Jewish News, Aug. 18, 2023

Martin-Springer Institute initiative helps teachers explain why they teach the Holocaust

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

Heather Land has taught Holocaust Literature, a class she developed, at Mesa’s Mountain View High School for the last nine years. She works hard to keep the semester-long senior elective fresh for each new group of students, updating it with modern scholarship from conferences, reading and talking to experts. Last summer, she was part of an educators’ 18-day trip to Poland and Germany, where she saw several of the historic places she has read about and taught for years.

In all her preparation, one thing she hasn’t had to think much about is why she does it. She hasn’t really needed to provide a rationale for her class because she’s always had the support of her administration and parents, she said. When she first started teaching the course, she couldn’t imagine that anyone might question its relevance or importance but in the past few years, she’s met other teachers who have not been as fortunate.

Since 2022, Arizona’s public schools are required to teach about the Holocaust and other genocides at least twice between seventh and 12th grades. Yet, while the state tells its teachers what to teach, it does not tell them how to teach it or why. Additionally, private schools are not mandated to teach the subject at all.

“Teachers must absolutely know

How did 21 Messianic Jews in Show Low decide to convert to Judaism?

a story with many beginnings.

When Richard Cortes completes his official conversion to Judaism this month at Scottsdale’s Congregation Or Tzion under the supervision of Rabbi Andy Green, it will mark an extraordinary moment in his decades-long spiritual journey, one that he has not taken alone.

After months of study and reflection, Cortes, his wife, Alpha, their son and 18 other people belonging to Foundation of the Word (FOTW) in Show Low, formerly a place of devotion founded by Cortes for Messianic Jews (an umbrella term for a Christian movement that incorporates some elements of Judaism and other Jewish traditions into evangelicalism), will come to Scottsdale to complete the final steps in their conversion to Judaism.

Green has known others straddling Judeo-Christianity who gradually came to reject a belief in the Christian “New Testament” and find deeper meaning in traditional Judaism, but it’s always been an individual here and there.

“This is exceptional, and to my knowledge, the first time that it’s ever happened, where an entire congregation collectively converts following the leadership of their pastor,” he said.

What's in your genes?

A graduate student in Arizona State University’s genetic counseling program encourages local Ashkenazi Jews to fill out his survey. See page 9.

Rabbis Mendel Slonim and Ari Oirechman traveled across the state this summer

FOTW members preparing to convert to Judaism take a photo with Congregation Or Tzion Rabbi Andy Green and Education Director Andre Ivory in Show Low’s Jewish Learning Center.

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

the challenges of teaching the Holocaust.

“You don’t get that usually. At a conference, you get content, ideas and lectures but most of this training was discussion — thinking and rethinking what we do,” she said.

As a USHMM fellow herself, she was able to remind people of its guidelines for teaching the Holocaust and rubric for evaluating Holocaust literature, something the teachers really appreciated.

She talked with the group about selecting books that fit their rationale. Reflecting on her own, she said it’s something that changed according to the needs of the kids she was teaching and what was happening in the world, such as events in Darfur, Sudan and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Last year, she taught “Holocaust By Bullets,” which covers mass executions by Nazis in Ukraine. Without making any direct comparisons between the past and present, learning about the country’s history sparked students to make some connections.

“Kids ask about it because they see things on social media or hear about it on the news,” she said. “We focus heavily on the word ‘genocide’ and students want to

CONVERTS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

As incredible as it will be to witness this cohort of Messianic Jews complete the months-long conversion process together, even harder to conceive is how it came to be in the first place.

Technically, it started early in 2023 when Cortes enrolled in the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program based at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles. The group took online classes and found Green, an affiliate rabbi for the program, who would sponsor them and welcome them to his congregation’s services. FOTW streamed Or Tzion’s services and watched them together in their Show Low sanctuary on a big screen above an ark holding two donated Torah scrolls. Several members have also traveled to Scottsdale to spend Shabbat at Or Tzion in person.

Green and Andre Ivory, Or Tzion’s education director, drove to Show Low for the first time on Aug. 2. They discussed Hebrew names with the congregants and were both impressed with the setup and inspired by the members. After the congregation watched the Shabbat morning service, they had lunch together and then gathered to read sections from the Torah and Haftorah and use Jewish resources to discuss traditional commentaries.

“They find deep meaning in Torah study in the most authentic and beautiful way — in a way that, to be honest, many Jews in our communities don’t engage with on a regular basis. It is inspiring that these folks are finding such deep meaning in our traditions and choosing to join

know if it applies to these other situations.”

MSI 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.

Klett will follow up during the year, adding resources and things to think about to the Google classroom once a quarter, but “they have each other, too,” she said.

“I’m a mentor but I told them, ‘You’re each other’s mentors.’”

Nine years ago, when Land was developing her class, it was Klett that she turned to again and again for advice.

“Arizona has been so lucky to have her guidance and expertise,” she said. She applied for the training to meet likeminded teachers and now feels like she is “walking away with 11 new friends and colleagues to turn to.”

Gina Nunez, a history teacher at Phoenix’s Xavier College Preparatory, a private Catholic school, is also grateful to have met so many colleagues with whom she can exchange ideas, especially crosscurricular learning, which there’s not enough of, she said.

She’s largely had to rely on her own efforts over the years she’s taught the

the fold of the Jewish people, which is a demanding thing,” Green said.

On Wednesday, Aug. 16, the males in the group will undergo the hatafat dam brit, the ritual reenactment of extracting a drop of blood; the next day, all 21 people will immerse in the mikvah and come before the beit din to confirm they are sincere, knowledgeable and entering into the Jewish covenant of their own free will. They will celebrate their first Shabbat as official Jews at Or Tzion.

“It is extraordinary for me to see these faithful, authentic, vulnerable and wonderful people embracing the tradition that I find so much meaning in,” Green said.

That’s a tidy and technical rundown of a unique conversion story but it’s not really the beginning. For that, one could start at a few different points.

One might mark last fall during Rosh Hashanah as the origin. That’s when Cortes told his followers that he believed there were too many inconsistencies between the Tanakh and Christian “New Testament” and that for the next year they would study the Tanakh exclusively and see where it might lead.

For one thing, it led to the loss of most of his congregation, many who felt betrayed by his decision and turned on him. Some former members accused him of fraud for turning the building used for worship, a building they had donated to, into a Jewish and Torah learning center. He became the target of a campaign of online harassment.

“All of them had said they were Jewish, considered themselves Jewish, so I asked, ‘How is this fraud?’” he said.

Holocaust in various history courses. Because Xavier is a private school, it doesn’t have to adhere to the state’s mandate on teaching the Holocaust and she hasn’t had the same level of support teachers like Land have had.

In fact, she has been trying to create a class on genocide and the Holocaust similar to Land’s, but has thus far been thwarted.

But she’s feeling very confident after her four days in Flagstaff and said she’ll continue to push for the class. LaCorte already has planned a trip to Xavier this fall, to offer MSI’s support to Nunez.

“I’ve been pushing for two years and I’m going to continue,” said Nunez. “My students are very interested.”

Land is sympathetic and grateful for the support she has in Mesa.

“Every year, I have to pinch myself that I get to teach this class and be a part of this program. I’m a teacher; I’m a sponge; I’m soaking up everything that I can. After 24 years of teaching, I still love it,” she said. JN

To learn more about the Martin-Springer Institute, visit in.nau.edu/martin-springer/.

People called him a “Christ-killer;” the head of the United Messianic Jewish Assemblies (UMJA) told him he was wasting his talent as a pastor and made it clear that as far as UMJA was concerned, he was an apostate. Cortes felt they hated Judaism. He didn’t know what to do; he was depressed.

He thought about moving his family to Phoenix, where they could join a Jewish community, but his mother was elderly and uprooting their lives was difficult.

More than that, he didn’t want to abandon the 16 people who had stuck with him.

“These people were thirsty for Judaism and they stood and fought with us,” he said.

Plus, the building causing some of the controversy was finally finished and he asked himself, “How can the story possibly end here? HaShem allowed this to be built, so let’s see what happens.” Green has offered his support and deeply admires the commitment he’s witnessed.

“When somebody leaves the fold of Christianity, and has friends and family who remain, even while there’s support for one another, it’s a deeply challenging path,” he said.

Cortes filed the official paperwork changing the identity of the building and his community away from Messianic Judaism. His luck changed. After the formal conversion process was underway, he shared the story on social media and his online following shifted positively. The congregation grew to 40 members and people all over the nation, who are

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

considering leaving Messianic Judaism and are interested in what he is doing, have reached out to him. Some have even moved to Show Low, including two who will be converting at Or Tzion in two weeks.

Still, to understand the last year and how Cortes fell in and out of love with Messianic Judaism, one has to begin decades ago.

A native New Yorker, Cortes spent much of his childhood in Flatbush, Brooklyn, where there was a large Jewish population. He was not religious but most of his friends were Jewish and he developed an affinity for their culture. When his parents divorced, he moved to Puerto Rico and joined the Assemblies of God church, a Pentecostal denomination of Christianity, and his grandfather’s faith. During college, Cortes drifted away from religion for a time.

When he married Alpha, he returned to the Assemblies of God and entered seminary. He was living in Florida and his seminary class visited the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, a theme park that recreated the architecture and themes of Jerusalem in 1st-century Judea. (It closed in 2020.) It was inspired by Marvin Rosenthal, a Russian Jew who became a Baptist pastor and founder of Zion’s Hope, a missionary organization.

When Cortes witnessed one of the characters in the park blow a shofar, “something lit up in me and I wanted to learn more,” he said.

He came home and cried all night. He told his wife he couldn’t return to the Assemblies of God. He wanted to find a Messianic synagogue and when he found one led by a sabra, an Israeli-born Jew, he started attending and “fell in love with the Jewish culture,” he said.

Alpha was not on board, however, so they attended a synagogue in the Hebrew Roots Movement, which felt more Christian. She had been raised a Catholic and Judaism felt very alien to her.

“This new place felt better for her but

wasn’t traditional (Jewish) enough for me,” he said.

He was ordained by Ruach International Ministries, a process that took five years. His mother convinced him to move to Arizona with her nine years ago. Cortes, his mother and family liked Show Low because it was relatively close to the city but gave them the peace, quiet and space they were looking for.

Cortes always wore a tallit and people in town noticed the tzitzit hanging down. He had set up a large tent on his property to lead services and people sought him out. “Word of mouth went crazy” and he would sometimes have 100 people show up on Shabbat though usually FOTW averaged 65 members at any time, he said. He credited his reliance on more traditional Jewish teaching for the fluctuation in membership. Some people loved it and others were turned off.

Long attracted to traditional Judaism, he used the internet to take Chabad courses and study Hebrew in an ulpan (a school for intensive study of Hebrew) in Tel Aviv to better understand the Tanakh without depending on the translation. He traveled to Israel. The more he learned the less what he thought he knew made sense. The homilies he had listened to and given no longer felt right.

“I didn’t see where Jesus fit into all this; I didn’t see the connection,” he said.

He believed that Messianic Jews were taking things out of context and relying heavily on a few passages in the Tanakh to rationalize the importance of Jesus in Christian texts but he needed confirmation from someone with more knowledge.

UMJA had an online chat for its leaders and Cortes had noticed his colleagues calling out the name Tovia Singer with disgust, warning one another to watch out for him, saying he was dangerous. Cortes didn’t know then that Singer is the founder and director of Outreach Judaism, a Jewish counter-missionary organization.

But when he learned that Nissim Black, a famous American-Israeli rapper and someone he admired, would be interviewing Singer he really wanted to watch. He was so wary of Singer it took him three days to press play on YouTube.

“When I watched it I finally found someone who knew the New Testament and I was appalled. He confirmed everything that I was feeling and studying was right,” Cortes said.

He read Singer’s book, “Let’s Get Biblical” and got in touch with him to tell him all that he had been feeling. That was when he decided to bring his congregation on board and told them they would stop studying the Christian “New Testament.”

What Cortes didn’t know is that his wife had already come to the same conclusion a couple years earlier.

Alpha Cortes had not just been along for the ride. While initially she had her

“feet set solidly against this” world of Messianic Judaism, she let her husband’s zealousness convince her. She loved him and her marriage and didn’t want to risk losing it, so she “took baby steps,” and as she evolved, “misconceptions melted away,” she said.

Because the creator loved the people of Israel, so did she.

“I love my walk in this faith, I want to grow and the more I studied the more I realized Jesus was not the Messiah,” she said.

She put her Christian “New Testament” away and stopped teaching adult classes. She focused on the kids and the Tanakh.

“I waited two years for my husband to find me where I am and find it for himself,” she said.

When he told her about Singer and their discussion, she told him through tears that she had felt this already to be true.

She believes her theological change was divinely inspired to take place first so that her husband would not have to struggle to get her on board, as he had years ago, especially at a time when he would need her support. Her husband confirmed that he could not have survived the last year without it.

Their two adult children, who were both raised as Messianic Jews, are interested in their parents’ decision to convert. One is considering the move himself while the other has stepped back completely from religion. Their 11-yearold son has already clicked with Ivory and claims Green as his rabbi.

Rabbis serve both congregations and communities, and Green said he can be their rabbi because they needed one.

However, given “the acceptance they have found with me and with our congregational family, to an extent I suppose I am their rabbi, but I don’t think I’m the only one,” Green added.

Cortes decided to keep the name Foundation of the Word. This way they can keep the acronym. But they did remove the words “outreach ministry.” He can see a future where he enrolls in rabbinical school but that is down the road. His focus now is on the community before him and people leaving the church. That’s why he doesn’t intend for the learning center to be a synagogue. He considers it a Jewish learning platform, somewhere that people don’t feel intimidated.

“A learning center is more relaxed and welcoming to a gentile community that is seeking Judaism. I have an opendoor, come-as-you-are policy for people who are on their walk to Judaism but at different levels,” Cortes said.

While Green was in Show Low, he met people who are just starting their conversion process and others who are considering it.

They asked him about their journey, about different Jewish practices and his expectations, but they also had the same kind of questions that he gets from families at Or Tzion: What’s the bar mitzvah process? Can my child be tutored on Zoom?

Some Jews believe they have to choose between bringing Jews who are unaffiliated or on the periphery back into the community and welcoming people on the outside, he said.

“But Judaism is so rich and wonderful that I want to share it with anyone that wants to learn from it. Moreover, folks who convert to Judaism tend to be among the most active participants in Jewish life, because they’ve taken this time in their lives to expose themselves to the richness of everything Judaism has to offer,” he said. JN

To learn more about Foundation of the Word, visit thefotw.org; to learn more about Congregation Or Tzion, visit congregationortzion.org.

Pictured from left, Andre Ivory, Richard Cortes and Rabbi Andy Green. COURTESY OF RABBI ANDY GREEN

"IT IS INSPIRING THAT THESE FOLKS ARE FINDING SUCH DEEP MEANING IN OUR TRADITIONS AND CHOOSING TO JOIN THE FOLD OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE, WHICH IS A DEMANDING THING.”

RABBI ANDY GREEN

Scottsdale resident named chair of Israel task force

MALA BLOMQUIST | MANAGING EDITOR

When Scottsdale resident Susan Farber traveled on a solidarity mission to Israel during Operation Protective Edge, an aerial operation launched by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) against Hamas and other terrorist organizations in response to increasing rocket and mortar fire on Israel from the Gaza Strip during 2014, she came home with a renewed sense of purpose.

“It was life altering,” said Farber. “I came home from that trip, I ran my husband’s medical practice, and I said to him what no doctor wants to hear from their office manager, ‘I’m retiring. We’re going to hire an office manager. I found my passion. I’m going to work with JNF.’”

She and her husband, Dr. Steven Farber, a pulmonologist, are members of Congregation Or Tzion in Scottsdale.

Since then, Farber became very involved with Jewish National Fund-USA (JNFUSA) and has held several leadership roles, including former president of the organization’s Arizona board and the current National General Campaign co-chair.

Recently, she has been appointed as the inaugural chair of JNF’s new “Central Negev Task Force.” The southern desert region of Negev comprises 60% of Israel’s landmass but is home to just 8% of the population, so the task force is focusing on creating employment, infrastructure, housing, education, health care and other opportunities for this region to experience substantial and sustainable growth into the future.

“We are so thrilled, and honored, that Susan has accepted this leadership role,” said JNF-USA Director, Arizona, Leila Mikal. “She has been instrumental in so much of our growth in the Arizona community and our success in developing Israel’s frontiers; it was only natural that she would take the helm of this exciting new task force. We can’t wait to see what they will achieve under her leadership.”

To kick off the task force’s mandate, Farber took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Har HaNegev Search and Rescue Center. The Ramat HaNegev draws hikers and outdoor enthusiasts to its rugged terrain, which has areas that are quite remote. The volunteer-based Har HaNegev Search and Rescue Team leads an average of 80 rescues per year, including rope and water rescues.

In May, a flash flood swept through the region and volunteers were able to save 60 people; tragically, two teens lost

their lives. Prior to the rescue center’s construction, volunteers kept rescue equipment in their homes and waited for an emergency assistance call on their cell phones.

“Now that they have a centralized post, people can be on call there,” said Farber.

“They’ll be able to have radio frequency and be in contact with hospitals in the area and medical centers. It’s a game changer for them.”

In addition to the rescue center, the task force is raising funds for Geri Shatz Park in Yerucham and a new high-tech hub in Mitzpe Ramon.

Farber said that many young adults want to move to Tel Aviv, “where the action is,” but soon discover it’s too expensive.

“We know that the further away people live from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or even Haifa, the less money they make. By hooking them up with the internet, they can work remotely and make more money,” said Farber. “So, we’re building a tech hub in Mitzpe Ramon. ”

Farber said that JNF works with community leaders, mayors and municipal leaders in the area, listening to them and seeing what they think they need for future growth and partnering with them on projects.

“People want to live there, and it just raises the bar on the quality of life you can bring for people in that area,” she said. Although Farber has no plans of making aliyah because most of her family is in Arizona, she loves Israel and feels she has ownership in the Jewish state. She wants to be an example for her children and grandchildren and hopes they follow in her footsteps.

“I look at Israel as the third Temple and it’s not going to go down on my watch,” she said. “So, I’m trying to do something positive and honestly, I get so much pleasure out of what I’m doing.” JN

For more information, visit jnf.org.

Susan Farber, third from left, at the ribbon cutting for the Har HaNegev Search and Rescue Center in Israel. COURTESY OF JEWISH NATIONAL FUND-USA

Undeterred by record heat, ‘Roving Rabbis’ connect with Arizona’s rural Jews

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

When Rabbis Mendel Slonim and Ari Oirechman rolled into Yuma, a small city in the southwest region of Arizona, in the middle of July, they received a warm welcome, and not only because the thermometer was hovering at 120 degrees.

The pair spent nearly three weeks this summer traveling across the state, visiting Jews without much access to an organized Jewish community as part of Chabad’s international Roving Rabbis program, which is in its 80th year. It was originally developed by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, in the 1940s in New York and expanded into Arizona about 60 years ago.

“The goal is to make Judaism accessible and relevant to every Jew, wherever they may be,” said Rabbi Zalman Levertov, regional director of Chabad of Arizona, who oversees the program.

Rabbi Shlomy Levertov, director of Chabad of Paradise Valley, has been the acting point man for the program because he was so moved by the experience when he

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was a roving rabbi more than a decade ago. This was Slonim’s third time traveling with the program in Arizona and Yuma was the first stop. Some local Jews had come to know and expect him, even though it is understood that the young men have no pre-set appointments or planned meetand-greets. Regardless, the young rabbis decided it would be nice to have a small gathering at the beginning of their journey and asked one of Yuma’s Jewish residents to host it at the last minute. They expected only a handful of people to respond. Instead, about 25 people showed up.

The local news station and newspaper covered their presence.

Dana Mann-Chipkin told Yuma’s News 11 that the experience was not only an opportunity to see some old friends and meet new ones but it was also “a meaningful time and a time of transformation for the community.”

Oirechman had traveled to Tucson when he was a kid but this was his first time back as an adult and he really enjoyed his time in the state, despite the record-breaking heat

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wave. He hails from Tallahassee, Florida, and is used to heat but was not quite prepared for “the intensity of the sun,” he said. Even Slonim, who knows what he’s getting into, joked that there was “a lot of quality time with the sun,” this year.

The program’s young rabbis, most of whom are yeshiva students on summer break, travel with only a list of names gathered from previous years and rely on word of mouth or their own moxie. Basically, it boils down to asking strangers if they know of any Jewish people or cold-calling anyone in town with a Jewishsounding surname.

That’s how Slonim connected with one lawyer three years ago, on his first trip to Yuma. At that meeting, he told Slonim he had been unaffiliated for years and had married someone who was not Jewish — his bar mitzvah was the last significant Jewish thing he had done. But that morning in the shower, the lawyer recalled his Torah portion and made a note to ask the next rabbi he met about it. Lo and behold, that turned out to be Slonim later the same day.

Slonim has made a point to contact him every subsequent summer.

“Every time, it’s like seeing a long-lost brother. We talk, catch up on life. He told me this year he feels closer to God,” Slonim said.

On the other hand, getting to know people means risking losing them. When Slonim called on a couple he met last summer in a retirement community, he found out the husband had passed away a few months earlier.

“I can’t describe it but when you meet a Jew in the middle of nowhere and talk for a couple of hours, you develop a connection and it was hard to hear that news,” he said.

Slonim, who was named after the Rebbe, feels very connected to this work “knowing it’s his (Schneerson’s) legacy and vision to reach out to every Jew with love,” he said.

Both Slonim and Oirechman find it very meaningful to contact Jews who are pretty isolated, sometimes by geography and sometimes by choice. Some of the people they meet have made a conscious decision to separate themselves from the Jewish community, but that doesn’t worry the young rabbis who believe in their motto: No Jew will be left behind.

During their travels, they bring books, mezuzot, tefillin and Shabbat candles to give to people they meet. Some choose not to participate in any of the mitzvot they offer.

“Even when they don’t want to engage in a ritual with us, it’s still an impactful visit because at the core is the connection with the Jewish soul,” Slonim said.

Sometimes the Jews they meet call themselves “bad Jews” for not having gone to a synagogue or put up a mezuzah, but Slonim said there is no such thing.

“At the core of every Jew is a Jewish soul and no matter your actions, in the past or future, it will always be there,” he said.

In Nogales, they met a “stubborn Jew” who didn’t believe in God and hadn’t been in a synagogue in decades, but they spent an hour and a half chatting with him. He told them how he had grown up in a big Jewish community but always felt overlooked by it and thus felt no attachment.

“You Chabad boys” were the first ones who had sought him out, he told them. “His neshama (soul) was definitely sparked,” Slonim said.

The pair of rabbis also ventured into areas new to them. Ajo, Rio Rico and Why were some of the places they added this summer.

In Ajo, an unincorporated community in Pima County with a population of roughly 3,000, they didn’t expect to find many Jews. They went to the strip mall, walked into a coffee shop and asked the woman behind the counter if she happened to know any.

She was a bit taken aback but responded that she was, in fact, married to a Jew. They then asked another shop owner if she knew any Jews and was told, “The only Jew I know in the world is my neighbor in Why.”

They spoke with both men and in Why, another unincorporated community with less than 100 people, the Jewish neighbor was overcome with joy when he saw them. He was in the middle of a health scare and hadn’t seen another Jew in a while. They put on tefillin together and his eyes filled with tears.

He told them he had been thinking about reconnecting with his Judaism and their visit had cemented that idea.

“During these visits is when the soul comes alive,” Slonim said. JN

Rabbis Ari Oirechman, left, and Mendel Slonim started their journey through the rural towns of Arizona in Yuma. COURTESY OF CHABAD OF ARIZONA

ZEICHICK FAMILY LECTURE: Eilu v’Eilu – A Debate on Jewish Values and American Politics

October 15 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm PDT

VIP Dinner at 6:00 pm PDT

Location: in-person at Temple Chai & virtual

by Rabbi David Saperstein & Dr. Tevi Troy

As the 2024 elections loom, America and the Jewish community have rarely felt as divided over politics and policies as it does today. Are Jewish interests better served by conservative or liberal approaches to America’s domestic and global challenges? Are the values and lessons of Jewish tradition and history more resonant with the approach of conservatives or liberals to today’s issues? Are the interests of Jews in the U.S., Israel, and the world better served by the Republican Party or the Democratic Party?

On issues like abortion, church-state relations, civil right claims v. religious freedom claims, climate change, economic justice v. economic freedom, autocratic countries that support Israel, immigration, and religious freedom — what are the merits of their respective views? Are bipartisan/cross-ideological comity, compromise, and common ground possible?

Dr. Tevi Troy (best-selling presidential historian, former senior Bush White House aide, Deputy Secretary of HHS, and former White House Liaison to the Jewish Community) and Rabbi David Saperstein (former Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and President of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom in the Obama Administration) will debate these issues and model how even political protagonists with di ering political, religious, and ideological views can debate respectfully and constructively.

Zeichick Family Lecture: Presented in loving memory of Gloria and Herb Zeichick

Two Jewish women want to make the world better with books

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

Maricopa County’s libraries always run a summer reading program for kids of all ages, just as they finish the school year. Throughout the country similar programs are a staple of public libraries, offering young readers a wide variety of stories to experience.

In rural Central America, however, many children have never known the luxury of a library filled with books. Two Jewish women from Arizona have made it their mission to rectify that. Alice Gartell and her daughter, Kira Gartell, lead Books for a Better World (BBW), a nonprofit that buys and delivers books in Spanish to schools in remote parts of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Volunteers ensure the books arrive at schools and engage with the students and teachers who receive them.

Both Alice and Kira were born and raised in Tempe and have deep roots in Arizona’s Jewish community. Alice’s parents, Herb and Ruth Finn, became civil rights leaders after moving to Phoenix in 1948 — the same year that Israel became a state and Jewish News was founded.

“I’m about as Arizona as you can get,” said Alice, who belongs to Temple Solel in Paradise Valley. Kira, who became a bat mitzvah at Temple Emanuel of Tempe, now lives in Bloomington, Indiana, where she works part-time for the city’s orchestra and plays French horn. She still views Arizona, where most of her family remains, as her home.

Alice’s passion for getting books into the hands of young readers started roughly 25 years ago. She was on her annual holiday trip to the Mexican State of Yucatán and finished all of her beach books early. When she started looking around for more to buy, she discovered a real dearth of reading material.

With the help of a hotel employee, she found that an American living locally had started a little English reading library for

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tourists with the same trouble as Alice. It also had a small Spanish section with very few children’s books. The librarian told her that the local children didn’t have any books and were frustrated that their only option was to reread those on her shelf.

When Alice returned to Phoenix, she spent about $50 to buy several used children’s books in Spanish and sent them with a friend going to the same spot a few months later. When Alice returned for her annual vacation, she found a group of children quietly sitting and reading the books she had donated.

“They had started a whole summer reading program just off of that small donation. It made me realize what an impact we had and could have by getting more donations from American tourists. I call that the library of my heart,” she said.

Soon after that experience, she crossed paths with Kae Robb, a Phoenician and Spanish teacher who founded BBW around the same time with similar intentions. When Robb was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer a few years later, she turned to Alice, someone who shared her

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passion, to take over.

Alice began fundraising to buy thousands of children’s books in Spanish to deliver to rural schools in Central America, all in desperate need of books.

Kira started volunteering for BBW a decade ago, while still in college. She loved traveling and had already studied abroad in Spain, perfecting her Spanish. She continued going to Latin America every summer until joining BBW’s board officially.

In 2016, she took over for her mother as president and still holds that position. Her cut-to-the-chase leadership style has earned her the nickname Comandante or commander, while her mother is known as “La Reina de los Libros,” queen of the books.

Alice, a voracious reader, gives at least part of the credit for her dedication to this work to her mother, who grew up impoverished in New York City during the Great Depression. Her family often couldn’t pay the rent, moved house multiple times and she went to at least 11 different schools.

“She ended up playing hooky from school and spent her time at the New York Public Library reading. So, just thinking

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of children who have no books really got to me and touched my heart,” Alice said.

“It’s amazing to see the joy in the kids’ faces when they open the books, see the colorful pictures and explore new stories and different worlds. It really helps them see a world outside of themselves,” Kira said.

BBW is run exclusively by volunteers, who pay their own traveling expenses. The board and officers work from home and have no staff. Overhead is a post office box and postage for the organization’s newsletter. All but 3% of funds raised go toward buying books and a few school supplies and shipping them to Latin America.

Volunteers have built a community network within the nations they visit and return to the same schools again and again to grow the libraries and check in on the students’ progress.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were forced to ship books and try to coordinate people on the ground to deliver the books for a time, but that didn’t work out as well as they’d hoped, Kira said.

Having a group of volunteers deliver the books makes it a special occasion.

“We make a day of it and everyone is so excited. You would think when we show up that we have pizza and hot fudge sundaes,” Alice said. “They call the boxes of books treasures.”

The countries they visit are impoverished and marked by high crime and political instability; they have even been warned away from certain towns by their local connections. Volunteers travel in groups and take security precautions. But if they have to miss a school one year, they try to make it back the next.

“We know that there’s a bigger picture going on but we try to do the best we can and keep communication open. What we do is just a small little thing, a drop in the bucket — but it’s our drop in the bucket,” Kira said. JN

To learn more about Books for a Better World, visit booksforabetterworld.org.

Kira and Alice Gartell COURTESY OF KIRA GARTELL

Kira Gartell, far left, and Alice Gartell, far right, with a group of students in Honduras. COURTESY OF BOOKS FOR A BETTER WORLD

ASU student wants Greater Phoenix’s Jews to be curious about their genes

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

Daniel Gottlieb, a graduate student in Arizona State University’s genetic counseling program, hopes that Ashkenazi Jews in Greater Phoenix will take the time to fill out his carefully crafted needs-assessment survey. He hopes to ascertain the level of knowledge people already have about genetics and whether they plan to act on that information.

“I want to bring awareness to our community so they know what’s going on, and hopefully, will be able to make medical choices that are right for them,” he told Jewish News.

Gottlieb’s interest in the field of genetics was first sparked in middle school biology but was cemented in high school when his mom found out she had a mutation in her breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2). Everyone has BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, tumor suppressors that help fight cancer. But a mutation in one of these genes prevents them from working normally. According to the Center for Disease Control, one in 40 Ashkenazi Jewish women, like Gottlieb’s mom, has a BRCA gene mutation.

Gottlieb said his mother spent about a year after the discovery mulling over what to do. He posited that a general stigma that not having breasts makes someone less of a woman might have made her hesitant to remove them. But with the help of a support group, she eventually opted to have a preventative double mastectomy before any cancer developed.

She had the surgery in 2014, the year after actress Angelina Jolie explained in a New York Times op-ed that she chose a double mastectomy after discovering her BRCA1 gene was “faulty.” Jolie’s decision shocked many at the time but it resulted in more people testing for genetic mutations, according to an article published three years later in the British Medical Journal. On the other hand, it did not move the needle much on the public’s understanding of the relationship of genetics to breast and ovarian cancer risk, according to an

article published in another medical journal, Genetics in Medicine.

Gottlieb intends to spend his career educating people about the importance of genetic testing, how to access it and what to do with the results. This survey, his master’s project, is a part of that. By asking people about their gender, education levels and religious affiliation, as well as specific questions about their familiarity with different aspects of genetics and testing, he hopes to be able to spot trends that will help him develop specific education tools for diverse populations.

Anyone over the age of 18, who lives in Greater Phoenix at least six months of the year and has at least one Ashkenazi Jewish parent can take the survey until the end of September. More than 100 people have already completed it. But since he is looking at overall trends, “the more responses I get, the more accurate the trends are going to look,” Gottlieb said.

He wants to reassure anyone hesitant to fill out the survey that there are no wrong answers:

“Any response is a good response,” he said.

Gottlieb dedicated much of his undergraduate career at the University of Connecticut to studying cancer. After graduation, he got a job in a lab “working on cancer samples and looking for mutations in cancer to help with prognosis, diagnosis and treatment plans,” he said.

His work there, coupled with his family history, drew him to the field of genetic counseling, where he will help individuals and families affected by, or at risk of, genetic disorders understand the medical and psychological implications.

“I want to be the person my family never had,” he said. His mother went to her OB-GYN instead of a genetics professional and many doctors don’t have the training to interpret genetic testing results, he said.

“I want to be a person to help explain the process, what tests to order based on

family history, what the next steps are, what kind of doctors should be seen. As a genetic counselor, I will be trained to deal with the emotional side of things.”

He recently discovered that he also has a BRCA2 mutation. That puts him at an increased risk of melanoma, prostate, pancreatic and breast cancer, giving him even more of “a personal stake” in the work.

What he doesn’t want is for people to think just because they are Ashkenazi, they will have a genetic issue. After all, every human population has a chance of some genetic disorder.

He wants people to be informed about their whole health outlook and knowing risks can help people get the right testing and go from there. The BRCA mutations might have received the most attention thanks to the celebrity of Jolie, but there are other genetic issues for Ashkenazi Jews to consider.

For example, Tay–Sachs disease is a genetic disorder that destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, affecting approximately 1 in 3,600 Ashkenazi Jews at birth. Knowing if one or both prospective parents are carriers can help them make decisions.

“There are medical options to prevent heartbreak and hardship and that’s why this knowledge is so important. Bringing awareness is important because of the preventative aspect in medicine,” Gottlieb said.

Katherine Hunt Brendish, Gottlieb’s program director and project investigator at ASU, connected him with the Minkoff Center for Jewish Genetics, which raises awareness in the Jewish community around genetics and provides resources and referrals to genetic counseling. Minkoff has been promoting Gottlieb’s survey given the alignment of their interests.

Wendy Carriere, the Minkoff Center’s executive director, sits on ASU’s genetic counseling program’s advisory board. Graduate students will receive credit through the Minkoff Center by shadowing certified genetic counselors during counseling sessions, analyzing the center’s screening records from the last 18 years and assisting in the response to community questions.

“Daniel is going a step further with his project and survey. We are hoping that his interest in the Phoenix Jewish Community will help the Center reach more individuals and families that may desire genetic counseling or testing,” Carriere told Jewish News.

Gottlieb is excited to graduate into a world that has made huge advances in

the field of genetics in the past 50 years, and especially after the Human Genome Project was able to generate the first sequence of the human genome in 2003.

“The strides that have been made in genetics will lead to better health outcomes for more people,” he said.

To complete the survey, visit jewishphoenix.com/ read/whats-in-your-genes/.

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Daniel Gottlieb is surveying the local Jewish community to help educate them about their genes.

Jewish community’s close connection to Pardes is ‘big deal,’ says new head

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

Michelle Bernat began her new job as Pardes Jewish Day School’s head of school last month full of excitement. She was attracted to the job right from the start because of Pardes’ academic rigor, its focus on the future and its strong relationship with the Greater Phoenix Jewish community.

That last point is especially poignant given that she believes part of the school’s purpose is to create future community leaders — “kids who are going to make a difference in the world,” she said.

“It’s a big deal to have a community that gets excited about an educational institution for their children. That speaks to my heart, to my work as an educator and to me as a Jewish woman,” she said.

Bernat has been an educator for roughly three decades, first in the classroom and then as an administrator. She has a master’s degree in curriculum, with a focus on cultural diversity and curricular integration, and a doctorate in organizational change. Most recently

she led Tarbut V’Torah Community Day School in Irvine, California and during her tenure the school nearly doubled its enrollment.

Bernat started her career teaching in Jewish day schools, including in Tucson where she studied philosophy and minored in Jewish studies at the University of Arizona as an undergraduate. Before and after graduation, she worked at Tucson Hebrew Academy, where she taught Hebrew and both Jewish and general studies.

The first meeting she had with Pardes’ search committee let her know this position was “a good match,” a sentiment that was seconded by Raphael Avraham, Pardes’ board president and a member of its search committee.

“We were looking for someone with a strong background in both Jewish and general education who could advance our educational program and make the entire diverse community of Pardes feel comfortable. We think Michelle is the

person to lead Pardes into the future,” Avraham said.

Bernat values collaboration and is excited to work with Pardes’ faculty on taking its project-based learning to the next level and integrating Jewish studies into general learning, so that kids see connections throughout the day.

“I want to provide support to the faculty to do the best work they can and to help them find connections, not just with the children, but with each other,” she said.

Since starting on July 1, Bernat has been hard at work getting to know the entire Pardes community. Though she’s met staff members and a lot of parents, she’s created a 90-day entry plan to meet everyone, including leaders of other Jewish organizations in the city.

In addition to formal training and years of experience, Bernat learned what it was like to lead a school through a global pandemic.

“In a profession where teachers give

their whole heart 24/7, I had to help them understand how to have grace for themselves and incorporate balance,” she said.

The critical importance of balancing work and home was one big lesson of COVID-19, not only for her faculty and staff but for the parents and students.

“The notion of a spiritual slowdown matters and helping people honor that was something I really walked away with,” she said.

It’s also important to acknowledge how many students struggled socially and emotionally during COVID. Education isn’t solely about math, language arts and Hebrew. It’s also important to teach students to be good people and part of that is looking after their emotional health.

“I’m a parent and an educator and it’s important to recognize that we all went through it (COVID) and its aftereffects are still with us,” she said.

Thus, a supportive Jewish community is essential to the success of its Jewish schools and what she saw from the beginning was a very strong commitment to Pardes.

“People here are really committed to Pardes and want it to be even better than it already is and that positivity really brought me here — it was almost contagious,” she said.

Part of the “incredible privilege” of leading Pardes is becoming the school’s storyteller, someone who will help connect all the families who sent their kids to Pardes in the past, to those who are there now and those who will be part of its future, she said.

“I will be the keeper of the Jewish story of Pardes, and that is a privilege and an honor,” she said. JN

For more information, visit pardesschool.org.

Michelle Bernat, right, the new head of school for Pardes Jewish Day School, with her husband and daughter, who will be a seventh grader at Pardes Jewish Day School this fall. COURTESY OF MICHELLE BERNAT

"WE THINK MICHELLE IS THE PERSON TO LEAD PARDES INTO THE

RAPHAEL AVRAHAM PARDES’ BOARD PRESIDENT

Local women travel the world and learn about Jewish communities

MALA BLOMQUIST | MANAGING EDITOR

Years ago, Jewish education travel groups focused their trips on New York and Israel. But there is a growing trend to explore and learn more about the ancient and modern historical context of Jewish communities across the world.

Ruth Hilliard of Paradise Valley and Madelaine Berg of Scottsdale have both attended such educational trips through the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning (Melton). Melton, the largest pluralistic adult Jewish education network in the world, engages adult learners in the study of Jewish texts and ideas through classes and travel seminars. The women were initially introduced to Melton through courses offered at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus in Scottsdale.

“It was a two-year class, and I took it twice,” said Hilliard. “I love Melton study

(courses) and when I finished the class, as a promotion for graduation, I got a $100 discount for travel on a trip to Israel.”

Hilliard, a member of Temple Chai in Phoenix, said that she has traveled with Melton to Israel (four times), Prague, Berlin, Greece and Mexico City and is vice president at large of the Melton board. A self-proclaimed “travel addict,” she is planning a trip to Morocco in March 2024.

Berg, a member of Temple Solel in Paradise Valley, has been to Israel and Mexico City with Melton and is contemplating a trip to Spain in May 2024. She had a previously planned trip to Spain, but it was canceled due to the pandemic.

“These tours are not like your traditional sightseeing and not like temple trips either,” said Berg. “During the tour, you get a curriculum and a book. You get on the bus, go to the site and they talk about some of the material in the book and other things as well. It’s educational — but not in a horrible way.”

Hilliard said that she often looks at the reference materials provided throughout the trip to gain a different perspective on sites. She shared a particular instance in Berlin. “We went to a neighborhood that had been Jewish and was taken over and decimated during World War II. There were signs on the street lamps that illustrated different things about that community before the war. It was so fascinating, and there was something in our materials that gave more information about the signs.” She probably would not have noticed the signs without the information, she added.

Berg said she also gained new perspectives when she traveled to Israel and met with a mayor of an Arab city and with a principal of a junior high school that taught secular Jewish and Arab children who explained that he couldn’t teach about the Holocaust because he said the parents “would kill him if he did.”

She also said that before her trip to Mexico, she assumed Mexican Jews all came during the Inquisition. She learned that many came from Eastern Europe in the 1920s and 1930s, before the war. She visited artist Frida Kahlo’s house and Mexico City’s large Jewish community center and was told that it’s important to many Jewish young adults in Mexico City to marry a Jew and for those who marry outside of their religion, the spouse often converts to Judaism.

“It was fascinating learning about a Jewish community I had no idea about,” said Berg. “We went to a Friday night Shabbat service in a Conservative shul and saw how their practices differ from ours.”

Hilliard said because of a class she took prior to traveling to Mexico City, she felt one step ahead upon arrival in terms of knowledge of the community and its history.

“When you’re on a Melton trip, most everything is focused on the Jewish content,” she said. “What’s Jewish life there? How is it different from our life here? What do we learn? It’s focused on a Jewish perspective that you don’t get on other trips,” she said.

Berg agreed that the tours connect “you to your Judaism” and said that all denominations are welcome.

“Traveling with Melton is much more than going on a standard Jewish tour,” said Melton Executive Director Rabbi Rachel Bovitz. “Our travel experiences highlight the Jewish people’s diverse history, customs and traditions across the globe. Through these encounters, our travelers gain new insights into their own Jewish identities and better understand our ever-evolving global Jewish story.”

Hilliard said she has met many amazing people from around the world on these tours and they have become dear friends and she continues to study and take classes with many of them. She even traveled to Australia to visit a friend she met on a trip and invited another to come to Mexico City after meeting them on a previous Melton adventure.

“You’re traveling with like-minded people who want to learn and not just sightsee,” said Berg. “There are usually 20-25 people that range in age from

50-70, couples and singles. It really is a community of people you tend to know — Melton people keep coming back.” JN

For more information, visit meltonschool.org.

FAMILY SALES COUNSELOR

Organization: Mt Sinai Cemetery

Contact:

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

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

Mt Sinai is a Jewish cemetery located in north Phoenix. Our small, dedicated staff has created a very positive company culture and pleasant workplace. Being a team player is important for this rapidly expanding business Cemetery training is provided, as well as competitive remuneration, annual bonus, generous PTO, and healthcare benefits.

Ruth Hilliard, left, and Madelaine Berg in the Yemin Moshe neighborhood in Jerusalem. COURTESY OF RUTH HILLIARD

Ruth Hilliard holding a travel sign in Mexico City. COURTESY OF RUTH HILLIARD

Interfaith panel discusses religious significance of wealth

On Aug. 15, Rabbi John Linder presented the Jewish perspective on the significance of wealth in a tri-faith virtual discussion titled, “Who is Rich? What is Wealth?”

The event was a presentation by the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Arizona (ISB).

Phoenix Pastor Bill Utke covered the Christian perspective and Imam Didmar Faja tackled the Muslim point of view.

The ISB puts on a panel every three months “to bring together people of all faiths, and no faith, to talk about shared values and ideas so that we can see and understand that we’re just all human beings,” said Azra Hussain, ISB’s director.

After the presentations, people divided

JFCS appoints three new board members

This summer, Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS) announced the appointments of three new board members. Susan Hirshman, Jevin Hodge and Jennifer Kirshner were confirmed during the June board meeting and will each serve a three-year term.

“Jewish Family & Children’s Service is a place where compassion and community intersect to make a meaningful impact in the lives we touch,” said CEO Dr. Lorrie Henderson. “We celebrate diversity and uphold the values that bind us together. As new board members, Susan, Jennifer and Jevin will share their knowledge and expertise and be a part of a strong team of community volunteers that will guide JFCS towards new horizons, helping us navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”

Hirshman is director of wealth management for Schwab Wealth Advisory and the Schwab Center for Financial Research. Her expertise has been featured

in the pages of the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times and on CNN, CNBC and ABC.

Hodge is a national engagement director at LINK Strategic Partners, an organization specializing in public relations, stakeholder engagement and social impact. Serving clients in the government, business and nonprofit sectors, he serves on the Arizona boards of Best Buddies International, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and Phoenix Suns Charities 88.

Kirshner is a licensed professional counselor trained in dialectical behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, polyvagal theory and Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. She is a founding board member for INFOCUS and on the board of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and the Arizona State University Art Museum.

Hirshman, Hodge and Kirshner join current board members chair Janice

Jewish Free Loan welcomes new board members

Jewish Free Loan (JFL) welcomed new board members during its Gratitude Gathering on May 21. Harris Berger, Jessielyn Hirschl and Austin Singer will join Stacie Wittenberg, who is a returning member.

The newest leaders represent a diversity of experience and knowledge to JFL and its efforts to enhance the quality of life for Jewish Arizonans through interest-

free lending.

Harris Berger is an accountant who has owned his own firm for 45 years, as well as eyeglass stores in Las Vegas and St. Thomas and has lived in Greater Phoenix for the last two years. He has experience working with nonprofit businesses and was on the board of his homeowner’s association and temple in California. He serves on the board of Scottsdale’s

into breakout sessions to discuss what they’ve just heard.

“This topic seemed appropriate to direct discussions of real world practices in terms of what makes them feel rich and in a good place,” Hussain said.

Linder, the senior rabbi for Temple Solel in Paradise Valley, began by introducing the rabbinic wisdom of Pirkei Avot, a compilation of the ethical teachings and maxims, and its explanation of who is rich: someone who is happy with their lot in life.

“It’s good for the interfaith community to know that there is a clear view within rabbinic wisdom,” Linder said.

He explained the specific virtue of wealth

and how extending it to others lifts up one’s dignity.

“There is a healthy way to look at wealth and how we make it and what we do with it, caring for our families, as well as our obligations to fellow Jews, fellow humans and this planet,” he said.

He also spent some time looking at the stereotypes behind Jewish people and wealth, where they come from and the toll they’ve taken.

Linder has participated on other panels put on by the ISB, admires Hussain’s work and values the interfaith connection. JN

To register for future panels, visit isb-az.org.

Dinner, immediate past chair Paul E. Stander, M.D., M.B.A., vice chair Edward M. Ober, secretary Pam Meyer, Carol Kern, Karen Owens, Michael Seiden, Meghan Shapiro, Tamara Zach and emeritus members Lenore Schupak, Carol Seidberg and Edna Sitelman.

“Our board amplifies our mission and creates lasting change for those who rely

Congregation Beth Israel, where he is creating a men’s club.

In 2018, Jessielyn Hirschl became a mentee in the Women’s Leadership Institute, where she created a financial literacy guide to support JFL’s education programs. She later served as a JFL committee member and was a staff member from 2020-2023. Currently, Hirschl is the associate director of donor

on JFCS services. We are grateful for the commitment our new members bring and the passion they embody. Together, we will continue to create a nurturing and inclusive space, where individuals find solace, hope and strength. May their presence be a source of inspiration, unity and transformation for all who seek our assistance,” Henderson said. JN

relations for the Arizona State University Foundation. Hirschl has been in Greater Phoenix since 2015. She lives in Tempe with her husband, two sons and dog. Austin Singer was born and raised in Phoenix and is a member of Congregation Beth Israel. He is a certified public accountant and, in his free time, volunteers as a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and as a buddy for the Miracle League of Arizona.

Stacie Wittenberg has served on the JFL’s board for nine years and spearheaded the Mishpatim Masquerade in March 2020. Stacie is currently involved at Scottsdale’s Congregation Or Tzion and Brophy College Prep. Prior to moving to Phoenix, Wittenberg was an associate attorney. She is originally from Toledo, Ohio, and later moved to Phoenix for the sun. She enjoys spending time and traveling with her husband, children and labradoodle. JN

Rabbi John Linder COURTESY OF TEMPLE SOLEL

From left to right, Jennifer Kirshner, Jevin Hodge and Susan Hirshman.

From left to right, Stacie Wittenberg, Austin Singer, Jessielyn Hirschl and Harris Berger.

Jewish War Veteran promoted to ‘President’s Own’

Kenneth Wolin, active member of Jewish War Veterans (JWV) Copper State Post 619, was recently promoted to master gunnery sergeant of the “The President’s Own” United States Marine Corps Band. The title is the ninth grade in the U.S. Marine Corps and the highest promotion for enlisted men and women.

Wolin is the son of JWV’s past Commander Chuck and Judy Wolin of Sun Lakes.

As part of this elite band, Kenneth Wolin has performed for some of the country’s most high-ranking officials and their guests at state dinners. He has performed with the Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra at the White House and across the country during the

A special wedding gift

David Schuman, a member of the Americans for Ben-Gurion University group, received a very special letter as a wedding gift. The 1965 letter was from David Ben-Gurion to his grandmother and had been passed down to his aunt, who gave it to him. Schuman’s beloved late grandmother, Jean Grossman, who passed away in 2019 at 91, was a noted philanthropist and a pillar of the Jewish community in Greater Phoenix.

“Jean was a remarkable woman and a monumental leader of our Jewish community,” said Valley Beit Midrash President and Dean Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz. “She was someone who I could constantly learn from and be inspired by because of her deep

band’s annual concert tour.

Wolin has started specialty bands within “The President’s Own” to spotlight instruments and music of different countries, such as Ireland, Israel and India, at official White House events.

The Marine Band performed for Thomas Jefferson at his inauguration in 1801 and has performed for every presidential inauguration since then.

Jefferson has been referred to as the “godfather” of the Marine Band, and is credited with giving the band the title “The President’s Own.”

Wolin began his musical training at age 8. After graduating from Oak Park High School in 1985, he attended Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio, where

commitment both to lifelong Jewish learning and to lifelong Jewish service.”

“I was beyond thrilled to receive it as a wedding gift. I had a vague recollection of its existence, but it was almost like family folklore. Knowing that my grandma had a personal exchange with such an iconic Israeli figure was truly remarkable,” said Schuman, who lives in Folsom, California.

His grandparents usually traveled to Israel together but on the trip his grandmother encountered Ben-Gurion, she was part of a women’s mission.

“My grandmother told me many times that Ben-Gurion was one of the best leaders of her lifetime,” he said. JN

More kosher food coming to Whole Foods with the help of Kayco

More people are looking for kosher certification in the grocery store; thus, Kayco, a food company, and Whole Foods have added a range of products. Alongside well-known brands like Gefen and Kedem, Whole Foods has added Kayco's Heaven & Earth product line to the assortment.

“Kayco and Whole Foods work together to curate a selection of Kayco Kosher products that fit well with the Whole Foods mission of offering ‘better for you’ products. Together with Whole Foods,

Young Jewish Arizonans join in RootOne’s ‘Big Tent’ event in Israel

On July 17, more than 4,000 Jewish teenagers from all over North America and Israel, including 95 from Arizona, gathered at RootOne’s Big Tent Event in Rishon Letzion’s Live Park near Tel Aviv, for a summer concert and celebration.

RootOne, powered by The Educatin Project, provides subsidies for teens to travel to Israel with one or more of the 80 different programs designed to strengthen their Jewish identity.

RootOne, whose main funder is The Marcus Foundation, is run in partnership with Mosaic United and the

Israeli Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, as well as the Jewish Agency for Israel. The Israel trip is only one aspect of the initiative’s efforts to develop a generation of Jews who are proud to stand up for their beliefs in their high schools and on college campuses. One of RootOne’s differentiating aspects is that teens are required to participate in robust pre-trip and post-trip education and engagement.

“While teens traverse the country on different trips, it is important to bring them all together for one event,” says Simon Amiel, executive director of RootOne.

“They get to see, feel and experience that

he earned an undergraduate degree in percussion. Ken continued his studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he earned a master’s degree in percussion in 1991.

Prior to joining “The President’s Own,” Wolin performed with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Florida’s Sarasota Opera and served as an extra with the Detroit Symphony, Ohio’s Toledo Symphony, Massachusetts’ Springfield Symphony and New Hampshire Symphony.

Jewish War Veterans will resume its Sunday morning brunch meetings Sept. 10. JN

To learn more about the Jewish War Veterans, contact Elliott Reiss at 480-802-3281 or elliottbarb@q.com.

Jewish fitness trainer opens flagship gym location in Scottsdale

On July 15, Altered Athletics unveiled its flagship gym location at 14305 N. 79th St. Suite H in Scottsdale. Altered Athletics is a Scottsdale training company with a team of trainers and experts who provide both small-group fitness and one-on-one training programs tailored to each athlete’s unique needs.

‘we have something for everybody,’” said Harold Weiss, chief sales officer at Kayco. The new collection also features allnatural candies from Harrison’s Sweet Shoppe, imported products from Israel and traditional items like matzo to create a diverse and inclusive offering. Notable inclusions are the Ethiopian Sesame Tahini from Haddar, Heaven & Earth Almond Butter Bites in coconut date and coconut hazelnut and a selection of traditional brands such as Manischewitz and Yehuda. Whole Foods also provides gluten-free matzah. JN

they are a part of something bigger, and the Big Tent Event solidifies their Israel experience as something memorable and life-changing.”

“The RootOne project has guided over 5,300 high school students on identitydefining journeys this year,” Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said.

“In just our 3rd year, we are beginning to see what the long-term impact of RootOne can be,” adds Amiel. “Without these subsidies, many of these teens’ families simply wouldn’t consider an Israel trip at this stage. Independent evaluations show the influence of the trips on the teens’ identities and connections.” JN

“Our mission is to empower everyday adults to transform into ‘athletes’ by transcending their limitations and unlocking their full potential. By catering to the unique strengths and needs of all of our athletes, and training them alongside a supportive community, we are revolutionizing the way people approach their fitness, health and wellness,” said Jared Mishlove, the founder and owner of Altered Athletics.

Mishlove is a Phoenix native who grew up in the Jewish community. His father, Steve, was on the board of Temple Solel in Paradise Valley and his mother, Lauren, worked as a teacher at Pardes Jewish Day School for more than 15 years and Temple Solel’s Raker Religious School.

Mishlove said that one of the greatest Jewish values instilled in him throughout his childhood was that of community, which is paramount in his business. He has focused on building a supportive community of athletes (mostly youngadult women) who encourage each other during training, help each other grow stronger and build relationships that extend beyond their time at the gym.

He received his degree in fitness and wellness from Northern Arizona University and then spent time abroad coaching strength and conditioning for athletes in Australia and Southeast Asia. Mishlove founded Altered Athletics in 2019. Since then, he has trained more than 1,000 athletes and has worked with 15 trainers to help create the Altered Athletics movement. JN

Letter from David Ben-Gurion and photos of him. COURTESY OF AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY

JWV’s active duty member, Kenneth Wolin, was promoted to master gunnery sergeant of the “President’s Own” United States Marine Corps Band. COURTESY OF JEWISH WAR VETERANS COPPER STATE POST 619

Kayco kosher food products. COURTESY OF KAYCO

A novel of Sephardic life revives the Jewish family saga

ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL | JTA

The very first Jewish book was a multigenerational Jewish family saga. But while the Bible went on to achieve some commercial and critical success, the genre doesn’t always get much love.

Consider the big best-selling books of the last century. Critics may debate the literary merits of bestsellers like “Exodus” by Leon Uris, “The Source” by James Michener and “The Chosen” by Chaim Potok, but cultural historians generally agree that each was an important indicator of Jewish tastes and preoccupations post-World War II.

But two other popular books of the era, both multigenerational Jewish family sagas, are rarely mentioned these days. Belva Plain’s novel, “Evergreen,” published in 1978, is a rags-to-riches story about a Polish-Jewish immigrant and her offspring. It spent 41 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list in hardcover and another 20 in paperback, and was made into a miniseries by NBC in 1985. Gloria Goldreich’s novel, “Leah’s Journey,” also published in 1978, is also about an Ashkenazi  family that experiences most of the upheavals of the previous 100 years.

Although “Leah’s Journey” won the National Jewish Book Award in 1979, I’ve never seen it nor “Evergreen” on a list of the century’s best or “most essential” Jewish novels.

And in truth, the qualities that make a book wildly popular aren’t always the ones that make it literary. A New York Times reviewer once described Plain’s books as “easy, consoling works of generous spirit, fat with plot and sentiment, thin in nearly every other way and almost invisible in character development.”

I brought all this baggage to my review copy of “Kantika,” Elizabeth Graver’s 2023 novel, described by its publisher as a “dazzling Sephardic multigenerational saga.” It’s about a wealthy Turkish Jewish family whose fortunes are reversed by the First World War and whose members are dispersed to Barcelona, Cuba and finally New York. And yet while it has all the drama one might expect from such journeys and the novels about them, it remains both lyrical and literary, and likely, if there is any justice, to stand the test of time.

How Graver pulled it off is something she and I talked about last week, when I reached her in Cape Cod. (Graver, the author of five previous books of fiction, teaches creative and nonfiction writing at Boston College.)

At the center of the novel is Rebecca, a privileged daughter of a Jewish factory owner in Constantinople who must constantly reinvent herself as a daughter, wife, mother, immigrant and businesswoman. The character is based on Graver’s own grandmother, and the story Graver tells is rich in details about the Sephardic heritage of her mother’s side of the family. There are snatches of Ladino dialogue and song lyrics, and organic depictions of Ladino folk and religious culture.

“I had interviewed my grandmother telling stories when I was 21,” said Graver, who is 59. “And I’ve been sort of haunted by but a little scared of telling the story.”

Between research and trips to Turkey, Spain and Cuba, the book took her a decade to write.

She decided against a nonfiction version of her grandmother’s life, thinking the story would contain too many holes and force her to insert herself into what would then become a sort of literary memoir. Instead, the book is fiction stretched over a real-life scaffolding: Each chapter begins with a photograph of the relatives who inspired the book’s characters.

One of the key relationships in the book is between Rebecca and her step-daughter, Luna, a willful, intelligent girl with a disability that affects her speech and movement. Rebecca dedicates herself to Luna’s education and what we would now call physical therapy, a set-up for shmaltz (or its Sephardic equivalent) if there ever was one. But just when you expect her to cue the string section, Graver often veers to show you how complicated and difficult people — even admirable people — can be.

“Rebecca is beautiful, and has that power and strength but is a bit narcissistic. She kind of relies on surfaces but is really good at passing,” Graver explained. “And then she has this child whose body doesn’t allow her to do any of that, but who is also fiercely determined and passionate and smart. In the interplay, they reveal each other through their different points of view.”

The book arrives at a time of renewed interest in Sephardic culture and part of its appeal is that it tells many American Jewish readers, fed a steady diet of the Ashkenazi experience, a fresh story.

A NOTE ON OPINION

“Kantika” is also a migration story, another genre that is very much of the moment. Graver herself teaches the genre, which includes works by Korean-American author Min Jee Lee, Haitian-American Edwidge Danticat  and Vietnamese-American Viet Thanh Nguyen.

I asked Graver if she was conscious of genre when she was writing the book, and wary of the way a sprawling family novel like hers might be received.

“I don’t even like the term ‘family saga,’” said Graver, who, when I asked, wasn’t familiar with Plain or Goldreich. “It makes me wince, even though I suppose I have written one and I’m indebted to them in various ways. But I want the characters to be flawed and complex and for the turns that they take to come out of their intersections with both history and their own very particular circumstances. I think about big novels where there is a big social canvas and it’s not a story of triumph.”

Indeed, “Kantika,” unlike many novels of Jewish migration, is actually a story about a family’s economic decline. Ultimately, said Graver, she wanted to capture the story of her Sephardic family’s journey in all its complexity.

“I have a deep anxiety about being overly sentimental and wrapping things up too much,” said Graver. “I love fiction that gestures towards the complexity of real life.” JN

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

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.

Author Elizabeth Graver tells the story of her mother’s Turkish Jewish family, above, in her novel “Kantika.” Her grandmother, Rebecca Baruch, who inspired the novel’s main character, is seated front row, fourth from right.

Pre-New Year’s resolution

RABBI DOV LEVERTOV PARSHAH SHOFTIM: DEUTERONOMY 16:18 - 21:9

Ityped a quick search into Google, and the new 2022 numbers show that 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by the end of February, and only 8% of people follow through for the full year. In Jewish custom and practice, the High Holiday season begins at the start of the month of Elul. The general atmosphere becomes more serious and intentional as we begin taking stock of our previous year and actions. It is a time of introspection that is meant to lead to growth and personal betterment leading up to Rosh Hashanah. Each morning starts with the shofar blasts, reminding us that Judgement Day is fast approaching and now is the time to prepare our case and defense.

The Talmud discusses the task of the day for Rosh Hashanah in the context of the coronation of G-d as our king.

In Chassidism, it explains that each year on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, G-d stops the flow and energy tailored to creation and the world, leaving just enough to remain in existence and weighs the options of continuing the status quo. This then is why Rosh Hashanah is the day of judgment. When we sound the shofar, like a royal trumpet announcing the king’s arrival, (on Shabbat when we observe the day and recite the verses connected to the shofar) we awaken in G-d the original desire and purpose of creation, to have a home where G-dliness can manifest and be revealed in the lowest parts of creation, on our earth. And at that moment, we accept G-d as our king and coronate G-d. And G-d, he accepts our crown and renews His efforts in our world and sends new energy and life for the coming year. When we accept G-d as our king, we commit to be his extension and partners in creation and to elevate the mundane world through Torah and mitzvot. Thus, our observance of Rosh Hashanah is us telling G-d, we are your subjects, and we will heed your wishes and desires.

But G-d knows what we did and how

Walking a collective path

RABBI JULIE KOZLOW

Throughout my career as a rabbi, I have often searched for colleagues among clergy who have what I call “expanded patterns of faith.” What do I mean by expanded patterns of faith? I mean that it is quite common for clergy, as representatives of their own religions, to tolerate in public those of other faiths but to carry in their hearts a stern judgment for their being the “wrong” faith. The world of religion is still heavily tribal, and less than humble, when it comes to accepting the common plight and diversity of all searching souls.

I have been in search of clergy who understand that the path that all seekers search for is the very same path as all other seekers. What is different is our cultural markings, our expressions and our manifestations that culminate in the formation of a “religion.” Yet the search for answers that whispers to the mind and hearts of every human is the same impulse; it is the One God calling. Here’s the key — the path is the same and the call is from the One Creator, yet our hearts hear the waves of that divine frequency differently. We are different; God is not.

From an aerial shot, there is only one

path calling to one humanity, whispering a unified oneness with all that exists. Yet, we step upon our course too often believing that we own the road and that all other paths are illusory.

As the rabbi and spiritual leader of Or Atid, a Jewish community in Prescott, we rent space at Unity Church of Prescott to hold our Sabbath services. I was overcome with a great sense of peace when I saw the labyrinth garden on their grounds which Robert Wertz, a member of the Unity community, oversees. And when Robert approached me to do a project together that centers around a labyrinth, I couldn’t resist. How beautifully symbolic is a labyrinth to tell this story. Here’s the path and look how we all fit on it together.

I was blessed to find two spiritually nourishing gifts so far from this involvement. First, I found myself in the company of Rev. Richard Rogers, the pastor of Unity; Manuel Lucero, the executive director of the Museum of Indigenous People in Prescott; and Robert Wertz. These gentlemen and I share a common bond. We celebrate the multitude of spiritual and religious paths as differing perspectives on

we behaved over the past year, and so we take a full month before this momentous occasion to see what we have done and how we can do better.

And then, we don’t make a New Year’s resolution, we don’t set ourselves up to fail. Instead, we begin living our better self and our newfound connection with G-d, for an entire month before the Judgement and coronation.

When a Jew overcomes societal pressure, personal challenges and emotional concerns to study Torah and observe the mitzvot, we are active partners with G-d in creating his perfect world.

The sages take the name Elul and use it as an acronym for different lessons for us, as we take the opportunity to fix and rebuild our connection during the approach to Rosh Hashanah. The most famous is from a verse in Song of Songs “Ani l’dodi v’dodi li” — I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me. Broken up into two parts, the first half represents our commitments and recalibration during Elul. The second half refers to the High Holidays, when G-d gives each one of us the blessing of Shana Tova and inscribes and seals us in the book of life.

In other words, if we put the work in during the month of Elul, and forge ahead with bettering ourselves and recommitting to Him, then when Rosh Hashanah comes, we are fitting vessels to receive the new divine energies that G-d gifts us.

The Google search shows that 89% of resolutions last for the first month. So, let’s give this month of Elul a shot at being a catalyst for change and growth. Let us each ask ourselves, what will I do to reaffirm and strengthen my connection with G-d. What mitzvahs can I strengthen to show G-d my commitment during this month, to ensure that I and my family merit a Shana Tova u’metuka, to be inscribed and sealed for a sweet new year. JN

the same mystery of God. We each love and respect our traditions and cultures developed through our unique experiences throughout history. Yet, there is no need to outshine anyone. We are all celebrating the shared path, though our perspectives and manifestations vary greatly. No one needs to be right, and no one needs to be wrong. We are all the children of this universe, together as friends, traveling hand in hand with mutual respect, support and genuine love as brothers and sisters — not enemies and not adversaries.

The second gift is that we are together, developing an event to take place this month. Robert Wertz has created an expansive labyrinth in the shape of the star of David. It will welcome the feet and journeys of all of us, in peace and knowing that we are all fellow travelers following the call as our souls feel it. Alone we are surely faithful, yet together we are the voice of the future. The tribal mentality is melting away and we are preparing to wake up as one unified family of humankind, which is, after all, our true identity. What better symbology than to share the path of a labyrinth as we dream

about a world at peace, humanity without hatred, division and brutality.

Please join us on Wednesday, Aug. 23, for “Paths to Peace” from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Watson Lake Park Upper Ramada in Prescott, to unify our passions for brotherhood and the dream of a world truly at peace with itself. Walk the labyrinth with us. JN

For more information, visit rabbijuliekozlow.com or contact Or Atid at 928-220-5020.

Rabbi Dov Levertov is director of the Chabad of Phoenix.

Rabbi Dov Levertov

Rabbi Julie Koslow stands in the labyrinth garden at Unity Church of Prescott. COURTESY OF RABBI JULIE KOSLOW

Arizona teens challenged to become Holocaust education content creators

SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER

Constructing a three-minute educational video about the Holocaust — one that is simultaneously organized, understandable and creative, not to mention accurate — is no easy feat. Still, the leaders of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society (AZJHS) suspected that by creating such a challenge with the First Annual Oskar Knoblauch YouTube Contest, they would find several Arizona high school students up to the task. With the winning videos available to view online, the public can now judge for itself.

“All the students had a little different take on the project, and even those who didn’t win showed so much creativity,” said Mary Ellen Page, AZJHS Holocaust educator and one of the contest’s creators.

Red Mountain High School students

Rannen Phillips and Adrianna Delci took first place in the group category for their striking interpretation of Phoenix Holocaust survivor Marion Weinzweig’s personal narrative. In their video “Duality of Faith,” a plaintive melody, simple yet ominous, plays in the background, while a ramped image shows Delci’s hands drawing a girl with long hair and a painful expression. Over the course of three minutes, it becomes clear that the girl in the drawing holds a Star of David while her wrists are bound by barbed wire superimposed with a cross.

Phillips reads her original poem based on the details of Weinzweig’s history as a Polish child hidden by her parents from the invading Nazis in a Catholic neighbor’s household and later, in a Catholic convent. When her father, who had survived the camps but lost nearly all of his family, came to liberate her, she shrank from him and for some time, refused to believe she was a Jew. Weinzweig has spoken publicly about her struggle with religious identity after her traumatic experience and what she’s called “the darkest period of my life.”

The video exemplifies one of the contest’s main goals, according to Anthony Fusco, AZJHS education coordinator. “We wanted students to tap into a collective

form of consciousness by understanding the emotional connection that goes along with learning the survivor’s story,” he said.

Phillips, Delci and nine other winners were honored at an AZJHS award ceremony in June. There were 14 video entries overall divided into two categories, group and individual. Each category has a first, second and third-place winner, as well as honorable mentions. First-place winners receive $300; second-place and third-place winners receive $200 and $100, respectively. All winners also receive a signed copy of Oskar Knoblauch’s autobiography. Knoblauch is a local Holocaust survivor and the competition’s namesake, whose story is part of AZJHS’ original exhibit, “Stories of Survival: An Immersive Journey through the Holocaust,” which will run through May 30, 2024.

The entry videos — representing students from Canyon View High School in Waddell, Red Mountain High School in Mesa, Ridgeview College Preparatory High School in San Tan Valley and Saguaro High School in Scottsdale — incorporated music, survivors’ family pictures and clips from their public appearances intertwined with students’ original poetry and narration, as well as historical text and photos. Initially, TikTok was meant to be the contest’s platform but after it came under national scrutiny and was outright banned in some states — and some of Arizona’s schools — AZJHS switched to YouTube to platform the videos.

Hannah Mack, the second-place winner in the individual category, was one of the few students who still used TikTok to make her video. In the classic conversational TikTok setup, Mack filmed herself talking about Knoblauch’s story, pointing to certain photos and snippets of text to argue for the importance of Holocaust education in combating Holocaust deniers. She also talks about the vital role of upstanders, “someone who stands up for what is right and speaks out in their community,” encouraging her audience to do just that

while promising it is something she intends to do as well.

Mack’s callout of Holocaust deniers is something Dr. Lawrence Bell, AZJHS executive director, can appreciate. “Social media can be very inane, but it is also where antisemites and other hateful people go to spread their messages,” he told Jewish News, via email.

“Our goal is to fight hatred with greater understanding and love and provide quality information in a way that is new and creative, yet which still engages the primary source,” he said.

Students could also include an element of role playing or acting, which is what honorable mention winner Michael Alvarado did. He filmed himself going about his day — brushing his teeth, going to the gym, walking home — while discussing how teenagers like him, “struggling to find their true selves,” can relate somewhat to Weinzweig because of the way she has described the emotional turmoil she felt for so many years after the Holocaust.

“She often talked about her regrets and what she wished she could have done instead. That’s why allowing yourself to be stuck in one part of your life and not allowing yourself to let go is unhealthy,” Alvarado said.

The idea for the contest was first sparked a couple of years ago while Page and

Robin LaCorte, the Holocaust education coordinator for Martin Springer Institute at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, were doing coursework for Arizona State University’s (ASU) World War II Studies program in Tempe. Last year, when LaCorte ran into a representative from the Helios Education Foundation during ASU’s Genocide Awareness Week, who said the contest would be something Helios would like to fund, she started working on a grant to pay for AZJHS’ teacher training program, the teachers’ stipend for entering students’ work and the students’ prize money.

Page and Fusco have discussed expanding the contest to middle school students or making a few tweaks for next year, but they were very pleased with how the first competition turned out.

“We’re really pleased that we’re going to have 14 YouTube videos with a positive message about being an upstander and fighting racism or any other ‘ism,’” said Page.

Ultimately, the contest is one more way AZJHS is working to make compelling programming about the Holocaust for young people.

“This is the kind of thing that attracts kids — it’s talking to them through their language and it’s effective,” Page said. JN

To watch the videos, visit azjhs.org/ azjhs-oskar-knoblauch-contest.

“WE WANTED STUDENTS TO TAP INTO A COLLECTIVE FORM OF CONSCIOUSNESS BY UNDERSTANDING THE EMOTIONAL CONNECTION THAT GOES ALONG WITH LEARNING THE SURVIVOR’S STORY.”

ANTHONY FUSCO

Screenshot from Rannen Phillips' and Adrianna Delci’s winning video in the First Annual Oskar Knoblauch YouTube Contest.

Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill

September 6 – November 26, 2023

Tiananmen: A New Musical

October 4 – October 29, 2023

Elf The Musical

November 22 – December 30, 2023

Sister’s Christmas Catechism: the mystery of the magi’s gold

December 1 – December 30, 2023

Festival of New American Theatre

January 5 – January 21, 2024

The Lehman Trilogy

January 24 – February 11, 2024

The Truth About Winnie Ruth Judd

February 7 – March 17, 2024

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

March 6 – April 28, 2024

What the Constitution Means to Me

April 10 – June 16, 2024

Fiddler on the Roof

May 22 – July 7, 2024

Fully Committed

July 10 – August 11, 2024

Cabaret

July 31 – September 1, 2024

David Corenswet, the first Jewish Superman, keeps his life private. He was married by a rabbi and a priest.

GABE FRIEDMAN | JTA

When David Corenswet was announced as the next DC Comics Superman last month, Jewish movie and comic fans rejoiced: He will be the first Jewish actor to portray the hero in a blockbuster.

But one Jewish community in New Orleans has been particularly excited.

“The Corenswet family is well known and loved” in New Orleans, said Daniel Sherman, rabbi of the city’s historic Temple Sinai synagogue. “I have also heard a few groups talking about having some screening events to support David and are thrilled with the prospect of having not only a ‘Jewish Superman,’ but one with local roots.”

The Corenswet clan has long ties to Temple Sinai, Louisiana’s oldest Reform synagogue, founded in 1870. Although David Corenswet grew up in Philadelphia, many members of his family still attend Temple Sinai, including his uncle Jay, a past president of the congregation.

“It’s not the biggest issue in anyone’s life, but we’re very gratified that we’re going to have a Jewish Superman,” said Edward Cohn, a rabbi emeritus at Temple Sinai who is close to the Corenswets.

Corenswet also tapped Cohn when he got married in March. The ceremony took place at the Immaculate Conception church — one of the city’s historic Jesuit houses of worship, first opened in the 1850s — because Corenswet’s wife is Catholic.

Cohn co-officiated the ceremony with a priest — and according to Julie Vanderbrook, Immaculate Conception’s longtime wedding coordinator, “the rabbi kind of ran the show.”

It was the first time in at least two decades (possibly ever, according to Vanderbrook) that the church hosted a ceremony that included a chuppah, or Jewish wedding canopy. Other Jewish rituals, including the breaking of the glass, were combined with Catholic ones. Cohn said that Corenswet

had a specific vision for how the day would go, and church staffers were delighted with how he carried it out.

“The bride and groom were just so determined to intersperse the Jewish traditions with the Catholic traditions, which to me just enhanced the beauty and the strength of both faiths,” Vanderbrook said. “I felt I got to know [the Corenswet family] pretty well, because they were delightful people.”

Multiple members of the New Orleans community who know David described him as quietly intense and intellectual, and he has successfully kept most of his personal life — including the details of his Jewish identity, and the very fact that he is married — private, even as the Hollywood spotlight has begun to shine brightly on him. (His publicists did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.)

But Cohn said Jewishness is an important part of David’s private life, even if he doesn’t regularly go to a synagogue.

David and his new wife, who is also an actor, have been living in Philadelphia, and Cohn said they are “definitely intending to affiliate with a congregation,” even though they regularly travel to Los Angeles and other filming locations.

In 2020, David spoke at a Zoom event organized by Jewish Pride New Orleans, a group under the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans umbrella.

“He was so generous with his time,” said Marc Behar, who founded JP NOLA. “A thoughtful, kind person.”

Cohn also knew David’s grandfather, Sam Corenswet, Jr., who Cohn described as a “bright, worldly, well-educated southern gentleman.” Like his own father,

David Corenswet will be Hollywood’s first Jewish Superman. COURTESY OF EMMA MCINTYRE/GETTY IMAGES, DANIEL ÁLVASD/ UNSPLASH; DESIGN BY MOLLIE SUSS

Peoria theater puts a new spin on ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’

MALA BLOMQUIST | MANAGING EDITOR

For decades, Jewish audiences have embraced “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (colloquially known as “Joseph”), which is a popular production at Jewish summer camps and schools. Shira Epstein, professor of education at Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, in an interview with My Jewish Learning, said, “If you study, work in, or support Jewish camps, youth groups, day schools or retirement homes, chances are that at some point in your lifetime, you will play a part or be forced to hold a camcorder for two hours during this telling of one of the most famed Genesis narratives.” At age 13, Epstein was cast in two different versions of the play.

Those familiar with the play are in for a unique adaptation when it comes to Peoria’s Arizona Broadway Theatre’s (ABT) production running Sept. 29 through Nov. 4. Director Ken Urso said that this is his fifth time directing “Joseph” and has always done it the traditional way but is excited to play with this new concept inspired by the movie, “Night at the Museum.”

“Joseph” is a sung-through musical, in which songs entirely replace any spoken dialogue, with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The production contains a multitude of musical genres, including country-western, calypso, pop and rock and roll. In 1968, “Joseph” was the first collaboration of Rice and Lloyd Webber to be performed publicly.

In the traditional adaptation, the narrator leads a group of children through the tale of Joseph, who, after receiving a multicolored coat from his father, as a gift to show his affection to his favorite son, is tricked by his 11 jealous brothers and sold into slavery. The brothers tell their father, Jacob, that Joseph is dead and show him the coat they have destroyed to prove it. While imprisoned in Egypt, Jacob discovers he can interpret dreams and becomes the Pharaoh’s right-hand man when he predicts, and helps prevent, a famine. Joseph’s brothers, hearing of the prosperity in Egypt, go there and Joseph devises a test to see if his brothers have changed their ways. Convinced that they have, Joseph sends for his father and upon their reunion, Jacob returns the coat to his son, fully repaired.

In ABT’s production, the narrator takes the kids through a museum, which “justifies all the different kinds of music. When it’s the French song, they’ll be in the Renaissance exhibit. When they’re in Egypt, there’ll be an ancient Egyptian exhibit and when they’re singing the country song, it’ll be a Western exhibit,” Urso explained.

He believes that when ABT originally did the play, the first scene was set in a museum but then continued along the traditional storyline. He said for this performance, he wanted to take it a step further and do the whole thing in a museum setting.

This is Urso’s 25th year directing. He grew up in Wisconsin and started directing shows at local theaters when he was 15. He moved to New York City, got his master’s in directing, worked on shows in the city and taught at The Actors Studio in the heart of the Theater District in New York. He recently moved to California.

He said that “Joseph” is a magical tale to direct, albeit tricky with all the different genres of music, but his favorite part is watching the kids onstage watch the show happen in front of them.

“There’s something so beautiful about seeing professional actors tell this story to the children’s choir but then the audience gets to watch both levels of that,” said Urso.

Urso is not Jewish and growing up in

a small town in Wisconsin, there weren’t many Jewish families in his community.

The first time he directed “Joseph,” a Jewish actor played Jacob and asked Urso if he could incorporate some of his own religious background into the part, which Urso encouraged him to do and, in turn, he said he learned a lot from that actor.

“I’ve learned all of my religious studies through musicals,” he said. “I did “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Godspell” and

“Joseph.” That’s where I started to learn about all the religions and the power of how different audience members can take something different away from every show. If you are a Jewish person watching the show, you’re going to take away something different from a Catholic person or someone who doesn’t practice any religion. That’s the power of theater and I think this piece specifically ties into that.” JN

For more information, visit azbroadway.org.

Arizona Broadway Theatre’s cast of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” from its 2013 production. COURTESY OF ARIZONA BROADWAY THEATRE

M-TH

SUPERMAN

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18

Sam Jr. was involved with the Temple Sinai board — and the New Orleans Mid Winter Sports Association, which runs the college football Sugar Bowl (previously an endof-year championship game, now part of the annual NCAA football Playoff). The family ran a wholesale appliance distributor business.

An article on the Sugar Bowl website explains the many famous college football figures Sam Corenswet, Jr. met over the course of a 50-year tenure as president of the association: “He’s met many of the legendary college coaches, Bear Bryant, Woody Hayes, Bud Wilkinson, Bob Devaney, Bobby Bowden and Nick Saban, through the years. He’s witnessed numerous Heisman Trophy winners and national championship squads.”

David Corenswet’s father, John, who died of cancer in 2019 at 64, was an actor-turned-lawyer. The family did not have cable TV while David grew up, and they instead watched classic movies together. David caught the acting bug early and made his debut at age 9 in a local production of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons.” He would go on to Juillard; in auditions, he kept an old New York City subway token in his pocket, a gift and good luck charm from his father.

Corenswet, 30, is still far from a

household name. He has starred in multiple Netflix series developed by prolific producer Ryan Murphy, including “The Politician” and “Hollywood,” but a turn as Superman will exponentially raise his profile. “Superman: Legacy” is slated for release in 2025 and co-stars Rachel Brosnahan, of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” fame, as Lois Lane.

It’s unclear whether Corenswet will bake anything Jewish into his performance — Superman was originally created by two Jews and the character’s real name, Kal-El, is thought to be a nod to Hebrew — but the rabbi who stood under the chuppah with him said he’s sure the actor will make the role his own.

“For a guy who is an actor, he’s not looking to be on stage all the time,” Cohn said. “He can laugh at himself. He’s got a great sense of humor, which I think will be really important in this role that he’s going to play.” JN

Corenswet poses with Rabbi Edward Cohn at his wedding rehearsal dinner at Immaculate Conception Jesuit Church in New Orleans.

Climate change

Rabbi Berel Chana Zaklikofsky, the co-director of Chabad of Goodyear, and his children enjoy Prescott and its more moderate summer climate.

OF RABBI

Reading ‘Lamentations’

About 30 people attended the reading of Eicha (Lamentations) at Beth El Congregation in Phoenix on Tisha b’Av.

COURTESY OF HERSHL WEBERMAN

All politics is local

A group of children from the East Valley Jewish Community Center’s Early Learning Center greet U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton in the lobby during an early August visit to the East Valley JCC.

Perfect picnic

A big birthday!

Marcy Lewis wishes a happy 94th birthday to Harold Grinspoon, “the man that changed her life and the lives of thousands and thousands of Jewish kids all over the world by creating PJ Library,” on July 27.

Or Atid Rabbi Julie Kozlow and her congregants gathered at Goldwater Lake south of Prescott for a picnic in early August.

Featured Event

SUNDAY, AUG. 27

Jewish Community Day with the Dbacks:

1:10-4 p.m. Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix. Join the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix and other Jewish organizations for a day out at the ballpark as the Arizona Diamondbacks play the Cincinnati Reds. Cost: $20-$58; $15 for kids ages 15 and under with the purchase of one adult ticket. For more information, visit mlb.com/dbacks/tickets/specials/jewish-community-day.

Events

SATURDAY, AUG. 19

Rosh Chodesh Tea: 10-11 a.m. Congregation Beth Tefillah, 6529 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale. CBT invites women to recharge for an hour and take time to gather, pray and learn. Cost: free. For more information, visit bethtefillahaz. org/event/womens-tea.

Congregation Shomrei Torah Open House Shabbat Service: 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, rooms 218-219, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Join Congregation Shomrei Torah for a prospective member open house and “get-to-know-you” kiddish. Cost: free. For more information, visit cstaz.org.

SUNDAY, AUG. 20

Ice Ice Gaga: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Congregation Or Zion, 16415 N. 90th St., Scottsdale. Or Zion welcomes kids in grades 3 through 6 for lunch, ice cream, Kona ice, activities and play time in the Gaga pit. Cost: free. For more information, visit congregationortzion.org.

The Simcha Showcase: 12-3 p.m. Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Join Event Smart Productions for a bar/bat mitzvah expo (formerly known as The Mizvahs & More Expo) featuring vendors offering services including DJ and lighting, event planners, photographers, videographers, caterers, bakers, photo booths, venues, Judaica, Jewish community resources and more. Cost: free; registration necessary. For more information, visit thesimchashowcase. com. (Jewish News is a sponsor of this event.)

Shevet Shemesh Opening Event: 3-6 p.m. Menachem Mendel Academy, 6140 E. Thunderbird Road, Scottsdale. Opportunity for kids in grades 2-12 to learn about Shevet Shemesh (Israeli Scouts) and enjoy games, activities, a foam party, snacks and drinks. Cost: free; registration required. For more information, visit jewishphoenix.com/events/ shevet-shemesh-opening-event-2023/.

Summer Music Series: 3 p.m. Arizona Jewish Historical Society, 122 E. Culver St., Phoenix. Join the Arizona Jewish Historical Society for a concert featuring Nicole Pesce presenting songs by Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Marvin Hamlisch, Burt Bacharach and others. Cost: $25 for AZJHS members; $36 for nonmembers. For more information, visit azjhs.org/ nicole.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 23

Sneak Peek: "GOLDA" at AMC: 4-5:45 p.m. AMC movie theater locations Valleywide. Enjoy a screening of the new movie "GOLDA" two days before its nationwide release, with a Q&A after with actress Helen Mirren and director Guy Nattiv. Cost: $16. For more information, visit fathomevents.com/events/GOLDA/theaters.

SUNDAY, AUG. 27

A Big Splash for the End of Summer: 10 a.m.12 p.m. East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler. Join

the EVJCC for a morning of water play and popsicles. Cost: free; registration required. For more information, visit evjcc.org/jcommunity/.

TUESDAY, AUG. 29

Navigating Uncertainty: 6-7:30 p.m. Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Join the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix’s Business & Professionals network for a panel discussion on the topic of navigating uncertainty in today’s ever-changing business landscape. Cost: $18. For more information, visit phoenixcjp.regfox.com/ navigating-uncertainty-bp-event.

THURSDAY, AUG. 31

VOSJCC Blood Drive: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. A Vitalant blood mobile will be in the VOSJCC parking lot. To schedule an appointment, visit donors.vitalant. org and enter sponsor code: JCCVOS.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 3

Pre-Rosh Hashanah Fair & BBQ: 12-2 p.m. Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life, 875 N. McClintock Drive, Chandler. Join Chabad of the East Valley for Israeli music, beekeeper and honey demonstrations, challah making, honey cake decorating, apple tasting, shofar making (nominal fee) and a kosher BBQ (available for purchase). Cost: free; reservations required. For more information, visit chabadcenter.com/bbq.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 6

Esther Basch: The Honey Girl of Auschwitz: 7 p.m.; doors open at 6:15 p.m. Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Join Chabad of the East Valley for a presentation by 94-year-old Prescott resident Esther Basch who survived the Auschwitz Death Camps after being sent there in a cattle car on her 16th birthday. Cost: $18 or $36; $25 or $45 after Aug. 25; $15 students. For more information, visit chabadcenter.com/event.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 8

Open House Community Shabbat: 5:30 p.m. The Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, 100 Meadow Lark Drive, Sedona. Join JCSVV for an open house, refreshments and socializing following Shabbat service. Cost: free. For more information, visit jcsvv.org.

Wine and Cheese Open House: 6 p.m. Gloria Christi Federated Church, 3535 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley. Join Beth Ami Temple adult congregation to learn more about its services, social groups, activities, guest speakers, concerts and community affairs projects. Cost: free; RSVP at bethamitemple@ hotmail.com or call 602-956-0805. For more information, visit bethamitemple.org.

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.

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.

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 meetings, every third Sunday. Cost: free. For more information, email Michael Chambers at c365michael@yahoo.com.

Sundays are for the Family Weekly Feed: 3-5 p.m. Tempe Beach Park, 80 W. Rio Salado Parkway, 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.

Anxiety in the Modern World: 6 p.m. Online. Learn the secrets of the Torah for living stressfree 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.

MONDAYS

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? We can teach you! Every level welcome. Cost: free. For more information, visit vosjcc.org.

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

WEDNESDAYS

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

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

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

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

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

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/.

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.

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.

Melvin Weiser

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 Sheana Abrams at (602) 971-1234 or sabrams@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.

Melvin Weiser, 99, passed away at his home in Sun Lakes on Friday, August 4, 2023.

He was born in Manhattan, NYC, on May 9, 1924, the son of Samuel and Rose (Cohen) Weiser. Raised in the Bronx, Mel graduated from Evander Childs High School and then, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the start of World War II. He served on the baby aircraft carrier Croatan (CVE 25) in the Atlantic Ocean. The mission was to destroy German submarines that were attacking Allied ships. He always said his Naval service was a positive turning point in his life, and it was then that he decided to become a writer.

After the war, Mel studied and received his B.A. and M.A. degrees in English and theater from Brooklyn College. He became a teacher and wrote plays and stories in his free time. He taught at Midwood High School and Thomas Jefferson Vocational School.

Mel married Isabel Ehrlich in 1948, and they had two sons: Brenn and Darin. In 1958 the family moved to Phoenix where Mel taught English and drama at North Phoenix High School. After several years, he transferred to Alhambra High School and then spent 17 years teaching English at Glendale Community College. During that period, he also wrote the books and lyrics for nine “Hollywood Hits,” musicals performed all over the country by high schools and community theaters.

Mel directed several productions at Phoenix Little Theatre. He started the original Phoenix Jewish Theatre (1962), Circle 16 Playhouse and Actors Inner Circle (1969). Mel directed “Brightower” on Broadway (NYC, 1971) and produced and directed “Best of Broadway Productions,” a dinner theater circuit for numerous Valley of the Sun resorts. Mel’s influence in local theater was enormous.

In the 1970s, Mel published his first novels: “The Trespasser” (Avon Books) and “Within the Web” (Dell Books). Years later, he wrote and published “Nick Nolte: Caught in the Act” (Momentum Books, 1999), “On 174th Street: The World of Willie Mittleman” (2014), “Viva Puccini” (2021) and “The Crown of Sammuramat” (2022). The production of his play “Cry, Tiger!” (2008) was a big success with local audiences.

After sharing 45 loving years with Mel, Isabelle passed away in 1993. She had myotonic muscular dystrophy, as did their sons. Darin passed away in 1998 and Brenn in 2017. Mel is survived by his second wife, playwright Joni Browne-Walders (married in 2006) for another loving marriage of 17 years. Together they wrote and produced the play “A Tiny Piece of Land.”

Mel was a remarkable man; gifted, caring, generous and full of energy, wit and optimism. He was a dedicated husband and father who was loved and admired by family, friends, coworkers and his students. He will not be forgotten. In lieu of flowers, feel free to make donations in memory of Melvin Weiser to Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E. Flower St., Phoenix, AZ 85014, a truly worthwhile organization.

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: 7:30 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. JN

Helene Wollheim

Arlene Zacks Gaitz

Arlene Zacks Gaitz of Paradise Valley died Monday, July 31, 2023, at the age of 91.

Arlene was born in Cleveland, Ohio on June 27, 1932. She attended Western Reserve College where she earned a nursing degree. Prior to becoming a wife and mother, Arlene worked as a surgical nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital and in later years at University Hospital. She also participated in the Harvard Nurses Study for over 50 years. In 1978, Arlene and her husband Bill Zacks relocated their family to the Phoenix area. She also lived in Houston, Texas, for many years before ultimately moving back to the Phoenix area.

She had a wonderful sense of adventure illustrated through her world travels. She was a patron of the arts. She will be remembered by her quick-witted sense of humor, unlimited generosity, kindness and eternal optimism.

She is survived by her children Milan Polacek, Eric Polacek (Amy), Julie Bronstein (Stanley) and Susan Polacek; and grandchildren Adam, David and Carly Polacek.

She was preceded in death by her husbands Charles Gaitz, William Zacks and Joseph Polacek and her sister Beverly Weltman. Arlene will be greatly missed by all the people she touched and by her beloved Golden Retriever Bentley, a.k.a., Pookie. Graveside services were held Friday, August 4, 2023, at Paradise Memorial Gardens in Scottsdale and officiated by Rabbi Stephen Kahn of Congregation Beth Israel.

Donations in Arlene’s name can be made to The Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix or a charity of your choice.

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Helene Wollheim, 78, a beloved wife, mother and grandmother on July 30, 2023.

Helene was born to Frances and Harry Wolinsky in Chicago, Illinois on June 4, 1945. She and her family moved to Phoenix when she was three years old.

Helene considered herself an Arizona native, attending Arizona State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in education and met her husband, Roger. Thereafter, she moved to Los Angeles, California, where she taught elementary school. After returning to Phoenix to be closer to family, Helene’s children were born and she left teaching to raise them. She later went back to the profession as a substitute teacher for the Washington and Paradise Valley School Districts. Helene was one of the most requested substitute teachers in these districts!

In her free time, Helene was an avid reader, played mahjong and enjoyed long lunches with friends while drinking diet soda with no ice. She was proud to be a lifetime member of Weight Watchers and a Hadassah member. But by far, Helene’s greatest accomplishment, pride and joy were her children and grandchildren.

Helene touched the lives of those around her with her warm smile, love for conversation and genuine compassion. Helene’s memory lives on in the hearts of her husband, Roger Wollheim; her children, Brenda (Andrew) Gorman and Bryan (Jaclyn) Wollheim; and her six grandchildren Marley, Josh and Sloane Gorman; and Macey, Hillary and Whitney Wollheim.

Services were held at Congregation Beth Israel and Helene was peacefully laid to rest on August 3, 2023, at Beth El Cemetery. She was surrounded by an outpouring of love from family and friends. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations in Helene’s honor be made to Gesher Disability Resources.