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Neo-Nazis rallied in Phoenix, largely ignored

About a dozen neo-Nazis gathered in Phoenix April 17. It was a relatively uneventful 30 minutes of a few people marching around Eastlake Park and yelling racial slurs.

“Given how precarious this situation could have been, this represents quite a victory against hate,” said Paul Rockower, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix.

Community leaders say the group came looking to spread its message, but the rally instead showed a community unified against hate.

The JCRC formed a coalition with 26 other groups — including the African American Christian Clergy Coalition, the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Arizona, the Valley Interfaith Project and the Phoenix Holocaust Association — to deny the neo-Nazis their goals of attention and amplification, Rockower said.

“The community was unified in its efforts to lower the temperature around the rally, and keep community partners away, as to avoid friction and escalation,” he said.

Prior to the rally, JCRC and other groups worked to discourage counterprotests or engagement with the marchers. For example, JCRC hosted a webinar on April 14 with Cure Violence Global and Arizona State University’s Public Safety Innovation Lab to encourage members of the news media to cover the rally, if warranted, in a way that wouldn’t escalate or amplify extremist messages.

Ed McGuire, director of ASU’s Public Safety Innovation Lab and a professor of criminology and criminal justice, said it is important to encourage counterprotesters to

Jewish community ‘on the ground’ with humanitarian support for asylum seekers

NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER

As the number of asylum seekers at Arizona’s southern border increases, so too does the number of buses dropping off migrants at International Rescue Committee community shelters in Phoenix.

Every day this year, between 75 and 150 asylum seekers have arrived in the Phoenix area, according to Stanford Prescott, community engagement coordinator for IRC in Arizona.

These arrivals have already gone through some initial processing with federal immigration officials and have been granted the opportunity to have their case heard before a judge. But they are on their own while they wait.

Often, they don’t even know where they are when they get off the bus, Prescott said, and must find a way to travel to friends or family while they await a court hearing.

Inside community shelters, volunteers of the IRC and its partners offer warm meals, medical attention and assistance while asylum seekers await the next part of their journey.

There is no federal funding for their support, but there are a handful of Jewish organizations working to fill the gap for those in the state. Arizona Jews for Justice is one.

“I think the cool thing about Jews is that we’re boldly there,” said Eddie Chavez Calderon, campaign director at AJJ. “We’re not afraid to be on the ground.”

He stressed the importance of seeing the situation at the border as “a humanitarian issue. We have to move and shift the dynamic away from thinking that this is a political issue,” he said. When

Talking about the challenge of infertility

NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER

Eddie Chavez Calderon, campaign director at Arizona Jews for Justice, left, with AJJ organizer Talia Hoffer and Congregation Beth Israel Associate Rabbi Sara Mason-Barkin and her kids after they dropped off donated items for asylum seekers on April 16.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RABBI SARA MASON-BARKIN

distance themselves from those they are opposing.

“They should certainly say what they want to say, and try to get their message out there, but preferably not right there at the event where violence is a huge risk,” he said.

When counterprotesters are present, there is more opportunity for violence given the presence of three distinct groups: protesters, counterprotesters and law enforcement.

“One of the issues that’s really concerning right now is that in the current climate, there’s really a significant sense of grievance among all three of these groups,” McGuire said, alluding to the protests that swept the nation last year after the murder of George Floyd by former Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin, which highlighted racial injustice and police brutality.

Rockower talked to the heads of the other groups in the coalition about keeping counterprotesters away. “We don’t want anyone risking their lives to protest vile messages,” Rockower wrote in his email. Those leaders then sent emails to their members. PHA President Sheryl Bronkesh said the JCRC made it clear that it “would not be in our best interest to counterprotest.”

And it worked.

On April 17, members of three different neo-Nazi groups showed up: the National Socialist Movement, the Texas-based 14 First, and a Phoenix-based faction of the Aryan Nations, according to the AntiDefamation League. The counterprotest “was measured,” Rockower said.

Tammy Gillies, ADL’s regional director in Arizona, described NSM as “equal opportunity haters” who want to strike fear in the community.

“We should all be able to live in communities where we feel safe and secure. And we should be living in a world of diversity and inclusion that makes our community stronger, not places where we are afraid or we feel excluded,” she said.

Bronkesh said she talked to some Holocaust survivors about the rally. One survivor laughed when she heard only a dozen neo-Nazis showed up and said she was proud of Phoenix.

Another survivor expressed to Bronkesh his sadness that hatred against so many groups has increased.

Marc Lerner, board chair for the Arizona region of the ADL, said even though it was a small and relatively peaceful turnout, “groups that are committed to stirring up hatred and bigotry can’t be taken lightly.”

In 2019, there was a 55% increase in the number of white nationalist groups from 2017, according to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Two days after the rally in Phoenix, Burt Colucci, commander of NSM, was arrested in Chandler, charged with aggravated assault for pointing a loaded handgun at a Black man and threatening to kill him and his

friends, according to police records.

Rev. Jarrett Maupin organized a candlelight vigil and a community gathering at Eastlake on April 25 as a way to combat what he called “the hate parade.”

“We can’t have any level of tolerance for bigotry, or for racism, or for antiSemitism, or for any kind of discrimination to get a foothold in our society,” he said. “One of the dangers of discriminatory behavior is that it is contagious if allowed to be encouraged.”

The vigil opened with a prayer and included a press conference and speeches from Rev. Luther Holland and Former Phoenix City Councilmember Michael Nowakowski. He estimates between 30 and 50 people came.

“I was born in a society where, because of my color, my skin, or the language I spoke, or my religious affiliation, I wouldn’t be able to live in a certain place, or shop in a certain place or enjoy equal protection under the law.”

During the press conference, he and others requested more protections for communities of color.

“We need more protection, because the threats are real,” he said. JN

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A counterprotester holds a sign that says “Nazis Get Out,” during the rally held by the National Socialist Movement, the modern day neo-Nazi party, at the state Capitol in Phoenix on April 17, 2021.

PHOTO BY MEG POTTER/THE REPUBLIC

people turn into statistics and numbers they are dehumanized. “As Jews we should really know what it feels like, and know what it hurts like, to be dehumanized.”

AJJ has focused on immigration efforts since its founding in 2013. Chavez Calderon was hired in 2018, just before a surge in asylum seekers brought renewed interest in the border. The group advocates for the humane treatment of migrants and has led protests outside of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s headquarters in Phoenix to demand humanitarian medical care.

They also collect and deliver donations and supplies for migrants and for this work they actively engage the broader Jewish community for assistance.

Congregation Beth Israel Associate Rabbi Sara Mason-Barkin, inspired by AJJ’s work, broached the topic of immigration with CBI members during Passover.

“I have long wanted to bring the question and conversation around immigration to our congregation, because these are questions and conversations that I personally want to have,” she said. “When Passover came around, it seemed like the right time because this is when — as a people, as a tradition — we talk about our own Exodus, our own immigration.”

CBI hosted Chavez Calderon for a webinar on the topic March 31, during which he shared his personal story of coming to the U.S. from Mexico and answered questions.

“What came out of the discussion with him was that there is a real desire to do something,” she said. “There are ways to help, there are concrete things to do. And there are people in our community who can help us do the helping.”

Mason-Barkin began a collection drive of items for asylum seekers in February without much success, she said.

“But after hearing from Eddie, a number of people came in with monetary donations, so I was able to go to Target to pick up more of the essential items that were needed,” she said. She dropped off the supplies to AJJ April 16, and she hopes to do more.

“Right now what we can do is trust the

people who know what to do and support them,” she said, adding that CBI is not taking a political position.

Temple Solel and Temple Chai also both highlight immigration as a focus for social action on their websites.

Jewish-affiliated organizations including the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix, too, provide humanitarian assistance to asylum seekers.

SOSS’s Tucson chapter may soon be able to participate in a national effort to provide 5,500 meals to asylum seekers. The national group secured a grant from Islamic Relief USA and Beth Turetsky, co-chair of the SOSS immigrant communities action group, said the national organization is partnering with Casa Alitas Welcome Center in Tucson to create “shelf-stable, nutritious and culturally appropriate meals.” SOSS chapters around the country, including in Tucson, may have the opportunity to prepare the welcome meals and then mail them to the welcome center.

JCRC has been involved with providing humanitarian assistance to asylum seekers since 2019. The organization helped connect the Maricopa County Medical Society to a network of other groups providing support for asylum seekers, and helped the IRC’s Phoenix Welcome Center strengthen its security.

JCRC also recently sponsored $250 worth of meals at the center to feed about 75 asylum seekers.

“For us, it was a wonderful lens to view the Passover Exodus story, and we were proud to be able to offer tangible support for asylum-seekers,” said Paul Rockower, JCRC’s executive director.

JCRC extended that invitation to area synagogues as well.

“On the ground stuff — donations, volunteering — is removed from the politics of it. It’s just helping people, who have a legal status to be here, and who are in need,” Rockower said. “The direct tikkun olam is something that’s apolitical and a way of being engaged in an issue without having the politics be the focus.”

Temple Kol Ami, Temple Emanuel, Temple Solel, The New Shul, Desert Foothills Jewish Community Association and Temple Chai all sponsored meals.

Kol Ami Rabbi Jeremy Schneider said

“For me, immigration is a moral issue,” he said, via email. “Since its founding, the United States has offered refuge and protection to the world’s most vulnerable. Time and time again those refugees were Jews, and as a rabbi, I take seriously the biblical mandate to ‘welcome the stranger.’”

He said the synagogue does not take political positions, but rather gives members opportunities to be informed and make their own choices.

Or Adam Congregation for Humanistic Judaism has been collecting donated items on behalf of AJJ.

“I used to collect so many items that I was going to Jews for Justice weekly,” said Susan Schesnol, membership chair. But the pandemic has significantly slowed donation drives.

“I am hoping after the pandemic we can return to our generosity,” she said, adding it is important to welcome the stranger.

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley identified immigration as the right fit for its social action committee. When its leadership became aware of young migrant children without basic clothing, they instituted a clothing and fundraising drive to be distributed at the border.

“We follow the commandment as recited in the Torah that we must take care of the widow and the orphan,” said Marvin Berris, TBSWV’s president.

Congregation Kehillah Rabbi Bonnie Sharfman said her synagogue makes donations of clothing, supplies and funds as requested by organizations working on the border, but did not indicate which ones.

Chavez Calderon said it’s heartwarming that so many Jewish organizations and community members are moved to action. But, he said, there’s more work to be done.

A community filled with professionals can offer resources that may sometimes be taken for granted, like pro bono medical help, translating and legal consultations.

Because of the COVID pandemic, “I think that a lot of folks think that it’s unsafe to take action,” Chavez Calderon said. But a lot of expertise can be offered remotely, and even if it’s just making hygiene kits, AJJ will pick them up from doorsteps, he said. JN

A pile of donated items for asylum seekers sits inside Arizona Jews for Justice’s office on April 22.

Sisterhood of Salaam and Shalom members walk desert trails to leave water for migrants.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERTA ELLIOTT

East Valley JCC launches podcast

NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER

The East Valley Jewish Community Center launched its “Conversation with the Rabbi” podcast March 30.

Rabbi Michael Beyo, CEO of the EVJCC, said the podcast stemmed from a series of in-person conversations that he began in September 2019 with local faith leaders. The last in-person conversation was on March 1, 2020 and featured Gary Smith, mission president at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The stated goal of the series, and of the podcast, is to expose listeners to different points of view in a nuanced, respectful and educated way.

“The only way that I can continue to be a good rabbi and a teacher and a leader for my community is if I constantly check myself and try to improve how I do things, why I do things and try to learn new things and new perspectives,” Beyo said.

Beyo partnered with Adrian McIntrye, an anthropologist and general manager and president of PHX.fm, an online radio station and podcast studio in Phoenix, to produce the podcast.

“I would have never been able to do it on my own,” Beyo said, adding McIntyre “is holding my hand through this” — helping him feel comfortable with audio recording equipment and technical details.

Beyo has never had trouble with public speaking, but having listeners he can’t see and doesn’t necessarily know has been a challenge for him — especially when it comes to difficult conversations.

“From the very beginning, what Michael said to me was, ‘I want to change the understanding of what it means to have a conversation with the rabbi,’” McIntrye recalled. ‘“I want to have conversations that are going to deal with complex subjects, where I might be uncomfortable. And even perhaps sometimes my guests might be uncomfortable. But we are committed to dialogue.’”

In the podcast’s first full episode released

April 1, Beyo and McIntrye spoke with Azra Hussain of the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Arizona.

Beyo asked Hussain about the mission of Islam.

“Don’t you have in your tradition — and maybe I’m wrong, maybe I don’t know Islam as well as I know Judaism — that there should be a goal that all of humanity should become Muslim?”

Hussain explained why his understanding was incorrect.

“It’s not supposed to be my goal to make all of humanity Muslim,” she said. “To me, the goal of Islam was to make sure that human beings exist or co-exist with respect and kindness and love. And that’s what spreads throughout the world.”

However, Muslims do believe that before the end of time, humanity will be majority Muslim, Hussain said. The word Muslim in Arabic literally means one who submits to God.

“I think that’s what will ultimately be the case, that one believes in some creator, regardless of what one calls it,” she said.

Reflecting on that conversation, Beyo said it was interesting to see how different Muslims and scholars of Islam have a different understanding of the religion, “just like we have a multiplicity of ideas of opinions in Judaism.”

Other episodes have featured Jerzy Wójcik, creator of the Auschwitz Virtual Tour; Doran Krakow, with the JCC Association of North America; and Craig Cardon, President of the Queen Creek Arizona West Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. More than a dozen conversations have been recorded and are being released on a weekly basis.

Since the first podcast was aired, about 130 people have tuned in and the total number of downloads increases each week, McIntyre said. The majority of listeners, more than 76%, are in the U.S. The rest are in Israel, India, Italy, Poland, Canada,

Russia and the United Kingdom.

Jane Wabnik, EVJCC board member, used to attend the in-person dialogue sessions and has been enjoying the podcast version.

“Each podcast leaves much to think about, whether it be questions of faith and action, community activity, education, criminal justice or politics,” she said. “The format is not confrontational. It is a discussion which allows for differences of opinion and approaches to whatever topic is being discussed.”

Beyo is committed to continuing “Conversation with the Rabbi” in the podcast format for now.

The EVJCC also had a six-month run of a “Words of Wisdom” podcast. It was less formal and ran from late July 2020 to late February 2021.

Pam Morris, the EVJCC’s early childhood education director, began WOW as a way to connect with families as people stayed home during the pandemic last year.

“Some of it is education based, some of it is more associated with Jewish values,” she

said. Sometimes Morris spoke about things related to Jewish holidays and other times her episodes would “have nothing to do with Judaism whatsoever.” She drew on her experience as an educator and shared her thoughts on everything from multisensory learning to how to cope with stress.

Mindfulness was a consistent theme.

“You don’t have to be perfect. It’s taking one step at a time and just making the best of what you have and being thankful for the blessings you have in your life,” Morris said. The podcast is temporarily on hold, but fans are hoping it will return.

“I looked forward to listening to WOW with Pam each week,” said listener Nicole Viceri. “I am continually impressed with the way she acknowledges and addresses tough-to-talk-about topics with grace and understanding.” JN

To listen to “Conversation with the Rabbi,” visit evjcc.org/how-to-listen/. To listen to “Words of Wisdom,” visit evjcc.org/wordsofwisdom/.

Adrian McIntrye, left, and Rabbi Michael Beyo with their recording equipment SCREENSHOT BY ADRIAN MCINTYRE

Shavuot Zoom collaboration offers learning and ways to ‘connect differently’

NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER

Before COVID, celebrating Shavuot meant gathering with fellow Jews to study Torah late into the night, maybe with some singing and late-night snacks.

This year, several of Greater Phoenix’s Reform and Conservative synagogues will still gather to study and connect — but on Zoom.

“Isn’t that just what everyone wants? All I want is just to spend more time on Zoom,” Congregation Beth Israel Associate Rabbi Sara MasonBarkin quipped, referencing the Zoom fatigue that has become a hallmark of the pandemic.

The Greater Phoenix Board of Rabbis organized a collaborative Tikkun Le’il Shavuot Zoom program in 2020 with five area synagogues and saw potential.

“This is one of those unique times where doing something over Zoom actually enables more participation,” Mason-Barkin said.

The pandemic has spurred more collaboration, and the board’s upcoming May 16 program has 11 participating synagogues.

“There’s a growing coalescence and understanding that the more stuff we do together, the better it is for the community,” said CBI Rabbi Stephen Kahn, who is also the outgoing president of the Board of Rabbis.

Mason-Barkin, who organized the program, agreed.

“We have spent 16, 17 months consistently reinventing and recreating, and figuring out how to do things differently,” Mason-Barkin said. “By working together on something, it’s a chance for us to kind of bring all of our powers together and to offer

one thing that’s really, really nice instead of all of us individually continuing to spin our wheels.”

Starting at 7 p.m. on May 16, Congregation Kehillah Rabbi Bonnie Sharfman, Temple Kol Ami Rabbi Jeremy Schneider, Temple Chai Cantor Ross Wolman and others will kick off the five-hour Zoom program with an opening ritual and discussion before transitioning to concurrent breakout learning sessions.

“I have always said that Shavuot gets a bad rap because it falls in the summer,” Schneider said. “The vast majority of Jewish holidays fall on the school calendar year and get more attention because of religious school. Since kids are already on vacation, they tend to miss the emphasis on the beauty of Shavuot. And the irony is that Shavuot celebrates Jewish learning.”

Temple Chai Rabbi Bonnie Koppell said Shavuot is “under-observed and under-appreciated.”

Shavuot is one of the three major Jewish pilgrimage holidays — right up there with Passover and Sukkot — and marks the anniversary of when the Torah was given to Moses at Mount Sinai. Sharfman said she prefers to call it the “receiving” of the Torah, rather than the giving of the Torah, “because it’s a choice that we Jews can make every single day.”

Rabbi Herschel “Brodie” Aberson of Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley said all of the festival holidays have something special about them. And Shavuot is one of a few holidays “where the point is to really just spend all night reveling in our learning and our text and our community.”

The breakout learning sessions vary from intensive text study to sessions around music. Mason-Barkin is leading a cooking class.

“I’m doing like an ‘Iron Chef’ cooking challenge at 10:30 at night,” she said. “It’s really just a way to connect differently.”

Aberson will lead a session called, “From the Red Sea to the Red Planet: Observing Judaism in orbit and beyond.”

“I’m a bit of a sci-fi geek,” he said. “The idea of considering how to practice Judaism outside of Earth, or off the planet

surface, is fascinating to me. And there’s actually been a bit of work done on the subject, in part because there have been Israeli astronauts and directions about how they would observe Judaism on the space station or in the space shuttle.”

Rabbi Alicia Magal of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley will lead two sessions, including one on the Book of Ruth. “We will discuss whether our own names contain an element of our destiny,” she said.

Koppell is going to lead participants through a quiz on beliefnet.com that guesses a user’s religious affiliation and discuss which combination of answers would lead to getting a “Jewish” result.

“It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for Shavuot for quite a few years,” she said. “I hope that it will give people an opportunity to learn more about Judaism and about their own beliefs.”

Schneider is leading a class examining the Torah accounting of what happened at Mount Sinai. “Is the Torah report an accurate recording of history, or a legend in which some kernels of truth are hidden?” he posits.

Temple Emanuel of Tempe Rabbi

Dean Shapiro is leading a session that will explore the setting of Shavuot, and the meaning of mountains in Torah and in human consciousness. “I hope people will start thinking about the importance of setting in the Torah — the symbolic value, and the emotional context it creates,” he said.

Longtime CBI member Elaine Glazer attended the first Zoom Shavuot program last year and plans to attend this year.

“Last year was so much fun,” Glazer said. “What a great way to celebrate a holiday that’s supposed to run until midnight — you didn’t even have to leave your house. After it’s done you just brush your teeth and go to bed.”

Mason-Barkin hopes people will find new ways to experience the text by “throwing ourselves out of our usual way of study,” she said.

Beth El Congregation Rabbi Nitzan Stein Kokin, Temple Solel Rabbi John Linder and Mason-Barkin will lead a closing ritual, including the reading of the Ten Commandments.

“The rabbis teach us that at midnight, the heavens open. And we read the Ten Commandments, and we become spiritually enlightened in that moment,” Mason-Barkin said. JN

Rabbi Alicia Magal of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley leads a group in reading the Ten Commandments as part of a previous Shavuot celebration.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALICIA MAGAL

Advocating for agunot with the ‘push-pull’ of social media

SHANNON LEVITT | MANAGING EDITOR

Karolyn Benger has a big social media network — and she’s not afraid to use it. Benger, who is “deeply concerned about justice and women in Judaism,” said one positive application for social media is helping Jewish women finalize long-awaited divorces.

A get (Jewish divorce) is written under the supervision of the beit din (rabbinic court) and presented by a husband to his wife. It is necessary to have the get in order to remarry in a Jewish ceremony as well as to have future legitimate children.

“Unfortunately, we have a situation today where you can get a civil divorce but husbands hold onto the get,” Benger said. The husbands who refuse their wives a get leave them in a kind of limbo as agunot, or chained women. The rabbinate and Jewish community often apply some economic and social pressure on the husbands in such cases, but Benger said that’s not enough for cases that drag on for years.

Benger suggested that “get refusers” are husbands “manipulating secular outcomes and holding a wife hostage” merely to get a better child custody or financial arrangement. “Sometimes it’s

just extortion to release her,” Benger said. She recently used her social media network on behalf of her friend, Shari Judah, who has been waiting 12 years for her get. Benger encouraged people to write emails, make calls and put the husband’s image all over the internet in order to pressure him to give Judah the get

“Social media has made it easier to notify people and gain information about where get refusers work and who they associate with and where they go,” Benger said. Years of rabbinical and communal pressure hadn’t worked, but after about two weeks of Facebook and Instagram publicity right before Passover, Judah received her get from Josh Pitterman.

“I’ve never had a Pesach more meaningful knowing that she was freed,” said Benger.

Pitterman maintains the social media campaign caused nothing but harm and the get was coming anyway, but Judah believes social media pressure worked.

Using social media for pressure campaigns isn’t new, but the jury is out whether it is a tool or a weapon and if it should be used for such a private matter.

Keshet Starr, CEO of Organization for the Resolution of Agunot, said a social

media campaign like Benger’s “can be extremely effective.” But it’s “not the right fit for every case.” And before using any such campaign there’s a need to be cautious given the “push-pull that comes with any sort of advocacy. It’s a powerful tool,” she said, “but you have to use it thoughtfully.”

Benger’s no naif, however, believing that social media is a benign place — in fact, she doesn’t allow her teenage children on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and wishes all parents restricted their children’s access. Still, she’s convinced “this is the only avenue available to us and a woman deserves to be free,” she said.

Rabbi Gavriel Goetz, head of school at Yeshiva High School of Arizona, said in his experience “expert rabbinical involvement” rather than social media was what worked. Ultimately, he was just happy the matter was resolved for Judah, a member of his community. “It’s something that needed to happen,” he said, via email.

Betzalel Rothstein, a mediator and

divorce coach with Shalom Family Mediation in New Jersey, said he thinks using social media in this way is “a bad idea. Any time you weaponize something and are furthering hostility, you’re putting both parties at great risk,” he said.

He allowed that in some extreme cases where the get is used as leverage and “weaponized,” maybe a social media campaign is necessary. However, he has also seen a new variation on these campaigns wherein a man shamed so publicly will reverse course, saying the get

SEE ADVOCATING, PAGE 10

Shari Judah receives her get from a beit din in Phoenix in March 2021. PHOTO COURTESY OF SHARI JUDAH

Israel, UAE top diplomats paint rosy picture of Abraham Accords

NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER

Seven months ago, Consul General of Israel Hillel Newman’s diplomatic visit to the United Arab Emirates was top secret. But after the Abraham Accords declaration normalized relations last September, that trip is no longer hushhush. Already more than 130,000 Israelis have visited the newly-available tourist destination.

The first commercial flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv began April 6.

“It’s ushering in a new era in the Middle East,” Newman said of the Abraham Accords.

“It is an important win for diplomacy, and for the people of this region,” agreed Hazza Alkaabi, Consul General of the United Arab Emirates in Los Angeles.

The two top diplomats spoke last month during a virtual panel discussion organized by the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Federations of Greater Phoenix and Southern Arizona and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix that left many viewers with a surprising sense of hope.

“Frankly, it was incredible to see the Consuls General of Israel and the UAE together in the same Zoom,” said Paul Rockower, JCRC’s executive director. “I didn’t expect to be as moved by it, but once the program opened I found myself a bit overwhelmed at the historic nature of the program. Sometimes it helps to stop and take a moment to reflect on how drastic the landscape has shifted — this program gave us the opportunity to do so.”

The agreement propelled the UAE and Israel to develop and enhance existing commercial and security ties and allowed the countries to collaborate on new endeavors, ranging from artificial intelligence to tourism. The two countries have signed a host of agreements across a variety of sectors from banking and finance — including preventing terror

financing — to water security.

“Both countries have a desire to fully cooperate in different sectors,” Alkaabi said.

Newman said in just a few short months the two countries have signed nine agreements, with five more “close” to being signed and an additional 16 “in the pipeline.”

Hillel and Alkaabi both emphasized the warmth of the relationship between the two governments, each encouraging cultural exchange and what Hillel dubbed “people-to-people normalization.”

“I’m proud of the growing Jewish community back home in Dubai,” Alkaabi said.

Hillel encourages travel among Israelis and Americans to the UAE to make sure that “people in UAE, the people of Israel, and the people of the United States, understand that there’s warmth, tolerance and there are tangible fruits of peace.”

The warming of relations didn’t happen overnight.

“It’s a decade’s long effort,” Newman said. Normalizing relations has been a “high priority issue in Israel’s cabinet” for many years, and entailed relationship building as well as support from other countries, including the United States.

“It also took a realization in the Arab world that Israel is an ally and not an enemy,” Newman said. “Some of us have grown up on narratives, which unfortunately we were fed since birth by radical elements.”

Alkaabi and Newman both voiced optimism that the Abraham Accords offers a path toward peace between Israel and the Palestinians — maybe even within the next five years.

“At last the Palestinians will understand that they have to make the choice and join peace. It’s their choice, and time is not on their side. We will move forward in our relations with other countries for the good and the benefit of society and humanity,” Newman said.

“I totally agree with the Consul General head on,” Alkaabi said, and also emphasized the Abraham Accords prevented annexation while creating new opportunities for the Palestinians. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the UAE worked with Israel to deliver vaccines to the West Bank.

Since the UAE, Bahrain and Israel agreed to normalize relations last September, Morocco, Bhutan and Sudan have followed suit.

In five year’s time, Newman hopes to see the number of countries in the Abraham Accords grow to include at least 10.

Richard Hirschhaut, Los Angeles Director of the American Jewish Committee, moderated the discussion. He said the April 8 discussion emanated from the Embassy of the UAE in Washington, D.C. in hopes it would be the first of many opportunities for UAE officials to get acquainted with the American Jewish community and build bridges where bridges can be built.

He said he was most taken by the rapport between Newman and Alkaabi.

“For me, it was a sense of mutuality,” Hirschhaut said. “These are two skilled, polished diplomats who did not conduct themselves behind diplomatic speak or with caution or with hesitation or with nuance or with words that need to be parsed. It was open. It was a conversation among friends. That, to me, was a revelation.”

He said the 130,000 Israeli visitors to the UAE reflects the longing Israelis have for wanting to live their lives normally in peace with their neighbors. However, it is unclear how many people from the UAE are eager to travel to Israel.

Hirschhaut said a change in governmental tone doesn’t necessarily translate and trickle down to the people, and he believes that is top of mind for UAE officials.

“I think there really is a conscious effort and intentional effort to merge the individual connection with government policy,” Hirschhaut said.

Like Rockower, Hirschhaut was also moved by seeing the two diplomats share the same virtual stage. “It made the vision of peace very real. And I think that has genuine power and authenticity to it,” Hirschhaut said. JN

Abu Dhabi “PARADE” BY FRANÇOISE MORIO IS LICENSED UNDER CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

TKA prepares for its first cantor in 30 years, begins in-person services

SHANNON LEVITT | MANAGING EDITOR

Temple Kol Ami just hired its second cantor in the synagogue’s history. More than 30 years ago, TKA’s first cantor served only a few months.

Now, due to TKA’s significant growth over the last 10 years, Rabbi Jeremy Schneider said he needs another ordained clergy member “to serve the congregation’s needs and programs and give me the support I need to serve 400 families.”

Cantor Rita Glassman, currently the interim cantor at Congregation Rodeph Shalom in Philadelphia, starts July 1 and will serve as interim cantor for a year.

Hiring an interim cantor with a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge was key, said Schneider.

And Glassman has many years of experience. Before Philadelphia, she served as cantor for Temple Shalom in Dallas and Shereth Israel in San Francisco, where she worked with Nancy Drapin, TKA’s executive director. Drapin was Shereth Israel’s executive director for seven of the 10 years that Glassman was its senior cantor.

“Her warmth and understanding of human nature plus her strong voice and emotional

interpretations of music enhanced every worship experience,” Drapin said of Glassman, via email. “I would never miss an opportunity to be transformed, to sit with my husband and take in the full meaning of Rita’s interpretations and the joy she exuded as she sang and played guitar and piano. We are very lucky to have her join our staff team.”

Glassman left Shereth Israel to become a board-certified chaplain. She’s also a composer, published songwriter and recording artist.

“Music is a powerful healing force in the universe,” Glassman said. “I really believe in the power of communal prayer. It helped us get through the pandemic in Philadelphia.”

Glassman considers music to be the vehicle she uses “to bring tikkun to the world,” she said.

She looks forward to being of help to Schneider and taking her cues from him about the congregation’s needs. She also hopes to be able to give the congregation something beyond that — “what they never dreamed they wanted,” she said.

Schneider said he’ll be “freed up to do more for the congregation” by having a partner who is fully ordained.

Emily Kaye Wiss, TKA’s current cantorial

soloist, will leave in June. A cantorial soloist is not an ordained position. In an email to the congregation on Feb. 4, TKA thanked Wiss for “her amazing vocal talent” and for being “a musical light bringing enthusiasm for song, Jewish music and tutoring to our congregation.” Wiss will be joining Temple Emanuel of Tempe in July as cantorial soloist.

Glassman said she has “a lot of respect for soloists and I’m very respectful of anyone who pours their heart into that, but I’m really excited about what I can bring in terms of my experience and as a member of the clergy.”

TKA’s Feb. 4 email explained that a cantor is an ordained member of the clergy and can “officiate at all life cycles events, can sit on the religious courts for purposes of conversion to Judaism and can make pastoral and hospital visits for the purpose of helping people through difficult times.”

Schneider pointed out that TKA has grown so quickly — growth that continued during COVID — that it has become essential to have another ordained clergy member on the staff. Glassman understands. “It’s a big job to be a spiritual leader of a congregation and I look forward to bringing all that I have,” she said. By the time Glassman arrives, TKA might be

for the first time since the pandemic began.

“And it was the most spiritual Shabbat of my career,” Schneider said.

He compared the feeling to when he first celebrated Shabbat in front of a congregation as a new rabbi. At that time, things felt new, but he was also “scared out of my mind,” he quipped.

But last Friday, “it felt brand new and special, and yet, I knew exactly what to do,” he said. “I could feel the energy of the room and people’s appreciation about being in the room. The responsive readings sounded louder and more meaningful.”

Schneider said that when the congregation said the Shehecheyanu, “there wasn’t a dry eye in the room — including me.”

Being together again after more than a year felt very special and he had goose bumps the entire night, he said.

There is a capacity limit and members must pre-register for services. JN

FOR THE WINNERS!

Shearim Torah High moving … across the street

When Shearim Torah High School for Girls opens next fall it will be in a new building. The school is set to purchase a site that is three times that of its current location. Conveniently, it’s also across the street.

“We’ll be able to walk across the road,” said Susan Heller, Shearim board member.

The school looked to rent a building last year, but fortunately, Heller said, that deal fell through. Finding something in the same neighborhood was a struggle, but she never dreamed of finding something so close.

Shearim’s board and administration raised the necessary funds to buy the building by reaching out to individual donors. In addition, a successful crowdfunding campaign at the end of April brought in $727,000.

The new building will need some remodeling, Heller said, but it was critical to make the move now given that the Jewish community has grown by “leaps and bounds.”

Five years ago, the number of high school students was about 22, but today it’s more than double that at 50. Heller estimates that next year there will be 60.

“It’s too cramped here,” Heller said of the current school building. “We knew we wouldn’t be here forever, and we couldn’t add on.”

The new property easily accommodates the existing staff and students, and the good news is that if the school continues to grow, there is room for another building. And Heller added that Shearim’s feeder schools are growing as well so there’s every reason to expect the pace of growth to continue. The school also hopes to build a new science lab.

Rabbi Raphael Landesman, head of school, looks forward to having more space for activities, an “open and airy” multi-purpose room and classrooms that are not cramped. But more than that,

“the girls deserve to have a proper school building,” he said. “Sometimes when you start a school, you make do and you make do until you realize it’s time these girls have the space they need.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the necessity for more space has become clearer. The school did not experience spread of the virus, Landesman said, “but COVID made the cramped quarters more evident, which was a motivation for the move.”

Shearim has been conducting in-person classes since last fall. For some time, they put clear plastic dividers between desks. Although they took the dividers down, they still require masks and are able to hold some classes outside.

‘Don’t let your guard down,’ says Rep. Hernandez after announcing positive COVID test Rep. Alma Hernandez (LD-3) tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, April 28. Hernandez received her second vaccination dose 3 months ago.

She released a public statement on social media about her test result, reminding people to be vigilant even after the vaccine. “Don’t let your guard down,” she said.

“I want to clear up some misconceptions,” Hernandez said, via text. “Thankfully my symptoms have been mild: fever, migraine, loss of taste and smell and significant fatigue. However my situation would’ve been worse had I not been vaccinated.”

Hernandez has been vocal about the need for everyone in the community to get vaccinated. She was also instrumental in helping Holocaust survivors in the state get access to the vaccines earlier this year.

“Some have tried to say that my infection should be a reason to not be vaccinated or wear a mask because it doesn’t matter,” she said. But that is a false understanding of vaccines and what they can do. She reminded her

said. But worse is that the public shaming had a negative impact on his son.

followers there are still risks and urged everybody to continue mask-wearing and social-distancing measures.

“We all must play our part in ending this pandemic,” she said. “Vaccines are extremely effective in preventing severe illness and death though there are rare breakthroughs. In my own household my brother who is vaccinated has not contracted COVID.”

She encourages people to visit vaccinefinder.org to locate vaccination sites.

Researcher gives long-awaited presentation on Jewish Community Survey

The world looks different now than in 2019 — the year Arizona State University published the first study of the local Jewish community since 2002. Still, its findings have major implications for Jewish organizations and synagogues looking to engage more of the community.

Visiting research professor Kenneth Goldstein, who conducted the study with ASU, gave a long-awaited virtual presentation on April 28 of his findings. A recording of the presentation is available on YouTube.

“Because of the pandemic, this has been the longest visiting professorship in the history of the world,” Goldstein joked as he referenced the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We did a briefing to the community in January or February of 2020 with all these plans to do things in 2020. And then, obviously, the world intervened.”

The study delved into Jewish identity, marriage and family, attitudes towards Israel, anti-Semitism, religious observance and more.

Overall, he wasn’t surprised by the study’s findings.

Jews in Maricopa County are “probably not that different if we looked at Jews across the country,” he said, because Maricopa County is a large metropolitan area and many residents are transplants.

One thing that did surprise him was that younger people are even more concerned about anti-Semitism than older respondents. The finding touched on a conundrum Jewish organizations and synagogues face.

“Is it about trying to convince people that Judaism is very important or bring them in? Is it trying to do things that might be more traditional Jewish or bring under the tent other things?” he asked. “It also is how much are we defined by the positive and how much are we defined by the negative?”

The study did not include many demographic breakdowns aside from age and gender.

Goldstein said the survey did ask questions about other demographics, but the results were not reliable enough to include in the study given the sample size of 10,000.

As he wrote in the study, the survey randomly sampled individuals from a combined mailing list that was provided by 23 Jewish organizations throughout Greater Phoenix and voter files.

Goldstein said during the virtual presentation that “it’s not so easy for people to put themselves in a bin (category) anymore.” He also said trying to pull information about ethnicity, for example, is very difficult in a survey that doesn’t allow for follow-up questions.

“About half of Latinos will say Latino. You then have to ask a follow up with people who didn’t say Latino, do you consider yourself Latino, and then maybe even a follow up about something else to get what I think most people would consider the true numbers,” he said. However, changing demographics could be something “very important” for Jewish organizations to track.

“Jews are simply not as homogeneous as we think and as many people think,” he said. JN

To watch the webinar, go to youtube.com/ watch?v=j-045BKYN9M

isn’t valid since it wasn’t given willfully.

“As a peacemaker,” Rothstein said, “I’m generally anti-anything that stirs the pot. Sometimes social media is going to be very effective and sometimes it’s going to encourage the man to double down.”

Pitterman said he was going to give the get with or without the social media campaign, which only caused him harm. “It was always coming to an end,” he said, adding that he was waiting to give it until he had a chance to modify the custody orders, which grant Judah full custody.

But he did feel the pain of the public shaming. He, his parents and his rabbi were doxxed, he said. “Every yahoo demands I try my case in front of him,” he

Benger also received harassment and demands to remove her social media posts. And after Judah received the get, Benger said she took them down.

But Pitterman said it won’t be so easy for him to clear his name. “I’m going to have to clean it up for years,” he said. “The internet never forgets.”

Even after Pitterman gave the get he continued to be harassed, he said. It changed from people telling him to give it to people asking why it took so long.

That is a consequence both Benger and Starr worry about. If someone feels the harassment won’t end regardless, there is no leverage and no reason to give the get

Rabbi Dovid Shochet, a rabbi advising Pitterman, derides social media as

something that nobody with “a moral compass” would use. Not only was it ineffective, “it was counterproductive,” he said. “The get was already coming.”

Rabbi Avrohom Union, rabbinic administrator of Rabbinical Council of California, where Judah’s case officially began, suggested social media played a role, but felt that Shochet’s advice to Pitterman might have been more of an influence in the end.

Social media is a double-edged sword, Union said, via email. Its use can either be “constructive” or “immensely destructive” by “the dredging up of accusations which may be true or may be hideous and disgusting distortions.”

Judah, who doesn’t like the public spotlight, credits social media for persuading Pitterman even though she,

too, dealt with its dark side and was harassed by those taking Pitterman’s side. Still, she said it was worth it.

She likens her situation with the get and the need for closure to the case of a dead soldier behind enemy lines. “The soldier is dead and everybody’s already mourned them, but it’s still important to recover the body and give the person a burial,” she said.

Benger is relieved that Judah has her long-awaited resolution, although she admitted it’s “a dirty business.” And she does worry — about the child, about her friend, about herself. When she asked her rabbi if she was doing the right thing, “He simply said, ‘Twelve years.’ So I said, ‘OK.’” Benger said.

“We are making a change and we will get every woman freed.” JN

SENIOR Lifestyle

Inspired by migrants’ stories, two women mobilized their synagogues to act

NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER

Barbara Lewkowitz, 66, and Laurel Ginsburg, 74, both active synagogue members, were so touched by the experiences of asylum seekers, they mobilized their congregations to provide humanitarian support.

Lewkowitz, a member of Beth El Congregation, was moved to action in 2018, when she saw local TV news footage of people being dropped off at the Greyhound bus station in Phoenix.

“I saw very young women holding babies in their arms and holding hands with toddlers,” she said. “I realized these were not people who were coming to do crime in the U.S.; these were individuals who just want to make a better life for their children.”

The news report mentioned that Monte Vista Baptist Church was taking people in, and she got in her car and drove there.

“That happened to be the day in which we received three buses,” she said. About a week later, she formed a group with some people she knew would “jump right in and help.” They happened to be from various faith groups, including Methodists, Sikhs and Muslims.

The group called themselves the Interfaith Refugee Asylum Volunteers. They pulled in other participants who prepared food at their homes or at churches. They served lunch and dinner on Mondays and Tuesdays at various churches hosting refugees needing a place to stay.

Providing a warm, nutritious meal

seemed essential to Lewkowitz.

“One of the things that refugees needed, especially the families and the young children when they got off the bus from ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement], was a welcoming, warm meal — something healthy,” she said. “Usually in ICE they had been eating bologna or peanut butter sandwiches, without access to fresh food or milk.”

Despite a sharp decline in the number of asylum seekers last year and the COVID pandemic’s restrictions, the group continued their efforts by making hygiene packs, collecting items and encouraging their faith communities to participate.

Lewkowitz was happy to get support from Beth El’s board of directors to use its commercial kitchen to make burritos to deliver to the International Rescue Committee’s Phoenix Welcome Center. About once a month, they meet and prepare between 100-150 bean and cheese burritos with all the sides.

“These people are just inhumanely dropped at locations; they don’t know where they’re at; they don’t know where they’re supposed to go,” Lewkowitz said. “It’s a humanitarian crisis. It’s not a political crisis.”

And she suggested ways to get involved.

“The rest of the Jewish community can really help by going through volunteer orientation and helping, if they feel comfortable, down at the Welcome

Center,” she said. “Or if they own a restaurant or a commercial kitchen, [they can] prepare the food and coordinate with the Welcome Center.”

Ginsburg, a founding member of Temple Emanuel of Tempe, was also inspired to volunteer after seeing images of asylum seekers on television in 2019. “I knew other people that were volunteering and they told me what they were doing. I decided to go down and see what was going on,” she said. A retired Spanish teacher, Ginsburg started speaking to the migrants and was asked to call their relatives all over the country to make transportation arrangements.

One day, she ran into Eddie Chavez Calderon, campaign director for Arizona Jews for Justice, at the IRC center and was delighted to meet another Jewish volunteer.

“As a result of that, I wanted to get the synagogue involved in all this, because I felt it was a really wonderful thing that people were doing,” she said.

When Ginsburg brought the idea to Temple Emanuel, she found “everybody at the temple wanted to help.”

The synagogue began working alongside University Presbyterian Church in Tempe and five other faith-based congregations in the southeast valley to welcome asylum seekers. ICE would drop off a group on a Friday at the church and volunteers from Temple Emanuel would provide assistance, which

included calling an asylum seeker’s relatives and friends to inform them about their loved one’s arrival.

“We suggested transportation by airplane or bus and helped them buy tickets, which the family paid for,” Ginsburg said. Volunteers also opened their homes at times to migrants until their scheduled departures and gave them rides to the airport or bus station.

“It was a wonderful and very rewarding experience,” she said.

Temple Emanuel’s youth group also hosted several families for a Thanksgiving dinner at the synagogue in November 2019. They sponsored a huge clothing drive for the families and provided them with gift certificates and meals.

After border closures last year, there were fewer arrivals at Phoenix community shelters, but Temple Emanuel continued to provide humanitarian support.

“During the pandemic, Temple Emanuel and others also wrote over 1,200 greeting cards to asylum seekers in the Eloy Detention Center to help keep up their spirits,” Ginsburg said.

Currently congregants are donating food, clothing and gift certificates to a church in Mesa for asylum seekers. Ginsburg said donations of clothing, blankets and towels are also sent to two shelters in Mexico that are housing asylum seekers.

Ginsburg plans to resume volunteering at the Phoenix Welcome Center in the fall. JN

PHOTO COURTESY OF BARBARA LEWKOWITZ

PHOTO BY BERT O BRYAN

DNA testing reunites long-lost family after 60 years

SOPHIE PANZER | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

When Laurie Gandel Samuels became a grandmother in 2020, she wanted to put together a family history for the two grandchildren.

“It was supposed to be almost a little craft project, with pictures of their parents or grandparents or greatgrandparents and like a page of information on each person for a child to look at, up until maybe they’re 12 or something,” Samuels said.

She did not expect her grandchildren’s first birthday present to turn into an in-depth research project that led to many late nights and reunions with family members she had no idea existed.

“I just got so interested in it that, as my kids said, I went down the rabbit hole,” she said.

She knew her mother came from a large immigrant family whose members lived nearby, but her father’s side was more mysterious. He never spoke much about his family, and his parents died before she was born. In January, she transferred the results of a 23andMe DNA test she had taken years ago to MyHeritage, another genealogy site for people looking to build their family trees, to learn more.

She saw she had a strong match with a German woman named Larissa Grinblat and her son, Leo Speiser. They shared about as much DNA as Samuels did with her known first cousins.

Intrigued, she reached out to them. Speiser spoke English and connected her with Grinblat. The latter was on the site looking for information about Morris

Gandel, a name Samuels didn’t recognize. Grinblat sent her an old family photograph showing a man with two leg amputations, his wife and their five children, one of whom was the man she was tracing. They had lived in Mogilev, Belarus.

While corresponding with Grinblat and Speiser, Samuels used her test results and interviews with known family members to track down other paternal family members she had never met. She created a Facebook group for them to communicate and added Grinblat, even though they weren’t sure how they were related.

As the members compared notes and family stories, Samuels and Grinblat learned that the man in the photo with leg amputations was Samuels’ grandfather’s eldest brother, Chaim Gandel. A family member said he was

a soldier who served in the Russo-Japanese War near the turn of the 20th century, and sustained his injuries during his service.

All of Chaim Gandel’s siblings, including Samuels’ grandfather Louis Gandel, immigrated to the United States, but he was unable to secure a visa. Of his five children, four immigrated to the U.S. Only the youngest, Lazar Gandel, stayed behind. He was Grinblat’s grandfather.

The two women finally understood how they were related — Samuels’ grandfather Louis Gandel and Grinblat’s great-grandfather Chaim Gandel were brothers.

Grinblat was still searching for answers about her great-uncle Morris Gandel. Her grandfather had told her stories about his older brother sending letters, photographs, money and packages of items from the U.S. that the family sold for food.

In an email, Grinblat said the correspondence continued even through the horrors of World War II, when the Russian government moved the family to a safer location because of Chaim Gandel’s service as a veteran. Later, Mogilev would be occupied by the Nazis and Jews would be crowded into ghettos and killed in mass executions.

Grinblat said Lazar Gandel also fought at Stalingrad, where he was seriously wounded, and left her grandmother to care for the family. The clothing and money from Morris Gandel were a lifeline.

“My mother told me that during the war there was hunger and cold,”

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Morris Gandel (far left), Chaim Gandel (seated, center) Lazar Gandel (seated, right) and family PHOTOS COURTESY OF LAURIE GANDEL SAMUELS

A legacy of caring

Talking about how to approach life’s end

DR. ALAN G. MOLK

t’s a busy day in the emergency room when an elderly lady with advanced dementia and pneumonia is wheeled in by ambulance. She is at death’s door. I introduce myself to her two daughters as the emergency physician and notify them of their mother’s critical condition.

“To keep her alive,” I told them, “she requires a ventilator.” One daughter responded, “Yes, do everything; I don’t want to lose my mother.” The other daughter said, “Mom told me that, if it’s her time, she would never want to be on a ventilator.”

This typical nightmare situation could likely have been avoided by having a conversation about life’s end.

As an emergency physician for 40 years, I have been trained to aggressively treat patients, including those who are terminally ill. Over the past several years, I realized that this mindset is misguided. In many cases, such intensive and invasive care is not only pointless, it borders on inhumane. Providing comfort care for end-of-life patients instead is often far better suited to ensuring a dignified and peaceful path for patients and their families at this life stage.

I turn 70 this year and I am constantly reminded of my own mortality by working in the ER, reading obituaries in the Arizona Republic and going to Yizkor services at Yom Kippur. The COVID-19 pandemic was the most sobering reminder of our mortality most of us have witnessed. I recall recently visiting my mother’s grave at Mount Sinai Cemetery and walking around. So many did not even make it to 60.

I advocate for more education and enlightenment on life's end for the medical community and patients and families. As doctors, we are wired to see death as the ultimate enemy, even in the face of immense and intolerable suffering on the part of our patients and their loved ones. Far too many of us seem to forget that our lives have a beginning, a middle and an end. We have to do better about encouraging our patients and their families to have a difficult conversation informing people of all their treatment options, including comfort care, so that they can choose what provides them the most dignity.

Doctors are not gods. We cannot reverse the aging process. Most of what we do is disease management rather than cure. Many physicians are not proficient in having end-of-life discussions with patients. It is unacceptable that we doctors often have a double standard. Most physicians wish to spend their final days at home surrounded by loved ones, and yet many of our patients die

in the intensive care unit receiving aggressive but futile care. We are in need of a culture change that is thankfully starting to happen.

During my mother‘s five-year journey with Alzheimer’s disease, she went from a delightful, energetic and bright 75-year-old to a person just staring into space, unable to recognize me, unable to feed herself and incontinent. I started writing about life's end in “Saving Lives, Saving Dignity” with my cousin, Dr. Robert Shapiro, while she was still alive, and it was cathartic.

I had an epiphany while I held her hand four months before she died. If, five years earlier, I held a crystal ball in front of her showing what she would look like on that day, she would have said, “Oh no! Please push me off a cliff if that happens!”

Dignity is closely intertwined with quality of life. So many life-limiting diseases strip us of our dignity and independence. Most of us would not be OK with our spouses and children forced to care for us if diagnosed with an incurable illness. Most of us would not want to be a burden on our families.

While Judaism teaches that honoring and taking care of our parents is a mitzvah that many of us would do with unconditional love, I know that my mother would never have wanted to be a burden on her two sons. In turn, I would not want to be a burden on my amazing triplets.

This should prompt us to have end-of-life conversations and memorialize our advanced directives. Being proactive about this is essential. Sweeping it under the rug will only come back to make your life, and your loved ones’ lives, unnecessarily complicated and painful. Before deciding that you are in favor of going on a ventilator or dialysis or receiving chemotherapy for advanced stage IV cancer, do your due diligence. Ask your doctors questions, go online and speak to other patients and families.

As a baby boomer, I worry a great deal about being a part of a health care system that is not sustainable. Medicare dollars spent in the last few months of life are astronomical. We owe it to our children and grandchildren not to bankrupt the system. We can make a difference by considering comfort care at life’s end.

My friends, family and colleagues have always seen me as a bit of a meshuggeneh and a jokester. Many were amazed that I wrote a book with such a serious and solemn message, but if just a handful of readers find our book helpful, I have achieved my mission. My mom would be smiling, and her journey with Alzheimer’s would not have been in vain. JN

Alan G. Molk is a board-certified emergency physician in Phoenix. His book “Saving Lives, Saving Dignity” is available on Amazon, and his website is savingdignity.com.

Lin Sue Cooney Director of Community Engagement

Empowering people to enjoy living longer.

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Suzy Wortman got creative to survive 2020, the hardest year of her life

NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER

Suzy Wortman lost Randy Wortman, her husband of 54 years, on Feb. 14, 2020.

Randy had Parkinson’s disease but died of pneumonia. He might have died of COVID-19, but since his death happened before COVID testing became prevalent, she’ll never know.

“He died holding my hand, looking at me, and was surrounded by family and friends,” Suzy said. “So, that’s how 2020 started.”

Then, the quarantine came. It took Suzy some time to figure out the difference between being lonely and being alone. She spent the pandemic trying to heal, sitting with her memories and discovering parts of her husband she never knew in the things he left behind.

“I think I closed my heart and my feelings. And every once in a while I would open it a little bit and then close it,” said Suzy, 78. “I could have crashed completely.” Instead, she did whatever she could to stay positive and get through the hardest year of her life.

Randy lived in an assisted living facility in the East Valley for about two years before he died. Suzy would drive up from Casa Grande to be with him four or five days a week, and once a month or so, she would also visit her daughter, son-in-law and two teenage grandsons who live near the facility.

But between March 2020 and March 2021, she only saw her family a handful of times. “I would have loved to have been able to see them every week. But I think I learned to be patient — I was trying to be careful.”

After Randy died, Suzy spent some time “not doing anything at all.”

“Not only was I not able to connect with family, I was not able to do the memorial,” she said. “My family would — and my sister still does — call me every night to make sure I’m okay.”

One day, she realized she needed to write. About a year before Randy died, Suzy started writing a book to preserve their family history and encapsulate the essence of who Randy was. She would bring her laptop to Randy’s room and dictate his thoughts on whatever subject he chose. Stuck in her house alone, as the pandemic’s spread worsened, she decided to complete that book.

“I wanted to make sure my grandsons knew the important parts of their grandfather,” she said. She wrote about his career as a teacher and the support he gave to women and girls. He was the first swim coach in Chicago to bring girls to the swim team and the first theater stage crew sponsor to bring girls on, she said.

“I have a lot of stories, and this past year I realized these are important stories to share,” she said.

She wrote about what Judaism meant to Randy and her, which she described as being encased in several “basic values,” including learning, “study is the highest obligation of mankind”; mitzvot, “what you do is more important than what you believe”; and tikkun olam, “always try to improve societies that we live in,” she said.

Writing was also a way for her to feel less isolated from her family and more connected to her grandsons, who were more interested in texting than talking on the phone.

“Sometimes I didn’t talk to them, but I had them in my head, especially when I was writing things down for them to read later,” she said.

She also thought about her family as she went through Randy’s things. “My husband kept every piece of paper,” she said. Stuck in her house for the year, she looked through it all and experienced several pleasant surprises.

“I found some poetry that my husband had written, and I didn’t remember seeing it,” she said. “I’m glad that I didn’t just throw everything away.”

She made photo books of her grandsons, so that when she missed them, she could look at them and feel connected.

“Fortunately, my two grandsons are older. If they had been younger, it would have been so much harder for me,” she said.

Whenever she took a walk, she thought of her grandson, Colin Morris, 17, who likes sports.

Whenever she sees something of Randy’s from his days as a physics teacher, she thinks of her grandson, Ethan Morris, 14, who loves science.

Now that Suzy has been fully vaccinated, she is beginning to visit her family and spend less time at home.

Reflecting on this past difficult year, she feels grateful she found ways to channel her grief in positive ways.

“I’ve always tried to figure out a positive way to deal with what was happening,” she said. “Someone who says they’ve never grieved, they’ve never loved.” JN

Nonagenarian tackles lengthy reading list

ANDY GOTLIEB | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Ida Rothenberg didn’t have time to read when she was raising her two daughters, volunteering and working at Saks Fifth Avenue.

But the soon-to-be 98-year-old Philadelphia woman is making up for lost time during the pandemic, reading about 90 books in the last 13 months.

“It’s like a drug. I’ll only read two chapters, look up and it’s lunch,” she said. “I read all day. I never gave it a second thought. It’s just what I did.”

Her reading prowess first garnered some recognition when daughter Karen Seltzer posted to a Facebook book group a picture of her mother standing by a pile of books she had read. Group members and a few authors began sending books her way, feeding the habit.

“She was never a get-in-bed-andrelax type of person, but now she props herself up in bed and has a stack of books with her,” Seltzer said.

Rothenberg isn’t picky about what she reads — “whichever one is on top of the pile” — but is a fan of, among others, Mary Higgins Clark, John Jakes, David Baldacci, Harlan Coben and

Lisa Scottoline. At the moment, she’s reading an autographed copy of the latter’s new offering, “Eternal.”

“I can’t put it down,” she said. “It’s different than anything she’s done before.”

Rothenberg can’t cite a favorite pandemic book, but she did praise Rabbi Lynnda Targan’s “Funny, You Don’t Look Like a Rabbi: A Memoir of Unorthodox Transformation,” which Targan sent her.

“I thought that was a fantastic life she had and was having,” Rothenberg said.

A native of Philadelphia, Rothenberg married at 18, and followed her husband, Mickey Sobelman, during World War II to military bases in North Carolina and Texas. At Laredo Army Airfield, she visited the motor pool and ended up getting a job driving a transport bus with a tricky clutch.

After the war, the couple moved back to Philadelphia and raised a family.

Rothenberg worked at Saks for 25 years and volunteered extensively at Deborah Heart and Lung Center.

Mickey Sobelman’s mother, Sonia,

was active in Deborah’s early days at a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients, and Rothenberg formed and was the first president of a Deborah chapter in the 1950s, Seltzer said. Other family members have been active with Deborah over the years.

The couple moved to Florida in 1982, and Sobelman died in 1993. Rothenberg remarried, returning to Philadelphia a decade ago after her second husband, Harold, died.

Over time, Rothenberg has gotten more and more into reading.

And with the end of the pandemic in sight, Rothenberg, who is vaccinated, looks forward to resuming another of her favorite pastimes — mah jongg.

“I hope I remember how to play,” she said.

In the meantime, she’ll keep reading, with another book sent to her — Richard Plinke’s “COVID-19 House Arrest” — next on her list.

“I’m just overwhelmed and happy people are thinking of me,” she said. JN

Andy Gotlieb is managing editor for Jewish Exponent, a Jewish News-affiliated publication.

Ida Rothenberg and about 50 of the books she’s read during the pandemic

PHOTO BY KAREN SELTZER

Arizona’s Hadassah members point to staying active as key to success

SHANNON LEVITT | MANAGING EDITOR

When Barbara Silverman, 77, moved to Arizona several years ago, she wanted to find other Jewish women. But that task turned out to be harder than she expected since she didn’t know where they were. She resolved to become systematic in her search.

“The best way was to find a temple and then Sisterhood and then Hadassah,” she said.

Hadassah is a Jewish women’s advocacy organization, which focuses on women’s health, Israel’s security and fighting antiSemitism. Hadassah operates two hospitals in Jerusalem, which treat more than a million people each year, according to its website.

Silverman’s not alone in looking to Hadassah for Jewish camaraderie. Linda Hochman said it's what inspired her to co-found Prescott’s Granite Mountain 19 Chapter. “Now we are experiencing a great immigration of people from all over who are moving to Prescott, and if they’re Jewish, they’re wondering where Hadassah is,” she said.

Looking to connect with Jewish women brings people to Hadassah, Silverman and other members said, but the real challenge is keeping members engaged.

Silverman was already a lifetime Hadassah member when she joined the Shalom Chapter in Chandler. And about a decade ago, Shalom

was designated as the most active chapter in the country, loved by the national organization, she said. But as members aged, “it became difficult to get Shalom to do anything.”

When she became Shalom’s president before the pandemic, she planned activities she hoped would liven things up. But once COVID-19 restricted in-person gatherings, things fell apart quickly.

“Nobody knew how to Zoom and there was a lot of apathy,” she said. But she doesn’t blame the pandemic completely. “It’s very simple,” she said, “the aging population, people moving to go to children and overall lack of interest in getting younger members — who aren’t interested in joining anything — made the end inevitable.”

Telling the board that it was time to disband was difficult and even made her feel “a little bit like a failure — for about five minutes,” she said. She and a few former Shalom members found other local chapters to join. Silverman chose Devorah Chapter because “they do so many wonderful and interesting things,” she said. “Literary Ladies is special, and they really discuss the book. They’ve got the secret sauce.”

Suzy Shapiro, 66, of Devorah agreed that her chapter is “very welcoming.” Making sure that everyone gets on Zoom “just to say hi,” definitely helped keep the chapter together, she said. The group transitioned its in-person

gatherings are allowed. The events have been successful and more accessible.

Lael Summer, Hadassah Tikvah West Valley Chapter's president, said the COVID-19 pandemic “pretty much shut us down” in 2020, but once members learned Zoom, the chapter used “our imagination and our creativity” to create events members enjoyed.

In March, the chapter had a successful Zoom fundraising event with an artist from Tucson and another is being planned in July with pizza and bingo.

Anne Leppo, Tikvah’s fundraiser and publicist, said the chapter is in good shape because of its “really excellent board and everybody’s doing their job,” adding the Zoom programs have had “a lot of great response.”

Leppo thinks the chapter is helped by being located in Surprise, where retired people are “very active.” The one area the chapter needs work, she said, is attracting younger women.

Julie Kerker, 63, has been a lifetime member of Hadassah “for forever,” but it wasn’t until she retired and moved to Prescott that she got very involved, she said. She and her husband moved to Prescott — mostly for the hiking — and immediately they started “searching out Prescott’s Jewish places.” They soon found Chabad of Prescott and Hadassah.

Kerker is excited most about her chapter’s new hiking club.

“We determined hiking was something people would be interested in,” she said. “Our goal is to have activities that many people can be involved in, but you can’t please everybody.”

To try and please as many members as possible, the chapter’s offered a book club, a discussion group and are planning a “Ladies Who Lunch” series in and around Prescott, in addition to creating a virtual boutique online store.

Hochman reported that the chapter is planning a “big event” honoring the anniversary of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who died in the Yarnell

and hikers of all abilities, but she and other members who are more seasoned hikers are planning longer and more uphill hikes.

“It’s nice to get a bunch of Jewish ladies together and by doing healthy things together, we’ll be more motivated to do Hadassah things like fundraise for Israel and the hospital,” she said.

But more importantly, she said, “if you don’t get together, the group won’t stay together long.”

Hadassah members can be stereotyped as old, said Terre Foreman, president of Hadassah Valley of the Sun. But those stereotypes are misleading. “We’re a lot of older women, but we’re not old,” she said. “We’re involved in advocacy and a lot of things.”

Foreman, 69, is a retired teacher, but being president of the largest Hadassah chapter in the state means she can’t really slow down. She writes for a monthly newsletter, helps to plan Zoom events, attends book clubs and is active at the regional and national level.

Though the pandemic has been a challenging time, her chapter has remained active on Zoom. Along with community service projects, a voting information campaign and keeping members up to date on regional happenings, HVOS keeps its focus on “encouraging people to be involved in Israel,” she said.

Figuring out fundraising was a challenge — especially without a mah jongg tournament — but HVOS is preparing a virtual fundraiser soon.

“It took us a while but we’ve adapted to what we’ve had to do. We’re getting original and we’re doing okay,” Foreman said.

And throughout the pandemic’s challenges, most members said that they are still motivated by the things that brought them to Hadassah in the first place.

“Hadassah definitely fulfilled something for me,” Kerker said. “Whatever I’m doing, it’s nice to know that I have some Jewish comrades and Jewish friends to get together with. It gives me a kind of haimishe deal.” JN

Catching up with Kevin Pollak

HAYDEE M. RODRIGUEZ

Actor, comedian and impressionist extraordinaire Kevin Pollak has starred in more than 80 films. His work currently includes playing Moishe Maisel in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” on Amazon Prime and also doing Alchemy This, a podcast featuring five improv comedians.

The 63-year-old actor was in Maryland recently to headline a fundraising event and spoke to Baltimore Jewish Times, a Jewish News-affiliated publication, about his work and the recent loss of his mother, Elaine Harlow.

Tell us more about the magic in what you do, what inspires you and how you keep it all fun?

We are coming on the 30th Anniversary of “A Few Good Men.” Rob Reiner, who directed the film, announced one day, “If you are not having fun, I don’t know what the point is.” And that really resonated with me. That was, what, 80 movies ago?

Is it fair to say that comedy is still your first love?

Comedy is my first love for sure. When I was 5 or 6 years old, my mom would take me to the movies, and I became engrossed in the world represented on the screen, and when I left the theater, I would play act as though I was living in the movie. It had a deep effect on my psyche because I carry that with me to this day.

What drives you to stay busy, to keep comedy at the forefront of what you do?

A good 15 years ago I came up with a mantra, “If you are not creating, you are waiting.” So I became more proactive in my career. I’ve been a writer for a long time, writing stories. I love writing, might be my favorite thing to do, and that fueled this notion if you are not creating, you are waiting.

I’ve been reading “How I Slept My Way to the Middle: Secrets And Stories From Stage, Screen, And Interwebs.” You wrote the book in 2012. If you were writing the book today, would you choose a different title?

It’s a show business term, not meant to be demeaning to say about something. But for a character that has had one love scene in 80 movies, it seemed funny. But today … I am working on a new project, an audio book, for audible.com, the ultimate joke book, street jokes, that start with “Did you hear the one about … two Jews walk into a bar, they buy it” as a punch line. These street jokes are ultimately offensive to someone. We can’t worry about that, and we’ll put a disclaimer about that, “If you are easily offended, good for you, I don’t want to hear about it. And please know ahead of time that none of these jokes are opinions or even facts, truths of any kind.”

Tell us about your mom and her influence in your career.

My mom was my first audience and remained my best audience. Thankfully, her biggest contribution was how supportive she was from the very beginning. In 2015, I did a documentary, “Misery Loves Comedy,” where I ask, “Who’s your mommy and or daddy? Were your parents supportive?” I just know how lucky I was that my mom was so supportive from the very beginning.

She died two months ago on February 24, 2021. It was the last Saturday in February. She was shy of 90. I don’t know that I am coping other than not stopping and dwelling and sitting shiva or mourning in a concentrated effort. It didn’t come as a devastating surprise. She had been having some health issues and was in hospice, and there is no exit strategy from hospice, so it allowed for a reflective couple of weeks to prepare. But there is

no question that she left this earthly plain, but man oh does she remain in my thoughts daily. She is so present in a celebratory way. I read that you grew up in Reform Judaism. Can you tell us more about that?

Yes, I was bar mitzvahed, and I went to religious school on Saturdays. We were California Reform Jews, which means we were almost Catholic. … There was a slow building of a pride of being Jewish, what it meant for family and friends and the holidays, learning about the sacrifices, the oppression, the anti-Semitism.

Comedy Central named you as one of the Top 100 Comedians of all time. In a 1994 interview with Rich Eisen, you said that you had crossed the goal line to getting offers in films. Once you cross that line, how do you stay grounded?

I would attribute that to my mom, and also how one is raised. Show biz is a bizarre undertaking. A lot of your dreams are being fulfilled, and I didn’t see this coming. And even though there are a lot of great actors and comedians who have succeeded beyond my plateau, there is a sense of gratitude, instilled by my parents, to be grateful for the fruits of your labor, and also for your labor, to be able to work, in any capacity. I don’t have to beg for this part. That is a goal or a threshold I am so grateful for, and it contributes to my disposition immensely. JN

Sami Steigmann crashes Clubhouse

HEATHER ROBINSON |

On a blustery day in late January, Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann, 81, made his debut on Clubhouse— the buzzy, audio-based, social-media platform that launched in the venture capital and Hollywood communities last spring and now connects millions of “regular” folk with celebrities for spontaneous conversations.

Steigmann, who lives below the poverty line in Harlem, New York, was preparing to speak outside the United Nations on International Holocaust Remembrance Day for an “End Jew Hatred” rally. Jewish rapper Kosha Dillz, a 30-something who assists Steigmann with errands, decided to come along to hear his friend. Inspired by Steigmann, Dillz (whose real name is Rami Even-Esh), helped the octogenarian set up a Clubhouse account, thinking it would be nice for his friend to join a conversation taking place for Holocaust remembrance.

Dillz stressed the value of bringing his friend’s message of tolerance, survivorship and bridge-building to audiences beyond the Jewish world.

“The spaces that would normally host Sami are Jewish places or museums,” said Dillz. “It’s very comfortable to preach to the choir. But that’s not all we need.”

Adam Swig, a San Francisco-based event producer whose nonprofit, Value Culture, seeks to build bridges among communities, has worked with Dillz to host several Clubhouse events including Steigmann, such as a Clubhouse Passover seder called “Night of 1,000 Jewish Stars,” where comedians Tiffany Haddish and Jeff Garlin of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” dropped in to chat.

Swig said that amplifying the voices of elders is crucial, especially given Holocaust survivors’ dwindling numbers and the rise in online hate, particularly in this pandemic year.

“Kosha [Dillz] and I take ‘Never Again’ very seriously,” said Swig. “It is ingrained in us, and we want to honor these people and their life experiences. … These stories need to be told [and] … the most powerful thing about [using Clubhouse] is it’s in real time; we are all in the same room, you can interact with a survivor.”

The original Clubhouse event with Steigmann wound up lasting 16 hours, five of them comprised of Steigmann taking questions from participants ranging from a government minister in Dubai to German descendants of Nazi SS members. By its conclusion, Steigmann had amassed more than 5,000 followers, and Swig was determined to bring Steigmann’s voice to more hearts and minds.

Steigmann, who feels an urgency to reach more listeners, praised the platform’s reach.

“Clubhouse is gaining speed,” he told JNS. “You never know who will be there, from what country and what the questions will be … a platform where people come in and out … at one point there were 10,000 people, so you have reach.”

Some participants have asked about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Swig pointed out that Steigmann has been a “model” for younger listeners in how to civilly respond to anti-Israel sentiment. “I explained that I can’t answer intelligently without context — when, where, and, most important, why did something happen,” said Steigmann. “And I invited them to follow up with me privately for a conversation.”

Asked what he said to descendants of Nazi SS members, Steigmann said he stressed that “children and grandchildren are not guilty of what their grandparents did … not to feel guilty, but not to follow in their footsteps.”

The February event introducing the octogenarian as the first Holocaust survivor on Clubhouse drew in as many as 10,000 participants, including other Holocaust survivors, among them Eva Perlman, author of “Eva’s Uncommon Life: Guided by Miracles,” a book about her family’s Holocaust survival. It ended up with Steigmann speaking and taking questions for 14 hours straight without a break. Swig recalled that “Sami wanted to take every question, and that marathon session made the ‘Legend of Sami,’ but I was worried about him because that’s

a long time.” (One listener, a medical professional, sent Steigmann “kosher steaks” to his Harlem apartment to make sure he was eating during the marathon event).

“It was a surprise because this doctor didn’t even know me,” said Steigmann. “She sent enough steak and French fries for two.” He added, “The steak was excellent.”

Steigmann, who survived Nazi medical experiments performed on him as an infant at the Mogilev-Podolsky Labor Camp in Transnistria, credits his stamina to his training in the Israel Defense Forces when he worked for 36 hours straight repairing Mirage 3-C fighter jets during the 1967 Six-Day War. (After World War II, he and his parents first repatriated to Romania, then ultimately, the family, including a younger sister Betty born in 1946, immigrated to Israel in 1961).

Steigmann appeared again on Clubhouse on April 7, for Yom Hashoah as part of an event called “Voices from the Holocaust: Meet the Survivors.” It commemorated Israel’s official Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust, which is also the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the first day of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. (The revolt began on April 19, 1943, and ended four weeks later, on May 16.)

Steigmann spoke about Jewish resistance.

“I talked about how Israel is the world’s only Jewish country and to remember Jews did resist; they did not go like sheep,” said Steigmann. “There was not only armed resistance but spiritual, and humanitarian resistance.” He will also

point out that the young Warsaw Ghetto fighters “against the mighty German Army, lasted more than a month, longer than many nations in Europe.”

Other survivors who participated include Perlman. Musical performers included clarinetist Jonathan Hadas of the Israeli Philharmonic and songwriter/ musician Happie Hoffman.

Bridge-building between Jewish and other communities has been a theme of Steigmann’s appearances on the platform. Following the welcome event, Swig brought together Steigmann and Dr. Clarence B. Jones, now 90, who served as an attorney for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and wrote the book, “What Would Martin Say,” to discuss King’s legacy.

“I was able to tell Dr. Jones I admired not only what Dr. King accomplished, but the way he accomplished it through nonviolence,” said Steigmann.

Kianta Key, 34, an Atlanta-based socialmedia strategist who describes herself as a “Black woman in the South” with an interest in social justice, was listening when Steigmann appeared on Clubhouse with Jones. Key said she feels grateful to have heard from a “primary source.”

“To hear this Holocaust survivor whose temperament was so peaceful” impacted her, she said. “His message was: You have to be able to trust people, you can’t let anger hinder you from living your best life.”

Key noted that the last time she heard a Holocaust survivor speak was about 25 years ago when author Elie Wiesel appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” She analogized the effort to bring Steigmann and other Holocaust survivors to Clubhouse to a WPA program to interview African-Americans who were living survivors of slavery.

“For Holocaust deniers, their capacity for denial is ingrained, so I’m not sure how effective it is in reaching them,” said Key. “But what the Holocaust survivors share on Clubhouse is important for people like me to hear. It makes me feel I must commit to whatever I have to — to make sure no one has to walk that road again.”

In the Passover event, Steigmann pointed out that Jews need to stand up for their own even as they stand with others.

“Jewish people are fighting for other people, that is wonderful, but when are we going to fight for ourselves?” asked Steigmann. “I would like to see when minorities whom we help also help us fight anti-Semitism. It is here, and it is worldwide.” JN

Holocaust survivor Sami Steigmann outside of the U.N. headquarters building in New York City on International Holocaust Remembrance Day for an “End Jew Hatred” rally, Jan. 27, 2021.

PHOTO COURTESY TO JNS.ORG

Biden’s 100 day speech

President Joe Biden marked his 100th day in office last week with a nationally televised address to a joint session of Congress. He spoke well. He was presidential — even though the words were carefully scripted and read from a teleprompter — because the warmth and sincerity of the delivery came from the man himself.

But what about the bold, progressive vision that he delivered? Can Biden really get congressional support for what likely amounts to a $6 trillion package of generation-changing social, educational, infrastructure and medical and aging programs? And what about his promise that none of it will have to be paid for by middle- and lowerincome Americans?

Having already succeeded with his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, Biden promoted his massive $2.25 trillion, loosely defined infrastructure plan, as well as a new $1.8 trillion American Family Plan —adding up to numbers that take one’s financial breath away. All of this with the promise that it will be paid for by simply raising taxes on corporations and on Americans who earn more than $400,000 a year, raising capital gains taxes, closing the loopholes within the tax code and enforcing existing laws against individuals and companies.

But is America ready for the class warfare that the plan promises? And, is it such a good idea to remove many of the incentives that have prompted the most entrepreneurial among us to achieve extraordinary economic successes which has provided meaningful employment to millions of workers? And, more importantly, will the efforts generate

enough new money to fund the promised new $6 trillion expense?

Fortunately, even Biden himself doesn’t appear to be fully committed to every part of the sweeping programs he has outlined — having invited those who disagree with his approach to propose alternatives, and pledging repeatedly to consider different approaches and to work across the aisle to find common ground. That is, of course, vintage Joe Biden — a master in the art of political compromise. We believe the offers to engage were genuine and encourage Republican leadership to act on them. But there are some things raised in the speech that should not be compromised. The promise to increase funding for the Internal Revenue Service in order to enforce existing tax laws more fully against corporate and individual abusers is a good thing. Similarly, we endorse the idea of creating incentives for companies to keep their businesses in the United States, efforts to promote a “buy American” agenda and the commitment to examine carefully the multifaceted issue of capital gains tax treatment.

And if those efforts generate anywhere near the new revenue that the president promises, wouldn’t it make sense to devote a large portion of anything collected to pay off at least a portion of our ever-increasing federal budget deficit — projected to be in the range of $28 trillion? Our children will thank us.

As we await next steps, we hope that Democrats and Republicans will work to find common ground to make life better for all Americans. JN

Time to talk about infertility

ALEXA AND IAN SACHS

o speak about infertility is taboo. It always has been and probably always will be. This is why we are sharing our experience.

We have been happily married for five years and our story started out like many others. We met at a party, fell in love, got married and then, on demand, there was supposed to be a baby in the baby carriage — or so we are all told. When we decided that it was the right time to start a family, we quickly realized that fate had different plans. Pregnancy did not come

Confronting domestic abuse

During the past year, home has been a safe haven for most people. It was the comfortable refuge from the deadly pandemic, which predominantly spread when people interacted outside their protective bubbles. For others, however, particularly those who are victims of domestic abuse, home was akin to a prison with a different kind of danger, one with little chance of escape.

The issue was crystalized in a report on domestic abuse released last week by Jewish Women International (JWI): “Under stayat-home orders, survivors find themselves quarantined with their abusers. And when it is difficult, if not impossible, to engage with others outside of the home, survivors have fewer means to escape an abusive relationship. For survivors with children, the dangers of pandemic lockdown are multiplied.”

The JWI report, “2020-2021 National Needs Assessment of Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community,” calls for re-examining “our reliance on systems that have not been serving survivors of domestic violence well, like the civil and criminal justice systems, the child welfare systems, the government benefits systems and our economic and employment systems. None of these systems were developed with the safety or independence of survivors in mind. Instead, we have long been shoehorning the needs of survivors into these inadequate systems.”

The ugly prevalence of domestic abuse cannot be overstated:

• On average, nearly 20 people per minute are victims of physical violence by an intimate partner in the United States. This equates to more than 10 million women and men over the course of a year.

• One in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime.

• One in 5 women and 1 in 7 men have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

• One in 7 women and 1 in 18 men have experienced stalking victimization during their lifetime in which they were fearful that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.

These are, of course, national statistics. More particularized statistics for the Jewish community are hard to come by. The JWI report does, however, cover abuse issues unique to the Jewish community, among them withholding a “get,” or divorce decree, and puts the Jewish community and its leaders “at the heart of the long-term healing and help that Jewish survivors need.”

In addition to encouraging relevant Jewish institutions to “incorporate victim-centered trauma-informed domestic violence training into curricula,” the report urges each of us to “make certain survivors are included in and not shunned by the community. That they are invited to Shabbat meals, welcomed at the Jewish Community Center and know their children are safe in a school that supports them spiritually and educationally. That friends are still friends. That they are not in danger of losing their community as they rebuild their lives.” This is something we can all strive to achieve. JN

If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic abuse, call the National Domestic Abuse hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (JCADA) at 301-315-8040.

Teasy for us. We ran into many speed bumps along the way as we journeyed through fertility treatments. There were tests, biopsies, medications, remedies, surgeries and hundreds upon hundreds of needles. Cycle after cycle we found ourselves heartbroken. The experience was incomprehensible and it seemed like we were alone.

If you are in your late 20s and 30s, your Instagram feed probably looks much like ours. Lots of weddings and an endless reel of birth announcements, newborn photo shoots and baby milestones. Parents and baby are always happy and everyone’s life is perfect. If it were

not, the posts would look different, right? One failed intrauterine insemination or in vitro fertilization treatment after the next made checking social media unbearable. It was a constant reminder of what we did not and may never have.

We knew a handful of other couples who were also suffering “offline.” In fact, 1 out of 8 couples experiences infertility. Therefore, we made a vow to help others however we could. We started by sharing our own story publicly in the hopes that it might bring solace to other families who are quietly hurting behind closed doors.

A NOTE ON OPINION

As we continued to see posts and stories from our peers who were ostensibly smoothly sailing through their pregnancies, we felt compelled to speak about the uglier version of things that we had come to know — a conversation that isn’t usually newsfeed-worthy. During our second and third trimester, we became increasingly more emphatic about sharing our experience with infertility.

We were unable to conceive naturally, but were told early on that medical intervention could theoretically work. After many failed

SEE SACHS, PAGE 12

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.

attempts trying the basics, we ended up going down the path of IVF. We then experienced a few more failed attempts due to a variety of different factors. Things continued to be discouraging as time passed. To increase our chances, we decided to transfer two embryos at the next available opportunity. Using two comes with its own set of risks, but this time it worked.

In July 2020, we received the best news of our lives. Our prayers were answered with not one, but two miracle babies. We didn’t know the genders until the day the babies arrived on February 10, 2021. We had a beautiful and healthy baby boy and girl. Being six weeks early, they had to remain in the neonatal intensive care unit for 20 and 33 days respectively, but that time eventually passed, and they are healthy and growing.

Although we felt like we had gone through

our fair share of heartache, we recognize that our experience still does not hold a candle to others who spend five or 10 years trying or to those who are never able to get pregnant at all. As overwhelmed as we were with joy and gratitude to finally be pregnant, the fear, dread and pain of infertility was never lost on us.

In addition to sharing our story, we also made the decision to help others with a huge obstacle to overcoming infertility — the financial burden.

Undergoing fertility treatment takes not only an emotional, but also financial toll. You are never the driver on your journey to pregnancy. You are just a passenger hoping for the best outcome. Results are mostly precarious, and the trip requires a lot of money.

Treatment is costly and is typically not covered by health insurance. Couples often wait months, if not years, for a chance to become pregnant. Every passing day feels like an eternity for those who have gone through it.

We were fortunate in that we could focus

on our relationship and ourselves at the time without worrying about the lingering question, “How are we going to pay for this?”

There are many families who are not only struggling to have a baby, but also do not have the means to pay for the various trials and treatments that lead to pregnancy. For those who are unfamiliar, these treatments can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

We recently started the Alexa and Ian Sachs Fertility Loan Fund through Jewish Free Loan for local Jewish couples to borrow money for fertility treatment — IUI, IVF and others — completely interest free for up to seven years. We hope that this loan eases the stress on families and provides some relief from the financial burden of facing infertility while allowing them to focus on starting their family.

The fund is designed to grow for many years to come with the hopes that we can all contribute to the birth of dozens of children in our community for posterity.

In reading this, we hope that telling our story

Who’s responsible for the Meron disaster?

ALEX TRAIMAN | JNS.ORG

Israel’s largest religious festival turned into its largest peacetime tragedy late last week, as 45 celebrants were crushed to death, and dozens more were injured, under the feet of fellow worshippers in a horrific stampede at Mount Meron.

The annual Lag B’Omer pilgrimage commemorating the teachings of one of Judaism’s greatest mystics, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, has been marked for centuries by festive music and bonfires. The bonfires symbolize the great spiritual light that his teachings have brought to the world, as well as the souls’ yearning to connect to their Creator. This year, however, awe-inspiring light turned to unthinkable darkness.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a national day of mourning as the last of those killed were laid to rest. Thousands participated in blood drives.

And while a majority of pilgrims were members of Israel’s various Orthodox sects, Israelis from all sectors are attempting to expose the causes of a preventable tragedy.

Yet the simple truth is that no single factor caused the Meron disaster. Rather, a perfect storm of elements simultaneously came together, exposing a system filled with flaws — many of them cultural in nature. The event should open up a period of national reckoning. Whether an honest reckoning will take place — one marked by constructive and unifying measures — will require Israelis to look deep down into their own behavior.

A holy gathering?

A trip to Meron on Lag B’Omer simultaneously reveals some of the best and some of the worst of Israeli society. Commemorating the life and teachings of a great sage, hundreds of thousands converge on the tomb of Bar Yochai, known also as

“Rashbi.” Pilgrims enjoy Chasidic music. Thousands can be seen reciting psalms, followed by early sunrise prayers.

Despite their staunch religious observance, Orthodox sects have largely angered other sectors of Israel’s public for years. Men refuse compulsory army service. Many opt to study in state-funded learning institutions, rather than work and take on their share of the tax burden. Meanwhile, Orthodox groups hold monopolies on key religious services and operate them in ways that are often viewed as corrupt.

While many of Israel’s Orthodox truly represent a beautiful blend of advanced religious observance within a modern state, that beauty is often marred by those who express a lack of appreciation for individuals and communities with lesser religious observance. As this tragedy has struck at the heart of their own community, it may be time for greater humility on their part.

Social distancing

Not all pilgrims to Meron are strictly Orthodox. For many, the event is simply the largest party of the year and the place to be on Lag B’Omer. Among both worshippers and party-goers, some of the less-pleasant elements of Israeli culture are exposed, including a tendency to crowd and push.

Entry into the tomb of Rashbi is reserved only for the bravest few, who must literally fight their way through throngs to reach the gravestone. The only struggle greater than the one to reach the tomb is the struggle to leave.

Most pilgrims are satisfied to remain outside the small tomb. Yet the same culture of pushiness can be found throughout the festival.

While Israelis locked down throughout much of a tragic year — and donned masks — they refuse, as a rule, to social distance; doing so is simply not part of the Israeli DNA.

Israelis have little awareness of, let alone respect for, other people’s personal space, pandemic or not.

Giving one another a little breathing room not only could relieve much of Israel’s collective anxiety. In the case of the Meron tragedy, honoring personal space would likely have saved lives.

‘Derech eretz kadma l’Torah’

There is a famous Hebrew expression that “the ways of one’s behavior comes before Torah.” Such respect is simply not practiced by many Israeli sectors. Roadsides and parks are sadly littered with garbage. Israel’s water sources and skies are similarly polluted.

During Lag B’Omer, plastic bottles and garbage are strewn everywhere. Makeshift bathrooms overflow. The sight is completely inconsistent with that of a holy gathering. Cleanup after the festival is a massive undertaking. During the festival, streets become dirty, sticky and wet. In this case, wet and slippery grounds reportedly contributed to the tragic loss of footing that led to people in an incontrollable crowd toppling onto one another.

The lack of respect for the land is a major cultural phenomenon that simply must be corrected and can only be done as part of a well-organized and consistent educational campaign over the course of many years.

Insufficient infrastructure

Bringing hundreds of thousands of men, women and children to Meron is a major logistical undertaking. Nearly every bus in the country is called into action. Thousands of police officers close off roads to private vehicles and thousands of more first-responders are dispatched and onhand.

Still, the site itself is a logistical nightmare. The small town is completely unequipped to handle the throngs of foot traffic. For the Lag B’Omer festival to continue moving

has done one of two things. It has either made you more aware of infertility or it has inspired you to help those in our community either via our fund or a similar one. It can literally be the difference of a life.

If you or someone that you know is going through any of the above and could benefit from an additional outlet, we would love to connect. We have slowly come to learn that small and private communities do exist to provide emotional support, such as Fruitful founded by Chani Levertov right here in Greater Phoenix.

Infertility can be one of the most challenging journeys that life can throw at you and having the support of others makes all the difference. JN

forward, serious efforts must be taken to completely renovate the town, build permanent concert facilities and establish safe passageways for pilgrims, as well as for law enforcement and emergency responders.

Mistrust of police

The Israel Police is not generally respected, and most citizens do not necessarily believe that the police are working to keep them safe. While police officers go out of their way year after year to facilitate the mega-Lag B’Omer event, eyewitnesses allege that at the moment of the disaster, police had blocked off a main pedestrian artery following a break in the all-night concerts and forcibly directed people towards a narrow, slanted and slippery aluminum-floored artery that led down to a metal staircase.

Further, reports suggest that police just beyond the bottom of the staircase began limiting the flow of pedestrians out, causing a dangerous bottleneck. A formal inquiry will likely reveal that poor police decisionmaking at the precise spot of the tragedy was a contributing factor, and possibly the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. It should be noted and applauded that once it became clear that people were injured, police and other rescue personnel acted heroically to stop and control the flow of people, and extricate those hurt as quickly as possible.

For the Orthodox sectors, whose mistrust of police is already among the highest of all sectors of Israeli society, the Meron disaster threatens to increase wariness, unless a significant effort is made by all sides to repair perceptions.

Disjointed organization

The Lag B’Omer festival is jointly administered and organized by the Religious Affairs Ministry’s National Center for the

SEE TRAIMAN, PAGE 13

Alexa Sachs is a marketing manager at FirstService Residential. Ian Sachs owns Risk Resource, a thirdgeneration life insurance business in Greater Phoenix. They are the excited new parents of twins, Avery and Shia.

The sabbatical and renewed appreciation

In leap years, parshat Behar and Bechukotai are separated and read over a two-week period. Otherwise, they are read as a double portion, and when read together, as they are this year, we look for some connection between the two narratives.

Behar begins with the laws regarding the sabbatical year — the seventh year when cultivated land should lie fallow. It continues with the laws for counting seven times seven years, after which the 50th year is proclaimed a jubilee year beginning with the blast of the shofar on Yom Kippur.

During the jubilee year, land would return to the original ownership, debts were forgiven and slaves would be set free, in addition to the fields not being planted. It was a rebalancing for society as well as for soil.

In parshah Bechukotai, God gives the Israelites a promise that they will flourish on the land if they obey God’s commandments, but will suffer if they stray from a righteous path. Fertility for observing the commandments and failure for avoiding the mitzvot follow

TRAIMAN

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

Protection of Holy Places, along with local authorities, police and the leadership of several Orthodox Jewish sects. As is the case with many other aspects of Israeli society, the annual operation is based on a system of compromises and outdated precedents meant to balance the interests of groups with varying agendas.

Israeli politics functions largely the same way. The disaster at Meron in many ways reflects the sad state of Israeli governance, with sectoral fights around protecting and destroying a status quo that ultimately fails to appropriately serve collective interests.

A decision had been made by a Netanyahuled government in 2011 to nationalize control of the festival. Ultimately, Israel’s Supreme Court canceled the government ruling and has refused to rule on the issue since then, leaving a dangerous status quo in place.

Public Security Minister Amir Ohana suggested that he would take upon himself responsibility for the incident but said that “responsibility does not mean blame,” adding that “the disaster that happened this year could have happened any other year.”

Northern District Commander Shimon Lavi similarly accepted responsibility for the disaster and vowed to cooperate fully with a formal inquiry into the disaster.

the rules of the sabbatical and jubilee year. If landowners do not observe the shmitta year each seven years and let the fields lie fallow, then the earth will make up for those sabbaticals and will not yield produce. “But if… you disobey Me and remain hostile to Me, I will act against you… and will discipline you sevenfold for your sins” (Lev. 26:29).

We choose seven years of acting in a conscious way or we will be beset with a sevenfold punishment. “Seven” resonates as the number signifying creation in the natural world.

Another connection between the two parshat is the assertion that no one should be a slave for their whole lives, but rather should be freed after a certain amount of time. Despite any divine punishments, God will always remember the people since “with a mighty hand God and outstretched arm” the Holy One had freed the Israelites from oppression in Egypt. The purpose of the Exodus was to attain and maintain freedom but with responsibility. These portions also influence modern life:

• Behar’s words of freedom and liberty, “Proclaim liberty throughout the land,” (Lev. 10:25) are inscribed on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.

• It is an accepted practice in agriculture to rotate planting of fields — although the counting of seven years as a total sabbatical for all fields in the Land of Israel is specific

COVID not to blame

Fanning the flames of an already difficult situation, nearly all Israeli media have been reporting that the Meron festivities proceeded despite recommendations by the Health Ministry that limits be placed on the number of participants at the outdoor event in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Not everything has to do with coronavirus, however. Following a year of darkness and tragedy with thousands dead from coronavirus, spiritual light was seemingly needed more than ever, especially among religious communities who suffered in larger numbers than other sectors of society—mostly due to large families living in close quarters.

More needs to be done to heal the collective wounds of the pandemic. Compassion for those who have suffered both from the pandemic and now in Meron is a good place to start.

A moment for self-reckoning

Ultimately, those who died just outside the tomb of one of Judaism’s greatest sages were trampled under the feet of their fellow Jewish worshippers.

Dozens of families have been struck by a horrific and preventable tragedy. Hundreds more must now live with the permanently embedded memory that they themselves stomped on their fellow Jews — as the

only to that area and is followed with some adjustments in Israel today.

• When a professor or clergy person is awarded a sabbatical, it is on this principle of allowing the fertile mind to lie fallow and pursue new opportunities to learn and to be released from the intense routine of the past six years.

In some strange way, this past year with COVID has been a forced sabbatical year for many people around the world, because we had to turn inward rather than go about our usual activities of socializing, work and recreation. Our intimate relationships were intensified, our inner resources had to be developed and we learned new ways of connecting virtually with others that we could not have imagined previously. There was a letting go of normal routine. And yet, many people found unexpected ways to study, to meet, to cook or to do projects that they would not have had time for before the pandemic’s restrictions.

Already as we slowly begin to emerge into renewed, if limited, contact with family and friends, we are continuing with some of the habits we have learned such as increased awareness of washing hands, wearing masks and limiting exposure to crowds.

In addition, we are feeling a new sense of gratitude for encounters such as sharing a meal with a few friends or being able to hug

sheer momentum of the crowd shoved them forward. Those individuals were fortunate that they, too, did not lose their footing. Full efforts should be taken to properly and officially evaluate all of the causes of the Meron disaster. Significant money should be invested to correct the defects and develop new and safe infrastructure at Rashbi’s tomb. With proper planning, coordination, and most importantly, cooperation between all sectors, the Lag B’Omer celebration should quickly and safely resume better than ever, and channel the bright spiritual light that all of Israel needs.

On Saturday night, at the Western Wall, worshippers sang together: “Our brothers, the whole house of Israel, who are in distress and captivity, who wander over sea and over land; may God have mercy on them, and bring them from distress to comfort, from darkness to light, from slavery to redemption, now, swiftly, and soon.”

The Lag B’Omer tragedy should make the entire country look inward. The disaster is a reflection of many of the elements of our society that have been exposed in recent years. All sectors need to reflect on what has happened, not just in Meron, but among the entire Jewish nation, and collectively bear the brunt of responsibility. JN

SHABBAT CANDLE LIGHTING

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SHABBAT ENDS

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our children and grandchildren — freedoms that previously we took for granted.

In the Haftorah for Behar (Jer. 32: 6-27) and Bechukotai (Jer. 16:19 – 17:14), the themes of faith in God as refuge and redeemer are reiterated, along with the consequences of disregarding the mitzvot through injustice and abandoning care of the land. The message is that the people should have faith and hope, as Jeremiah did by buying land in Israel despite the expulsion of the Jews to Babylon.

Despite our own losses and weariness over these past months, we too can gain a sense of hope in the future when our communities can function as before, with a renewed sense of conscious appreciation of the bounty of the earth and the gift of renewed freedom. JN

To the Editor

Jewish News’ article “Advocating for agunot with the ‘push-pull’ of social media” published online on April 23 (p. 7 in this issue) discusses a get — the document a man gives a woman in a Jewish divorce. If a husband refuses to give the get, that woman is considered an agunah, or chained woman. She is not allowed to remarry or have children. She is stuck. The husband has taken her freedom and chained her.

How could JN allow this man a platform to tell us, “It was always coming to an end.”

I understand the need to have a balanced article, to hear two sides. But this is abuse. Keeping his wife hostage 12 years, preventing her from remarrying, preventing her from having more kids is not excusable! Giving a get is a halachic requirement. JN allowed him a platform to legitimize his abuse.

Does JN think there are legitimate reasons to beat or verbally abuse a woman? No!

This is a huge part of the problem — the belief that there are two sides. But there are no two sides to abuse. Shari Judah has been robbed from remarrying and building a new family. Let’s not rob her of the right to her freedom. Abuse is abuse; there’s no excuse.

Sarah Rimler, Phoenix

Alex Traiman is managing director and Jerusalem bureau chief of Jewish News Syndicate, where this column first appeared.

Rabbi Alicia Magal serves as the rabbi of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley.

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

PARSHAH BEHARBECHUKOTAI LEVITICUS 25:1-27:34 RABBI ALICIA MAGAL

Arizona’s May 17 tax credit deadline leaves extra time to support Jewish community

SHANNON LEVITT | MANAGING EDITOR

Tax day was pushed back again this year to May 17, 2021. Just like last year, the IRS extended the filing timeline to help taxpayers navigate the unusual circumstances related to the pandemic. But this year, there is a key difference: The deadline for supporting tax credit organizations in Arizona was also extended to May 17.

Taxpayers taking advantage of the May 17 extension to file taxes can also support a tax credit organization and receive a dollar-fordollar Arizona tax credit against their state taxes up to this date.

Last year, the filing deadline was extended until July but the tax credit deadline remained April 15, which created confusion. People can’t claim more than they owe in state taxes, and last year's donors held back on giving since they didn’t know how much they owed until the credit deadline had passed.

Jewish agencies and others providing critical services to people in need hope the fact that both deadlines are now the same day will make things more clear for donors wishing to take the tax credit.

However, there has been some confusion already.

Supporters of Jewish Tuition Organization have been calling Linda Zell, JTO’s executive director, to ask if it is too late to take the credit.

“We’ve received many calls asking about the deadline and often they are surprised to know they have until May 17 or whenever they file their taxes, whichever comes first,” Zell said. “The calls make us believe that many people who are not calling may think it’s too late, and given the challenges of this past year, it’s important for people to know they can still help the community, make a real difference and receive a tax credit.”

There are many Jewish charitable organizations that qualify for the tax credit, including Kivel Campus of Care, Gesher

Disability Resources, Jewish Family & Children’s Service, Jewish Free Loan and East Valley Jewish Community Center among others. There are also tax credits for foster care, public schools and veteran organizations. The tax credit is something many Jewish agencies and others depend upon to fund certain services and student tuition.

Amy Hummell, executive director of Gesher, said another challenge is simply letting

cost to the disability community.”

Gail Baer, JFCS’ vice president of philanthropy, also stressed the importance of the tax credit program. “Thanks to the support from the community, JFCS is providing help to thousands of vulnerable individuals with urgent and critical relief,” she said, via email. “The generosity from the Arizona Charitable Tax credit helps sustain our services and maintains a vital lifeline for a healthy community.”

Jessielyn Hirschl, JFL’s marketing and communications manager, agreed that there is some confusion this year created by last year’s differing deadlines. JFL has been promoting this year’s date in marketing materials and advising people to check with a tax professional for any clarification, Hirschl said.

Rabbi Michael Beyo, EVJCC’s CEO, is more sanguine about the situation this year.

“We have noticed that some recurring donors gave less than in previous years, but we’ve also received some new donors so it balanced out,” he said, via email. “The extension in the tax credit deadline did cause some confusion but we also received additional donations after the original filing deadline so we’re not complaining.”

people know about the credit at all. “So many people do not realize that it is available and do not take advantage of the tax credits,” she said, via email.

And the credits really make a difference for an agency like Gesher. “Tax credit dollars have a large impact on Gesher’s bottom line making up 20% of our annual revenue,” Hummell said. “This allows Gesher to offer programs at little to no

This was a difficult year for many nonprofits and there is an increase in need and a decrease in funds, Zell said. Participating in the various tax credit programs that are offered by Arizona, taxpayers can support qualifying organizations while receiving credit against their state tax liability.

“It’s a great way to give back to the community and the causes close to each taxpayer without using additional dollars that may be needed by the taxpayer,” said Zell. JN

If you have not filed your 2020 taxes yet, and wish to participate in the dollar-for-dollar tax credit programs, you have until May 17. To support the Jewish organizations referred to in this article visit jewishtaxcredit.org.

“TAXES - ILLUSTRATION” BY DONKEYHOTEY IS LICENSED UNDER CC BY 2.0

Enjoy a delicious treat with a granola twist on Mother's Day

JENNIFER STARRETT

Ilove discovering culinary products that are both delicious and have high quality ingredients. Not only does Laura’s Gourmet Granola check both those boxes, but the products are certified kosher and made by a local Jewish mom, which makes them even more of a newfound favorite of mine.

PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA BROWNIES

Chef Laura Briscoe created her brand of gourmet granola after starting a culinary career as an upscale private chef and teaching classes and cooking on camera for local news segments. She has now grown her company to include nine incredible flavors that are sold online and in grocery stores nation-wide, including AJ’s Fine Foods and Whole Foods Market.

And as a fellow Jewish mom and business owner,

We love peanut butter in our house, which is kind of funny since I grew up hating peanut butter until pregnancy cravings hit with my firstborn. Now one of my favorite flavor combinations is peanut butter and chocolate. These brownies hit all the notes and are made even more special by the addition of granola.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter

½ cup peanut butter

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup gluten free flour

½ cup cocoa powder

¾ cup Honey Roasted Peanut Crunch from Laura’s Gourmet Granola

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 F and coat 8-inch-by-8-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.

In a sauce pan heat the butter and peanut butter until melted and set aside to cool. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt. Add the granola and mix to combine.

Add the eggs and vanilla to the cooled butter mixture and add to dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

Pour batter into the greased pan and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool before cutting.

I could think of no better foundation for these Mother’s Day recipes, which I created. These recipes are not only delicious, easy to make and gluten-free, but Laura’s Gourmet Granola adds some extra flavor that take them to the next level.

I hope you enjoy at least one this Mother’s Day with your family.

APPLE GRANOLA CRISP

Apple crisps are one of my favorite recipes to make and serve to my family. The crunch and flavor contrasts make it a unique dessert and my kids love it when I add granola to the top because it adds a little bit of extra texture and apple flavor. This is a great recipe to make ahead of time and let sit overnight in the fridge, which means one less thing you’ll have to make on Mother’s Day.

INGREDIENTS:

5 green apples

1½ cup AppleLicious Crunch from Laura’s Gourmet Granola

½ cup sugar

1 egg

½ cup melted butter or margarine

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F and coat 9-inch-by-9-inch pie pan with cooking spray or butter. Peel and slice apples and put layer slices in the greased pie pan. In a mixing bowl, mix the granola, sugar, egg, butter and cinnamon until thoroughly combined.

Add the granola mixture on top of the apples to cover completely. Bake for 30 minutes or until apples are soft.

Let sit overnight in the fridge before serving. JN

Jennifer Starrett is an events and marketing consultant. Visit jewphx.com, for more of her recipes and blogs.

Featured Event

SUNDAY, MAY 16

Tikkun Leil Shavuot: 7 p.m.-midnight. Join the Phoenix Board of Rabbis for a community-wide, late-night Torah study and celebration on Zoom. Begin with an opening ritual and spend the evening learning a range of Torah-inspired topics taught by Jewish professionals from across Greater Phoenix and beyond. The evening will conclude with reading the Ten Commandments at the stroke of midnight. (Like waiting for the ball to drop, but better!) Zoom in for the whole evening or just for a bit as we joyfully accept the Torah again this year. Cost: Free. Visit tinyurl.com/y84h6hhy to register.

Events

FRIDAY, MAY 7

Mother’s Day Concert: 1 p.m. T.A. Burrows will be presenting a virtual Sing Street Café. He’ll include the great jazz standards and timeless works penned by legendary composers such as George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Duke Ellington. For more information and to register, contact seniorcenter@jfcsaz.org or call Jennifer Brauner at 602-343-0192.

SATURDAY, MAY 8

Mommy & me in the park: 10 a.m. Join Playdates By Design and Modern Milk to celebrate Mother’s Day at Cactus Park. Stories, songs and games for littles and a handprint craft to take home. Cost: $5. For more information and to register, visit modernmilk.pike13.com/events/8337606.

WEDNESDAY MAY 12

Make a cheese babka 7:30 p.m. Join Mrs. Miriam Litzman of Oven Fresh Challah for an evening of baking the perfect cheese babka. The class, sponsored by the East Valley Jewish Women’s Circle, is in person at Chabad of the East Valley. Cost: $20. For more information and to register, call 480-855-4333 or visit chabadcenter.com/ templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/4305605/jewish/ Cheese-Babka-Demo.htm.

SUNDAY, MAY 16

Shavuot Ice Cream Party: Join the party at the Martin Pear JCC hosted by PJ Library’s Our Way Tween Council. Cost: $10 per family. Register for a time slot at jewishphoenix.regfox.com/ pj-library-ice-cream-shavout-party.

Shavuot Farmer’s Market: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Join Beth El Congregation for an outdoor farmer’s market and vendor fair celebrating the last day of Talmud Torah and the beginning of the Shavuot festival. Food vendors include Brad’s Mobile Pizza Oven, USY Cafe Kehillah a la carte, AZ Pops, Blue Sky Farms and Gourmet Touch. Entertainment includes a ventriloquist show with Bobbi Rubin, and activities include a petting zoo and a social action water bottle drive. Cost: $5 per family, includes 1 personal pizza. Location: Beth El, 1118 W Glendale Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85021.

MONDAY, MAY 17

Shavuot Divine Dairy Celebration: 5:45 p.m. Listen to the reading of the Ten Commandments as we relive the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, followed by a delicious dairy buffet at Chabad of Scottsdale. Cost: Free. RSVP by May 13 at ChabadofScottsdale.org.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 19

Speed networking: 7-9 p.m. TribeNet, a group for ‘Heebs’ who want to network, is hosting its first networking event at State 48 Lager House in Scottsdale. A collaboration between Alyssa Belanger of The Event Genies and Jennifer Starrett of Jew PHX, TribeNet is a community for Jewish professionals looking to share ideas

and information, connect and build professional networks, hear from leading experts on topics of interest, and, of course, socialize and have fun. Cost: Free. For more information about TribeNet, join the TribeNet Facebook group and/or contact Jennifer Starrett at 480-331-5240 or jennifer@jewphx.com.

FRIDAY, MAY 21

Vaccination Celebration: Noon. The Phoenix Holocaust Association is planning an informal get together for lunch at Julio’s Too. Indoor dining with self-pay. Let Susan Lane know if you plan to attend by emailing suze0000@gmail.com.

SUNDAY, MAY 23

Anniversary concert: 5 p.m. Congregation Beth Tefillah is having its 10 year anniversary concert on at the Scottsdale Civic Center Park. Cost: $72 for attendees 10 and up, $150 for VIP seating. To RSVP, please visit: bethtefillahaz.org/event/cbtconcert.html. For more information, contact info@bethtefillahaz.org.

MONDAY, MAY 25

BBQ: 4:30 p.m. Join Smile on Seniors for a fun and filling outdoor BBQ. Open to seniors and active adults. Cost: Suggested $10 donation. To RSVP, visit smileonseniorsaz.com or call 602-492-7670.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26

Martin Pear JCC Golf Tournament: 8 a.m.

The Martin Pear JCC Golf Tournament returns after a five-year pause. The tournament will be a scramble format with a few exciting elements like the opportunity to cruise around the course on a GolfBoard (an oversized skateboard for golf) or an Ellwee Turf Rider (a four-wheel single-rider ATV electric cart), and the chance to win a two-year lease on a 2021 Porsche Maccan. The tournament will take place at Kierland Golf Club. Cost: $300 entry fee per golfer or $1,100 for a foursome. This fee includes a player gift bag, breakfast and lunch on the course, two complimentary beverage cart tickets, and complimentary range balls. All proceeds raised from the tournament will benefit scholarships, programs, and services at the MPJCC. For more information and to register, visit jewishphoenix.regfox.com/martinpear-jcc-charity-golf-tournament or call Megan Montgomery at 480-481-1756.

FRIDAYS MAY 1-JULY 28

PJ Library fundraising with Lee Laa Lou Jewish Educational Stickers. Looking for some fun educational activities to do with your kids? We got you covered. Receive 10% off of the entire store by using the code PJPHX10. PJ Library in Phoenix will receive 20% back of total sales. Shop here: leelaalou.com/discount.pjphx10

Virtual Meetings, Lectures & Classes

MONDAY, MAY 10

Author book talk: 10 a.m. Hadassah Tikvah West Valley will virtually host Sharon Avni,

who along with Sarah B Benor and Jonathan Krasner co-authored “Hebrew Infusions: Language and Community at Jewish Summer Camps.” This book takes a close look at the role of Hebrew in American Jewish summer sleep away camps, which currently serve over 200,000 Jewish youth and young adults every summer. Cost: Free. Please register in advance at hadassah-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZlvcGpqjMiHNzMOLWDOB6yN49T-ZN125NJ or email laelgs99@gmail.com.

Virtual presentation: 12:30 p.m. From liberation and loss, to love, lemonade and laughter by Dr. Ettie Zilber, who was born in a displaced person’s camp in Germany after WWII. Cost: Free. To join, visit sosaz.org/virtual. For full details visit sosaz. org/virtual or email Rabbi Levi Levertov at levi@sosaz.org.

TUESDAY, MAY 11

A Communal Tribute to Rabbi Mari Chernow: 1-2 p.m. Join us for a virtual community event to celebrate the eight years of service Rabbi Mari Chernow gave to our community. Cost: Free. For more information and to register, visit valleybeitmidrash.org/event/a-communal-tributeto-rabbi-mari-chernow-to-celebrate-18-years-ofservice-to-our-community.

Exploring 1952: 11 a.m.-noon. Nobody brings local history to life quite as well as Arizona’s Hip Historian! Be sure to join us. Cost: Free. For more information and to register, visit jfcsaz.org/cse, or contact Jennifer Brauner at: seniorcenter@jfcsaz.org or 602-343-0192 with questions.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 12

Gratitude as a Daily Spiritual Practice: 7 p.m. Gratitude is the key to happiness, faith, peace of mind, and successful relationships. Join instructor Alli Goozh as she teaches us how to cultivate more gratitude and understand why it is worth doing. The workshop will include spiritual and Jewish context, the science behind the power of gratitude, learning functional tactics, actions and exercise to cultivate gratitude and a practice session and exercises. The class will be outside the Martin Pear JCC with social distancing and mask wearing. Cost: $18 for MPJCC members, $25 for non-members. For more information and to register, visit mpjcc.org/mentalhealth2021.

Jokes on Us: 12:30-1 p.m. Join JFCS Center for Senior Enrichment and Smile on Seniors for “Jokes on Us” with Comedian Joel Chasnoff. Joel’s comedy show is about the joys and oys of all things Jewish! In “Jokes on Us,” Joel takes a deep dive into the absurdities of his Jewish life--from his great-grandparents’ botched immigration at Ellis Island to the challenges of raising a Jewish family of his own. We’ll laugh about...Summer Camp, Bar Mitzvahs and Jewish Mothers and Dads. Cost: Free. For more information and to register, visit jfcsaz.org/cse, or contact

Jennifer Brauner at: seniorcenter@jfcsaz.org or 602-343-0192 with questions.

THURSDAY, MAY 13

Author book talk: 8:30 p.m. Join local Arizona author Nelle Lewis as she discusses her books in the Sam Carter Mystery Series at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus. Cost: $10 for MPJCC members, $15 for guests. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit jewishphoenix. regfox.com/meet-the-authors-series.

Discussion with Rabbi Levi: 12:30 pm. Join Rabbi Levi Levertov for a virtual interactive discussion on any subject of your choosing! Bring your questions, he’s got answers!. Cost: Free. For full details visit sosaz.org/virtual or email Rabbi Levi Levertov at levi@sosaz.org.

Fashion and Fashion Icons: 11-noon. Three important fashion designers from the 1960s-1980s: Mary Quant, Yves St. Laurent, and Halston. In this Phoenix Art Museum virtual presentation, we will look at some of their signature designs, similarities among their work, and the use of the elements of art in fashion from London to Paris to New York City. Cost: Free. For more information and to register, visit jfcsaz.org/cse, or contact Jennifer Brauner at: seniorcenter@jfcsaz.org or 602-343-0192 with questions.

SUNDAY, MAY 16

Leyl Shavuot: 7 p.m. Join the professional team at Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley for an evening of study, storytelling, music and discussion as we celebrate Shavuot with the tradition of evening study. While we will not go all night, this evening will certainly grow your knowledge of Torah and community. For more information visit tbsaz.org or contact Andre Ivory (623) 977-3240.

Emotional Release Painting Class: 9-10:30 a.m. In this unconventional art class, we will identify emotions and pair them with colors to create a piece of art. Using fluid paint we will make our own paint balls and seal each one with the color and emotion we are looking to release. Then, with a paintball gun we will release the unwanted emotions onto a wooden board. Glasses, sunglasses or other eye protection will be required for this class. Everything else will be provided for you. We will be outside the MPJCC and socially distanced. Cost: $50 for MPJCC members, $60 for non-members. For more information and to register, visit mpjcc.org/mentalhealth2021.

TUESDAY MAY 18

Watercolor and illustration: 10:30-12:30 p.m. Our workshop will focus on decorative flowers and leaves and berries. This watercolor workshop, using watercolor inks, is designed for adults with varied artistic abilities, everyone is welcome. The process of watercolor painting is relaxing, creative and fun. Upon registration you will receive a list of necessary supplies. Cost: $50 for

IMAGE COURTESY OF THE BOARD OF RABBIS

CALENDAR

MPJCC members, $60 for non-members. For more information and to register, visit mpjcc.org/ mentalhealth2021.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 19

Jewish Leadership: Join us for a virtual panel about diversity in Jewish institutional spaces. Cost: $18. For more information and to register, visit valleybeitmidrash.org/event/the-emergenceof-a-dynamic-change-in-jewish-leadership.

THURSDAY, MAY 20

Continuing Legal Education: Noon-1 p.m. The Arizona Jewish Lawyers Association is offering a free continuing legal education class on special education law called, “How to navigate the IEP and 504 process for children with disabilities.” The virtual class will be presented by Hope Kirsch, Lori Kirsch-Goodwin and Nina Targovnik. Cost: Free. Zoom line to be provided upon RSVP. To do so, email azjewishlawyers@gmail.com.

FRIDAY, MAY 21

Survivor story: 10 am-12 pm. PHA Vice President & 2G Janice Friebaum will share her father’s story virtually. RSVP by emailing Tony Fusco at afusco@azjhs.org.

MONDAYS, APRIL 5-MAY 24

Welcome to Judaism: 5 p.m. This introductory Bureau of Jewish Education course provides a foundation in the basic tenets of Judaism. The class is open to non-Jews, and any adult interested in further exploring Judaism. Cost: $50. For more information and to register, visit bjephoenix.org/courses/available-courses.

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.

TUESDAYS, APRIL 6-MAY 25

Mastering the garden: 9:30 a.m. During this eight week series, master gardeners, Gail La Tour and Mary Lu Nunley from Keep Phoenix Beautiful will teach you what you need to know. The class is called “Doin’ the ‘rot’ thing!” Did you know that waste from your veggies, coffee grounds, egg shells and shredded paper are just a few of the things that can end up being good for your plants? Cost: Free. To register, visit jfcsaz.org/events. For more information, contact seniorcenter@jfcsaz.org or call Jennifer Brauner at 602-343-0192.

WEDNESDAYS, APRIL 7-28, MAY 5-12.

Christianity for All: 10-11:10 a.m. Saint Paul’s letter to young Christian Communities outline in detail why the continuation of Judaism is not God’s plan. In this class Bureau of Jewish Education class, learn 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. Cost: $85. For more information and to register, visit bjephoenix.org/ courses/available-courses.

Battles of Israelite Kings and Queens: 11:20-12:30 p.m. Intrigue with modern royals may have begun with the shocking behaviors, quixotic alliances and unbridled passions of the personalities in the Books of Kings. Cost: $85. For more information and to register, visit bjephoenix.org/courses/ available-courses.

THURSDAYS

Jewish Life and Tradition: 1 p.m. Rabbi Laibel Bloter will be returning for a new series called Jewish Life and Tradition. The first class is on Tuesday, May 25 at 1 pm and will continue on each fourth Tuesday of the month.

SATURDAYS

Saturday Mindfulness Gatherings: 9:30 a.m.

Hosted by Hospice of the Valley. To join by phone dial 1-253-215-8782, meeting ID 486 920 2119#.

To get the Zoom link or for more information, contact Gill Hamilton at ghamilton@hov.org or 602-748-3692.

SUNDAYS

Anxiety in the Modern World: 6 p.m. Learn the secrets of the Torah for living stress-free in the current environment in a virtual class with Rabbi Boruch, with Chabad of Oro Valley. Cost: Free. Tune in using this link: zoom.us/j/736434666. For more information, visit chabadaz.com.

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

THURSDAYS, MAY 6-MAY 20

Jewish Views on the Afterlife: 1-2 p.m. Join Valley Beit Midrash’s President & Dean, Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, for the first part of a three-part series about the Jewish conception of the afterlife. Cost: $18 each or $50 for all three classes. For more information and to register, visit valleybeitmidrash. org/event/jewish-views-on-the-afterlife-series/.

Seniors

MONDAYS

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

Featured Presentation: 12:30 p.m. Join Smile on Seniors Mondays and Wednesdays to learn from a variety of presenters about topical issues, like Q&As with medical professionals, entertainers and lectures. Cost: Free. For full details visit sosaz.org/ virtual or email Rabbi Levi Levertov at levi@sosaz.org.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: 1-2:30 p.m. In a seven week series that begins April 5, learn how to use mindfulness techniques to help relieve anxiety, depression and pain. Cost: Free. For more information and to register, contact seniorcenter@jfcsaz.org or call Jennifer Brauner at 602-343-0192.

MONDAYS, MARCH 22-MAY 24

3M Movement: This Zoom class works to tone and strengthen the body to the tune of a variety of music from Latin, Pop, Broadway, Jazz, and R&B. Movements are offered in a modified format and lower intensity. Cost: Free. For more information and to register, contact seniorcenter@jfcsaz.org or call Jennifer Brauner at 602-343-0192.

TUESDAYS

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-at-home-adults.

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. Cost: Free. For more information, visit jfcsaz.org/cse.

THURSDAYS

In the Kitchen with Benita: 12:30 p.m. Join Smile on Seniors on the fourth Thursday of every month for some delicious cooking or baking fun! Cost: Free. For full details visit sosaz.org/virtual or email Rabbi Levi Levertov at levi@sosaz.org.

FRIDAYS

Musical Friday: 12:30 p.m. Join Smile on Seniors on the first Friday of every month for a musical presentation. Cost: Free. For full details visit sosaz.org/virtual or email Rabbi Levi Levertov at levi@sosaz.org. JN

Upcoming Special Sections

Summer Cool

May

Senior Lifestyle

June

From

Yom HaShoah

From sundown April 7 to sundown April 8,

from

Food drive

Navajo Nation

Volunteers with Arizona Jews for Justice gathered donations of necessary supplies and delivered them to Navajo Nation, an area hit hard by COVID-19, on Thursday, April 29.

Celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut

CONTINUED FROM PAGE B3

she wrote. “It was so cold in the apartment that the water in the glass turned to ice. These parcels helped them to survive.”

Grinblat told Samuels that the Gandels in the Soviet Union burned many of the brother’s letters in the late 1930s out of fear that materials from the United States would cause the government to think they were spies.

In 1961, during the Cold War, the letters from Morris Gandel stopped. Hostility between the Soviet Union and the United States intensified, and mail could not travel between the two countries. By the time correspondence resumed, Morris Gandel had moved and the family lost track of his address. They sent letters trying to reach him again, but they were returned unopened.

The connection between the European and American

This COMMUNITY page features photos of community members around the Valley and the world. Submit photos and details each week to editor@jewishaz.com by 10 a.m. Monday.

branches of the family was severed until Samuels began researching her DNA test results in 2021.

Speiser tracked down a wedding announcement for Sandra Kahn, a woman he and his mother believed to be Morris Gandel’s daughter, in a newspaper from Newark, New Jersey. They located her on Facebook and reached out, but she had not responded, and they felt they had hit a dead end.

Samuels looked up Kahn and also identified her relatives. She began sending them messages and friend requests to see if she could get a response.

Finally, Kahn’s niece replied. Samuels showed her the photo of Morris Gandel that Grinblat had sent, and she confirmed that he was her grandfather. She also recognized the return address from the letters that Grinblat saved as the house in Newark where her

grandparents had lived for many years. She put Samuels in touch with Kahn, who was now 90, and they spoke on the phone.

Samuels and Grinblat had found the missing branch of their family.

“This story ... it’s the miracle of a family that survived over all this time, and they survived because this brother was so loyal,” Samuels said.

Her Facebook group of reconnected family members now has 14 people. She is still using her results to track down relatives who may be descended from her grandfather’s siblings, including Grinblat’s great-aunts and great-uncles. JN

Sophie Panzer is a staff writer for Jewish Exponent, a Jewish Newsaffiliated publication.

students

Hillel at Arizona State University read thousands of names from six million Jewish people who perished at the hands of the Nazis.

PHOTO BY EDDIE CHAVEZ CALDERON

Temple Solel’s Social Action Committee organized a food drive to benefit Vista Del Camino Food Bank during Passover.

From left: Batya Ref, Sharon Levy and Bonnie Cohen, Temple Kol Ami’s pre-K teachers, celebrate Israel’s birthday with Rabbi Jeremy Schneider and student Sarah Schneider. PHOTOS COURTESY OF DEBBIE GLASSMAN

JORDYN PAIGE CAVIAR

Jordyn Paige Caviar became a bat mitzvah on April 16, 2021, at Temple Emanuel of Tempe. She is the daughter of Heather and Bradford Caviar of Chandler.

Grandparents are Susan and Robert Mauskapf of Mesa; and Lynda and Edward Caviar of Scottsdale.

For her mitzvah project, Jordyn volunteers her time at local animal rescue shelters after learning about animal hospitals from a veterinarian and staff. A student at Santan Junior High School, Jordyn enjoys drawing, reading, singing, animals and was recently inducted into the Junior National Honor Society.

RUBY ROSE CHIN

Ruby Rose Chin became a bat mitzvah on April 24, 2021, at Temple Emanuel of Tempe. She is the daughter of Samantha and Gregory Chin of Chandler.

Grandparents are Sue and Morton Rubin of Chandler; and Sandra and Gersun Chin of Marriotsville, Maryland.

For her mitzvah project, Ruby researched the Uyghur Muslim minority in China and built a website to raise awareness and raise money to aid refugees and give them a platform to talk about their experiences. Donations go to the Uyghur Human Rights Project.

A student at GRIT Academy at Bogle Junior High School, Ruby enjoys reading, coding, drawing, theater, swimming, biking, 3D object programming and printing, Minecraft and spending time with family and friends.

JACOB GABRIEL GOODMAN

Jacob Gabriel Goodman became a bar mitzvah on April 17, 2021, at Temple Emanuel of Tempe. He is the son of Rebecca and Matthew Goodman of Ahwatukee.

Grandparents are Judy Howard and Lee Elmore of Mesa; Natalie Kane of Scottsdale and Steven Goodman of Santa Fe, New Mexico. For his mitzvah project, Jacob raised money and collected provisions for Barb’s Dog Rescue, and he also volunteers his time caring for the animals

A student at Kyrene Altedeña Middle School, Jacob enjoys wrestling, mountain biking, hiking, gaming and spending time with family, friends and Dexter, his dog.

EMELIA ROSE MERRITT

Emelia Rose Merritt becomes a bat mitzvah on May 8, 2021, at Congregation Kehillah. She is the daughter of Lauren and Brock Merritt of Phoenix.

Grandparents are Jane and Melvin Weinstein of Scottsdale; and the late Jane and Charles Merritt of Surprise.

For her mitzvah project, Emelia organized drive-thru donation events for Phoenix animal shelters.

A student at Norterra Canyon School, Emelia enjoys gymnastics, tennis and drawing.

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT

Sandor Shuch, 85, passed away in his home on March 10, 2021, from heart failure. He was the beloved husband of Bunny Shuch; beloved father of Bob Shuch (Bethel) and Batya Bar-Chaim (Yossel); and beloved grandfather of Jacob, Benjamin and Kayla Shuch and Chaim Baruch Bar-Chaim (Shoshana), Chaya Bar-Chaim, Chana Bar-Chaim White (Allie), Rivka, Nechama and Yisroel Bar-Chaim.

Sandor was a retired attorney, who, through his work as assistant director of Pinal County Legal Aid Society, enabled migrant workers to obtain free health care, and later as director of Maricopa County Legal Aid, expanded services and opened a branch to provide free legal services to migrant workers and to the farmworkers’ union. He later worked for 27 years in the civil division of the county attorney’s office and, for 10 years following retirement, was a volunteer docent for the Phoenix Art Museum and served on the Arizona State Board of Equalization. He loved spending time with his family and often shared his interests with his wife, children and grandchildren. He enjoyed drawing and painting and over his lifetime was avid about regular exercise and physical fitness.

Sandor was a long time member of Beth El Congregation in Phoenix, and an ardent supporter of Israel.

Our family remembers Sandy especially for his wry wit, generosity, perseverance in the face of challenges, wise counsel and loving efforts to encourage all of us to follow our dreams. He will remain forever in our hearts.

Rabbi Nitzan Stein-Kokin and Cantor Jonathan Angress from Beth El Congregation officiated at the funeral. The family requests that donations in Sandor’s memory be made to the Jewish National Fund or Beth El Congregation.

MICHELLE SYDNE NEWMAN

OLIVER WYATT NATTRESS

Oliver Wyatt Nattress was born March 18, 2021. He is the son of Ashley Kristen and Matthew Scott Nattress of Prescott Valley.

Grandparents are Leonard and Stella Nattress of Sun City West; and Maria Reis of Palm Coast, Florida and Douglas Millikan of Dayton, Ohio. Oliver has one brother, Isidore Nattress, age 3.

With heavy hearts, the Sohn family regrets to announce the passing of our beloved Clarice Sohn, z’l. Born December 6, 1927, Clarice lived 93 wonderful years.

Clarice was the cherished wife of Fred Sohn, z’l; mother to Gary and Ed Sohn; mother-in-law to Julia Sohn; grandmother to Johannah and David Sohn; and great-grandmother to Shobi, Ilyah and Zeffen Loewenstein. Clarice’s brother, Leroy Rosenberg, z’l, was born with cerebral palsy and as such the United Cerebral Palsy organization was near and dear to her heart.

The long-time wife of a Jewish veteran, we also ask that any donations in her memory be made to the Jewish War Veterans.

Clarice’s kindness, generosity, and warmth will be deeply missed.

Michelle Sydne Newman, 54, died April 16, 2021. She was born in New York, New York and lived in Phoenix.

She is survived by her spouse, Monte Boers; her daughters, Sydne A. Boers, Shayna A. Newman and Simcha M. Newman. Services were held at Beth El Cemetery on April 26, 2021. Arrangements by Sinai Mortuary. JN

PHOTO PROVIDED BAT MITZVAH

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