Arizona Jewish Life April 2018 Vol. 6/Issue 7

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 1

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Arizona Jewish Life • April 2018 • Nisan-Iy yar 57 78 • Volume 6/Issue 7

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FEATURES

WOMEN WHO LEAD

COVER STORY Roz Rothstein: Birth of a movement 22

JEWS WITH ATTITUDE Brian Yosef Schachter-Brooks: on the Jewish path of presence 10

Women and philanthropy Gail Baer and JFCS – helping the whole community Susan Farber: Putting her passion to work for JNF Arizona Katrina Shawver: Sharing a unique survivor’s story Maskit makes a comeback Raquel Kahn: Making fitness fun at Fit 6-7-8 Mother and son attorneys strive for immigration rights

BUSINESS Matthew Apfel: Finding justice across borders Business Profiles Ins & Outs FRONT & CENTER “The Diary of Anne Frank” more relevant than ever Sculpture Garden Opening Celebration & Brunch

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FOOD Chef’s Corner: Heart health

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HOME & LIFESTYLE Organized home hacks 5 work-wear tips that will work well for you

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ACTIVELY SENIOR Yiddish is alive and well at Temple Solel 52 Couple creates a legacy with Shalom Home 54 “Win-win” programming for seniors at The J 56

ISRAEL Israel at 70 fun facts #SharedLife Donor Registry unveiled at AIPAC Israel at 70 celebrations COLUMNS Chef’s Corner by Lucia Schnitzer Family Time by Debra Rich Gettleman

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33 34 36 38 40

Polski trilogy follows family from Holocaust to reunion 66 Celebration of Caring 68 Federation notes 69 Jewish National Fund Celebrates the Power of Women 70 Previews 71 Faces & Places 72 Calendar 74

61 63 64 46 58

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JLIVING

JKIDS & TEENS TOO Family Time: Cookie Conundrum 58 Kids Calendar 60

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ON THE COVER: ROZ ROTHSTEIN PHOTO COURTESY OF StandWithUs

“Wendy Kesselman’s finely textured new DIARY tells a deeper story. Sensitive, stirring and thoroughly engaging.”

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One of the most powerful stories of the 20th Century.

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A rizona Jewish Life | Dateline: Nisan - Iy yar 5778 • Volume 6/Issue 7

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Years ago a joke made the rounds of how a Jewish man spotted a friend reading an Arabic newspaper and exclaimed, “Moshe, have you lost your mind?”

Moshe replied, “Well, I used to read the Jewish papers, but what did I find? Jews being persecuted, Israel being attacked, Jews disappearing through assimilation, Jews living in poverty. So I switched to an Arab newspaper. Now, what do I find? Jews own the banks, Jews control the media, Jews are all rich and powerful, Jews rule the world. The news is so much better!”

Ouch – bad taste, sarcastic? Yes, but this joke has survived because there is some truth on both sides.

Considering our small numbers, we are disproportionately represented in the many lists of the world’s most influential people. Our contribution to the fields of technology, science, agriculture, health, education and entertainment, as well as Nobel Prize recipients, is disproportionate to our numbers.

Being of the generation that never lived in a world without Israel, I wonder if we would have made such advances without the State of Israel. What is not debatable is that before the birth of Israel, we were a scattered people, often powerless and some would say spectators on the international stage; today we have a homeland and can control our own destiny to a degree.

When Israel was established in 1948, only 5% of the world’s Jewish population lived there. Today, 70 years later, the world’s largest Jewish population lives in Israel. The existence of Israel protects not only Israelis but the Jewish people throughout the world.

Yet Israel at 70, and the Jewish people as a whole, face many challenges – some say existential challenges: terrorism, antiSemitism, BDS, assimilation and perhaps the biggest threat of all, apathy.

Maybe it is not a coincidence that the number 70 is mentioned several times in the Torah: 70 elders of the Jewish nations, the core 70 nations and 70 languages of the world, 70 members of Jacob’s family who came to Egypt, the 70 faces (perspectives) of the Torah. In the Torah, 70 represents both a disturbing disunity and a strong, beautiful unity – much like Israel today at 70.

Ironically, 70 years after its founding, some continue to debate whether Jews have the right to claim Israel as the Jewish homeland, Jerusalem as our capital (ignoring our 3,000-year history in the land) or if the State of Israel even has a legitimate right to exist.

Israel is viewed as the “demon nation” by some, the “light unto all nations” by others and the “Start-up Nation“ by all.

Israel and the Jewish people are one people: Israel’s pain is our pain, Israel’s success is our success. In spite of our arguments and fractures, we are an engaged, caring and contributing force in the world.

Today we as a people and Israel as a nation are no longer just surviving, we are thriving. Perhaps that is our most valuable contribution of all.

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Jewswith

Attitude

Brian Yosef Schachter-Brooks: on the Jewish path of presence

By Mala Blomquist

Brian Yosef Schachter-Brooks had been interested in spirituality in an experiential way from a very young age.

Raised in a home with no formal religion, Brian would get brief snippets of Judaism while visiting his uncle’s house for Passover and Shabbat.

Then when he was 12, his father paid for the whole family to learn transcendental meditation. “I practiced that for many years, and I was also starting to learn about Kabbalah and Jewish meditation through Aryeh Kaplan’s books,” says Brian.

When Brian was 18, he had a profound spiritual experience that he didn’t understand at the time. “It was an opening into a completely different way of being, which I described to myself at the time as ‘living for 10 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

God,’ ” he explains. “It was a sense of living totally from love and service, as opposed to my ordinary, ego-oriented way of being.”

But the feeling from this transformational experience didn’t last. “It only lasted for a few weeks and then it kind of faded,” Brian says. “It was almost like a little explosion and then the dust just settled, and everything went back to normal. I was a seeker before that, but after that, I was even more of a seeker because I had tasted ‘It’ and I wanted ‘It’ back.”

Brian continued his spiritual exploration in college, studying music in school, and Judaism with a Chabad rabbi. After college, he moved to Berkeley, CA, and was teaching music and playing in a band, but his search was always in the background.

Then on Oct. 6, 1998, he felt like he came to the end

of his search. “I had been searching through practicing and thinking about it very intensely,” he explains. “I was trying to think my way back to what that experience was, and at a certain point I realized that my thinking mind could never get me back there.”

He explained that trying to force your mind back to a spiritual awakening is akin to, “trying to taste the food off of a menu. No matter how deep you get into the menu – it’s always the menu.” He gave up on trying to think is way back into “awakening,” and instead began turning his attention toward whatever was actually present. He calls this simple yet challenging practice, “Presence.”

“I became present in a very simple way, and something changed inside me that was more of a permanent shift than the previous experience I had when I was eighteen, which had faded,” says Brian. “Not that I am in this blissful, heightened spiritual state constantly, but more like an inner door opened and I can go through that door at any point, in the midst of whatever is going on in life.”

At first, Brian gave up all Jewish practices, thinking that there was no need for them anymore. But he soon realized that he needed these practices to help him integrate his new heightened spiritual awareness into daily life.

“I felt so open and vulnerable without some kind of container for it. I discovered that the regular, normative Jewish practices of saying prayers every day, observing Shabbat and eating certain foods – just having a set of regular practices was very helpful to me,” says Brian.

“Over time, I realized that this is what I wanted to share with people – how they could access this real, spiritual transformation within a Jewish context, and through Jewish practices.”

That is how Torah of Awakening, The Jewish Path of Presence began. He started teaching at a synagogue in Berkeley and then started providing online videos in February 2016 to reach more people.

In the middle of 2016 Brian, his wife, Lisa (she is director of operations at the Jewish History Museum in Tucson), and their two children moved to Tucson to be closer to his mother and disabled sister. He began teaching weekly classes at Congregation Bet Shalom and live streaming these sessions. After class, he edits the video, adds some text and sends them out to his subscribers. “My members get weekly teachings on the Torah portion, different Jewish prayers, Hebrew chants and so on,” he explains, “all toward the aim of cultivating an awakened life.”

His teachings also include what he calls Integral Jewish Meditation. “There are many different types of

“I became present in a very simple way, and something changed inside me that was more of a permanent shift than the previous experience I had when I was eighteen, which had faded.”

Jewish meditation that I practice and have practiced. It became obvious to me over time that it would be really good to have something accessible and foundational to teach people that anyone could learn,” says Brian. “I call it Integral Jewish Meditation because it integrates different modalities that are already present in traditional Jewish practices but are often not necessarily used in a meditative or transformational kind of way.”

Since moving to Arizona, Brian has been traveling around the state teaching workshops. He also returns to the Bay Area several times a year to lead High Holiday services and Friday night musical Shabbat services. “I want to be the teacher for other people that I wish I had,” he says.

For more information, visit TorahOfAwakening.com. Brian has also just released a CD of original Shabbat music with his band BRIAH entitled “Ayn Od,” available on CD Baby and Amazon.

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Business

Angelo Torrealba, left, and Matthew Apfel of Apfel and Associates.

Matthew Apfel:

By Mala Blomquist

Finding justice across borders

Matthew Apfel is an Arizona native who returned to set up his law practice in 2015 after practicing law in China and Washington, D.C. “My dad had his surgery practice here, and my grandparents started their business here, so it was important for me to return.,” he says.

In 2005, he received his bachelor’s degree in international affairs with a focus in Chinese politics from George Washington University and then earned his doctorate from George Washington University Law School in 2008.

He practiced law in China from 2008 to 2009 and returned to set up his first office in Washington, D.C., in 2012. But in 2010 he was approached by Richard D. Heideman of Heideman Nudelman & Kalik for a position that would shape him into the lawyer he is today.

Matthew was one of about 20 specialists in the country familiar with a very focused area of law regarding issues relating to state responsibilities. “I became the specialist for this international litigation where they were suing Iran for the Marine barracks bombing (Beirut, 1983) and Syria for the Rome and Vienna airport attacks (1985),” he says.

He remembers that Richard told him that most attorneys don’t take more than 40 depositions in their entire career. “I did depositions of every surviving marine from the Marine barracks bombing and their families – more than 100 depositions,” says Matthew. “I would have to ask them what they witnessed and what happened after that, and how it affected them and their families. It was very difficult, but it made me into the lawyer I am today by being able to have that empathy and really develop it.”

12 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Matthew also traveled to Israel to take depositions of various members of the al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade (a terrorist organization) who were prisoners in the Israeli court system.

“To this day, I have a little Marine Corp flag on my desk.

That work was the most personal to me that I’ve done. It was very meaningful,” he says. “They (the Marines) were there to protect our country on a peace mission when their barracks were blown up by terrorists.”

There was a deeper personal reason for Matthew to see that these people received justice from terrorist attacks. He was a freshman in college in Washington, D.C, on Sept. 11, 2001, and lived down the street from the U.S. State Department, about 2.5 miles from the Pentagon.

“I saw the Pentagon on fire – it was very life-changing, as it was for everybody, but for me, it was very direct,” says Matthew.

“After that, this was a means of trying to find some type of justice. I learned a lot about how politically things work. I learned we all can be victims in different ways of terrorism.”

These cases against Iran and Syria allowed American citizens to bring a suit in federal court against a country alleging that they were victims of a terrorist act. “Allowing them to go through having been shot or hit by shrapnel, and then being able to testify under oath in a courtroom about what you suffered can release that because you are being listened to,” Matthew explains. “You are in a formal setting being able to explain how that hurt you.” In the end, there were various settlements where the victims received compensation.

In 2012, he founded his firm in Washington, D.C., because he wanted to return to the business and transactional side of law where he had started. His business grew, and he returned to

Arizona to set up an office in Phoenix in 2014 and then one in Tucson in 2016.

“I realized that I enjoy working so much more in Arizona – and I missed the sunshine and the people,” Matthew says.

Mathew and his law partner, Angelo Torrealba, who, according to Matthew, “has more law degrees than I have fingers,” focus on corporate immigration. “We help people set up their companies, the structure and their trademarks, and then we can help them have their executives come over to work here in the United States.” One of their current projects is helping a robotics company from Sonora, Mexico, set up a presence in Southern Arizona.

Angelo also focuses on humanitarian protection of persons and asylum. A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Angelo represents a group of more than 1,000 students and individuals who have been targeted by the government of Venezuela.

Venezuela is suffering an economic crisis, and Venezuelans are not permitted to take money out of the country without first submitting a request to the government. The government has been canceling these requests, so the students have no way of retrieving their money, and no way to pay for their education abroad.

Angelo represented these individuals in front of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights at the Organization of American States. The OAS brings together all 35 independent states of the Americas and constitutes the main political, juridical and social governmental forum in the hemisphere.

Through their varied clientele, Matthew and Angelo have had to learn the cultural side of assisting clients, what their expectations are and how they view an attorney. “Attorneys all know the law, but being able to go that next step and use your interpersonal skills to connect and be able to help someone – that is really how you bring the ball across the finish line,” says Matthew. “I’ve been experiencing this the past couple years and piecing it all together.”

For more information on the work that Matthew and Angelo do at Apfel and Associates, P.C., visit apfelandassociates.com.

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 13

BUSINESS PROFILES

Get to know some of the people behind the businesses you see in Arizona Jewish Life

HOMESMART ELITE GROUP ASSOCIATE BROKER BOBBY LIEB

B

obby Lieb has been a Realtor in the valley for over 28 years and sold more than 3,400 homes. When he first entered the field, he knew that to be successful, he needed to specialize in an area of the Valley. “I lived in the central Phoenix/Biltmore area, so it was an easy choice. I also coached many of the kids in our area and must have done a decent job because their parents are hiring me to sell and buy homes and now those kids are buying from me,” declares Bobby. Bobby is also a court-appointed Realtor with Maricopa County family court and specializes in divorce home sales.

He is the number one HomeSmart agent in the country the past seven years, based on volume and homes sold. HomeSmart is the largest real estate company in the Phoenix area with 7,000 agents. HomeSmart has 11,000 agents in the United States.

Bobby founded the HomeSmart Elite Group seven years ago. The Elite Group consists of the top agents with HomeSmart – totaling more than 1,000 agents. They hold monthly meetings with the Valley’s top real estate experts.

He averages 135 sales per year. “In 2016, I sold $79 million in home sales, ranging from a low sales price of $150,000 to six homes over $1.5 million – and (I sold) $53 million in 2017. I work by myself and have a great assistant, Kathy Wright, who has tolerated me now for 18 years. I am the definition of a true workaholic, but I love what I do,” states Bobby.

The business has changed some over the years, but the bottom line is getting buyers and sellers the price they want. He explains, “I have sold some buyers over 10 homes, and some sellers have hired me to sell many of their homes over the years. I was hired to sell Senator and Cindy McCain’s north central home in 2006 – which was on 2 acres and was 14,000 square feet. I have now sold that home three times in the past 10 years.”

Bobby started a charity four years ago called HomeSmart We Care for Others. This charity helps HomeSmart’s real estate agents in times of need.

“We have raised over $50k in four years and helped pay medical expenses, and even funerals for agents. It has been a special charity for me to help my peers,” says Bobby.

There is a continuing education class that Bobby teaches monthly on Agency Law/Marketing Essentials.

This class is attended by over 100 agents every month.

After a long day, which is every day because he normally has 50-60 listings at a time, Bobby says, “I enjoy coming home to feed my boxer Layla and then feed my wife of 31 years, Mary Ann. I have to feed the dog first because she is much louder than my wife.”

He also checks in with his children daily. His 28-year-old son Sean works locally with SRS commercial real estate and his 26-year-old daughter Juliann works part time for Bobby and is working on getting her Sports Psychology certificate which should happen in the next few months.

Bobby and MaryAnn took in another kid, Jesse Milleson, more than eight years ago and he is in New York with Orangetheory Fitness opening up five new studios there. “We are very proud of all three of our kids – who fortunately got all their great qualities from my wife. (Yes, I am a true suck-up!),” he confesses.

Bobby Lieb Associate Broker, HomeSmart Elite Group 5225 N. Central Ave. #104, Phoenix 602-376-1341 centralphx.com 14 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

BUSINESS PROFILES FLADER WEALTH CONSULTING GROUP WITH RBC WEALTH MANAGEMENT, PHOENIX MANAGING DIRECTOR ALLAN FLADER

A

llan Flader has always been a “numbers guy.”

He excelled in math from a very young age and graduated with honors from the University of Arizona with a major in finance and economics.

His first job out of college in 1987, was with Merrill Lynch. They usually did not hire individuals straight out of college, but they were impressed with Allan’s resume. “I was the youngest advisor for Merrill Lynch in the country at the time,” says Allan. He has also received the Certified Investment Management Analyst® designation in conjunction with the Wharton School of Business.

In 2000, he started Flader Wealth Consulting Group with his brothers, Michael and Brian, as his partners. “I now have six and a half employees,” jokes Allan. “My mom helps us with certain things, part-time.” In addition to Allan and his brothers, FWCG employs Chris Young, a Certified Financial Planner® and Brittany Beard and Linda Caldwell, who are both full-time administrative assistants.

FWCG considers itself “a concierge service” for everything financial. They help their clients manage money, execute tax minimization strategies, evaluate how debt should be paid off (if necessary), review insurance plans, have estate planning documents reviewed, advise clients when to take social security and more services. “Any financial issue, if you are a client of ours, we help you,” says Allan. “If we don’t know the answer we will get it. We have a lot of people in our network to get the proper answers you need.”

“Fiduciary standard (acting solely in the client’s best interest when offering personalized financial advice) has become big in the news of finance, but we’ve been doing that for 25 years,” explains Allan. “We have formed a lot of personal relationships with our clients, and we genuinely want them to do well – it’s not just ‘business’ to us.”

Flader Wealth Consulting Group 2398 E. Camelback Road #700, Phoenix 602-381-5388 us.rbcwealthmanagement.com/fladerwealthconsultinggroup

We are pleased to announce that

ALLAN J. FLADER has been named as one of America’s top 500 financial advisors according to Forbes Magazine.

In addition, Allan was ranked as the number one financial advisor in the state of Arizona, and joins some of the industries most exceptional financial advisors.

We are proud of Allan’s success and that of his group

Flader Wealth Consulting Group ALLAN J. FLADER Managing Director- Financial Advisor RBC Wealth Management Certified Investment Management Analyst

2398 E. Camelback Rd Suite 700 Phoenix, AZ 85016 602.381.5388 Allan.Flader@RBC.com

Source: Forbes.com (Jan. 2018). America’s Top Wealth Advisors: State-By-State ranking was developed by SHOOK Research and is based on in-person and telephone due diligence meetings and a ranking algorithm that includes: client retention, industry experience, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, including: assets under management and profitability. For more information: www.SHOOKresearch.com.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 15

BUSINESS PROFILES MAZEL TOV GIFTS

W

hat started as the brainchild of Chabad of Scottsdale, Mazel Tov Gifts opened in 1993 and has been going strong ever since. “That year there was nothing available in Scottsdale, there were other stores that opened but have since closed. We are the only remaining freestanding gift shop and storefront where people can park, walk in and purchase Judaica,” says Rabbi Yossi Levertov of Chabad of Scottsdale.

Mazel Tov Gifts is its own separate store; people who may be uncomfortable walking into a synagogue can be at ease browsing in this neutral, nonthreatening space.

“What started as a very modest setting has grown to include museum-quality pieces and work from artists that you can’t get anywhere else,” explains Rabbi Levertov. Items in the store are a mix of contemporary, modern and everything in between.

Mazel Tov Gifts carries jewelry, mezuzot, hamsas, greeting cards, yarmulkes, tallitot, honey dishes, seder plates, beeswax and olive oil candles, children’s books, specialty foods for holidays (including shmurah matzah) and much more. One of the important goals of the store is to provide only authentic Judaic items.

The mezuzot are a big seller, and they will only sell authentic scrolls; no paper, no copies, only parchment that has been handwritten. “We have many of the rabbis in town purchase mezuzot for their congregants because they don’t have to stock them themselves – they’ll come to us,” explains Rabbi Levertov.

Mazel Tov Gifts carries many items from local artists in addition to items from Israel, to support their economy. They also have a great selection of Jewish music including traditional Hassidic, cantorial, Israeli and music for weddings. There is also a selection of DVDs for children with Jewish content.

“Even children’s time spent on electronics can be enhanced if they have healthy Jewish content connected to those electronics,” says Rabbi Levertov. “Music and DVDs is a way to keep them entertained while infusing them with Jewish values. It’s simple, and not everyone recognizes that opportunity.”

Mazel Tov Gifts is open from 10:30 am to 5 pm Sunday through Thursday, and 10 am to 3 pm on Friday.

Mazel Tov Gifts 10211 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 480-922-0250 mazeltovgifts.net

16 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

SCOTTSDALE MUSICAL THEATER COMPANY EXECUTIVE PRODUCER DAVID HOCK

D

avid Hock moved from San Francisco to Phoenix in 2001, the week of 9/11, to be specific. In addition to running SMTC, he has his own business consulting company. His daughter, who is now 23, grew up here, had her bat mitzvah at Congregation Beth Israel and attended Camp Charles Pearlstein for many years. “I also spent time teaching at the CBI religious school and helping with camp plays for a number of years,” says David. “I think I’m one of the last surviving Jewish producers here in town.”

He comes from a professional theater background; having produced, directed and choreographed on both coasts for more than 30 years. “I created SMTC in 2010 and began presenting shows in a church gym in North Phoenix. Since 2014, SMTC has been the resident musical theater company at Tempe Center for the Arts,” says David. “I’m the executive producer, and I direct all the shows for SMTC. I do the choreography for some of the shows as well, and share marketing responsibilities with my associate producer.”

SMTC does about four shows a year – big well-known musicals.

“I’d say the changes I’ve seen over the last 10 years is that there are more theaters and culture in the Valley,” says David. “As the general public has become more familiar and comfortable attending cultural events, we’ve been focusing on maintaining a higher quality production, at reasonable prices.”

What sets SMTC apart is that they feature recognizable celebrity guest stars in all of their shows. They also have a full 20+ piece live orchestra accompany each performance. And because of the technical capabilities of TCA, they can bring in large national tour sets and costumes for their productions.

Since its beginning, SMTC has always donated tickets to veterans and military personnel to all of its shows through the organization vettix.org, which provides tickets to any and all kinds of events; sporting, cultural, family, etc. for veterans and active military. To date, SMTC has donated more than 7,000 tickets to vettix.org.

Scottsdale Musical Theater Company At Tempe Center for the Arts 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe 602-909-4215 scottsdalemusicaltheater.com

BUSINESS PROFILES JEWISH TUITION ORGANIZATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LINDA ZELL

L

inda is from Cape Town, South Africa and spent part of her childhood in Israel before coming to the United States in 1976. Linda was the principal of a Jewish community religious school in Rhode Island for 20 years before moving to the Valley 21 years ago. In her current position as executive director of the Jewish Tuition Organization, Linda is driven by the fact that she knows without the JTO about 65% of the students in the JTO affiliated Jewish day schools would not be able to attend.

The JTO’s mission is to ensure that every child has access to a Jewish day school education, regardless of their family’s financial ability to pay for it. The JTO raises funds for needbased scholarships from both individuals and corporations through the dollar-for-dollar Arizona private school tuition tax credit. As the executive director of the JTO, Linda is responsible for guiding the organization. Under her leadership the JTO raised more than $4 million dollars last year to provide need-based scholarships for children in the community to attend Jewish day schools of all denominations.

The six schools served by the JTO are Desert Jewish Academy in Chandler, Pardes Jewish Day School in Scottsdale and Phoenix Hebrew Academy, Shearim High School for Girls, Torah Day School of Phoenix and Yeshiva High School of Arizona, all in Phoenix.

What sets the JTO apart is that it focuses on Jewish day schools of all denominations, directs more than 90% of the funds raised toward scholarships and that all scholarships are need-based. The JTO uses a third-party vendor to evaluate applications and ensure need.

For 2017, individuals can donate up to $1,089 and married couples filing jointly can donate up to $2,177. Taxpayers can still make donations up until April 17, or when they file their taxes, whichever comes first. For 2018, the amounts are $1,107 for individuals and $2,213 for married couples filing jointly.

The Arizona private school tuition tax credit is also available to corporations; the deadline to submit a corporate application to the JTO is June 15. Please call the JTO office for information. JTO is a 501(c) (3) and can accept non-tax credit charitable donations.

All support is appreciated and will support Jewish day school education.

PHOENIX HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS’ ASSOCIATION AND GENERATIONS AFTER

DESCENDANTS OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS IN GREATER PHOENIX

P

HSA was founded in 1982 by a group of Holocaust ​ survivors and their descendants. Its purpose is to support local survivors and to remember the Shoah through education and commemoration. Approximately 60 survivors belong with over 100 other descendants and “friends.”

A 14-member board of directors, which includes four survivors, leads the programming for PHSA, while GA is led by an active steering committee. The organizations have no paid staff; all are volunteers. Both organizations are the only ones of their kind in the greater Phoenix area. They are known nationally and internationally as the voice of survivors in Phoenix.

Both PHSA and GA connect survivors with social service agencies to provide for their needs.

GA also connects descendants through various social events and discussion groups and was the recipient of JFGP’s 2017 Belle Latchman Community Service Award.

In the last 10 years, PHSA and GA started to partner with other organizations, such as AJHS, GPJFF, BJE, USHMM, ADL, synagogues, ​NAU’s Martin-Springer Institute and Scottsdale Community College to co-sponsor events that educate the community about the Holocaust.

An example is this year’s feature presentation, “The Children of Willesden Lane,” which highlights author Mona Golabek’s story of her mother, who was saved by the Kindertransport.

A program by the author (who is also a concert pianist) is the opening event of Scottsdale Community College’s Genocide Awareness Week. It will be Wednesday, April 4 at 7 pm at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

Copies of her book have been read by school children in grades 5-12 through the generous donation of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Adults have also attended dozens of book talks after reading the book. A grant from our local Jewish Community Foundation has supported the project. More information can be found at willesdenlaneaz.com.

Phoenix Holocaust Survivors’ Association and Generations After 12701 N. Scottsdale Road #122, Scottsdale 602-788-7003 phoenixhsa.org contact@phoenixhsa.org

Jewish Tuition Organization 12701 N. Scottsdale Road #100M, Scottsdale 480-634-4926 jtophoenix.org info@jtophoenix.org

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 17

BUSINESS PROFILES PAPARAZZO FILM

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER DAVID LEE

THE ORCHARD, PHOENIX

EVENTS COORDINATOR LINDA SCHNITZER

D

avid Lee is husband to a beautiful wife and is the father of two beautiful boys. “I’ve always been a wandering artist, melancholy philosopher and slightly overconfident theologian for many years.” He’s spent well over a decade studying theological matters, including philosophical and scientific arguments for the existence of The Creator. “One could say that my love for art and the creative process, in general, comes from my faith and appreciation for a created world, by the ultimate artist.”

He is a portrait photographer, and as some would say, a counselor and therapist, too. “The process that is involved for me to create true portraits of my clients often requires getting past the superficial to get a bit closer to the soul,” says David. “I find that the shallow is never enough when it comes to art. We as humans, cumulatively speaking, are a compound of emotions and experiences. What makes us who we are is, in part, happiness but sadness as well; we are content, and yet dissatisfied; we experience grief and joy, loneliness and companionship – we are complex beings. My job, as a portrait photographer is to capture the essence of who one is”.

He works with clients on topics such as micro-expressions, and how there are many muscles in the face that respond to and change one’s expression based on what we are thinking. “To the trained eye you can’t simply replace a genuine expression with a fake smile; having no portrait is better than one that misrepresents who you really are,” says David.

He provides two types of portrait sessions at his studio: one being a full-blown magazine style, fine art portrait session and the other, professional headshots. He has a hair and makeup artist on site, and a full wardrobe of tulle gowns and dresses. A portrait session is for everyone: male and female individuals, couples, families, generations, etc. “A couple of weeks after the shoot, I invite you back into the studio for ‘a reveal,’ where my gallery wall is filled with the top images from your shoot, so you can see and hold the fine art prints, and decide which images you love,” he explains.

The other kind of shoot he offers is the headshot and personal branding shoot. “I find no reason to divorce art from the headshot, so I came up with a signature headshot style known as the ‘lux style,’ headshot,” says David. These headshots are sharp and dramatic and are meant to become “scroll stoppers” on the internet, bringing attention to themselves first as art, and then as a by-product, adding extra attention to you and your business.

Paparazzo Film 23150 N. Pima Road #2-C, Scottsdale 602-818-2464 paparazzofilm.com 18 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

I

n the heart of Central Phoenix, The Orchard, already a local hot spot, offers a magical and unique events venue. With catering out of Pomelo Restaurant and outstanding service from our on-staff events coordinator, Linda Schnitzer, we can create memorable events including birthday parties, baby showers, bridal showers, weddings, wedding receptions, mixers, life events, corporate events, bar and bat mitzvahs and much more. We warmly welcome you to come see our beautiful property and we look forward to hosting your next event!

For a more intimate party, consider dining in at Pomelo, built around a 1920s adobe house. Here you will find delicious, straightforward American food and drinks, with an Arizona twist. Open daily for lunch, dinner or drinks in the lounge. Savor dinner in the intimate dining room or on the patio, which overlooks The Orchard Phoenix lawn. At Pomelo, you’ll be welcomed, comfortable and at home. Also located at The Orchard is Luci’s at the Orchard. It is just like the Luci’s you know and love (Luci’s Healthy Marketplace at 16th St. & Bethany Home Road), in a revitalized historic setting.

Luci’s offers a unique marketplace, cafe, coffee and juice bar, and Splurge, a vintage ice cream shop in a casual and welcoming environment.

Luci’s is a place to nurture community, local businesses, and where you want to be on a Saturday afternoon. The cafe area is lined with windows overlooking the citrus orchard, patio and splash pad. Our citrus trees inspire many of our dishes, and juices, while creating a shady oasis in the desert.

The Orchard Phoenix Pomelo/Luci’s at the Orchard/Splurge 7100 N. 12th St., Phoenix 602-633-2600 pomelophx.com lucisorchard.com splurgephx.com

COMING IN MAY 2018

ACTIVELY SENIOR SPECIAL SECTION To advertise • advertise@azjewishlife.com 602.538.2955 • azjewishlife.com

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 19

BIZ

INS INS INS & & OUTS OUTS & OUTS

Yana Krone

Sue DeBenedette

John Geersten

Yana Krone joins Hebrew Free Loan

Julia Waterfall-Kanter

Tucson JCC

Yana Krone has come on board at the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Tucson as the new community relations director.

As a graduate from the Ohio State University, Yana started her career in nonprofits at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank in Columbus, Ohio. After moving to Tucson to work on her MBA over 20 years ago, Yana has had the privilege to work with local companies such as Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, Tucson Lifestyle Magazine and Bolchalk Frey Marketing and Advertising. Yana hopes to use her nonprofit and business experience to help the many individuals in need within our community, by offering financial assistance through interest free loans provided by the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Tucson. tucsonfreeloan.org

many years of marketing experience also include positions as marketing director at the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, director of marketing for PolyGram Records in Australia and in international marketing at A&M Records, New York and Los Angeles.

Julia has been leading fund development efforts for more than 20 years for organizations that include, but are not limited to, Arizona Opera, Tucson Jewish Community Center, Up With People and Social Venture Partners Tucson.

John served for seven years as managing associate and company manager at Pioneer Theatre Company in Salt Lake City, simultaneously working as an equity stage manager for its new play series and main stage shows. For three seasons, he produced the collaborative Utah charity event, Utah Theatre United that raised money through cabaret events for a group of charities. arizonatheatre.org

Arizona Theatre Company welcomes three new staff members

Tucson JCC nominated for Excellence Award

Arizona Theatre Company is pleased to announce the addition of Sue DeBenedette as director of marketing, John Geersten as company manager and Julia Waterfall-Kanter as director of development.

“Combined, Sue, John and Julia bring more than 60 years of experience in their respective areas of expertise to Arizona Theatre Company, experience that will be vitally important as we lay the foundation for ATC’s next 50 years. We were so impressed with each individual’s talents and experience, and when each of them expressed their main motivation for joining the team was the desire to be in a position where they could have a significant impact on an organization, that sealed the deal for us,” said ATC Managing Director Billy Russo and Artistic Director David Ivers in a joint statement.

Sue was most recently chief marketing and development officer at the Tucson Jewish Community Center after handling marketing responsibilities at Arizona Public Media. Her

Outstanding achievements help JCCs of North America build meaningful Jewish community. The JCCs of North America Excellence Awards honor exceptional institutional efforts, and hold them up as examples so that all JCCs may learn from them.

The Tucson Jewish Community Center has been named as one of the nominees in the category of Recognizing Excellence in Talent Management and Professional Development for Comprehensive Strategic Onboarding/Training Program for Incoming Staff and Faculty.

The award winners will be announced at the convention-wide luncheon at the JCCs of North America Biennial in Memphis, TN, on May 8. jcca.org

20 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Five15 Arts

Daniel Friedman

Five15 Arts gets a new home The Five15 Arts collective will feature its first exhibit, “Grounded on Grand,” in their new gallery space at Chartreuse Gallery, 1301 NW Grand Ave., Phoenix, in the Grand Avenue arts district. Their first exhibit is a group show of the current nine collective artists: Deborah Hodder, Wendy Willis, Marlys Kubicek, Joan C. Thompson, Anne Howey-Falvey, Susan Risi, Daniel Friedman, Daniel Prendergast and Marissa Vidrio.

After moving out of their space at 515 E. Roosevelt in 2016, Five15 Arts exhibited at the Phoenix Center for the Arts during 2017 while looking for more permanent space. Nancy Hill, who has operated Chartreuse Gallery for years, turned over the curation and exhibition of art in the gallery space to Five15 Arts in March. But she will continue to operate Hazel and Violet, a letterpress printing shop, in the Chartreuse building, offering custom printing and letterpress classes.

Five15 Arts will feature solo exhibits by collective members starting in April, with Daniel Friedman opening his exhibit on April 6. five15arts.com.

New executive director for Ryan House Valley nonprofit, Ryan House, whose mission is to provide world-class care and programs that embrace all children and their families as they navigate life-limiting or end-oflife journeys, announced Tracy Leonard-Warner as its new executive director.

In this new role, Tracy will serve as the chief fundraising and administrative officer and lead the development/ administrative team.

She was most recently Ryan House’s individual giving officer. Prior to joining Ryan House in 2017, Tracy led an interdisciplinary healthcare team for Hospice of the Valley for five years.

Tracy Leonard-Warner

Alma Hernandez

“Tracy’s experience, proven leadership abilities and commitment to our mission will enhance Ryan House’s community presence and the services we provide the children and families we serve,” says Ryan House Board Chair Janet Moodie. “We are thrilled to have Tracy lead our development team, grow our presence in the community and develop increased support through volunteerism and financial contributions.” ryanhouse.org

Alma Hernandez, candidate for Arizona House of Representatives Alma Hernandez is a candidate for the Arizona State House of Representatives in Legislative District 3 for the Democratic primary.

A native Tucsonan, Hernandez is a former Jewish Community Relations Council coordinator for the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and sings in the choir at Congregation Chaverim where she and her family are members.

She received her bachelor of science and master of public health degrees from the University of Arizona and has further public health training from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She was a Glass Leadership Institute Fellow with the Anti-Defamation League last year. Hernandez and her siblings continue to be involved with AIPAC. She began her involvement with the Democratic Party at age 14 and was most recently campaign manager for Joel Feinman, candidate for Pima County Attorney. She also served as campaign manager for State Senator Steve Farley and for her brother, State Representative Daniel Hernandez, and was an intern and dedicated headquarters captain for Mayor Jonathan Rothschild’s campaign. Daniel, is running for reelection in LD2, and her sister Consuelo is running for the Sunnyside school board. almaforarizona.org

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 21

COVER STORY

BIRTH OF A

MOVEMENT

By Deborah Moon

Roz Rothstein and StandWithUs help others speak up for Israel

22 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

COVER STORY

Roz Rothstein and StandWithUs help others speak up for Israel

DISMAYED BY THE LACK OF ORGANIZED SUPPORT FOR ISRAELIS IN THE FACE OF THE SECOND INTIFADA, THREE CALIFORNIANS REFUSED TO BE BYSTANDERS. “We did not have a grand plan, we began to meet the immediate need of a voice to support the Israeli people,” says Roz Rothstein, who serves as CEO of StandWithUs, the now 16-year-old, international, nonprofit Israel education organization that grew out of that effort.

Roz and her husband, Jerry, and friend Esther Renzer soon realized so much more needed to be done.

“We were all volunteers, but it became clear in the first year (that) it was so badly needed; it took off like wildfire,” says Roz. “It felt like a movement.”

“We were offering people the opportunity to explain what was going on and offering them tools to help them teach their friends,” she says. “We realized there were no user-friendly materials out

there.”

Creating accurate, well-researched, documented information in user-friendly formats required researchers, writers, a graphics team and money to print and ship the materials. So the founders incorporated StandWithUs as a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

“We’ve grown exceptionally fast,” says Roz. “We have 18 offices and a $13-million budget.”

SWU now supports people around the world who want to educate their campuses and communities about Israel.

SWU provides university fellowships, high school internships, middle school curricula, conferences, materials, social media, educational films and missions to Israel.

Roz is the daughter of Holocaust survivors, Ann Lautenberg and Abraham Kreiner, who met in a displaced persons camp after the war. She learned about the importance of Israel from her parents and from the Zionist youth group Bnei Akiva. As a leader in the youth group, Roz says she also learned some administrative skills she now uses and “the importance of youth leading youth, a principle that we heavily rely on at StandWithUs.” She further honed her experience with youth, administration and nonprofit work as the director of family and children’s programs at a JCC. During the first year of SWU, she continued her 20-year career as a family therapist; but soon SWU encompassed all of her time, and she accepted the title of CEO.

350 students and SWU staff pose at the Israel in Focus student conference. This year's student conference in Los Angeles Jan. 19-22 also featured the StandWithUs international conference on Combatting BDS. PHOTOS COURTESY STANDWITHUS

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 23

ROZ ROT H S T E I N / S ta n d W i t h U s Roz is extremely concerned that younger Jews often do not feel connected to or inspired by Israel.

“These are the future supporters or nonsupporters of Israel,” she says.

The following Q&A with Roz has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

I understand that concern about anti-Israel bias in the media during the Second Intifada was the motivation to create SWU. But did any particular event precipitate the final commitment to found SWU? It’s a funny thing about leadership. I and the other founders of StandWithUs, Jerry Rothstein (COO) and Esther Renzer (president), had no interest in leading or beginning a new organization. We were actually waiting and hoping there was some grand plan by some big successful well-endowed organization to tell all of us what we could do to help Israel. And we waited, and nothing happened. Clearly there was no big plan.

And then something horrific happened: Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishran were murdered in the hills of Tekoa on May 8, 2001, when they decided to play hooky from school and go on a hike.

They were cornered by Palestinians, who brutally murdered them.

The murder of these two boys was the catalyst for us to stop waiting for an unknown organization to come forward with the grand plan to support Israel.

The painful realization was that we would need to create a new organization with the mission to stand up for Israel and Israelis when they are attacked or misrepresented, and to empower people around the world to educate their communities of all ages about Israel. The boys were murdered on May 8, 2001.

Our first meeting (an emergency one held at our home with 50 professionals including rabbis of every denomination) took place two weeks later, May 21, 2001.

At first, it was unclear how we would fulfill the mission of a new organization that supports Israel. That mission rapidly became clear, and we were soon approached by people of all faiths and ages who wanted/needed our help. Our mission statement (Supporting Israel Around the World, Through Education and Fighting Anti-Semitism) is posted on our website, and we are very focused and growing quickly.

Did any of your three now adult children have any experiences that drove your desire to found SWU? No, not before the founding of StandWithUs. The founding of StandWithUs was a result of the violence that erupted in Israel during the early part of the Second Intifada terrorist war against Israel, the way the media was portraying the conflict and the missing leadership strategy for Israel in the Diaspora in 2000 and 2001.

However, after we began the organization we realized that although our own children grew up in Jewish schools and camps, while learning about and also traveling to Israel, they were symbolic of other young adults who were simply unequipped to have deep conversations about Israel on their college campuses.

This important realization helped us understand the need for Israel education of a different kind. Yes, it’s important that we

Photo courtesy Karen Shell

24 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

teach our children a love for Israel. But without some basic information about history, size, strategic threats and the ancestral Jewish connection to Israel, they are at a loss to engage in the deep conversations that will likely come up.

Your parents are Holocaust survivors; can you discuss how that shaped/contributed to your belief in the necessity of SWU? First, I should underscore that Israel was extremely important to my parents and all their friends.

They were excellent role models in their excitement and caring for the reborn state of Israel. The Holocaust made them homeless refugees and they lost family members.

Miraculously, they were able to relish the announcement that Israel had been reborn in their own lifetimes ... providing a homeland for every Jew in the world.

For them it was profound.

Israel filled their hearts with joy and made them feel more whole.

They learned about Israel becoming a state with all the other homeless Holocaust survivors while they were still in a DP camp. I can only imagine how elated they must have been.

My mother often talked about how they danced all night on that special day in May 14, 1948.

And there was another important issue for me, also connected to the Holocaust. Being a daughter of survivors sharpened my interest and understanding in this simple issue: that the way Palestinian children are being taught to hate Jews parallels the hateful lessons taught to the Nazi youth in the 1930s before the Holocaust began in 1939.

While witnessing the bus bombings and shootings at the beginning of the terrorist war against Israel, I was concerned that any hope for peace with the Palestinians was being made impossible because of the perpetuation of severe hatred. We see this represented in Palestinian mosques, school books, television shows, streets and even sports events named after terrorists, money paid to the families of terrorists by the Palestinian government, etc.

Israel is expected to make peace with the leadership of a society that is being consistently led down a path lined with

Clockwise, above: StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein chats with attendees at the International SWU conference in January.

StandWithUs provides speakers and educational materials to help people understand Israel. Pacific NW StandWithUs Shaliach Udi Asaraf talks to high school students.

Students question panelists during the thestudent panel on “Challenges and Opportunities on the Ground.”

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 25

ROZ ROT H S T E I N / S ta n d W i t h U s hatred and violence. Before we started StandWithUs, I already understood that well-meaning people were unaware of this huge impediment to peace.

Your mission statement says you believe “education is the road to peace.”

Yes. We believe that with more information, everyone can be helpful and everyone gains. Information can bring understanding on all levels and keep the parties accountable.

Understanding of the Jewish ties that bind them to Israel is key to understanding why so many Jews feel connected to the issues.

When you began in 2001, what was your initial program?

Our initial goals were, first, to organize a few demonstrations to show support for the Israeli people during a most difficult time – to tell Israeli citizens that they are not alone and that people outside of Israel deeply care.

Second, to help correct media misinformation. We had an initial meeting with the Los Angeles Times to discuss their clear bias after we did a systematic study of how they often omitted information that would explain Israel’s side of the story, they frequently used misleading headlines and their photos (size and use of color) often favored the Palestinian perspective.

Third, we created a newsletter and began to disseminate information to a growing global StandWithUs membership.

Fourth, people wanted teaching materials to distribute to their communities, so we began to create fact sheets and booklets to help people educate their communities. Once our profile began to rise, we were contacted for help by frustrated students all over the country who were experiencing antiSemitism as a result of the conflict in Israel. The anti-Semitism was coming from anti-Israel student groups, speakers brought to campuses and professors. It was not at all the universities, but it was becoming commonplace at far too many across the country and in Canada. And there were segments of the Jewish community that minimized the problem. Today most Jewish organizations clearly see the anti-Semitism that was clear to us 16 years ago.

We then were invited by people in Detroit to open a chapter there. As soon as our campus work began to take off, we opened up an office in New York, where we grew our campus team quickly. In 2006, we opened an office in Jerusalem, and offices soon sprang up in the United Kingdom and Canada.

Do you collaborate in any way with the AMCHA Initiative: Protecting Jewish Students?

Tammi Benjamin does great work. We do sign most of the letters she writes to campus administrations. We also partner with hundreds of other organizations.

“Today most Jewish organizations clearly see the anti-Semitism that was clear to us 16 years ago." ~Roz Rothstein

When you expanded beyond California, where was your first new office/chapter?

We expanded to San Francisco because there was a sister group growing there, and we wanted to support their efforts.

26 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

In Oregon, SWU’s Emerson Fellows work closely with campus Hillels.

Is that an intentional or organic partnership? Are all/most Emerson Fellows active in Hillel?

Most of our Emersons are active in Hillel, but since we don’t only recruit Jewish students as Emersons, it is not a requirement.

We look for students who are leaders on campus and can bring together the different groups to support Israel. Most of our Emersons are in charge of their pro-Israel campus activities and involved with Hillel, Chabad or other major Israel clubs on campus.

While I know all SWU’s programs are important to educate people about Israel and combat anti-Semitism, which one program do you consider vital to your mission?

Our strategy to empower students before they arrive in college campuses is very important. That is why we began a High School Internship program in 2012 and most recently a middle school curriculum, which is now in 36 schools in 12 states (including Oregon).

We will continue to expand our work on colleges with our Emerson Fellowship program, and we will also expand our program in high schools to prepare students so that they are ready to lead when they arrive in college.

Do you have other areas of age groups where you plan to expand your efforts?

Once we stabilize our new LINK program and are satisfied with its growth and progress (as we are with our work in high school and college campuses), we hope to develop programs for grammar schools. standwithus.com

StandWithUs SWU Southwest Campus Director Sgula Dershowitz, left, with SWU ASU Emerson Fellow Mara Friedman

StandWithUs in the Southwest Since StandWithUs was founded 16 years ago, half a million college students have participated in SWU campus programs. The Israel education nonprofit has distributed tens of millions of copies of the userfriendly educational materials it developed. Hundreds of millions of people have watched and shared SWU educational

videos, and more than a billion interactions have occurred on SWU social media platforms.

Although there has not been a divestment campaign at Arizona State University, Students for Justice in Palestine promoted an event at ASU Barrett, the Honors College on Feb. 15. Dr. Sarah Graff (Barrett) and Kathleen E. Brody

of ACLU Arizona addressing its challenge to the anti-BDS bill passed in Arizona on March 14, 2016.

The Arizona legislation (HB2617) prohibits the investment of state funds in companies that boycott Israel and requires parties contracting with the state government to certify that they do not participate in

boycotts against Israel.

StandWithUs applauded the Arizona legislature for overwhelmingly passing the anti-boycott legislation in both houses and especially commended Senior Majority Leader David M. Gowan, who introduced the legislation and carried it forward.

An excerpt from an article on SWU’s website on the day the bill passed states, “HB2617 does not raise any First Amendment concerns because it does not in any way regulate, penalize, or infringe on anyone’s private speech or conduct.

Private parties who wish to boycott Israel can continue to do so freely. HB-2617 exercises the state’s own right to choose the companies in which it will invest and with whom it will contract. Exercising such discretion with taxpayer funds is an important part of reinforcing economic interests, public policy and the basic ethical standards of government.”

Liz Brough, associate director of high school affairs; Sgula Dershowitz, Southwest campus director; and Mara Friedman, SWU ASU Emerson Fellow; answered the following questions about SWU and the Southwest.

DOES THE SOUTHWEST FACE ANY REGIONSPECIFIC CHALLENGES OR ADVANTAGES IN TERMS OF SUPPORTING ISRAEL? The Southwest is really a “mixed bag” when it comes to Israel activism. The advantages are that the Jewish community

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 27

StandWithUs is very well organized, so Jewish students have many opportunities to engage with their Jewish identity as it pertains to Israel. Jewish students are really passionate about growing their Israel knowledge and sharing it with their peers. While there is some latent anti-Semitism throughout the region – which does motivate students to action – the greatest overall challenge is apathy in the public school and university settings. Jewish students are working to make the pro-Israel community more diverse in terms of ethnic and religious membership, but it takes time to build these relationships.

With turnover of the student body every couple years, it is important to foster a pro-Israel environment consistently.

HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE THE FEEDBACK THAT LIZ BROUGH IS RECEIVING REGARDING HIGH SCHOOLS IN ARIZONA? Liz Brough, associate director of high school affairs, frequently comes to Arizona to speak at programs hosted by partner organizations such as the Bureau for Jewish Education, BBYO or JSU, which has allowed her to engage with many high school students.

Over the years, Liz has also spoken at quite a few public and private high schools in Phoenix. Students are always impressed by Israel’s powerful story of overcoming incredible odds, which they find inspiring as they pursue their own personal goals. While the overall response to

Israel education is mostly encouraging, every now and then Liz will meet a skeptical or critical student. Liz hopes to always be an educator who listens to difficult questions and who responds with historical context and equips students with the tools to be wellrounded, deep thinkers.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS HAPPENING ON THE CAMPUS OF ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY? Arizona State University is a BICEP school. BICEP is a partnership between StandWithUs, the existing university organization (in this case, ASU Hillel) and Birthright to create programming that enhance the Birthright experience with follow-up programming on campus.

Programs are organized by two outstanding participants from each trip. SWU ASU Emerson Fellow Mara Friedman has already been to Israel on Birthright, so she did not go this year. However, she works closely with ASU Hillel to create these programs.

Upon the return of this year’s Birthright bus, for example, student leaders hosted various programming including a four-week training for students covering various aspects of Israel. They displayed pictures they took in Israel around the campus for a week and held a contest for the favorite one. They also held an Israel Celebration on March 15, bringing in Artists 4 Israel, and will host a big Israel Independence Day event this month. They are also showing A4I’s “Healing Ink” movie.

Federation matters to us because as a new family to the Valley, Federation helped us make new friends, build community, and give back to build a foundation for current and future generations.

YOUR GIFT MATTERS.

Strengthening Jewish life and identity.

Helping Jews in need.

The Goldberg Family

28 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

480.481.7031 | jewishphoenix.org/donate

This Yom HaAtzma’ut, celebrate red, white, and blue.

Magen David Adom, Israel’s largest and premier emergency medical response agency, has been saving lives since before 1948. And supporters like you provide MDA’s 27,000 paramedics, EMTs, and civilian Life Guardians — more than 90% of them volunteers — with the training, equipment, and rescue vehicles they need. So as we celebrate Israel’s independence, make a difference in the health, welfare, and security of the Israeli people with your gift to MDA. Please give today.

AFMDA Western Region 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 750 Los Angeles, CA 90048 Toll-Free 800.323.2371 • western@afmda.org www.afmda.org ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 29

WOMEN WHO

LEAD 32 GAIL BAER 33 SUSAN FARBER

34 KATRINA SHAWVER 36 MASKIT

38 RAQUEL KAHN 40 GLORIA AND MO GOLDMAN

WOMEN AND PHILANTHROPY

T

he momentum from the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements sheds light on women’s issues such as safe and equal work environments and has forced change. But there is another movement happening where women are outpacing their male counterparts – philanthropy.

According to research done through the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, women are more likely to give to charity than men, even though they earn less than their male counterparts.

Women are also more likely than men to give to nearly every charitable subsector except sports and recreation, and we know that women tend to spread their giving out, giving to more organizations than men. Research on collaborative giving reveals women are far more likely to participate in philanthropy with others and pool their money as donors. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women are also more likely to volunteer than men across all age groups, educational levels and other major demographic characteristics.

Increasingly, women are gaining access to significant wealth or are creating it themselves.

Life expectancy tables suggest that many women will inherit twice – once from their parents and again from their spouses. One estimate says women now hold one-third of the world’s wealth. As women outpace men in obtaining degrees in the United States, more women are in the workforce than ever before, and they stay there for longer periods of time.

Part of the research done by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute examined one significant aspect of philanthropy by women donors: large-scale investments designed to change the lives of women and girls. Achieving gender equity is at the root of this giving, whether it is ultimately directed to reproductive health, girls’ education, empowerment projects or other causes. And a growing group of elite women donors are stepping forward in this effort.

Today, Women Moving Millions (womenmovingmillions.org) has become an international organization of more than 250 women; each woman has committed to give or has already given at least $1 million to women’s and girls’ organizations, both in the United States and around the world. Since the launch of the initial campaign in April 2007, Women Moving Millions members have committed more than $500 million toward the advancement of women and girls and have elevated the power of female philanthropy to address social change.

Female philanthropists are not just stepping up, they are also becoming increasingly visible.

This research uncovers who these donors are and how they give. The findings suggest that among this group, philanthropy is quickly changing, too.

To learn more about the research being done at the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, visit philanthropy.iupui.edu/WPI. 30 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY

BY THE NUMBERS: q Women control over 60% of the wealth in the United States. q There are more than half a million women with personal incomes of $100,000 or more. q 45% of American millionaires are women. q Because women live longer than men, they will end up in charge of much of the $41 trillion expected to pass from generation to generation over the next 50 years.

JEWISH NATIONAL FUND WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY NUMBERS: q There were approximately 50,000 women donors for 2017. q Yearly increases: 2015-2016: 20% increase from $16 million to $20 million 2016-2017: 13% increase from $20 million to $23 million. q In the past three years, women have donated $43,617,478. q There are approximately 700 Sapphire Society members (pledging $5,000 annually) and 400 Chai Society members (an annual minimum gift of $1,800). q Women make up half of all JNF donors.

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 31

WOMEN WHO LEAD

Gail Baer and JFCS – helping the whole community

By Mala Blomquist

G

ail Baer was raised in corporate side to the individual side.”

Bethesda, MD, where her Then in May 2016, Gail joined family belonged to a Reform Jewish Family & Children’s Service congregation in Washington, D.C. She of Arizona as their associate vice went through Jewish education, had a president of philanthropic services. “I bat mitzvah and belonged to a youth was a donor to JFCS long before, so group. Her mother was politically I was familiar with the organization,” active and would bring Gail along to says Gail. “Ultimately what appealed events when appropriate. to me was more personal. Working Soviet Jewry was a big issue in the for a Jewish organization in a ’70s and ’80s, and her mother was community when I already have deep very involved with that movement. “I relationships was such an easy sell. I remember being across the street from love what JFCS does; we take care of the Soviet embassy in D.C. protesting the community; we take care of all with her many mornings on the people under a Jewish lens.” weekends,” says Gail. “I’m sure that In July 2017, Sojourner Center influenced me wanting to improve the became an affiliated subsidiary of world and make things better for other JFCS, allowing JFCS to offer a full people.” gamut of services for individuals Making things better for others is of domestic violence. Gail was part precisely what Gail has been doing of the team that spearheaded that for the majority of her professional acquisition. career. When she moved to Arizona “JFCS has been in the domestic Gail Baer in 2005, she was part of the group violence service arena for a number PHOTO COURTESY KEN BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY that launched an advisory services of years, and when this opportunity program at Grant Thornton, a national came up, it really helped fill the accounting firm. “Our office was brand new to the Valley – no one ‘circle of service’ completely for survivors of domestic violence,” knew who Grant Thornton was or what we did,” explains Gail. says Gail. “JFCS has a Shelter Without Walls program that “Part of this effort was an attempt to get our name out – both for addresses the unmet needs of domestic violence survivors the individual leaders in the firm and the firm itself.” who are outside of a shelter setting. So the affiliation of the Gail created a community relations program that contained Sojourner Center enabled JFCS to provide a full continuum three different approaches. First, to get the firm management of care and a full complement of services to survivors within a and leaders involved philanthropically. To have them participate, shelter setting.” on their own, on things they cared about, and also have the firm JFCS serves both the Jewish community and the general involved in different philanthropic efforts as a company. Second, community. In addition to the services for survivors of domestic to start a volunteer program to provide service opportunities for violence, they serve foster care youth aging out of the system, the employees. Finally, to create board service opportunities for and they offer behavioral health services across Maricopa the leadership.

County. “It’s all done in accordance with a Jewish value As that program grew it became a significant part of Gail’s system,” explains Gail. “Those values remain the cornerstone of workload, and she found that she really enjoyed it. “United Way everything we do and every single one of our programs.” was one of the relationships that was created and grown through Gail admits the best part about her job at JFCS are the the Grant Thornton, CARES (Community Awareness and relationships she is developing. “I get to work with incredible Responsibility Expressed by Service) effort,” explains Gail. She folks to help them achieve what they want to do,” she says. “It went to work for United Way in 2011 and lead the effort around definitely helps our organization, but ultimately, I’m helping new corporate partnerships. individuals achieve something that is very meaningful to them.

“Many companies across the Valley run giving campaigns at There is no better gift than that.” certain times of the year,” says Gail. “Eventually, my job shifted For more information on the services that JFCS offers, visit to working with major individual donors. I went from the jfcsaz.org.

32 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Susan Farber: Putting her passion to work for JNF Arizona

By Mala Blomquist

L

ike many people, Susan Farber’s primary association with Jewish National Fund was that they plant trees. It wasn’t until she participated in the Solidarity Mission to Israel in 2014 that she realized JNF does so much more.

Susan had been to Israel in April of 2014, and in July she began seeing images of the constant rocket assaults from Gaza into Israel as what became known as Operation Protective Edge began. JNF planned a trip immediately to the region, and when Susan heard about it, she felt she had to go.

Since all the airlines based in the United States stopped flying to Israel because of the rocket attacks, Susan took a British Airways flight to Israel. More than 50 American s participated on two JNF missions.

“When we got over there we met with mayors of different regions, went shopping for supplies and then we packed boxes for the soldiers,” explains Susan. “We visited what’s called the Gaza envelope – communities that lie along the border that were getting most of the missiles.”

Susan says it was eerie to see the streets of Israel so empty since no one was leaving their homes and tourists stayed away. “I heard the sirens in Beersheba and Tel Aviv,” she says. “The whole country at times was under siege, and spent a lot of time in bomb shelters.”

One of the projects that Susan worked on was pouring cement to construct bomb shelters. “JNF was asked for the funds at the beginning of July, and this was the third week of July, and we were pouring cement on the last one,” she recalls. JNF immediately gave the funds to build the 30 bomb shelters needed.

“I came home and was blown away that an organization could be so hands-on and so helpful. I have never felt more useful – maybe as a mother,” Susan jokes – she has three grown children.

Shortly after her return from Israel, she had coffee with Deb Rochford, JNF executive vice president, Desert States and Southwest. “I told Deb to put me to work, and then I came home and told my husband I’m retiring,” says Susan.

She had been running her husband’s medical practice for the last 24 years.

And put her to work Deb did! Then on Oct. 1, 2017, Susan became board president of JNF Arizona. “Before I

even became president, I sat down with the incumbent members who didn’t have positions, and I wanted to hear about their interests and their passions to see if I couldn’t get them more engaged, give them some responsibilities,” explains Susan.

“To me, the worse thing is to be a volunteer and go to a board meeting and wonder why you are there.”

Utilizing her business background, she has brought people with different profiles onto the board to provide new perspectives.

She also created a list of responsibilities for new board members so that they know what the expectations of their positions are.

“The main one is making a significant gift to JNF, the other was coming to 70% of the board meetings, and the third was to help us connect with people by committing to fill a table at the annual breakfast,” says Susan. Her plan worked because more than 1,000 people attended the JNF Breakfast for Israel at the Arizona Biltmore on March 9. “Everyone on my board filled at least one table, and I had at least two board members that filled four tables!”

Susan is excited that JNF Arizona will be hosting the 2018 JNF National Conference in October in Phoenix. It will be held at the Arizona Biltmore and they are expecting about 1,000 people from out of town to stay there.

She is also working to hold more intimate events throughout the year. “A lot of the position for me is education and engaging people more, letting them know more about projects, specialized parlor meetings with different speakers – highlighting JNF’s projects,” she explains.

“I’ve been pleasantly surprised about how easy it is for me to talk to people I don’t know about JNF,” she says. Susan admits to not wanting to “go overboard” with her friends, but they have all been very supportive and some have made significant donations in honor of her presidency.

She also has made many new friends within the JNF organization who have bonded over their shared passion. These women are also very supportive of one another.

“It’s a team effort (with our volunteers), and everyone gets acknowledged at the end of the year with a private celebration.

We can’t give bonuses or raises,” she says. “That’s the basis of the work that we do here.”

For more information on Jewish National Fund, visit jnf.org.

Susan Farber

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 33

WOMEN WHO LEAD

Katrina Shawver: Sharing a unique survivor’s story

By Mala Blomquist

L

Katrina Shawver, above, and her book Henry: A

Polish Swimmer’s True

Story of Friendship from Auschwitz to America.

34 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

ittle did Katrina Shawver know that when she received a lead to interview Holocaust survivor Henry Zguda for a newspaper article, that she would become the only one entrusted with telling the story of his life.

“In November 2002, I wrote my first column on Henry,” says Katrina. “His story fascinated me on several levels. I am a history geek and I love biographies.

When I wrote for the paper (East Valley Republic), I loved telling true stories that would make people think.”

And Katrina’s book does just that.

Henry: A Polish Swimmer’s True Story of Friendship from Auschwitz to America, tells the story of a Polish champion swimmer, who was Catholic, and had been imprisoned in Auschwitz and Buchenwald – all written by a non-Jewish woman.

After that initial interview, Katrina was on her patio with a friend talking about Henry and how fascinating he was, and that there was one no one to write his story. He had no siblings, no children and few relatives. Her friend suggested that maybe Katrina was the one to write it.

“This is the same friend who told me I could hang ceiling fans and build shelves,” she jokes.

Katrina thought about what her friend said, and one day she called Henry and said, “Henry let’s write a book.” She explains that the two had hit it off when they initially met and over the next seven months of meeting twice a week, a true friendship formed.

But then summer vacation began, and Katrina got busy with her job, her husband

“First, it’s a view of the Holocaust through Polish eyes.

Second, it’s written in the first person in terms of his voice.

It isn’t a biography researched after the fact, and having to make up dialogue; it was actual dialogue we had. Third, there are 80 original documents and photos from various sources included in the book.”

What she began to realize was that and three children. “I was getting embarrassed everything Henry had been through was that the thing I had promised to write wasn’t more than one man’s story. “It was a piece coming together,” she says. of history that I never found documented,” At the suggestion of a friend, she went she says. “That was very powerful to me to a writer’s group. Everyone agreed that as well. This really needed to be written the story was fascinating, but then a woman down.” commented, “Didn’t you just let an old man Katrina explains that Henry, the bend your ear – how do you know it’s true?” book, is unusual in many ways, but three “That was the best comment I ever in particular. “First, it’s a view of the received because she was right,” says Katrina.

Holocaust through Polish eyes. Second, it’s “That quadrupled the size of the project – to written in the first person in terms of his verify that history and his stories. I put it voice. It isn’t a biography researched after aside and said there’s no way.” the fact, and having to make up dialogue; But Katrina believed Henry’s stories and it was actual dialogue we had. Third, there had seen photos and evidence. “One day are 80 original documents and photos from he took me into his office, and there was a various sources included in the book.” poster on the wall that his nephew had done For so long she was intimidated to write for a school project, and there was this letter his story because it was different. “I wasn’t glued to the poster board.” She asked Henry Polish or Jewish, I hadn’t lost family in what it was and he responded, “One of my the Holocaust – it didn’t match anything letters from camp. Do you want to see more else that had been written,” says Katrina.

– I have more.” Henry had original letters on “But now I’ve realized that that’s part of Auschwitz and Buchenwald stationery from the power of it. It is a testament to the when he had written home to his mother.

Holocaust and what happened to Poland.”

“That was a true ‘Oh my God’ moment,” says With all of her research, Katrina has kind Katrina. of become a champion for Poland. “History Katrina had also become very close with has two sides, and we need to hear both. In Henry’s wife, Nancy. “I was the only other Poland, the penalty for helping a Jew, even a person alive who knew as much about her drink of water or a crust of bread, was death husband,” she admits. “Nancy was Italian, to you and your entire family,” she says. from the Bronx, and you never got in the “War is never black and white. It brings out house without a glass of wine, and you never ~Katrina Shawver the worst in people, and it brings out the left without food.” best in people.”

Then in November 2003, Henry died Katrina would love to find another Polish survivor to unexpectedly. collaborate with because she feels that she could build on what After Henry’s death, a friend of a friend reached out to the she has already learned writing Henry.

U.S. Holocaust Museum, and the museum’s head of archives She wrote Henry nights and weekends while working fullcame immediately. Katrina helped Nancy organize a donation time. “It was my story and his story, and I had worked so hard of 39 documents, photos and artifacts. “I knew then that they and invested so much money that I just wanted it to be the best would be in public domain and that they would be preserved,” that I could make it,” says Katrina. she says.

“In June 2017, I left my full-time job as a paralegal and I am Nancy passed away in June 2013. Since she only had four all in – this is how passionate I am about this story,” she says. distant nieces and very few relatives, Katrina organized the “And how much I believe it needs to be out, and how much I funeral and wrote the obituary. At the funeral, she asked the want it to be done right.” relatives how much Henry had told them, and soon realized that And she feels Henry has been with her every step of the way. he had not told them a lot.

“Henry seems to be opening some amazing doors for me, from “I realized then that I either have to live with myself for not finding an editor to a publisher and now winning awards. It’s finishing the book or I have to do what I need to do to finish it,” been a leap of faith.” says Katrina.

Since launching in November 2017 Henry: A Polish Swimmer’s She flew to Poland in September of 2013, and inspired by the True Story of Friendship from Auschwitz to America has won movie “Julie & Julia” where a blogger wrote every day for a year numerous awards and was added to the list of Books about about trying Julia Child’s recipes, Katrina blogged every day for Poland in English by The Consulate General of the Republic of nine months. These blogs helped form the core of what later Poland in Los Angeles, the first addition to this list since 2014. became the book.

For more information on the book, and Katrina’s book “I knew nothing about Poland, so I became fascinated by this signings and speaking engagements, visit katrinashawver.com. unknown place that obviously ended up playing a key part in what happened in World War II,” says Katrina.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 35

WOMEN WHO LEAD

W

Maskit makes a comeback

By Mala Blomquist

36 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

hat started as a way to employ new immigrants to Israel in the early 1950s quickly became its own fashion brand. Maskit was conceived by Ruth Dayan (first wife of Gen. Moshe Dayan) and made contemporary luxury clothing utilizing traditional embroidery techniques from Hungarian, Yemenite, Bulgarian, Bedouin, Palestinian, Druze, Lebanese and Jewish artisans.

Maskit designs were so luxurious and renowned that they were treasured by leading ladies (Audrey Hepburn was just one star who wore its iconic desert coat) and they collaborated with designers Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Givenchy. From the 1960s to the 1980s, Maskit employed 2,000 people and had 10 stores in Israel and one in New York.

Originally Maskit was government run, but when the brand became privatized it began to decline, eventually going bankrupt in 1994.

Now, Maskit is back. In 2014, head designer Sharon Tal took the reins. Sharon was the former head of embroidery at Alexander McQueen and had interned under Alber Elbaz at Lanvin. With Ruth by her side, Sharon brought Maskit designs back to the runways of fashion shows in Israel, Europe and the United States.

Sharon was the featured guest speaker at the Women’s Philanthropy Ignition!

Luncheon on March 20 in Scottsdale. She was gracious enough to answer some questions for us while traveling during her busy spring schedule.

What made you and your husband (Nir) return to Israel? Was he also Israeli-born?

Yes, he is Israeli. I think the main reason for returning to Israel from London was the fact that it was rainy in London in August – and perfect weather in Israel – the rest is history! We decided that family and friends are the most important thing in life.

After your return, what was it about Maskit that made you want to bring it back?

The whole journey started with me searching for my roots and researching the history of Israeli fashion. I was then reading a piece about Maskit and finding myself attracted to its heritage.

The (deciding factor) was meeting Ruth Dayan.

When you contacted Ruth (Rut) Dayan, what did you say?

What was her response?

I said, “Hi, Mrs. Dayan,” and she said, “My name is Rut.” I immediately understood that I have a business with an amazing and down-to-earth lady. I came for an hour and stayed for eight hours, which led to two years of research – driving together all over Israel.

Originally, Maskit was created to give immigrants to Israel work opportunities. What efforts does Maskit employ today to help Israel and its people?

Maskit is producing 80% of the process (of the design product) in the Maskit House. We are proud of having the best craftsmanship, and 95% of our team is women.

What has surprised you the most about the success of Maskit’s return?

The fact that people are keen on quality and craftsmanship and are willing to invest in ‘investment pieces’ over ‘fast fashion.’

This has been an enlightening part of the research.

Your current lines feature many of the “iconic” Maskit pieces.

Why do you think these pieces are so timeless?

They are a rare combination of flattering shapes and nice-totouch fabrics. They make everyone look good, and above everything – they are a great fit for every outfit you wear.

Have you had to do much “updating” to the original designs from the 1950s? Why was it important to keep these design elements instead of completely reinventing the brand?

I truly believe that being connected to our roots is a crucial part of re-inventing the brand. I am updating the details, materials and design occasionally, to keep it updated for today’s world while keeping the timeless design and aesthetics (intact).

How do you juggle motherhood and being an entrepreneur in the world of fashion?

This is the biggest challenge I think. I’m spending time with the girls three times a week in the afternoon and then staying awake at night to work and fill the gaps. Being a mother with a career is the hardest thing, but it also gives you the most! The girls and my husband give me the power to keep on running to the next challenge.

How did your time working at Alexander McQueen influence your work today?

Very much. McQueen was an amazing learning experience and my best schooling for the embroidery world, which consist of different materials, colors and techniques – like connecting the dots backward. It was one of the key things that led me to Maskit.

Ruth Dayan (who turned 101 on March 6) and Sharon Tal surrounded by fashions from Maskit and Maskit’s showroom in Tel Aviv, Israel.

DAYAN PHOTO COURTESY BARUCH RAFFIC

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 37

WOMEN WHO LEAD

Raquel Kahn: Making fitness fun at Fit 6-7-8

Working out or any fitness routine should make you feel good.

That’s why you do it.”

Fit 6-7-8 offers four classes throughout the week, Monday through Saturday. They are: Stretch and Flex (deep restorative stretching with low-impact, bodyweight strength training), Swelter (combines boot camp style exercises with cardiovascular training and upbeat dance moves), Booty Barre Brigade (combines barre work, resistance bands, stability balls and more) and Vixen Workout (dance fitness incorporating choreographed moves).

“The star of the show is the Vixen Workout,” explains Raquel.

“My most proud moments have been after classes when I’ve had women come up and say, ‘Whenever I leave here after taking Vixen Workout I just feel like I can do anything – I’m like hey, get out of my way! I feel so awesome!’ ” Raquel is the only person in the state of Arizona who is Vixen Workout certified.

Using commercial choreography, Vixen incorporates dance moves like those seen in a music video to hip-hop and pop music remixes. “It’s really about getting a bunch of women together and we turn the lights down low, so it feels like you’re out at a club – like a girls’ night out,” says Raquel. “We encourage everyone to put on some lipstick and let their hair down and do the workout that way. Get all dolled up to sweat it all off !”

The best part is that you don’t have to be a dancer to enjoy the class. “It’s fun for everyone,” says Raquel. “There are no mistakes – just accidental solos!”

She explains that it’s more like a Zumba class than a traditional dance class RAQUEL KAHN PHOTO BY JOHN SIRLIN because they don’t stop to break down the moves.

Raquel says that she wanted her aquel Kahn has been dancing since she was a little girl. studio to feature “dance-inspired fitness.” She explains, “A lot of Whether taking ballet, tap and jazz classes during high people do dance when they were younger but stop for whatever school or being on the dance team in college, dance reason. This re-sparks that. They get to perform again like they made Raquel the happiest; but she never dreamt she could make a used to. When you feel like you’re performing, it’s a very special career out of it, until now. feeling. I want to re-create that feeling for women in my studio.”

She opened Fit 6-7-8 (a play on how you count in dance to the She also thinks that her small classes (she caps most at 15 music; 5-6-7-8) in January 2018. She moved to Arizona in the people) create more of a community than a traditional gym. spring of 2017from San Jose. Before that she lived in Houston, “When you go to a traditional gym, for the most part, you go by where she worked as a mechanical engineer in the energy sector. yourself, walk in, do your workout, walk out,” she says. “At Fit 6-7“I was in the tech world [in San Jose], and it was cool and fun, but 8 you’re meeting people, you’re spending time with your friends, the work really didn’t fire me up,” says Raquel. “When I moved to and you have this community that’s super safe and inclusive.”

Arizona I was thinking to take the step of building my own studio Raquel’s dream is for women to feel better walking out than – so I went for it.” they did walking in. “I really want it to be a place where people Looking for some different exercise to challenge her body after feel comfortable, and they want to come, and they want to stay a college, Raquel discovered CrossFit. She became a CrossFit coach little bit late and come a little bit early and spend a couple of extra while living in California. minutes chatting and catching up,” she says. “I’m living the dream.

“When I was doing CrossFit, I always felt very comfortable It sounds so cliché, but it’s surreal, and I wake up and pinch and welcome, but I know that any gym can be intimidating myself – am I really doing this?” for women,” she explains. “I never would go to the gym before Fit 6-7-8 is located at 4258 N. Brown Ave. in Scottsdale. For CrossFit. You feel like if you don’t know exactly what you’re more information, visit fit678.com. doing that you are going to get weird looks or just not feel good.

By Mala Blomquist

R

38 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

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WOMEN WHO LEAD

Mother and son attorneys strive for immigration rights

By Sheila Wilensky

Gloria and Mo Goldman

U

pon entering Gloria and Maurice (Mo) Goldman’s law offices, Goldman & Goldman, in Northwest Tucson, I felt transported into a beehive of activity. Four staff members speaking Spanish maneuvered around desks piled high with folders and documents awaiting immigration cases.

A father sitting on the couch with his 12-year-old son told me that he recently found the boy huddled in the corner of his bedroom in the middle of the night, “crying out for his mom.”

She had been deported to Mexico, while her native Tucsonan husband and American-born children remain here.

The mother and son attorneys understand the significance of keeping families together. “We’re fortunate enough to live and work near family,” says Mo, adding that he empathizes with

40 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

immigrant family members who have been split up.

The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, signed by President Bill Clinton, “was very harsh,” notes Gloria. It barred immigrants from returning to the United States for 10 years after being deported, which became easier to exercise under this law. Many current immigration cases are difficult to win based on this legislation, she says.

As a law student at Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University on Hempstead, Long Island, N.Y., Mo returned to Tucson in the summer of 1996, after Congress passed the 1996 law. “I helped out my mom. It was an eyeopening experience,” says Mo.

Previously, an undocumented immigrant only had to show hardship to oneself when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement threatened deportation. “We’d win those cases,” says Gloria. “There’s a much higher standard” now that you have to prove hardship to a severely disabled spouse or child. And it no longer matters if a spouse is married to an American citizen.

At the time Mo opened his immigration law practice on Long Island, in December 2000, President Clinton signed a bill that extended section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This extension lasted for a brief period of five months, and many individuals that were seeking an alternative path to a green card filed applications during that time.

“I got a crash course in immigration law,” says Mo. “I got many calls from people who wanted green cards for their nannies or housekeepers. It was trial by fire.”

While practicing in New York for five years, he also did research for his mother back in Tucson.

“I enjoyed working in New York, but everything is a big production there. The lifestyle isn’t as laid-back as we have here,” says Mo. In 2005, after Mo and his wife Amy’s first child was born, they decided to move to Tucson.

“It was great for me,” says Gloria, herself an immigrant born in Germany to Holocaust survivors Morris and Esther Klein.

The only survivors of their family, her parents, immigrated with their six-month-old baby to Detroit, where Gloria grew up.

Her first career was as a teacher to the deaf in Detroit until she moved to Tucson in 1974.

With her husband, Michael, an orthodontist, she raised Mo and daughter, Larissa. In 1988, devoting herself to a different venture, Gloria enrolled at the [then] University of Arizona School of Law. Setting up her Tucson law office in 1991, Gloria has come a long way – from immigrant to immigration lawyer. These days, says Gloria, “it’s a frustrating time,” when “bad hombres” are more aggressively pursued by ICE for deportation. “Most people who come from Mexico are not ‘bad hombres,’” she asserts, adding, “That’s a fallacy,” as is the erroneous view that the immigration lottery doesn’t require extensive vetting.

“How difficult it is to see an average person navigate the immigration system today,” laments Mo. During our interview his dad happens into the office, telling me, “Every day something emotional happens that rocks their cases.”

Mother and son work their cases independently but run questions by each other. Both are active members of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, working as part of a “team” to stand up for immigration rights.

In May, Larissa will graduate from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University and will practice in Phoenix, joining her mother and brother in their quest for a more humane immigration policy.

As Jews “we learned that we’re a compassionate people,” says Gloria.

“I’d like to see more compassion from our government, including our representatives, our leaders,” she adds. “You want to jump into the TV set and tell these leaders to stop lying.”

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 41

D

FRONT & CENTER

“The Diary of Anne Frank” – more relevant than ever

By Mala Blomquist

avid Ira Goldstein returns to Arizona Theatre Company this month to direct “The Diary of Anne Frank.” David retired as artistic director last year after 26 years and is now artistic director emeritus of ATC. “The Diary of Ann Frank” is the second in what David hopes will be a trilogy of plays he will direct.

He chose this play several years ago when he wanted to connect more with his Jewish heritage and history.

“I did ’Fiddler on the Roof ’ last year, which was very reflective of my background – my grandparents came out of the pogroms,” explains David. “I’ve always wanted to do ‘The Diary of Anne Frank,’ and I feel this is the next chapter of the story of the Jewish diaspora in the 20th century and what happened to the Jews in World War II.” For the final play of the trilogy, David would like to do a play about the founding of Israel or the early years of the country.

He thinks that “Golda” about Golda Meir would be a good choice.

The Diary of Anne Frank DATES:

April 21-May 12 at Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave., Tucson May 17-June 3 at Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe St., Phoenix TICKETS:

$41 & up INFORMATION:

arizonatheatre.org

From left, Anna Lentz, Naama Potok, Steve Hendrickson and Gus Cuddy in ATC’s production of “The Diary of Anne Frank.” PHOTO COURTESY GOAT FACTORY MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT

42 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Anna Lentz as Anne Frank

PHOTO COURTESY GOAT FACTORY MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT

David Ira Goldstein, left, with Holocaust survivor Steven Hess.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 43

FRONT & CENTER Not running the theater anymore gave David the time to devote to researching this project. “I was able to go last fall to Amsterdam for several days to visit not only the Anne Frank House but the Holocaust Museum and the Dutch Resistance Museum and many of the other sites associated with the Jewish community in Amsterdam during World War II,” he says.

David also traveled to Rochester, NY, to the Geva Theatre Center; ATC is co-producing the play with Geva. Rochester has many Holocaust survivors residing there, and three of them worked with the company during rehearsals.

“One of the survivors was a man named Steven Hess.

He was as an 8-year-old boy in hiding in Amsterdam the same time as Anne Frank and was in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at the same time she was there,” says David. “He was on the last train to Auschwitz in April 1945 – that train was freed by the Russians. Having him there to share his experiences was terrifically humbling and educational at the same time.”

Naama Potok, the actress who plays Anne’s mother Edith Frank, lost more than 100 family members in the Holocaust.

When asked how her loss impacts her performance, she replies, “My commitment is to Edith’s story and journey, I bring what I know about Edith, in all the moments demanded in the play, to my work. How my family’s particular tragedy and loss, the darkness, horror and terror of its passage through Auschwitz, effects or impacts the intersection of Edith Frank and myself is difficult to pinpoint. Perhaps it shows up in Edith’s moments of rage, despair and in her persistent fight to love her family and keep them alive.”

Naama recently joined a Holocaust survivor to speak with a group of high school students, about the survivor’s experiences and the history of the rise of Nazi Germany. “A number of them asked me if I believed the Holocaust could happen again,” she says. “My reply was that I believed it could. Rather than live in terror of this possibility, there is a great deal we can do.”

She suggests finding a way of reaching across the divide to listen to what grieves another. “If we begin with a small circle, perhaps we can expand it over time to reach more people who want to be heard and are being increasingly silenced,” explains Naama. “We are in danger when voices are silenced, and in greater danger still when we do nothing in response. Perhaps we can consider how to create a society that holds everyone’s voice, particularly those that trigger us.”

When David picked this play, he knew it was an important story for today. “When you read on the front page of the paper that anti-Semitic incidents were up threefold in Arizona last year; you see the Polish senate passing laws that you can’t refer to the Polish death camps even though Auschwitz was in Poland; you see events like Charlottesville and the rise of the neo-Nazis, it’s a really important story to share with everybody, especially young people,” he says. “This piece of history is important to keep telling, and it’s doubly important because it’s true.”

44 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Sculpture Garden Opening Celebration & Brunch

In 2009, the Tucson Jewish Community Center established a Sculpture Garden on its campus with a four-fold purpose in mind: to craft a public space that celebrates the appreciation of sculpture; to create an atmosphere of tranquility; to promote educational opportunities; and to enhance community fellowship.

The JCC’s garden currently contains over 40 sculptures by local, national and international sculptors, ranging from a few feet tall to over 30 feet in height. In addition, an annual juried exhibition is held to bring new sculptures to the garden. The landscaped garden showcases outdoor sculpture, offers views of the surrounding mountain ranges and provides a meditative environment within the city limits.

The Tucson J Sculpture Garden acquires and exhibits permanent sculpture through donations to its collection, purchase and donation of pieces from the annual exhibition, and long-term loans. Annual temporary exhibitions ensure the vitality and relevance of the garden on the local, regional and national art scenes.

We feature the work of both established and emerging artists.

In accordance with the mission of The Tucson J, the Sculpture Garden welcomes the entire community. The convergence of art and audience in our Sonoran Desert

PREVIEWS

region encourages visitors to relax, converse, meditate and contemplate.

The annual Sculpture Garden Exhibition returns on Sunday, April 8 from 10 am to noon with dynamic work showcasing abstract imagery, nature scenes and portraits.

The Tucson Jewish Community Center’s Sculpture Garden, 3800 E. River Road, Tucson is Arizona’s largest public sculpture garden. The exhibit was juried by public artist Barbara Grygutis and displays works by Tucson’s finest sculptors. HawkinsDance will perform an interpretive dance inspired by the 2018 Sculpture Garden selections. A kosher brunch buffet will be served.

Sculpture Garden Opening Celebration & Brunch When: April 8 from 10 am to noon Where: Tucson Jewish Community Center’s Sculpture Garden, 3800 E. River Road, Tucson Tickets: $60 per person Information: tucsonjcc.org

DON’T FEED THE PLANTS

MAY 16 - JUNE 10 AT PHOENIX THEATRE Tickets start at just $29! Visit PhoenixTheatre.com or call us at 602.254.2151 for tickets today!

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 45

CORNER

Heart Health

Recipe and photo by Lucia Schnitzer

Lucia Schnitzer and her husband, Ken, own Pomelo (a full-service restaurant), Luci’s at The Orchard and Splurge (a candy and ice cream shop), all at The Orchard Phx, 7100 N 12th Street, Phoenix. They also own Luci’s Healthy Marketplace, 1590 E Bethany Home Road, Phoenix, which they opened in 2009 in Lucia’s honor after her successful battle with breast cancer.

46 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

W

omen today are faced with chronic health challenges, resulting in a heightened awareness of our diet and lifestyle. According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular diseases and stroke cause 1 in 3 women’s deaths each year, killing approximately one woman every 80 seconds. We must ask ourselves what we can do to help reduce these odds. Lifestyle, diet and exercise are areas we can control. It’s taking control of our health and making choices to change and create better habits. Genetic heart disease is out of our control, but awareness and knowledge are necessary in defeating this disease. Almost two-thirds (64%) of women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms. Even if you have no symptoms, you may still be at risk for heart disease. We are our best advocate, and must inform ourselves and ask lots of questions when visiting our healthcare providers.

Certain foods have a positive effect in helping up the odds against heart disease. Look for foods high in fiber (farro), omega-3 and amino acids (salmon), antioxidants (berries), flavonoids (citrus fruits), potassium (bananas), vitamin E (nuts), resveratrol (red wine), carotenoids (kale) monounsaturated fats (avocado, olives). Enjoy your coffee or green tea, and of course, dark chocolate (in moderation). Be aware of what you eat, and find ways to incorporate these foods into your diet and stay away from processed foods. Stay active by being disciplined and committed.

Find a friend who will walk with you, take a Pilates class, bike or swim, but make the time – don't just find it.

Enjoy this amazing salad; it’s my absolute favorite!

Kale, Mint and Farro Salad with Salmon

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup avocado oil 1 salmon filet 1 cup farro 2 cups water 2 cups Tuscan kale, chopped 1/4 cup mint, chopped Juice and zest from one whole lemon 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Heat 3 tablespoons avocado oil in a pan over medium to high heat.

Add salmon and pan sear for 4 minutes, carefully turn over and cook for another 3 minutes.

Time should be adjusted if using a thicker cut of fish.

Transfer to a plate, flake salmon with a fork and set aside.

Cover farro with 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until grains are tender, 30 to 35 minutes.

Drain and let cool completely.

Transfer farro to a large bowl and add salmon, kale, mint, lemon zest and juice, 1/4 cup avocado oil, Parmesan cheese and almonds. Toss until farro is well coated.

Season with salt and pepper.

Let stand 30 minutes before serving, Leftover salad can be stored in refrigerator up to two days.

Makes six servings.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 47

Organized A home hacks

By Masada Siegel

n organized home makes for a happy place.

However, if decorating, maximizing your space and clearing clutter makes you throw your hands up in frustration, we have you covered. Here are some ways to help simplify your life.

TECHNOLOGY IN THE HOME

Modern technology has a myriad of ways to help people organize. If you are trying to figure out how to configure your space or design a comfortable room, modsy.com is a wonderful tool.

It is an online interior design service, which utilizes threedimensional tools and photos to create your space realistically. Once you take their Style Quiz and upload photos, their designer gets to work helping you create the look you want. Modsy partners with more than 100 retailers, so if you find a piece of furniture they have incorporated into your new design, you can order it right then! Design packages start at $69.

While Modsy uses a real designer to help you create your perfect space, today having a personal assistant doesn’t necessarily mean they need to be human.

Technology can make your home function better too. While there are endless products on the market, if you are new to home technology, start simple with the Philips Hue personal wireless lighting system ($69.99 for a two-bulb starter kit at meethue.com). It allows you to “talk” to your lights through your smartphone or a voice control device and instruct them what to do.

If you aren’t home, you can switch lights on, which is helpful in a myriad of circumstances, from carrying in groceries to just wanting a well-lit home when you arrive.

It’s an easy entry into the world of technology, and if you find this application useful, there are products that will turn on the shower, vacuum your floors and even set the temperature in your home.

BEFORE

48 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

AFTER

THE KITCHEN – SIMPLIFY & ORGANIZE

In my world, it seems as if everyone always ends up gathering in the kitchen, as for many, it is the center of a house. There are a variety of ways to organize your kitchen.

The best way to organize your kitchen is to make sure everything has a home. One of my favorites is food storage sets because they make everything easy to find. A great quality product which will last for years to come is the Zevro Vac ‘n Save 17-piece rectangular container set ($49.99) and Zevro Vac ‘n Save 7-piece round vacuum container set ($19.99), sold at various retail outlets. Both sets come with a hand-held pump that takes the air out to help keep food fresher longer.

More space saving ideas come from Grayline.

They have over-the-door organizers with two to eight adjustable baskets. Grayline also has pot and pan organizer racks, cabinet organizers and adjustable three-tier “helper” shelves that fit inside those large bottom kitchen cabinets that can easily become cluttered.

Both the Zevro Vac ‘n Save and Grayline organizers can be found at big-box stores and online.

COOKING … AND EATING

If you enjoy cooking, the key to a clutter-free kitchen is to minimize having a million tools and have one that does multiple tasks. One example of how to make your life easier and healthier is the Cuisinart PrepExpress Slicer, Shredder and Spiralizer ($69.95 at cuisinart. com). It’s a multi-use product that allows cooks to effortlessly create wide ribbons or crinkle-cut spirals using fresh zucchini and apples, or make thin spaghetti from veggies. So give away your slicing and dicing tools, and just have one product, which requires less effort and is more efficient, not to mention small enough to tuck away in a cabinet.

However, if cooking isn’t to your taste, but enjoying good food and not having cabinets cluttered with barely used spice boxes, freezers full of frozen food and vegetables that never get used, try a food delivery service. They are a convenient, healthy and fulfilling way to create scrumptious meals without ever having to venture to the grocery store.

I tried HelloFresh (hellofresh.com) and was exceptionally impressed.

The kit arrived with every ingredient needed, perfect portion sizes and easy to use instructions. Also, preparing the meals was fun, and will give you a new slew of creative recipes – that is if you decide to go back to cooking yourself !

Now, if organizing your home all at once is too overwhelming of a project try Tidee Box. It is a bi-monthly subscription service that sends customers a customized box filled with innovative and functional solutions for organizing their living space. Each box has a theme and targets a specific room to help tidy specific areas. A Starter Kit is available with four items for $24.99 at tideebox.com.

It’s an efficient way to organize, and all you have to do is put things in their place.

Your wardrobe fits.

Shouldn’t your closet?

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plus Free Installation Minimum purchase of $2000 $2000. May not be combined with any other offers or existing contracts.

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the art of organization

©2015 Closet Factory. All rights reserved. ROC #175443

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 49

work-wear tips that will work well for you

By Tori Rosenblum

1 3

2 Spring is officially here, and that means it’s time to dust off your flirty floral dresses, ruffled skirts and your sunny sandals. But most of us spend the majority of our time within the confines of an office or in a professional environment, so I figured it might be a good time for a bit of a business wardrobe update.

50 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

There are countless options for work outfits that are easy, appropriate and show off your fabulous fashion sense. Just because the dress code may be business casual, doesn’t mean you have to dress business boring. I’m going to show you how you can incorporate the season’s coolest trends into your everyday office outfits.

1. FLATS THAT MEAN BUSINESS Heels have earned a reputation as the shoe women wear at the office. But, powerful women don’t necessarily need to wear power heels. Every business woman knows what it’s like to deal with the aches and pains of walking around an office all day in pumps or giving a presentation in a slingback heel. Lucky for all of us, there are options for fabulous flats that look polished and sophisticated, and are also versatile and comfortable for long-wear. Whether you choose black leather mules, color blocked ballet flats or slip-on loafers with pompoms; there are fashionable flat options for the working woman.

2. BELT IT OUT Belts have been a staple accessory for a long time and one that’s no stranger to the office. But this season, put a fresh spin on the way you wear your belts to work. Are you following our tip by layering your go-to blazer over a flirty floral maxi skirt? Well, this spring, try belting your blazer at the waist. You no longer have a boxy shape, but are showing off your figure. The belt works in two ways: first, it adds style as a chic accessory and second, it gives you shape.

3. PANTS, PLEASE Just because spring is here, doesn’t mean you have to trade in your pants for skirts and dresses altogether. Opt for a pair of head-turning pants instead. Try wide-leg, high-waisted pants in a statement-making color that instantly brightens any look. Or go for a bold stripe in a straight style that will elongate your legs for days! Pair these pants with a blouse, sweater or jacket, and you’ll have a look your co-workers will be jealous of.

4. THE GO-TO SHIRTDRESS Go for a feminine flair in one of the season’s countless shirtdresses. These easy button down or wrap-style dresses are wonderful for work because you can quickly throw them on and wear them casually or dress them up depending on what you pair with them. Try a button-down striped style with a bold belt that accentuates your waist. Or try a wrap dress if you have a curvy figure. These are the easiest dresses to throw on for work in the morning. I promise you’ll be grabbing for a shirtdress at least once a week!

5

5. THROW A BLAZER ON IT A menswear-inspired blazer can take just about any outfit and dress it up as a business casual look. Take your favorite springtime floral dress or maxi skirt, or maybe a tailored jumpsuit with a belt, and layer your favorite black silk blazer over it. You’ve just transformed your look from weekend-wear to office-appropriate.

But you don’t have to settle for a black blazer only. Try mixing suit separates for a bold look. Layer a plaid jacket or maybe one with a fun detail on the lapel or a bright lining instead. Tailored outerwear is an easy way to take you from brunch to boss.

So stop worrying about what you can wear to work that is as stylish as your typical looks outside the office. You can say goodbye to your stuffy suits and patent leather pumps and use these work-wear tips to find your perfect officeappropriate outfit, whether your job is corporate or creative.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 51

Actively Senior

Sandra Charyn Bernoff, seated fourth from left, with the Yiddish club members.

By Melissa Hirschl

Yiddish is alive and well at Temple Solel

For Ahwatukee Foothills resident Sandra Charyn Bernoff, Yiddish is a living, breathing lexicon – not just a relic of the “old world.” As the leader of a monthly Yiddish club held at Temple Solel in Scottsdale, Sandra provides a portal to the past for those who want to reclaim this buoyant, thousandyear-old language that is enjoying a renaissance. Yiddish has a fascinating history; it is an amalgamation of Hebrew, German and other modern languages, spoken first in central and eastern Europe, and later in the United States, England and France; primarily wherever Jews migrated.

“I love Yiddish, and I love meeting all kinds of people,” says Sandra. “What I like about Yiddish is it’s nonsectarian, nonreligious and nonpolitical. It encompasses people who never went to shul to the Orthodox.”

Initially initiated by Solel member Dr. Al Feldman, the vision of the club was to provide a welcoming environment for those 52 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

wanting to speak Yiddish and to provide a cultural context. His wife, Irma, who took over after his passing, eventually enrolled Sandra to be the new leader. For the past four years, Sandra has been enlightening this lively and inquisitive group with nostalgic stories (some by Isaac Bashevis Singer, Nobel Prize winner in literature), as well as modern post-WWII writers, current Jewish events, songs, vocabulary and occasionally films.

Solel’s music leader, Todd Herzog, has even learned three Yiddish songs to entertain the group –“Dona, Dona” and two Chanukah songs.

“From my perspective, Yiddish music and theater was the basis for pretty much all of Broadway,” says Todd. “Without it, musical theater would not exist. It’s important to recognize the source of this creativity and to acknowledge the many ways our tradition has inspired modern musical theater.”

The Yiddish song “Hobn Mir A Nigndl (We Have a Little Tune), was sung at the last club meeting. In addition, Sandra shared a Yiddish poem written by Gene Wilder, along with

some interesting trivia that Colin Powell and Louis Armstrong also spoke Yiddish. Who knew?

“The Yiddish club brings me back to my childhood days when my parents and grandparents spoke Yiddish,” says club member Yetta Parker. It gives me a good feeling – a feeling of camaraderie with those who connect with Yiddish. The only luxury we had in the Bronx was going to the Yiddish theater in New York City. I still remember the joy of seeing Molly Picon on stage.”

Immersed at an early age in Yiddish language and culture through afterschool programs in New York, Sandra continually added more layers to her education. “I learned how to read and write Yiddish, and also read stories by Jewish authors like Shalom Aleichem and I.L. Peretz, both of whom were born in Poland,” she relates. “Our studies, including Jewish history and the Bible were all done in Yiddish.”

During her middle and high school years, Yiddish took center stage in Sandra’s life, as she became increasingly attracted to the field of education. Afterschool studies at the Jewish/Hebrew Farband Labor Zionist Organization, provided a colorful mix of Yiddish, Torah study, Hebrew, customs and tradition, as well as Jewish history. At the Teachers’ Seminary and People’s University, she studied the same subjects but taken up a notch. “I received my BA in Jewish Literature from the accredited Jewish Teachers Seminary in Manhattan, while simultaneously attending City College,” she says. “That’s where I got my Bachelor of Science in education.”

Eager to share her enthusiasm for the language, Sandra went on to teach in the Workman’s Circle, Farband Sunday Schools, a class at the YMHA and also at Reform and Conservative Jewish schools. “I always included Yiddish in whatever the children were studying, whether through songs or stories.”

Eventually, Sandra became the director of education in two Conservative schools in New Jersey. “I would teach Yiddish music, sayings and songs, and give teachers Yiddish stories to intertwine with the curricula. I had them include Yiddish literature into whatever they were teaching.”

Retirement has opened up more doors for adventures in the world of Yiddish for Sandra. She began attending a yearly international Yiddish conference (Yiddish Vokh), held at a variety of venues that attracts approximately 200 attendees from the United States., in addition to Mexico, Brazil, Australia and Poland. The conference is sponsored by the Yiddish magazine Yugntruf, which Sandra helped to revive.

“Yiddish is a way of connecting our past to our future,” says Sandra, “and there’s more than one way to be Jewish. The language is part of the chain of Judaism. You can learn new things, but it doesn’t mean you forget what came before. The values of Yiddish and Yiddish literature are still valuable. I grew up in an environment that taught and honored tradition, as opposed to traditional religious education, but I appreciate how Yiddish and many aspects of Judaism are intertwined.”

To learn a bissel of Yiddish and not get verklempt, feel free to try the club out. The group meets in the library of Temple Solel on the third Wednesday of the month at 1:30 pm. For more information, contact 480-991-7414.

Ultimately, it’s your experience that matters.

To be sure, we’re proud of our 30 years of experience in senior living.

But, to us, what really matters is your experience at our communities.

So, go ahead, enjoy yourself with great social opportunities and amenities.

Savor fine dining every day. And feel assured that assisted living services are always available.

I n de p e n de n t & A s s i s t e d L i v i ng

990 West Ocotillo Road • Chandler, AZ TheVillageatOcotillo.com • 480.558.0246

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 53

Actively Senior

Couple creates a legacy with Shalom Home

By Mala Blomquist

Nestled among a row of houses on Glendale Avenue near Seventh Street, sits Shalom Home. And although the home faces a busy city street, the feeling you get as you enter is one of tranquility and peace.

Shalom Home is a labor of love created by Shira and Jesse Charyn. Their goal is to create a residential care facility that offers residents a safe, healthy, spiritual environment where they can feel like they are mishpacha (family). A place where families can come visit, interacting with their loved ones and enjoying activities, both inside and outside.

The inspiration for Shalom Home came from Shira’s grandmother, Clara Shinder, z”l. Clara lived with the family while Shira was growing up after her grandfather’s death.

When Shira’s mother, Shari Finkelstein, was no longer able to care for Clara physically, the family made the difficult decision to place her in an assisted living facility.

Shari would visit Clara daily and when she noticed that she was not being adequately cared for, would move her to another facility. It was hard on Clara and painful for the entire family.

The situation worsened as her health was impacted.

“Every two weeks for nine years I ran to the emergency room,” says Shari. Clara would constantly get urinary tract infections that would require frequent antibiotic use and sometimes even hospitalization. These hospital visits would extend from five days to two weeks.

54 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

In August 2016, Clara passed away from sepsis. “Because of the lack of cleanliness and hygiene, what ultimately took her life was the use of antibiotics,” Shari says.

When shiva ended a week after her grandmother’s passing, Shira decided to pursue the creation of Shalom Home. “I never want another person going through what Nana went through,” she says.

The couple took their savings, and with financial support from Shira’s parents, they rented the home next door and began the renovations necessary to turn their home into a care facility.

But not just any care facility. “We wanted to make Shalom Home a sustainable, chemical-free environment for organic living,” says Shira.

The inside of the 3,200-square-foot home has been painted using chemical-free paint, and the couple worked with consultants at Banner Alzheimer's Institute to determine what colors would be the most soothing for anyone with memory issues.

There are also air filtration units, solar panels for power use and cisterns for harvesting rainwater for the greenhouse and raised-bed organic gardens. They also have planted citrus and pomegranate trees and have four hens laying eggs that the residents can collect.

In addition to sustainability, Shalom Home is also very high-tech. They have cameras in public spaces so that family members can log onto a secured website and view their loved ones. “All residents will have iPads or some technology to be

A little help.

A big difference.

Clockwise from left: Street view of Shalom Home; Shira and Jesse Charyn with daughter, Rayna Esther; a table in the foyer holds a photo of Clara Shinder, Shira's grandmother.

able to communicate with loved ones,” says Shira. They also have Paro, a therapeutic robotic baby harp seal that elicits emotional responses similar to animal-assisted therapy.

The home has five bedrooms for residents; a barrier-free shower room so if a resident is entirely bed-bound they could still have access to a shower; a bathroom with a bidet toilet seat to help with cleanliness and hygiene; a dairy kitchen and dairy sitting area; and a meat kitchen with custom butcher block countertop.

Shalom Home is the only Jewish, nonprofit, kosher, assisted living facility in the state. When fully staffed they will have two certified caregivers, plus one caregiver who will be awake for 24-hour care. Since Jesse and Shira are both certified care providers and live next door, they can be there in a few minutes if the need arises.

Shira quit her job at a home healthcare agency to oversee Shalom Home full time. Jesse is continuing his work as a chaplain but he also facilitates services and lifecycle events at Shalom Home. He will become an ordained rabbi in June.

“This is the legacy we want to leave to the community,” says Shira. She jokes that someone who recently visited Shalom Home had the perfect description. “It’s a kibbutz on the outside and the Four Seasons on the inside.”

For more information, visit shalomhomeaz.org.

Assisted living services that are about the whole family and the whole YOU. But the best part? No matter if you need a little help or a lot, the difference you’ll feel will be amazing. Please call Maravilla Scottsdale to schedule your complimentary lunch and tour.

7325 E. Princess Blvd.

Scottsdale, AZ • 480.359.1345 MaravillaScottsdale.com Ca sita s | Cou rt ya r d R esidences In depen den t & A ssisted Li v ing | Memory Ca r e

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 55

"Win-win" programming for seniors at The J

Actively Senior

By Leni Reiss

Prior to her recent move to Arizona from her native Philadelphia, Cheryl Blumenthal managed “Golden Slipper on the Main Line,” a lifelong learning program for Jewish seniors.

So it appears that her position here, as the adult program director for the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, is indeed a perfect fit.

Much of Cheryl’s working history lends itself to her present post – with one interesting side note. While in high school she contributed to the cost of her college tuition by working at the Humanity Gifts Registry, a state program that coordinated the distribution of cadavers to area medical schools.

“That was a real challenge,” she says, “but it helped me to learn to deal with people under many different circumstances – and set me on a path of compassion and caring.” She eventually served as a top administrator within the organization.

Cheryl entered the world of Jewish nonprofits as a marketing manager at a program for seniors with disabilities before her Golden Slipper gig, helping adults with physical disabilities and seniors remain independent in their own homes. A frequent Valley visitor, because her father was a longtime resident, “When it was time for me to make a move, this is

Your Care Agency A S S I S T E D L I V I N G C O N S U LTA N T S

where my heart already was, and this is where I wanted to be.

I knew I would end up here.”

She is exploring all options in her free time, “walking, hiking, traveling statewide, meeting people, networking.”

She finds there are so many more newcomers here than in the older, traditional “Philly community.” People here are looking to connect, she finds, “So, in a good sense, this is a perfect storm for me – to provide resources to bring people together.”

She made the permanent move last January, accepting the job with the The J. With no formalized cultural programming for seniors in place, Cheryl met with professional and lay leadership to propose concepts under the umbrella of lifelong learning, “culturally Jewish but open to all.” Her vision has been enthusiastically adopted. “We are gearing programs to build a community of active 65-plus adults, to fill cultural and social needs, to provide intellectual and social stimulation,” she explains. “It’s a win-win situation.

We are filling niches that presently aren’t being addressed, including cultural memberships and options.”

Now planning summer programs, Cheryl says that while “stuff for Snowbirds” will be a consideration, she emphasizes that she will “keep things going year ‘round,” with arrangements in place for trips and transportation statewide and beyond.

For additional information on classes, programs and the Cultural Speaker Series, contact Cheryl at 480-481-7024 or cherylb@vosjcc.org.

WHAT WE DO

Speaker Series for April

• Educate you on the options • Locate Assisted Living • Guide you through the process • Arrange for movers • Referrals to other services

The Cultural Speaker Series features local attorneys, authors, journalists and other professionals discussing a broad range of topics each week.

Presented at the Valley of the Sun JCC at 12701 N. Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale from 1 to 2 pm. Each event is $10 for guests and $5 for members of The J. For information and to register, contact Cheryl Blumenthal at 480-481-7024 or cherylb@vosjcc.org.

HOW WE DO IT • Face-to-face meeting and assessment • Background check each place • Agent comes on tour with you • Assistance with paperwork

April 3: Justice for the Innocent Lindsay Herf, executive director of The Arizona Justice Project, discusses seeking justice for the innocent, especially indigent individuals.

April 13: A Frank Memoir of Survival Author of The Hooker’s Daughter, Dale Stanton, shares from her frank memoir of survival, the ability to extract positive qualities from a dysfunctional family life.

April 20: What’s News?

Former newspaper editor Leisah Woldoff shares how editors and

Contact: Jonathan Shaw 480-203-5983 JShaw@YourCareAgency.com www.YourCareAgency.com

readership opinion determine what is covered and the challenges of print news in a digital age.

April 27: Investigative Reporting Jim Small, executive director of the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, shares the must-know stories happening in the state and local neighborhoods.

56 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

PLEASE CALL 480-376-2218 SCHEDULE A PERSONAL TOUR TODAY!

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We’re adding 34 new patio homes to the iconic neighborhood north of Beatitudes Campus. With a vibrant social life, lifelong learning opportunities, and exceptional peace of mind for today and tomorrow, it’s our way of inspiring a whole new view of senior living.

Beatitudes Campus is a not-for-profit life plan community founded by the Church of the Beatitudes.

We welcome people of all faiths with open arms.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 57

FAMILY TIME

Cookie

Conundrum

By Debra Rich Gettleman

Full disclosure: I was never a Girl Scout.

I will admit to a short stint as a Brownie. But I really couldn’t stand how bossy Angelise Haralumbus was, and since her mom was the troop leader, I gave it up pretty quickly. Plus, honestly, I wasn’t into the regalia. Brown just isn’t my color.

But I appreciate the values. The tenets of leadership, helping others and respect can’t be undervalued. And then there are the

58 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

cookies.

I think we can all agree that the cookies rock. Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-si-dos. I’ve never actually met a person who could sit down and eat one or two at a time. The fact is that if you open the box, you are eating an entire sleeve. Let’s just be honest about it.

But here’s the thing; and I know this is going to get me in hot water with all the moms out there. What is the actual point of selling Girl Scout cookies? According to their website, it is “to give young women the opportunity to learn essential life skills, soar in confidence and quickly discover the leader within.” It also stresses teaching skills like setting and achieving goals, financial literacy and social entrepreneurship.

So here is my question: why is it that every request I get to buy Girl Scout cookies comes from the parent of a Girl Scout? At work, I’ve been asked to buy cookies from my boss, my coworker and the maintenance guy. Last I checked, none of them were Girl Scouts. My workout partner awkwardly cornered me by the TRX machine last month. Multiple parents in my community were hawking the tasty treats. I don’t get it. How does selling your kids’ Girl Scout cookies teach any independence or strength of character?

I feel like a heel. But I’ve decided to stay true to what I believe. I will not, and did not, buy Girl Scout cookies from anyone over the age of 18 who isn’t a Girl Scout. I’ve had it with the peer pressure from parents. Maybe I’m just bitter because I remember selling boxes of oranges and grapefruits for choir and drama back in high school, (that’s what we Midwesterners sold to raise funds back in the day), and my parents did not help one iota. Maybe they bought one box. But that was because they really wanted the oranges. I had to go door to door to unload those darn citrus cartons.

Personally, I am not enormously tempted by Girl Scout cookies. I’m more of a Snohomish Pie Company’s chocolate chip cookie gal. But I would rather not have them in the house to tempt myself or my family. (I happen to be a “sleep-eater,” so having random boxes of cookies in the cupboard usually ends badly for me.) I only buy them because I’m trying to support the young women who sell them. But I have no intention of supporting the parents of the young women who sell them.

So, next year, join my movement! Always support a Girl Scout trying to fundraise and increase her business acumen.

But boycott the pressure tactics of parents pushing their kids’ wares. It’s just wrong on so many levels.

Debra Rich Gettleman is a mother, blogger, actor and playwright. For more of her work, visit unmotherlyinsights.com

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KIDS CALENDAR

Ongoing:

CLUB J AT THE VALLEY OF THE SUN JCC Provides after-school programming ranging from sports to cooking and crafts to Israeli culture and more for those in K-8. Transportation from nearby schools available. Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-634-4949 or youth@vosjcc.org, vosjcc. org.

J CARE AT THE EAST VALLEY JCC Parent drop-off or bus transportation from area schools for grades K-7.

Includes homework club, cooking, Israeli culture, dance, sports, gymnastics and more. Early pick-ups from Kyrene schools on Wednesday early dismissals. East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N Alma School Road, Chandler. Contact Jeff at 480-897-0588 or hastj@evjcc.org, evjcc.org.

J-CARE AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM AT THE TUCSON JCC Includes a variety of activities, Homework Hangout program (help from education specialists), arts, sports or teens can hang in the Youth Lounge.

Bus transportation from schools available for K-12. Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson. Contact Corey at 520-2993000 ext. 256 or ccravens@tucsonjcc.org.

April 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30

PARENT-TOT CLASS for ages up to 24 months and their parent(s) at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E 5th St., Tucson from 9 to 11 am.

Participants sign songs, make art projects, read stories, have a snack and share parenting advice. Free. For more information, contact 520-745-5550 ext. 229 or lynne@caiaz.org.

April 6

FIRST FRIDAY FAMILY SHABBAT at Temple Emanuel of Tempe, 5801 S. Rural Road, Tempe from 5:30 to 6 pm. Designed for children (infants to age 6) and their parents. Celebrate Shabbat with songs, stories and a nosh in the social hall. For more information, visit emanueloftempe. org.

April 6, 13, 20 & 27

MOMMY & ME ROCK SHABBAT at Temple Kol Ami Early Childhood Center, 15030 N 64th St., Scottsdale from 9 to 10:30 am.

Teacher-led class for moms and their children ages infant to 2 years. Moms connect and share experiences while their children learn and grow. Classes are just $5 per class (or $35 for a 10-class pass) for Temple Kol Ami members. Non-members pay $10 per class (or $75 for a 10- class pass). For registration or information, contact 480-951-5825 or tkaecc@templekolami. org.

April 7, 14, 21 & 28

CAMP SHABBAT for ages 6-10 years at Congregation Bet Shalom, 3881 E. River Road, Tucson from 11 am to 1 pm. A wonderful, fun, learning experience with Israeli teens. Free. No RSVP required. For more information, call 520-577-1171 or rabbi@cbsaz.org.

60 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

April 8

PLAY DATE IN THE PARK at Espee Splash Pad, 450 E. Knox Road, Chandler from 10 to 11:30 am. Join East Valley JCC for some fun in the sun with the family. For more information, contact 480-897-0588 or evjcc.org.

POST-PASSOVER PANCAKE BREAKFAST at Congregation Or Chadash, 3939 N. Alvernon Way, Tucson from 8:30 to 10 am. Enjoy a pancake breakfast on the school patio. Proceeds benefit the 8th grade class trip to Jewish L.A. $5 per person. For more information, contact 520-5128500 or eileen@octucson.org.

THE SECOND ACT: Hike & Soles at the Quartz Ridge Trailhead, 32nd St. & Lincoln Road, Phoenix at 9 am. Join the Bureau of Jewish Education for an all-levels hike. Bring a picnic dinner and a gently-used pair of shoes you no longer wear or a favorite outfit you’ve outgrown. BJE will donate yours shoes and clothing to JFCS. $5 per family. For more information, visit bjephoenix.org.

April 13

SHABBAT UNDER THE STARS at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E 5th St., Tucson. The opportunity to worship outside enables us to better encounter nature, and to remind ourselves that any space can become sacred through the manner in which we use it. Come and help us expand our “worship zone” as we welcome Shabbat. For more information, visit caiaz.org.

April 14

J MOVIE STARS KIDS NIGHT OUT at Valley of the Sun JCC, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale from 6 to 10 pm. Lights, Camera, Action! Kids are the stars of this night!

They walk the red carpet, play theater games, sing karaoke, design their own Walk-of-Fame star and even make their own movie snack! Movie: “Sing!” Members: $10; Guests: $20. Price per child. For information and registration, contact 480-634-4949 or youth@vosjcc.org.

April 20

ISRAEL NIGHT SHABBAT FAMILY SERVICE & DINNER at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E 5th St., Tucson. Join us on a Jewish journey of making friends, building community, learning about Judaism and family fun. For more information, visit caiaz.org.

April 22

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN at Chabad of the East Valley, 875 N McClintock Dr., Chandler at 12:15 pm for children in grades 1-6 to experience the joy of kosher cooking. Children will have the opportunity to roll up their sleeves, cook, bake, and decorate fabulous foods, take home their own handmade creations and collect delicious recipes in their own recipe book. $12/per class. RSVP to youth@chabadcenter.com.

Israel at

70 FUNFACTS Compiled by Dan Seligson

To prepare for Israel’s 70th birthday, here are 70 fun factsaboutIsraeli food, culture, geography, academicsand more!

1. Cherry tomatoes were

engineered in Israel.

2. Israel is the only county to have more trees today than it did 50 years ago.

3. An Israeli company developed the world’s first jellyfish repellent.

4. Israeli Linor Abargil won the Miss World contest in 1998. She went on to campaign against sexual violence.

5. Israel was the first country to conform to an international standard that certifies diamonds as being “conflict free.”

6. After Tokyo and New York City, Tel Aviv has the most sushi restaurants per capita.

7. Israel is the only country to have a sacred language (Hebrew) as its national tongue.

8. Thanks to its national snack (think peanut Cheetos), babies in Israel are 10 times less likely to suffer from peanut allergies.

9.I srael’s cows produce more milk than cows from other countries.

10. The “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers” TV series was produced by an Israeli named Haim Saban.

11. People of the book: Israel publishes more books per capita than any other country.

12. Palwin wine, Israel’s oldest brand, was first produced by the Palestine Wine and Trading Company, established in 1898.

13. Israel has the world’s highest rate of entrepreneurship among women.

14. There are more than 40 kosher McDonald’s in Israel. The only one outside Israel is in Bueños Aires.

15. In 1992, Israel experienced such a severe winter that snow fell in the Negev desert.

16. Israel has the highest number of university degrees per capita than any other country.

17. Haifa’s subway system is one of the world’s smallest, with four carriages and just over one mile of track.

18. Buses around Israel have signs that quote the biblical passage, “You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old.”

19. One million notes are left in the Kotel (Western Wall) each year. They are cleaned out twice a year, before Passover and Rosh Hashanah.

20. The largest known dog cemetery in the ancient world was unearthed in the Israeli city of Ashkelon.

21. Beersheva has the largest number of chess grandmasters per capita of any city in the world.

22. Israeli bank notes have Braille on them to assist the blind.

23. The glue on Israeli stamps is kosher.

24. Israel celebrates Mother’s Day on Shevat 30, the birthday of Henrietta Szold, the founder of Hadassah.

25. Microsoft has more employees in Israel than it does per capita anywhere in the world.

26. A group in Netanya broke the world record for the largest sock mosaic, using 12,000 in total.

27. Coffee and cafés are so good in Israel that it’s the only country where Starbucks failed trying to break into the local market.

28. Israel has one of the highest concentrations of bird traffic in the world—500 million migrating birds cross its airspace each year.

29. Every year, an Israeli Arab hotel manager named Jaaber Hussein buys all the state’s chametz (leavened products) for Passover.

30. A green pepper grown in Moshav Ein Yahav claimed the record for the world’s largest, weighing in at over a pound.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 61

Israel at

70

31. The most popular name for Israeli babies—both boys and girls—is “Noam.”

32. Israel’s Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth and is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean.

33. Bamba, Israel’s favorite snack, was first produced in 1964 and was cheese-flavored. Allergy-fighting peanut butter was introduced two years later.

34. Israel has the highest number of museums per capita in the world.

35. More than nine out of 10 Israeli homes use solar power to heat water.

36. Feeling adventurous? You can buy hummus-flavored ice cream in Jaffa.

37. Napoleon tried to lay siege to Acre in 1799. There is a “Napoleon Hill” in the city.

38. There are 285 replica models of historical, cultural and religious sites on display at the Mini Israel Museum in Lod. 39. Israel is the first country to place a ban on the use of underweight models on catwalks.

40. Israeli inventor Rafi Yoeli is building the world’s first flying car.

41. Israelis who observe Shabbat can buy car insurance that doesn’t cover Saturdays.

42. The Mount of Olives in Jerusalem is the world’s oldest continuously used cemetery.

43. The animals at the Jerusalem biblical zoo are fed kosher for Passover food over the holiday.

44. Israel has more orchestras per capita than any other country.

45. Leon Uris’s Israel epic “Exodus” stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for more than a year in 1958.

46. Israeli rabbis, with help from scientists, have ruled that giraffe milk is kosher.

47. Alexander the Great is said to have entered Israel in 333 BCE via the caves at Rosh Hanikra.

48. Beersheba is twinned with 14 towns and cities around the world.

49. Israeli academics produce more scientific papers per capita than anywhere else in the world.

50. Israel has appeared in the World Cup finals only once, in 1970.

51. Philanthropist Baron de Rothschild died in 1934 in France and his remains were transported to Israel once it became a state.

52. Israel is one of only three democracies in the world without a codified constitution. The others are Britain and New Zealand.

62 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

53. By law, the Jewish National and University Library receives copies of every book printed in Israel.

54. Israel has more computers per capita than any other country.

55. The most common street name in Israel is “Ha’Zait,” which means “Olive Street.”

56. Per capita, Israelis are the world’s biggest consumers of fruits and vegetables.

57. Israel’s Save a Child’s Heart organization performs lifesaving heart operations for children worldwide, including many Palestinians, free of charge.

58. Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the number of Christians is increasing.

59. Israel has its own day-long festival of love, called Tu B’Av. 60. Relative to its population, Israel has absorbed more immigrants than any other country, with newcomers from more than 100 countries.

61. Voicemail technology was developed in Israel.

62. Israeli humanitarian aid workers are often the first to respond to disasters around the world.

63.Israel is home to the world’s only theater company comprised entirely of deaf and blind actors.

64. Life expectancy in Israel is among the highest in the world, at 82 years.

65. Israel has won more Nobel Prizes than all other Middle East countries combined.

66. The World Centre of the Bahai faith is in the Israeli cities of Acre and Haifa.

67. Golda Meir was the third woman in history to serve as prime minister.

68. Team Israel won four games in the 2017 World Baseball Classic without a single player on an MLB roster.

69. Israel is the 11th happiest country in the world (the United States is 14th) of more than 150 ranked.

70. Jerusalem has over 1,500 public parks and gardens.

Originally published on JewishBoston.com

#SharedLife donor registry unveiled at AIPAC

Israel at

70

Bone marrow recipient Dr. Steve Arnow (wearing shirt "I am living a Shared Life") with his family meet Gev Blau (back), an IDF soldier who donated the bone marrow that saved Dr. Arnow’s life. The two met at the AIPAC Policy Conference where the #SharedLife donor registry was unveiled. Behind them is the Ezer Mizion booth.

Ezer Mizion, the largest nonprofit organization providing health support services in Israel and the largest Jewish bone marrow registry, launched its new campaign, #SharedLife, at The American Israel Public Affairs Committee Annual Policy Conference.

The AIPAC Policy Conference, held this year March 4-6 in Washington, D.C., is the largest gathering of America's pro-Israel community. The conference features demonstrations of groundbreaking Israeli innovations, keynote speeches by American and Israeli leaders, and educational sessions. The conference drew more than 18,000 pro-Israel Americans, more than two-thirds of Congress and more than 3,600 college students including 283 student government presidents.

To honor Ezer Mizion, AIPAC shared an emotional video (watch.aipac.org/watch/vi9qUpCTUVrSijXM4LvG3z ) showcasing the organization’s impact.

In 1998, Dr. Bracha and Moti Zisser founded the Ezer Mizion's bone marrow registry. What originally began as a small project has today expanded to be the largest Jewish-specific registry around the world. Through its exclusive partnership formed in 2005 with the Israel Defense Forces, Ezer Mizion is able to obtain a fresh pool of pre-screened candidates

from each recruitment cycle. To date, its database has 885,264 registrants (including 470,038 IDF recruits), has successfully matched nearly 12,000 patients and has facilitated nearly 3,000 transplants.

The #SharedLife campaign showcases the strong connection between a donor and a recipient. In addition, Ezer Mizion was recognized for building and maintaining the largest Jewish bone marrow registry.

Dr. Zisser, who is the director of the registry, debuted the new campaign and introduced a donor/recipient duo to demonstrate its impact. Steve Arnow’s journey began when he was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome. Through Ezer Mizion, he connected with IDF soldier/donor Gev Blau for a transplant. The two were introduced for an emotional first meeting on the AIPAC stage.

Honored guests were onsite to share in the celebrations.

Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli, a registry member since 2009, has generously lent her support through social media to bring awareness to #SharedLife.

EzerMizion.org

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 63

Israel at

70 CELEBRATIONS!

Community Mural

In celebration of Israel’s 70th anniversary, the Valley of the Sun JCC has created a community mural featuring photos and memories of those who have visited Israel.

The mural will be on public display in the lobby at The J, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale from April 8-30.

“The J is excited to present an Israel @ 70 mural to truly represent our community’s love and passion for Israel with photographs, personal thoughts and a bit of Israel’s history over the last 70 years. We invite everyone to be a part of it by joining us at The J at our opening event on April 8 or any time after throughout April,” says COO Kim Subrin.

Israel @ 70 Festival

April 22 from 1 to 6 pm The Weintraub Israel Center, along with the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, area synagogues and organizations, is excited to bring the Israel @ 70 celebration to Tucson. Join us to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s 70th Independence Day, on April 22 from 1 to 6 pm, at the the Tucson J and the Tucson Hebrew Academy, at the intersection of River Road & Dodge Blvd. Together, with an anticipated 8,000 festival goers, we will celebrate Israel’s culture with live entertainment, music, a variety of food vendors, exciting booths, and fun and games for the entire family!

Family Shabbat: Happy Birthday Israel Dinner

April 13 at 6:30 pm Valley of the Sun JCC, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale Celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday with Israeli food, wine, music, dancing and entertainment for the kids. Your family will not want to miss it. Families of up to four members: $60 members; $75 guests; $18 per additional family member; $20 per individual. For more information, or to register, contact 480-634-4949 or youth@vosjcc.org.

Happy Birthday Israel ECC Celebration

April 15 from 9:30 to 11:30 am Valley of the Sun JCC, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale Celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday with fun activities, cookie decorating and more! Members: Free; Guests: $5 per family of up to four; $2 per additional person. For more information, or to register, contact 480-659-7769 or earlychildhood@vosjcc.org.

64 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Celebration Overview Parade – The celebration will begin with the UA Marching Band leading all of the religious school students, their parents and teachers, from the JCC tennis courts to the main stage at THA. Shuk – A “shuk” (marketplace) will be created and booths will be rented to synagogues, agencies,

organizations, art vendors, food trucks, etc.

12 Torches – This is a substantial opportunity to recognize people in the community whose work has made a difference for the state of Israel. Every congregation should consider nominating someone who has been active in supporting, promoting and building a bridge to/with Israel. The individual does not have to be a member of the Jewish community.

For more information, visit jfsa.org/get-involved/ weintraub-israel-center/israel-70-festival.

Celebrate Israel’s 70th Anniversary!

In celebration of Israel’s 70th birthday,

Family Shabbat Israel Night

April 20 from 5:45 to 8:30 pm Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E. Fifth St., Tucson Share an upbeat Shabbat celebration for families, with an Israeli sing-a-long and dancing, Israeli trivia bowl, and Israeli-style dinner. As with our regular Family Shabbat services, we will welcome Shabbat with rhythm, with movement, with ruach and with song. Come celebrate Israel with us! Join us and make friends, build community, learn about Judaism, and have fun! $25 per family (two adults & up to 4 children); adults (13+) $10 per person. RSVP needed by April 16 for dinner only.

For more information, visit caiaz.org.

the Valley of the Sun JCC has created a community mural featuring photos and memories of those who have visited Israel.

Come see the mural April 8-20

Celebrate Israel @ 70

April 29 from 3 to 6 pm OdySea in the Desert, 9500 E. Via de Ventura, Scottsdale Join the community in supporting and celebrating Israel. Presented by the Israeli American Council – IAC Arizona. For more information, visit israeliamerican.org/ arizona.

12701 N. Scottsdale Rd. | Corner of Sweetwater & Scottsdale Rd.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 65

L iving

J

Polski trilogy follows family from Holocaust to reunion

Leon Gildin at work in his office.

By Deborah Moon

Arizona author Leon Gildin will share his newest book, The Polski Trilogy, at the April 12 monthly book discussion group sponsored by the Arizona Jewish Historical Society.

“We do like to give local authors (when they are available) the opportunity to present on their work and field questions from the group. The program is free and all are welcome to attend,” says AZJHS Executive Director Lawrence Bell.

Leon has a lot to discuss about his trilogy that begins with his award-winning fictionalized account of the real Hotel Polski, where many survivors of the Warsaw ghetto were lured by the Nazis with promises of exit visas. While many were sent to their deaths, some did receive the foreign papers of deceased Jews and were able to emigrate.

In addition to the 2009 novel The Polski Affair, which won the International Book Award for Historical Fiction in 2010, the trilogy includes the sequel, The Family Affair, published in 2011, and the new conclusion of the family saga The Final Affair.

I read the first two novels for a profile of Leon and his work published in Arizona Jewish Life in February 2014.

Though the subject is obviously horrendous, I really enjoyed the first book’s tale of the Jewish partisan Rosa, who is sent to the hotel to spy for the partisans but gets caught in the hotel’s web.

66 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Unveiling a plaque at the Hotel Polski, Warsaw, April 18, 2013. The plaque reads: In memory of Polish Jewry induced to come by the Gestapo to the Hotel Polski, located at Dluga 29, Spring 1943, who were killed in German Concentration Camps. – Organization of Jewish survivors of the deceased.

Rosa and her friend Itzhik, whose spouses and children were killed by the Nazis, get coveted exit visas with new identities (Anna and Chaim). When Rosa/Anna is called to testify at the hotel commandant’s war crimes trial, the experience haunts her. The characters in the book reacted to horrible situations in understandably complex ways.

I found the second book fascinating, but less satisfying. The reactions of the characters (now living in Israel) did not have the ring of truth I felt in the first book. Anna and Chaim’s family grows and thrives in Israel, yet her experiences during the war continue to haunt Anna and ultimately lead to the dissolution of the family.

When I told Leon of my reaction to the second book, he was surprised.

“I liked the second book more,” says Leon. “The amount of fortuitous and unexpected happenings in the second book were more interesting than the first. … The first and third book are, in their own way, self-contained stories. Each deal with two families and how they act and react to the incidents and times in which they live.

“However, the second book is a far wider experience, more characters, more interaction, more emotion, i.e., the death of Sholom’s wife and his remarriage; the discovery of Father Joseph and his conversion to Yossi; the Colonel no longer being a Nazi officer but becoming a father figure; the Colonel’s daughter, Liese, developing a relationship with Father Joseph and then Yossi and becoming ill when she came to Israel for an antagonistic purpose only to be nursed back to health by her enemy’s mother in a somewhat mother/daughter relationship. … Ups and downs, disjointed, fortuitous happenings, but isn’t that what life is all about?”

There was one point in the second book where Leon and I are in complete agreement – the ending left me feeling unsettled and unsatisfied. Leon agrees, saying he wrote the third book because, “I was unhappy with the way I ended the second book … I needed to resolve the unresolved issues.”

The third book reaches beyond the family and Israel to explore the effects of the Holocaust. Survivors and their descendants continue to struggle with the horrors and nightmares. But the novel also shares the impact on relatives living in safe nations during the war who search for decades to learn the fate of their relatives who had remained in Poland.

The trilogy was well worth reading, and I’m sure the discussion with Leon will be well worth attending.

April Book Discussion

WHO: Author Leon Gildin WHAT: Discussion and book signing of The Polski Trilogy WHEN: 7 pm, April 12 WHERE: Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center, 122 E. Culver St., Phoenix INFORMATION: azjhs.org, lbell@azjhs.org, 602241-7870

Ask for Gary Kravetz, Fleet Director RIGHT HONDA’s Fleet and Internet Department welcomes different buying clubs like Costco, Sam’s, all credit unions, Police and Fire Departments, Motorola, Intel, etc., so please call or email to see if your company is an approved organization.

The buying process for our fleet and internet department is done at your speed. Our Fleet and Internet Managers will use their 15 years of experience to help answer all of your questions.

This is a stress and hassle-free buying program and we are proud to help serve the local companies of Scottsdale and the sorrounding areas. Contact us today to get started.

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 67

Celebration of Caring

JFCS they believe in healing the world with Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern loving-kindness, and are committed to a personArizona invites the Tucson community to join them centered approach to therapy that offers a path for their Celebration of Caring event to be held for healing and self-sufficiency for Tucson’s on Sunday, April 8 at 5:30 pm at the Westin La children, adults, first responders, Holocaust Paloma in Tucson. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. survivors, and anyone who comes to them for Deborah Lipstadt, distinguished professor, author help. and Holocaust scholar who defended the historical JFCS counts on philanthropic support to truth of the Holocaust and triumphed against an better serve the community. They welcome all to infamous denier and falsifier of facts in a precedentbe part of their Celebration of Caring, and stand setting legal battle. Held in a British court, this as a champion of hope for victims, witnesses and dramatic legal case captured worldwide attention Dr. Deborah Lipstadt the most vulnerable children and families. For and was later re-enacted in the film “Denial” with info on available sponsorship opportunities, visit Academy Award-winning actress Rachel Weisz who jfcstucson.org/donate/celebration-of-caring. plays the role of Dr. Lipstadt.

"There are facts, there are opinions and there are lies," states The JFCS Celebration of Caring is a special fundraising Dr. Lipstadt. “And most importantly, truth and fact are under event, and the revenue raised goes to support much-needed assault. The job ahead of us, the task ahead of us, the challenge mental health and human services to people from all walks of ahead of us is great. The time to fight is short. We must act life. This year, they will be honoring the Holocaust survivors now. Later will be too late.” living in Tucson to whom JFCS provides individualized care management and support services. Since 1998, JFCS has proudly served more than 150 local survivors.

9th Annual Celebration of Caring Not only is JFCS committed to reducing the stigma When: Sunday, April 8 at 5:30 pm surrounding mental health services, they also believe that – Where: Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, 3800 E. now more than ever – we have to take a stand against antiSunrise Dr., Tucson Semitism, racism, bullying, hatred and violence.

Tickets: $200 per person, seating is limited Guided by Jewish values of tikkun olam and chesed, at Information: 520-795-0300 or jfcstucson.org

Federation matters to me because Federation funding of the JFCS Senior Concierge project enables me to make a positive difference in the lives of our community’s Jewish seniors.

YOUR GIFT MATTERS.

Strengthening Jewish life and identity and providing for Jews in need here, in Israel and around the world

Janet Arnold 68 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

480.481.7031 | jewishphoenix.org/donate

FEDERATION NOTES Keeping Passover alive

By Marty Haberer

For millennia, Jews have gathered to retell the tale of their deliverance from bondage in Egypt. We continue that long, unbroken tradition every Passover. It comes from the story of the tenth plague when the angel of death comes to claim the firstborn son of every Egyptian household. Jews were instructed to paint their doorposts with lamb’s blood so that the angel of death would “pass over” their homes and spare their sons. Some believe this is also the beginning of the custom of placing a mezuzah on the doorposts of Jewish homes to offer blessings and protection.

On Passover, we hold a seder dinner with ritual foods, prayers, songs and reading from the Haggadah, the telling. We tell the story of our freedom from bondage and the beginnings of our free nation, the nation of Israel.

The seder is for everyone. It is for family and friends, both Jewish and non-Jewish. The story of Passover, with its message of freedom, resonates with everyone and reminds us of the things for which we are grateful.

We particularly emphasize involving children in the telling to assure the story is retold l’dor v’dor, from generation to generation.

This Passover, may you, your families, your friends and your neighbors, relish in your freedom and pray for those who are not free. Together may we participate in tikkun olam, repairing/improving the world.

Chag Sameach!

Marty Haberer is the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix.

Marty Haberer is the CEO of the Jewish

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 69

L iving

J

Jewish National Fund Celebrates the Power of Women Theresa Lungwitz, left, shakes hands with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.

In March, Jewish National Fund celebrated National “In 2013, women contributed a little more than $11 million Women’s History Month by highlighting the remarkable to our annual campaign,” said JNF’s National Vice President women who have taken on leadership roles within the of Women for Israel and San Diego Board President Myra organization.

Chack Fleischer. “In just four short years, that number has Throughout the month, JNF hosted over 30 events across ballooned to more than $22 million – an incredible 100% the country to bring women together to increase.” share their personal stories, and highlight “I hope to see lots of new In 1999, Jewish National Fund’s the important work JNF accomplishes Women for Israel was founded with the faces at our event to join thanks to the women who give their time creation of the Sapphire Society. In less and financial support to the nonprofit. the strong, dynamic group than two decades, JNF’s Women for Thanks to the generosity of Theresa Israel has become a powerhouse within Lungwitz of Scottsdale, and Polly Levine of females who are already the organization with over 50,000 donors of Paradise Valley, donations to JNF’s across the country contributing more putting their passion and Women for Israel campaign from March than 25% of the dollars raised each year 8 to March 31, were matched up to a total energy into building a to improve the quality of life in Israel for of $1,000,000. all who call it home. In fact, one of JNF’s better future for the land “Women should be celebrated all largest and most successful initiatives – year, not just in March,” says Theresa, the building of the artist colony of Zuqim and people of Israel.” who recently helped launch The in Israel’s Central Arava – started out Theresa Lungwitz Supportive Care as an idea that was developed through –Deb Rochford Center program in the upcoming new Women for Israel. rehabilitation hospital at ALEH NegevTo keep the momentum going, JNF Nachalat Eran. “I am so thrilled to be able to be a part of in Arizona invites women to attend their upcoming event Jewish National Fund’s gift matching initiative and to bring and see what they are all about. On April 18, the Professional attention to the tremendous work being done by my JNF Women’s Division is hosting a cooking demonstration event sisters. What a beautiful way to acknowledge the meaningful in Scottsdale, at the home of Deb Rochford, JNF executive work of JNF.” vice president to the Desert States and Southwest. There is no This year alone, the number women on JNF’s National cost to attend and seating is limited, so reserve a spot by April Board doubled and more women are stepping up to fill 13 by contacting Leila Nouri at lnouri@jnf.org or calling 480roles on their local boards and committees. Almost half of 447-8100 ext. 932. the leadership positions at Jewish National Fund across the “I hope to see lots of new faces at our event to join the United States. are held by women – including 22 National strong, dynamic group of females who are already putting Board Members and 19 Local Board Presidents and 150 task their passion and energy into building a better future for the force members. land and people of Israel,” said Rochford.

70 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

PREVIEWS PREVIEWS

ENCORE PRESENTATION OF “THAT IRVING BERLIN THING”

Scottsdale Musical Theater Company presents the return of their original, world-premiere musical, “That Irving Berlin Thing” at the Tempe Center for the Arts at 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway in Tempe. There will be four performances, April 19 & 20 at 2 and 7 pm, of the two-act revue featuring over 40 of the legend’s most notable, and rarely-heard songs.

That Irving Berlin Thing was conceived, written and directed by award-winning performer/director Hector Coris with musical arrangements by Curtis Moeller. The featured performers are Hector Coris, Melissa Kamel, Lauren Koeritzer, Michael Schauble and Karylin Veres with narration by Bill Diekmann. The show will also feature a 4-piece band, led by musical director Joni Van Rossum.

“It is vital to preserve these classics of the ‘Great American Songbook’ which are in danger of becoming lost in the public consciousness. These songs are timeless and speak to a huge part of our cultural history,” states creator and long-time cabaret performer Hector Coris. “The musical arts are propelling so quickly into the future that we are in danger of forgetting the rich traditions on which Broadway, Hollywood and popular music were built. This is not just nostalgia for the old folks but a lesson for future generations to know where good songs came from. Plus, with the current tempestuous arguments against immigrants, Irving Berlin is a prime example of a wayward soul welcomed into this country’s fabric and his ever-lasting contributions therein.”

Ticket prices for “That Irving Berlin Thing” are $33$42 and available by calling 602-909-4215 or online at scottsdalemusicaltheater.com.

RICE BROTHERS PERFORMING AT BETH AMI TEMPLE

The Rice Brothers, a pair of young, internationally acclaimed musicians who have performed extensively across Europe and the United States, including New York’s famed Carnegie Hall, will usher in notes of hope and enthusiasm when they headline the annual Sounds of Spring concert at Beth Ami Temple at

3535 E. Lincoln Blvd. in Paradise Valley on Sunday, April 22 at 3 pm.

The siblings, talented in playing both piano and cello, will perform an energetic hour-long concert featuring a blend of classical music, gospel, jazz, ragtime and boogiewoogie. Chopin's music is featured prominently in their concerts in part due to the brothers' pride in their Polish heritage, highlighted by their receiving the 2015 Polish Heritage Award from the Polish American Congress.

"Beth Ami Temple has enjoyed a successful yearly musical experience together since 2012 with a variety of performers," says event chairperson Donna Horwitz.

"What is most satisfying to me is, throughout the months in between concerts, members ask me who will be the entertainment for that year so I know they are looking forward to the next one."

The concert is open to The Rice Brothers the general public. Light refreshments will be served after the concert. For more information, visit bethamitemple. org. Tickets may be purchased by calling Donna Horwitz at 602-997-5623 or emailing her at azhorwitzs@cox.net.

FINANCIAL LITERACY MONTH

April is Financial Literacy Month and Jewish Free Loan is offering The Facts & Myths of Credit: Keys to Building and Maintaining Good Credit to coincide with this important empowerment effort.

This free workshop will take place on Wednesday, April 25 from 7 to 9pm at Beth Joseph Congregation at 515 E. Bethany Home Road in Phoenix. The Facts & Myths of Credit: Keys to Building and Maintaining Good Credit is open to the entire community and highly recommended for high school and college students, as well as their parents and anyone wanting to understand more about how the credit system works.

The Facts & Myths of Credit: Keys to Building and Maintaining Good Credit workshop is the final offering of the 2017-2018 program year, which has included financial literacy workshops designed for people approaching retirement, families, women, teens and young adults.

In addition to offering this workshop, Jewish Free Loan will be gearing up its Fiscally Fit social media campaign on Facebook for Financial Literacy Month, which will include resources and tips for making sound financial decisions.

For more information about Jewish Free Loan’s Financial Literacy Program and/or to RSVP for the workshop, contact programs@jewishfreeloan.org or 602-230-7983.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 71

L iving

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S E C A F & PLACES

BETTER TOGETHER – In their first-ever combined fundraising luncheon, Jewish Family & Children’s Service and Sojourner Center, an affiliate subsidiary of JFCS, raised $400,000 at its Brighter Tomorrow Hope Luncheon, held March 2 at the Arizona Biltmore. The luncheon was attended by more than 500 people, and focused specifically on domestic violence awareness.

Dr. Zulli and Sarae Steremberg

From left, DeeDee Vecchione, Christine Marsh and Jessica Barranco

Michael, Heather and Enid Seiden

BREAKFAST FOR ISRAEL – Jewish National Fund Arizona held their annual Breakfast for Israel on March 9 at the Arizona Biltmore. This was the largest attended event in JNF Arizona’s history, and raised the most funds of any previous breakfast event.

From left, Joshua Offenhartz (breakfast co-chair), Shira Offenhartz (breakfast co-chair), Susan Farber, (Arizona board president), Kim Kotzin, (breakfast co-chair and Arizona board member) and Lynton Kotzin (breakfast co-chair)

From left, Alan Jablin, Randi Jablin (Arizona board member) and Ambassador Danny Ayalon

From left, Jonathan Breakstone (Arizona board member), Susan Breakstone, Judy Bassett (Arizona board member), Antonia Schnaid and Lori Brill WAR SONGS/STORIES – Sheldon Winkler, left, with Marcia Weisberg, Patti Becker and Ellen Rosenbaum.

On March 5, at the VOSJCC courtesy of Bureau of Jewish Education, Winkler gave a talk on Jewish composers and the music of WWII. Photo by Leni Reiss.

PARTY TIME – Brenda Bochner, left, and Yolanda Schatz show off their sign-up table for the Ladies Luncheon they are hosting as part of Temple Beth Shalom’s fundraising Festival of Parties. The parties will be held at members’ homes during the month of April.

72 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

From left, Harvey Belfer (Arizona board of trustees), Sandy Belfer and Ambassador Danny Ayalon

PLAY BALL – Several ballplayers from Team Israel who appeared in the 22nd Annual Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival movie, “Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel” appeared at the film’s screening in Scottsdale, along with the documentary’s co-director Seth Kramer. The record-breaking 2018 Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival saw more than 10,000 attendees over its two-week run in Scottsdale, Tempe and Peoria, making it the biggest fest in its history.

Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival co-Executive Directors Barry Singer and Jerry Mittelman with “Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel” director Seth Kramer.

The Tale of Team Israel director codirector Seth Kramer poses with some Jewish sports MVPs, including members of Team Israel.

PURIM FUN – Nancy Schwartz Sternoff, left, and Sheryl Quen joined the Women of the Wall in Israel on Purim (March 1).

ABOVE: Rabbi Israel Becker, third from the left, and jovial young congregants from Congregation Chofetz Chayim in Tucson celebrate Purim in China with delicious kosher Chinese food.

ABOVE LEFT: Religious school students from Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley enjoyed some Purim festivities.

PREPARING FOR PASSOVER – Ameila Enzweiler, age 4, portrayed Moses as the children of the Valley of the Sun JCC Early Childhood Center prepare for the Passover holiday marking the 10 plagues on Egypt and the Israelites release from bondage.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION – At Ignition!, hundreds of women gathered to celebrate the successful efforts of Women’s Philanthropy, the arm of Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix dedicated to the connectivity, continuity and vibrancy of our Jewish community. Attendees Andrea Kravets, left, and Diane Ozer, right, with Alison Feinberg, winner of the Spirit of Jeannette Continuing Service award. The luncheon, featuring guest speaker Sharon Tal of Maskit, Israel’s fashion house, was March 20 at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort. Photo by Leni Reiss

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 73

Through May 1

APRIL CALENDAR

We Remember – Extraordinary Stories of Holocaust Survivors at the Arizona Jewish Historical Society, 122 E. Culver St., Phoenix.

Exhibit features a partial exhibit of artist Robert Sutz’s original work. A permanent gallery is planned for the future. Contact Jeffrey Schesnol at jschesnol@azjhs.org to arrange a tour.

April 5 Memory Café at Beth El Congregation, 1118 W. Glendale Ave., Phoenix from 10 to 11:30 am.

Jewish Family & Children’s Service’s April Memory Café will be featuring JFSC’ very own senior chorus, The Sunshine Singers. There is no charge to attend, but registration is required. To register or for further information, please e-mail Kathy. rood@jfcsaz.org or call Kathy at 602-452-4627.

April 8 Yom HaShoah Commemoration at Beth El Congregation, 1118 W. Glendale Ave., Phoenix at 3 pm. Honoring those lost in the Holocaust. There will be a procession of survivors, special music and a menorah of memory. For more information, visit phoenixhsa.org.

April 9 Sip and Schmooze in the Barn at the Orchard, 7100 N. 12th St., Phoenix at 11 am. Sip on kosher coffee or tea, enjoy a homemade pastry and Schmooze with great company. For more information, contact chani@sosaz.org.

April 9-14 6th Genocide Awareness Week at Scottsdale Community College, 9000 E. Chaparral Road, Scottsdale. Presentations begin at 9 am.

Series of lectures, exhibits and storytelling by distinguished survivors, scholars, politicians, activists, artists, humanitarians and members of law enforcement. Free. For more information, visit scottsdalecc.edu/genocide.

April 12 Parkinson’s Wellness Day @ The J at the Valley of the Sun JCC, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale from 10:30 am to 1:15 pm. Come dressed for exercise and fun! Dr. Jordan Staenberg, doctor of occupational therapy and yoga teacher, shares her distinctive, holistic approach to occupational therapy, helping individuals live artfully with innovative, evidencebased, effective methods for improving function and comfort. Presented in partnership with Barrow Neurological Institute Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center and Belmont Village Scottsdale.

Free, but registration is recommended. For more information, contact 877-728-5414.

Yom HaShoah with EVJCC at 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler from 10 am to 1 pm. There will be 74 APRIL 2018 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

an art exhibit, prayer, a speaker, ceremony and food. For more information, contact 480-8970588 or events@evjcc.org.

West Valley Yom HaShoah Event at Beth Emeth Congregation of the West Valley, 13702 W. Meeker Blvd., Sun City West from 6:30 to 8 pm.

Boy Scout Troop #400 will read the names of the death camps as we light candles for those who perished. Prayers will be led by Rabbi Tracee Rosen. Our guest speaker, Joel Lassman of the Next Generation will present his parent’s Holocaust hardships and determination to survive. There will be refreshments at the end of the event. Reservations required, contact 623584-7210 between 9 am and 1 pm on weekdays.

April 15 Yom HaShoah Service at Temple Emanuel of Tempe, 5801 S. Rural Road, Tempe from 2 to 4 pm. For more information, contact 480-838-1414 or emanueloftempe.org.

April 17 Yom Hazikaron Ceremony at Temple Chai, 4645 E. Marilyn Road, Phoenix at 6:30 pm. A community observance of Yom Hazikaron – Israel Memorial Day – to honor the lives and memories of the fallen soldiers and the victims of terrorism.

Presented by Israeli American Council – Arizona.

For more information, visit israeliamerican.org/ arizona.

April 22 Avoiding Consumer Scams & Identity Theft at the Valley of the Sun JCC, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale from1 to 2 pm. Scammers and identity thieves are more technologically advanced and aggressive. Anyone can be a victim. Learn to read the red flags and how to avoid becoming a victim.

Featuring Betty Delano, outreach coordinator for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Free, but registration recommended at vosjcc.org/idtheft.

Rice Brothers Performing at Beth Ami Temple.

See page 71.

April 25 Financial Literacy Month. See page 71.

Focus on Skin Cancer: A Panel Discussion with the Experts at the Valley of the Sun JCC, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale from 1 to 2:30 pm. Learn about skin cancer, its prevention, detection and the newest cutting-edge advances in treatment right here in the Valley by three renowned physicians in the fields of dermatology and oncology. Q & A and skin cancer screening demonstration follows. Free, but registration required at 480-481-7024 or vosjcc.org/skin.

The Life, Time & Music of Benny Goodman: A Musical and Historical Review at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Road,

Tucson from 6:30 to 8 pm. Performance by the April 18 Jewish Jazz Connection featuring the music of Professional Women’s Division Cooking Benny Goodman. $10. For more information, visit Demonstration Event. See page 70. tucsonjcc.org/programs/arts/special-events.

NT DATES April 19 NowGen Happy Hour at Casa Amigos (Formerly Livewire), 7320 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale from 6 to 8 pm. Networking and fun for Jewish young adults. Register with Kelly Harris at 480-4817010 or kharris@jewishphoenix.org.

Yom Ha’atzmaut at the East Valley JCC at 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Food and live music. $7 person, $20 family.

For more information, contact 480-897-0588 or events@evjcc.org.

April 19 & 20 Encore Presentation of “That Irving Berlin Thing.”

See page 71.

April 21 Special Needs Community Dance at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale from 7 to 10:30 pm.

Gesher Disability Resources (Formerly Council For Jews With Special Needs) presents their third annual community dance for adults with special needs. $5 (caregivers and volunteers are free).

For more information, visit gesherdr.org.

April 26 Gefilte Tank at Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center, 122 E. Culver St., Phoenix from 7 to 10 pm. Hear from four unbelievable Federationfunded organizations and vote on your favorite: Moishe House, Hillel at ASU, The Friendship Circle, and Summer Camp Scholarships. The winning organization will become the NowGen giving project for 2018. $18 for one vote, $36 for two votes and $54 for three votes. Cost includes event, votes, dessert and one drink ticket. Dietary laws observed. Register at jewishphoenix.org/ gefiltetank.

April 29 Rummage Sale at Beth Emeth Congregation of the West Valley, 13702 W. Meeker Blvd., Sun City from 9 to 11:30 am. For more information, contact 623-584-7210.

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