avenue. I feel like more people will see it in the new place than where it was before,” she said. JN For more information, visit scottsdalepublicart.org.
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SPECIAL SECTION ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Local celebrity pens book combining grief and baseball PHYLLIS BRAUN | CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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hen her brother, Morgan, died from cancer at age 47 and her mother died four months later, Teresa Strasser’s grief seemed bottomless. But as she and her father came together to watch her 9-year-old son play Little League — a boy with his uncle’s quirky toe-heel walk and, perhaps, his magic at bat — they began to find a way forward. Strasser’s unflinchingly honest and surprisingly funny chronicle of that time,
“Making it Home: Life Lessons from a Season of Little League,” may be the only book to simultaneously be the #1 baseball book and the #1 grief book on Amazon. An Emmy Award-winning writer and TV personality, Strasser grew up in California but moved to Phoenix in 2012 to host a syndicated lifestyle show called “The List.” She recently joined Temple Solel in Paradise Valley. She set the wry tone of “Making it
Teresa Strasser, right, at a Little League game with her father, Nelson.
COURTESY OF TERESA STRASSER
“IF I DRIVE DOWN INDIAN SCHOOL ROAD, BETWEEN CAMELBACK MOUNTAIN AND THE LESS MAJESTIC, BUT EQUALLY FORMIDABLE, INGLESIDE MIDDLE SCHOOL, MY HEAD STILL TURNS TOWARD
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SPECIAL SECTION ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Home” with the first line of the prologue: “If I drive down Indian School Road, between Camelback Mountain and the less majestic, but equally formidable, Ingleside Middle School, my head still turns toward the baseball fields, like I’m on a bus tour of Jerusalem passing by the Temple Mount.” Strasser admitted to a secret hope that she and her brother would one day become best friends. Her double ration of grief is exacerbated by anger over their chaotic childhood — which her father claims not to remember — when she was shuttled by bus or plane between her parents’ homes and separated from her brother by her father’s jealous girlfriend, who decreed, “The father should keep the boy. The mother takes the girl.” Her father acquiesced, despite having won full custody of both kids in a landmark court case. Strasser doesn’t hold back, whether she’s recounting the cruelty of her evil stepmother or her own sometimes lessthan-stellar behavior as an adult dealing with her often infuriating parents. “If you are going to write and cut down to the bone, you shouldn’t use a butter knife,” Strasser said. Her father’s grief was simpler: he’d lost a son and that went against the natural order of things. He confessed to Strasser that some nights, riding his bicycle home after a Little League game, he would just scream into the wind. For all his foibles when his kids were young, her father was devoted when Morgan was sick, sitting at countless bedsides in hospitals and rehab centers. And he is a doting grandfather, watching every pitch of his grandson’s games with a white-knuckle intensity that matches Strasser’s own. “Morgan would have gotten that ground ball,” he’d mutter to Strasser. “You have to play the bounce. Don’t let
the bounce play you.” Writing the book was surprisingly cathartic, Strasser said, although she couldn’t even contemplate it until three years after her brother died. “When you’re writing a grief memoir, you’re going the opposite way that your instinct tells you,” she said, likening it to a firefighter running into a burning building. But her editor kept pushing her to go deeper, forcing her to sit with her feelings, to remember what she thought about at night when she was falling asleep. Just as in life, the baseball scenes in the book provide respite when the grief threatens to overwhelm. There are always lessons in baseball, Strasser said, explaining that because baseball doesn’t have a time clock, “you can always come back. There’s hope baked right into it.” Strasser writes with cinematic flair, whether she’s describing her son striking out a batter or an ill-fated visit to the cemetery next to the trailer park where her father lives. And she knows exactly who should play her in the movie version of “Making it Home”: Natalie Portman. For her father, now almost 80 and still going strong: Henry Winkler. Writing “Making it Home” helped Strasser feel closer to her brother. Since its release, the book has garnered plaudits in the press, from USA Today to the MLB Network. “Every time a picture appears of my brother, I feel so proud,” she said. It took a long time, but her grief slowly began to feel different. “And then different became better,” Strasser said. “I’m never going to be the same. But it’ll be OK.” JN
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For more information, visit teresastrasser.com. Phyllis Braun is a freelance writer and editor based in Tucson.
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Teresa Strasser, left, with her brother, Morgan.
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NOVEMBER 10, 2023
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SPECIAL SECTION ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘Proud, cultural Jew’ musician performs at Arizona Musicfest in Scottsdale MALA BLOMQUIST | MANAGING EDITOR
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omposer, producer and lyricist Neil Berg will return to the stage in Scottsdale with Arizona Musicfest on Jan. 19 and 20, 2024, with the fourth iteration of his “Neil Berg’s 50 Years of Rock & Roll” show. The youngest of three children, Berg’s mother wanted him to take piano lessons “like every other little Jewish boy growing up.” After taking lessons with a teacher who would hit his knuckles with a ruler if he played a wrong note on the scale, Berg quit the piano. But after his mother bribed him with a puppy, he returned, this time with a different teacher. “His name was Robert Printz and he changed my life because he was a great teacher,” said Berg. The first song he remembers learning was “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles. “It had a syncopated rhythm versus the melody line, which taught me syncopation and he was able to do it in a way that I found wonderful because I loved the songs I was playing, yet he was still teaching me,” said Berg. He also learned a lot of material quickly because he wanted to play baseball rather than spend time practicing. Berg then learned to play the acoustic guitar in college from watching other freshmen on his dorm floor, understanding the chords from playing the piano. It was during this time that he wrote his first musical. “My parents had planned that I was going to take over my great uncle’s law practice,” he said. “As typical Jewish parents, they were horrified when I told them I wanted to go and write musicals and do music because they didn’t understand that world. But I had to do it; it wasn’t a choice for me. I had to.” After college, Berg played with Boys in
“Neil Berg’s 50 Years of Rock & Roll” will perform in Scottsdale on Jan. 19-20, 2024.
the Attic, a rock cover band that was very popular in the tri-state area of New Jersey, Connecticut and New York. “When we got called for our first gig, we were rehearsing in our friend’s attic and the bass player said, I just got us a gig and what’s the name of the band? ‘I yelled out, ‘We’re just boys in the attic,’” said Berg. Then he went on to join the rock band Joe D’Urso & Stone Caravan. “My first big rock and roll gig was in Cleveland, Ohio, the birthplace of rock and roll,” said Berg. “I was with Joe and Stone Caravan and we were opening for Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.” He continued to tour with the band around the country, opening for major acts, including the Stray Cats and Steppenwolf before being hired as the musical director and writer for the “Harley-Davidson 100th Anniversary Tour,” which was an all-star rock concert featuring Bob Dylan, Aerosmith, Journey and other headliners. The tour lasted a year, and it took a month to move all the equipment between venues.
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Israeli Hit Comedy
“Because I had such a knowledge and passion for rock and roll as well as Broadway, it felt natural for me to want to tell the story of rock and roll,” said Berg. “I thought I could do it authentically, and that to me is really important. So that’s why I decided to do it. And then the show took off and people are as excited for that show, if not more excited, than the (100 Years of) Broadway one.” Neil is also the creator and co-producer of “Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway,” which is the number one Broadway touring concert in the United States, playing more than 120 cities a year for the past decade. He also performed the Broadway show at Arizona Musicfest in the past. He said that even if someone has seen one of his other “50 Years of Rock and Roll” shows, because there is so much material, the show is always different. He joked that if someone feels there is a song missing, it’s in one of the other shows. “I always like changing it up,” he said. “There are certain artists that we don’t do the same songs, necessarily, but just continue to pay tribute. We make sure we take care of everyone because it’s all part of the story.” Most people think rock and roll started in the 1950s, when it became popular, but Berg likes to share its beginning in the late 1920s, formed from early Americana music, gospel, blues and country. “What’s really wonderful is that as a storyteller and historian, not only is the show incredibly entertaining but I do think people learn something too and that’s important to me.” He also mentioned that people are amazed by the performers’ level of talent. Berg credits that to everyone being Broadway performers who have also starred in a rock musical, like “Rock of Ages” or “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
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COURTESY OF ARIZONA MUSICFEST
When asked if he has a favorite rock and roll band, he answered without hesitation, “It’s The Beatles and then there’s everyone else. To me, The Beatles were an alien life form. A perfect storm that happens that cannot possibly be duplicated.” In addition to touring, performing in 80 to 100 shows annually, Berg is the composer/co-lyricist, along with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan, of the musical “The 12” currently playing at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. Based on the 12 disciples, the musical is told in real time. “These are 12 Jewish men following the Jewish rabbi. There were no gospels written yet. We’re doing it right after the torture and death of their leader,” said Berg. Being “the Jewish part of the collaborative team,” Berg said that he came up with an idea for the musical that none of the others working on the project would have thought of. “The first song you hear is my ‘musicized’ version of the Mourner’s Kaddish, which makes sense because a Jewish man has just died,” he said. “It’s interesting when Jewish people come to see ‘The 12,’ they’re getting to hear the Mourner’s Kaddish and they’re the only ones who get it.” Berg also has two new commissioned musicals opening in 2024, “The Sabbath Girl” and “How My Grandparents Met,” both of which also center around Jewish themes. He explained that regardless of what he is working on, all his work is connected to his “proudly cultural Jewish family” upbringing. “I was weaned where Broadway and rock and roll connect,” he joked. JN For more information, visit neilberg.com; for ticket information, visit azmusicfest.org. JEWISHAZ.COM
COMMUNITY
Celebrating Jewish pride
Rabbinic invocation
Jewish teens gathered outside of the Ina Levine Jewish Community Center before listening to Jewish pride influencer Ben M. Freeman on Monday, Oct. 23. The event was sponsored by the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix, in collaboration with the AntiDefamation League Arizona and the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Phoenix. COURTESY OF THE CENTER FOR JEWISH PHILANTHROPY OF GREATER PHOENIX
Congregation Or Tzion Rabbi Andy Green was invited to give the invocation at the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday, Nov. 1. Green is pictured with District 2 Supervisor Thomas Galvin, left. COURTESY OF RABBI ANDY GREEN
Send hopeful notes to Israel PJ Library partnered with Little Hands Big Hearts to send cards, pictures and letters on Monday, Oct. 23, to Israel in order to share some joy and hope with the children of Israel. COURTESY OF MARCY LEWIS
Happy 100th BBYO! BBYO is celebrating its centennial year by sending its teen members to visit Jewish delis across the country and interview BBYO alumni about their teen years, Jewish upbringing, thoughts on leadership and the power of community, in addition to their favorite deli menu item. The tour started in Phoenix’s Chompie’s Deli on Cactus Road on Sunday, Oct. 29. COURTESY OF BBYO
Where is your Jewish News? World Series edition Susan Webner, left, and Andrea Cohen attended game five of the World Series in Phoenix on Nov. 1. Cohen is director of youth philanthropy at the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix. COURTESY OF ANDREA COHEN JEWISHAZ.COM
This COMMUNITY page features photos of community members around the Valley and the world. Submit photos and details each week to editor@jewishaz.com by 10 a.m. Monday. JEWISH NEWS
NOVEMBER 10, 2023
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CALENDAR
Featured Event WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15 CJP Community Event with The Jewish Agency for Israel: 7-9 p.m. Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Join the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix for a panel discussion on “Perspectives on War: Stories from on Campus, in Communities, on the Battlefront” with representatives from the Jewish Agency for Israel and moderated by Rachel Hoffer, CJP’s board chair. Cost: Free. For more information, visit phoenixcjp.org/jewishagency.
COURTESY OF JAFI VIA JEWISHPHOENIX
For an updated listing of events and resources for supporting Israel, visit JewishPhoenix.com Events SUNDAY, NOV. 12 “The Devil’s Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes”: 11:30 a.m. Harkins Theatres Shea 14, 7354 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale. Join the Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival, Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Phoenix and Phoenix Holocaust Association for a screening of the film, “The Devil’s Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes.” Cost: $18, free for students, under age 25 and Holocaust survivors. For more information, visit bjephoenix.org. Red Rocks Music Festival: 3 p.m. Paradise Valley United Methodist Church, 4455 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley. Join the Red Rocks Music Festival for a performance by violinist Shlomo Mintz with pianist Vitaly Serebriakov. Cost: $36 general admission, $15 students. For more information, visit redrocksmusicfestival.com. MONDAY, NOV. 13 Fashion Show: 10 a.m. Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, 12202 N. 101st Ave., Sun City. Join the Tikvah West Valley Chapter of Hadassah for a fashion show by New Image Fashions and a catered lunch. Cost: $36. For more information, contact Judi Bourd at zadie3@aol.com.
SUNDAY, NOV. 19 JWV Speaker Event: 9:30 a.m. Oakwood Country Club, 24218 S. Oakwood Blvd., Sun Lakes. Join the Jewish War Veterans Copper State Post 619 for a presentation by Dana West, Central Arizona outreach coordinator for the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services. Meet & Greet with refreshments starts at 9:30 a.m., speaker follows at 10 a.m. Cost: Free. For more information, contact Elliott Reiss at ElliottBarb@q.com or 480-802-3281.
meetings, every third Sunday. Cost: Free. For more information, email Michael Chambers at c365michael@yahoo.com.
Shlomy Levertov. Cost: Free. Tune in at: JewishParadiseValley.com/YJPclass. For more information, visit chabadaz.com.
Sundays are for the Family Weekly Feed: 3-5 p.m. Tempe Beach Park, 80 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., Tempe. Join Arizona Jews for Justice and AZ HUGS for the Houseless every Sunday to serve food to those in need. For more information and to RSVP, email Arizonajews4justice@gmail.com.
WEDNESDAYS History of the Jews: 11 a.m. Online. Learn the Jewish journey from Genesis to Moshiach with Rabbi Ephraim Zimmerman. Cost: Free. Tune in here: zoom.us/j/736434666. For more information, visit chabadaz.com.
Board Game Sunday: 1:30-3:30 p.m. Beth El Phoenix, 1118 W. Glendale Ave., Phoenix. Join Beth El for an afternoon of playing board games with the community. Feel free to bring your own game. For more information, visit bethelphoenix.com.
Anxiety in the Modern World: 6 p.m. Online. Learn the secrets of the Torah for living stress-free in the current environment with Rabbi Boruch of Chabad of Oro Valley. Cost: Free. Tune in using this link: zoom. us/j/736434666. For more information, visit chabadaz.com.
Adult Education Program: 2 p.m. Cottonwood Country Club, 25630 S. Brentwood Drive, Sun Lakes. Join the Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation for “Surf, Sand and Schmaltz: Unusual Jewish Communities in Warm-Weather Locales” presented by Dan Fellner. For more information, contact barbara374@cox.net. Ultimate Happy Hour: 4 p.m. Windgate Ranch, 10095 E. Windgate Ranch Road, Scottsdale. Join Smile on Seniors to celebrate their 14-year anniversary. For more information, visit sosaz.org.
“The Wanderers” Movie Screening and Book Signing: 1-4 p.m. Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Join author Steve Bergsman as he talks about his new book, “The Wanderers: Killer Teens, Rebel Teens, Gang Teens and the Evolution of the Last Great Greaser Feature” and watch the film. Cost: $10 per person. For more information, visit vosjcc.org/program/ movie-club-the-wanderers.
SUNDAYS B.A.G.E.L.S: 9-11 a.m.; last Sunday of the month. Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Grab a bagel and a cup of coffee at Bagels And Gabbing Every Last Sunday and enjoy some time with your friends and make new ones. You must register to attend. Bagels and coffee will be provided. Cost: Free for members, $5 for guests. For more information and to register, visit vosjcc.org.
TUESDAY, NOV. 14 Leonardo DaVinci and the Power of Observation: 10 a.m. East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler. Join the EVJCC for a presentation by Phoenix Art Museum docent Patrick Ventura. For more information, visit evjcc.org/tuesdays.
THURSDAYS Storytime at Modern Milk: 9:30 a.m. Modern Milk, 13802 N. Scottsdale Road, #163, Scottsdale. Storytime for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Integrates children’s books and songs while giving parents new ideas for play. Cost: $5. For more information and to register, visit modernmilk.com/after-baby.
FRIDAY, NOV. 17 Documentary Film Series: All day online Nov. 17-19. Join the Arizona Jewish Historical Society for a free online streaming of the documentary, “The Invisibles.” For more information, visit azjhs.org/ documentary-film-series. Genetic Screening Event in person at ASU Hillel: 1-3 p.m. Hillel Jewish Student Center, 1012 S. Mill Ave, Tempe. Join Minkoff Center for Jewish Genetics for an educational event hosted by Hillel. Cost: Free. For more information, visit jewishgeneticsaz.org. 18
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Meetings, Lectures & Classes SUNDAYS Chassidus Class: 9 a.m. Online. Learn about the Chasidic movement with Rabbi Yossi Friedman. Cost: Free. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. Jewish War Veterans Post 210: 10 a.m. Online. Any active duty service member or veteran is welcome to join monthly
MONDAYS Mahjong: 1:30-3:30 p.m. East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler. Come play mahjong each week. For all levels. Cost: Free; registration required at evjcc.org/mahjong/. Ethics of Our Fathers: 7 p.m. Online. Learn with Rabbi Zalman Levertov. Tune in at: bit. ly/2Y0wdgv. Cost: Free. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. Quotable Quotes by our Sages: 7 p.m. Online. Learn with Rabbi Shlomy Levertov. Tune in at: JewishParadiseValley.com/ class. Cost: Free. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. Partners in Torah: 7:30 p.m. Online. Join a growing group of inspired learners with Project Inspire. Cost: Free. Tune in at: us04web. zoom.us/j/3940479736#success, password is 613. For more information, email Robin Meyerson at robin@projectinspireaz.com. Learning to Trust in God: 7:30 p.m. Online. Learn with Rabbi Yossi Friedman. Tune in at: ChabadAZ.com/LiveClass. Cost: Free. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. Torah & Tea: 7:30 p.m. Online. Learn with Rabbi Yossie Shemtov. Cost: Free. For more information, visit Facebook.com/ ChabadTucson. TUESDAYS Let’s Knit: 1:30 p.m. Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Share the pleasure of knitting, crocheting, etc. outside the social hall in the campus. Can’t knit? They will teach you! Every level welcome. Cost: Free. For more information, visit vosjcc.org. Maintaining an Upbeat Attitude: 7 p.m. Online. A class exclusively for people in their 20s and 30s, learn how Jewish Mysticism can help with your attitude with Rabbi
JEWISH NEWS
Torah Study with Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Online. Weekly study group explores that week’s portion and studies different perspectives and debates the merits of various arguments. Intended for adults, Torah study is open to students of all levels. For more information, contact the TBS office at 623-977-3240. Happiness Hour: 11:30 a.m. Online. Class taught by Rabbi Pinchas Allouche that delves into texts and references culled from our traditions to address a relevant topic. For more information or to join, visit cbtvirtualworld.com. Torah Study with Chabad: 12 p.m. Online. Take a weekly journey of Torah with Rabbi Yossi Levertov. Cost: Free. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. Lunch & Learn: 12:15 p.m. Online. Grab some food and learn with Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin. Cost: Free. Get Zoom link by emailing info@ chabadtucson.com. For more information, visit chabadtucson.com. The Thirteen Petalled Rose: 1 p.m. Online. Kabbalah class that studies “The Thirteen Petalled Rose” by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz, focusing on the many concepts of Kaballah and Jewish Mysticism and applying them to everyday life. For more information or to join, visit cbtvirtualworld.com. JACS: 7:30-8:30 p.m. Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. In person and via Zoom support group for Jewish alcoholics, addicts and their friends and family on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Cost: Free. For more information, email jacsarizona@ gmail.com or call 602-692-1004. Words & Whiskey: 8:30 p.m. Online. Learning session for men. Cost: Free. To RSVP, email rmollenaz@gmail.com or call/text 310-709-3901. THURSDAYS Ladies Torah & Tea: 10:30 a.m. Online. Learn about the women of the Torah with Mrs. Leah Levertov. Cost: Free. Tune in at: ourjewishcenter.com/virtual. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. JEWISHAZ.COM
CALENDAR Talmud - Maakos: 11 a.m. Online. Learn with Rabbi Shlomy Levertov. Cost: Free. Tune in at: JewishParadiseValley.com/YJPclass. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. Mindfulness Gatherings: 12 p.m. Online. Hosted by Hospice of the Valley via Zoom. Cost: Free. To join by phone, dial 1-253-2158782, meeting ID 486 920 2119#, to get the Zoom link or for further questions contact Gill Hamilton at ghamilton@hov.org or 602-748-3692. The Science of Everything: 4 p.m. Online. Explore the most fundamental work of Chassidut: the Tanya, with Rabbi Boruch. Cost: Free. Tune in at: zoom. us/j/736434666. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. Teen Discussions: 7-8:30 p.m. Online. Learn with Rabbi Tzvi Rimler. Cost: Free. Tune in at cteen.clickmeeting.com/east-valley. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. SATURDAYS Saturday Mindfulness Gatherings: 9:30 a.m. Online. Hosted by Hospice of the Valley. To join by phone, dial 1-253-215-8782, meeting ID 486 920 2119#. To get the Zoom link or for more information, contact Gill Hamilton at ghamilton@hov.org or 602-748-3692. Book Discussion: 1:30-2:30 p.m. Online. Join Or Adam Congregation for Humanistic Judaism on the third Saturday of every month for a book discussion. For more information and to register, contact oradaminfo@gmail.com.
Shabbat FRIDAYS Shabbat in the Park: 10-11 a.m. Cactus Park, 7202 E. Cactus Road, Scottsdale. Join the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Phoenix monthly for music, 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: 11-11:45 a.m. Beth El Phoenix, 1118 W. Glendale. Ave., Phoenix. Celebrate Shabbat with songs, blessings and teachings with Rabbi Stein Kokin the first Friday of every month. Special guests will be welcoming Shabbat during the remainder of the month. 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 Services: 5:30 p.m. nosh, 6:15 p.m. service; morning varying dates and times. Temple Chai, 4645 E. Marilyn Road, Phoenix. For more information, contact Joan Neer at jneer@templechai.com. Pre-Shabbat Kiddush Club: 6 p.m. Online. Say Kiddush with Rabbi Mendy Levertov. Cost: Free. Tune in here: ourjewishcenter. com/virtual. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. 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. 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. 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 Andrea at 480-664-8847 for more information.
Shabbat Services with Sun Lakes: 7 p.m. Sun Lakes Chapel, 9240 E. Sun Lakes Blvd. North, Sun Lakes. Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation conducts services on the second Friday of the month. For more information, contact 480-612-4413. Shabbat Services with Beth Ami Temple: 7 p.m. Gloria Christi Federated Church, 3535 E. Lincoln Dr., Paradise Valley. Rabbi Alison Lawton and Cantorial Soloist Michael Robbins lead Shabbat services twice a month. For more information, visit bethamitemple.org.
Seniors
FRIDAYS 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.
Sip & Schmooze: 11 a.m. milk + honey, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Sip on kosher coffee or tea, enjoy a pastry and schmooze every second Monday of the month. RSVP appreciated to chani@sosaz. org or 602-492-7670. For more information, visit sosaz.org.
Sit or Stand Ballet Class: 12-12:45 p.m. Online. Presented by JFCS Center for Senior Enrichment. Jennifer Cafarella Betts and Friends from Ballet Theatre of Phoenix teach this class. Grab a chair or you can stand next to a chair or counter. Cost: Free. For more information, visit jfcsaz.org/cse.
Featured Presentation: 12:30 p.m. Online. Join Smile on Seniors Mondays and Wednesdays to learn from a variety of presenters about topical issues, like Q&As with medical professionals, entertainers and lectures. Cost: Free. For more information, visit sosaz.org/virtual or email Rabbi Levi Levertov at levi@sosaz.org.
Musical Friday: 12:30 p.m. Online. Join Smile on Seniors on the first Friday of every month for a musical presentation. Cost: Free. For full details visit sosaz.org/virtual or email Rabbi Levi Levertov at levi@sosaz.org. JN
TUESDAYS Movie Discussion Group: 11 a.m. Online. Join Smile on Seniors on the third Tuesday of every month hosted by Issy Lifshitz. Cost: Free. For full details and the movie of the month visit sosaz.org/virtual or email Rabbi Levi Levertov at levi@sosaz.org. WEDNESDAYS Fitness Fun with Zoe: 10-10:45 a.m. Online. Presented by JFCS Center for Senior Enrichment. Workout features light chair exercises with optional weights. Cost: Free. For more information, visit jfcsaz.org/cse. Chair Yoga with Zoe: 11-11:45 a.m. Online. Presented by JFCS Center for Senior Enrichment. 45-minute chair yoga class. No prior yoga experience required. Cost: Free. For more information, visit jfcsaz.org/cse.
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In the Kitchen with Benita: 12:30 p.m. Join Smile on Seniors on the fourth Thursday of every month for some delicious cooking or baking fun! Cost: Free. For full details visit sosaz.org/virtual or email Rabbi Levi Levertov at levi@sosaz.org.
MONDAYS Fitness Xpress Series with Zoe: 11-11:30 a.m. Online. Presented by JFCS Center for Senior Enrichment. Workout features weight and band exercises as well as yoga poses. Exercises will be demonstrated standing, but can also be done sitting in a chair. Cost: Free. For more information, visit jfcsaz.org/cse.
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THURSDAYS Memory Cafe: 10-11 a.m. first Thursday; 1-2 p.m. third Thursday. Online. Presented by Jewish Family & Children’s Service. Program for those with changes in their thinking or memory, mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder, along with their care partners. For more information, visit jfcsaz.org/our-services/ older-adult-services/memory-cafe/.
ALEXANDER ZANE PERRIN Alexander Zane Perrin will become a bar mitzvah on Nov. 18, 2023, at Temple Chai. He is the son of Allison and Edward Perrin of Phoenix. Alexander’s grandparents are Marilyn and Charles Perrin of La Jolla, California; John Crissman of Cedar Key, Florida; and Lynn Barnett of Phoenix. For his mitzvah project, Alexander raised funds and awareness and collected instruments for Rosie’s House, a free music academy for children in downtown Phoenix. A student at Sunrise Middle School, Alexander enjoys online gaming, coding and music, including singing with the Phoenix Boys Choir. JN JEWISH NEWS
Nanci Miller Nanci Miller, 89, of Phoenix, passed away on Oct. 27 after a long and full life. Multiple generations of family members were by her side in her final days. Nanci was born April 15 in Miami, Florida, and resided with her family in Phoenix since 1973. Nanci was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Morton Miller. She is survived by her children, Hunter (Joni) Miller, David (Joni) Miller, Rosemary (Ron) Goldstein and Diane (Andy) Peroutky. She was the proud grandmother of 13 grandchildren, and 23 great grandchildren. Donations in Nanci’s name can be made to Hospice of the Valley (hov.org/donate) and the Arizona Humane Society (azhumane.org). NOVEMBER 10, 2023
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Israel needs you. Please give generously. The Israel Emergency Relief Fund has allocated over $148 million* to 116 organizations providing emergency relief and support in Israel. ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING: • The Jewish Agency for Israel • United Hatzalah • Leket • American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) • Israel Trauma Coalition (ITC) • Barzilai Medical Center • ZAKA • and many more
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NOVEMBER 10, 2023
Donate to the Israel Emergency Relief Fund Every cent of your donation to the Israel Emergency Relief Campaign goes to support the victims of terror providing for basic needs, trauma support, and rebuilding essential infrastructure.
*As of 11/6/23
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