Jewish News, Feb. 5, 2021

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Arizona’s COVID-19 spike further complicates Jewish community’s loss

Susie Mannis Sigman is one of the lucky ones. She was able to say goodbye to her mother — albeit over FaceTime.

“It was a real blessing, especially knowing how many families have not had that opportunity amid these horrible circumstances,” Sigman said.

Her mother, Barbara Mannis, died at 83 on April 23 in Scottsdale, soon after the coronavirus pandemic upended daily life across the country.

Mannis didn’t have COVID-19, but the coronavirus pandemic affected almost everything about what came next: a virtual funeral, a shiva unlike any Sigman had seen before and — since she lives alone — a long grieving period without anyone to hug.

Dealing with the COVID-era loss was made easier by having a guide for what to do next, Sigman said.

“My parents had prearranged their funeral plans, which was a godsend,” Sigman said. “It would have been so much more challenging — it just would have been really, really hard to have to navigate all of that.”

As difficult as things were last spring, families are now faced with even starker circumstances due to the state’s dramatic rise in COVID-19 — now the leading cause of death in Arizona.

Local mortuaries and cemeteries are feeling the strain.

Green Acres Mortuary and Cemetery in Scottsdale is forced to delay services, an issue that’s of particular note to Jewish families that want to bury their loved ones within

Phoenix-area Jewish leaders anticipate changes from Biden administration

In the two weeks following President Joe Biden’s inauguration, several leading members of Phoenix’s Jewish community say they are cautiously optimistic about the new administration when it comes to dealing with COVID-19, anti-Semitism and immigration. But there remains skepticism about what the future holds in terms of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

With more than 440,000 Americans dead from COVID-19, Heather Ross, a clinical assistant professor at Arizona State University’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society and Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, is hoping the new administration will be able to improve the vaccination process and implement protective measures against the virus soon.

Ross expects to see a “significant difference” in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines with Biden at the helm.

“The residents of Arizona, and here in the Greater Phoenix area, have been led to believe for many, many months that when it came time to get vaccinated, that would be orchestrated by Maricopa County. And when the Arizona Department of Health Services swept in and started setting up separate vaccination pods and locations and rules — it’s been extremely

Grandchildren of Holocaust survivors keep stories alive

Adena Astrowsky, author of “Living among the Dead: My Grandmother’s Holocaust Survival Story of Love and Strength,” started 3GAZ to keep stories like her grandmother’s from being forgotten. To read more, go to p. B9.

NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER

PHOTO COURTESY OF ADENA ASTROWSKY

Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. DOD, US ARMY SGT. CHARLOTTE CARULLI VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONSs

24 hours in accordance with Jewish law.

“We want to honor the Jewish customs and bury within 24 hours, but that’s not possible right now,” said Amie Gazda, Green Acres’ general manager. “If we can get everything to go accordingly, maybe three days. And it’s heartbreaking.”

Hospitals are overwhelmed and struggling to release bodies while doctors are grappling with filling out death certificates in a timely manner, she said. With a 65% increase in COVID deaths in January, hospitals are backlogged.

Additionally, there are delays from suppliers.

“With the funeral home, there are just even difficulties in getting caskets, urns — there’s a shortage of everything right now,” Gazda said.

Losing a loved one is already the worst time in a person’s life, she added.

“But then when you compile that with COVID and the pandemic, it just creates so much more stress for the families.”

Ira Mann, general manager of Mt. Sinai Cemetery in Phoenix, agreed there are hurdles caused by the death rate. Burials were up 50% in 2020 over “any other year that we’ve ever done.”

It’s been chaotic, he said, since the

cemetery is serving three groups of people at the same time.

“We have people coming in now and buying because they want to make sure they’re taken care of. Then we have the families that have pre-planned already that are passing,” he said. “And then we have the families that people are passing and have to come in immediately and get a plot because they had nothing taken care of beforehand.”

But eve with the additional strain, Mann said that Mt. Sinai is still able to offer burials within 24 hours.

“We’re able to handle whatever’s given to us,” he said. “We have no delays whatsoever.”

Rabbis are also scrambling to cope with the large spike in COVID deaths and constraints posed by the pandemic.

“Because of COVID now, clergy aren’t always able to be with the person and the family in person, so certain [deathrelated] rituals are being done remotely,” said Rabbi Mindie Snyder, rabbi and chaplain for Sun Health Communities.

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The process of staying with the body and administering prayers has been difficult if not impossible.

“Because of the increase in COVID deaths, it’s not always possible to have the body attended to immediately,” Snyder said.

Funerals have capacity restrictions: a maximum of 50 people at Green Acres and 10 at Mt. Sinai.

Seeing families grieve without in-person emotional support from family and friends has taken a toll on Gazda.

“We’re funeral directors, and we’re here to make the worst experience of someone’s life a little bit easier. But in these conditions, it’s been so much more difficult,” she said.

Mann agreed that it’s been hard supporting families, but he is getting creative: The cemetery built an outdoor area for immediate family with room for social distancing, and in October, he brought in a streaming service for family

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confusing for our community members,” she said. “I hear it every single day: ‘What am I supposed to do? What are the rules?’”

Hours after being inaugurated Jan. 20, Biden signed an executive order implementing a mask mandate on federal property. The following day he mandated mask wearing in airports and on public transportation.

Ross, who is also an adviser to Mayor Kate Gallego, said she is “absolutely thrilled to see a commitment to masking,” and is awaiting additional funding and resources for testing and vaccine delivery.

She is also happy to see more help go to local governments.

“Cities know their communities absolutely the best,” she said. “Cities are in the best position to know how to get vaccines into those vulnerable neighborhoods.”

Although she said it’s unclear when things will get less confusing on the ground, she noted Biden’s goal to vaccinate 100 million people in his first 100 days in office requires “a massive effort very quickly.”

made me leave my international work behind and come get involved in a domestic context,” he said.

He is optimistic, however, that the new Biden administration will “take a very proactive stance” in addressing domestic extremism.

Immigration is another front where local leaders expect to see changes.

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, founder of Arizona Jews for Justice, is excited about Biden’s commitment to reunite migrant families, but he’s also preparing for a new kind of border crisis. A substantial portion of AJJ’s work involves assisting asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. But since January 2019, when the Trump administration instituted the “Remain in Mexico” policy to deter asylum seekers from entering the U.S. on the southern border, there haven’t been many to assist.

Biden announced he’s reviewing the program, which means Phoenix and its Jewish community must be prepared to help and welcome newcomers, Yanklowitz said. He anticipates up to 300 asylum seekers per day will need immediate assistance.

“We are right now calling for volunteers in the community,” he said, adding the group is in need of lawyers, medical professionals and people to contribute supplies and donations to cover costs. Fundraising in the past year has been a challenge, he added, and the effort is around $100,000 short of “where we need to be” within the next three months.

Still, he remains hopeful about upcoming policy changes. “This country was founded on inclusivity and was built by immigrants.”

Change is also likely in policies regarding Israel.

Paul Rockower, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix, anticipates change on a different issue.

“There’s been a growing concern about rising anti-Semitism here in Arizona and across the country,” Rockower said. “It’s a matter of the national tone, and I think we can expect to see some change.”

Biden’s swearing in came fast on the heels of a violent protest at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. One man wore a “Camp Auschwitz” T-shirt that day, putting an exclamation mark on Rockower’s concern. He also highlighted local anti-Semitic incidents last year, including a banner with the words “Hitler was right” hung on an overpass, a Nazi flag unfurled at a Bernie Sanders rally and threats against a journalist from a Jewish publication as evidence of the problem.

Community and law enforcement partners are increasingly understanding that “extremism is a real issue in this country,” Rockower said. But he acknowledged there is much work that remains.

That work, in part, brought Rockower to Phoenix in 2019, after spending seven years in international diplomacy.

“It was Charlottesville, and seeing the Nazis marching through Charlottesville, and the shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue that

Jay Bycer, co-president of Arizona Friends of Magen David Adom, hopes the new administration’s priority when it comes to Israel will be addressing the threat posed by Iran. Biden intends to rejoin the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, from which the U.S. withdrew in May 2018, provided Tehran resumes compliance and additional changes are made. Bycer is not necessarily opposed to reentering the accord.

“If you reenter the right way, it can be helpful,” he said.

He is eager for the new administration to continue the Abraham Accords and what he sees as its “great approach” to pursuing peace.

“When you think about Israel, and if you really know what Israel produces in terms of scientific, health and other kinds of opportunities and things to the world,” he said, “if there’s a good relationship among all of these countries, Israel and the world will thrive.”

In terms of Israel’s domestic affairs, including settlements, Bycer hopes the Biden administration won’t “mess with” them. Israel is its own country, he said, and should be able to address settlements how it sees fit. “If I was my own country, I wouldn’t want somebody else telling me what to do, like a big brother,” he said. JN

"THERE'S BEEN A GROWING CONCERN ABOUT RISING ANTI-SEMITISM HERE IN ARIZONA AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY."

New schluchim arrive in Downtown Phoenix

NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER

Downtown Phoenix is booming, and recent population growth, investment and revitalization have brought Rabbi Dovber Dechter and his wife, Chana’le Dechter, to town.

“With all the new young people and energy, there’s a lot of Jews that are coming out there,” Rabbi Dechter said. That has created a need for a full-time Chabad rabbi in the neighborhood.

The couple moved to Phoenix with their two young daughters in December as the new Chabad of Downtown Phoenix schluchim , or emissaries. They hope to engage with Jews in the community and to be a resource in any way they can. Sometimes that will mean providing a Shabbat or holiday meal; sometimes it will mean teaching classes.

The needs of the community will shape their offerings, he said.

For now, they are trying to meet people as best they can while adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Downtown Phoenix was once primarily a business and government hub. But the area has seen more than a $6.5 billion investment since 2005 in transportation, education and technology, as well as office and residential construction, according to Downtown Phoenix Inc., making it the walkable neighborhood it is today.

“We learned from other places that downtown is a location that we shouldn’t neglect, and [we should] be there for those who live there or work there,” said Rabbi Zalman Levertov, director of Chabad of Arizona, who selected Dechter for the downtown job.

Levertov’s son, Rabbi Levi Levertov, started the work of building a Chabad presence downtown 11 years ago, while also launching and directing Smile on Seniors Arizona.

He underestimated the senior community’s need for services, he said, and that effort ended up consuming the bulk of his time and energy.

With the limited time he had left, he hosted lunch-and-learn sessions and helped people who were staying downtown.

“But really, downtown in the last five years has had this huge growth,” he said. “And it needs somebody to focus on it full time.”

Both Levertovs hope Dechter and his family will create a community where people are comfortable with their Jewish identity. It all starts with outreach — a challenge during the pandemic.

“There are people that we’ve met, or that we’ve spoken to that were not yet comfortable meeting, at least not in a normal way,” Rabbi Dechter said.

He plans to start a Torah class “very soon,” most likely in person and outdoors, he said. In the meantime, between meeting with people in person, over the phone and online, he and his wife are also preparing holiday programming for Purim and Passover.

“God willing, we will be busy, and hopefully for good things,” he said.

When the Dechters move downtown, they expect

they’ll be the only Orthodox Jews in the neighborhood, said Rabbi Dechter.

“We learned to be proud of who we are, what we believe in, and what we look like, and what we stand for,” he said.

Rabbi Zalman Levertov knows a thing or two about starting a Chabad from scratch. He and his wife moved to Arizona from New York 44 years ago as schluchim

“We do stick out maybe a little bit, but people will get used to it,” he said. “In all the years that Chabad has been here, the community accepted us and has supported us, as well as came to many of our programs.”

The Downtown Phoenix Chabad represents Arizona’s 21st, Levertov said, adding there were a few candidates for Dechter’s role.

Ultimately, it was Dechter’s judicial ordination that helped him stand out from others.

Rabbi Dovber Dechter grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and studied at a variety of yeshivot. He was later certified in rabbinic judicial ordination and advanced contemporary halachah.

“He had the advantage of extra Judaic studies. That allows them to answer more complex questions in law,”

Rabbi Zalman Levertov said, noting that Dechter will also be available for questions or counseling for the greater Arizona Jewish community.

Chana’le Dechter was raised in Rancho Mirage, California, and is a graduate of Chabad schools and seminary in Jerusalem. She ran educational programs in California and administered projects for the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute.

Chana’le has a “very long history” of outreach work with Jews who are not necessarily involved with the community, according to her husband.

“It is something that we are both passionate about, and from the time we got married, we always knew that this is the path we would take,” he said.

It’s a path that comes with compromises.

Dechter said he and his wife are largely living off of fundraising.

“We are not funded by any central organization,” he said. “There are a few foundations that we can tap into, some of them are nice amounts, but definitely it’s not a financial backing to be able to survive just off that.”

He said choosing this lifestyle is certainly a financial “plunge” but he trusts the community will ultimately buy in. JN

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Rabbi Dovber and Chana’le Dechter with their daughters Moussia and Risya in California.

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Hernandez wears special gift to reintroduce bill

NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER

When Arizona Rep. Alma Hernandez (LD-3) recently reintroduced her Holocaust education bill, which had been tabled as a result of COVID, she was wearing large, sparkly Star of David earrings, which she later featured in a selfie on Instagram. The reason she wore those particular earrings? They were sent to her by a fan.

It’s not every day a legislator gets a present from a fan she only knows through social media. But Ariel Tidhar, a 26-year-old jewelry and accessory designer in New York, has been following Hernandez on Instagram for nearly a year. It wasn’t any legislation in particular that drew her to Hernandez, but her general outspokenness.

“My whole line is basically inspired by strong Jewish women, and I think her voice in the Jewish community is obviously a refreshing one,” Tidhar said. And Hernandez was attracted to Tidhar’s jewelry on Instagram and complimented her wares. Surprised and excited, Tidhar gifted Hernandez the Star of David earrings.

“They are very loud and sparkly,” Hernandez said. “They’re perfect for me.”

Wearing them on the momentous day made a statement, Hernandez said: “I felt they were very appropriate for the bill I was speaking on.”

The bill requiring public schools in Arizona to teach students about the Holocaust and other genocides — including the Rwandan, Bosnian and Armenian genocides — at least twice

between grades seven and 12 was expected to pass last year and be signed into law, but it stalled in the state Senate when COVID-19 shut down the legislative session.

The committee hearing on Jan. 26 was the last step before the bill goes to a full vote in the Arizona House. The bill will then make its way to the Senate and ultimately to the governor’s office. Hernandez is confident the governor will sign the bill.

“We already have commitment from the governor and his staff,” she said, adding the bill is moving through the legislature at the governor’s office request.

In October, the Arizona Board of Education added Holocaust education to its administrative code. Hernandez briefly thought that might make her bill’s reintroduction unnecessary, but the governor’s office reached out to encourage her.

The bill aligns with Gov. Doug Ducey’s focus on expanding and increasing civic education, according to C.J. Karamargin, the governor’s spokesman.

“Knowing about a human tragedy on a scale like that is absolutely fundamental,” Karamargin said.

Karamargin pointed to a national survey commissioned by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany that recently found that “when asked how many Jews were killed during the Holocaust, 63% of millennials (those aged 25-40) and Gen Z (18-24) did not know

also found 11% of national respondents believe Jews caused the Holocaust, with 15% in Arizona.

“We need to do better,” Karamargin said. “We must do better when it comes to teaching this topic.”

Hernandez, inspired by Holocaust survivors’ stories, also wants to make sure this education is codified into law.

“The bill is extremely important,” agreed Alex White, a 97-year-old Holocaust survivor who lives in Scottsdale. “People tend in time to forget.”

Hernandez hopes to get the bill across the finish line quickly this year.

Tidhar, who didn’t follow all the ups and downs of the legislative process, is just happy to see her earrings prominently displayed in Hernandez’s efforts.

“It says a lot about the essence of how Jewish the brand is,” she said.

And the earrings she sent Hernandez are one of the largest pairs she makes.

“Everything I do is kind of loud,” Tidhar said. “And Alma is clearly proud of her Jewish identity, so it felt fitting.”

That sentiment suits Hernandez.

“Go big or go home,” she laughed. JN

A screenshot of Arizona state Rep. Alma Hernandez speaking about her Holocaust education bill on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, before a House Education Committee vote.

Local lawyer receives accolades for book on estate planning

Jeremy Rovinsky, a Phoenix lawyer and law professor, co-wrote “Basic Trust Drafting” in order to teach paralegals how to deal with an important and technical issue. In January, he discovered his book had been listed as one of the 18 best new estate planning books for 2021 by BookAuthority, a company featured on CNN and Forbes for identifying and rating notable books in different fields of study.

Rovinsky is dean and general council for National Paralegal College in addition to teaching there. He decided to write the book because the one he and others at the school were using had become outdated after many changes to the tax code in 2017. The issues he teaches are technical, and it’s critical students have up-to-date information, so he decided to collaborate with his colleague, Stephen Haas, and write the book. He felt that they handled the tax code in a “cutting edge” way.

Both Rovinsky and Haas were surprised and pleased to discover the book is being read by so many people and getting good reviews.

The book is a bit of a departure for Rovinsky who usually writes and publishes on international law. His latest work is an article on the legislation coming out of Belgium banning Jewish ritual slaughter. In the article, “Don’t Have a Cow, Flanders,” he argues that the practice is completely in line with European law. It is already a top10 download on the Social Science Research Network.

While it’s nice to be recognized for his book about trusts, Rovinsky said, “We

didn’t write the book to win awards. We wrote it because we thought that we could really help people and make a complicated subject easier for an average person to understand.”

Phoenix neighbors pitch in to clean up anti-Semitic graffiti

On Jan. 23, Alba Rodriguez discovered her home had been vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti. Someone painted swastikas on her house in the Willo neighborhood of central Phoenix while she and her fiancée were out of town.

She received notifications that her doorbell was ringing again and again so she messaged neighbors to ask if anything was amiss. A neighbor saw what had happened and sent her photos of the swastikas.

“I felt targeted,” she told AZFamily. com. “I felt unsafe.”

Jeremy Schachter, a Jewish board member for the neighborhood, joined with other neighbors to help clean up.

When a friend of his sent him the photos, he reacted quickly. He lost family in the Holocaust and he felt very emotional.

“I was shocked, angered and in disbelief,” he said, via email.

“Willo, is a very diverse historic neighborhood that includes all races, creeds, religions, older, younger, gay, straight — a melting pot,” he said.

Neither Rodriguez nor her fiancée are Jewish, but they were both touched by the support they received from the Jewish community.

“My fiancée, Marcie, and I would like to thank the many people in the Jewish community, along with our neighbors,

friends and so many others who have reached out to us in the wake of this disturbing incident,” Rodriguez said, via email. “It is inspiring to know how many of us in the Greater Phoenix area stand strong in the fight against hate and discrimination.”

Rodriguez’s home was the only house in the neighborhood that was vandalized.

NCJWAZ calls for action against proposed abortion legislation

On Jan. 28, the National Council of Jewish Women Arizona proposed action across the country to oppose two new anti-abortion bills currently in Arizona’s legislature.

One bill, HB 2650, would classify abortion as first-degree murder. Women and abortion providers would be charged with the high crime, and prosecutors would be urged to seek the death penalty or life imprisonment.

“These radical and punitive abortion laws cannot be dismissed as craziness,” said Civia Tamarkin, NCJWAZ’s president. “Arizona historically has been a test model for restrictive reproductive laws, and these bills are part of the overall game plan intended to set the stage for a Supreme Court reversal of Roe.”

SB 1457, the bill now in the state Senate would prohibit abortion due to race, gender or genetic abnormality. It also requires cremation or interment of the remains from an abortion. It would prevent university hospitals from offering abortion services.

NCJWAZ is asking that people who oppose one or both of these bills call and write their state representatives to let them know of their opposition. It is also proposing a social media campaign against the laws. In addition, the organization encourages economic pressure against businesses, events and sports teams as was done in South Carolina to oppose that state’s transgender bathroom ban.

NCJWAZ also pointed out that Jewish tradition teaches that life does not begin before birth. Therefore, it intends to challenge the legislation on grounds that it violates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution by upholding a Christian understanding of what constitutes life. The group is asking rabbis to testify to that as well.

“It’s time to sound the alarm,” Tamarkin said, suggesting that the proposed laws are simply a way to get as many anti-abortion proposals in front of the Supreme Court until it overturns Roe v. Wade. JN

Jeremy Rovinsky holds his book “Basic Trust Drafting” which was listed as a top estate planning book.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEREMY ROVINSKY

Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Fest celebrates 25

NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER

This year was supposed to be special for the Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival. The organization celebrates its 25th anniversary this month.

And it will be special — but not in the way Barry Singer, the festival’s co-executive director, originally thought.

“Hopefully next year — or who knows — we’ll be able to have a somewhat postponed 25th anniversary special celebration,” he said.

In a typical year, about 10,000 film enthusiasts would see anywhere between 20 and 30 films over the span of two weeks in Scottsdale, Tempe and Peoria. This year, more than 30 films will be available to stream online between Feb. 14 and March 3. How many people will watch is an open question.

“I wish I could answer that with any certainty,” Singer said.

Founded in 1996, the GPJFF is the longestrunning film festival in Greater Phoenix. The merger in 2009 between the Phoenix Jewish Film Festival and the East Valley Jewish Film Festival helped the volunteer-run nonprofit organization turn the festival into a professionally run, smooth operation with longtime theater partners.

The pandemic upended life just as last year’s

Singer hopes that people will change with the times and enjoy the movies this year in a different way.

The movies selected for the film festival this year vary in topic and genre. They range from “A Call to Spy” about a group of women who worked as spies for the United Kingdom during World War II, to “The Bra Mitzvah” about a young woman whose grandmother insists she get a bra before she has her bat mitzvah.

Los Angeles-based Stacy Jill Calvert, who directed “The Bra Mitzvah,” is disappointed that the virtual aspect of the festival won’t let her connect with the audience as much, but glad that she’ll still be able to share her short comedy.

“I’m excited to continue to spread the word about it, and for people to continually see different aspects of Jewish life,” she said, adding that she has wanted to make this movie for many years. “Different aspects of this film have popped up in creative ways, throughout my life.”

Nancy Stutman, a longtime festival attendee, said Calvert’s short “sounds like fun,” and will be watching it from home, along with “most” of the films being presented. She welcomes the virtual format.

festival ended, and within a few weeks, Singer and the board decided the 2021 event would be exclusively virtual. The pivot required a steep learning curve and financial know-how.

“It’s sort of like building an airplane as you’re flying through the air,” Singer said.

Everything had to change, from the process of collecting donations to ticketing for the event.

Board members got to work researching and contacting “the incredible number of services” needed for the festival to go virtual.

“Film distributors are quite protective of security and their digital rights,” Singer said. “So it was very complicated.”

Typically, most of the festival’s filmgoers choose the movies they see and receive a packet of physical tickets in the mail to use at theaters.

This year, tickets will be in the form of a link to the stream- hosting website with step-by-step instructions.

Viewers will have 72 hours from the scheduled start time to begin watching a movie, and 48 hours after they start watching to finish it. They’ll be able to pause, rewind and switch devices within a household, but will not be able to watch a movie more than once.

“There’s something about the big screen and the sound, and it’s an occasion to go out,” Stutman said. But it is “wonderful” to have the flexibility to watch the movies when it is most convenient during the window of availability. And, she noted, people with mobility issues or difficulty going out can now watch the films from home.

The festival has long been “more of a grayhaired” event, Singer said, so he hopes going virtual this year “might be a blessing in disguise,” helping to attract a younger crowd.

Now that the streaming infrastructure is in place for 2021, the organization plans to offer film viewings throughout the year, Singer explained.

As a gift to the community, the festival will have a free screening of “Shared Legacies” on Saturday, Feb. 13, to coincide with Black History Month. The documentary explores historical lessons of African-American and Jewish cooperation while fighting blatant bias and racism. JN

For more information about the festival or to purchase tickets, visit gpjff.org.

Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival co-executive directors Jerry Mittelman, left, and Barry Singer during the festival last year

A poster for the short film “The Bra Mitzvah” showing this month at the Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival PHOTO COURTESY OF STACY JILL CALVERT

IT IS "WONDERFUL" TO HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO WATCH THE MOVIES WHEN IT IS MOST CONVENIENT DURING THE WINDOW OF AVAILABILITY.

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Arizona Holocaust survivors get assistance with vaccine

NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER

On Jan. 11, when people aged 75 and older were allowed to book appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine, Sheryl Bronkesh, president of the Phoenix Holocaust Association, knew Holocaust survivors would need help.

“For most of them navigating the internet beyond writing an email here and there — it’s just not reasonable to think they could do this without help,” said Bronkesh.

Survivors she knew were having trouble booking appointments. One person was only able to get one at 3 a.m.

“I’m not sure somebody in their mid-90s should be driving, let alone drive at three in the morning to a place they’ve never been,” she said.

She took action by asking Rep. Alma Hernandez (LD-3) for help.

As of Jan. 27, 52 survivors or members of their households have been vaccinated against COVID-19, which has disproportionately impacted people over the age of 65.

“I am glad to have been vaccinated, cheating the malach hamave [angel of death],” Alex White, a 97-year-old Holocaust survivor in Scottsdale said, via email.

White isn’t afraid of COVID, he said, “as I realized that I have to be ready to be ‘recycled.’”

But he would prefer not to die from COVID, he added.

For Hernandez, who worked with Bronkesh on previous legislation regarding Holocaust education, it was a no-brainer to use her voice and position to get survivors vaccinated.

“They’ve already survived horrible, horrible memories and atrocities from being in the Holocaust,” Hernandez said. “I don’t think that we need to have them worry about being able to survive a pandemic.” She is currently at work to help survivors in Pima County get vaccinated as well.

Hernandez reached out to the governor’s office that coordinated efforts with Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) and Bronkesh directly.

Things moved quickly. The parties held a Zoom meeting Friday, Jan. 15, and on the following Monday, Bronkesh spoke directly with an ADHS staffer.

“I’m telling you, immediately they got people appointments — like the next day!” Bronkesh said. “And the survivors were almost

in tears because they hadn’t been able to get it on their own.”

When Cara Christ, ADHS director, was made aware of the difficulty Holocaust survivors were having, she wanted to act quickly.

“We do consider everybody over the age of 75 important, but we also know that these individuals are survivors of a very tragic situation,” she said. “We wanted to make sure that they were able to continue to survive in the face of another tragic situation.”

Bronkesh also contacted Kathy Rood, program manager for Jewish social services at Jewish Family & Children’s service.

As of Jan. 28, Rood had referred 22 survivors and their family members to the health department.

Survivors are a special population within the senior group, Rood said.

“They’re very deserving of help and being a priority, when in their lifetime, they were not made a priority — as a matter of fact, they were treated as less than human,” Rood said.

George Kalman, an 86-year-old Holocaust survivor, received his first vaccine at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 21.

“I’m old,” he said. Navigating the health system on the phone “is really difficult if not impossible.”

And he is certain it wouldn't have happened without their intervention.

Hernandez and Bronkesh estimate there are approximately 100 Holocaust survivors in the state.

The effort to obtain the vaccine for survivors goes well beyond Arizona.

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Omer Yankelevich announced Jan. 12 the launch of an extensive operation to vaccinate Holocaust survivors around the world against COVID-19.

The Israeli Cabinet minister directed Shalom Corps, the international youth service nonprofit, to convene and coordinate partners around this effort that will be free to survivors.

“During this global crisis, we have an opportunity to support Holocaust survivors whose resilience continues to guide and inspire humanity today,” said Yankelevich. “It is our collective obligation to safeguard this treasured yet vulnerable population in the spirit of mutual responsibility.” JN

Additional reporting by JNS.org.

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Thieves work from home too

BOB ROTH

ooking back over the last year of this pandemic, hindsight is 20/20. As I work daily to protect our aging seniors, the topic that I ponder most often is the paradox of our digital age.

On the one hand, technology has enabled us to work, see our friends and family, and maintain as much normalcy as possible while we stay inside during the pandemic.

On the other hand, that same technology has created new opportunities for the victimization of our seniors — the very population that we’re trying to protect by staying home.

Cyber criminals often make senior citizens their primary target. These vulnerable older adults, who have assets in a retirement account from a lifetime of hard work, are low-hanging fruit for these fraudsters.

Seniors have become increasingly vulnerable during the pandemic, as circumstances converged to create a

Lperfect storm. There is an abundance of bad actors who prey on our aging loved ones and their lack of technical expertise. Many older adults who have never banked or scheduled doctor appointments online are now expected to do so, forcing them outside of their comfort zones.

Due to the pandemic, the elderly are not gathering with friends who sometimes act as gatekeepers and sounding boards to advise them on possible scams. It is a vicious cycle: The social distance becomes social isolation that leads to more time spent online increasing the likelihood of falling victim to a scam. There is also the shame and embarrassment that leads many of our seniors to stay silent instead of warning friends to avoid the same scam.

One recurring scam happens when an unassuming older adult is online and a pop-up window appears warning the user that the computer is at risk and they need to call the number flashing on the screen immediately. Once the senior is on the phone, the scammer talks them into allowing a remote access application to establish control over the

computer. Every piece of that senior’s personal information from the computer is available for the taking and the victim’s savings and identity are at risk. (You can see how this plays out for one local man on p. B10.)

Unfortunately, older adults will continue to face a barrage of online scams as pandemic continues. Fraudsters are seeking to reroute stimulus checks, sell fake test kits and the latest snake oil as a cure. Seniors must be on the lookout for calls, texts, emails and social media posts that request financial or other personal information.

The Federal Trade Commission’s website suggests seven ways to avoid coronavirus scams:

• Learn how to tell the difference between a real contact tracer and a scammer. Legitimate tracers need health information, not money or personal financial information.

• Do not respond to texts, emails or calls about checks from the government.

• Ignore offers for vaccinations and miracle treatments or cures. Scammers are selling products to treat or

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prevent COVID-19 without proof that they work.

• Be wary of ads for test kits. Many test kits advertised have not been approved by the FDA and aren’t necessarily accurate. Almost all authorized home tests don’t provide rapid results and require you to send a sample to a lab for analysis.

• Hang up on robocalls. Scammers are using illegal robocalls to pitch everything from low-priced health insurance to work-at-home schemes.

• Watch for emails claiming to be from the CDC or WHO. Use sites like coronavirus.gov and usa. gov/coronavirus to get the latest information. And don’t click on links from sources you don’t know.

• Do your homework when it comes to donations. Never donate in cash, by gift card or by wiring money. Remember the old adage: If it seems too good to be true, more than likely, it probably is. JN

Bob Roth is the managing partner of Cypress HomeCare Solutions.

Hadassah Tikvah chapter ‘building on hope’

SHANNON LEVITT | MANAGING EDITOR

Hadassah Tikvah West Valley chapter installed eight new officers for the coming year. The installation was held on Zoom on Jan. 11.

Instead of feeling constrained by the virtual venue, Lael Summer, the chapter’s new president, called it a “historic event” and something she views as inspiring. The COVID-19 pandemic “pretty much shut us down” in 2020, she said. But now that her members are feeling more comfortable with Zoom and other platforms, she’s planning to use “our imagination and our creativity” to plan new events that will hopefully bring more attention to the chapter, she said.

In that vein, Summer is also preparing for events to be virtual throughout 2021. To make it work she is getting a good amount of assistance from the regional Hadassah Zoom expert.

One of her first orders of business is to bring back a monthly newsletter that ceased three years ago due to lack of interest. Summer jumped on the opportunity to restart it once she became aware of a new member’s advertising background and interest in taking on the work.

The newsletter will help the chapter promote its upcoming events that include a joint event with Sun Health focused on women’s health and a Hadassah Shabbat in February. She’s currently developing programming for March.

But new membership is her biggest concern.

Summer’s been involved in Hadassah for many years and served as the chapter’s treasurer before stepping into the president’s role.

She started her time in Arizona as a snowbird, but when she moved here full time, she immediately joined the local Hadassah chapter. One of the best things about the organization, she said, is the way it introduces a person to the community.

“How can I find Jews and kosher food and things for Passover? The best way to do that is go to a Hadassah meeting and meet people,” she said. Not only will finding new members be a boon to the chapter, it will also help those new to the area to find their Jewish neighbors.

“There are lots of Jewish people in the area and I want them to know we’re here,” she said.

Anne Leppo, the chapter’s new fundraiser and publicist, is one of those new members. She too found Hadassah immediately after moving to the West Valley from Massachusetts. “I moved in a pandemic and a hot summer in the middle of August,” she laughed.

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newsletter as one of her first initiatives.

“I’m doing this position,” she said, “to get the word out about all the great things we do.”

Currently, Leppo is most excited about the organization’s efforts to raise funds for various medical research projects as well as donating directly to Hadassah Medical Center and Hadassah Youth Aliyah Villages in Israel.

While she doesn’t love the idea of spending another year on Zoom, she acknowledged that it’s nice to see everyone all at once on the screen. And it enables her to be connected to her old chapter simultaneously. She recently joined one of the Massachusetts classes and prepared a challah from start to finish for the first time.

She misses meeting members — her friends — for lunch and talking things over face-to-face. But Zoom-only events won’t deter her commitment.

“It is what it is,” she said.

The other officers include Ramona Luckman as vice president; Beth Patrick as treasurer; Shirley Beaser as recording secretary; Susan Abramson as corresponding secretary, education and the member responsible for Hadassah cards; Cheryl Brooman is responsible for programming; Irene Reiss heads up membership; Suzy Shlian is in charge of communications; and Beth Statman will take over the telephone squad.

With her new team backing her up, Summer is optimistic for what’s to come.

“Tikvah” means “hope,” she pointed out.

“What a wonderful word for this year to start out with,” she said. “We’re going to be building on hope for our chapter and for our nation.” JN

The chapter’s next meeting will be Feb. 8. For more information, visit tikvahwestvalley@hadassah.org.

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Collector of Jewish souls: A rabbi’s treasures culled from around the world

DEBORAH FINEBLUM | JNS.ORG

A12-branch copper candelabra kindled on holidays by Jews in 18th-century Italy. Sheets of prayers handwritten in Hebrew by an unknown scribe in 15thcentury Spain. An oven for baking matzah from 19th-century Portugal. A Passover Haggadah in Hebrew and Arabic from 18th-century Iraq, transported to India where it was discovered more than 300 years later.

These are among the thousands of treasures from the Jewish past that Rabbi Eliahu Birnbaum has collected over the last 22 years. Treasures he’s discovered while mentoring the rabbis and teachers the outreach and education organization Ohr Torah Stone (OTS) has dispatched to Jewish communities around the globe.

Many of the artifacts — well-loved and well-used by Jews in days gone by — were gifts from family collections. Others Birnbaum has found among the battered tin cups and moldy picture frames in junk shops, and still others he unearthed while exploring old genizas — repositories for sacred books and documents no longer fit for use.

The rabbi’s office in Ohr Torah Stone’s headquarters in Efrat, Israel, in addition to his walls and shelves at home, are a virtual tour of Jewish history around the world, including objects from India, Poland, Egypt, Romania, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Uganda, Jamaica, Georgia, Singapore, Ethiopia, New Zealand, Italy, Morocco, Poland, Tunisia, Portugal and Uruguay, too.

“Behind every one of them there is a story,” said Birnbaum. “Each one invites us into another time and another place where generations of Jews have lived. Each one says, ‘We were here.’ ”

Take the matzah oven, for instance. Covered with common roofing tiles, it was ingeniously designed to camouflage its function during a time when celebrating a Jewish holiday would easily have gotten Portuguese Jews into serious trouble with the authorities. An unexpected bonus came with this gift from an old Jewish family there: A box of 70-yearold matzah from the last time it was used.

When he arrives in a community to work with the OTS rabbis and teachers there, sooner or later, Birnbaum slips into detective mode. “Yes, we have a geniza, but it’s nothing important,” he’s been told numerous times. “But I’ve found amazing old books, prayers, Haggadahs and more in those places.”

No wonder Birnbaum’s been called the Jewish Indiana Jones.

Though possessing the soul of a collector, Birnbaum’s life’s work is actually

as a collector of Jewish souls. Indeed, his gathering of bits and pieces of Jewish history is a natural outgrowth of his travels as director of OTS’ Straus-Amiel and Beren-Amiel Emissary Program.

“Committed to the rejuvenation and cultivation of world Jewish community” through the training and placing of rabbis and educators to serve communities on virtually every continent, the program has 277 emissaries in 300 communities in all. And it keeps the rabbi on the road more than half the year (in pre-coronavirus times) to support these young (mostly Israeli-born) emissaries.

Born into a strongly Zionistic community in Uruguay soon after his bar mitzvah in 1972, Birnbaum made aliyah by himself, living with a cousin until his parents and sister arrived two years afterwards. A dozen years later, he’d earned his rabbinical degree from Har Etzion Yeshiva, eventually becoming chief rabbi of his native Uruguay.

It was there that he took a walk with a visitor — OTS founder Rabbi Shlomo Riskin — one that was destined to change Birnbaum’s life. The year was 1996.

“I saw how knowledgeable and charismatic he was — a natural for outreach,” recalled Riskin. “The Lubavitcher Rebbe had told me, ‘Your new empire in Efrat will last until the coming of the Moshiach on the condition that you send out Israeli emissaries of Torah all over the world,’ as Isaiah teaches, ‘Because from Zion Torah will come forth.’ As soon as I met Rabbi Birnbaum, I knew he was the one to lead this.”

On their walk, Birnbaum said he had also been wondering how to replicate what he was doing in Uruguay all over the world. “And I told him that’s exactly what I want him to do for OTS,” says Riskin. “To see to it that Jews throughout the world would appreciate their beautiful tradition and their amazing history.”

More than 20 years after that fateful walk, 277 OTS rabbis and teachers, in partnership with their spouses, work with communities on nearly every continent.

Eliran Shabo is one such rabbi. Last year, the Jerusalem native, his wife and their children were sent to Athens, Greece. “When my family and I arrived in this warm and welcoming community, we soon learned about its rich past and traditions that had almost disappeared from the world,” he said. “Romaniot Jews [emigrating to Greece and Rome following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E.] have customs that are more than 2,000 years old — sometimes in the community’s Jewish institutions, I feel like I’m in a living museum.”

OTS president Rabbi Kenneth Brander, who came on board following Riskin’s retirement in 2018, says he’s been impressed with Birnbaum’s devotion to the OTS communities and the young leaders sent to enrich them.

“For decades, he’s helped people in hundreds of communities around the world to know and own their Jewish story,” says Brander. “Our emissaries, who speak 24 different languages, touch the lives of hundreds of thousands of people each year with each community having its own history and traditions and its own challenges.”

The rabbis help community members untangle such dilemmas as to how to bury loved ones in accordance with Jewish law in countries where the authorities insist on cremation. “Our rabbis are called upon to be spiritual leaders no matter how young they are,” reports Birnbaum. “The million-dollar question is how to keep Jewish momentum going in these communities today, especially with COVID keeping everyone apart.”

And, while most of the people Birnbaum spends time with around the world are Jewish, others he visits have

no halachic claim but nonetheless trace their roots deep in the Jewish past, often believing that they are descended from the 10 lost tribes.

“We’re still connected with them,” he says. “And we need to respect and appreciate them.”

Indeed, Birnbaum will tell you that his collection of ancient Jewish artifacts serves two interlocking purposes. “By learning about the past from them, we both raise the pride of the Jews there with their long and beautiful history, and we raise the awareness of Jews everywhere that the Jewish people survived and even thrived in virtually every corner of the world.”

To Chaviva Levin, a senior lecturer in Jewish history at Yeshiva University in New York, rescuing and sharing these ancient Jewish treasures unleashes an irreplaceable power showing what it felt like to be Jewish over the generations and around the world.

“It’s the simple act of connecting with something a Jew touched so long ago,” she said. “Through them, we can sense their relationship with their culture, with their people, showing us that they are so different from us and yet we’re so connected — so strange and so familiar at the same time.”

As Brander puts it: “Each of these found objects is a portal to celebrate our people and empower Jews everywhere to know our own story.”

Now that they’re brought together in the Jewish homeland, Birnbaum says he’s looking to use these resources from the Jewish past to open the eyes, minds and hearts of today’s Jews. Towards that end, he’s hoping to open a museum for visitors to experience what he calls “the multi-colored story of Jewish life around the globe.”

But these days, the 62-year-old Birnbaum, like so many others, has been benched by COVID-19, allowing him to spend more time at home in Israel with his wife, four grown daughters and their families. Yet, he said, he misses spending time with these far-flung Jewish communities.

“Traveling as much as I usually do throughout the Jewish world and the lost tribe communities, I’ve enjoyed a life filled with every color of Am Yisrael,” says the rabbi. “It’s difficult for me to be apart from them for so long.”

But at least he’s surrounded by so many of the objects that remind him of those far-away communities. “Looking at them, we can learn so much about our people’s history over the centuries and in the different cultures where we’ve found ourselves,” he said. “They can wake up Jewish souls one piece at a time.”

Rabbi Eliahu Birnbaum in Venice, Italy.

PHOTO COURTESY TO JNS.ORG

After 80 years of marriage, a couple reflects

JESSE BERMAN | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Lou Bluefeld and Edith Seidel met when they were teenagers, on a summer evening in 1937, at the New Howard Hotel where the Criterion Club was throwing a dinner and dance. They both had come with other people.

From across the room, the strapping young man quickly caught Seidel’s attention. She said to a friend, “Oh my God! I would like to meet him.”

The two began dating in a matter of days, leading to a marriage that, as of their anniversary on Feb. 23, will have endured for eight decades.

Over that time, their relationship would prove enduring enough to weather all storms, and raise their son, Barry, and daughter, Betty Lynn Steiner.

Both born and raised in Baltimore as the children of immigrants, Lou Bluefeld celebrated his 100th birthday Jan. 9, while Edith Bluefeld will be enjoying her centennial on Aug. 4.

After dating for several years, when he was 19, Lou Bluefeld’s mother took him aside and told him, “She’s a nice Jewish girl from a nice Jewish family. If you’re not serious, don’t waste her time.” When he told his mother that his hesitance came, not from a

lack of love, but from a lack of money to buy a wedding ring, she bought the ring herself, offering to let them live in her home after the ceremony. “If you love her, marry her,” she told her son. “It’ll work.”

They became Mr. and Mrs. Lou and Edith Bluefeld in February of 1941, at the Phythian Hall with around 300 guests. At the request of his mother, orchids played a major part of the theme. Six months later in August, at 51, his mother suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, and died three days later. Upon reflection, Lou Bluefeld could not be sure if he would have ever married if not for his mother’s nudging.

In 1943, two years after their wedding, Lou Bluefeld was conscripted into the Army and spent much of World War II in either New Guinea or the Philippines. He was at Camp Beale in California when he received confirmation that he would be deployed overseas.

Ignoring her husband’s entreaties otherwise, Edith Bluefeld traveled three days by train to be with him. After meeting her at the station and sharing a meal, Lou Bluefeld pleaded with her to return home. She ignored him again, and when he and 5,000 others finally began boarding their vessel, the USS Admiral W. S. Benson, he could see her standing by a local hotel, waving and crying.

Once reunited, Lou and Edith Bluefeld took out a mortgage on an $8,200 house and along with his elder brother, Phil, Lou Bluefeld returned to his family’s catering business, Bluefeld Caterers, that was started by their parents in 1937 and which the sib lings had officially taken over in 1942.

With the war over, Lou Bluefeld noted, people seemed to have extra reason to cel ebrate helping their business to flourish. In 1959, the business actually built its own hotel, a Sheraton Inn, along with a ballroom and commissary to provide a convenient location at which to cater events. He noted the theme of the hotel was “the orchid touch,” in honor of his mother.

They were so successful, in fact, that they were contracted to provide catering for an event celebrating Richard Nixon’s second inauguration. Later, in the late 1970s, the Carter administration tapped them to kasher a small part of the White House kitchen and to provide kosher catering during a 200-person Middle East peace event with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Afterward, they catered for Sadat and Begin at Blair House for an entire week. Lou Bluefeld referred to it as “a feather in our hat.”

They sold the catering business in 1984. In December of 1985, at his wife’s insistence,

Club in Boca Raton, Florida, spending their days visiting the gym, playing golf and enjoying the company of friends and each other.

Lou Bluefeld said that despite a few arguments, “we never went to bed angry at each other. Never.”

When asked what advice they had for others, Lou Bluefeld recommended the following: “Don’t sweat the small stuff, let the little things go and tolerate each other’s quirks.”

As for Edith Bluefeld, she stressed the importance of remembering that “you’ll have a day that is bad, but tomorrow is going to be better.” JN

Vibrant & Engaging Retirement Living Maravilla Scottsdale

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Maravilla’s ZEST® health and wellness team provides ample enrichment opportunities that touch the mind, body, and soul. With precautionary measures and safeguards in place, residents enjoy a full calendar of vibrant programs that are o ered virtually, as well as in-person—mindful of social distancing and safety protocols. And should one need help with connecting, Maravilla’s team is always there to help with setting up FaceTime, Skype and Zoom calls. Featuring an in-depth look at the community’s gourmet dining experience, residents are sure to enjoy the monthly “Let’s Dish” events highlighting fresh and seasonal choices on the ever-evolving menu with cooking demonstrations led by the community’s executive chef.

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Jesse Berman is a staff writer for Baltimore Jewish Times, a Jewish News-affiliated publication.

Smile on Seniors helps locals overcome hurdles

A legacy of caring

different from when they were younger,” said Troisi, who runs the Scottsdalebased company Reliable Background Screening.

Booking each vaccine appointment takes her more than an hour, she said, between the time it takes to get the information needed for the appointment and to navigate the website.

(602) 530-6900 hov.org

very tedious,” said Rabbi Levi Levertov, director of Smile on Seniors Arizona, which is helping people navigate this challenge.

Levertov is familiar with helping seniors through the coronavirus morass: He spent the first months of the pandemic assisting seniors with their technology challenges, and he understands the difficulties involved.

“People who are tech-savvy are still having issues,” he said of the online vaccine-scheduling system. “We did not know it would be that difficult.”

In addition to navigating disjointed and confusing websites, many seniors may need help physically getting to a vaccine site.

“Number one is, some don’t drive. Number two is some do drive, but these vaccine sites might not be near their homes,” Levertov said.

In addition to working with SoS volunteers who are helping with scheduling and driving to appointments, Levertov is also securing rides for seniors through Envoy America, Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix partner.

“We immediately went into action,” he said. “It’s truly because of an amazing volunteer corps.”

One of those volunteers is Donna Troisi, 60, who volunteers for both SoS and the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.

“I have to take the senior’s information, and a lot of times the senior likes having somebody to talk to, so I get a little more information than I need,” she laughed.

Like Troisi, SoS volunteer Raquel Schnitzer knew the vaccine rollout would be challenging.

“I’ve dealt with the state for other things before, and I know it can be hard,” Schnitzer said. “In addition, with seniors, anything on the computer sometimes can be overwhelming. So I just emailed Rabbi Levertov and said, ‘If I can help anyone, just send them my way.’”

Between SoS and some online forums, Schnitzer’s been a resource for about 20 people.

After booking an appointment for her parents, Lauren Saks, 36, realized the challenge most seniors would face.

The website is not intuitive, she said.

“You couldn’t just click on a button and get an appointment. You had to click the date that it would put up, pull up a location, then you’d have to select a location. And then you’d have to pull up a day or time, and if there were no times, then you had to go back to the dates, and then the location — it wasn’t a very straightforward way to book an appointment,” she said.

Having volunteered with SoS before, she decided to offer her help.

We have utilized Access Buyers Mortgage on 5 previous mortgages and referred two other friends and family for their services in the past. This latest was a re-fi and went extremely smooth and quick. We expected some delay due to the huge influx of those rushing to take advantage of the low interest rates, but the Access team processed us quickly and we finalized and funded in less than 2 weeks! – Dennis H. Jan 21, 2020

Of the “dozens” of seniors she has spoken with, she estimates she has scheduled appointments for 70%.

“I am literally not sleeping at night trying to find the other 30% appointments,” she said.

All slots for appointments through Maricopa County Department of Public Health are taken through February, but Troisi wakes up every morning hoping to spot a cancellation.

“There are many seniors, Jewish and non-Jewish, that are living alone, and don’t have the support and cannot drive, and cannot use technology, and the world is

“I was like, ‘Well, I know how to navigate this system now, and I’m sure that if my parents needed help — if they couldn’t even figure out how to create an account — I’m sure there’s probably other people who need help, too.’”

Together with her husband, Sam Saks, she has booked about 25 appointments for seniors since they became available.

“Between Smile on Seniors, and the friends the seniors had who they passed my name to, I’ve got a lot of seniors reaching out to me,” she said.

She is constantly checking for slots through the Maricopa County Department of Health, Banner Health and Safeway pharmacy.

“This is a matter of life or death,” she said. “I want people to get appointments.”

Raquel Schnitzer searches the Maricopa County Department of Public Health website on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021.

Descendants of Holocaust survivors keep memory alive in Arizona

NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER

Adena Astrowsky was so touched by her grandmother’s story of surviving the Holocaust, she wrote “Living among the Dead: My Grandmother’s Holocaust Survival Story of Love and Strength.” The book was published last March.

Soon after that, she discovered 3GNY, a group of New York-based third-generation descendants of Holocaust survivors. She shared her grandmother’s story of survival during one of the group’s virtual events in October, and was so inspired, she decided to start a local group, 3GAZ, which is now a part of the Phoenix Holocaust Association (Astrowsky is a board member).

As with other 3G groups across the country, one of 3GAZ’s missions will be to train Holocaust survivors’ grandchildren to speak with students in classrooms and share their grandparents’ stories. Astrowsky also hopes to host events and feature speakers.

“I think it’s very important for us to be able to pass on their legacies to our children, many of whom will never meet or really get to know their great-grandparents,” Astrowsky said. “And I think it’s also almost equally important that we remain aware of what

our ancestors had to go through in order to survive, especially as we’re seeing such a rise and an uptick of anti-Semitism in the world.”

Astrowsky’s book recounts Mania Lichtenstein’s experience living through the rise of the Nazi regime, World War II and its aftermath. Lichtenstein was interned for three years in a labor camp and was the only survivor from her family.

Lichtenstein died in 2017 at 94, but Astrowsky is determined to have her story — as well as those of other Holocaust survivors — live on through 3GAZ.

Last week marked the 76th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation, and Astrowsky worries the Holocaust is “becoming more and more forgotten.”

A national survey commissioned by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany recently found that “when asked how many Jews were killed during the Holocaust, 63% of millennials (those aged 25-40) and Gen Z (those aged 18-24) did not know 6 million Jews were murdered.”

That figure climbed to 67% in Arizona. The survey also found 11% of national respondents — 15% in Arizona — believe Jews caused the Holocaust.

To form 3GAZ, Astrowsky got a list of

email addresses of 3Gs who have reached out to the PHA in the last couple of years. That led to a core group of seven who are shaping the initiative.

“I’ve always been interested in the 3G aspects of continuation of this special feeling that I’m descended from a survivor of this terrible thing,” said Jennifer Sosnow, one of the seven. “And so I’ve always wanted to not let go of that. I wanted to make something of it.”

Sosnow’s maternal grandparents are both survivors. Her grandfather, Seymour Adelman, was interned in the largest Auschwitz sub-camp, Buna, and put to work wiring buildings. The quality of his work saved him: He was pulled out of the line of people waiting to enter the gas chamber.

“His kapo pulls him and says, ‘Come back with me, you’re too good to lose,’ and saves his life,” Sosnow said. “My grandfather says he has three birthdays: the day he was born, the day he got saved in Auschwitz, and the day he got liberated.”

Seymour Adelman died in 2014.

Sosnow’s grandmother, Rebecca Adelman, was interned in labor camps where she built barracks for soldiers.

“One day, they went to put the shovels back

from where they were working and no one was there to collect the shovels,” Sosnow said.

“They looked around and they said they saw that everyone, all the Nazis, were gone,”

Sosnow is certain her grandmother will love

“We’ve gone with her to the Holocaust museum in Illinois — we have a stone there in honor of my grandfather.”

Astrowsky said it will take time for 3GAZ to plan its programming, but they have already issued their first newsletter. The group will have its first official meeting next week.

In observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, members of 3GAZ attended 3GNY’s virtual program “A 3G Perspective: Preserving the Memory of Auschwitz Survivors,” which was open to the public. JN

Sun City senior scammed out of $30,000 says he’s ‘no victim’

SHANNON LEVITT | MANAGING EDITOR

Three months ago, George Burlakoff, a retired Realtor and Navy veteran in Sun City, opened a strange email. Within 24 hours, $30,000 — the bulk of his life savings — was gone.

Burlakoff is single and lives alone.

“He’s a very proud man,” said Christa Lawcock, his daughter.

At first, he was even too proud to admit to her what happened.

He finally called after his refrigerator broke down to complain about his insurance company. But his bad mood took her aback. He said he’d just had a bad week, but she suspected something more.

After some prying, he revealed his loss.

“I fell for a scam, and I feel really stupid,” he confessed.

He was still shaken when he recounted the details.

“It’s hard to hear my dad say he couldn’t remember exactly what happened,” she said. But eventually she pieced together the whole story.

The scam started off with a single email, purportedly from Microsoft, thanking him for using something called “Smart Solution.” The email also informed him of

an automatic renewal payment of $447.89 for a three-year subscription.

He hadn’t ordered the program and was alarmed by the high cost. He called the support number listed in the email.

What Burlakoff didn’t know is that this type of “tech support scam” is so common and successful, Microsoft warns about it on its website.

“Scammers use scare tactics to trick you into unnecessary technical support services,” the warning reads. “At best, the scammers are trying to get you to pay them to ‘fix’ a nonexistent problem … at worst, they’re trying to steal your personal or financial information.”

Without much computer experience, Burlakoff wasn’t able to intuit that the email was illegitimate even though there were telltale signs like the sender using a gmail address rather than a Microsoft one.

“It’s something I never would have thought to look at,” he said.

Burlakoff told the man who answered his call that there had been a mistake and he needed his money back. In order to remove the program and refund the money, the scammer said he would need to control Burlakoff’s computer remotely.

Microsoft warns against this too: “If

you allow [the scammers] to remote into your computer to perform this ‘fix’ they will often install malware, ransomware or other unwanted programs that can steal your information or damage your data or device.”

But Burlakoff wanted the program gone and his money back. So he acquiesced.

After giving over control, Burlakoff watched as several images, some that looked like the Microsoft icon, flickered on and off his screen. Various windows opened. It was confusing, but he was told not to click on anything. Eventually, he was instructed to enter his refund amount into what was supposedly the company’s bank website.

He was relieved it seemed over.

But in a burst of anger, the scammer accused Burlakoff of entering an extra 0 thus reimbursing himself more than $40,000.

He didn’t believe it until the scammer showed him his own checking account on the screen, which appeared to have thousands more than it should.

Burlakoff worried something was off, but the man kept yelling at him — even threatening legal action — unless he wired the money back to the company. He finally relented just to make the whole thing stop.

“Scare tactics” like these are also common, according to Microsoft.

At the credit union, he told the teller he didn’t know if the wire request was legitimate. He was reassured when she confirmed there were additional funds in his checking account. She also told him nobody could access the wire for 10 business days.

Feeling better, he signed the necessary papers and returned home thinking it hadn’t been a scam after all.

But it had been.

It turned out the scammer had distracted Burlakoff with pop-ups while he transferred money from his money market account to his checking, making it seem like he had money that didn’t belong to him. He called the credit union, but they said there was nothing they could do to stop the transaction. The credit union asked the recipient to return the wire, but couldn’t enforce the request.

This costly experience put him on his guard.

“I’ll probably never fall for any scam again,” he said, “but I probably won’t believe some legitimate things.”

Lawcock is disappointed that the teller didn’t take the time to check her father’s other accounts when he said he was

SENIOR LIFESTYLE

nervous about being scammed, or follow the know-your-customer protocols financial institutions began using after 9/11 to prevent money laundering.

She hopes the credit union will use this as a learning experience for tellers — especially when working with seniors.

She also contacted various agencies seeking help, but the response was always some version of “It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing to be done.”

The person who did do something was Rebekah Sanders, a consumer reporter for The Arizona Republic, who wrote about Burlakoff’s story in November.

Burlakoff was embarrassed at first, but his daughter convinced him that staying silent is what the scammers want.

“It’s easy to get down and really kick yourself for thinking that you lost it — especially for seniors,” Burlakoff said. “But you got to be able to get back up and say, ‘I fell for it, and I don’t want anyone else to fall for it.’”

“People need an advocate,” Sanders said. That is why she is part of the Republic’s Here to Help AZ team that investigates reader problems. In 2019, they were able to recover $560,000 for readers.

“People love to read these stories,” said Sanders, “because everyone has their own horror story of problems with insurance or other companies or when they didn’t get

refunded. We can show our readers that a local newspaper does stand up for you.”

Seniors are often scammed, Sanders said, because they generally don’t have much familiarity with computers or are tricked into thinking a loved one is in trouble.

While many people think they wouldn’t fall for a scam like this, Sanders said, “many people do, because it’s very sophisticated.”

The only real hope in getting money back is for the financial institution or law enforcement to get involved, but that’s rare, Sanders said.

Her article caught the attention of the IRS. Their investigation is ongoing, but Burlakoff doesn’t believe it will help get his money back. He would be happy if they are able to find the scammers.

Despite losing so much money, he feels lucky compared to a lot of people, he said.

“I’ve got my home, I’ve got my car, I can buy my food — I’m not gumming it all yet,” he laughed. Even though it can be easy to give up after a setback like this, “you have to go on living,” he said.

“Maybe I’ve just watched too many John Wayne movies in my life, but if they kick you when you’re down, it doesn’t mean you have to stay there. I’m no victim.”

Based on his family’s history, he knows how much worse things can be.

His mother left Austria before being trapped by the Anschluss. She managed

to get her mother and younger brother out with only the clothes on their backs. The rest of the family was killed in the Holocaust.

Burlakoff tells his story now to help other people — especially seniors — know what to look for. And three months after the

The Iran deal is not all about Rob Malley

It is for good reason that Iran is a global, hot-button issue. Lives literally depend on how world powers deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions, its support of global terrorism, its regional designs and its pledge to annihilate Western adversaries, including the United States and the State of Israel.

The U.S. entry into the Iran deal in 2015 provoked strong reactions, pro and con. Political relationships got frayed. An extraordinary amount of ink was spilled in analyzing the Obama administration’s entry into the deal, and the Trump administration’s withdrawal from it.

President Biden has committed to pursue reengagement with Iran — including reentry in the nuclear deal — while pledging to do so with a better

understanding of certain issues that were not adequately addressed the first time around. Biden has designated career diplomat Rob Malley as his new Iran envoy.

If you don’t know who Malley is, you can be forgiven. He was one of the key negotiators of the original Iran deal. And depending upon who you ask, he either “has a long track record of sympathy for the Iranian regime and animus towards Israel” (Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.) or is trusted and admired: “You can’t do better than Rob Malley. Whatever Rob Malley is being considered for, I’d be supportive” (Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.).

Like the original Iran agreement, Malley is not perfect. He is by most accounts a solid and experienced diplomatic

NBC News stumbles

Last week, NBC News published an online story by correspondent Ken Dilanian about Anne Neuberger, President Biden’s new deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology on the National Security Council. It was not well-received by Jewish groups, to say the least.

At issue was Dilanian’s suggestion that Neuberger — who has served for the past two years as director of cybersecurity at the National Security Agency — might be compromised in her ability to be objective about Israel because her family foundation gives money to AIPAC.

Dilanian’s piece built on an initial investigative report by David Corn in Mother Jones, but unlike the Mother Jones article, the one published by NBC

To The Editor

News quoted only anonymous sources in its attempt to suggest that Neuberger might not be unbiased.

Dilanian wrote that “installing a top cyber official in the White House who has strong ties to an organization that represents the interests of the Israeli government could cause some people to question the impartiality of the policy process, [sources] said.”

AIPAC and the American Jewish Committee, among other Jewish groups, quickly objected, calling NBC News out for invoking the anti-Semitic stereotype of dual loyalty, and demanding that the article be retracted. In response, NBC News investigated the reporting and posted a statement online: “NBC News conducted a review and has

Don’t sugarcoat loss of Jewish identity

The article “Interfaith families navigate unusual holiday season” on Dec. 18’s front page portrays a positive picture but neglects to point out significant challenges of interfaith couples. It ignores the bigger picture: the possible eventual demise of Judaism via assimilation.

The article didn’t address general complications confronting intermarried couples, particularly during the holiday

professional who has rankled some in the pro-Israel community. For those who oppose the Biden administration’s desire to return to international diplomacy in order to contain Iran, Malley is the proxy for the anti-Iran venom. Thus, for example, the right-wing ZOA declared last week: “Malley has a long, alarming record of anti-Israel hostility and appeasement of Iran, Hamas, the PLO, Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas and Syria.” But according to a supporter quoted in Politico, “Rob is just a vehicle for hawks in Congress and the region to try to bludgeon and coerce the new president out of a policy he was elected to implement.”

While Malley would not have been our choice for the envoy position, Biden is fully entitled to make the appointment.

Elections have consequences, and Biden and the Democrats have a voter mandate to pursue their agenda.

More importantly, Malley’s appointment does not preordain any result. As the Iran envoy, he will not act alone. Although he will be a senior administration representative, he will still report to the secretary of state, need to follow guidance from the president and will be answerable to Congress. And of course, given the global significance of any actions taken in relation to Iran, every utterance he makes concerning Iran and any agreements he proposes to have the U.S. enter will be subject to careful scrutiny and analysis.

We wish Malley much success in his work. We will, however, be joining those who will be watching carefully.

determined that [this story] fell short of our reporting standards. In order to warrant publication, it needed on-therecord quotes from critics, rather than anonymous ones. The article should have also included more views from those who believe that donations to AIPAC do not represent a conflict. And it did not give Neuberger adequate time to respond to our reporting.”

Given that admission, many expected the story to be taken down from the NBC News website. It wasn’t. Instead, NBC News moved the story to its online archives but left it accessible, “in the interest of transparency with our readers.”

Clearly, NBC News should never have published the unprofessional article in the

first place, and the processes behind the reporting and vetting of online articles must be examined. Why did a news correspondent think it was acceptable to be so unbalanced in a news piece? Why didn’t an editor catch the lack of balance and the use of anonymous sources? Has NBC Universal’s pandemic-related layoffs and pay cuts had an impact on the resources available to ensure high-quality work?

NBC’s behavior in this incident feeds the narrative of biased journalists running amok and harms the reputation of reporters and editors who are genuinely working hard to be fair and accurate. Let’s hope that even if NBC News is not saying so explicitly, there is plenty of soul searching going on internally. JN

season. These include emotional challenges and assimilation guilt — a common byproduct of interfaith marriage; less common ground which creates opportunities for misunderstanding, confusion and hurt feelings; conflict and confusion the children of an interfaith family might suffer based upon unclear religious identity; and the spousal and extended

family conflicts that can exist in relation to different religious beliefs. With rabbis and Jewish organizations attempting to counteract a well-over 50% intermarriage rate, at the holidays, I’d much prefer a front-page article showing the traditional joys of Chanukah and a variety of Jewish homes, synagogues and organizations celebrating the story of Chanukah, including pictures of

A NOTE ON OPINION

menorahs, rather than a front-page picture of a family celebrating with a tree and Santa Claus.

I hope JN will tell local and successful beshert stories about how Jewish couples met and married in the face of so many Jews no longer acknowledging being Jewish.

Raymond Hirsh | Scottsdale

We are a diverse community. The views expressed in the signed opinion columns and letters to the editor published in the Jewish News are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the officers and boards of the Jewish Community Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Media 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.

New president, new day for the American Jewish community

N. AARON TROODLER

ith our nation still reeling from the insurrection in our nation’s capital, struggling to move past the divisiveness that threatens to tear apart the fabric of our democratic society and contending with a pandemic, all eyes are on Joe Biden as he enters the Oval Office after nearly 50 years in public service.

As he works to unify our nation, Biden will find himself facing some skeptics in the Jewish community. There are many American Jews who believe our new president has big shoes to fill and question whether he is capable of doing so. The fact is, former President Donald Trump engendered tremendous support in pockets of the Jewish community because of his actions relative to Israel.

For many pro-Israel voters, Trump was a dream come true. Whether it was facilitating the normalization of ties between Israel and several of its Arab neighbors, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocating the embassy to Jerusalem, proclaiming Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights or freezing aid to the Palestinian Authority because of the remuneration it makes to families of terrorists, Trump undoubtedly claimed iconic status in the eyes of numerous individuals who view the U.S.-Israel relationship as paramount.

WHowever, let us not forget that Biden has a lengthy track record when it comes to the American Jewish community and strengthening the bond between the United States and its sole democratic ally in the Middle East. Joe Biden has been outspoken regarding the need to combat anti-Semitism, further enhance the U.S.-Israel relationship and preserve Jewish values in the United States. He is a steadfast supporter of Israel, not just through his words, but through his actions as well.

As president, Biden will work to ensure that the United States remains committed to Israel’s security and its ability to maintain the qualitative military edge that is essential to its survival, and will call on the Palestinian Authority to condemn terrorism, curb incitement and cease its despicable “pay to slay” program. At a time when there are Democratic members of Congress who unabashedly criticize Israel and far too many discordant voices in the Democratic Party concerning

If history is our guide and his past performance is any indication, Biden will not allow these issues to fester, even as he addresses other pressing matters.

Biden can and will be a partner for the American Jewish community and the state of Israel. Although there will inevitably be areas of disagreement, it is imperative that we “listen to one another” and “show respect for another,” as the president pronounced in his inaugural address.

As he spoke to the nation moments after taking the oath of office, Biden quoted from Psalms when he said, “weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning.” Regardless of who you voted for on Election Day, it is unquestionably the beginning of a new dawn in America and the sun is rising on a new day for our nation. Whereas “joy cometh in the morning,” I believe that when it comes to U.S.-Israel ties, this new day ought to bring with it a sense of optimism for what tomorrow holds in store.

It was during his time as vice president that the administration entered into a historic 10-year memorandum of understanding which pledged a record $38 billion for Israel’s security. Biden also played a role in bolstering Israel’s missile defense system, including the lifesaving Iron Dome and he strongly opposes the BDS movement, which attempts to delegitimize Israel. During the Democratic primary, Biden set himself apart from some other candidates when he said that placing conditions on aid to Israel would be a “gigantic mistake” and “absolutely outrageous.”

the U.S.-Israel relationship, it is critical that American Jewry and the pro-Israel community have a stalwart supporter like Biden leading his party. American support for Israel must remain bipartisan in order to be sustainable, and Biden has the ability and opportunity to be the champion we need. The domestic issues facing Biden are important and indisputably require his immediate attention. However, he must make certain that the U.S.-Israel relationship, the frightening rise in anti-Semitism and the ongoing efforts to delegitimize Israel are not put on the back burner.

The United States’ strategic relationship with Israel is replete with military, security and technological collaboration. It is a longstanding and mutually beneficial partnership, and it is vital that it prevails with bipartisan support. The American Jewish community should be united in the hope that when it comes to issues pertaining to Israel, Biden will be the leader we know he can be and pray he will be. JN

As with all Jewish tradition, the Conservative movement is pro-vaccine and pro-mask

RABBI MICAH PELTZ

Vaccines against COVID-19

have been invented and approved for use at a record pace. This modern medical miracle comes amid a time of pain and trial for our community and the whole nation. While polls indicate that Americans in overwhelming numbers are ready to take the shot — and are already doing so — there are some holdouts. We must consider as a community what our position is regarding vaccination and other precautions against the pandemic.

Now that a vaccine is available, there arise inevitable questions about the moralreligious obligation to receive the shot, whether our Jewish institutions should mandate it for workers, congregants and

students and how we can ensure the fair distribution of this life-saving intervention.

The Conservative movement, along with the other dominant streams of American Judaism, leaves very little room for ambiguity on these matters. As I recently wrote in a teshuvah (rabbinic response) that was unanimously approved by the Conservative Movement’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, vaccination is a Jewish imperative when recommended by medical professionals.

Even when vaccines are approved by an emergency process, as the COVID19 vaccines have been, they meet the halakhic standards of a refuah b’dukah, an established treatment. This is especially true in the midst of this terrible pandemic, which has claimed 441,831 lives in the United States and 2.4 million lives in the world.

The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines,

approved for use in the U.S. and now having gone into the arms of more than 20 million of our citizens, including my own, clearly meet these standards.

The Conservative movement has been accompanied by the main bodies for Reform and Orthodox rabbis in stressing the necessity and justice of being so vaccinated. And for good reason: Jewish law is replete with injunctions to take steps to protect our health and avoid danger. “Be careful and watch yourselves” (Deuteronomy 4:9), Moses instructs the Israelites. The Torah even commands us to put guardrails on our roofs (Deuteronomy 22:8).

Maimonides extrapolated from this specific case that we should take measures to protect ourselves and others. Rabbi Moses Isserles, in the great code of Jewish law the Shulhan Arukh, insists that we are to avoid all things that endanger ourselves

and instructs us that these concerns are to be treated “more stringently than ritual prohibitions.” Leviticus (19:16) echoes these same messages, with its exhortation to “not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor.” This is understood in our tradition to mean that we do everything we can to safeguard the health of others.

One would think that none of this should be controversial — that there would be unanimity among rabbis and Jews on these points. Common-sense practices that prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing and washing hands are not just recommended but are obligated by Jewish law. Nevertheless, there have been well-publicized cases of physical distancing being ignored at large weddings and funerals, and even protests against wearing masks in some communities.

N. Aaron Troodler is the principal of Red Apple Strategies LLC, a public relations and strategic communications firm, and has extensive experience in the Jewish non-profit world.

AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL MUST REMAIN BIPARTISAN IN ORDER TO BE SUSTAINABLE, AND BIDEN HAS THE ABILITY AND OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE CHAMPION WE NEED.

On a personal note

he Children of Israel marched out of Egypt among a myriad of miracles.

They were finally free after many years of bitter slavery. But that is hardly the end of the story. Freedom is, by itself, not a goal. It merely allows one the opportunity to define and strive towards a goal. For our mission, we proceeded to Sinai and the Revelation — our public encounter with G-d.

Our sages expound homiletically on the verse “And the script was the script of G-d, engraved [charut] on the Tablets.”

“Don’t read it ‘engraved,’ rather read it ‘freedom’ [cheirut].”

Embedded within the words that were engraved on the Tablets, the charge that was assigned to us, was freedom. That seems counterintuitive. How is a list of commands freedom? Is awesome responsibility what marks freedom?

What our sages are telling us is that the

PELTZ

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

There is a strong consensus among mainstream Conservative, Reform and Orthodox Jews. Jewish law and tradition include ethical obligations to pursue healthy living and to embrace established scientific practices that contribute to the well-being of all. That wellbeing can be physical, and it can also be spiritual.

To that end, many of my Conservative rabbi colleagues have written prayers and meditations to help people who are coping with illness and who are receiving or administering vaccines.

FUNERALS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

and friends who can’t attend in person.

“People can now stream the service. And people that can’t make it, or people that can’t travel, whether they’re in New York, or California, or Italy or wherever it may be, they can now just go to my website, and they can watch the service right from their home,” he said.

Shiva has also gone virtual.

“There is a trend toward the Zoom shiva,” Snyder said. “I’m also seeing that people are shortening the length of time because they don’t necessarily want to do the Zoom shiva thing for an entire week.”

Sigman held a shiva over Zoom on May 1. In a small attempt to bring personality

commitment to the Torah is freedom — that our travel to receive the Torah is the climax of the freedom that began when we left Egypt. Without a higher cause, we remain locked within our world. We struggle to assign meaning to our lives and wonder what purpose our lives have. We may accomplish great things or champion causes we deem worthy. But it ultimately remains within the realm of the mortal. Our soul, coming from a Higher Source, is not content with eating to live and living to eat. It demands something more of us. It is only by accepting Divine commandments that we can lift ourselves above the mundane.

When we experienced the giving of the Ten Commandments, we were introduced, with the very first words, to our Creator: “I am G-d, Your Lord, Who took you out of the land of Egypt…” That was surely a tremendous feat, but couldn’t He have taken it to a higher magnitude? Wouldn’t it have been more powerful had G-d declared, “I am the G-d who created the entire universe; the heavens above and the earth below”?

Nachmanides explains that impressive

as it may be, not one of the people assembled at the foot of the mountain had witnessed the Creation. They would not be able to relate to it at a visceral level. They had, however, all experienced the backbreaking work and toil, the beatings and cruelty at the hands of the Egyptians. They related to the relief and the jubilation of the Exodus.

G-d wanted to convey the message that despite His omnipotence, He is interested and involved in our lives. He is not simply a high and mighty judge, but He loves us and is concerned with every facet of our lives. The conjugation of the sentence is in the singular. G-d talked with us and said, “I didn’t just take my nation out of Egypt. I took out every individual. I know you and feel with your difficulties.”

This was the same message G-d conveyed by first appearing to Moses in a thornbush. It is a lowly plant as opposed to a regal tree, to symbolize that G-d was Himself “lowered” by our subjugation and in a state of “pain” as long as we were in bondage. As expressed in the words of our sages, “I am with you in your affliction.” He is not “too

busy” to notice us, to provide for us. “He opens His hand and satisfies every living creature according to His will” (Psalm 145).

G-d yearns, as it were, to have a direct relationship with every one of His children. He is ever patient and waits for us. Waits for the recognition that He is leading each of us on a path. Waits for the recognition that His laws are relevant, meaningful and immutable. And mostly, waits for the recognition that His love for us is so overwhelming that there is nothing we can do to sever that connection. JN

Our movement’s religious opinion on these matters stipulates best practices for this time. Taking preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19 by wearing masks, washing hands and physical distancing are to be regarded as mitzvot and mandated by Jewish law. Vaccines approved by government health agencies are to be regarded as refuot b’dukot , established medical procedures, and with proper medical guidance Jews are obligated to be vaccinated. Jewish institutions are permitted by Jewish law to require employees, students and

congregants to be vaccinated against COVID-19, though secular legal counsel should be consulted.

On a more collective level, we are obligated to ensure the ethical distribution of vaccines globally and nationally. People should be treated fairly and equally, we should favor the most vulnerable and we should maximize the social benefit by prioritizing first responders and those who can set an example by receiving the vaccine that will encourage others to be vaccinated. Jewish ethics prohibit us from using personal connections,

wealth or influence to receive the vaccine sooner than triage criteria would indicate. Effectively, “jumping in line” is prohibited.

We have made it through an awful period of plague, but we might be able to soon turn the corner thanks to vaccination. Let us do our part as members of the Jewish community, Americans and citizens of the world. JN

into an event that might otherwise seem impersonal, she used “brisket” as the password, reminding people of her mother’s love for the dish.

Sigman said there was a “really beautiful aspect” to the Zoom shiva.

“People from across the country could participate who never would have otherwise been able to,” she said.

Rabbi Jeffrey Lipschultz, the hospice rabbi at Madrona Hospice & Palliative Care, has witnessed firsthand how limits on funerals and restrictions on gatherings impact his patients.

“One of the important aspects of the ritual of mourning is that it has a

communal nature,” Lipschultz said. “A phone call and a Skype just does not ease the pain as much. It’s a very lonely experience for the families, and this is probably one of the tragedies of this pandemic — that we’ve been doing a lot of mourning alone.”

Last week, Rabbi Irwin Wiener of Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation officiated three funerals and found himself flooded by calls from people seeking support for their grief, anxieties and fears.

His congregation comprises about 400 people who live in a retirement community, and he’s doing the best he can to support those who have lost

family members or friends, he said.

“People are looking for answers,” he said. “There are no answers for why these things happen.”

Still, he said, “there are ways to handle it.” Helping his congregants learn to accept and cope with this difficult period is what takes most of his time now.

Snyder agreed. She feels like she’s had a front-row seat to unimaginable pain.

“But I’ve also had a front-row seat to watching angels at work,” she said. She pointed to health care workers, as well as the angels “we don’t see that are surrounding us all.” JN

Rabbi Sholom Twerski is the assistant rabbi of Beth Joseph Congregation and the rabbinic administrator at the Greater Phoenix Vaad HaKashruth.

Find area congregations at jewishaz.com, where you can also find our 2021 Community Directory.

P.M. FEB. 13 - 6:49 P.M.

Rabbi Micah Peltz is the senior rabbi at Temple Beth Sholom in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He is a member of the Conservative movement’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards.

PARSHAH YITRO EXODUS 18:1-20:23

RABBI SHOLOM TWERSKI

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Four children who met at the BJE’s spring 2019 Jewish Baby University play together at Temple Chai’s Early Childhood Center.

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Featured Event

THURSDAY, FEB. 11

John Lewis: Good Trouble:

1 p.m. The Martin Pear JCC in partnership with Temple Solel present the documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble.” Join Temple Solel’s Rabbi John Linder for a discussion of the inspiring life of Rep. John Lewis. “John Lewis: Good Trouble” is an intimate account of Lewis’ life, legacy and more than 60 years of extraordinary activism. Cost: $5 for guests, free for members. For more information and tickets, visit mpjcc.org/movies2021.

Events

SUNDAY, FEB. 7

Congregation Beth Israel Blood Drive: 9 a.m.1:00 p.m. Join CBI Cares blood drive to support the community with needed blood donations. Vitalant (formally United Blood Services) will be facilitating the drive in the CBI ballroom. Masks are required and social distancing will be maintained. Reserve your appointment at bloodhero.com.

Virtual Meetings, Lectures & Classes

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Saturday Mindfulness Gatherings: 9:30 a.m.

Hosted by Hospice of the Valley. Join via Zoom. For more information and event link, visit vosjcc.org/j-at-home-adults.

SUNDAYS

Soul Study: 7:15 a.m. An online class exploring the secrets of the Tanya and Jewish mysticism, taught by Rabbi Pinchas Allouche.

Code of Jewish Law: 9 a.m. With Rabbi Zalman Levertov. For more information, visit chabadaz.com.

MONDAYS

Virtual Knitting Club: 1-3 p.m. Knit, crochet, spin, weave, sew and stitch together over Zoom. For link, email Nicole Garber at nicoleg@vosjcc.org

A Taste of Shabbat: 6:30 p.m. A journey through the Shabbat meal course by course, with a cooking demonstration led by a different Project Inspire branch each week. For more information, visit projectinspireaz.com.

MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS

Learning to Trust in God: 7:30 p.m. With Rabbi Yossi Friedman of Chabad of Phoenix/Anthem. For more information, visit chabadaz.com.

TUESDAYS

39 Ways to Repair the World!: 10 a.m. In celebration of Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz’s 39th birthday, he will teach one of the 39 melachot each week for 39 weeks through April 8. Each session will be between 15-20 minutes long. Suggested donation: $18. For more information, visit valleybeitmidrash.org/ event/39-ways-to-repair-the-world.

Keep Calm and Play Mahjong from Home!: 7-9 p.m. Play mahjong from home with myjongg. net. To join a table, email Nicole at nicoleg@ vosjcc.org by Monday at 1 p.m.

WEDNESDAYS

Wednesday BINGO: 11 a.m.-noon. Play bingo with J members. Upon registration, a bingo card will be emailed to you with further instructions. Free for members, $5 for guests. For more information, visit vosjcc.org/j-at-home-adults.

Happiness Hour: 11:30 a.m. An online class taught by Rabbi Pinchas Allouche that delves into texts and references culled from our traditions to address a relevant topic and draw uplifting life lessons from it. For more information or to join, visit cbtvirtualworld.com.

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

J Social Hour by the Pool: 5-7 p.m. Martin Pear JCC, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Enjoy live music and a special happy hour menu from Milk + Honey while relaxing with friends by the pool. Space is limited, and social distancing will be enforced. For more information, visit vosjcc.org.

THURSDAYS

Brain Games with Friends: 2-3 p.m. Challenge your brains while having fun. Experts believe that active learning helps maintain brain health by preventing loss of cognitive skills such as memory, reasoning and judgment. For more information or to register, visit vosjcc.org/j-athome-adults.

TUESDAYS, JAN. 12-MAY 25

Introduction to Judaism: 7-9 p.m. Learn the basics of Judaism with Rabbi Stein Kokin. For more information or to register, visit bethelphoenix.com/adult-education.

WEDNESDAYS, JAN. 13-FEB. 17

Christianity for All, Marketed by Paul, Who Brilliantly Planned Judaism’s Fall: 10-11:10 a.m. A Bureau of Jewish Education course taught by Marcie Lee. Experience through the Christian Bible’s narrative why the idea that Jews and Christians should simply respect each other has not gone smoothly and why there is so much recent promise for positive change. Please bring a Christian Bible. Cost: $102. For more information or to register, visit bjephoenix.org/ courses/available-courses.

The Crown: Battles of Israelite Kings and Queens: 11:20 a.m.-12:30 p.m. A Bureau of

Jewish Education course taught by Marcie Lee. Meet the Biblical crowned subjects in the Books of Kings. Cost: $102. For more information or to register, visit bjephoenix.org/courses/ available-courses.

At the Heart of Three-Part Jewish Art: 12:40-1:15 p.m. A Bureau of Jewish Education course taught by Marcie Lee. See examples of culturally diverse artists— Non-Jewish artists on Jewish subjects, Jewish artists on Jewish subjects, and Jewish artists on the secular world—who have the creation of Jewish art in common. Cost: $102. For more information or to register, visit bjephoenix.org/courses/ available-courses.

THURSDAYS, JAN. 14-MARCH 25

Israel and the Middle East Through the Lens of Ever-Changing Events in the US, Israel and the Middle East: 12:30-2 p.m. A Bureau of Jewish Phoenix course taught by Meir Jolovitz. An examination of the implications of the election and current events. Cost: $130. For more information or to register, visit bjephoenix.org/ courses/available-courses.

TUESDAYS, JAN. 19-FEB. 9

What We Do and Why We Do It: 10-11 a.m.

A Bureau of Jewish Education course taught by Rabbi Laibel Blotner. Discover the rite and reason behind the Jewish rituals. Cost: $60. For more information or to register, visit bjephoenix.org/courses/available-courses.

WEDNESDAYS, JAN. 20-MAY 26

JACS: Support Group for Jewish Alcoholics, Addicts and their Friends and Family: 7:30 p.m. For more information, email jacsarizona@gmail.com. No charge.

MONDAYS, JAN. 25-MARCH 1

The Writings and Wisdom of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Z’L: 12:15-1:30 p.m. A Bureau of Jewish Education course taught by Andre Ivory. Rabbi Sacks, who passed away recently, possessed a world of wisdom which crossed denominational lines. His books, writings and philosophy not only impacted today’s world, but his intellect, scholarship and wisdom will be felt for generations to come. Cost: $98. For more information or to register, visit bjephoenix.org/courses/available-courses.

WEDNESDAYS, FEB. 3-MARCH 10

Journey of the Soul: 7:00 p.m. Join Rabbi Mendel of the Jewish Learning Center (JLC) for a new six-session course by the acclaimed Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) that will answer a question which has occurred to every selfreflective person: What happens when we die? For more information or to register, contact

Rabbi Mendel Vaisfiche at rabbimendel@chabadofscottsdale.org.

FRIDAYS, JAN. 29-FEB. 26

Racism in America: The Democracy We Created & the Struggle to fulfill the Vision: 10-11:30 a.m. A Bureau of Jewish Education course taught by Jay Roth. This class will explore the roots of racism and white supremacy beginning with the European era of colonialism and how those concepts continue to endure to today. Cost: $90. For more information or to register, visit bjephoenix.org/ courses/available-courses.

FRIDAY, FEB. 5

Strength, Courage and Hope: 10-11:00 a.m. Join AJHS’ Holocaust Survivors Speakers Series in its next virtual seminar with Charlotte Adelman. The virtual seminar makes an emotional connection to the Holocaust. RSVP required. Contact afusco@azjhs.org.

SUNDAY, FEB. 7

Israeli Film Series: “Torn”: All day. The East Valley JCC hosts a daylong streaming of “Torn,” a documentary about a Polish-Catholic priest who discovers that he was born to Jewish parents. The film follows his amazing journey, from conducting Mass in a church in Poland to life as an observant Jew in a religious kibbutz in Israel. For more information or to register, visit evjcc.org/film.

Before Fiddler Live from Florence featuring Klezmerata Fiorentina: 6-8:00 p.m. Decades before the beloved musical “Fiddler on the Roof” first delighted worldwide audiences, there was Sholem Aleichem and his beloved character of Tevye the milkman. Felder will play Sholem Aleichem himself giving audiences the true story of what happened “Before Fiddler.” Cost: $55. For more information or to register, visit mpjcc.org.

MONDAY, FEB. 8

Little Chefs at the J: Purim Hamantaschen: All day. Chef Melinda McNeil of the East Valley JCC’s Challah Factory teaches fun and easy-tomake recipes that can be made with children of all ages with adult supervision. For more information or to register, visit evjcc.org/event/ little-chefs.

TUESDAY, FEB. 9

Awe: Perspectives from Psychological Science: 1-2:00 p.m. Presented by Professor Michelle Shiota. RSVP for Zoom link at valleybeitmidrash.org/upcoming-events.

Marcher holds sign referencing John Lewis’ exhortion to “make good trouble.”

PHOTO BY STEPHEN HARLAN VIA FLICKR (CC BY 2.0)

Harriet Hirshberg passed away on Friday, Jan. 22, at home in Phoenix of natural causes.

She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 11, 1927. She graduated the University of Pittsburgh in 1949 with an art degree, giving her a lifelong interest and appreciation of art and design. She met her husband, Bob, at a sorority dance when her best friend asked her to accompany her then-boyfriend because she was unable to attend. Oops. They were married in 1950 and were together nearly 50 years until Bob’s passing in 2000.

Together they raised three children, Mark (Pam), Rich (Ian) and Gary. Harriet and Bob had a wonderful group of friends in Phoenix and in Pittsburgh and those friends were there for her when Bob passed and she loved these friends a great deal and was grateful for their support. She is survived by her three children, three grandchildren and six nieces and nephews as well as many good friends in Phoenix and Pittsburgh. She loved her children fiercely and never tired of telling them she loved them and was sending a hug.

Her friends and family were her world.

Harriet will be laid to rest next to her husband at Beth Shalom Cemetery in Pittsburgh.

Those who wish to remember Harriet in a special way may make gifts in her memory to: Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E. Flower St., Phoenix, AZ 85014 (hov.org/donate/).

Arrangements in Phoenix entrusted to Sinai Mortuary. sinaimortuary.net

It is truly with a sorrowing heart that we announce the passing of Jordan Greenland, originally from Brooklyn, New York, residing in Phoenix for 48 years. Jordan had a short, hard-fought battle with cancer.

Jordan is survived by daughter Randee (Greenland) Rudick, son-in-law Steve Rudick, grandson Justin Rudick, wife Sharon Friendly-Greenland, stepdaughter Lezli Ungerman, son-in-law Massimo Casini of Italy, stepson Jordan Ungerman and wife Veronica Berkovitz-Ungerman of Toronto, and four other grandchildren: Kyle Ungerman of Israel, Shelby Ungerman of Toronto and Emily and Elia Casini of Italy.

Donations in Jordan’s memory, may be made to The National Kidney Foundation of Arizona and The foundation for Blind Children, which were close to his heart.

On Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, Cheryl Jamison succumbed to COVID-19 at the age of 64. Cheryl leaves behind a brother, Ira Jamison (Ilene), and a wealth of friendships from near and far. She is predeceased by her parents, Natalie and Phillip Jamison. Born in Chicago, Cheryl also lived in Maryland, Texas, Colorado and ultimately in Arizona. Cheryl enjoyed a successful career in the hospitality industry. She engaged her passion of writing through poetry and doting on her beloved dog until Maggie’s passing. Cheryl will be deeply missed both by family, and her many friends from childhood and her places of work. Cheryl’s fondness and concern for animals can be celebrated through a donation to Animal Guardian Network (animalguardiannetwork.org).

Musical Instrument Museum: 1:30-2:30 p.m.

JFCS’ Virtual Center for Senior Enrichment presents ethnomusicologist Dr. Daniel Piper from the Musical Instrument Museum. He will discuss Fiestas Patronales: Music in Latin America’s Sacred and Secular Celebrations. Free. Contact Jennifer Brauner seniorcenter@jfcsaz.org.

THURSDAY, FEB. 11

Pandemic Parenting, for Parents of Young Children: 11:00 a.m. A Bureau of Jewish Education course taught by Gayle Feldman about parenting through a Jewish lens during these challenging times. Please note, this Zoom class will be recorded for registered students to view in the evening. Cost: $36. For more information or to register, visit bjephoenix.org/courses/ available-courses.

Shabbat FRIDAYS

Shabbat at Beth El: 11-11:45 a.m. Celebrate Shabbat with songs, blessings and inspirational teachings. Rabbi Stein Kokin from Beth El Congregation will lead us 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.

Welcome Shabbat: 11-11:45 a.m. Join the JFCS Virtual Center for Senior Enrichment each Friday for a soothing and inspiring program to welcome Shabbat. Each week a different guest host will lead the program with song and celebration. Free. For more information, visit jfcsaz.org/cse.

MILESTONES OBITUARIES

JUNE RUBY SHERMAN

Seniors

MONDAYS

Dance Fusion with Michele Dionisio: 11 a.m.noon. Presented by JFCS Center for Senior Enrichment. Free. For more information, visit jfcsaz.org/cse.

WEDNESDAYS

Chair Yoga with Zoe: 11-11:45 a.m. A guided class in yoga without having to get down on the floor. Presented by JFCS Center for Senior Enrichment. Free. For more information, visit jfcsaz.org/cse.

FRIDAYS, JAN. 15-MARCH 5

Wise Aging: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. A Bureau of Jewish Education course taught by Nan Pollinger. Wise Aging is designed specifically to meet the social, emotional and spiritual needs of Jewish seekers entering second adulthood. Explore the tools and resources to age wisely through the lens of Jewish wisdom. Learn positive ways to navigate a meaningful transition to the next chapter on life’s journey. Cost: $130. For more information or to register, visit bjephoenix.org/courses/available-courses.

FRIDAYS

Adult Chair Ballet Class: 12-12:45 p.m. Join Jennifer Cafarella and Elaine Seretis from Ballet Theatre of Phoenix as they teach a ballet class that will help improve strength, flexibility, movement and balance. No prior dance experience required. Presented by the JFCS Virtual Center for Senior Enrichment. Free. For more information, visit jfcsaz.org/cse. JN

June Ruby Sherman, 95, died Jan. 18, 2021. She was born in London, England and lived in Peoria.

She is survived by her daughter, Sherri Topf; her sons, David and Richard Sherman; six grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. Services were held at Mt. Sinai Cemetery.

Arrangements by Sinai Mortuary.

SARAH GERTRUDE SHORE

Sarah Gertrude Shore, 97, died Jan. 20, 2021. She was born in Toronto, Canada and lived in Phoenix.

She is survived by her daughter, Linda Karp; her sons, Lawrence and Edward Shore; and four grandchildren.

Services were held at Beth El Cemetery. Arrangements by Sinai Mortuary. JN

Esther Salzman passed away January 17 in her residence. She was 89.

Esther, originally from Philadelphia, lived in Phoenix for 62 years. She was married to Albert Salzman for 46 years. Albert passed away 11 years ago. Esther was a bookkeeper throughout her adult life until she retired. She also assisted Al in his new career by maintaining invoices and orders.

All who knew her agreed that Esther was a very sweet person — in her personality as well as with her culinary preferences. She loved ice cream and anything chocolate. And she had a giggle that was uniquely hers and heard often.

Esther was always eager and ready to travel anywhere with family and friends. She and Al enjoyed numerous vacations overseas and throughout the U.S. Often Es said she would like to have traveled even more.

Esther was an avid reader and always had three or four books going at once. She loved cooking for frequent family get-togethers, although baking was her favorite kitchen activity.

Esther is survived by her stepdaughter, Bonnie Salzman in Phoenix; her stepson, Harry Salzman (Carol) of Colorado Springs; and her sister Shelly Garcia of Philadelphia. Esther’s six other sisters and brother are deceased. She was close to her nephew Bob Golden (Teri) and their children and grandchildren. She had numerous nephews and nieces with whom she stayed in touch, and will also be missed by her childhood friend Elaine Duritz in Pennsylvania.

The family is grateful to all the caregivers and support staff who contributed to Esther’s care at The Beatitudes. The caregivers said of Esther: “She was the easy one, always cheerful, accepting and agreeable.”

Due to COVID, the family had a graveside service and will celebrate her life when social distancing is not required. Contributions are suggested to The Beatitudes, Alzheimer’s Research or Beth El Congregation.

Mario Masliah, age 65, of Scottsdale died on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020.

He was born on May 8, 1955, in Salonika, Greece, and moved shortly after to New York. After relocating to Arizona with his family in 1990 from New Jersey, he became an active and devoted member of Temple Chai.

Mario will be remembered for his big heart and smile and the kindness with which he treated everyone he met. Everyone loved and respected Mario both personally and professionally. He was a trusted friend and often seen as a connector or the glue that held friends and family from all over together. He loved his family and his Sephardic roots, and served as the historian for the Masliah family. He had a thirst for knowledge and loved engaging in conversation. He was extremely passionate about all things food and was known for his cooking and the love that went into each meal he prepared for family and friends.

He lived to make others happy and was known for bringing others gifts. Mario enjoyed bike rides and hikes around Scottsdale. He loved to travel the world, explore new cultures, cuisines and take cruises with his wife Hillary. Mario and Hillary enjoyed life to the fullest together and their deep love for each other was admired by all. Mario had a zest for life and always remained positive in the toughest of times.

Mario is survived by his devoted wife of 40 years, Hillary Masliah, his daughter Amanda (Matt) Rockoff, Sister Anna Cohen, and granddaughters Alexis Masliah and Skylar Rockoff. Services were held graveside in New Jersey, surrounded by many of his loved ones. Donations may be made in his name to Temple Chai.

Marilyn Steinberg passed away during the morning of Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, just a few weeks before her 93rd birthday. Her husband, Dr. Raymond Steinberg, predeceased her, passing away on Feb. 14, 2018, at the age of 97.

Marilyn was born in 1928 in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Max (Manny) and Sylvia Friedman who immigrated from Eastern Europe in the first decade of the 20th century. Marilyn had one sibling, Gerald Friedman, who was three years her junior.

With the onset of the depression, the extended Friedman family took up residence in a small town in New Jersey. The Friedmans were blessed with musical talent and took pride in the fact that each sibling was accomplished in a different instrument. Unlike her father Manny, who was a violinist, Marilyn took an interest in piano, and she rapidly became a skillful classical pianist. In Marilyn’s midteens, the family moved back to Brooklyn, and Marilyn began studies at the New York Conservatory of Music.

In 1950, Marilyn was introduced to her future husband, Raymond Steinberg, by his sister Miriam (Micky) Lane, and Marilyn and Ray were married at the end of that year. They moved to Toledo, Ohio, in the early 50s and Marilyn assimilated into the very large Steinberg family. While her husband furthered his medical studies and started his practice, Marilyn was a wellknown piano teacher in Toledo. She then became a leader in the Jewish community as one of the youngest presidents ever of Hadassah. She was recognized for the beautiful speeches that she gave and her inspiring leadership. She later became the first female member of the National Board of the United Jewish Federation.

Marilyn is survived by four sons: Laurence (67), Robert (66), Peter (63) and Michael (60); 10 grandchildren, Quinton and Dylan (Laurence), Aaron, Danny, Heather and Max (Robert), Samuel and Isabel (Peter), and Joshua and Addison (Mike); and three great-grandchildren, August and Levon (Aaron) and Leor (Addison). Marilyn had particularly close relationships with Randi Goeckeler and Melanie Goldstein, the children of her brother, the late Gerald Friedman.

Marilyn’s exhibited her unique talents in so many ways — as a great writer, a great musician, with the beautiful speeches she wrote and the exquisite home she created. But most of all, she was a great and caring mother with an unwavering commitment to her family. She will be missed by all.

Till Death Do Us Part: Family Life and the Afterlife in Jewish Thought

Dr. David Shyovitz

Thursday, Mar. 11 @ 1:00 pm MT

The Making of a Torah Scroll: Exploring Jewish Scribal Arts

Julie Seltzer

Wednesday, Apr. 7 @ 1:00 pm PT

Class with Professor Alfred Kaszniak

Professor Alfred Kaszniak

Monday, Apr. 26 @ 1:00 pm PT

Fifteen Profound Teachings from The Thirteen Petalled Rose by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz

Rabbi Arthur Kurzweil

Tuesday, June 1 @ 1:00 pm PT

The Continuing Case for Curiosity

This program is part of the “Scientists in Synagogues” initiative.

Sari Custer

Thursday, June 24 @ 1:00 pm PT

Emergent Judaism: How an Ancient Tradition Gets New Ideas

Rabbi Dr. Natan Margalit

Tuesday, Feb. 23 @ 1:00 pm MT

Beauty, Mystery, and Significance in a Vast Universe

This program is part of the “Scientists in Synagogues” initiative.

Dr. Jennifer J. Wiseman

Monday, Mar. 15 @ 1:00 pm PT

10-CLASS SERIES: Building Yourself One Trait at a Time! A 10-part Spiritual Journey Into Mussar

Rabbi Loren Berman

April 8 - June 10 @ 1:00 pm PT

PANEL DISCUSSION: The Most Urgent Agenda for the American Jewish Community!

Professor Stan Mirvis Rabbi Herschel Aberson Rabbi Nitzan Stein Kokin

Wednesday, May 5 @ 1:00 pm PT

What Does God Do All Day Long? Rabbinic Reflections on the Divine Daily Schedule

Dr. Sarit Kattan Gribetz

Monday, June 7 @ 1:00 pm PT

The Religious and Human Urgency of Right Speech in a Post-Truth Age

Rabbi Jason Rubenstein

Wednesday, July 7 @ 1:00 pm PT

Ruach Hamidbar

PANEL DISCUSSION: Environmental Activism: Judaism, Ecology, and Social Change

A learning program of the Judaism, Science & Medicine Group conference

Featuring Rabbi Jennie Rosenn

Sunday, Feb. 28 @ 4:00 pm MT

Who and What Should I Fear: Early Rabbinic Views

Professor Joel Gerebo

Thursday, Mar. 4 @ 1:00 pm MT

How Stories Heal: How To Read and Access the Magic of Hasidic Stories

Rabbi Dr. Tsvi Blanchard

Thursday, Feb. 18 @ 1:00 pm MT

If Rashi had Facebook: Jewish Perspectives on Cancel Culture and Online Shaming Rabbanit Karen Miller Jackson

Monday, Mar. 8 @ 11:00 am MT

The 40 Greatest Debates in Jewish History!

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz

Apr. 6, ‘21 - Jan. 11, ‘22 @ 10:00 am PT

How Jewish Wisdom Can Inspire a Paradigm Shift with Renewed Leadership

Rabbi Yehuda Sarna

Monday, Apr. 12 @ 1:00 pm PT

3-CLASS SERIES: Jewish Views on the Afterlife: A Three-Part Series – Class 1

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz

Thursday, May 6 @ 10:00 am PT

The Old Man Kohelet: His Life On Review

Rabbi Dr. Kerry Olitzky

Monday, June 14 @ 1:00 pm PT

Just Judaism: Understanding the Centrality of Social Justice

Rabbi Rick Jacobs

Monday, July 12 @ 1:00 pm PT

Cultivating Trust: Exploring the Writings of Etty Hillesum

Rabbi Dorothy Richman

Monday, Apr. 19 @ 1:00 pm PT

PANEL DISCUSSION: A Communal Tribute to Rabbi Mari Chernow To Celebrate 18 Years of Service to our Community!

Keynote Speaker: Rabbi Dr. David Ellenson

Tuesday, May 11 @ 1:00 pm PT

Praying for the Monsoon: An Arizona Liturgical Adventure

Dr. Daniel Stein Kokin

Thursday, June 17 @ 1:00 pm PT

The Jews’ Indian: Colonialism, Pluralism and Belonging in America

Dr. David Ko man

Tuesday, July 20 @ 1:00 pm PT

Skepticism 101: How to Think Like a Scientist

This program is part of the “Scientists in Synagogues” initiative.

Dr. Michael Shermer

Wednesday, Apr. 21 @ 1:00 pm PT

PANEL DISCUSSION: The Emergence of a Dynamic Change in Jewish Leadership!

Analucía Lopezrevoredo, Ph.D. Jon Cohen Kimberly Dueñas

Wednesday, May 19 @ 1:00 pm PT

The Four Books That Changed Jewish History

Jonnie Schnytzer

Tuesday, June 22 @ 1:00 pm PT

A Sacred Dialogue: The Conversation Between Liturgy and Poetry

Rabbi Hara Person

Monday, July 26 @ 1:00 pm PT