Arizona Jewish Life May 2016 Vol. 4 / Issue 8

MAY 2016

WANDER NO MORE

Spotlight on Seniors Resources & Discounts

Israel & Arizona Ties that Bind

Arizona taste of

Featured Restaurants and More

Jakki

Liberman Meet the Successful Entrepreneur Behind Bumkins

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Set to open in early May, The Orchard Phx is located at 7100 North 12th Street in Phoenix, just between Northern and Glendale Avenues. The Orchard Phx will be home to three concepts: Pomelo, Splurge Ice Cream & Candy Shop and Luci’s at The Orchard — all brought to you by the folks of Luci’s Healthy Marketplace. Pomelo will be a full-service restaurant that will serve contemporary American food, cocktails, wine, and beer and include a beautiful courtyard with multiple patios, a full wrap around bar, and an intimate lounge.

Splurge, which will offer ice cream, candy and sweet treats in a fun, old-school parlor-like atmosphere. And lastly, Luci’s at The Orchard, a quick-service restaurant and marketplace offering breakfast and lunch, novelty items, and gourmet coffee inspired by the original location you know and love at 16th Street and Bethany Home Road. We look forward to sharing a whole new culinary experience with our community soon — stay tuned!

4 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 5

Inside

May 2016 / Nisan-Iyar 5776 | Volume 4/Issue 8

24

44

58

Features

JKids & Teens too Julie & Dan Witenstein celebrate 25 years of Arizona Sunrays……..………58

Necessity led this mother to invent Bumkins ……………………………………… 16

Baby you can drive my car .............………………………………………………… 61 Get in the game with library summer reading programs……..………………..62 Kids & teen events ....................................………………………………………64

COVER STORY

JEWS WITH ATTITUDE

Distracted teen drivers? There’s an app for that …………………………………..12 BUSINESS

Ins & Outs………………………………………….………………………………………….14 FOOD

A Taste of Arizona: The Welcome Diner ……………………………….………………22 Chef’s Corner: A mother’s gift…....…………………………………………….……….24 Cheri's kosher cactus confections……………………………………………………..28 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Pulp fiction ……………………………..…….……………………………………………..29 ‘Bad Jews’ at Temple of Music and Art ………….…………………………………….31 HOME & GARDEN

From the ground up ………...……………………………………………………………. 32 Water from a plant’s perspective …………….………………………………………..36 Pamper mom in style ……………………………………………………………………..38

Seniors Living and sharing lessons of resilience…………………..………………………….40 Compassion and healing – a generation later ……………………………….…… 44 Concierge and JEA connect seniors to resources ………………………………... 46 Jewish vets dedicated to helping others ……………………………………………..50 From U.S. Navy to IDF to Jewish War Vets in Phoenix ……………………………..52 Senior directory……………………………………………………………………………..54 Senior discounts and deals.............…………………………………………………..56

JLiving Students find contrast and commonalities with Israeli soldiers…………….65 Affirming love in the face of death …………………………………………………. 67 Ross sheds light on U.S.-Israel connections ……………………………………..68 Federation Notes…………………..…………………………………………………….69 Faces & Places ………….…………………………………………………………….…77 Previews ……………………….…………………………………………………………...81 Calendar …….………………..……………………………………………………………82

Israel Israel through different eyes……………………….………………………………….70

Arizonans making aliyah ………………………………………………….… ………..72 Israelis in Arizona ……………………………………………...…………..73 Spring holidays in the Holy Land…………………..…………………………………74 Arava Institute tackles cross-border environmental issues…………………..75

Columns 22 A Taste of Arizona by A. Noshman 24 Chef’s Corner by Lucia Schnitzer 61 Family Time by Debra Rich Gettleman 67 To Life by Amy Hirshberg Lederman

On the cover: Jakki Liberman, founder and president of Bumkins Finer Baby Products, Inc. Photo by Leyna Segal.

Correction: In the April 2016 issue of Arizona Jewish Life magazine, the photograph on p.18 of Gary Ringel, Eliot Kaplan, Steven Schwartz, Tivon Moffitt and Elliott Pollack was taken by Daniel Spiegelman Photography.

6 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 7

WANDER NO MORE

Publishers Robert Philip and Cindy Saltzman

Advertising and Editorial Director Cindy Saltzman

Editor-in-Chief Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

What does the Federation do?

We help people.

Associate Editor & Events Coordinator Mala Blomquist

Contributing Editor Leni Reiss

Your donation to the Federation makes an amazing difference in peoples lives by... ... taking care of Jews in need, building community and creating vibrant Jewish life ... increasing understanding and support of Israel through a united community voice ... engaging with young Jewish adults in ways they find meaningful

Social Media Editor Debra Rich Gettleman

Webmaster Karl Knelson

Art Director Philip Nerat

Columnists Debra Rich Gettleman, Amy Hirshberg Lederman, A. Noshman, Lucia Schnitzer and Stuart Wachs

Contributing Writers Barbara Kaplan, Leah Merrall, Tracy Salkowitz, Masada Siegel, Aviva Tirosh, Teddy Weinberger and Sheila Wilensky

... helping seniors age in place with Jewish dignity

That’s it. That’s what we do.

WE HELP PEOPLE. Give today. Create tomorrow.

Helping Jews in need and building vibrant Jewish communities here, in Israel and throughout the world.

480.634.4900 x 1299 | jewishphoenix.org/donate

8 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

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Complimentary copies of Arizona Jewish Life magazine are available at dozens of retail locations including AJ’s Fine Foods, Chompie’s, Eli’s Deli, synagogues, Jewish community centers and organizations, entertainment venues, restaurants and professional offices.

Upcoming Issues June/July 2016 – Focus on Staycations & Summer Plans, Best Summer Deals August 2016 – Annual Resource Guide & Education Supplement September 2016 – Focus on Arts & Entertainment, High Holidays

Publication Dates & Deadlines Arizona Jewish Life magazine is published on the first of the month.

LOOK WHAT’S COMING TO OUR COMMUNITY! Soon the Valley of the Sun JCC will open the community’s premiere aquatics center.

Biz Ins & Outs: Business news is due 4 weeks before publication (May 1 forJune/July).

Faces & Places: Photos from past events are due about 20 days prior to publication (May 10 for June/July).

Events: Information about upcoming events is due about 20 days prior to publication (May 10 for June/July).

Calendar: Please post events on our online calendar. Relevant events that are posted by the 10th of the month before publication (May 10 for June/July) will be included in the magazine. To request first-time authorization to post events online, go to azjewishlife.com and scroll down to the “Calendar Access Request” link under “Quick Links” on the right. After you submit the form, you’ll receive an email with instructions for posting future events.

A Prince Hal Production (TGMR18)

The content and opinions in Arizona Jewish Life do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers, staff or contractors. Articles and columns are for informational purposes only and not intended as a substitute for professional advice. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, Arizona Jewish Life, and its agents, publishers, employees and contractors will not be held responsible for the misuse of any information contained herein. The publishers reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Publication of advertisements does not constitute endorsement of products or services.

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 9

I am always impressed at the strength and diversity of ties between the state of Arizona and the state of Israel. With family and close friends on both sides of the ocean, I tend to take these types of connections for granted. I often joke with my friend Debbie, who lives in the Jerusalem suburb of Beit Shemesh, about our parallel lives – similar professions, children close in age, daughters in the IDF, familiar aches and pains of aging. And though years may pass without being in the same country, much less the same café, we always focus more on what we have in common than on what sets us apart. It’s a good thing we live in the era of Skype and WhatsApp, otherwise our long-distance phone bills would be astronomical.

The same can be said for Jewish Arizona and Israel – and I’d like to think it’s more than just similar climates that bring us together. This is made abundantly clear throughout this issue of Arizona Jewish Life. There’s potential for collaboration to breed algae for biofuel, meet-ups between college students and Israeli reserve soldiers, a look at the U.S.-Israel relationship through the eyes of a former ambassador to Israel and partnerships between funders and beneficiaries. We also present snapshots of Arizonans who made aliyah and Israelis who call Arizona home.

We share both environmental concerns – such as water conservation, as addressed in this month’s gardening column –

10 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

and a spirit of innovation. The term start-up nation has almost become cliché to describe Israel. But that entrepreneurial mindset certainly applies to local business owners as well, like Jakki Liberman, who turned her quest for waterproof cloth diapers into an international company; David Hazan, who is on a mission to stop distracted driving; Julie and Dan Witenstein, who have shared their love for gymnastics and dance with two generations of Arizonans; and Scott More, who proved that his business model of “cost + 15%” is more than viable in today’s economy.

In this issue, we also shine a spotlight on seniors. You can read about initiatives to address the growing needs of aging Baby Boomers and beyond in both Phoenix and Tucson, meet two daughters of Holocaust survivors and visit with the men and women who served our country at Jewish War Veterans Scottsdale Post 210. We threw in a convenient sampling of discounts offered to reward seniors at attractions, grocery stores and other venues around the state, too.

So on the occasion of Israel completing 68 years of independence, raise a toast to the ties that bind across the ocean and across the generations.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 11

Jews With Attitude

Distracted teen drivers? There’s an app for that

Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

David Hazan is a man on a mission. His goal: to save lives on the road by getting drivers to change one habit – put down our cell phones. Period.

And the 34-year-old entrepreneur has created a mobile app that succeeds in doing just that, one distracted driver at a time.

According to a 2013 study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, each day in the United States, more than 8 people are killed and 1,161 injured in crashes involving a distracted driver. This study also noted that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens.

“Annually, 2,900 teenage deaths and 200,000 plus hospitalizations are inexcusable for something that we really can just put down,” says David, who moved back to his hometown of Tucson in 2013.

Although texting is certainly not the only distraction while driving, it has the potential to be much more deadly, according to the CDC. Texting takes the driver’s attention away from driving more frequently and longer than other distractions. At 55 mph, the average text takes your eyes off the road long enough to cover the length of a football field.

In 2014, David, who grew up in Tucson and graduated from the University of Arizona with a triple major in finance, economics and entrepreneurship, began working with a software developer to address the distracted driving epidemic. They took the idea to the Code for Tucson 2014 Civic Hackathon, where they won an award for Best Commercial Potential.

The result is Down for the Count, an app that rewards users for ignoring their cell phones while in a moving vehicle. After downloading the app, the user sets up a campaign to abstain from cell phone use for a certain number of driving hours and selects the reward incentive. For example, a $5 gift card for five hours of phone-free driving, $10 for 10 hours, or $25 for 25 hours. Gift card selections include local restaurants, iTunes and online retailers. The user also chooses a sponsor (typically a parent) to approve the campaign and agree to pay for the reward. Once the campaign is approved, the user just taps “Start” when they get in the car and “Stop” when they reach their destination. The app runs in the background and keeps track of the time. It allows the use of maps and music apps, as long as the 12 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Down for the Count, David Hazan’s app to deter teen texting.

Karen Stein

user starts them before turning on DFTC and doesn’t touch them while the app is running. When the user completes a campaign, the reward is automatically downloaded to their smartphone and ready to use.

The idea behind the app is to provide an incentive that gets us to break our habit of incessant smartphone use. Sounds powerful, but does it work?

David has anecdotal evidence from students in a Tucson-based pilot program who say that yes, it does. “I get thank you emails from teens, themselves. When I speak to school assemblies I hear, ‘I used to use my phone all the time, but now I think about it. Even if I forget to run your app, I still think not to use my phone.’ And that is really what keeps me going,” David says. Once the habit is established, some teens even reduce the 25-hour reward from $25 to $10. It becomes about being safe and responsible, not just getting free food or music.

That’s really saying something, when you consider that the average teen spends between 12 to 18 hours a day on their phone.

In the first eight months of the pilot program, which was launched in August 2015, users drove more than 150,000 cellphone-free miles.

David’s business model for the future is to partner with insurance companies to offer discounts for users who achieve certain metrics or who use DFTC on a regular basis. That’s when he hopes he’ll begin to see a return on his investment.

He acknowledges that teens are not the only ones who suffer from distracted driving. He admits that it took him about a year to break his own smartphone addiction. “I didn’t think I had an addiction before I created the app,” David says, “But you get to that red light and you know you have a minute, so, of course, you’re going to engage with your cellular device, because it’s so quick and easy. The problem is, that’s your gateway drug. You’re rarely finished with your conversation, and that’s where the risk can occur.

“The toughest part about this fight is that most of us have done it tens, hundreds, thousands of times and never been in an accident, never killed somebody. Maybe you’ve had a close call or two, but the sad thing is you get this reinforcement cycle of checking your phone at a light and nothing ever happens. And the awful thing with distracted driving accidents is that they’re random. You become inattentive and boom, the accident occurs.”

Smartphone distractions don’t stop with the driver. “You can have a good, safe driver, but the passenger next to him gets this hilarious Snapchat video and, of course, the driver looks over at the video because it’s going to disappear forever,” says David. That’s why he’s partnering with high schools to get teens from all grades involved, even if they’re not driving yet. (And he’s looking for additional schools, sports teams, youth groups and other organizations who want to help spread the word and increased usage… hint, hint.)

With the prevalence of these temptations, is society capable of enacting the change needed to make a difference? David thinks so.

“We’ve done it before. In 1984, seatbelt usage in the United States was 9% and now it’s 90%. It took 30 years to increase use of the number one thing that prevents death from accidents. We don’t need to have 30 years of losing 2,900 teens a year. The only way to stop this is to put our phones down.”

You can download the free Down for the Count iPhone app from the App Store and it will soon be available for Android phones, too. For more information, visit downforthecountapp.com or email David at david@putitdownapp.com.

David Hazan

Distracted driving by the numbers In 2014, 3,179 people were killed and 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. (distraction.gov/stats-research-laws/factsand-statistics.html) Young people are especially at risk: 10% of all drivers 15 to 19 years old involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted at the time of the crash. (distraction. gov/stats-research-laws/facts-and-statistics.html) 71% of young adult drivers say they have sent a text while driving. (fdotmiamidade.com/putitdown) Texting while driving is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. (commdiginews.com/business-2/textingwhile-driving-a-leading-cause-of-auto-accidents-deathamong-teen-drivers-12781) 20% of teens admit to having multi-message text conversations each time they drive. (umtri.umich.edu/ content/rr_43_4.pdf) The average text read or typed is 4.6 seconds. Just three seconds of texting while driving at 65 mph is equal to driving the length of a football field, blindfolded. (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the California Office of Traffic Safety) Teenagers read or send text messages once a trip 26 times more often than their parents think they do. (umtri.umich.edu/content/rr_43_4.pdf) ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 13

ABRAHAM NAMED TO ARIZONA TOP 100

The law firm of Burch & Cracchiolo is pleased to announce that shareholder Andrew “Andy” Abraham has been named among the 2016 “Top 100 Lawyers” in the state by Arizona Business Magazine for the sixth consecutive year. The magazine recognizes attorneys who are wellknown for their legal knowledge, experience and business acumen inside and outside legal circles.

Abraham has been practicing for more than 30 years in the real estate law and real estate litigation practice area. Concentrating his practice primarily in the areas of commercial litigation, real estate litigation and real estate transactions and finance. He also has substantial experience in the area of franchisor/franchisee relations. bcattorneys.com.

WINCHESTER ANNOUNCES BID FOR PIMA COUNTY SUPERVISOR

John Winchester has announced that he is running for Pima County Board of Supervisors in District 1.

Winchester was born and raised in Tucson and has lived in Pima County his entire life. As the state director of Christians United For Israel, Winchester builds relationships between Christian and Jewish communities to foster support for the U.S.-Israel relationship. He has garnered bi-partisan support for legislation at the state and federal levels. Winchester has volunteered in homeless shelters, with the Arizona Department of Corrections, veterans’ groups and 4Tucson, an organization looking to increase Christian civic engagement to solve local problems. winchesterforsupervisor.com.

CHILDREN’S AUTHOR FIELDS HONORED

Phoenix-based author Terri Fields has won a Christopher Award for the book One Good Deed (preschool and up, Kar-Ben Publishing), illustrated

by Deborah Melmon. It is one of 12 books for adults and young people by 21 authors and illustrators to be celebrated, along with the writers, 14 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

producers and directors of nine winning feature films and TV/cable programs, on May 19 at the 67th annual Christopher Awards in New York. Kar-Ben publishes children’s titles with Jewish content. One Good Deed is offered through PJ Library and can be found online at pjlibrary.org/books/one-good-deed/IF00640.

“I wrote the book to show that doing community service doesn’t have to be a highly organized, group activity and that each of us (including children) can do considerate things every day,” said Fields. “Though we may not realize it, those small kindnesses can have far reaching consequences.” terrifields.com.

FRANK JOINS EMPLOYERS HEALTH ALLIANCE OF ARIZONA

The Employers Health Alliance of Arizona has announced the selection of Susan Frank as its new executive director.

Frank joins the Alliance after serving as director of health and wellness for the Tucson Jewish Community Center since 2014.

“Susan brings a high level of critical thinking, enthusiasm and innovative ideas to our organization and its members,” said founder and executive chair Larry Aldrich. “We are confident she brings the leadership, knowledge and dedication necessary to help drive true change to make Tucson the healthiest community in America.”

Frank’s resume includes nearly 30 years as a small business owner in the areas of health and wellness and architecture and design. At the Tucson J, she engaged in partnerships with some of Tucson’s leading healthcare organizations including Tucson Medical Center and the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

“One of the top concerns of employers today is the high cost of health care,” Frank said. “By reducing cost and improving the quality and safety of health care, Tucson will be on the top of the list for companies and employees as the best place in the nation to live, work, do business and receive healthcare.”

520-247-2812 | ehaaz.org

LANDAU SHAHON SELECTED FOR NATIONAL WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY

The Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix congratulates Women’s Philanthropy Chair Julee Landau Shahon on being named to the

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Jewish Federation of North America’s Women’s Philanthropy board.

“Julee has been instrumental to the resurgence of our local Women’s Philanthropy efforts. We are honored to have her represent our community and thrilled that her outstanding work has been recognized through this appointment,” said Robin Loeb, director of Women’s Philanthropy and donor relations. “Her passion, dedication and insight about the work of the federation will be a wonderful addition to this board of leadership women.”

“I am thrilled to be selected to be part of the Women’s Philanthropy Board of JFNA. I am proud to continue to bring my Detroit-family tradition to Phoenix and to be able to represent our community in this way,” said Landau Shahon.

480-634-4900 | jewishphoenix.org

JFCS AMONG PIZZA CONTEST BENEFICIARIES

Flancer’s Restaurant in Gilbert recently held its 16th annual fundraiser, netting more than $10,000 each for Jewish Family and Children’s Service, Sunshine Acres Children’s Home and WarFighter Sports. The highlight was a pizza eating contest won by Matthew Smith, who ate 2 large cheese pizzas in 15 minutes. He was crowned by Miss Arizona and the mayor of Gilbert.

Owner Jeff Flancer says, “In this wonderful world where so many magical and beautiful things happen, there is also desperation and hopelessness. If we can improve the lives of people through our efforts, then good will triumph over evil.” flancers.com.

Business Ins & Outs welcomes submissions of news items. Send brief announcements (up to 200 words), contact information and photo to

editor@azjewishlife.com.

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Cover

Necessity mother led this to invent Bumkins

By Mala Blomquist

When Jakki Liberman was pregnant with her third child, she had a dilemma.

Her daughter, Marlee, had sensitive skin and disposable diapers had just started being manufactured with a “staydry” waist shield. The problem was, wherever the stay-dry waist shield touched Marlee’s skin, she broke out in a terrible rash. Jakki’s pediatrician suggested that she switch to cloth diapers. It was 1989, and the only option was to use a diaper service. They provided the diapers, pins and plastic covers. One day, as Jakki was adjusting the diaper inside the plastic cover she thought, “if only they sewed the diaper into the cover,” and the first line of Bumkins Finer Baby Products was born.

She created a diaper/cover-in-one, with a soft, absorbent inner core and a waterproof outer shell, fastened with Velcro instead of large pins. With positive responses from other new moms, she thought that perhaps she was onto something big.

A lot of thought and care went into that first design. For the inside layer, Jakki used flannelette instead of cotton, a soft fabric commonly used in her hometown of Winnipeg,

Canada. “When I had a baby, my mom would arrive from Canada with a bolt of flannelette, to cut receiving blankets from,” explains Jakki. Then, for the outer shell, Jakki wanted a waterproof fabric that would hold up after 200 washes, not lose its color and remain soft.

Finding that waterproof fabric proved challenging, and Jakki had to learn a lot about the textile industry. She wanted soft, she wanted durable.

Having a background in graphic design, she also wanted a fabric that she could print original designs on, without the colors bleeding or fading. She worked with fabric mills to develop SuperBib, the fabric that Bumkins uses today. It is a woven microfiber polyester with a proprietary waterproof coating on the front and back. Once Jakki had the right fabric she hired a local company to cut and sew, and she set up an office in her home so that she could be there for her children.

She was getting the diapers into the market and placing small 1-inch square advertisements in the back of the big parenting magazines at the time. She would receive checks from people and then fulfill the orders.

The whole process was extremely labor intensive and she decided to approach the wholesale market. Then someone

One day, as Jakki was adjusting the diaper inside the plastic cover she thought, “if only they sewed the diaper into the cover.”

16 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Jakki Liberman, founder and president of Bumkins Finer Baby Products.

Photo by Leyna Segal ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 17

told her about the “juvenile show,” a trade show for baby and children’s products, in Dallas. Jakki went to Dallas in 1990 and her diapers with their attached covers won Best Product of the Year.

It was at another one of these trade shows where she had an “aha” moment. As she was unpacking her products, she looked around at other vendors and realized that she should make bibs.

“All that was available at the time was hard plastic or cotton bibs. We had this soft, waterproof fabric with fun prints and I thought ‘Hmm,’” says Jakki. When she returned from the show, she started producing bibs. They were much easier for her sewers, having fewer steps to assemble than the diaper covers.

And they were more mainstream. Not everyone uses cloth diapers, but everyone uses bibs. The bibs proved to be a hit and became the company’s top selling product line. Just this March, Bumkins’ SuperBib won its third Cribsie Award for “Surest Way to Save an Outfit” from users on StrollerTraffic.com and TheBabyGuyGearGuide.com.

As more competition came onto the market, Jakki had to figure out where Bumkins fit in. By now, she was a divorced, single mother with four small children and she needed to get serious about supplementing her income and selling her products.

Jakki Liberman and Johanna Donnenfield represent Bumkins at the Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association Trade Show in Dallas, 1990.

18 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

She was hired by a company to produce lines of bibs with fun sayings on them. She did this for several years, so she could continue to work from home and be with her children. Then WalMart approached the company she was freelancing for and wanted to produce a “knock off ” of their bibs. Jakki had to adjust her business to keep up with the new demands of WalMart and learn how to work with big retailers and import products.

Then in 1998, Jakki struck up a conversation with the person sitting next to her on a plane. This gentleman was in the hitech industry and gave Jakki the idea to take her design and consulting background, and her design team from Bumkins, and do freelance marketing and design work for the hi-tech world. She managed this new enterprise in addition to Bumkins.

She had lots of clients, was working on challenging projects including the Y2K situation and was traveling around the world.

There was one problem, she had no life.

She was lamenting to her father one day about her situation; that she had started Bumkins in the first place so that she could be home with her kids, now she was running two companies non-stop. He listened, then gave her some sage advice, “Focus on the business that will still make money when you are not working,” he told her “and, what business can you sell at the end?” That is when she decided the priority was to slow down

and shift her focus entirely back to Bumkins.

So she, and her design team, turned their creativity back to where they had begun, and what they knew best: Creating unique patterns (there are 56 to date) on their own distinctive fabric and providing quality, eco-friendly products, working with the retailers that they had been developing relationships with for decades.

Then in 2005, things changed yet again. One day Jakki was told that Dr. Seuss was on the phone. Her first thought was, “Why is the orthodontist from Scottsdale calling me? Since when do orthodontists make sales calls?” it turns out it wasn’t the orthodontist, but the other Dr. Seuss. Someone had tried, and really liked, Bumkins products and wanted to know if Jakki would like to license with them to produce products featuring Dr. Seuss characters.

Once Jakki entered the world of licensing, there was no holding back. They produced products featuring the recognizable characters from the pages of Dr. Seuss on everything from bibs to T-shirts. After getting her feet wet in the world of licensed products, Jakki knew who she wanted to approach next, but her timing needed to be perfect. Luckily, it was. She approached

One day Jakki was told that Dr. Seuss was on the phone. Her first thought was, “Why is the orthodontist from Scottsdale calling me?”

Disney at a time when they were looking into re-branding their Disney Baby line, so Bumkins was able to co-brand with them, capturing new fans of the Magic Kingdom from birth.

The next licensing agreement came from DC Comics. Jakki was amazed that the items featuring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman became some of the most popular. New parents can have these superhero prints along with Dr. Seuss, Minnie and Mickey on coordinated diapers, bibs, snack bags, wet/dry bags, placemats, plates and bowls.

“Batman is really its own thing,” says Jakki incredulously.

Bumkins makes a silicone teether shaped like the batman logo that they cannot keep on the shelves. It was one of several Bumkins teethers to receive Cribsie awards as Academy Stars in the New Arrivals 2015 product category, scoring high marks for innovation, style/design, marketability and utility.

In 2010, Jakki opened Zoolikins in downtown Scottsdale.

Zoolikins is a retail store that sells “40% of our own product, and the rest being complementary products,” Jakki explains. She needed someone to run the store because she was too busy in the day-to-day dealings of Bumkins. She decided to reach out to her sister, Shira, who had made aliyah years earlier. With all of her children having left Israel, Shira was ready for a change.

Jakki proposed that she come back to the Valley and manage Zoolikins.

Shira helps soon-to-be-parents select items before the baby’s arrival and many return for cloth diapering classes and to learn the latest in baby-wearing techniques. Zoolikins is one of the few places that carries a variety of baby-wearing wraps

What does the Federation do?

We help people.

Your gift to the Federation supports our international partners, JAFI and JDC, to help Jews in need in Israel and throughout the world. Last year, with the help of the Federation, these agencies were able to provide support and emergency services to those affected by the war in Southern Israel and to help the 300,000 Jews suffering in Ukraine without food and other basic needs.

That’s it. That’s what we do.

We help people.

Give today. Create tomorrow.

Helping Jews in need and building vibrant Jewish communities here, in Israel and throughout the world.

480.634.4900 x 1299 | jewishphoenix.org/donate

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 19

and carriers, and gives instruction on how to use them correctly. Shira is also known to give tips on the best way to fold a cloth diaper for maximum absorption. “We help them get prepped for baby care,” Jakki explains. It’s also a place where new parents can find support. Zoolikins provides a community, because “people are not raising their kids where they grew up.”

Having family lend a helping hand is the theme around Bumkins. “My parents were amazingly helpful, since I was raising my four kids alone.” Jakki explains.

“My mom was brave enough to handle my kids during the summer, which included a Jewish sleepover camp outside of Winnipeg, Camp B’nai Brith. My kids learned canoeing and camping, and all the Jewish prayers and traditions, back in the ‘old Country’ – for us, in Canada.”

A family affair: Adam (above) and Chloe are two of Jakki’s children who lend a hand at Bumkins.

Zoolikins provides a community, because “people are not raising their kids where they grew up.”

Jakki’s children are also involved in the business. From fulfilling orders to traveling to Europe to work trade shows, they have been there. Currently three of them work with her: Adam, 30, is the warehouse manager; Marlee, 29, assists with tradeshows, marketing and video shoots (and she’s a nurse); and Chloe, 25, handles the e-commerce and logistics. Ali, 27, doesn’t work in the company, but recently graduated with a degree in sustainability and global studies.

In addition to the retail location in Scottsdale, they recently opened a Zoolikins store adjacent to the Bumkins warehouse in Phoenix. Add that to the 500 active retailers and 200 internet retailers that carry their products, not to mention the 12 trade shows a year they attend worldwide, and you have a very busy, booming, baby business.

But the heart of Bumkins is still Jakki. The same woman who started the business trying to make things easier for moms. She is still doing that. Fulfilling not only a physical need with the products, but an emotional one for new mommies who are far away from their own moms and have found support within the Bumkins community.

You can find Bumkins Finer Baby Products at bumkins.com, zoolikins.com or by visiting Zoolikins at 7118 E 5th Ave., Scottsdale, 480-878-4138 or 5452 E Washington St. #2, Phoenix, 480-664-864.

20 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Life-Legacy-JewishLife-3.604x4.937-Bleed-FINAL.pdf 1 10/19/2015 5:28:11 PM

WeizInst_SMOCK ad-3.604x 4.937 NEW_Layout 1 6/11/15 2:46 PM Page 1

Where wonders never cease.

Improving health and medicine. Protecting our planet. Fighting cancer.

Advancing technology.

Enriching education. It’s all in a day’s work at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.

C

M

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CM

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We are all responsible for the continued vitality of the Jewish organizations important to us.

CMY

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Offering a range of mental health and social services, JFCS helps foster a future where families are healthy, our children are safe, and our elders can live with dignity. Please consider a Legacy gift to JFCS.

Jewish Family & Children’s Service

To create your Jewish legacy contact: Frank Jacobson,VP of Marketing & Development Frank.Jacobson@jfcsaz.org 602-567-8329 • www.jfcsaz.org

While our breakthroughs in the past are numerous, it’s what we’re doing today and planning for tomorrow, that makes our Institute strong.

At Weizmann, hundreds of the world’s top scientists, fueled by curiosity and fertile imaginations, collaborate to help solve humanity’s greatest challenges.

For information visit WEIZMANN-USA.ORG or contact Andy Weissman: 909.913.1307, a.weissman@acwis.org The world needs our research.

We need your support.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 21

Arizona has become renowned as a culinary destination.

Drawing on traditional cuisines from New York, Israel and beyond, Arizona food has its own personality.

taste of

Arizona

The Welcome Diner $$ 924 E Roosevelt Street Phoenix, AZ 85006 602-495-1111 welcomediner.net

Tiny downtown diner has huge character

By A. Noshman

Downtown Phoenix revelers and late night munchie/nightcap people are going to love me for this. Hugging the edge of Roosevelt Row, a fabulously renovated arts, restaurant and downtown shopping district, sits an authentic 1940s mobile diner (wheels off and permanently installed) serving happy patrons from 5 pm – 2 am.

Yes, Phoenicians, food and drink ’til 2 am!

This tiny diner has only seven seats at the counter inside, but makes up for that with its walk up window and open patio with picnic tables. What it lacks in size, it makes up in character. It’s a gathering place for locals who know each other, and for the explorers (like me), who seek culinary adventure outside the frou-frou foodie places when the urge hits. Bottom line, The Welcome Diner is a necessity if you are hungry in Phoenix after 10 pm.

Being a small place it has a small menu, but each item carries with it the huge character of The Welcome Diner. It’s a farm to fork kind of establishment that proudly displays its local food purveyors. To me, the most surprising part of the menu was the signature cocktails. I was not expecting crafted cocktails with house made mixers. It was happy hour when I arrived, and I ask you, who could resist a $4 gin cocktail with house-made tonic? Not this guy, and that is how my experience began. Over the course of a couple of visits, this is how The Welcome Diner welcomed me:

22 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Gin & Tonic

Fish Po Boy

Gin & Tonic $6 ($4 during happy hour) (gin, house-made tonic, lemon, lime juice, seltzer)

If you are sitting inside at the counter as I was, you are part of the production process and I had the opportunity to ask about the tonic as it was being added to my drink. “It’s dark because we make it with cinchona bark,” Zack the mixologist/server said as he pointed to a clear glass container on the shelf with bits of bark inside. I later learned that cinchona bark is used as a muscle relaxer for people with malaria, hmmm. He sets my drink filled to the rim in front of me and I swear, three minutes later it was gone. Sweet, but not too, wonderful flavor and very refreshing, I had to stop myself from ordering another, but watched as other drinks, mostly bourbon concoctions, were lovingly assembled for the growing crowd.

Bumblebee $10

(fried chicken, local honey, house mustard, B&B pickles, served on a biscuit)

Yep, fried chicken on a biscuit. It came with pickles, mustard, drizzled with honey and a couple of chunks of watermelon on the side. Not fancy, but certainly delicious. The chicken was crisp, well-seasoned, tender and the biscuit was fresh. It is a generous portion of chicken breast and I think it’s the mustard that made it a little bit spicy. There are a lot of items on the menu that are based on biscuits, their specialty.

Fish Po’ Boy $12

(grilled whitefish, coleslaw, tartar sauce on a toasted baguette)

Whitefish is a delicately mild fish and this one was grilled to perfection. I tasted it separately from the sandwich, to truly enjoy the fish by itself, before biting into the whole thing. The cool coleslaw was wonderful, and combined with the good bread and tartar sauce made this a great, but a bit sloppy sandwich.

There’s a little spice to it, most likely from the tartar sauce, but it really enhances the flavor since the fish is so mild. Surprised to find seafood prepared so well in a downtown diner. Fish lovers have to try this one.

I came back for a second visit to sample some of the dairy options … and dessert, of course.

Mac and Cheese $8

(herb-infused cheese blend, blow torched crust)

Blow torch? Sign me up. Large elbow macaroni laden in cheesy goodness with a blackened crust and sprinkled with something green, arrived in a deep bowl. I loved watching them blow torch this and many other items throughout the night.

Under the crust, the dish was smooth, creamy and very mild.

Adding bits of toasted cheese to your fork made it seem like you were eating two different things. I always like the burnt cheese on homemade casseroles, so I get this. If you’re not a fan of crispy cheese, I suppose you could skip the pyrotechnics, but the blow torch was a fun twist.

Beignets $4

(local honey and powdered sugar)

Served piping hot, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with powdered sugar, this generous helping was calling me to eat, even though I knew I should let it cool first. These were the densest beignets I’d ever had and it threw me at first. I’m used to the fluffy, puffy, New Orleans style but these were “meaty” and I quickly fell in love. I did not share, though you could, and soon they were all gone. Loved the price on these as much as I did the crispy sweetness of this must-have dessert.

The open kitchen concept is all the rage in restaurants these days. At this tiny diner, their open kitchen wasn’t a trendy design choice, there’s no place else to put it. You could reach over and help the chef if you wanted. I love the fact that you get to see “backstage” if you will, that you know how it’s made and what you are going to get. It’s all part of the charm that envelopes everything here. The diner is cute, interesting, historic, but it’s also the people who go that add to the atmosphere. The staff is great and eager to talk about the history, what they do, how they source, the whole story. Put this one on your list, especially if you find yourself downtown in the wee hours, but don’t forget happy hour is 5 – 7 pm, Wednesday – Sunday and 5 pm – 2 am on Tuesday, and that’s when you’ll find me.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 23

Arizona taste of

A MOTHER’S GIFT

By Lucia Schnitzer

CORNER I’m a mother of four wonderful and amazing children: Aviva, Benzi, Gavi and Yasi. A breast cancer survivor of 10 years this month (baruch HaShem), I see my life and all that has come to us since, as a real gift. My Aviva was six months old when I was diagnosed, and after beating the odds, two years later I gave birth again, then again and finally one last time three and a half years ago. I’m in awe everyday when I see their beautiful faces and I get a warm and fuzzy feeling that floods me every time they want to be on me instead of next to me. They give me the strength every day to do what it is I do, and I am thankful to share this wonderful life with them.

Make this Mother’s Day a special one for your mom by taking the time to show her how much she is appreciated (hint, hint).

Here is a sweet and yummy breakfast that will leave her sticky and satisfied with kisses and hugs and a full tummy.

To all you moms out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

Photo by Matthew Strauss

Mixed Berry Crepes

Makes 8 crepes

Ingredients:

Berry Compote: 2 cups fresh blueberries 2 cups fresh strawberries, cored and quartered 1 cup water 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Crepes: (or buy pre-made to save time) 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk

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) at 7100 N 12th Street in Phoenix. They first opened Luci’s Healthy Marketplace in 2009 in Lucia’s honor after her successful battle with breast cancer. She successfully manages her career, her growing family (four children), her personal well-being and the countless demands of the day.

24 MARCH 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

1 tablespoon butter, melted 2 teaspoons granulated sugar 1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup coconut milk 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut, plus extra to sprinkle on top Whipped Greek Yogurt: 3 5.3-ounce containers vanilla flavored Greek yogurt 2/3 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

Berry Compote: Place berries, water, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a large saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until sugar dissolves and fruit begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Set aside to cool.

Crepes: Combine flour, egg, egg yolk, melted butter, sugar, milk and coconut milk in blender. Cover and blend until very smooth.

Add the coconut and continue to blend for 10 seconds. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes.

Heat an 8-inch crepe pan or small non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Using a 1/3-cup scoop, pour batter into the center of crepe pan. Tilt and turn pan so the batter spreads evenly across the bottom of the pan.

Cook for about 1-1 1/2 minutes until edges and bottom begin to brown. Flip carefully with spatula. Continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes until crepe is golden brown. Remove from pan to a large plate. Repeat with remaining batter, spraying the pan with non-stick cooking spray in between each crepe, and stacking finished crepes on plate. Keep warm.

Whipped Greek Yogurt: In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, heavy cream and honey. Continue to whisk until mixture begins to thicken and soft peaks form. You can also use a hand mixer if you have one.

Place in refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble crepes: Spoon some whipped yogurt onto one half of each crepe. Fold the crepe in half and then in half again.

Spoon some of the compote over the filled crepe. Repeat with remaining crepes, yogurt and compote. Sprinkle the top of the crepes with extra coconut if desired. Serve immediately.

Expires 5/31/2016

SCOTTSDALE 23207 N. Scottsdale Rd. at Pinnacle Peak | 480-699-0480

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 25

vomFASS Scottsdale Eddie Merlot’s Prime Aged Beef and Seafood

Arizona taste of

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

DINING & DELICACIES

A fine dining steakhouse with contemporary, bright décor and impeccable service.

Serving only Prime Beef, which is the top 2% in the country.

The signature dish is the Greg Norman Wagyu Bone-In New York Strip, 20 oz. with an Australian Marble Score of 6-7. Marble Scores 5 and above do not have an equivalent USDA grade, scoring so much higher than domestic cattle, creating a richness and flavor not present in domestic cattle. Eddie Merlot’s is the only restaurant concept worldwide serving this steak with the bone and the high marble score, truly a unique dish.

Other locations located in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Opening a 13th location in Ashburn, Virginia this year.

Dinner: 5-10 pm Mon-Thur, 5-11 pm Fri-Sat, 5-9 pm Sun Lounge: 4-11 pm Mon-Thur, 4 pmmidnight Fri-Sat, 4-10 pm Sun

At vomFASS Scottsdale, we are here to help you provide healthy meals and entertain friends and family at home as well as offer beautifully hand-labeled, unique and thoughtful gifts to share with others. Our products are all ethically sourced directly from family growers and artisan producers and distillers primarily in Europe and include the world’s finest olive oils, nut and seed oils, balsamic vinegars, spices, liqueurs, wines and spirits. A large selection of these have been certified as Kosher. We provide daily tastings of all products prior to purchase.

To help you get the most out of your products, we hold cooking classes, scotch classes, cocktail mixing classes and more. Come in, Slow Down and Taste Awhile!

Mon – Thurs 10 am – 7 pm Fri – Sat 10 – 9 pm Sun 11 am – 5 pm Find us on Facebook at vom FASS Scottsdale Locally owned by Louis and Melisa Conti

Scottsdale Waterfront, adjacent to Fashion Square Mall

23207 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 480-699-0480 eddiemerlots.com 26 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

7135 E Camelback Road, Suite 145 Scottsdale, AZ 85251 480 699-1099 Vomfassscottsdale.com

The Orchard PHX

The Orchard PHX is brought to you by the same people who own Luci’s Healthy Marketplace. This new concept, scheduled to open in early May, features three options for your palate.

Pomelo will be a full-service restaurant that will serve contemporary American food. There is a great courtyard with multiple patios and private dining options available for reservations.

Full-service catering is also available on-site and off-site for special events.

There will also be a marketplace, Luci’s at The Orchard, that will serve breakfast, sandwiches, coffee and baked bread inside. Call-in orders for food can be picked up at the drive through window. Drinks and ready-to-go items can be ordered as you drive up.

For those just wanting to satisfy a sweet craving, there is Splurge, an ice cream parlor and candy shop. Kids and families can indulge in sweet treats such as homemade cookies, soft serve, shakes and other ice cream novelties.

There will be gifts, candies and even adult shakes and popsicles available for those 21 and up to enjoy.

The land used to be an old citrus farm in the early 1900s, and was more recently home to Ralph’s nursery.

Now it has been converted into an adaptive reuse property. A 30-foot water tower sits in the center of the two-acre property that is surrounded by more than 80 citrus trees. Also on the property, a splash pad and large lawn for picnics. The Orchard will also give a nod to Arizona’s history by including the five Cs that Arizona is known for: cotton, copper, citrus, cattle and climate.

7100 N 12th St., Phoenix 602-633-2600 (Pomelo) theorchardphx.com

Luci’s Healthy Marketplace

Luci’s Healthy Marketplace is a unique Café, Coffee Bar and Marketplace. Featuring quality organic and natural products from reputable local and regional vendors, including meats, seafood, dairy, cheeses, snacks, entrees, wine and beer, supplements, unique gifts and more.

A wide variety of freshly-cooked meals are available throughout the day plus fresh Grab and Go Menu items are available for a quick in and out.

Breakfast menu items served all day.

A great catering menu is also available for your next small or big event.

The Coffee Bar offers local roasted award winning organic coffee, iced coffee drinks, fresh smoothies, frozen drinks, cold blended specialty drinks as well as various herbal teas and other interesting drinks. Plus an excellent selection of local daily fresh made muffins, bagels and tasty desserts.

The modern retro décor sets the tone of this fun, down-to-earth friendly marketplace. Shades of oranges, blues and browns are used throughout.

There is a garage door and large windows which keeps an open-air feel, combining the inner and outer sitting areas. You can sit at the curved counter eating area and chat with the chefs in the gourmet exhibition kitchen while they prepare your delicious meal.

Open: 6:30 am-9 pm Mon-Sat, 6:30 am-8 pm Sun

1590 E Bethany Home Road, Phoenix 602-773-1339

lucishealthymarketplace.com

Texaz Grill For more than 30 years, Texaz Grill has kept their promise of serving great food, from a real Texan, done one meal at a time. Phoenix’s original Texas steakhouse has received numerous awards including: Best for Value (Gourmet magazine, USA Today), Best American Restaurant (Arizona Republic), Reader’s Favorite (Phoenix Magazine) and Best Chicken Fried Steak (New Times).

Texaz Grill’s house specialty is the Chicken Fried Steak. Two forktender pieces of beef, double dipped and topped with homemade cream gravy. Of course a steakhouse isn’t a steakhouse without the steak. All their steaks are hand cut in house, from USDA choice aged beef.

Visit this neighborhood steakhouse featuring quality food at a reasonable price, in a fun atmosphere with Texas friendly service.

Hours: 11 am-10 pm Mon-Sat, 10 am-10 pm Sun

6003 N 16th St., Phoenix 602-248-7827 texazgrill.com ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 27

Cheri’s Kosher cactus confections

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

The Saguaro Restaurant

In the heart of Old Town Scottsdale, across from the Arts District and the Civic Center Mall, you’ll discover The Saguaro Restaurant. This American Bistro concept blends the best ingredients and recipes from the Southwest region while taking a fresh approach to your familiar favorites.

Crafted to incorporate locally sourced, seasonal products in a warm and inviting environment, our menu features an eclectic blend of salads, flatbreads and entrees. Boasting patio dining and a vibrant social scene, The Saguaro Restaurant features an extensive tequila list, worldly wine offerings and handcrafted cocktails.

The signature dish at The Saguaro Restaurant is the Grilled Flat Iron Steak that is served with sweet potato fries, caramelized onions and herb butter.

The Saguaro Restaurant’s updated concept and name (formerly Distrito), new food and handcrafted cocktail menu, and full catering services make it the spot to be in Old Town Scottsdale.

Open: 7am-11pm daily

4000 N Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale 480-970-4444 thesaguaro.com 28 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Local, natural, organic … and now kosher! What started as a hobby in Cheri Romanoski’s kitchen over 30 years ago has bloomed into a bustling business. Today, her team is just as busy as the bees that pollinate the prickly pear and produce honey for Cheri’s Desert Harvest.

Born in Tucson, Cheri grew up with a love for the Sonoran Desert surrounding her hometown. As an elementary school teacher she taught her students about the vegetation of the desert and the ways in which the indigenous people of the region used its produce. She put this knowledge to use to feed her own family all-natural preserves from her garden and gave the excess to family and friends.

“One day I offered our neighbor some more jellies and he said his cupboards were full. He suggested I sell them,” Cheri says. “We all laughed, thinking that was a joke – who would want to buy my preserves?” Everyone it turned out. She called a few local stores and they were all interested. Her parents came up with the name and she drew the logo herself. That was in 1985 and with a growing trend towards local, indigenous foods, the company has expanded at a nice, steady pace.

“The plan was that I’d go back to teaching once the kids were in school full-time, but that never happened,” says the teacher turned entrepreneur.

Cheri’s Desert Harvest uses hand-picked organic fruits and vegetables that are indigenous to the Southwest. Products include preserves (like Arizona Red Lime Marmalade and Heavenly Habanero Jelly), syrups, orange blossom honey, fruit jelly candy and quick mixes for breads and pastries (paired with accompanying preserves).

But they are best known for their flagship line of prickly pear products. Cheri says her company was the first to achieve organic certification for cactus, which took three years. During July and August, her staff hand picks about 35 tons of prickly pear fruit during a six-week window. They do their best to maximize every bit of it as they process a ton and a half of fruit a day. First, the fruit is cleaned, steamed and pressed to extract the juice, which is filtered and frozen. It is used to make jellies, syrups, marmalades and candies throughout the year.

Rather than discarding the seeds that are left over from this process, Cheri’s team cleans and dries them, then expresses an oil that is high in anti-oxidants and antiaging properties and perfect for the cosmetic industry. And the waste from that is made into biscuits for zoo animals.

They donate whatever plant waste is left to the University of Arizona’s Compost Cats, a student-run organization that collects food scraps and processes them into usable compost. And, of course, Cheri buys their compost to fertilize the company’s gardens. “It is from nature back to nature,” she says.

Cheri’s products have been certified kosher by Rabbi Yossi Shemtov from Chabad Tucson since last summer. She decided to look into kosher certification when a national client expressed interest in incorporating her prickly pear syrup into their end product, but couldn’t because it wasn’t kosher certified. A friend gave her Rabbi Shemtov’s name. “He was so receptive and came right over. We went through the process and, at the end of the day, he said, ‘You’re really kosher. We just need to get you certified.’ I was already using all kosher ingredients. He made the process very easy and has really educated us along the way. We’ve been very appreciative of his time and energy and knowledge,” Cheri says.

Sales for Cheri’s Desert Harvest have spread from local stores to national and international markets. But you can still find her products close to home in natural food stores, high-end groceries, gift shops, airports and national parks throughout the southwest. You can also order them through her website at cherisdesertharvest.com.

Pulp

[Arts & Entertainment]

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

fiction

When we think about Hebrew literature, we don’t usually conjure up images of romance novels, detective serials or Westerns. But starting in the Yishuv of the 1930s, these pop culture staples were extremely popular, even as they were shunned by the intellectual establishment. A glimpse into the IsraPulp collection at Arizona State University Libraries offers a fascinating look at Israeli popular fiction.

This unique collection – the only one of its kind anywhere – is curated by associate librarian Rachel Leket-Mor, who started it in 2004 with Hebrew comic books. “I found it interesting that no other library was collecting comic books from Israel. But then I studied some more and found that there are other materials that nobody sees as valuable enough to be collected in a research library. This is really important. Those materials that nobody has access to become, in later times, much sought after materials and can teach us a lot about the culture – the real people that lived. Not everyone was reading the Torah and [Shai] Agnon and other highly esteemed authors. It’s not that I don’t value

them, but people usually read several kinds of materials at the same time. So this aspect of the Hebrew culture was neglected in library collections and therefore in research. If you don’t have the raw materials, the primary source, you can’t do research.”

Almost 2,000 rare books and serialized booklets, from the preState period (1928) through the present day, are included in the IsraPulp collection, which is housed in special collections and may be viewed in the Luhrs Reading Room at ASU’s Hayden Library. Although these materials cannot be checked out, because many of them are rare or in fragile condition, Rachel says that the library is in the process of digitizing the collection to facilitate research.

The oldest Hebrew item in the IsraPulp collection is a satirical pamphlet published for Purim in Tel Aviv in 1928. There are many titles dating back to the 1930s – including the first series of Hebrew detective stories, Sifriyat Ha-balash (The Detective Library). Many of the stories took place in mandatory Palestine, such as Ha-retsah Ha-mistori Be-Haifa (The Mysterious Murder in Haifa), from 1937.

Other popular genres included paperback crime novels,

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 29

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Westerns, romance, science fiction, comic books and adventure books for children. For the most part, these books were sold at newsstands and kiosks, not bookstores.

Many of the booklets in the collection were written in Hebrew as pseudo-translations. “Their textual makeup makes you believe that they were translated from American English, because that was hot, that was popular. And the local culture, in the ’50s and ’60s, was still very elevated in a way that wouldn’t allow for popular literature to be accepted into the culture,” Rachel says.

Authors of popular Hebrew fiction often wrote under Americanized pseudonyms, such as Mike Longshot and Victor Bolder, and were published by marginalized publishing companies that were constantly changing names to stay under the radar. The collection also includes magazines, like Bidur (Entertainment) – that featured puzzles, contests for prizes and pinups.

And what pop culture collection would be complete without pop music? If you remember learning the line dance to “Yo Ya” in the ’70s, you’ll appreciate the original program from Kaveret’s first “Sipurei Poogy” (“Poogy Tales”) concert in 1973, complete with photos and lyrics.

For more information about the IsraPulp collection at ASU Libraries, visit libguides.asu.edu/Pop/IsraPulp or contact Rachel at Rachel.Leket-Mor@asu.edu. She’s also happy to offer presentations about the collection.

Bad Jews

at Temple of Music and Art

Shira Maas, Jeremy Vega, Beth May and Luka Vonier in Arizona Onstage Production’s ‘Bad Jews.’ Photo by Patrick J. McArdle

Arizona Onstage Productions presents “Bad Jews,” a play

by Joshua Harmon that asks questions about what you choose to believe when you’re chosen. “Bad Jews” tells the story of Daphna Feygenbaum, a self-proclaimed “Real Jew” with an Israeli boyfriend. Her cousin Liam brings home his non-Jewish girlfriend, Melody, and declares ownership of their deceased grandfather’s chai necklace, which he hid from the Nazis during the Holocaust. A vicious and hilarious brawl over family, faith and legacy ensues. Directed by Kevin Johnson, the play features Shira Maas, Beth May, Jeremy Vega and Luka Vonier.

“I chose this play because it is sharply written and explores what ‘faith’ is to different people on different levels. It is

extremely funny, dark and one of a kind,” says Johnson, who warns that the show contains extreme profanity.

The play premiered off-Broadway in October 2012 at the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Black Box Theatre. A New York Times review from 2013 said, “There’s nothing like a death in the family to bring out the worst in people. This unhappy truth is displayed with delectably savage humor in ‘Bad Jews,’ a zesty play by Joshua Harmon.”

“Bad Jews” runs from May 6-22, Friday-Sunday, at the Temple of Music and Art Cabaret Space, 330 S Scott Ave. in Tucson.

For tickets, show times and information, call 520-882-6574 or visit arizonaonstage.org.

For a spectacular “Under the Sea” experience Call or Click 602-252-8497 herbergertheater.org 222 E. Monroe, Phoenix, AZ 85004 Sponsored in part by: Music by: Alan Menken | Lyrics by: Howard Ashman & Glenn Slater | Book by: Doug Wright Originally Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions Based on the Hans Christian Andersen story and the Disney film produced

by Howard Ashman & John Musker and written & directed by John Musker & Ron Clements.

Disney's The Little Mermaid is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

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(602) 253.8188 | www.vyt.com ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 31

H G

ome &

arden

From the ground up

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

32 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Scott More knows floors. After 40 years in the flooring industry, that’s no surprise. He’s seen trends come and go, and new technologies and materials move the trade ahead. But one thing has remained consistent – well, grown, actually – his passion for the business.

Growing up in Chicago, Scott learned the business from the ground up from his father and chose to follow in his footsteps. “My father believed that if you have a trade, you can go anywhere and make a living. My youngest brother is a lawyer, my middle brother is a marketing consultant for big corporations and I’m a flooring guy. We all learned how to put in floors, it’s just that I stuck with it.

And I love what I do,” he says.

Scott started as an installer, moved up to sales and finally opened his own business, Arizona Flooring Direct, seven years ago, with the explicit goal of providing luxury flooring at an affordable cost.

“I was tired of seeing people being taken advantage of. The economy was really tanking. And people, if they could stay in their house, wanted to fix it up and I wanted to make flooring affordable for them,” he says.

It was a risky time to start a company. When Scott went to get his business license, the clerk questioned why he was opening a construction-related company during the recession. But Scott reasoned that if competitors were leaving the business, this might be a good time to step in with his pricing structure of cost + 15%. “I thought I could make this work,” he says. “My wife even thought I was a little bit crazy.” But his strategy paid off, and Arizona Flooring Direct has since grown to three locations. His clientele has expanded from individual homeowners to real estate agents, restoration companies and commercial entities, including a synagogue.

As both retailer and installer, Scott stands by his company’s work. The Arizona Registrar of Contractors requires a twoyear guarantee on labor, but Scott says, “I give people a lifetime [guarantee]. As long as I’m in business, if anything fails due to installation error, I will fix it free. Because I believe that if it’s done right the first time, it should last.”

Products include carpet, ceramic tile, laminate, hardwood, natural stone, cork flooring and porcelain planks. Right now, wood-look porcelain planks are definitely the hot item. These long, narrow planks look like wood but cost less and are more durable. “It’s virtually indestructible, unless you take a hammer to it,” Scott says.

“Normal wood gets dented and scratched. A lot of people get crazy when they see a dent or scratch on their floor, so this is another option for them.”

One trend that Scott encourages Arizona homeowners to steer away from is bamboo flooring. He says that bamboo requires moisture and that in the dry Arizona climate, bamboo dries out, splinters and falls apart. For customers seeking green solutions, Arizona Direct Flooring offers other sustainable materials, such as natural cork and reclaimed wood.

When it comes to carpet, for customers with young children or pets, Scott recommends triexta, a relatively new, stain proof fiber also known as SmartStrand. “You can do anything to this. You can pour bleach on it. Pet stains are covered. Only two things are not covered – motor oil and vomit. Everything else is covered 100% forever.” Scott says that he recommends it strongly, even though he ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 33

knows he may never see the customer again. “It’s probably the last carpet you’ll ever have to buy.”

Scott says they recently started doing bathroom remodels as well. After buying a home that he describes as a fixer-upper, Scott discovered mold behind the shower walls. He researched and found a company that makes a waterproofing membrane underlayment called Schluter. “It’s phenomenal. We can redo your bathroom and make it gorgeous and safe.”

If you’re in the market for new flooring, Scott’s main advice is to do your research. “There’s a wealth of information online.

There’ve been a lot of new innovations in the last 10-15 years. A lot of people are stuck in a mindset. Open up, loosen up a little bit and understand that there are new technologies and new ways of doing things. If you do the research, you’ll find the right product. Knowledge is power.”

Once you have an idea about the product you want, Scott recommends that you take home a sample so you can see how it looks under different lighting conditions in your own home.

“People are spending a lot of money, and we work much harder for our money than we ever did before. Once it’s down, it’s going to be there for quite a while, so let’s make sure it is the right product.”

Scott genuinely loves helping prospective customers explore and find the best flooring to meet their needs and tastes. “To me this isn’t a job. It’s my passion. It’s such a great feeling to walk into somebody’s home and make it beautiful. When we’re done with somebody’s home, I see their look of amazement and how happy they are, and that’s a great feeling. As corny or cliché as it sounds, I love it.”

34 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

“My father believed that if you have a trade, you can go anywhere and make a living.We all learned how to put in floors, it’s just that I stuck with it. And I love what I do.”

- Scott More

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 35

H&G

Water Story and photos by Aviva Tirosh

from a plant’s perspective

April provided us with some real surprises, especially that unseasonably cold and wet weather early in the month. Palo verde blossoms are now carpeting the ground, wildflowers are fading, but new leaves and flowers are bursting forth all around us. It will not be long before 100-degree days are beating down on us. So getting our gardens ready for summer is a priority in May. As we transition to warmer and dryer weather this month, we are most concerned with water management.

Caring for our gardens at this time of year requires a thorough understanding of how our plants use water. Even seasoned horticulturists have a hard time determining exactly how much water plants need. The factors that affect our gardens in late spring include heat stress, heat load related to microclimates and heat induced dormancy.

It is helpful to think about water needs from a plant’s perspective.

This brings us to the concept of evapotranspiration. ET describes water loss from both evaporation and transpiration, which is the loss of water from leaf surfaces. ET is measured in inches per day and shifts with wind, rain, humidity, infiltration rate and temperature. When we realize that 90% of applied 36 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Trichocereus hybrid, also known as torch cactus, was hybridized by Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum botanist Mark Dimmitt and sports brilliant colors in May.

water is lost to ET, water becomes one of our most pressing concerns as we move into the summer months. A mesquite tree can lose 13 gallons of water a day via evapotranspiration. With this in mind getting and keeping water to the extensive root zones of our plants is our ultimate goal this time of year.

By visualizing the process of evapotranspiration, we can imagine some of the struggles our plants face and understand why the summer is really a time of survival. It is also a great reminder that using native plants can mean having a garden that not only thrives but looks gorgeous during hotter times.

Native plants actually prefer a slight drought between waterings. They need the soil to dry out about 50% between irrigations. This ensures that roots have oxygen so that they are able to take up necessary nutrients from the soil. Remember, no watering schedule is perfect and at this time of year, making monthly or even weekly changes according to how plants look makes good sense.

We should all think about incorporating rainwater harvesting techniques into our landscape as drought becomes the norm for our region. Rainwater is a clean, salt-free source of water for our gardens. By observing your garden during a rain shower, you can locate the existing drainage patterns on your site. Identify low points and high points. Utilize these drainage patterns

and gravity flow to move water from catchment areas to planted areas. If you are harvesting rainwater from the roof, extend downspouts to reach planted areas or provide a path, drainage or hose to move the water to where it is needed. A 1% slope is all that is needed to get water to move.

By utilizing runoff from the roof you can capture a huge volume of otherwise unused water. For example, for every 1,000 square feet of roof area you can capture 5,100 gallons of rainwater in Phoenix and 7,000 gallons in Tucson, annually.

Watershed Management Group, (watershedmg.org), is a nonprofit organization that operates throughout the state. They have classes and workshops on developing rain gardens, designing rainwater collection systems, building greywater systems and much more.

It is important for all of us to remember that water is limited here and should be used wisely and consciously. Plants don’t conserve water, people do.

The trick is to give your plants enough water, without giving them too much. Growing native plants allows us to have beautiful gardens throughout the year, while using our most precious resource, water, in an ecologically sound way. Go native!

Drought resistant doesn’t have to mean dull: Gooding’s verbena, firecracker penstemon and orange bells yield gorgeous blooms in late spring.

Aviva Tirosh owns and operates Dos Lobos Landscaping (aztirosh@ gmail.com), providing consultation, design and installation of sustainable native gardens. Her award-winning xeriscape designs have been featured in the Tucson Botanical Gardens Home Garden Tour, Tucson Home Magazine and Tucson Lifestyle Home and Garden. Aviva is certified as a desert landscaper through the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 37

H&G

Pamper mom in style

By Barbara Kaplan

Mother’s Day brings thoughts of my mother and the influence she had on my design life. I guess you can say she helped design my life. My mother taught me one of the great joys in my life, which is to love beauty. That is, of course, my version of what I think is beautiful. We all have our own definition of what beauty is and after all as the saying goes, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” This she taught me too, by never criticizing my taste, but by showing me what good taste looks like. Then I could form it to what my version of good taste is to me. And then I could decide how I would like to express it.

This awareness brought me into the world of interior design which has become my life’s work. It created a passion for wanting to help people discover their taste and style and then help them express it.

As an interior designer, so much of what I do is working with women, most of whom are moms. I see and hear how much women care about their families and the great efforts they make to create a home that looks beautiful, feels comfortable and is happy to live in. I love discussing with wives and mothers the needs and wants for their families and then help them create their vision, fully realizing that what I am designing for this family will inspire how they express themselves in this environment and all their future environments.

So on this Mother’s Day, I encourage you to help your mom create a day of beauty and joy for herself in her own home, which she created for her family. The best way to do this is to ask her what she would like, although she may not even know what that is. Here are a few thoughts and ideas for mom to enjoy at home: 38 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

• Ask her if there is something special she would like for the house. It could be as simple as a plant, pillow or lamp by her reading chair.

• Frame a family portrait to match the décor of the home.

• Make dinner and treat her as a guest in her own home. • • Serve it in the dining room or garden.

• Put candles around a tub, fill it with bubble bath and add a luxurious towel in her favorite color.

• Play her favorite music and ask her to dance. What fun to dance in your home!

• Watch her favorite movies with her.

And, of course, moms love to spend time with their children and know that their children are happy. So enjoy this special time with her and let her know how happy she makes you feel!

Remember, rooms have no feelings; you do!

Barbara Kaplan is the owner of Design Dimensions and Barbara’s Picks. She is past president of the International Furnishings and Design Association and Women At The Top. She is also an allied member of the American Society of Interior Designers. Barbara is the creator and author of The Bajaro Method: Rooms Have No Feelings, You Do! Her online Design IQ, called The Color and Design Preference Profile, can be taken free of charge at BajaroMethod.com. Her Design & Lifestyle Escape Shopping Tours are available for free. Sign up at BarbarasPicks.com.

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seniors

Living and sharing lessons of resilience

By Masada Siegel

When Sheryl Bronkesh got off the plane in Arizona in 1977, she was struck by the smell of the desert. It reminded her of Israel where she had spent her junior year of college. She felt at home and has made it her primary residence for the past 37 years.

Born in the Bronx, Sheryl was four when her family moved to South Jersey.

She explains, “I grew up on a chicken farm in Millville, NJ, where I lived until I went to college in Washington, DC. I got married right after college and we moved to the Philadelphia area, where my husband attended podiatry school. There is a residency match program and we were lucky to get one of our top choices, Mesa. My plan was to attend graduate school in whatever locale we matched.�

While earning an MBA from Arizona State University, Sheryl worked for Samaritan Health Services, the predecessor to Banner Health, and then at Scottsdale 40 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Sheryl Bronkesh with her daughter, Emily Bronkesh-Buchbinder

Sheryl Bronkesh traveling in Argentina, 2013

Healthcare as corporate director of marketing, before leaving to join two of her professors from business school in a consulting firm.

Sheryl has co-authored three books on healthcare marketing and is the president of The HSM Group, a healthcare market research company. Her company is in the process of merging with an East Coast research firm, and once the merge is final, Sheryl will hold the title of executive vice president. She travels extensively for work, conducting focus groups and in-depth interviews with physicians and patients around the country.

Sheryl is always on the go, whether traveling the world (she has been to Israel nine times, Europe, Africa, South America and Central America) or exploring the United States (48 states and counting), she never leaves a stone unturned or misses a good story.

One of her passions, which she combines with travel, is searching for her family’s personal history.

“For the past seven years, I have

“I am committed to Holocaust education because I have seen that the refrain ‘Never again’ is insufficient. There is so much hatred in the world today. This topic is as relevant today as it was during World War II.”

dabbled in family genealogy research.

This has included three trips (with another scheduled in August) to the International Jewish Genealogy Conference as well as a trip with my mother and daughter to Poland and Ukraine.” Sheryl said.

Her own family story is intriguing and has shaped much of her volunteer work.

“My parents and sister emigrated to the US in 1947 from a displaced persons camp in Germany, where my sister was born in 1946. Neither of my parents were in a concentration camp. My father escaped from a labor camp and survived for 2 1/2 years as a partisan in the woods of Poland. My mother had fled –Sheryl Bronkesh to the Soviet Union. Because so many people make the assumption that if you were Jewish in Europe during WWII, you were in a concentration camp, few know that Jews survived in hiding, passing as gentiles or living in the woods.”

Besides working full time, her boundless energy and enthusiasm have her volunteering in many areas. She serves on the board of directors for the Phoenix Holocaust Survivors’ Association and since 2013, has served as vice chair of Generations After (GA) - Descendants of Holocaust Survivors in Greater Phoenix.

“This organization has grown quickly in its three years in existence. GA is the only Phoenix area group solely for children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors,” Sheryl says. Operating under the auspices of the Phoenix Holocaust Survivors’ Association, GA’s mission is “To embrace our legacy as descendants of Holocaust survivors, to support one another, and to contribute to tikkun olam, repair of the world.”

Sheryl co-chairs GA’s Education Committee, which brings in well-known national and international speakers, coordinate’s a speaker’s bureau for Valley schools and organizations, sponsors films and hosts a book discussion group called Book Talk.

The next Book Talk is Sunday, May 15, when they will discuss Paper Love by Sarah Wildman, who has agreed to join the conversation by phone. Sheryl invites the community to participate in the discussion, which will begin at 3 pm at the Ina ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 41

Sheryl Bronkesh and her daughter, Emily, in the Galapagos Islands

Levine Jewish Community Campus.

“I am committed to Holocaust education because I have seen that the refrain ‘Never again’ is insufficient. There have been massacres and genocide throughout history. Since the Holocaust, there have been numerous cases of peoples murdered because of their religion or heritage. Think of Rwanda, Bosnia, Cambodia, and Christians and Kurds in the Middle East. Education about the Holocaust can be the springboard for discussions about how discrimination, prejudice, and hatred of a people because of their religion led to mass murder. There is so much hatred in the world today. This topic is as relevant today as it was during World War II. With Holocaust survivors dying every day, if their descendants aren’t prepared to speak, the Holocaust could become a footnote in a generation,” she says.

Sheryl is a member of the GA speakers’ bureau. She and her 42 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

mother, Bronia Bronkesh, were the keynote presenters at the 2013 Carolyn & Herb Nathan Educators’ Conference on the Holocaust. She also gave a presentation on growing up as the daughter of Holocaust survivors at the first Kurt and Gerda Klein Teen Holocaust Forum.

In 2012 in honor of her mother’s 90th birthday, she set up the Bronia and Sam Bronkesh Jewish Spirit Prize honoring physical and spiritual resistance during the Holocaust. The winner of this essay contest for high school students (open to students enrolled in Hebrew High and participants of the Klein Teen Holocaust Forum) will read his or her essay at the communitywide Holocaust Commemoration. Sheryl is one of four judges for this contest.

While Sheryl is passionate about making the world a better place and addressing difficult topics, her positive spirit and

Our assisted living and memory care services are accredited for two reasons.

You. And your family.

charm are infectious. And her energy is endless. So when she is not working, traveling, volunteering or renovating her new home, she hikes with the same group of friends on Sundays for the last 15 years.

She laughs and says, “We call ourselves The Roses because we believe in the philosophy that it is important to stop and smell the roses. We even have a logo on T-shirts and sweatshirts of roses with our slogan: ‘Stop – Smell – Hike.’”

Abiding by that philosophy of resilience, with everything Sheryl does, she still makes time to stop and smell the roses.

Because having the confidence and peace of mind of accreditation is important.

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by CARF International. It’s an independent organization that sets exceedingly high standards for care and service. It’s a lot like an accreditation for a hospital or college. Or a five-star rating for a hotel.

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[seniors]

Compassion & Healing a generation later

Ellen Melamed on Mt. Lemmon, near Tucson

By Sheila Wilensky

Ellen Melamed, 63, always asks herself, “How can I help others?” Currently, a lecturer in family and community medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, and artist-inresidence at the UA School of Fine Arts, Ellen’s healing path has been circuitous.

For the first half of her life, she tried to cope. Born in Brooklyn – her older sister was born in a European displaced persons camp – she experienced a difficult childhood. With parents who were Holocaust survivors, “silence was the main communication at the dinner table,” says Ellen, whose father witnessed his first wife and baby murdered at a concentration camp, although she never discovered which camp. “He never talked about it, and my mother never stopped talking about all that she lost. So they weren’t on the same page.”

She and her sister both grew up damaged, says Ellen. “By pure chance, my family came to the United States because the Boston Children’s Hospital was doing heart surgery on babies,” which her sister urgently required. If they had gone to Israel after World War II, Ellen says she would not have grown up in the minority. “Yiddish was my first language. I can’t imagine not being Jewish. I embody Jewish culture and heritage,” she affirms, adding that she learned English when she started school.

“As the child of survivors, I had the sense of growing up in Brooklyn as the other, even in a primarily Jewish city,” she says.

Jewish religious practice wasn’t part of her family life, but “I identified with my last name, which means a revered teacher in 44 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Hebrew,” notes Ellen. “I had tremendous pride in the Jewish intellect, the Jewish community and its compassion, even though kids made fun of me and called me ‘Muhammed.’”

Diagnosed with scoliosis at age 12, she was put in a full-torso metal brace for five years, which also contributed to her feeling of being “the other.” Although she had an early introduction to the medical field, “nobody talked about the psychological damage I suffered during my teen years. There was a tremendous sense of shame. Till I was 29, I was addicted to painkillers.”

Family secrets, self-medication and an unhappy childhood somehow swirled into a life centered around creativity. Ellen became a playwright and a teaching artist in New York. She holds a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary human relations/ women’s studies from Queens College, the City University of New York, and a master’s degree in theater education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Ellen’s most transformative learning began when she discovered the Alexander Technique, a body-mind program that reeducates individuals to move with more ease and efficiency, helping them to prevent chronic pain and feel more centered in their bodies. She first was a student of the technique for five years, and then delved into intense three-year training at New York’s American Center for the Alexander Technique. Ellen was certified in 1995.

That same year she discovered narrative medicine, based on Professor Rita Charon’s program at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Armed with both a degree in medicine and a doctoral degree in English, Charon

undergraduate and graduate students in realized how central telling and listening any discipline, but primarily to those in to personal stories is to the work of acting, dance, voice and music. “Young both doctors and patients. Narrative people at the UA are very athletic, but medicine teaches empathy in health-care sometimes they harm their bodies” communications, including between without realizing it, she says. Plus, patients, practitioners and caregivers. many senior citizens in Arizona who “All of us will more than likely be in golf, walk and engage in other physical at least two of these three roles in our activities, “are often not trained to lifetimes,” says Ellen. “There’s a lot of deal with their own body issues. Even stress in these relationships, which was for 85-year-olds, there’s an option for apparent to me as I took care of my Ellen Melamed change, a transformation to a life that’s elderly mother” until she died in 2003. free of pain.”

Narrative medicine and the Alexander Ongoing research recognizes the mind-body connection. “My Technique have become Ellen’s modes –both for herself and work is for everybody,” says Ellen, who, in addition to her private others – for living fuller lives. Within six months of beginning practice in the Alexander Technique, wants to offer workshops her AT study, Ellen stopped using pain medications. She joined “to help people become better patients. It’s too late when we the Alexander Technique center’s associate faculty, and launched become ill.” a private practice in New York and Maine, where she and her Passionate about bridging communication divides, she notes, wife, Jill Koyama, summered until 2009. The couple relocated “Doctors aren’t the other. Growing up as the other,” extending to the State University of New York, Buffalo, where Jill taught compassion to everyone is her mantra. “It’s how I live my anthropology. Ellen started to teach narrative medicine at professional and personal life.”

D’Youville College, and at SUNY, Buffalo.

For more information about narrative medicine and the In 2013, they moved to Tucson, where Jill teaches in the Alexander Technique, contact Ellen at 917-319-6311 or UA anthropology department, and Ellen developed a pilot ellensalexandertechnique@gmail.com, or visit ellensalexandertec. project in narrative medicine. Last year, Ellen began training wix.com/tucson-az. first-year medical students at the UA College of Medicine.

She also teaches classes on the Alexander Technique to UA

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 45

[seniors]

Concierge and JEA connect seniors to resources not working outside the home. Then my re“There are 10,000 people entry job was as director a day turning 65 and I of Early Childhood think most of them live in Education at the old Arizona,” says Janet Arnold, Phoenix JCC. After that, senior concierge for the I founded the Arizona Valley’s Jewish community.

Jewish Theatre Company “All the Boomers are and was its executive getting older and we’re director from 1988not our parents or our 2012, when the company grandparents’ seniors. We’re closed for lack of funding. different. We’re still vibrant, I started writing for we’re still full of life, we Arizona Jewish Life want to keep learning, we magazine soon after that. want to keep doing things, I happened to see that the we want to keep active.” concierge position was In 2014, the Jewish ‘only’ half time, and knew Janet Arnold is ready to answer questions at her Senior Concierge Desk in the Federation of Greater I’d be perfect. Through Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center lobby.

Phoenix initiated and my longevity in the funded a study as part of its community and my work three areas of community core impact (serving seniors, engaging with seniors and organizations through the theater, as well as young Jewish adults and advocating for Israel). This study my work with the magazine, I just know lots of ‘stuff !’ And I’m identified three primary focus areas where services are needed never afraid to say, ‘I don’t know, but I’ll find out!’” for seniors: information, transportation and socialization.

She spends two days a week at a highly visible concierge desk In the summer of 2015, JFGP funded a pilot program to in the middle of the Valley of Sun Jewish Community Center increase access to information and resources, and the position of lobby, which makes it easy to ask the concierge, well, anything. senior concierge was created in partnership with Jewish Family “You can’t walk into the JCC without tripping over me,” Janet & Children’s Service – a role that spoke to Janet right away. says. The rest of the time she visits organizations around the “My family came to the Valley in 1957. I was involved in Valley, speaks to groups and fields phone calls and emails from Jewish youth groups as a kid and teen. Went to Arizona State her office at JFCS. University for undergrad and University of Arizona for graduate Janet mainly answers queries about transportation, home care, school. Taught for a few years. I got re-involved in the Jewish senior residences, legal services and socialization (where can I community as a volunteer when I had my two boys and was find a class, where can I meet people). “I have a database set up

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

46 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

in each one of these areas. Of course, you could Google, but you get 5,000 responses. People don’t want 5,000 responses. They want a few. And our people want to have the Jewish connection as well. My list is much shorter than a Google list,” Janet says.

Many of the calls she gets are from out-of-state adult children, nieces and nephews, friends of friends, seeking help for their aging loved ones in the Valley. Janet says she can hear the relief in their voices as soon as she says that yes, she can help.

Although JFCS has offered an information and referrals service for 14 years, Janet said the federation study found that people tended not to call unless they were in crisis. She partners with Kathy Rood, who runs the service, sending her people who need help with more difficult issues, such as health, behavioral health and financial assistance.

For questions about Senior Concierge services in the Valley, you can reach Janet at 480-599-7198 or Janet.Arnold@jfcsaz.org, or visit jfcsaz.org.

In the Tucson area, Irene Lloyd fulfills a similar role to Janet’s, as the program manager of Jewish Elder Access, a program of Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona, in partnership with the Tucson Jewish Community Center, Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging and the rabbinic community, with funding from the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona.

“We’re still vibrant, we’re still full of life, we want to keep learning, we want to keep doing things, we want to keep active.”

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– Janet Arnold

“Jewish Elder Access came out of the Senior Task Force, which involves representatives from the federation, multiple Jewish organizations, as well as lay folks who are interested in Jewish seniors’ needs. [ JFSA] had done a population study in 2002 and the concept of Jewish Elder Access came out of that study. The program came to fruition in the summer of 2010,” Irene says.

At the time, she was working as a case manager at JFCS after spending 20 years as a nurse and nurse educator. She was hired to run JEA, as she puts it, with little more than a concept and a budget. Over the last six years, Irene has fleshed out the program to include 20 areas of referral, which include transportation, in- home care, contractors, medical, legal assistance, insurance, housing, activities in the Jewish community and more.

About two-thirds of her clients are low-income seniors living on $2,000 a month or less, with many of them surviving on less

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[seniors] connecting them with than $1,000. But there is Select Care Management, no requirement of income, our care management age or religion. “We turn no program at JFCS,” Irene one away from information. says.

Anyone who calls gets help,” Irene goes beyond she says. providing information.

Like Janet, Irene also gets “It’s much more about calls from adult children in trying to get a visual about other states concerned about who this person is and their aging parents in Tucson. trying to assist them in “I’m working with one any way,” she says. “I’m currently. Her parents live not just giving out a list in Tucson. There is no local of names.” All of the family. They are aging in their resources are vetted, either home, in their mid and late

by Irene or through the 80s. They both suffer from age-related health issues, but Pima Council on Aging.

She also tries to they would like to stay in identify gaps in services. their home. I try to evaluate Jewish Elder Access Program Manager Irene Lloyd discusses options with a client “There are lots of those. the individuals. They might at Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona.

Transportation is a not be able to articulate their major issue in Tucson, needs. They may know they particularly for seniors; affordable housing; affordable in-home need something, but not know exactly what kind of help they care” she says. Although there are subsidized programs that need in their home. In this particular situation, I’m working provide these services, not everyone qualifies for them. And with the daughter to get care givers in the home, and we’re

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subsidized programs often have long waiting lists, which Irene says can make them irrelevant for people with more urgent needs.

A JFSA grant through the Senior Task Force provides transportation to Shabbat services and events at participating synagogues, which helps maintain ties to the community and combats isolation. “Isolation can lead to so many detrimental things. Isolation feeds depression and depression feeds isolation,” she says, sounding just like a case manager.

But the JFSA senior transportation grant doesn’t address other transportation needs, like medical appointments and errands. Irene provides referrals to other transportation

“It’s much more about trying to get a visual about who this person is and trying to assist them in any way. I’m not just giving out a list of names.”

– Irene Lloyd

programs, but they tend to be limited in scope by a lack of volunteers.

Irene says Jewish volunteers are needed to provide friendly visits, companionship and other services for seniors. “A lot of Jewish seniors grew up around Jewish people, so that’s their comfort level. A lot are so tentative to have a stranger coming into their home, but if there’s someone Jewish, there’s a familiarity.” To help Jewish clients feel more at ease, JFCS holds monthly classes about Judaism and Jewish practices for non-Jewish volunteers.

To reach seniors who live in retirement communities, Irene takes her show on the road with “Shmooz’n and Shpil’n.”

Roughly translated from Yiddish as “Talkin’ and Playin’,” this outreach program enables Irene to engage Jewish residents with games and questions so that she can get to know them and determine if JEA can help in any way.

“It means a lot to people. It really does,” says Irene. “They feel some sense of community, which is hopefully one of the things that we are providing.”

For information about Jewish Elder Access in Tucson and southern Arizona, contact Irene at 520-795-0300, ext 2232 or illoyd@jfcstucson.org, or visit jfcstucson.org/services/ Jewish-elder-access.

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[seniors]

Fred Lipovich, Mel Brody, Michael Chambers and Steven Troy salute the American flag during the Pledge of Allegiance. Photo by Jerry Kopff

Quartermaster Mel Brody presents his report.

Photo by Jerry Kopff

Carlos Rausch entertains Post 210 with stories and music.

Photo by Leni Reiss

Susan Conwiser, Bella Kazen and Millie Rogowin. Photo by Leni Reiss

Jewish vets dedicated to helping others

Bernie Brownstein opens the altar. Photo by Jerry Kopff

By Leni Reiss

As the proud daughter of PFC Edward A. Rosenberg, who fought, was wounded in Germany’s Black Forest in WWII, and earned the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, it was a pleasure and privilege for me to attend a recent meeting of Jewish War Veterans Scottsdale Post 210, one of four such groups in Arizona.

Some 20 veterans, their wives and friends gathered for this monthly meeting in the Liberty Room of the Arizona State Veteran’s Home in central Phoenix, a 200-bed facility that includes offices and meeting rooms and is currently home for three Jewish vets.

Now celebrating 120 years as the oldest continuously operating veteran’s service organization in the United States, JWV is a true band of brothers and the fraternal bond among the members of Post 210 was evident as they greeted each other and kibitz over bagels and Danish. Several told me what the organization means to them: Stan Rosen, who describes himself as “very retired,” says “JVW members increase awareness of Jewish service to our country.”

Bernie Brownstein is proud that the organization, among many other projects, refurbishes rooms for homeless vets. A life member, Bernie says, “This is a great group.”

Mel Brody serves as treasurer of the committee in charge of the annual Memorial Day service at Arizona’s National Memorial Cemetery, where 50 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

thousands gather to pay their respects to the fallen.

Bella Kazen, whose late husband, Dave, served in WWII, has remained an active member since his passing. She says the Post “takes care of all vets. We have Shabbat dinners and even have Christmas and Super Bowl parties – and we collect and distribute toiletries.”

Carlos Rausch, who turned 92 in March, was born in Argentina, experienced anti-Semitism as a youngster, and was able “to start a new life” in the U.S. at age 33. He shared recollections of “life under Peron,” and enchanted the audience with his piano artistry. He says he was invited to come to a meeting as a guest, “felt part of the family – and never left.”

One item on the meeting agenda was the upcoming “Buddy” poppy sale, held each year on Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. The poppy is the official memorial flower of Veterans of Foreign Wars of North America. Sale proceeds of the artificial flowers provide compensation to the disabled and needy vets in VA hospitals who assemble them. These funds are also designated to maintain state and national veteran rehabilitation and service programs.

I’ll be wearing one on May 30 – and thinking, as always, of you, Dad.

Jewish War Veterans in Arizona Scottsdale Post 210 Commander Michael Chambers 623-256-0658 Post 194 Valley of the Sun Commander Michael Halperin 602-973-7682 Friedman-Paul Tucson Post 201 Commander Jerry Small 520-617-4848 Post 619 Copper State in Chandler Commander Paul Herman 480-659-2998

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[seniors]

From U.S. Navy to IDF to Jewish War Vets in Phoenix

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

Jewish War Veterans Post 210 Commander Michael Chambers’ military past is surprisingly diverse. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy after high school, then after making aliyah, spent six years in army intelligence in the Israel Defense Forces. He then volunteered for the U.S. Air Force reserves when he returned to the States. Not only that, but Michael has been married to an IDF veteran for almost 40 years. His wife, Ahuva, served in munitions supply during the Yom Kippur War. The two met on a blind date on Michael’s first night in Israel, back in June 1976. He had just graduated from Syracuse University and had decided to make aliyah, after previously having spent nine months in the country. Just after arriving, he asked his Israeli cousin to fix him up with a date for that night. Ahuva feigned a headache to get out of her scheduled plans. She says that as soon as they were introduced, that was it. They were married four months later.

“I didn’t know Hebrew that well, but, because of how I grew up, I had to ask her father’s permission to marry his daughter in Hebrew; he didn’t know English at the time. He accepted and I never saw a man cry so much. I don’t know if it was tears of joy or tears of regret, but he was bawling,” Michael says.

Michael served in one of the IDF’s elite intelligence-

Michael and Ahuva Chambers were drawn to Arizona because it of its similarity to the Negev desert in Israel and its beautiful vistas, like Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona.

52 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Scottsdale Post 210 Commander Michael Chambers.

Photo by Jerry Kopff

gathering units during the first Lebanon War. He was in the third IDF vehicle to enter Lebanon when the war started.

Michael says he was “just outside the U.S. Marine barracks” in Beirut when they were attacked by a truck bomb in October 1983.

The couple lived on Kibbutz Nirim, on the border with Gaza in southern Israel, until 1986, when economic considerations drove them to move their family to Delaware, where Michael had grown up. He got a job with the postal service and Ahuva pursued a career in nursing. Missing the camaraderie of the military, Michael joined the U.S. Air

Force reserves until Operation Desert Storm, when Ahuva insisted that he leave. She could not bear the possibility of her husband being sent off to another combat zone.

When Michael retired in 2010, they moved to Phoenix because the desert climate was so similar to their kibbutz in the Negev desert. In their backyard garden, they grow an abundance of trees and plants that remind them of Israel, including figs, pomelos, white peaches, loquats, lychee, pomegranates and prickly pear cactus.

They quickly became involved in the North Valley Jewish Community Association – a synagogue in Anthem. Shortly after they started attending services, Ahuva was asked to lead their monthly Shabbat services because of her fluency in Hebrew. She invites other congregants to lead English readings and prepare d’var Torah commentaries, involving as many people as possible. About three years ago she bought a 150-year-old Torah scroll for the synagogue while visiting her uncle in New York. She also designed and commissioned a custom mantle for the Torah. Michael currently serves as president of the NVJCA board.

Michael joined Jewish War Veterans Scottsdale Post 210 shortly after moving to Phoenix. He has served as commander of the post since 2012 and is also senior vice commander of the Department of Southwest.

“What attracted me to Jewish War Vets? The camaraderie and friendship of the veterans,” Michael says. “Being veterans, we all have something in common.”

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54 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

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Senior

Discounts and

You’ve reached your golden years and some companies believe that you deserve a break!

We’ve compiled a selection of discounts and deals – from groceries to travel – that you can receive, some starting at age 50!

Discount card AARP aarp.org

Discount membership program for ages 50 and older. Card holders can receive discounts on dining, travel, shopping, insurance and more. Some businesses offer senior discounts only to AARP members. Membership is $16/ year (discount if you sign up for 3 or 5 years) and your spouse/partner also receives a membership card.

Grocery stores

Senior discounts are usually not available for prescriptions, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, postage stamps, gift cards, Western Union, fuel or lottery tickets. Verify limitations with retailers.

Albertsons albertsons.com The first Wednesday of the month, 10% discount for ages 55+.

Bashas’ bashas.com The first Wednesday of the month, ages 55+ can save an additional 10% off their purchase of $15 or more in a single transaction with a Thank You card.

Fry’s and Fry’s Marketplace frysfood.com The first Wednesday of the month, 10% discount for 55+ with Fry’s VIP card.

Retail stores

Some retail stores advertise their discounts, while others keep it more of a secret. If you are in a store and unsure of their senior discount policy, ask an associate.

for ages 55+.

Deals

Dressbarn dressbarn.com Dresses and women’s clothing. Most stores offer a 10% discount for ages 55+ one day a week, usually Tuesday or Wednesday. Check with individual stores.

Goodwill Stores of Arizona goodwillaz.org Used clothing, housewares, small appliances, furniture, toys and more. On Tuesdays, ages 55+ receive 25% off entire purchase (excluding the 50% off the special color tag for the day items).

Kohl’s kohls.com Department store with clothing, home décor, shoes, toys, bedding and house wares. On Wednesdays, ages 55+ receive 15% off.

Cannot be combined with other percentage-off coupons.

Michael’s michaels.com Arts and crafts supplies, artificial flowers, home décor. Ages 55+ can receive 10% off their entire purchase.

get 10% off at participating stores. Stop by customer service for a list of stores.

Foothills Mall 7401 N La Cholla Blvd, Tucson shopfoothillsmall.com Indoor shopping mall on the northwest side of Tucson. For a listing of stores offering senior discounts, visit their website, click on “Store Sales” and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page.

Outlets at Anthem outletsanthem.com Outlet mall about 30 miles north of downtown Phoenix. On Tuesdays, 10% off at participating store for ages 55+ through 60+ (varies by store). Seniors can also stop by customer service for a free discount card that can be used on days other than Tuesdays.

Museums & more

The price in parenthesis is the current senior admission price.

Desert Botanical Gardens 1201 N Galvin Pkwy., Phoenix 480-941-1225 • dbg.org Ages 60+ get 10% off admission ($20).

Ross Dress for Less

Heard Museum

rossstores.com Clothes, shoes, housewares, fragrances and accessories. On Tuesdays, 10% off for ages 55+ .

2301 N Central Ave., Phoenix 602-252-8840 • heard.org Ages 65+ get 25% off admission ($13.50).

Museum of Contemporary Art

Salvation Army Thrift Stores

265 S Church Ave., Tucson 520-624-5019 • moca-tucson.org Ages 65+ get $3 off admission ($5).

salvationarmyusa.org Used clothing, furniture, housewares, sporting goods, books, small appliances and more. On Wednesdays, 25% off for ages 55+.

Stein Mart

Phoenix Art Museum 1625 N Central Ave., Phoenix 602-257-1880 • phxart.org Ages 65+ get 20% off admission ($12).

bananarepublic.com Clothing for men and women, plus shoes and accessories. Customers 62+ receive a 10% discount.

steinmart.com Clothing, shoes and accessories for men and women. On the first Monday of the month, 20% off for ages 55+. Visit store website for Senior Day coupons.

Beall’s Outlet

Walgreens

The Arboretum at Flagstaff

walgreens.com Health and wellness products, health information and photo services. On the first Tuesday of the month, ages 55+ (or AARP members) get 20% off regular priced merchandise with Balance Rewards card.

4001 S Woody Mountain Road, Flagstaff 928-774-1442 • thearb.org Ages 65+ get $2.50 off admission ($6).

Banana Republic

beallsoutlet.com Discount shoes, purses, clothes, luggage, household goods and home decor. On Mondays, ages 50+ receive 15% off the entire purchase with a One Card loyalty card.

Bookman’s bookmans.com Used books, records, CDs, movies, musical instruments and jewelry. On Wednesdays, from 9 am to noon, 10% discount 56 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Malls offering senior discounts Arizona Mills

simon.com/mall/arizona-mills Outlet mall in Tempe. On Tuesdays, ages 55+

Pima Air & Space Museum 6000 E Valencia Road, Tucson 520-574-0462 • pimaair.org Ages 65+ get $2.75 off admission ($12.75).

Tucson Botanical Gardens 2150 N Alvernon Way, Tucson 520-326-9686 • tucsonbotanical.org Ages 62+ get $1 off admission ($12 Oct.-May; $8 June-Sept.)

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 57

Julie and Dan Witenstein celebrate 25 years of Arizona Sunrays teamwork

By Mala Blomquist 58 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Julie and Dan Witenstein know something about teamwork. Not only have they been married for 29 years, but they have also been running Arizona Sunrays Gymnastics and Dance Center for the last 25.

As newlyweds, they had the opportunity to start a new business at a facility where Dan had been coaching gymnastics. His goal was to develop elite-level gymnasts in a way that he thought it could be done.

They decided that they would give it a try for five years and see how it worked. That was 25 years and thousands of students ago, and they are still going strong.

Dan shares some of his tips for a successful business/marriage combination, “Being supportive of each other and the different aspects that we are both trying to accomplish. Originally it was me exclusively on the floor, coaching, and I had my blinders on to the rest. Julie was doing a great job at marketing and finding ways to get the business going.

We’ve both grown so much through it all and the business has grown so much.

We have grown together through the successes and struggles of running a business together.” Julie adds to this, “It’s exciting to have a project to work on together. We keep trying to be better in every aspect of our lives and in our business. Our professionalism continues to grow in training our staff and growing the programs that we offer our customers.”

Their staff is one of the reasons why both Julie and Dan enjoy coming to work every day and taking care of them is very important to the couple. They have office staff that have been with them for 25 years called “The Legends,” whose children, and now grandchildren, are in programs at the gym. “People see the same faces when they walk in the door,” says Julie.

Julie also enjoys when she sees her staff post on social media with “#ilovemyjob” or “#bestjobever.” She says, “We focus on our employee’s growth and security, and we have a great management team. We send them (and ourselves) to training and business development programs. We are working hard to make Arizona Sunrays one of the best places to work and an innovator in the industry.” They also try to grow with technology. Julie remembers when they got their first computer; now everything is online and they even have their own app.

Another source of joy in the workplace for the Arizona Sunrays staff is the kids.

are five girls and five guys on the They currently have 1,800 kids team, and more than 70,000 (just participating in gymnastics, dance, girls) are competing in gymnastics afterschool, kid’s night out and in the U.S. alone,” Dan explains, camp programs. Julie says, “We’ve “We have had athletes competing created a place where kids can for years on the U.S. National Team. come and experience childhood in This team represents the United the best physical way they can.”

States, competing around the world The youngest participants are only in international competitions.” Dan 6 months old and attend the baby personally has coached, and traveled gym and baby dance classes. with, athletes competing in Japan, A new program offering is the Bulgaria, Hungary, Sweden, Israel, Ninja Zone for boys ages 4-11, Guatemala, Mexico and the United which combines gymnastics, States. The weekly practice schedule martial arts and breakdancing. for the kids preparing for these Also new is the preschool, bringing national competitions include five to all the benefits of movement and seven hours a day, five to six days a education together. There are week; depending on how close they adult gym and dance classes too, are to the competition. including ballet and tap. And they Arizona Sunrays also hosts their have 150 students that are at the own gymnastics invitational annually. competitive gymnastics level.

Have they ever coached a In the beginning, it was small, held in their own gym, but over the years it gymnast that went on to the has grown. For the past several years Olympics? “That is ‘the’ question Dan Witenstein congratulates a gymnast. the Arizona Sunrays Classic Rock that people always want to ask,” Gymnastics Invitational has been held says Julie. The answer is no, at the Phoenix Convention Center with 1,500 competitors. Rock but when you think of the odds, you understand why. “When bands play all week and awards for this competition include you consider the Olympics come every four years, and there

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 59

electric guitars and leather jackets.

Arizona Sunrays hosts another popular event along with their neighbor, Hubbard Family Swim School. The Swim and Gym Festival offers free gymnastics and dance classes along with free family swim time. Other activities include food, bounce houses, a DJ and local vendors. All the donations accepted that day go to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Their goal is $10,000 in donations at this event and they have reached it the last several years. Another way that Julie and Dan have given back to the community is in the form of hundreds of thousands of dollars in free classes they have donated over the years. “We are happy to provide that opportunity to the community,” says Julie.

They are long-time members of Beth El Congregation, where Julie serves on the board. Dan also served on the board for a short time. Their son and two daughters had their b’nai mitzvah ceremonies there. They provide silent auction items to many Jewish organizations in the Valley and the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center camp takes field trips to their facilities. Dan has also represented the United States as the head coach at the Maccabi Games in Israel in 1989 and the Pan Am Maccabi Games in Chile in 2004.

Even though Arizona Sunrays just celebrated its 25th anniversary, the Witensteins have no plans to slow down. “We

are going to be around for a long time, developing, growing and striving to be the best we can be in all the programs that we offer,” says Julie. They are starting to see the second generation of students coming to their gym. “It’s fun, especially when the kids look like their parents. We have that memory of their mom or dad running about the gym,” reflects Julie.

The impact that Arizona Sunrays has had on the community is evident by a recent chance meeting that Julie had at the bank.

She was wearing an Arizona Sunrays T-shirt and the woman asked her if that was “the place up the street?” When Julie said yes, the woman thanked her for still being there and went on to explain that her daughter had taken lessons 20 years ago and is still involved in dance. She explained that because of what her daughter learned at Arizona Sunrays, she loved it and wanted to keep that movement in her life, so she became a fitness instructor.

That’s just one story of the many positive impacts the Arizona Sunrays staff makes every day. “We continue to be grateful to the community for trusting Arizona Sunrays with their most valuable possessions,” says Julie. As their mission statement says, “We are families serving families!” With the team of Julie and Dan leading the way.

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60 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

[Family [FamilyTime] Time]

By Debra Rich Gettleman

Baby you can drive my car

When my son was 5 years old my husband and I temporarily lost our minds and spent a ridiculous sum of money on a mini version of a Hummer for him to drive around the neighborhood.

This car was totally amazing. Now that I think about it, perhaps it was part of our financially strapped, joint mid-life crisis. We couldn’t actually afford a pair of Porsches or a duo of Lamborghinis for ourselves, so instead we settled on a mini Hummer for our 5-year-old. We thought we were pretty great parents that year.

Of course, as all parents who have ever watched their children ignore their plethora of play toys and opt instead for a bevy of beaten up pots and pans to play with can guess, he was not at all interested in this outrageously fabulous vehicle. We spent countless hours trying to interest him in the Hummer. But no amount of creative cajoling could entice him to set foot in the birthday mobile.

Finally, one day I was making dinner and I glanced out the window and saw him climb into the Hummer and turn the key.

I was elated. I called my husband to tell him the great news but by the time he picked up the phone, my son had exited the vehicle and was talking animatedly to himself just a few feet away from where he’d begun. I hung up the phone and raced outside to question his curiously short road trip.

“I just needed to get to the office,” my five-year-old explained.

Then, like a chip off the old block, he gently invited me to go back inside, “I have work to do, mommy.”

I returned to the kitchen to finish dinner. After about a half hour of “office work,” my son hopped back into the Hummer, turned the key and drove for about three seconds until he reached home and entered the kitchen. “Hi mom, I’m home from the office,” he chirped brightly. At that moment, I realized that no matter how good our intentions, kids find enjoyment in the activities they love and not necessarily in the ones we adults think they should. We could’ve bought my son a mini Boeing 747, and he would only have used it as a vehicle to act out whatever adult behaviors he was working on at the time. That’s just who he was. He pretended he was a grown up and loved to mimic grown-up behavior. We came to understand that it was his way of making sense of the world around him. He never played for the sake of playing. He is what you’d call an “old soul.”

He’s always wanted to be an adult and we were foolish to think that a souped-up Hummer would change that.

He loved sitting in my car pretending to drive. He loved acting out swim lessons with me as the student and him as the teacher. He loved dressing up like his dad and going to the office

to see patients. No matter how many ways I tried to get him to drop the grown up scenarios and play for the sake of playing, kid stuff like that just wasn’t in his repertoire.

He is now a 15-year-old young man with a compassionate heart, a solid work ethic and a yearning to take on the world as a full-fledged adult. He is who he’s always been so it shouldn’t be hard for me to accept his burgeoning adulthood. But today as we sat in the Motor Vehicle Division waiting for him to take his written learner’s permit test, I found myself struggling with a different set of emotions.

I’ve heard hundreds of parents tell me, “Enjoy the moment.

They grow up so fast.” I’ve always found that kind of unwarranted advice to be more of an annoyance than a comfort.

And I’ve always sworn never to unload that piece of counsel onto other parents. But today I’m wallowing in the reality that they do grow up so quickly and within what feels like a nanosecond, they are ready to venture into the world without you.

As parents, it’s our job to find ways to remain relevant in our kids’ lives. Hopefully, we won’t always be their primary caregivers. But when that role ends, how do we morph into something that still matters, that continues to resonate with who they are and enables us to maintain connection and purpose?

The reality that kids grow up and leave home has always been there. It’s just so incredibly painful when you stand toe-to-toe with that truth.

My son drove home from the DMV. It was his first time driving on major roads and his first experience in rush-hour traffic. We’ve been practicing in parking lots and around the neighborhood for a few months, so I knew he was ready to test out his developing skills.

He did a great job. Well, aside from that one turn. But more importantly, he and I are renegotiating our relationship and learning from one another about how we can navigate his journey into full adulthood while still balancing my need to be his parent and guide his growing independence. It’s not always easy. Sometimes he’ll erupt into a toddler type tantrum.

Sometimes I do the same. I still have a lot of parenting to do. I’m not sure that ever actually ends. But we’re growing up together and it’s a pretty amazing journey.

Debra Rich Gettleman is a mother and blogger based in the Phoenix area. For more of her work, visit unmotherlyinsights.com.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 61

Get in the game

with library summer reading programs

By Mala Blomquist

May marks the end of the school year for most kids in Arizona, but it shouldn’t mean a break from reading. Most libraries in the state offer summer reading programs to keep kids entertained and their brains engaged, so that their learning skills remain sharp, avoiding the dreaded “summer slide.”

With more than 200 public library branch locations in Arizona ranging from Aguila to Yuma, chances are there is a public library nearby that offers a summer reading program.

These reading programs offer something for all ages too, from lap-time reading with your baby or toddler to improving adult literacy. Most of the libraries use themes established by the Collaborative Summer Library Program. CSLP is a consortium of states working together to provide a unified summer reading theme, along with professional art and evidence-based materials available to public libraries. The CSLP began in 1987, but its guiding principle remains the same: librarians sharing ideas, expertise and costs to produce high-quality summer reading programs for children, teens and adults.

Some of the benefits of including early learners (ages 4 and under) in the summer reading program according to the CSLP (cslpreads.org): • Young children will gain self-confidence and a love for reading, books and the library • The groundwork will be laid for children to become lifelong readers and learners • Entire families will have the opportunity to participate in age-appropriate summer reading programs • Completion of the program will give children a sense of 62 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

accomplishment and belonging • Parents and caregivers will gain knowledge about early literacy and learning activities at the library that they can continue at home Some of the benefits of summer reading programming for children (ages 5-11): • Children are motivated to read • Children develop positive attitudes about reading, books and the library • Children maintain their reading skills during summer vacation • Children have access to experiences that further their sense of discovery • Children have access to experiences through which they can learn to work cooperatively This year’s summer reading programs are “On Your Mark, Get Set…READ” (children), “Get in the Game…READ” (teens) and “Exercise Your Mind. READ” (adults). Sign up online or at your local library beginning the last week of May (check with your branch for the exact date that registration is available) and join in the fun with the 2016 sports, health and fitness theme.

Set a goal of reading 20 minutes every day.

As children read, they log their reading time and earn points that they can redeem for prizes, including free food coupons.

Kids can also play online games and track their reading to unlock new game levels and activities. Upon completing the program and achieving the required point goal, they receive a code to that they can use to choose a free book from an online marketplace.

As children read, they log their reading time and earn points that they can redeem for prizes, including free food coupons. Kids can also play online games and track their reading to unlock new game levels and activities.

These programs continue through the end of July or early August, depending on the library. Throughout the summer, the libraries will also host events in conjunction with the summer reading program, including kick-off events with special guests and activities.

So if you are looking for a fun, free and cool (libraries have great air-conditioning!) program to enlist the entire family in this summer, look no further than your neighborhood public library. It’s a great way to reinforce the importance of reading along with the enjoyment that only immersing yourself in a good book can bring.

To locate a public library branch in Maricopa county that is participating in the summer reading program, go to maricopacountyreads.org. To locate participating library branches outside of Maricopa county, go to azsummerreading. org.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 63

Kids & Teen Events for May

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

MAY 14 Parents Night Out gives parents the opportunity to take a well-deserved break! Experienced JCC staff lead games, crafts and more. Separate movies for younger and older children. 6-11 pm. $25 for first child, $15 for sibling. Nonmembers welcome. East Valley JCC, 908 N Alma School Road, Chandler. Contact Jeff Hast at 480-897-0588 or hastj@evjcc.org.

MAY 15 Kids in the Kitchen for children in grades 1-6 to experience the joy of kosher cooking. Noon-2 pm at Chabad of the East Valley, 875 N McClintock Dr., Chandler. $12/per class, RSVP to chabadcenter.com.

Yom Huledet L’Yisrael. See page??.

MAY 20 Family Shabbat Israel Night 5:45-8:30 pm at Congregation Anshei Israel,

Includes a variety of activities, Homework Hangout (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 Scott at 520-299-3000 ext. 192 or szorn@tucsonjcc.org, tucsonjcc.org.

5550 E 5th St., Tucson. Share an interactive and upbeat Shabbat celebration for families, followed by an Israeli-style dinner, Israeli dancing and Israeli trivia bowl.

Join us and make friends, build community, learn about Judaism, and have fun! $25 per family (two adults and up to 4 children); adults (13+) $10 per person.

RSVP by May 16 to Kim, 520-745-5550 ext. 224 or edasst@caiaz.org.

MAY 6 Tot Shabbat at 5:45-7:15 pm at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E 5th St.,

MAY 23-27 Camp J Pre Camps – H2Oasis for kids in grades K-6 at the Tucson Jewish

Tucson. Special Kabbalat Shabbat Service for young families to welcome the Sabbath with stories and songs, followed by kid-friendly Shabbat dinner. $25 per family (2 adults and up to 4 children). Additional adults $10 per person. RSVP by May 2 to Kim, 520-745-5550 ext. 224 or edasst@caiaz.org.

Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson. Groups will be split by age and spend time in the swimming pool learning proper stroke techniques, water safety skills, water games and more. $47/day member, $67/day non-member. 520299-3000 ext.160 or camp@tucsonjcc.org.

May 7, 11 & 31 Phoenix Children’s Chorus Auditions at the Phoenix Center for the Arts,

Camp J Pre Camps – Parkour by Playformance at the J for kids in grades 2-6 at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson. Camp builds strength and character through efficiency of movement – getting from point A to point B in the most efficient way possible. $54/day member, $75/day non-member. 520-299-3000 ext.160 or camp@tucsonjcc.org.

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Israeli reserve soldiers Alon and Bentzi shared stories of life in the IDF with Arizona college students in Tucson and Phoenix.

Students find contrasts and commonalities with Israeli soldiers Story and photo by Leah Merrall

g n i v i L

For the average college student in the U.S., the years from age 18 to 22 are spent studying, partying and getting ready to join the workforce.

For the average Israeli, age 18 means it’s time to join the Israel Defense Forces for mandatory army service.

While the average American student may have been posted in the library or out to eat with friends, Alon and Bentzi might have been patrolling one of Israel’s many borders with Lebanon, Syria, Jordan or Egypt. Or maybe they were on a special mission in Gaza to destroy the tunnels that led terrorists into Israel.

This is the story that Alon and Bentzi told a group of students at the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation on Monday, April 11: the story of taking on such a great responsibility at such a young age. Their talk was part of a tour with the organization StandWithUs, which strives to inform the public about Israel. Over the next few days, Alon and Bentzi also met with students at Arizona State University, Paradise Valley High School and Phoenix Country Day School.

Alon, 26, was born in Haifa, Israel, before moving to South Africa at the age of one and then Mexico City until he graduated from high school. He returned to Israel on his own when he was 18, and served in the Artillery Corps for over four years as an officer in an operational unit.

Bentzi, 23, enlisted into the 101st Brigade of the Paratroopers in 2012, where he served as a combat soldier, a squad commander and in the Battalion Commander’s personal command unit. He participated in two operations against Hamas in Gaza, including Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014.

Both men have seen the terrors of war that their peers in Arizona might never be able to imagine.

“I can be with my unit in the Golan Heights and see ISIS,” Alon said. “Imagine ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 65

being five miles away and seeing ISIS with your binoculars – it’s The stories that they shared resonated in the room full of UA a crazy thing to imagine.” students, only a handful of whom had been to Israel before.

Experiencing things that Americans only see on the news Despite living through experiences that most American college is one thing. However, one of the most remarkable thing that students will probably never need to endure, at the end of the both Alon and Bentzi faced was assuming such an immense day, Alon and Bentzi are also young adults. responsibility at such a young age.

“One of my first dreams was I’d go home after three weeks “Picture this: you’re 19, and I put you or a month, and I was a big Guinness “Picture this: you’re 19, and on the border of Lebanon and you’re in fan, and I’d sit and I’d get a cold beer charge of 54 soldiers,” Alon said. “You’re and I just remember closing my eyes I put you on the border of their mom, you’re their dad, you’re their and everything vanishes,” Alon said. “All Lebanon and you’re in charge the problems, everything you’re going older brother, sister. You’re all they have.

You’re 19 years old. Who am I when through, and it’s that freezing gulp of of 54 soldiers,” Alon said.

I’m 19 and a half to make any rational happiness. It’s this feeling I can’t really “You’re their mom, you’re decision regarding these soldiers? What explain.” have I gone through? I did two courses so their dad, you’re their older Just like there are similarities between I can do this? But I was shocked, and you American college students and Israeli brother, sister. You’re all they have to switch your mind and realize if soldiers, Bentzi said he also believes that you don’t take care of these soldiers then have. You’re 19 years old. Who commonalities can be found between no one will.”

Israelis and those who they are fighting. am I when I’m 19 and a half In the summer of 2014, Bentzi was part “I realize that most of us kind of have to make any rational decision this vision of what the other side looks of Operation Protective Edge, a mission in Gaza to destroy the network of tunnels like, and I think that both sides are much regarding these soldiers?” that terrorists were traveling through. He closer than we think,” he said. “It made had an unpredictable experience with a me realize also that the way to fix it is suspicious woman coming toward them; more face to face, and less of it with me that forced them to go through all steps of protocol that he only as a soldier. We have to push together what we have in common ever read about and never dreamed of having to use. and try to build those bridges instead of burning them.”

“It’s terrifying – there’s nothing you can do to prepare for it,” Leah Merrall is a sophomore journalism student with a minor Bentzi said. “You can train and train and train for every possible in communications at the University of Arizona. scenario, but there’s no way to be prepared for the real thing.”

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[To Life!]

Affirming love in the face of death

By Amy Hirshberg Lederman

I arrived in Tucson on July 3, 1976, with nothing but a backpack, post-college dreams and a lot of sand in my shoes. The three months it took me to hitch-hike from Oberlin, OH to Tucson really took a beating on my hiking boots and the slim savings I had.

My plan was simple: to live with my Aunt Gen for a while until I figured out what I wanted to do ‘with the rest of my life.’

Gen, who was really my dad’s first cousin, was 58, newly widowed and filled with dread about living alone, so it seemed like a perfect plan.

Moving to Tucson forty years ago gave me more than an opportunity to perfect my tan. Over the years, I was able to explore and develop as an adult without many of the burdens and expectations I would have carried had I returned to my hometown in New Jersey. It gave me ample space to truly grow into myself.

Aunt Gen was an essential part of that process: I became the daughter she never had as she offered me her wisdom, wit, spare bedroom and car. We experienced each other openly and honestly, without a lot of the shtick that often accompanies family relationships. It was a bond we both needed and treasured.

Aunt Gen was diagnosed with stage four cancer in January of 1996. They said she had four to six months to live, barely enough time to get her affairs in order, let alone do what she wanted to do before she died. How would she possibly see all her family and friends before she died? How would she arrange her schedule to include morning desert walks, afternoon chemotherapy treatments and evening dinner dates? Who would balance the chemicals in her pool and fix the garage light when she got weaker and couldn’t handle it all?

We didn’t acknowledge what we both knew to be true, that every passing day brought us closer to her end. But what we did acknowledge was that for as long as we had time together, we could use that time to talk - about our relationship, the family, her successes and regrets, what she would miss most when she was gone. What I came to understand during those six months was that the most essential part of her dying was the ability she still had to talk about her life.

I asked her once when we were sitting on her back porch whether she believed in God. It was a windy day in March, and the scarf that covered her fragile hairless scalp blew softly around her face. In that one moment, she looked so young I couldn’t believe she wouldn’t be here to watch my children grow up.

“I don’t really think I believe in God,” she answered, “but sometimes I wish I did. People are my religion, I believe in the goodness of mankind and the creativity and love of the human soul.”

We sat there for a while and then she asked me if I would do her a favor. “Would you say the Mourner’s Kaddish for me after I’m gone?”

Coming from a woman who had never once acknowledged that Jewish ritual was important to her, the question surprised me.

“Of course I will, but why?”

She hesitated for a moment then gently laid her hand on mine. “Because I don’t know for certain whether God exists and I want to be remembered in the way my parents and grandparents were. Besides,” she said giving my hand a squeeze, “women can say it now, right?”

She was referring to the fact that throughout Jewish history only men were counted as part of the required group of ten (the minyan) who needed to be present to say the Kaddish. That view has changed in all but the Orthodox movement so that women are now counted as part of the minyan.

The Kaddish, an Aramaic prayer that is more than 2000 years old, consoles, elevates and renews hope in the mourner that God’s goodness will prevail. It is recited at the burial and for eleven months after the death of a parent at daily, Sabbath and festival services. While never mentioning death, the Kaddish affirms life in the face of death and exalts Divine greatness.

My Aunt Gen “knew” God through her love of and for people. After she had died, I came to understand an essential lesson about life.

Love doesn’t die, only people do. We carry that love within us and continue to be in relationships with those who have died long after they are gone. In asking me to recite the Kaddish for her, my Aunt Gen not only affirmed her life and the traditions that she was born into, but gave me a way to honor and love her as I learned to live without her.

Amy Hirshberg Lederman has written more than 300 columns and essays that have been published nationwide. amyhirshberglederman.com

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 67

Ross sheds light on U.S.-Israel connections Ambassador Dennis Ross with Professor Ed Wright, director of the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies, and J.P. Jones, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Arizona

Former United States Ambassador to Israel Dennis Ross addressed the history of the U.S. relationship with Israel and explored possible future trajectories in a lecture hosted by The Arizona Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Arizona on April 6.

Ross spoke at the Jeffrey Plevan Memorial Lecture, endowed

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by Betsy and Ken Plevan to honor the memory of their son. A graduate of the University of Arizona with a major in history and a minor in Judaic Studies, Jeff passed away in 2013 at the age of 38. Modern Israel was a very important topic to him, and each year the lecture is aimed at shedding light on areas of study that interested Jeff.

This year’s lecture “The Past, The Present and Future of U.S.-Israel Relations,” was presented by Ambassador Ross, one of the world’s leading experts on U.S. policy in the Middle East and U.S.-Israel relations.

Ross, the author of Doomed to Succeed: The U.S.-Israel Relationship from Truman to Obama, contextualized the relationship between the U.S. and Israel against the historical and political backdrop of the American administrations’ involvements in the Middle East. The Ambassador sought to predict where the U.S.-Israel relationship might go in the near future based on the policies and behaviors of regional and global actors.

The lecture took place in the UA’s new Environment and Natural Resources Phase 2 building. A free reception hosted by the Plevan family was held in Jeff ’s honor in the courtyard of the building prior to the talk. Over 200 people attended.

Ed Wright, director of The Arizona Center for Judaic Studies, noted that it was a great honor to have Ambassador Ross as this year’s Plevan lecturer, as he brings three decades of experience as one of the people who was at the table when important negotiations were conducted regarding Middle East peace.

Ross served as the director of policy planning in the State Department under President George H.W. Bush, as the Middle East peace envoy to President Bill Clinton and as a special assistant to President Barack Obama. Ross is now the William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a distinguished professor in the practice of diplomacy at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

FEDERATION NOTES

Taking stock.

Being grateful.

By Stuart Wachs

As we head into summer, things slow down some for many of us—we take summer vacations or head to cooler climates. Even work tends to slow down a little. It is a time when we can all take a breath, enjoy our blessings and pause to take stock of where were are, rejuvenate and embrace the road ahead.

The staff and lay leaders at the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix look forward to doing the same during these summer months. We are working on a 5-year roadmap to help us define what success and impact can look like for us and for the community and what it will take for us at the federation and within the Jewish community to get there. We plan to complete this work and share the roadmap with everyone this fall.

As we look ahead, it is important to remember where we’ve been and to celebrate our successes for the federation and for the community. Some highlights to celebrate so far this year include: • Beginning our second year of funding and expanding impact through the senior concierge program and our Israel advocacy initiative on the Arizona State University campus

• Establishing a year-round Tzofim Israeli Scouts program, made possible through the generosity of Sigal and Ronny Urman, who were inspired by one of our mini-missions • Allocating $58,000 to provide transportation for Jewish seniors who are unable to drive • Impacting 600 young Jewish adults in the first three months of the year through our NowGen programs • Increasing our support through campaign, which is up 26% card-for-card over last year and has brought in more than 150 new donors as of April 1 • Distributing our 2015 Honor Roll and Year in Review, available online at jewishphoenix.org/annualcampaign • Enriching Jewish lives around the world through our overseas partners, including JDC’s work in Ukraine assisting Jews in the conflict zone with medicine, food and social services and JAFI’s work helping Jews in Ethiopia and war-torn Yemen make aliyah to Israel None of this would happen without our generous donors, the many organizations we work with and fund, or our amazing staff and volunteers. Thank you.

I wish everyone a relaxing, rejuvenating summer and ask for your continued and growing support as we help Jews in need and build vibrant Jewish communities here, in Israel and in 70 countries around the world.

Stuart Wachs is president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix.

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 69

[Israel]

Rabbi Bezalel Cohen and Daniel Hassan of Hachmey Lev Yeshiva High School with Tracy Salkowitz.

Israel through different eyes

By Tracy Salkowitz

Taking a trip to Israel as CEO of the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona is both challenging and invigorating. My most recent visit, organized by the Weintraub Israel Center earlier this year, was fabulous. I traveled with 43 other Tucsonans on the WIC’s first Israel Experience – Boarding Pass Trip to Israel, and our shared experiences created lifelong bonds.

In our 10 days together, highlights included everything from Tel Aviv to the Golan, waking up to the beautiful views of the Sea of Galilee. From there we traveled to Jerusalem, where we welcomed Shabbat at the Western Wall, and then on to Kiryat Malachi for a community celebration and home hospitality with residents of our Partnership2Gether region. The Israel Center mission ended at Moshav Netiv HaAsara, where we affixed ceramic pieces to the Path to Peace mosaic wall on the border with Gaza. I was thrilled that JCF was able to provide support for the trip.

Before, during and after the mission, I had side meetings with current and prospective grant beneficiaries. Whenever I visit Israel, the challenge is

catching up on evolving trends and needs while in the middle of experiencing the country. The difference between this trip and my last visit was palpable. Two years ago, I sensed that the most pressing issues in Israel were the economy and the role of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jews in Israeli society. It wasn’t that peace in the Middle East wasn’t on everyone’s radar; it felt like regional tension had become the status quo and people just made sure they were prepared for possible eventualities.

This trip was different. Although the economy and the role of haredim in society are still high priorities, tensions among the Israeli/Palestinian/Arab communities are at an all time high. Terror attacks have taken their toll and part of the after effects can be sensed in how each community reacts. Those who have friends or colleagues in other communities, who have been building bridges, have taken those friendships behind closed doors. Many organizations doing shared-society work have ceased to exist.

Despite the difficulties, some individuals and organizations continue with their efforts. Hand in Hand is a chain of schools that have equal numbers of Israeli and Arab students. Parents must agree to participate fully before their children are accepted into the program. Hand in Hand is opening its fifth campus.

Jews and Arabs who live in the “mixed” Jerusalem neighborhood of Abu Tor are

Hachmey Lev helps haredi teenage boys pursue matriculation certification without compromising their ultraorthodox lifestyle.

70 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

The Netiv L’Shalom (Path to Peace) mural at Mosahv Netiv HaAsara, on the border with Gaza. Participants in the Weintraub Israel Center Israel Experience – Boarding Pass Trip to Israel added tiles to the mosaic.

engaged in community development. Music and sports groups in Abu Tor are working to make a difference.

My admiration for those on the front lines knows no bounds.

Another one of my heroes is Rabbi Bezalel Cohen of Hachmey Lev. Several years ago, he became increasingly concerned about the rising poverty rate amongst haredim. He made the decision that he did not want his children to grow up or live their lives without the means to care for their families.

There are some 350 haredi yeshivas in Israel. Of these, there were no mainstream haredi yeshivas teaching core curriculum (computers, science, math and English. Without core studies, these young men have no hope of getting into college and will need to rely on their wives to support the family, which becomes increasingly difficult with an ever-growing number of children.

I do not mean to offend those who have chosen a lifetime of Torah study. I certainly want Judaism to thrive and we need learned scholars. Not everyone is cut out for that life, however, and there are those who would choose a different path.

Hachmey Lev helps haredi teenage boys pursue matriculation certification without compromising their ultraorthodox lifestyle.

It is in its second year and already has a waiting list. At the same time, Rabbi Cohen has been under incredible pressure from his community and he, his wife and children have lost friends.

I met with staff members from the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel who have been doing extraordinary research in this area. Of course, JCF wants choices for Israeli youth, but that is only part of our reason for funding Hachmey Lev. In the next 30-40 years, approximately 50 percent of the adult workforce will be under-educated haredim and Arabs. This has tremendous implications for Israel’s society and economy. To

us, this is one of the most critical issues facing Israel’s future and JCF is the very first Jewish community foundation to provide critical support in this area.

We like to say that Tucson is small but mighty. By being very strategic with our dollars, we make an impact. This is probably no more keenly felt than in Tucson’s Partnership2Gether region of Kiryat Malachi and Hof Ashkelon.

Once again, our foundation is the first independent Jewish foundation to become a full member of the Partnership2Gether program, enabling a greater investment in our relationships with beneficiary organizations and more in depth on-the-ground research of prospective grantees. The cross-training that is possible opens many new doors on both sides of the Atlantic.

We are little Tucson, not New York; who are we to be suggesting anything? Well, one of the surprising consequences of our continued partnership with Kiryat Milachi and Hof Ashkelon is that we’ve put Tucson on the map when it comes to supporting organizations in Israel. We are being looked to for strategic thinking, initiatives and partnerships, which create even more opportunities for building and collective impact. Israel is our homeland. We not only need to do whatever we can, but we have a responsibility to do so. After all, you never know where the next brilliant idea is going to come from. Why not from Tucson?

Tracy Salkowitz is CEO of the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 71

Arizonans making Aliyah Israel can be a challenging place to start anew, but the rewards of contributing to a secure, thriving homeland for the Jewish people make it worthwhile for so many Arizonans who choose to call Israel home. While ideology may be behind the drive to make aliyah, there must be a stronger pull to stay there long term. We’d like to introduce you to a few Arizonans who are putting down roots and doing their part to keep Israel moving forward.

Jennifer Rubashkin

Jennifer is a midwife at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (also known as Ichilov Hospital), where she helps thousands of woman give birth each year. In 2006, after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, she went to Israel on a 10-month volunteer program called Ozma. After the program was over, she decided to make aliyah so that she could stay a little longer. She now lives in Tel Aviv with her husband and two children. Jennifer’s parents, Charles and Pamela Matlin, live in the Valley.

Joey Poreda

Joey is a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces. He visited Israel for the first time on Taglit-Birthright Israel in 2014 … and never left. “In that 10 days, I completely fell in love with Israel. After Birthright was over everyone loaded up on the plane to go home, and I refused. I wasn't ready to leave,” Joey says. Vered Otmy, an artist from Tucson’s Partnership region, and her husband, Doni, “adopted” him. He made aliyah and joined the IDF as a lone soldier. Joey’s parents, Marcy and Ken Poreda, live in Tucson, along with his sister, Jamie, and brother, Danny.

Lisa Silverman David Abraham

David is the assistant director of Nativ for Yozma, the first inclusion program for a gap year in Israel. Yozma provides support for those with cognitive or social challenges so they can experience a gap year in Israel the same way their typically developing peers do. He made aliyah in 2008 after earning a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Arizona, returned to the States to complete his master’s in rehabilitation counseling in 2012, and moved back to Jerusalem in 2015. David’s parents, Marlene and Bill Abraham, live in Tucson.

Lisa’s goal is to help build the philanthropy culture in Israel as a fundraising and management consultant for non-profits. She currently does pro-bono work for an orphan disease organization and a school that teaches Sudanese refugees computer and English skills. Lisa plans to launch a consulting firm and has already engaged with several non-profits, including Leket Israel and the Jewish Agency for Israel. Lisa made aliyah in 2014 with her husband and four children. They now live in Modi’in.

Her parents, Linda and Shelby Silverman, live in Tucson.

Sinead McIntyre

Sinead lives in Tel Aviv and is studying for her master’s degree in organizational behavior and development, in Hebrew, at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. She moved to Israel in 2013 and aims to contribute to the start-up nation in the realm of consulting and marketing. Sinead also works full-time as a content manager in an advertising startup that specializes in in-image advertising, helping publishers “boost their revenues with their untapped real estate: their images,” Sinead explains. Her mother, Mila McIntyre, and stepfather, John Eastin, live in Phoenix.

Michelle Wolfe Max Gan

Max is in his second year of studies at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya’s International School. He is studying communications with a minor in business. He is class president and volunteers as a Big Brother in Herzliya.

Max teaches yoga at the student union and in private lessons. He made aliyah in 2010 and served as a paratrooper in the IDF. His mother, Jami Ober Gan, and father, Scott Gan, live in Tucson.

72 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Michelle is a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology at Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak and at an outpatient clinic. She lives in Giv'at Shmuel with her husband, Amir, and three children. They also have a recently-married son in the IDF and a daughter at Bar Ilan Unversity, who is getting married this month.

When asked why she and her family made aliyah in 2014, Michelle replies, “For Zionism!” Growing up in Tucson, Michelle attended Tucson Hebrew Academy and University High School. Her father, Jack Pinnas, lives in Tucson.

Guy Bittner

Guy is resort manager at The Phoenician in Scottsdale. He lives in Scottsdale with his wife and two children. They moved here from Seattle in 2015 because of his career in the hospitality industry, and the warm weather. Guy is on the board of the Valley Hotel and Resort Association. “I work strategically, not only with our management team, but with other local industry leaders, to ensure the market is a top destination of choice for both leisure and group business,” he says.

Guy grew up in Omer, near Beersheba in the Negev.

Amram Knishinsky

Amram is a principal partner and lead developer of the Butterfly Wonderland and OdySea Aquarium (opening this summer) in Scottsdale. Originally from Ramat Gan, he moved here 45 years ago to pursue a doctoral degree at Arizona State University, after earning an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. Amram created the Butterfly Wonderland Foundation in 2013 and the OdySea Foundation in 2015, which have brought more than 100,000 school children to the OdySea in the Desert Attractions.

Israelis in Arizona Sabras seem drawn to Arizona for the many opportunities our communities offer.

When they talk about a warm, welcoming environment, they don’t just mean the summer heat. They bring with them that “start-up nation” mindset that Israel has become so well known for, and aren’t afraid to pursue new ventures of all kinds. Please meet a handful of the Israelis who are making a difference in Arizona.

Moshe Bukshpan

Moshe is the executive director of the Red Rocks Music Festival. Originally from Holom, he moved to Phoenix in 1982 to teach violin at a private studio.

In 2001, he founded the Red Rocks Music Festival with the mission to “educate, engage and challenge audiences through a collaboration of leading Arizona artists and world acclaimed musicians.” An integral part of the festival’s mission is offering outreach music education for underserved students and their communities. The festival has received recognition from National Endowment for the Arts and Arizona Commission on the Arts.

Ofer Navon

Ofer and his wife, Misty Guerriero Navon, own Vintage by Misty in Scottsdale. He moved to Arizona seven years ago from Tel Aviv, after making several trips to visit a friend from the IDF and invest in real estate.

Ofer got involved in the vintage clothing business when he was dating Misty long-distance, and she sent him hunting for vintage pieces from classic Israeli designers like Maskit, Gottex and Ilana Goor. They live in central Phoenix, with their two-year-old daughter, Adina.

Itzik and Pnina Becher

Itzik is director of major gifts for Desert States for Jewish National Fund, engaging the Jewish and non-Jewish community to support the continuation of the building of the state of Israel. Before that, he worked at the University of Arizona as managing director for UA Presents. Pnina is a concert pianist, performing both locally and nationally. Originally from Tel Aviv, they moved to Arizona 12 years ago for the weather and similarity to Israel. They have three children and live in Fountain Hills.

Eli Barel

Eli owns Eli’s Deli on Fifth Street in Tucson, which he describes as “the only kosher butcher between Los Angeles and Chicago.” Originally from Beit She’an in Northern Israel, Eli came to Tucson in 2013 with his wife, Oshrat, and their three daughters, when Oshrat was appointed shlichah (emissary) and director of the Weintraub Israel Center. He purchased the deli (formerly known as Fifth Street Deli) in November 2015 and plans to expand the selection and variety of imported and freshly made Israeli foods.

Amir Glogau

Amir is the CEO of PRO EM Professional Event Management in Phoenix. Since 2011 he has split his time between Netanya and Phoenix. Amir is involved with AIPAC and the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix. He is a supporter of the Atalef Foundation, the official association of the Israeli Navy Seals.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 73

[Israel]

Spring holidays

By Teddy Weinberger

in the Holy Land

Jews around the world are familiar with the fall holidays: a three-week period beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Simchat Torah. However, only in Israel is Passover the beginning of another three-week holiday period.

A few days after the end of Passover, Israel observes Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), which this year is on Thursday, May 5; about a week after that, Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) is observed; and on the following day, Israel celebrates its independence on Yom Ha’atzmaut. Just as with the fall holidays, there is a definite tendency to look at this spring holiday period as a block, and to avoid undertaking majorinitiatives until “after the holidays.”

It is characteristically Jewish to place Memorial Day right before Independence Day. Whereas in the Catholic tradition (for example) you have the exuberant Mardi Gras before the austere Lent, in Judaism the Fast of Esther precedes the gaiety of Purim, Yom Kippur is a few days before Sukkot (traditionally the happiest of Jewish holidays), and the solemnity of Memorial Day immediately precedes the festivities of Independence Day. Israel thus continues the Jewish tradition of prefacing celebration with a period of somber reflection.

While America’s Independence Day always falls on the 4th of July, Israel’s Independence Day is much less reliable; its commemoration is tied to the Hebrew calendar (the 5th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar), of which even most Israelis don’t have the foggiest. With Memorial Day immediately preceding Independence Day, and with neither day being commemorated on Shabbat, you have a recipe for calendrical confusion.

For religious Zionists, the founding of the state of Israel has theological significance and they mark this occasion of G-d’s acting in history with a special evening service that includes the blowing of the shofar and the recitation of the festive Hallel prayer. Religious non-Zionists, however, attach no special religious importance to Yom Ha’atzmaut and even recite the Tahanun prayer reserved for regular weekdays.

To the general public, Yom Ha’atzmaut is a time for free outdoor concerts, fireworks, getting sprayed with foam and having squeaky plastic toy hammers smashed on your skull.

There are also many parties throughout the night. In Givat Ze’ev, even the party for junior high school students begins at midnight.

The day of Yom Ha’atzmaut provides one with the opportunity to fulfill the central commandment of this holiday: the mangal (barbecue). One simply has not fulfilled one’s obligation to one’s country without grilling meat. It’s no wonder that my friend Katriel playfully calls this day not Yom Ha’atzmaut, but Yom Ha’atzamot (the day of bones). Israelis like to get out into nature on Independence Day, so they lug all their BBQ paraphernalia with them. Because holiday traffic jams can be horrendous, some families set up their barbecues well before the entrance to the parks, thus getting a jump on the trip back home. It’s astounding to me to see families barbecuing a few feet from a highway, with asphalt and cars providing most of their scenery. You sort of wonder why they didn’t just set up shop from the comfort of their own neighborhood street.

There are several locations around the country on Yom Ha’atzmaut where the Israel Defense Forces create military parking lots for kids.

Givat Ze’ev is one of the chosen spots. On our first Independence Day here 18 years ago, a television crew from Miami (where we lived before aliyah) followed us around. As the cameraman filmed Rebecca climbing on a tank, I told the reporter that kids here are socialized from a very early age to view the IDF as friendly and accessible. My four older children, including Rebecca, have by now already completed their military service, and Elie is serving in an elite combat unit. Independence, after all, has a price.

Happy Israeli Independence Day!

The solemnity of Memorial Day immediately precedes the festivities of Independence Day. …

Independence, after all, has a price.

74 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Teddy Weinberger, Ph.D., writes from Givat Ze’ev, a suburb of Jerusalem just over the Green Line. He and his wife, Sarah Jane Ross, made aliyah in 1997 with their five children. Teddy is director of development for Meaningful, a company that works with Israeli nonprofit organizations. His in-laws live in Scottsdale for most of the year.

On a recent visit to Arizona State University, David Lehrer, executive director of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, met with Dr. Ellen Stechel, deputy director of ASU LightWorks, to discuss options for collaborative research. Photo by Peter Lammers

Arava Institute tackles cross-border environmental issues come together on a peace agreement. We need to address them regardless of the political situation,” says Executive Director Nature knows no borders. At the Arava Institute for David Lehrer. “On the other hand, we want to make sure that Environmental Studies, this is more than just a slogan. It’s these environmental issues don’t become one more reason for the mission that brings Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and conflict. And we want to take them out of the political equation. international students together to tackle the environmental And, of course, by working together on environmental issues, issues of the Middle East. we are also modeling cooperation, which could be copied for The Arava Institute, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this other areas of cooperation and potentially lead to a more serious year, was founded to build bridges peaceful dialog.” between peoples in the Middle East Based on Kibbutz Ketura based on their common concerns in Israel’s Arava desert, the for the environment. Environmental institute offers academic issues such as water, nature programs, internships, conservation, air pollution and waste research and international water treatment are all cross-border initiatives. Courses are taught environmental issues that, in the end, in English and students can only be addressed through crossreceive credit through border cooperation.

Ben-Gurion University of “We believe that the the Negev. Environmental environmental issues that we face studies are taught from an in the region are cross-border and interdisciplinary point of ~ Arava Institute Executive Director David Lehrer they cannot wait for the sides to view, with courses in natural

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

“We explain that you really can’t learn how to live in peace with nature until you’ve learned how to live in peace with your neighbor.”

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 75

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sciences (such as earth sciences, ecology, renewable energy and sustainable agriculture) and social sciences (including environmental law, environmental policy, religion and the environment, ethics and environmental economics). “All the tools that students need to become environmental leaders and professionals when they go back to their home universities,” says David, a member of Ketura who made aliyah from the United States in 1978.

The institute has over 900 alumni, two-thirds of whom live in the Middle East. Over 750 of them stay connected through the Alumni Peace and Environmental Network, which holds an annual conference that rotates among locations in Israel, Palestine and Jordan and gives them the opportunity to create new initiatives and new programs. About 80% of the institute’s alumni continue to be involved in environmental initiatives or social justice initiatives after they return to their home communities. Notable alumni include the first Jordanian student and the first Palestinian student to earn doctoral degrees from Ben-Gurion University; along with environmental leaders in local government in Jordan, Israel and Palestine. “We are starting to see our alumni move their way up the ladder of policy,” says David.

“When we founded the institute, we thought that we could bring a bunch of Jews and Arabs together, throw them in a room and teach them about the environment, because maybe that’s something that everybody can agree on. But we found out very quickly that students could live together for a semester or a year and just keep smiling at each other, not saying what they really think. Or at times of tension, it would come out in not productive ways. So we realized that we needed to initiate the conversation. And we created one of the more unique aspects of the program, which is the Peace Building Leadership Seminar,” David says.

“That’s where we talk about what they don’t want to talk about. That’s where we talk about the elephant in the room. We talk about history, politics, religion, war, occupation, terrorism – all issues that bring up emotions,” David says. When students say that they came to the institute to study the environment, not to discuss these issues, “we explain that you really can’t learn how to live in peace with nature until you’ve learned how to live in peace with your neighbor.” By the end of their studies, students say that the Peace Building Leadership Seminar is the most important thing that they did at the institute.

In addition to the academic programs, the institute partners with universities around the world on international environmental initiatives. David was recently in Phoenix for an initial meeting with researchers at Arizona State University’s LightWorks program about a potential research partnership in renewable energy. They discussed the prospects of working together to test algae production for biofuel at the Arava Institute.

While here, David also met with Jewish National Fund supporters to raise awareness about the institute, which is a partner project of JNF. “We’re very proud that they’ve chosen to partner with the Arava Institute. It’s a sign of confidence that they’ve decided we’re worthy of being a partner,” he says.

For more information about the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, visit arava.org.

FACES & PLACES Sari Lewis, 13 read the Megillah for about 20 women on Purim Eve, March 23, at Karolyn Benger’s home. The following day, she read the Megillah to residents of Phoenix Mountain Nursing Center. Sari is a seventh grader at Veritas Preparatory Academy in Phoenix.

Photos by Mindy Lewis.

Purim was a multi-generational affair at Temple Beth Shalom, Sun City, on March 25. Religious School students put on a Purim play. Adam Kohn and Matthew Press got into the spirit with lightsabers. The temple’s oldest congregant, Abe Meth (almost 104!), read from the Megillah, with Ritual Coordinator Larry Gorelick by his side.

Photos by Marsha Gratz

Banana, bananana. Rabbi Robert Eisen was a Minion in search of a minyan at Congregation Anshei Israel’s Purim Palooza on March 23.

Rabbi Ephraim Zimmerman donned an IDF uniform to read the Megillah against a backdrop of the Western Wall at Chabad of Oro Valley’s Purim in Israel celebration on March 24.

Photo by Chavie Kahanov

Brett Barry, aka the Phoenix Mentalist (pictured here with Rabbi Israel Becker, aka Lumiere), entertained and amazed Congregation Chofetz Chayim congregants at The Incredible Purim Party on March 24 in Tucson.

Purim 5776

Zookeepers Rabbi Mitch and Chana Goldstein get ready to deliver mishloach manot with their young menagerie. Working with college students through Jewish Arizonans on Campus has clearly prepared them well for the task of herding animals through the streets of Tempe, Phoenix and Scottsdale. Photo courtesy of Rabbi Mitch Goldstein

More than 60 people attended a Purim murder-mystery dinner at the Scottsdale home of Sonia and John Breslow on March 23rd.

The event included an interactive murder-mystery dinner featuring a retelling of the Purim story. Esther Schon was the first to correctly identify the culprit. The dinner was held to recognize and thank Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s major donors. In costume for the occasion, Purim murder-mystery hosts Sonia and John Breslow gave their guests a royal welcome. 2017 IGNITION Co-Chair Judy Laufer got into character. Photos by Sandy Tenuto Rabbi Yossie Shemtov read the Megillah, while children looked on, at Chabad Tucson’s Purim in the Jungle on March 24. 200 participants joined a drum circle and enjoyed a buffet dinner. Photo

by Hanna Gaber In keeping with the Montessori philosophy of taking concepts and bringing them from the abstract to the concrete, Esther Becker uses a diorama she created with peg people and Playmobil pieces to share the Purim story with students at Tucson Jewish Montessori preschool.

Residents of Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging made Purim masks with students from Congregation Anshei Israel’s Kadimah USY on March 20 (right). The celebration continued the next day as they shared grogger making, and pizza with Congregation Chaverim Religious School students, who also put on a Purimshpiel (left). Photos by Nanci Levy

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 77

J

Living

FACES & PLACES

MOISHE HOUSE HITS THE SLOPES – More than 30 young adults from the Valley spent the weekend of March 11-13 at a castle in Flagstaff for the third annual Moishe House Phoenix ski trip Shabbat. In addition to celebrating Shabbat together, participants were given options of skiing, snowboarding, checking out Flagstaff or just chilling at the castle. And when they returned to home base, they were treated to a massage. Photo

by Daniel Spiegelman Photography

GENERAL COUNSELS CONVENE - The Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix Cardozo Society hosted its second General Counsel Forum on March 10. More than 55 legal professionals attended. Business & Professionals Chair Eliot Kaplan moderated the panel discussion with general counsels from the Arizona Coyotes, U-Haul, Harkins Theatres and Barrett Jackson.

The panelists shared best practices as well as entertaining stories from their work as in-house counsel. Guests asked questions of the panel and networked with other Jewish attorneys.

Spencer Scharff, attorney at Thorpe Shwer, PC, won Arizona Coyotes sky box tickets donated by BDO USA, LLP. Pictured above: general counsels Matt Ohre (Barrett Jackson), Richard Lustiger (Harkins Theatres), Larry De Respino (U-Haul) and Ahron Cohen (Barrett Jackson). Photo by Amanda Garcia/Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix

PAWS THAT REFRESH — Joan Cotton and her precious pet poodle, Violette, making the rounds at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix. The pair, snowbirds who summer in the Boston area, are part of the Paws 4 Hope dog therapy program. Photo by Leni Reiss 78 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

HOLOCAUST MEMOIR – The Congregation Beth Tefillah book group met with Gerda Weissmann Klein on April 6 to discuss her memoir, All But My Life. Esther Allouche said that Gerda, who turns 92 this month and is expecting her 10th grandchild, emphasized the importance of teaching about the horrors of the Holocaust to help understand the greatness of the Jewish people. Pictured from left: Esther Allouche, Julee Shahon Landau and Gerda Weissmann Klein. Photo courtesy Julee Shahon Landau

BOOK LOVERS FOR BRANDEIS – The Brandeis National Committee Phoenix Chapter’s 26th annual Book and Author event drew close to 850 book lovers to the Marriott Desert Ridge on March 14. With moderator Sean McLaughlin, weeknight anchor for CBS 5 News, and presentations by five renown authors, the event included a luncheon, boutiques, book sales and signings. A cocktail party was held the previous evening at a beautiful home in the Biltmore area for the Brandeis “Bookmark donors,” followed by an intimate dinner with the authors for a select group of donors. Proceeds support the Sustaining the Mind Fund at Brandeis University. Photos by Charles Abrams Book and Author Co-Chairs Sara Leopold (far left) and Marcy Strauss (far right) with authors Ed Tarkington, Linda Hirshman, B.A. Shapiro, Paula McLain and Steve Martini Gail Tenn, Bookmark Donor Reception Chair Janis Lipman, Ellen Kirschenbaum and Susan Rollins Sue Karp, Nancy Lash, Marlene Rose, Terriann Kleiner and Brina Pepper

SEDER TIPS – Congregation Beth Tefillah hosted a pre-Passover women’s event, sharing “10 Tips on Making the Passover Seder Interactive, Meaningful, Kid Friendly and Divine” on April 7. Participants also painted pottery seder plates. Photo courtesy Jordan Perlow AT THE MOVIES – Patti and Les Baker attended several of the screenings at the annual Phoenix Film Festival in April at Harkins Theatre Scottsdale 101, presented by COX STARZ. Photo by Leni Reiss

FACES & PLACES STEM FOR ALL – Tucson Hebrew Academy’s second STEM Festival brought in over 1,200 curious kids of all ages on April 3 to explore everything from DNA sampling and desert critters to solar cooking and rockets. Some 50 exhibitors enabled participants to enjoy hands-on interactions with science, technology, engineering, math and more.

CROSS-CULTURAL EDUCATION – Hana Lange and Barbara Mark Dreyfuss and Marcia Weisberg, all pictured with Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, were among the group on April 10 at Congregation Or Tzion to hear the rabbi discuss “Sharing America: The Future of Muslim-Jewish Relations.”

Rabbi Sarna is executive director of the Bronfman Center for Jewish Life at New York University and founder of the Jewish Learning Fellowship. He works with NYU’s Imam Khalid Latif “to advance a new model of integrating interfaith and crosscultural education into campus life.” His visit was sponsored by Valley Beit Midrash.

Photos by Leni Reiss.

LESSONS FROM CORNER OFFICE – Nearly 100 Jewish professionals attended the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix Business & Professionals Corner Office: Lessons from Jewish Business Leaders event on April 5.

Sponsor Perkins Coie provided a perfect venue at the Phoenix Plaza Conference Center for guests to network and learn from top local executives in the technology industry. Adam Goodman, CEO of Goodmans Interior Structures, guided the panel discussion in which the Jewish business leaders Adam Draizin, executive vice president of American Traffic Solutions; Matthew Pittinsky, CEO of Parchment; and Tomas Gorny, CEO of Nextiva, shared their secrets to success.

Pictured from left: Adam Draizin, Stuart Wachs (CEO of Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix), Adam Goodman, Matthew Pittinsky, Eliot Kaplan (Business & Professionals chair) and Tomas Gorny. Photo by danielspiegelmanphotography. com/Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix

DIVINE LAW – Christine Hayes, professor of religious studies in classical Judaica at Yale University, is pictured with Chaparral High School student Maia Nagle at Congregation Or Tzion in Scottsdale on April 6. Jay and Karen Bycer check out an issue of Arizona Jewish Life prior to the professor’s talk on “What’s so Divine about Divine Law?”, presented by Valley Beit Midrash. Her book, with the same title, won the Jewish Book Council’s Nahum M. Sarna Memorial award in the scholarship category. Photos by Leni Reiss ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 79

FACES & PLACES

JNF convenes events for community and leaders

ANNUAL BREAKFAST – Over 900 people filled the room at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel to show their support for Israel during Arizona Jewish National Fund’s Annual Community Breakfast. The event brought in $528,000, a record display of monetary support from the Phoenix community. “I am so proud of our community for their support of Israel by way of attending our record breaking Arizona Breakfast,” said Arizona JNF Board President Toni Dusik. “Due to their generosity, the dollars raised will make a big difference in the lives of many Israelis.”

The event featured guest speaker Bret Stephens, foreign affairs columnist and deputy editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal. He also served as editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post. Stephens’s remarks focused on what the next president of the United States needs to know about the Middle East. Photos by Mark Gluckman

SHABBAT IN THE DESERT – Close to 400 people attended JNFuture Shabbat in the Desert at the David & Gladys Wright House on the evening of March 25. It included dinner, a private tour of the venue designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and a Shabbat program. David Blu, former Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball star, was the featured guest speaker. The event was part of the National JNF Major Donor Weekend and National JNFuture Leadership Summit. Photos by Lee Benson Photography and Daniel Spiegelman Photography Jonathan Breakstone, Judy Bassett and Ralph Bassett

Rachel Presant, Melanie Weisman, Gabby Rozio and Emily Weeks

Harvey Belfer, Julie Belfer and Todd Belfer

Adam Ehrenreich, Julie Farber, Susan Farber, Daniel Farber and Kelly Farber

Deb Rochford (JNF Desert States executive director), Toni Dusik (JNF Arizona Board president), Bret Stephens (The Wall Street Journal), Lisa and Jeff Geyser (JNF Breakfast co-chairs) 80 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Alexa Albom, Talyah Sands, Shelly Czopp and Chelsey Saperstein

PREVIEWS PREVIEWS

YOM HASHOAH IN FLAGSTAFF

A community gathering to remember and honor victims of the Holocaust will be held on Wednesday, May 4, at 7 pm at Coconino High School, 2801 N Izabel St., Flagstaff. The free event features survivors and their families, Arizona Mountain Chorale, Flagstaff Youth Chorale and Theatrikids. Sponsored

by Heichal Baoranim, Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley and the Martin Springer Institute of Northern Arizona University.

More information available at heichalbaoranim.org.

YOM HAZIKARON IN TUCSON

Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. The blue-and-white, beach-themed party includes live music, Israeli folk dancing, Israeli Wishes Wall, Israeli Scouts IDF exhibit, backgammon tournament, entertainment, activities, BBQ and treats. The event also features a special screening of the movie “Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story” at 2 pm. This event is free and open to the community. For information, contact Shahar Edry at shahare@vosjcc.org.

Celebrity chefs from Tucson’s Partnership region – Sahar Rafael, Maya Klein, Yael Shamir and Orly Varon-Shushan – bring a taste of Israel to Tucson on May 10, 12 and 15.

The Weintraub Israel Center presents a ceremony for Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror on Monday, May 9 at 6:30 pm. This free Israel Memorial Day event will be held at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson. For more information, 520-5779393 or jfsa.org.

ISRAELI COOKING AND PASTRY WORKSHOPS

Join four celebrity chefs from Tucson’s Partnership2Gether region on May 10 for a hands-on experience as they share their culinary expertise and kick off the Taste of Israel week in Tucson. The workshops, which will be held in private homes, are presented by the Weintraub Israel Center. Call 520-577-9393 for more information.

YOM HAZIKARON IN THE VALLEY

On May 10, the Israel Center holds a candlelight ceremony for Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terrorists attacks. The memorial service takes place at 7 pm. A Remembrance and War Songs sing-along takes place immediately after the ceremony. This event is free and open to the community at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. For information, contact Shahar Edry at shahare@vosjcc.org.

12 TORCHES CEREMONY

Join the Weintraub Israel Center on Thursday, May 12 at 5:30 pm for a unique and moving torch lighting experience as we honor 12 very special individuals, organizations and businesses who have demonstrated their ongoing connection and commitment to Israel and have worked to create a strong Tucson-Israel relationship. Dinner will be prepared by the four celebrity chefs from Tucson’s Partnership2Gether region. Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson. $36/person, $68/couple.

Contact 520-577-9393 or jfsa.org for more information and tickets.

JFSA 70TH ANNUAL MEETING

The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Annual Meeting and Awards Celebration will take place on May 11, at 7 pm at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson. The JFSA 70th Annual Meeting features tributes to this year’s award winners and installation of the 2016-2017 officers and directors.

Honorees include Man of the Year, Stuart Shatken and Woman of the Year, Shelly Silverman.

Bring the kids for this free family celebration of Israel’s 68th birthday! On Sunday, May 15, the Weintraub Israel Center celebrates Israel with a special first-time ever children-centered event, Yom Huledet L’Yisrael (Happy Birthday Israel). The festivities will take place from 1:30-4:00 pm in the Tucson Jewish Community Center’s ballroom, 3800 E River Rd, Tucson, with birthday party games, crafts and, of course, birthday cake and presents. For more information contact 520-577-9393 or jfsa.org.

ISRAELI CELBRITY CHEF DINNER

“The Power of Women Who Do” Hadassah Expo takes place Thursday, May 12 from 6:30-9 pm. Activities include news and information displays, food tastings, photo booth, interactive activities, demonstrations, door prizes, giveaways and raffles. Temple Solel, 6805 E McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley. $18/person. Payment due May 6. For information, contact paulettefraenkel@gmail.com.

Vero Amore, 2920 N Swan Road, Tucson is partnering with the Weintraub Israel Center to bring you Tucson’s first Israeli Celebrity Chef Dinner, Sunday, May 15 at 6 pm. Chef Orli Varon Shushan, Chef Maya Klein, Chef Yael Shamir and Chef Sahar Refael are among Israel’s most famous chefs and all are from Tucson’s Partnership2Gether region of Kiryat Malachi and Hof Ashkelon. These aware-winning chefs will create a four-course vegetarian gourmet dinner based on the vibrant flavors of Israel. $75/person. Kosher meals are available upon request. RSVP to 520-577-9393 or jfsa.org.

YOM HAZIKARON IN FLAGSTAFF

END OF LIFE – A SECULAR PERSPECTIVE

HADASSAH EXPO

The Flagstaff community will mark Yom Hazikaron, Israel Memorial Day, on Thursday, May 12, with a small ceremony and lecture at Heichal Baoranim, 2609 N Patterson Blvd., Flagstaff. Immediately following the service will be a sing-along celebrating Israel’s 68th year of independence. This free event is open to the community. For information, contact Shahar Edry at shahare@vosjcc.org.

CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION DISCUSSION AND LUNCHEON

Stuart Shatken

YOM HULEDET L’YISRAEL

Join the Temple Havurat Emet Sisterhood on Friday, May 13 at 11:30 am for a lunch followed by a discussion about child abuse prevention, presented by Owen Fabert.

Lunch will be served at noon in the Bradford Room at the Oakwood Clubhouse, 24218 S Oakwood Blvd., Sun Lakes.

The cost is $22/person and an RSVP is required to Margo at 480-895-3226 before May 9.

YOM HA’ATZMAUT CELEBRATION IN THE VALLEY

The Secular Humanist Jewish Circle presents a lecture by Gil Shapiro, “End of Life Issues from a Secular Perspective.”

Saturday, May 21 at 1:30 pm at the Murphy Wilmot Library, 530 N Wilmot Road, Tucson. Free and open to the public.

See shjcaz.org for details.

PIANO CONCERT FUNDRAISER

The Phoenix Community Kollel hosts an evening of support featuring concert pianists Eugene and Elisabeth Pridonoff on Tuesday, May 31 at 7:30 pm, followed by light hors d’oeuvres. The event will take place at a private home in Scottsdale and costs $54/person. Location will be announced upon RSVP. Reserve tickets online at aztorah. com.

ALL YOU NEED IS SHABBAT

Jewish Beatles fans from around the Valley are invited to a groovy evening of Shabbat prayers set to Beatles music and more. This Beatles Shabbat features cantorial soloist Emily Kaye, the Shabbat-Tones Band and the Temple Emanuel Choir. Nosh at 6 pm with services starting at 6:30 pm, Friday, June 3. Temple Emanuel of Tempe, 5801 S Rural Road, Tempe. For more information, 480-838-1414 or emanueloftempe.org.

On Sunday, May 15 from noon-4 pm the Israel Center invites the community to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut at the

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 81

MAY CALENDAR

May 3, 10, 17, 23 & 31

May 13

Talmud on Tuesday from 6-7 pm at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E 5th St., Tucson. Learn about the law and lore in the “sea of Talmud” with Rabbi Robert Eisen as we dig deep into the “who, what, where, when, why and how” of living Judaism. Free.

520-745-5550 or rabbi@caiaz.org.

Child Abuse Prevention Discussion and Luncheon.

See page 81.

Through May 17

May 4

Caretakers & Art Makers features the work of Barbara Brandel at the Tucson Jewsih Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson. Barbara’s work reflects a life-long interest in fiber arts and indigenous textiles. Her paintings pay homage to artisans around the world and her painted collages, containing recycled world maps and stamps, speak to the similarities and uniqueness of us all. Free and open to the public. Contact 520-299-3000 etx. 106 or tucsonjcc.org.

Yom HaShoah Commemoration in Flagstaff. See page 81.

Schmooze Young Families (for parents in their 20s-40s with young children) goes to the Phoenix Zoo. Meet in front of the zoo at 9 am and then meet at 11 am at the Plaza for lunch. For additional details and to RSVP, visit Facebook. com/azschmooze or info@schmooze.com.

May brings us commemorations and celebrations – Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Day of Remembrance), Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day).

May 1 Spring Concert Featuring Todd Herzog at Beth Ami Temple (located inside Palo Cristi Church), 3535 E Lincoln Dr., Paradise Valley from 3-5 pm. The singer-songwriter bridges the gap between religion and spirituality. $25 in advance, $30 at the door. bethamitemple.org.

May 1, 8, 15 & 22 Aqua Zumba at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson, every Sunday at 11 am. Perfect for those looking to make a splash by adding low-impact, high-energy aquatic exercise to their fitness routine. $40 members, $48 non-members. 520-299-3000 or tucsonjcc. org.

May 2 Women’s Study Group meets noon-1 pm at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E 5th St., Tucson. Rabbi Robert Eisen leads these monthly group sessions using The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman’s Commentary on the Torah as the core for discussion. Free. Bring your own dairy lunch; beverages and dessert provided. 520-745-5550 ext. 230 or rabbi@caiaz.org.

May 2, 9, 16 & 23 Open Mah Jongg Play at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E 5th St., Tucson. All levels welcome (men, too). Come join the fun! 10 am-noon. Free. caiaz.org.

May 3 Jewish Baby University for expectant parents meets 6:30-9 pm every Tuesday for six weeks at Temple Chai, 4645 E Marilyn Road, Phoenix. Learn the newest delivery techniques, care of the newborn and mother, selecting a pediatrician, and breastand bottle-feeding. Jewish rituals and traditions associated with childbirth and newborns and Jewish parenting will also be taught. Interfaith couples are encouraged to attend. $120/couple.

Contact Linda Feldman, 480-634-8050 or lindaf@ bjephoenix.org.

82 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

May 4, 11, 18 & 25 Weekday Torah Study Group from 11 am-noon at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E 5th St., Tucson. Informal and lively study discussion led

by Rabbi Robert Eisen. 520-745-5550 or rabbi@ caiaz.org.

May 6 Trauma Training for Volunteers presented by Jewish Family & Children’s Service – Aleinu Division at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 8:30 am breakfast, 9 am-noon workshops with presenters from the Scottsdale Police Department. $35. Three continuing education credits available. RSVP to Jayne Plotkin at 602-567-8334 or jayne.plotkin@ jfcsaz.org.

May 8 CAI Men’s Club Breakfast at 9:30-11:30 am at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E 5th St., Tucson. Everyone welcome. Come for the fellowship… come for the breakfast! Free for club members, $4 guests. Contact Lew Crane 520400-9930 or catsfan1997@cox.net.

May 9 Yom Hazikaron Ceremony in Tucson. See page 81.

May 10 Israeli Cooking and Pastry Workshops. See page 81.

Yom Hazikaron in the Valley. See page 81.

May 11 Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona 70th Annual Meeting and Awards Celebration. See page 81.

May 12

May 15 Yom Ha’atzmaut Celebration. See page 81.

BookTalk features Paper Love by Sarah Wildman.

This is the story of looking for the woman Sarah Wildman’s grandfather left behind. With its recounting of sometimes frustrating, exhausting and contentious research efforts, the book is ultimately a memorial to one Holocaust victim’s fate. 3-4:30 pm at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Sponsored by Generations After. Event is free, but please RSVP to phoenixhsa.org/booktalk.

Israeli Celebrity Chef Dinner. See page 81.

May 21 End of Life Issues from a Secular Perspective. See page 81.

Schmooze Singles Cosmic Bowling for those in their 30s and 40s. Starts at 9 pm. For location, other details, and to RSVP, visit Facebook.com/ azschmooze.

May 25 Lag B’Omer BBQ Party & Concert in honor of Israel’s 68th anniversary at 6 pm. BBQ dinner, board games, and concert featuring CAI’s Adult Choir, directed by cantorial soloist Nichole Chorny.

Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E 5th St., Tucson. $6.80 per person. RSVP by May 23 to Kim at 520-745-5550 ext. 224 or edasst@caiaz.org.

Schmooze Singles and Couples Pool Party for those in their 30s and 40s, in conjunction with AVIV of Arizona. 5:30-8 pm at a private home in Central Phoenix. For additional details and to RSVP, visit Facebook.com/azschmooze.

12 Torches Ceremony. See page 81.

May 27-June 19

Hadassah Expo. See page 81.

Rock of Ages features more than 25 hits from the 80s including “Don’t Stop Believing,” “Here I Go Again,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” and many more. Call for times and prices. Arizona Broadway Theatre, 7701 W Paradise Lane, Peoria. 623-7768400 or azbroadway.org.

Yom Hazikaron in Flagstaff. See page 81.

SUBMITTING EVENTS:

To obtain a password to enter an event on our online calendar, go to the bottom right of our home page (AZJewishLife.com) and under “Quick Links,” click on Calendar Access Request. After you submit the form, we will send you an email with instructions for posting future events.

Events posted by May 10 will be included in the June/July issue of the magazine.

May 31 Phoenix Community Kollel Piano Concert. See page 81.

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | MAY 2016 83

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.

Barbara Zemel 10645 N. Tatum Blvd. #200-335 Phoenix, AZ 85028 602.751.7701 or 602.826.1892 armdiarizona@yahoo.com 84 MAY 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

www.afmda.org