Arizona Jewish Life Feb 2017 Vol. 5 / Issue 5

FEBRUARY 2017

Trends for 2017 Step-by-Step Jewish Wedding

PLUS

Q&A with Navah Perlman, daughter of Itzhak UA Hillel's 100 Years of Celebration

Kosher treats for the

Super Bowl

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February is Jewish Disability Awareness & Inclusion Month Take this opportunity to celebrate a commitment to removing barriers, celebrating diversity and connecting with our Jewish values. Together, we can foster a more inclusive Jewish community that emphasizes the value, dignity and capabilities of each and every individual.

Visit our website to learn about events taking place in February – www.cjsn.org.

gesher disability resources formerly the Council For Jews With Special Needs

CJSN is a Qualifying Charitable Organization for the Arizona Tax Credit (tax id# 86-0626273).

Donations up to $800 for a couple filing jointly or $400 for an individual provides a dollar-for-dollar Arizona income tax credit.

Charitable Tax Credit Form 321 should be used. Donations beyond these amounts are entitled to be treated as charitable deductions. Ask your tax advisor for details.

6 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

strategic thinking about wealth Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management has been helping ultra-high net worth individuals, their families and foundations plan for and grow their wealth for decades.

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Managing Director Private Wealth Advisor 522 Fifth Avenue, 10th Floor New York, NY 10036 212-296-6704 robert.stolar@morganstanley.com Source: Barron’s “Top 100 Financial Advisors,” April 20, 2015. Barron’s “Top 100 Financial Advisors” bases its ratings on qualitative criteria: professionals with a minimum of seven years of financial services experience, acceptable compliance records, client retention reports, customer satisfaction, and more. Finwancial Advisors are quantitatively rated based on varying types of revenues and assets advised by the financial professional, with weightings associated for each. Because individual client portfolio performance varies and is typically unaudited, this rating focuses on customer satisfaction and quality of advice. The rating may not be representative of any one client’s experience because it reflects a sample of all of the experiences of the Financial Advisor’s clients. The rating is not indicative of the Financial Advisor’s future performance. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors pays a fee to Barron’s in exchange for the rating. Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. © 2015 Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, a division of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC. Member SIPC. CRC1179133 04/15 8225582 PWM001 04/15 ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 7

Arizona Jewish Life • February 2017 • Tishrei- Cheshvan 5777 • Volume 5/Issue 5

FEATURES 16

COVER STORY Billy Crystal has some tales to tell 40

JEWS WITH ATTITUDE Aly Saxe: IrisPR’s services-to-software success story 14

22

BUSINESS Derrek Hofrichter: Teaching self-defense the Israeli way Ins & Outs ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Marty Brounstein: Sharing the inspiring tale of Two Among the Righteous Few Tommy Koenig: Connecting with Valley Baby Boomers Navah Perlman to perform at Mesa Arts Center Get your tickets - The Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival is here

40

62

70

16 18

46 48 50 52

FOOD Chef’s Corner: Stale bread turned sophisticated Kosher treats for the Superbowl Taste of Arizona: CRUjiente Tacos

54 55 56

HOME & LIFESTYLE Sheila Landau: Colorful life, colorful designs Keeping with the Eb Flow of design

58 62

TRAVEL “Kosher” conversations on fish, life in Cote d’Azur, France 64 Daydreamers suffer more from sleep deprivation 67

ACTIVE ADULTS Unsure what to do with your stuff?

Read this book!

68 The relevance of radio: Stu Turgel at the mic 70 COVER: Billy Crystal Photo by Steve Schofield

8 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

JKIDS & TEENS TOO Family Time: How many gaffes can a reformed conservative gal make at an orthodox rabbi’s Shabbat table?

Jeremy Jackrabbit needs your help!

Kids & teens events calendar

74 76 78

YOUNG ADULTS University of Arizona Hillel Foundation celebrates a collective 100 years

80

ISRAEL Innovative and inspirational Israeli entrepreneurs – but a brusque and boastful Bibi Journalistic Jewish geography

82 83

ASK HELEN Taking dating issues one at a time

85

COLUMNS Chef’s Corner by Lucia Schnitzer A Taste of Arizona by A. Noshman Family Time by Debra Rich Gettleman To Life by Amy Hirshberg Lederman

54 56 74 86

WEDDINGS Trends for 2017 Sharing secrets Preschoolers thoughts on marriage Step-by-step Jewish wedding Say yes to which dress?

Birds do it, we do it – who else mates for life?

Wedding directory

22 24 26 28 30 32 36

JLIVING

To Life! What’s love got to do with it?

86 Limmud means “to learn” 87 Ladies First returns in February 88 MEGA Israel 2017 welcomes former Prime Minister Ehud Barak 90 Federation notes 93 Faces & Places 94 Previews 96 Calendar 98

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Lauder’s passionRONALD for art and his commitment to justice led him one of The Top 50 Most Influential Jews S. LAUDER JNF Chairman of the Board RONALD S.Art to create and head theJNF Committee for Recovery Chairman ofLAUDER the Boardthat has helped Table Captain and Registration Information Recognized The Jerusalem Post JNF of the art Board establish international lawsChairman toIn stolen by theas Nazis, and he was jnf.org/azbreakfast17 Recognized Inrecover TheSpeaker Jerusalem Post as eaker Guest Speaker Guest Speaker Guest one of Top 50 Most Influential Jews behind the recovery ofThe an iconic portrait by GustavPost Klimt Recognized The Jerusalem asdramatized in one of The TopIn50 Most Influential Jews Sponsorship Information theLAUDER 2015 film, The Woman in Gold. one of The Top 50 Most Influential Jews LAUDER RONALD S. RONALD S. LAUDER RONALD S. LAUDER Deb Rochford, Executive Vice President Table Captain and Registration Information Table and Registration Information ofJNF the Chairman Board ofJNF the Chairman Board ofCaptain the JNFBoard Chairman of the Board 480.447.8100 x980 or drochford@jnf.org jnf.org/azbreakfast17 Table Captain and Registration Information jnf.org/azbreakfast17 sognized erusalemInPost The Recognized Jerusalem as In Post TheRecognized Jerusalem as In Post TheasJerusalem Post as jnf.org/azbreakfast17 ws ofstThe Influential Top 50 one Jews Most of The Influential Top 50one Most Jews ofInfluential The Top 50 Jews Most Influential Jews Sponsorship Information Sponsorship Information Deb Rochford, Executive Vice President Sponsorship Information NF.0099 Deb Captain Rochford, Executive Vice President on stration CaptainInformation andTable Registration Captain Information and Registration Table Information and Registration Information 480.447.8100 x980 or drochford@jnf.org Deb Rochford, Executive Vice President 480.447.8100 x980 or drochford@jnf.org eakfast17 jnf.org/azbreakfast17 jnf.org/azbreakfast17 jnf.org/azbreakfast17 480.447.8100 x980 or drochford@jnf.org

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 9

Arizona Jewish Life • Tishrei- Cheshvan 5777 • Volume 5/Issue 5

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UPCOMING ISSUES March 2017: Camps and Real Estate APRIL 2017: Business Prof iles and Passover

P U B L I C AT I O N A N D D E A D L I N E S Arizona Jewish Life magazine is distributed on the f irst of the month.

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A Prince Hal Production ( TGMR18) 2016-2017 MediaPort LLC All rights reserved 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.

10 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

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Marriage as an institution is ever changing, from who can get married, when to get married and also who is getting married. According to national statistics, the percentage of married baby boomers is 48%, Gen Xers are at 36% and only 26% percent of Millennials are married. I am not certain what these figures say about our society, or even if these numbers are different in the Jewish community, but clearly, change is in the air.

Robert Philip

Wedding ceremonies and wedding venues are diversifying as well. (See our wedding section on page 21.) While traditional weddings are still very popular, today many couples are opting for more customized ceremonies in unusual settings and venues.

Though some would debate whether marriage itself is essential; the one thing that is not debatable is that love, friendship and a generous spirit are essential to a healthy relationship. So whether you are in the throes of an exciting new relationship, enjoying a stimulating and fulfilling long-term marriage, or somewhere in between, as the wise words of four Brits once said, “Love is all you need.”

Cindy Saltzman

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Jewswith

Attitude

Aly Saxe:

IrisPR’s services-to-software success story

By Mala Blomquist

Many businesses have started with owners daring to try things a different way – and IrisPR Software is no exception.

“I was having challenges and wanted to grow my public relations agency [then Ubiquity PR],” says IrisPR CEO and Founder Aly Saxe. “I just felt that we could be much more efficient and use our client’s budgets more efficiently – that we could do better by them.”

Aly says that as her PR company grew, it became more difficult to guarantee that the agency was delivering the best possible results for clients without having a clear view of what was and wasn’t working.

She sat down with a mentor and went through the type of matrix she sought for what she was trying to do. He suggested that she hire a software developer. Aly did just that.

The new software became her agency’s proprietary tool.

In just a couple of years, she started to notice the difference the software was making in her agency; so she decided to distribute it to the industry at large.

“I didn’t spend the money to build it, or continue to build it, for the benefit of anyone but my own agency,” says Aly. Then she realized she could have a bigger impact on the public relations industry by sharing it.

She explains that the software “helps companies get the best possible PR for their investment and helps them quantify that investment.”

14 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

While Aly brought on her first IrisPR Software customers in 2013, she says that “we really didn’t start ‘going for it’ until 2015. Those early customers were all word of mouth.” After things got rolling, she shut down Ubiquity PR. Though she had run her own business for many years, she admits that the business approach to services is very different from that of products.

She took some lessons learned from running the other company and applied them. Still, Aly “really had to learn everything from scratch to run a product company.”

Two of the most surprising challenges came from the product itself. “I really underestimated the pace of scaling,” says Aly. “There was so much we had to learn; it really took a lot longer than I had envisioned to figure that out.

Software is a very challenging thing and to do it right costs a lot of money. I always wondered why tech companies raised so much money before they even got to revenue and now I understand why – it costs a lot to build quality software.”

Aly says that everyone in the technical field whom she spoke to about her endeavor warned her that it will “‘cost twice as much and take twice as long as you think it will’ – and they were right!”

Though Aly works in the male-dominated software industry, she has only encountered sexism a few times, and never from other software executives. “The Phoenix tech community is very progressive,” says Aly. “[Executives are] very open and

working hard to create an environment of gender equality. I am very proud of that.”

Aly has also found her own community, guided by her roots. “My faith taught me to establish a community and to lean on that community, which I think is a really cool part of American Judaism. I think I have found that in the tech world in Phoenix,” says Aly. “I’ve got a really good support system here, which is really important for a start-up [company].”

When asked what advice she has for other women who want to start their own business, her words are thoughtful and sincere: “There’s never a good time and it’s always the right time – so stop talking yourself out of it! You’re not going to be successful overnight. You might not even be successful in the first three years; very few entrepreneurs are. But don’t give up because it’s hard.”

As for her own business, Aly says, “It’s good to have healthy skepticism. We are definitely in a less vulnerable place now than when we started. We have great customers and they are growing with us. My goal is to make it as big as possible, as quickly as possible. We want to be the [software] cornerstone of the PR industry.”

Reach IrisPR Software at 888-869-6645 or visit irispr.com.

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Business

Derrek Hofrichter:

Teaching self-defense the Israeli way

By Mala Blomquist

16 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Derrek Hofrichter discovered Krav Maga, a self-defense system developed in Israel, while attending college in Washington, D.C. “Back then, it was pretty obscure. Not too many places had it and not too many people had heard of it,” says Derrek. “The only place that was offering it at the time was the Jewish Community Center in D.C. They had two classes a week on racquetball courts, where I took my first class. I was 19 years old.”

Now Derrek holds a second-degree black belt and is recognized by Israel as a senior Krav Maga instructor. He is also the owner of EVKM Self Defense & Fitness (formerly East Valley Krav Maga). At the end of 2016, EVKM moved its Tempe location to a larger facility and opened a second location in downtown Phoenix in January.

Krav Maga was created in Israel by Emrich “Imi” Lichtenfeld, a boxer, wrestler and gymnast.

He adapted his formal skills to street fighting to defend his Jewish neighborhood as the Nazis rose to power in the late 1930s. In 1948, when the State of Israel was founded and the Israel Defense Forces was formed, Imi became chief instructor of Krav Maga.

Krav Maga is still used in Israel today by IDF, police and security forces. In the last 10 years, it has become popular in the United States as law enforcement agencies and military sought to “come at things with a different approach in a post-9/11 world,” says Derrek. “They looked at what the Israelis were doing. That is how Krav Maga started to make its way over to the United States.”

Derrek admits Krav Maga is tough to describe; technically, it’s a martial art but doesn’t have other traditional components of a martial art. “We tend to call it a self-defense system rather than a martial art,” he says.

“There are no competitions or any of the other things typically associated with a martial art. Krav Maga is purely for people wanting to defend themselves and get into better shape.”

He also stresses that “anyone can do it; that’s the important part of it. The goal is to find a way for everyone to defend themselves.”

EVKM offers Krav Maga for youth, teens and adults. Youth classes start at age 4. Called Young Warriors, it teaches ageappropriate self-defense and physical fitness. It helps children to develop good fitness routines and gives them the framework to remain physically active as they get older.

Other classes include kickboxing, which is more about the workout and less about self-defense; but they all complement each other. “Everything we do goes through the focus of selfdefense and fitness,” says Derrek.

One of the largest demographics interested in Krav Maga is young women. “We train so many college-age and young, professional females,” says Derek. “The 18-to-24 age range is very vulnerable, according to sexual assault and crime statistics.”

Most people want to know the basics of what to do if they find themselves in a threatening situation. Derek recommends a six-month course that covers the fundamentals. For the average person, coming in two or three times a week over the course of six months will help them learn what to do in such circumstances.

EVKM also offers intermediate and advanced training classes.

Similar to martial arts, there are rank levels and belts that signify how long individuals have been studying and what tests they have passed. “It is a well-thought-out and well-laid-out system, but there is always more to learn,” adds Derrek.

Derrek has traveled to Israel twice and is the only Krav Maga instructor in Arizona to be certified by the Israeli government. He completed a senior Krav Maga instructor program there last May. When Derrek travels to Israel, he studies Krav Maga at the Wingate Institute in Netanya, where Imi Lichtenfeld taught his first classes so many years ago.

Wingate is also a military training base and where many Israeli Olympic athletes train.

“The courses are seven days long, 10 to 12 hours a day, and you eat your meals in between training. In the cafeteria, you sit with all these Israeli Olympic athletes – it’s a fun experience,” says Derrek.

Derrek is passionate about his training and training others in self-defense: “I don’t feel we need to add other [martial] arts or systems. I personally believe that Krav Maga offers the best system there is…and gives us everything we need for selfdefense.”

To learn more about Krav Maga or sign up for a class at EVKM Self Defense & Fitness, call 480-535-7087 or visit eastvalleykravmaga.com.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 17

INS & OUTS

Mark Feldman

David Weiner

Joe Cooper

Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix announces incoming board members The Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix announced its incoming board chairs. Mark Feldman, chief executive officer and managing partner for MRA Associates; and David Weiner, president of Weiner Insurance. The two men will serve as board co-chairs for a two-year term beginning Jan. 1. Each brings unique experience to the role.

“As a board co-chair, I hope to use my business experience to continue maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of Federation operations so that we can impact more lives,” said Feldman.

“I enjoy sharing our story, how there is no other organization in the world that touches more Jewish lives than the Federation,” said Weiner. “Whether it is the elderly, students on campus, or Jewish communities in Israel and around the world.”

Other incoming officers include Treasurer, Morrie Aaron; Governance Chair & Secretary Barry Markson; and Vice-Chairs Jonathan Hoffer, Joel Kramer, Julee Landau Shahon and Don Schon, M.D. jewishphoenix.org

First Place AZ appoints Joe Cooper First Place AZ has appointed Joe Cooper as its chief financial and operating officer. In December 2016, First Place AZ broke ground on First Place-Phoenix, an 81,000-square-foot residential property located at 3001 N Third St. in downtown Phoenix. Designed for adults with autism and different abilities, the property represents a one-of-a-kind approach to combining apartments, a residential training program and a national leadership institute to advance more independent and community-integrated living options.

“Joe brings a wealth of executive management experience and expertise in business operations, finance, partnering and organizational development. His leadership will be instrumental to expanding the reach and impact of our nonprofit,” says Denise Resnik, First Place founder, president and CEO. “Joe also brings a long-standing commitment to serving this population as a 18 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Milk +Honey

Jonathan Frutkin

former and founding board member of First Place AZ and former board member of the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC).”

Spanning a total of 30 years in financial and business leadership roles, Cooper also served as executive vice president of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation in Scottsdale where he was responsible for corporate development and operations.

He has consulted with numerous health care and technology companies.

He will oversee the financial management and operational growth of First Place AZ and plans for replication and licensing its curriculum and programs. firstplaceaz.org

Milk+Honey opens at Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus Restaurateur Dany Marciano has opened a new café on the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus in Scottsdale. Milk+Honey Espresso Bar & Eatery opened on Dec. 20.

The Milk+Honey concept is based on offering homemade breakfast and lunch options while providing a full sit-down service experience for dinner. Imported Italian Bertinelli Parmesan cheese and San Marzano tomatoes serve as testaments to the authentic Italian ingredients that are available in all dishes. Authentic Italian tastes are pervasive in the pizzas and fresh, homemade pastas as well as appetizers and desserts. Open 7:30 am-6:30 pm Monday-Thursday, 7:30 am-3 pm Friday, 10 am-4 pm Sunday; closed Saturday. All dishes are vaad kosher. milkandhoneyjcc.com

The Frutkin Law Firm Rebrands as Radix Law The Frutkin Law Firm has become the first Arizona practice to take advantage of the state bar’s trade name rule. It announced it will rebrand as Radix Law as of Jan. 1.

There is a long tradition in the practice of law: the name of a firm includes the surnames of the most prominent partners. As law has become such a big business over the past decade, the

Fredi Brown

Sari and Sam Powazek

Gila Milstein

largest practices in the world are names of partners who have long since passed away.

This tradition was also required by the Arizona Bar until recently. Now, firms can ditch the commas in favor of a more universal trade name.

Radix, in Latin, means “root.” It can mean the root of a tree, the root of knowledge or the root of a number. While the firm’s attorneys come from all over the world, they have decided to be rooted in Arizona.

“Our new name reflects our values,” says Principal Jonathan Frutkin. “We are a business law firm that helps our clients pursue opportunities and fights for them when challenged – and we are rooted right here in Arizona. It is also an acknowledgement that we have grown from being a solo legal practice into a business law firm with almost a dozen lawyers.”

Radix was formed in 2007 and now has 11 attorneys with decades of experience. They serve companies, individuals and families throughout Arizona in business and corporate law and related areas, ranging from taxation and asset protection to bankruptcy and estate planning. Radix Law leads the Valley of the Sun in estate planning and trust administration law. Radix Law’s attorneys are respected sources in their field and contribute to local and national media. radixlaw.com

Alexis and Eliana Brown of Houston, TX. “We are very excited that Fredi has joined the JFL staff. Her extensive experience as both a nonprofit professional and volunteer will enhance the quality of our donor and client services and ensure that Jewish Free Loan continues to offer the highest quality service to the entire community,” says Tina Sheinbein, executive director of Jewish Free Loan.

Fredi Brown joins Jewish Free Loan staff

The Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation announced the details of its second annual “Inspired by Israel” video contest, which it launched in January in partnership with the 12Tribe Films Foundation. Hosted on Israelvideonetwork.com, the contest asks entrants to submit videos that entertain, educate and inspire people about Israel. A total of $20,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to the winning videos, including an $8,000 Grand Prize.

The video entries in last year’s competition received more than 500,000 views during the two-week voting period. The winning video for 2016, “Superman’s Got Nothing On Israel,” received hundreds of thousands of views and was featured or shared by many organizations and individuals.

Registration due by Feb. 1 and video submissions are due by March 6. Winners will be announced on April 30. israelvideonetwork.com/enter-our-video-contest

Fredi Brown has joined the staff of Jewish Free Loan as the organization’s services coordinator. She will be responsible for the administration of Jewish Free Loan’s interest-free loan program, as well as donor services. Fredi will work with prospective and current loan borrowers and guarantors as they access JFL’s services and oversee donor services.

Fredi has a long history working within the Jewish community, both domestically and in Israel. In recent years, she has worked in various capacities for Hadassah, serving in the local, regional and national levels of leadership development. Fredi, and her husband, Howard Treshansky, are members of Congregation Or Tzion. Fredi is the mother of Dr. Jennifer Brown, of Scottsdale and Aaron and Lisa Brown, and their three daughters, Gabrielle,

Toys & Playtime Oasis moves to new location Toys & Playtime Oasis, owned by Sari and Sam Powazek, recently moved to a new location at 13802 N Scottsdale Road #152 in Scottsdale Towne Square. The couple have been toy store owners for the past 39 years. For many years their store was named “The Doll House & Toy Store” and they still carry a wide variety of dollhouse furniture and accessories. In additions to toys, the store has an indoor play area specially designed for children ages 5 and under called “Playtime Oasis.” They are open 9 am-6 pm Monday-Saturday and 10 am-5 pm Sunday. toysandplaytimeoasis.com

“Inspired by Israel” video contest

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 19

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22 Trends for 2017 24 Sharing secrets 26 Preschoolers' thoughts on marriage 28 S tep-by-step Jewish Wedding 30 S ay yes to which dress?

32 Birds do it, we do itwho else mates for life?

36 Wedding Directory

Photo by Charles Townsend Bessent ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 21

What’s trending in weddings – from drones to doughnuts!

By Mala Blomquist

T

here’s no shortage of amazing wedding ideas on the internet. A simple Google search for “wedding ideas on Pinterest” brings up everything from how much alcohol to stock for a wedding with 100 guests to the best way to pee while wearing a wedding dress.

(Spoiler alert: It involves a garbage bag.) Here are some popular ideas and trends to inspire you!

22 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Invitations

Photography

INVITATIONS

The wedding invitation market is a large one, from online options to local stationary stores with custom invites. Elaborate wedding invitations with embossed flowers, unique textured cardstock, metallic accents and laser cutouts resembling lace are currently popular choices.

IT TAKES THE CAKE

Cake

The traditional wedding cake is not going to be replaced anytime soon, but there are many options for those who want something different.

Dessert bars are popular with individual treats like chocolate-covered strawberries and macaron towers that mimic the height of a many-tiered cake. Another unique trend is doughnuts. They can be frosted to match any wedding décor – or offering many flavors allows guests to choose their favorite.

Forego the sweets entirely and take the savory route with different wheels of cheese stacked to resemble a cake. After guests imbibe in some sweet cocktails, cheese might just be a better ending than cake!

DÉCOR AND MORE

Décor

Flowers

Vintage

There’s no argument that décor sets the stage for the reception. Brides are opting for a mix of table sizes and shapes with mismatched chairs – even adding benches for unique seating arrangements.

Many venues are “looking up” when it comes to wedding decorations, with yards of tulle, lace or sheer fabrics draped across the ceiling. Fabric can be combined with other unique lighting elements – including vintage light bulbs and giant orbs – or floral chandeliers to give the room an ethereal appearance.

FLOWER POWER

A wedding without flowers is like a day without sunshine. But more brides are thinking ecologically and opting for artificial flowers made from wood or silk instead of fresh flowers for their bridal bouquets. Centerpieces are also changing. Gone are the huge center-oftable vases that all look the same and block conversations. Options include smaller herbs or succulents that can be replanted after the ceremony instead of cut flowers that will die in a few days.

Another unique idea is a flower wall, constructed entirely of flowers and offering an awesome backdrop for bridal-party photos and guest selfies.

SMILE AND SAY CHEESE

Brides and grooms are breaking with tradition and taking “first look” photos. These are

moments captured when the bride and groom get that first glimpse of each other before the wedding. It’s also a chance to take some quick photos and share some comforting communication before the big event.

Many photographers are using drones to take photos with some unique aerial angles on the ceremony and the guests. Another trend is custom social media hashtags for guests to use when sharing their photos. Get the guests involved by providing Polaroid instant cameras and film, along with scrapbooks, at the reception tables. Guests can place the photos in the scrapbooks and leave a special note for the happy couple.

GOING VINTAGE

Vintage touches have always been popular (think “something borrowed”) but are now being incorporated in unique ways. Unlimited inspiration can be found in the aisles of your local thrift store. Old frames can be used to display family photos or table numbers. Include lace, strands of fake pearls or old costume jewelry pieces in centerpieces, table decorations or even draped on the backs of chairs. Tealights set in old mason jars or tea cups add both light and vintage charm.

RUSTIC IS IN

Barns, mills, wineries and farms are becoming popular venue choices for a more casual, rustic setting. Accents like wooden pallets are used as signage or for a listing of the day’s events.

Rough-sawn pieces of wood are used for table numbers and cake platters – and are even replacing the standard ring pillow. Canoes and horse troughs filled with ice make unique beverage holders. For the finale: tossing lavender, bird seed or confetti made from hole-punched leaves (or throwing whole leaves) are all ecological choices for the bride and groom’s exit.

Whether you gain inspiration from this list or from the thousands of ideas on Pinterest, just remember that the day is uniquely yours – take a deep breath, relax and have fun!

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 23

Sharing secrets Arizona Jewish Life posed this question to long-married couples in our community: “What’s the secret to a long, happy marriage?”

Here are their answers:

Rabbi Zalman Levertov says, “The key to a successful marriage is not trying to change each other and giving each other space - which is enhanced by the laws of family purity.” -Rabbi Zalman and Tzipi Levertov “The road goes up and down, and you have to travel the highs and lows,” says Paula of her 58year marriage to Mort. “It’s not a straight line, it’s an adventure – and we keep trying to make it an adventure.” -Mort and Paula Dubnow According to Irv the secret is “in one word – compromise.” He told this to us on the day of his 57th anniversary to his lovely wife, Esther. -Esther and Irv Kozinets “Both of us came from, and brought to our relationship, a strong sense of family,” says Gayle 24 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Clockwise, left: Jay and Gayle Weiss and their dog, Mitzi (short for mitzvah); Rabbi & Rebetzin Levertov; and Jocelyn and Leonard Schwartz

of her 54-year union with Jay. “The best part of staying together so long is being together at this stage in our life – we are so grateful to have each other to share it with.” -Jay and Gayle Weiss Jocelyn and Leonard celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary this past August. Their secret to a long, happy marriage is made up of three very important pillars, which they call the 3 C’s: “Compromise..never forget that this is the foundation of all relationships.

Consideration..always be considerate of each other’s feelings.

Caring..this is what sets the path for a loving family.” -Leonard and Jocelyn Schwartz

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 25

Preschoolers' thoughts on marriage We know kids say the funniest things, but what are their thoughts on marriage? Arizona Jewish Life asked the staff at the Early Childhood Center at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center in Scottsdale to ask some of their preschoolers their thoughts on marriage.

The following are the questions and their answers:

From left: Sofia C., Alec U. and Sofia M. attend the Early Childhood Center at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center.

WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO BE MARRIED?

HOW OLD DO YOU HAVE

WHAT DO PEOPLE DO

Lovely, you get to dip them. (dance) -Alec U.

40 years old -Braxtyn L.

It feels good. Because you love them.

-Braxtyn L.

24 years old -Emme B.

You get lifted in a chair and you dance.

-Alec U.

Exciting, because you have your own best friend every night for dinner and bedtime. -Emme B.

100 years old -Parker S.

It feels like love.

-Parker S. It is a happy time, you dance.

-Rebecca C. You get earrings, necklaces and a ring. -Sofia M.

TO BE TO GET MARRIED?

48 years old -Sofia M. 18 years old -Sofia C.

AT A WEDDING?

You kiss.

-Braxtyn L. You have a big party and eat.

-Emme B. You have a party.

-Parker S. They dance and have a party.

-Rebecca C.

Judging from their responses, they all get the fact that a wedding is a joyous occasion, and that it usually involves dancing and a party. Sofia M. sees an added bonus of new jewelry and I imagine that Parker’s mom may or may not be excited at the age he plans to wed. Emme had some words of wisdom that we all can agree with – it really doesn’t get any better than sharing dinner and bedtime with your best friend!

26 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

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BEFORE THE CEREMONY 1. Kabbalat Panim Greeting the Bride and Groom

Usually separate receptions are held for the bride and groom as the guests arrive at the ceremony site. The bride is seated in a throne-like chair where friends and relatives may greet her. Meanwhile, at the groom’s reception, the guests listen to a d’var Torah by the groom, who is often interrupted by songs or jokes.

STEP-BY-STEP

Jewish Wedding

T

he photographs on these pages show

the key elements of

a Jewish wedding with short explanations accompanying them.

The three essential

elements of a wedding are

the signing of the ketubah,

the giving of the ring(s) and

the yichud (seclusion). Under the chuppah, two ceremonies

take place: Erusin (betrothal), also known as Kiddushin

(sanctification), and Nissuin (the nuptials).

2. Ketubah - Marriage Contract

The ketubah, written in Aramaic, is the Jewish legal contract that states the rights, provisions and conditions of the marriage partnership. The contract becomes the bride’s property.

3. Bedeken - Veiling of the Bride

During the ceremony the bride wears a veil. The groom approaches the bride, looks into her eyes and lowers the veil. By doing so he makes sure that he has the right bride, unlike Jacob, who married Leah first instead of Rachel.

THE CEREMONY 4. Chuppah - Wedding Canopy

The wedding canopy is a multifaceted symbol: it is a home, a garment and a reminder of the tents of nomadic ancestors. Stepping under the chuppah, the bride and groom enter their new home, established in the presence of God.

5. Hakafot - Circling

Before the bride takes her position next to the groom, she may circle him either three or seven times. This ancient custom symbolizes the couple making an invisible wall of protection around themselves.

6. Erusin - Betrothal

The rabbi recites the blessing over the wine and then the betrothal blessing, Birkat Erusin. Drinking from the same glass indicates that the bride and groom are ready to begin a life of sharing.

7. Tabba’at - The Ring Ceremony

The giving of the ring is the central legal element of the betrothal ceremony. In the presence of the witnesses, the groom recites the Harei At, the public proclamation of this union. Tradition stipulates that the rings be simple, unbroken bands without precious stones, symbolizing that 28 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

rich and poor are alike in love and marriage. The rings are placed on each other’s right index finger, making it easy for witnesses to see this legal aspect of the ceremony.

8. K’riat HaKetubah - Reading of the Ketubah The bride’s acceptance of her ring marks the end of the betrothal ceremony. At this natural break between Kiddushin and Nissuin, the ketubah is read aloud and then given to the bride to keep.

NISSUIN - NUPTIALS 9. Sheva B’rachot

Each blessing has its own significance: the first is for the wine; the second is in honor of the wedding guests; the third celebrates the creation of humankind; the fourth, fifth and sixth bless the couple’s marriage; finally, the seventh is in honor of Israel and the wedding couple.

These blessings are recited over the second cup of wine, after which both groom and bride drink.

10. Shattering the Glass

The groom breaks a glass placed under his foot at the end of the ceremony. The most well-known interpretation is that it represents the destruction of the Temple.

This reminds us that even at times of greatest joy and happiness, we should not forget the suffering of our people – past and present. At the sound of the broken glass, family and guests call out words of congratulations and “Mazal Tov” (good luck).

11. Siman Tov u’Mazal Tov

Couple exits under tallit canopy. A common song at Jewish weddings, “Siman Tov u’Mazal Tov” is a musical way of wishing the couple well. “Siman Tov” means a good sign. “Mazal Tov” means good fortune.

AFTER THE CEREMONY 12. Yichud – Seclusion

This is the formal seclusion of the bride and groom. A few moments of quiet time are spent together as they break bread as husband and wife.

13. Se’udah – Festive Meal and Celebration

Upon the couple’s return from yichud, family and friends join together in dance, songs and a festive meal.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 29

Say Yes to Which Dress?

By Tori Rosenblum

A

bride’s wedding day is a major

fashion opportunity. But before

she can pick her gown, she needs

first to identify her bridal style. Some brides want to look haute chic with a couture

silhouette and bold details, while others

prefer to be understated in a clean, sleek

style. Deciding to look romantic, sexy, classic or untraditional is the first step in finding the perfect dress.

FLOWERS ARE NOT ONLY for the bride’s bouquet. They will be in full bloom this spring, as they jump off the season’s most romantic wedding dresses. The 3-D details add beautiful texture, unlike the typical embroidered blossoms. These feminine flowers add whimsy to even the most understated silhouettes.

30 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

For a sexier look, a bride should try a DEEP NECKLINE that shows off her décolletage. This year, bridal style is about being bold and making a statement. A sexy neckline is perfect for a modern bride who wants to show off some skin.

If the plunging neckline is a little too fiery for the bride, an OFF-THESHOULDER STYLE might be a better fit. We’ve seen the trend all over ready-to-wear runways and now it’s taking over bridal fashion.

Bare shoulders look beautiful on simple and ornate gowns.

PLAYING OVERSIZED WITH BOWS are COLOR coming back from is a great the 80s, but they option for the are more chic unorthodox than ever before. bride.

Don’t think Pantone’s billowing bows colors of the on poufy sleeves – year, rose bows are elegant quartz and additions to the serenity, most sophisticated are white’s silhouettes. A runners-up bold bow can highlight a bride’s waist or a plunging back, or and we couldn’t be happier! A blushing bride can take a simply add extra femininity to any wedding dress. chance in the soft shade of pink or be her own “something blue” as she walks down the aisle.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 31

Birds do it, we do it – who else mates for life?

By Mala Blomquist

T

he concept of mating for life comes from the earliest of couples, Adam and Eve. Since Eve was made from part of Adam, and made especially for him, the intention was for her to be his mate for life, thus becoming the first “married” couple. There were other biblical couples that shared the rites of marriage and stayed together for life: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel. While the intention of marriage is to “mate for life” often humans fall short in this endeavor. This concept got me thinking about mating for life outside of our realm and into the world of nature. You often hear of animals that mate for life, but which ones really do?

LOVE IS FOR THE BIRDS

Swans come to mind as the ultimate symbol of love in the animal world. You’ll see them on greeting cards with their necks entwined in the shape of a heart. They form monogamous

32 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

bonds and the male is even known to use his powerful wings to scare off would-be suitors during mating season. The pair do double duty feeding and caring for their newly hatched cygnets.

Eagles spend time alone but reunite with the same partner during the breeding season.

The male and female take turns incubating the eggs then feeding the young chicks for the first few months after they hatch. Eagle mates will return to and refresh the same nest year after year.

The black vulture is at the opposite end of the bird spectrum as far as looks go. These raptors may actually be more loyal than their more-attractive counterparts. Bonded vultures will stay together year-round, even sharing food with other family members. It’s a good thing both parents are involved in the feeding and raising of the chicks, considering they don’t build a nest: The female lays her eggs directly on the ground in caves or other places that provide shelter.

The bonds these birds form isn’t nearly as romantic as we Swans

YOUR YOURDOWNTOWN DOWNTOWNPHOENIX PHOENIXCONGREGATION CONGREGATION

make them out to be. It’s really more a practical arrangement.

How long it takes for birds to migrate, establish a home territory, then lay, incubate and raise their young cuts into valuable reproductive time. But a dependable mate takes the pressure off the female during mating season; and a bonded pair can “learn” from any previous breeding mistakes, leading to more positive outcomes for chicks and ensuring the survival of their species.

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MIMICKING HUMANS BEHAVING BADLY

Another species with a mating-for-life mantra is the prairie vole. With an average lifespan of only one to two years, it must breed as much as possible. The sparse grasslands of the U.S. and Canada offer limited resources for these rodents’ habitats.

Prairie voles are models of monogamy, huddling together for warmth, grooming one another and sharing in pup-raising responsibilities. If male voles give any indication they may not stick around once the babies arrive, the females have been known to grab them by the scruff of the neck, as if to shake some sense into them. Sounds more like a human behavior!

Our closest “relative” that mates for life is the gibbon. But while these primates may appear to be monogamous, a 2013 study at Khao Yai National Park in Thailand found that as

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many as one in 10 baby gibbons is fathered by a male other than the female’s partner.

Still, gibbons form strong pairs, grooming and spending time together. Males and females are roughly the same size, giving the impression that they’re on equal footing. But they are also known to leave a mate on occasion – a more humanlike trait.

WOLVES AND COYOTES SET THE EXAMPLE

Gray wolves have a relationship comparable to humans, with a family life that consists of a male, female and their offspring.

Other wolves may be welcomed into the pack, but the alpha couple are usually the only ones to breed, unless there is an abundant food supply to support the growth of the pack. A single pair breeding also avoids overpopulation.

The alpha male is the leader until the mating season, but the female picks the den location. While the pups are in the den, other members of the pack hunt for her and the hungry pups.

Another mostly monogamous canine is the coyote. A 2012 article by National Geographic suggests their monogamy could be the cause of their ability to thrive in urban environments.

Most canines practice social monogamy, but they tend to stray when times get tough. Not coyotes. Thanks to the ability to find food in urban areas, along with the help of male partners, females are having larger litters, thus ensuring a thriving coyote population.

STRAYING SEAHORSES AND TESTY TERMITES

The coyote female has a loyal mate, but the potbellied seahorse female must be much more selective when it comes to choosing the potential father of her children. Competition is fierce and the male – who carries the babies after birth – is devoted to that female’s offspring. However, research shows that when it comes time to mate again, the male seahorse may be led astray by another female larger than his current mate.

While mating may get complicated for the seahorse, things can get downright ugly for the termite. The termite queen often forms a lifelong bond with her “king” and they become the parents of their entire colony. But researchers at New York’s Cornell University discovered that pairs can get nasty if they decide to separate. They can become physically violent and may even chew off each others’ antennae.

The term “mate for life” is somewhat of a misnomer in the animal kingdom. If something happens to an animal’s mate, that animal will move on and seek another – like Harriet the eagle did.

Humans also do this in the case of a divorce from or the death of a partner. All in all, this select group of animals and others like them who tend to be monogamous seem to have figured out the delicate balance of maintaining a relationship, building a home and raising children. Maybe the animal kingdom has a better handle on these things than we do – it appears that the divorce rate is much lower in the wild!

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1/11/17 2:59 PM

Prairie Vole

SINGLE, DIVORCED, WIDOWED? VOLE: CC BY-SA 3.0 LICENSE. CREDIT: DÛRZAN CÎRANO.

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Karen Stein,

Owner

and matchmaker with over 30 years experience

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 35

Wedding Directory BRIDAL AND FORMALWEAR

CATERING

GIFTS

Laurie’s Bridal and Formal

Chompie’s

Five Valley locations 480-348-CATR (2287) • chompies.com

Cosanti Originals, Inc.

14891 N Northsight Blvd. #130, Scottsdale 480-699-3973 • lauriesbridal.com We are a family-owned and operated bridal boutique, featuring handpicked bridal gowns that offer limited distribution or are exclusive to Laurie’s Bridal. We also offer a large variety of bridal, bridesmaids, mother of the wedding, prom and bar/bat mitzvah dresses, all at affordable prices.

36 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Chompie’s Catering considers its service to be just as important as the food! With a dedicated team who will oversee all of your catering needs. Whether it’s for 10 or 10,000 guests, we have the perfect catering packages for your special event.

You can always count on Chompie’s Custom Catering service!

6433 E Doubletree Ranch Road, Paradise Valley 480-948-6145 • cosanti.com Soleri Windbells, by the late Paolo Soleri, are perfect gifts. Every time they ring, their sound reminds the recipient of the occasion for which they were presented. Imagine the everlasting impression left by either the “Bride & Groom” or “Lovebirds” wedding bell models that Paolo Soleri designed to commemorate weddings!

Mazel Tov Gifts

10211 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 480-922-0250 Offers a unique selection of gifts including Jewish ritual, holiday, wedding, bar/bat mitzvah, tallitot, kippot, hostess gifts, mezuzot, Jewish books, mah jongg items, children’s games and toys.

Items from Israel include jewelry, art and Judaica. Large selection of ketubot, wedding glasses, yarmulkes and wedding gifts.

We offer the world’s finest genuine American Buffalo leather furniture.

Visit us to experience our unique pieces of luxurious furniture including sofas, loveseats, chairs, ottomans and antiques, along with our beautiful array of home furnishings such as pillows, tables, lighting and more! Specializing in custom orders.

screens her profiles for accuracy and introductions are done without the use of computer software. Let Karen put her magical intuition at work to be the conduit to true romance between kindred spirits. Book your free consultation today!

MATCHMAKER My Top Matchmaker

HOME FURNISHINGS Buffalo Collection

7044 E Fifth Ave., Scottsdale 480-946-3903 • buffalocollection.com

602-616-0026 • mytopmatchmaker.com/ about-scottsdale Karen Stein draws on her extensive background as a casting director and talent agency owner to help you find your perfect match. She verifies and

All Soleri Windbells... are perfect gifts for any occasion, but two models forever commemorate a particular ceremony when they ring: The “Bride & Groom” or “Love Birds”wedding bell!

Available in either variable finish at $209.00 or $239.00 at Cosanti, Arcosanti (our other location), cosanti.com, or call

480-948-6145

Cosanti

6433 E. Doubletree Ranch Rd. Paradise Valley, AZ 85253

You name it, we’ll cater it, and we have it all!

Breakfasts • Luncheons • Dinners Hors d’oeuvres • Party Platters Buffets • Beverages • Desserts AND

Custom Cakes, Too! All Events and Group Sizes Custom Service Set Up and Service Staff Available See Catering Menu at www.chompies.com

Valley Wide Delivery

Call 480-348-CATR (2287) ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 37

PHOTOGRAPHY Molho Photography

111 E Dunlap Ave. #290, Phoenix 602-758-1621 • molhophotography.com Pinina and Yaakov Molho are the two photographers at Molho Photography. They have earned the trust of many, capturing special moments from weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, family photo sessions, business events and even pet photography. Their work can be seen in galleries on their website.

VENUES Arizona Jewish Historical Society Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center 122 E Culver St., Phoenix 602-241-7870 • azjhs.org

Beautifully restored historic venue is available for weddings, b’nai mitzvah and celebrations. Open to people of all faiths.

Main hall has original hardwood floors and 10-foot arched windows; also a museum gallery and lovely outdoor garden terrace.

ASU Kerr Cultural Center

6110 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 480-596-2660 • asukerr.com ASU Kerr Cultural center is a one-of-a-kind historic wedding location in Scottsdale. Affordable elegance and flexibility with catering and bar have made Kerr a rental event leader in the Valley. Kerr, a performing arts venue, offers top-notch sound and lighting services that give your event a creative, memorable edge!

Mesa Arts Center

One E Main St., Mesa 480-644-6500 • mesaartscenter.com Mesa Arts Center offers a variety of beautiful and unique settings for your wedding event or reception. With venues ranging from casual to contemporary, we can create a memorable experience for you and your guests.

Musical Instrument Museum

4725 E Mayo Blvd., Phoenix 480-478-6000 • mim.org/exhibits/host-your-event As a premier event destination, MIM offers a variety of options that can harmonize with any occasion. The versatility of the space, combined with its stylish architecture, high level of comfort and distinctive setting, provides the perfect blend of 38 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

beauty, creativity and functionality for events of varying shapes and sizes.

Phoenix Zoo

455 N Galvin Parkway, Phoenix 602-914-4301 • phoenixzoo.org

MAZEL TOV GIFTS Jewish Art • Books • Wedding Gifts • Children’s Toys

✡ Everything Jewish Under One Roof ✡

From lush, tropical settings to the beauty of the Sonoran Desert, the Phoenix Zoo offers 15 distinct indoor and outdoor venues that welcome large formal ceremonies and receptions, smaller, more intimate affairs and everything in between. Your forever starts here.

Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life 875 N McClintock Dr., Chandler 480-855-4333 • chabadcenter.com

The Pollack Chabad Center event hall will fulfill your desires and exceed your expectations. Classic charm and unique architecture provide an elegant setting for your special day.

With a fully-kosher prep kitchen, exquisite chuppah area and the grand ballroom, our venue will make your occasion an unforgettable experience.

Talking Stick Resort

9800 E Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale 480-850-7777 • talkingstickresort.com From intimate bridal showers and bachelor party poker tournaments to unforgettable ceremonies and lavish wedding receptions, Talking Stick Resort offers the perfect backdrop for any wedding. Guests enjoy luxurious rooms, a rejuvenating open-air spa, five restaurants (including the award-winning Orange Sky), live entertainment, two pools plus the hottest casino gaming.

The Orchard Phx

7100 N 12th St., Phoenix 602-633-2600 • pomelophx.com Stop your search for the perfect venue! The Orchard Phx is perfect whether you are looking to host a company event, birthday party, bridal shower or wedding – we do it all!

Tucson Jewish Community Center 3800 E River Road, Tucson 520-299-3000 • tucsonjcc.org

The Tucson J offers several unique indoor and outdoor spaces for you to create your special event. Whether you are looking for meeting/conference space, organizing a wedding, proms or birthday, we can help you customize a seamless, memorable event. We are open to all faiths.

10211 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale AZ 85253 (480) 922-0250 Located next to Kitchen 18 & Chabad

Find us on Facebook

A Speical Venue For Your

Special Day

Pollack Chabad Center Event Hall Premier Kosher Catering Hall

The Pollack Chabad event hall will ensure the perfect simcha, fulfilling your desires and exceeding your expectations.

Classic charm and unique architecture provide an elegant setting on your special day.

• Weddings • • Bar/Bat Mitzvahs • • Brit Milah • • Upsherenish • With seating in the main ballroom for 275, plus a dance floor or a smaller setting for up to 25, we have the space for you.

The fully Kosher prep kitchen is the perfect place for any kosher caterer to prepare and serve your guests.

Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life 875 N. McClintock Dr. • Chandler, AZ 85226 480.855.4333 • info@chabadcenter.com ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 39

"I was just ropin' over there, thought I'd mossey on over. I never moseyed before, I hope I did it right."

-City Slickers

“So tonight, enjoy yourselves because nothing can take the sting out of the world's economic problems like watching millionaires present each other with golden statues.”

— 2012 Oscars

"Forget Paris? How do you forget the best week in your life?"

-The Princess Bride

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-The Princess Bride

"Without Goliath, David is just some punk throwing rocks."

- Forget Paris

"True love is the greatest thing in the world – except for a nice MLT – mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe. They’re so perky, I love that."

"You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles."

-My Giant

"What is my goal here, to make you a happy, welladjusted gangster?"

— Analyze This

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

-When Harry Met Sally

B

illy Crystal invites Phoenicians to sit down for an informal after-dinner conversation at the Symphony Hall February 19 (see page 45) as he spins stories from his multi-faceted life and career.

The evening is part of the comedian/actor/director/author’s “Spend the Night with Billy Crystal” U.S. tour. Calling it a sit-down show, Billy says the audience will feel like they are part of an informal conversation, though he’ll be standing and moving 90% of the evening.

In a phone interview before the U.S. tour began, Billy said that when he debuted the format in Australia for seven weeks, “People seem to like that atmosphere. … People loved the fact that it was intimate and they felt like they were talking to me.”

“It’s a performance from beginning to end,” he says. “It’s so much fun. This show is storytelling.”

Billy has plenty of stories to share from his family, his career on stage and screen, the fulfillment of his dream to be a Yankee with a one-day contract and his relationships with other celebrities from all walks of life. He’ll share tales of growing up in a Jewish family and the close friendships they had with African-American jazz musicians they met through the family’s Commodore Records. He credits those early friendships with his comfort in portraying black celebrities in a friendly light, including in the routine that caused Muhammad Ali to call him “my Jewish little brother.”

The friendship with Ali played a role in the creation of an intercultural program Billy says he is very proud of.

Ali served as the dinner chairman when Hebrew University presented the prestigious National Scopus Award to Billy for his outstanding achievement as an entertainer and philanthropist. The evening raised $1 million, which endowed the Billy Crystal Peace through Performing Arts program at Hebrew University. The program brings Jewish and Arab artists together for theater workshops and performances designed to build bridges and enhance understanding.

“It is such a great metaphor for what should be happening in the Middle East,” says Billy. “Arab, Palestinian and Israeli artists working together to do something good.”

He hopes to finally get to Jerusalem this summer to see the program in person. He says it’s very satisfying to hear reports and see videos of participants performing at children’s hospitals and participating in workshops to enhance understanding.

Another stop he hopes to make this summer is his first visit to Wrigley Field, one of only two of the old ballparks remaining. “I love going to Fenway Park in Boston; it’s still the original structure,” says Billy.

Billy attended his first game at Yankee Stadium in 1956, and received a program signed by Mickey Mantle, who signed the same program for him again 21 years later when they both appeared on Dinah Shore’s show.

“Nothing will replace old Yankee Stadium because of what it meant to me,” he says, adding that seeing his first game there “developed me as a fan, player and student of the game.”

Continued on next page

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 41

“It’s a very patient game and so is life and so is a career,” he says, noting the game involves a lot of waiting. “Once in a while you hit a home run, and a couple doubles … sometimes you strike out.

You just try to make sure you are ahead in the ninth inning. At 68, I still think about that.”

A lifelong baseball fan, Billy has called the old Yankee stadium “my synagogue.” Since that field’s demolition after the 2008 season, he says he hasn’t found that feeling anywhere else. When I mentioned growing up attending baseball games at the old Tiger Stadium in Detroit, he fondly recalled using Tiger Stadium to film most of the baseball scenes for his HBO movie "61*," the story of Mickey Mantle’s and Roger Maris’ attempts during the 1961 season to break Babe Ruth’s single season home run record of 60.

“Tiger Stadium was the very last triple-deck stadium,” Billy says with perhaps a touch of melancholy. “Since it was empty we were able to make it Yankee Stadium in 1961 and Tiger Stadium in 1961. … When we did the baseball scenes, I would get there early and enjoy seeing the big Michigan mashed potato clouds over the stadium … and the way the sun hit the field. It was quiet and I could think about my favorite season – 1961. … It was magical.”

In addition to being a magical baseball year, 1961 was also the year Billy became a bar mitzvah.

“I was a pretty reverent bar mitzvah boy,” he says.

He doesn’t recall making any baseball references in his bar mitzvah speech, but he did speak strongly for a ban on fossil fuels and for marriage equality. Billy went on to play one of the first openly gay characters on television with his role as Jodie on the series “Soap” from 1977 to 1985.

Happily married to his wife Janice for 45 years, he has continued to support marriage equality. He laments the new vice president “doesn’t believe in it … he believes in conversion therapy. We are going into scary times.”

He’s also still a proponent of environmental 42 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

stewardship, despite a tongue in cheek comment in the introduction to his latest book Still Foolin’ ’Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going and Where the Hell are My Car Keys? “At 65 you’re always a little cold… You start to think global warming isn’t such a bad thing,” he wrote in this entertaining look at aging.

He says the decline of fossil fuel has come a long way. “I pray the Paris (climate) agreement will not be overturned,” he says. “The fact is the earth is dying and we have to do our best to regenerate it and heal it.”

Acknowledging oil, gas and coal have historically provided many jobs, he adds, “We need to create other jobs” and train people for “jobs that will sustain the earth.”

His environmentalism is not the only one of his values and traditions sprinkled throughout Still Foolin’ ’Em. “I’m still the pro-gay marriage, pro-civil rights, anti-war, feed-thehungry-and-house-the homeless, it’s-okay-to-have-red-winewith-fish, liberal-thinking guy I always have been,” he writes in a chapter called Conservative.

The chapter details his slow drift to the right in terms of “conservative rage” against “things you can live with but that annoy the crap out of you” – things like people using cell phones in restaurants, a Congress that brags about not passing anything and Super PACs. Reading his memoir to prepare for this interview, I thought I’d found common ground again on the baseball front when I read that he and Janice bought a minority interest in the Arizona Diamondbacks. Having written a Continued on page 44 FROM TOP: Billy Crystal's love of baseball triggers memories of the historic Tiger Stadium and Yankee Stadium; both have been replaced by "modern"stadiums with Wrigley Field and Fenway Park the only original baseball stadiums still standing. HBO Special 61* Poster.

Billy as Miracle Max in the Princess Bride.

Princess Bride Poster.

OPPOSITE PAGE: Billy as Jodi Dallas on "Soap" (SOAP - Show Coverage - Shoot Date: Aug. 11, 1978. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives).

Clockwise, above: Original Yankee Stadium 1964; Tiger stadium in Detroit 1984; Poster for the HBO special 61*.

BILLY CRYSTAL CAREER HIGHLIGHTS HOST

Nine-time Oscar host between 1990 and 2012 Three-time host of the Grammys Three-time host of Saturday Night Live AWARDS

Anti-Defamation League 1995 Entertainer of the Year Six-time Emmy Winner Tony Award winner for 700 Sundays Mark Twain Prize for American Humor National Scopus Award FILM ROLES

The Princess Bride When Harry Met Sally City Slickers Monsters Inc. (voice of Mike Wazowski) Forget Paris Mr. Saturday Night Analyze This Parental Guidance BOOKS

Absolutely Mahvelous 700 Sundays

I Already Know I Love You (children’s book) Grandpa’s Little One (children’s book)

©AMERICAN BROADCASTING COMPANIES, INC.

Still Foolin’ Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going and Where the Hell are My Car Keys?

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 43

“It is such a great metaphor

for what should be happening in the Middle East – Arab, Palestinian and Israeli

artists working together to do something good.” ~ Billy Crystal

44 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

story about D-backs President Derrick Hall, I hoped we could talk about our shared interest in that baseball team.

But Billy told me his foray into baseball ownership, though it was fun, ended six or seven years ago.

He did share one story from his Diamondback days.

In 2001, when his beloved Yankees team was again in the World Series, he and Janice watched the Diamondbacks win the first two games in Phoenix. He recalls Janice saying, “Honey, we’re beating us.” When Arizona won the series, Billy describes it as “awkward.”

Another baseball story in his memoir that I didn’t get a chance to ask him about was his one-day contract as New York Yankee. But Still Foolin’ ’Em recounts the joyous experience. When Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter asked Billy what would make his 60th birthday special, Billy knew he wanted to fulfill his childhood dream of playing with the Yankees.

“I came up with a plan where I would get one at bat in a spring training game,” he wrote. “Whatever happens, happens, and I then announce my retirement and throw the team a party. Jeter loved the idea and a few weeks before my 60th birthday, he and George Steinbrenner, Lonn Trost, Randy Levine, Brian Cashman, Bud Selig and Major League Baseball gave me the greatest birthday gift ever.”

On March 13, 2008, the day before he turned 60, Billy stepped to the plate as the leadoff batter against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He saw six pitches before striking out, but he was warmly cheered by the team and fans and presented with the ball. His mother had always told him to do something special on his birthday.

Five years later, he had another unparalleled birthday surprise.

His fourth grandchild, Griffin, was born on his 65th birthday – “the greatest gift of all,” as he wrote in the epilogue to his memoir.

Family and passing on traditions from generation to generation was another quintessential Jewish value I flagged while reading the memoir.

At a time when many couples downsize, Billy and Janice decided to expand their home to create a family center for their two daughters and four grandchildren to visit.

“We wanted them to have the memories of going to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, like we did,” he writes. “Every time I left their house, I better understood my lineage and where I stood in the world.”

So I asked Billy what he most wanted to pass on to his grandchildren, who are now 13, 10, 7 and almost 4.

“We talk about the past, we share pictures of who came before … we honor the holidays and we explain why it’s important to celebrate with family,” he told me.

Most important, he wants them to know the joy, wisdom and good feelings of being part of a happy family and a rich heritage.

The current show brings Billy’s career full circle. He graduated from New York University, having majored in film and television directing with Martin Scorsese as one of his instructors. But initially he turned his attention to stand-up comedy in coffee houses and on TV. After appearing as Rob Reiner’s best friend in an episode of “All in the Family,” the two became friends in real life, launching his fruitful film career.

Spend the Night with Billy Crystal WHAT Billy Crystal will “tell stories, show film clips and talk about my life and career and the world as I see it.”

WHEN 8:00 pm, Feb. 19 WHERE Symphony Hall 75 N. Second St., Phoenix TICKETS $60-$150, VIP packages $250 & up; dannyzeliskopresents.com

GREAT FILMS With a little Jewish flavor

He appeared briefly in Reiner’s “This is Spinal Tap,” then accepted a short but very memorable role as Miracle Max in “The Princess Bride” when Reiner promised he could ad lib. His oft-quoted line, “Have fun storming the castle,” has become a catch phrase for saying goodbye. His most famous starring role opposite Meg Ryan in “When Harry Met Sally” was also directed by Reiner. Billy went on to write, direct and star in several movies (see box, page 43). He played a reluctant psychiatrist to mafia boss Robert De Niro in “Analyze This,” which won an American Comedy Award as funniest motion picture, and its sequel “Analyze That.”

In 2004, he turned his attention back to the stage, taking his one-man show “700 Sundays” to a successful Broadway run, winning a Tony. Named for the approximately “700 Sundays” he had with his father before he died when Billy was 15, the play was also well received on its U.S. and Australian tours. While he performed the play based on an eight-page outline, he later turned the material into a book of the same name.

He says his new tour gives him the opportunity to share his diverse career with his fans.

“This show is unique. There’s stand-up and ‘sit-down,’ which gives me great freedom to tell stories, show film clips and talk about my life and career and the world as I see it,” says Billy.

“It’s loose, unpredictable and intimate. The most fun I’ve had on stage in a long time.”

18 FILMS // 2 WEEKS FEB. 12TH - 26TH, 2017 ORDER TICKETS WWW.GPJFF.ORG | 602.753.9366

HARKINS THEATRES • SCOTTSDALE SHEA 14 CHANDLER FASHION 20 • ARROWHEAD FOUNTAINS 18 ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 45

Marty Brounstein: Sharing the inspiring tale of Two Among the Righteous Few

By Mala Blomquist

46 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Writing a book was the furthest thing from Marty Brounstein’s mind when he visited the Netherlands with his wife, Leah Baars, in May 2009.

It had been 25 years since Leah had been back to her homeland after her family had immigrated to Northern California. Marty had never been, so they embarked on a sixweek journey.

While in the Netherlands, Leah wanted to look up some old family friends with whom she had lost touch: the family of Frans and Mien Wijnakker. Through an information officer, they found the address and also learned that the Wijnakker’s son now lived in the family home.

They were a short distance away, so they drove. There is the front yard sat Frans Jr. Leah introduced herself: “Hello, I’m Ineke [her childhood nickname] Baars,” she said in Dutch.

Immediately, the man jumped up and gave her a big hug.

“They were both so excited to see each other,” says Marty.

During that initial visit, Marty says two things happened: “Frans Jr. showed us a picture of a memorial plaque to his parents in the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations in Israel.” Frans Jr. had taken a photo of the plaque when he visited Yad Vashem. Marty knew it was a big deal for the parents to be recognized in that way. “Then another sibling came over who has a self-published Dutch book about her father, Frans. It created a spark in me and moved me,” says Marty.

When they returned to the U.S., Leah took out the Dutch book and wrote out a raw translation. “It was like a jigsaw puzzle with pieces missing,” Marty explains. “You had just the story in itself.”

Between those resources – information from the Wijnakker children (who have been very supportive) and his own historical research – Marty was able to put the story together, exploring the remarkable and unusual efforts of Frans and Mien Wijnakker. He became what he calls the “humble messenger of these two real heroes.” That was beginning of his book, Two Among the Righteous Few: A Story of Courage in the Holocaust.

More than 75% of all Dutch Jews perished in World War II because of the brutal Nazi occupation and Dutch compliance. Even those involved with resistance groups did not help to hide Jews.

The operation started with a simple call for help. Frans was a risk taker He had a black market business during the war, traveling by train to major cities in the west and selling meat and eggs. This was against the law. In the spring of 1943, on a business trip to Amsterdam, he called upon a doctor acquaintance with whom he had done business in the past.

The doctor told him of a young girl in the city whom he wanted to move to the safer countryside; maybe Frans could take her? And by the way, she was Jewish. Unlike most people who would refuse or turn them into the authorities, Frans said yes.

When Frans came home near midnight (taking someone out of the city during the day would be too risky), his wife Mien told him she had been worried sick when he had not come home by suppertime. With him was the 14-year-old Jewish girl with the false Dutch name “Freetje.” Her real name was Shula – and she happened to have a friend down

the block whose name was Anne Frank.

Shula Schwarz currently lives in Haifa, Israel. “This past May, we were able to deliver her 88th birthday card to her,” says Marty. Shula remains in contact with the Wijnakker family. She helped Marty with some of the pieces of the puzzle; a young teenager at the time, she has vivid memories of the Frans and Mien Wijnakker Wijnakkers.

Frans and Mien saved the lives of at least two dozen Jews in southern Holland during World War II, all while raising four children under the age of five when they started their mission.

Marty has studied other “righteous heroes” and sometimes gives talks where he shares their stories. He realized that they all have certain characteristics in common: “They teach us lessons of making a positive difference and doing the right thing – characteristics that are so important today.”

Having done more than 500 events in the last five years, sharing the Wijnakker’s remarkable journey in his presentations elicits similar responses. “People love the story. I commonly hear from people who have read the book and we have discussions about it,” says Marty, who hears comments like “Amid the horrific tragedy of the Holocaust, I didn’t know there was anything positive.”

“We’ve got the positive,” stresses Marty.

He tells the tale of this interfaith story (the Wijnakkers were Catholic) at a variety of venues, including social service organizations, schools, businesses and even parties hosted in individual homes.

“Sometimes synagogues and churches will co-host them,” says Marty. “This is an interfaith Author Marty Brounstein story at its best. A true one, of all the right things – of respect and caring for one another, regardless of one’s faith.”

One of these co-hosting events took place in Scottsdale on Jan. 29 at Shadow Rock United Church of Christ in Scottsdale.

The co-host was Congregation Merkaz Ha-lyr, which also holds services at Shadow Rock.

Marty delivers the Wijnakker’s story with a warmth and passion that comes from pouring his heart into this project.

And for those who attend, Marty reveals a secret at the end of his presentation that makes the Wijnakkers’ tale even more endearing.

Marty will continue his speaking tour through February and into early March. A complete list of public performance dates can be found at martyabrounstein.com.

Purchase tickets at asukerr.com or 480.596.2660

multimedia theatre

Hard Travelin’ with Woody Friday, February 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Danny Long-Judy Roberts CHICAGO JAZZ JAMBOREE

Wednesday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Western music, cowboy poetry

Dave Stamey,

premier Western entertainer

Friday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Show your ticket stub and mention AZ Jewish Life Magazine at ASU Kerr’s concessions stand for one free item!

Senior, military and group discounts available.

Student tickets for most shows are $10 w/ ID.

6110 N. Scottsdale Rd. (off Rose Lane) Scottsdale, AZ 85253 asukerr.com ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 47

Tommy Koenig:

Connecting with Valley Baby Boomers

By Mala Blomquist

A hilarious one-man show is coming to the Herberger Theater Center in February. “Baby Boomer Baby,” written by and starring Tommy Koenig, will run from Feb. 2 through Feb. 26.

The show originally started as a fluke in 2011 during a vacation in Mexico, where Tommy was entertaining “expats and hippies” with his 20-plus characterizations and impressions of musicians.

“I was covering everything from the Beatles to Lady Gaga,” says Tommy. “So I realized if I wove my story within it, it was not just the story of rock ‘n’ roll, but the history of one person living through it, too.”

Tommy returned to New York to introduce his new show in 2012 – at the same time Hurricane Sandy hit. He ended up turning it into a benefit for the Red Cross, raising money for relief for his community. A friend from Texas – an independent producer – saw the show and encouraged him to take it on the road.

“Doing the show off and on for the last few years has given me the opportunity to really hone it,” says Tommy. “I call it ‘rock ‘n’ roll comedy theater.’ It’s a real piece of theater with elements of stand-up and music. It brings all of the stuff I have been doing most of my career together into one show.” ey is one Paul McCar tn ig’s many en Ko y m of Tom sions. es musical impr

48 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Tommy grew up in Brooklyn in a musical family; his father played the clarinet and saxophone. “I was always singing as a kid, but I was bent on being more of a comedian,” he says. “Even in my stand-up comedy act, which I have done for many years and still do, I always did a lot of musical parodies. I always brought music and comedy together.”

“Most of my generation was at Woodstock. I was close, but I couldn’t have been further away,” says Tommy. “[I was] at the Catskills as a day camp counselor. While my generation was up in a burg in Watkins Glen changing the world, I was downwind changing Glen Watkins Berg. They had Sly & the Family Stone, I had Sty & the Family Stein – and Crosby, Stills & Nosh.”

He has been sharing his comedic talent since 1998, “paying it forward” by teaching young comedians at The Comics Studio in New York. Before that, he was a college theater professor at Brooklyn College. One of his first students was Jimmy Smits, who became a famous actor.

Part of his past also includes many visits to Arizona. He

Tommy Koen ig performing as Tina Turner.

performed at Valley comedy clubs and opened for bands and outdoor concerts at Arizona State University and University of Arizona. He was also HBO’s “Man on the Street” in Phoenix, asking people questions about movies. “Only you never saw me, you saw my hand,” Tommy says of those many interviews.

For the first time, the show in Arizona will be produced by Philip Roger Roy and Dana Matthow, the producers behind the hit play, “My Son the Waiter, A Jewish Tragedy.”

Philip and Dana saw Tommy’s show in Florida. “It is kind of a dream come true for performers to have these kinds of producers – [for them] to pick me up and put me in their stable, as it were,” says Tommy.

“Then the producers found out I’m Jewish. When people see my name, I know it must be a shock: How can you be Jewish with the name Koenig?” (Koenig means king in German.) “Unfortunately, the Germans really didn’t want a Jewish king, so we moved. There also aren’t many rabbis named Tommy – my name is confusing,” jokes Tommy.

But there is nothing confusing about the message of his show. “This is the show that I really want to take out there,” says Tommy. “Not only [about] the history,…but about how we were the generation that had that brief moment in time of knowing what peace and love could be. And if we can, we have to try and find our way back to that – whatever it takes.

It’s hard, but we have to try.”

Baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) will obviously relate to the show, but Tommy says that since there is nothing too edgy in his material, people often bring their children: “Boomers’ kids get to see what their parents went through.” He’s even seen three generations together in the audience: mother, daughter and grandmother. “[The show] tells my story – and there’s even a surprise ending.”

“Baby Boomer Baby”

Feb. 2-26 at Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe Ave., Phoenix Tickets: $53-$59; 602-252-8497 or herbergertheater.org

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Navah Perlman to perform at Mesa Arts Center

Navah Perlman. Photos courtesy Lisa Marie Mazzucco.

By Tal Peri

When interviewing a Jewish-American artist, bringing up a past occasion that took place in Israel is a potential icebreaker.

Happily, I just happened to have one to share with classical pianist Navah Perlman.

It occurred at a press conference seven years ago in Tel Aviv.

Navah was there to participate in a special concert with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by her father, iconic classical violinist Itzhak Perlman. Recently, I shared with Navah two memories from that event: one, her apology for hardly speaking Hebrew; and two, her quiet and introspective manner, compared to her father’s charismatic and dominant presence.

“Well, that’s true. My Hebrew is terrible,” Navah admits.

50 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

“And as for what you refer to as ‘my introspective manner,’ I’m actually very comfortable when I'm giving interviews. It's just that when my dad is in the room, there’s no way to compete with the persona he brings. He takes over. It’s just who he is; so I step aside, metaphorically, and let him go ahead and do his thing.”

It’s a strange coincidence for both Perlmans to share the same stage again – this time at the Mesa Arts Center – a month apart from each other. Itzhak Perlman performed a solo violin concert on Jan. 12; Navah will be performing a solo piano concert called “A Musical Memoir” on Feb. 16.

“It has happened before,” says Navah. “I get to a place to give a concert, just to find out he was there just a short while ago or [will] perform there soon.”

For me, the chance to do a solo piano show is very exciting,”

she says. “I’ve played with an orchestra, in duets, as a part of a trio and in a band. Every combination is a different challenge.

This upcoming show in Mesa is going to be unique, because I'm doing a MAC talk before the concert [with CMIO Artistic Director Zuill Bailey]. I want to speak a bit during the show and present some photos – make the whole experience more personal for myself and the audience.”

Navah got her start as a soloist with the Greater Miami Youth Symphony in 1984 and studied at Juilliard School in New York, where her father still teaches today. She currently resides in New York with her husband, Robert D. Frost, and four children.

Navah Perlman Q&A Q: In an interview a few years back, you said that, though you love music deeply, as a mother you have a very clear set of priorities in your life: Your family comes first.

A: When my children were younger, it had to be the case.

It still is. My concert in Mesa will take place during the week; then I'm going back to New York because my 10-year-old twins have a special school project for President’s Day and I want to be there for them. It’s more flexible now than it was a few years ago, though, and will be even more so a few years from now. When you have a family, things are different.

It’s just the way it is. For the career I have, alongside being a mother, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my amazing husband, Robert, who has been there for me and shared the chores and burdens through the years. I tell you, I got some massive doses of jealousy vibes from people who have a very narrow [view] of what a mom should and should not do while raising her kids. Truly, I was blessed, because [despite] all the progress in recent years, many women who want to fulfill themselves still face great difficulties. Look what happened at the last [U.S. presidential] election. A candidate who was more qualified professionally than anybody else eventually lost.

Q: Your father, Izhak, comes from a very different and hardcore approach to being a musician. Have you ever discussed this, or even clashed over your different views of music?

A: I’m not really sure that was the case with him. When my father started his career as a young kid in Israel, he had nothing in the material sense. He was driven to succeed not only because of his passion for music, but also his passion to provide everything for his family. He moved to the U.S. because he knew he would have options here that he would not have anywhere else. I was born, shall we say, into comfort. I never experienced that kind of hunger. And yes, there’s also my husband Robert’s job that allows me, alongside my income, to be picky every once in a while. I don't have to take every job offer, which is a huge privilege for a classical musician.

Q: A lot has been said in past years about the commercialization of the arts, particularly music. Is this something you have experienced personally? Have you ever wanted to play a complex, challenging piece and some artistic director said: “No, our subscription audience will not buy that.”

A: Of course, I’m aware of those changes; but to be honest,

I would not like it if people walked out of my concert feeling unsatisfied. Classical musicians travel a lot. We make a living performing and teaching, because our CDs don't sell that much [laughs]. Perform for many years and you will know which audience can adjust to what. When I play in New York City, I will try pieces I will not play in Los Angeles and vice versa.

Q: You have visited Israel many times. Ever thought what your life – as an artist and as a person – would have been like if you had grown up there?

A: Honestly, I never thought about it that way. Israel for me is, above all, a place where I'm very comfortable just being myself. I feel more at ease there than in a place in the U.S. I hardly know. However, on a practical level, when you live a life of traveling and performing, it matters a great deal where your home is.

Navah Perlman - A Musical Memoir Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 pm Mesa Arts Center, One E. Main St., Mesa Tickets: $30-$70 Box office: 480-644-6500 or mesaartscenter.com

NAVAH PERLMAN

a musical memoir

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16TH • 7:30PM G E T YO U R T I C KE T S TO DAY !

M E S A A R T S C E N T E R . C O M

BOX OFFICE: 480.644.6500 | ONE E. MAIN ST. MESA, AZ 85201

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 51

Get your tickets -

The Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival is here The Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival is celebrating its 21st anniversary this year. The festival will be showing films at Harkins Theatres in Chandler, Scottsdale and Peoria. The festival runs from Feb. 12-26 with ticket prices ranging from $7 for students to $13 for adults (at the door).

The Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival resulted from a merger of the Phoenix Jewish Film Festival and the East Valley Jewish Film Festival. The PJFF was founded by Phyllis and Sheldon Pierson who, in 1996 decided that Phoenix needed a Jewish film festival; in 2004, the EVJFF was born from an idea of Gloria and the late Sid Israel. The two festivals merged five years later, and the GPJFF was created.

GPJFF is a wholly independent, volunteer-run 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Sources of funding are ticket sales, donations, advertising and grants. 6,400 people attended the festival in 2016, and attendance is expected to increase for this year. Many out-of-towners who spend time in Phoenix during the winter regularly attend and generously support the festival.

Film screening committees begin the hard yet rewarding work of selecting films as soon as the current festival ends.

Rhythm of the Dance

The GPJFF strives to bring to the big screen a variety of films with Jewish themes, produced in different countries, and to offering genres that include drama, comedy, documentary and Holocaust. Some of the anticipated films for this year include: “On the Map,” “A Tale of Love and Darkness,” Indignation” and “Rosenwald.”

Guest speakers present commentary following many of the films and provide question and answer sessions to engage audience members. Speakers are filmmakers, rabbis, historians, other professionals and film critics (both Jewish and nonJewish) selected for the contributions they make to enrich the experience for festival attendees.

A film specifically geared to students is offered free of charge one Sunday morning during the festival. The GPJFF also provides a no-cost “Films in the Schools” program to religious and secular middle and high schools, where Holocaust-related films are shown and post-film discussions held to teach the important lesson of tolerance.

For more information on tickets, ticket packages or group discounts, call 602-753-9366 or visit gpjff.org.

The National Dance Company of Ireland

California Guitar Trio & Montreal Guitar Trio

Sunday, February 12 · 3 p.m.

Friday, February 17 · 7:30 p.m.

WAR Saturday, February 18 · 7:30 p.m.

Pump Boys and Dinettes

Art Garfunkel: In Close-Up

Saturday, February 25 · 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 11 · 7:30 p.m.

Full season listing

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 53

CORNER

STALE BREAD TURNED SOPHISTICATED

By Lucia Schnitzer Photo by Matthew Strauss

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

54 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

One of my favorite foods I enjoy feasting on are “tartines,” also known as open-faced sandwiches. Endless topping variations allow you to create a meal for any time of the day.

Tartines are a staple in France, but you can find these open-faced sandwiches all over the world, representing the tastes of that region. Here in the U.S., we’re seeing openfaced sandwiches becoming a fast favorite in contemporary restaurants and cafés.

Topping ideas include roasted parsnips, sliced fresh pear atop an aged blue cheese and my favorite: mashed avocado seasoned with cumin, gray sea salt and lemon zest, topped with an over-easy egg.

Here’s an interesting fact about the origins of tartines: Thin slabs of coarse bread were used as plates during the Middle Ages; then the food-soaked bread was consumed at the end of the meal. This practical way to make stale bread palatable has turned into a sophisticated and enjoyable meal idea, delicately presented on a single slice of toast.

Enjoy a sweet variation that will put a smile on anyone's face: Pair your tartine with your favorite bubbly beverage and chocolate-covered almonds!

Berries and Mascarpone Tartine Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter, softened 4 slices of brioche or other fresh bread 1/4 cup sugar handful of mint, chopped 8 tablespoons mascarpone cheese 1/2 cup blueberries 1/2 cup raspberries 1/2 cup blackberries 1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and halved 1/2 cup champagne grapes (seasonal) edible flowers or mint leaves for garnish juice of 1 lime

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the brioche and bake in oven for 2-4 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

In a small bowl, mix together sugar and chopped mint.

Toss the berries and lime juice in a bowl and add enough of the mint and sugar mixture to sweeten to taste.

Spoon the mascarpone over the toasted brioche and top with the berries. Sprinkle with the remaining mint sugar and garnish with edible flowers and mint leaves.

Kosher treats for the Super Bowl Super Bowl LI (51) is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 5, at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Abeles & Heymann and Koshermoms.com have gotten together to bring you some original winning recipes for Super Bowl Sunday and all year long. You can substitute regular Abeles & Heymann hot dogs with uncured, no nitrates/nitrites added, or their low fat and low sodium varieties.

Beer Battered Mini Franks with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce 1 package of Abeles and Heymann’s mini franks 1 gallon canola oil for frying 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for coating ½ cup corn starch 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 teaspoon sugar 2 teaspoon baking powder 12 ounces your favorite beer Mix the flour, cornstarch, salt, sugar, baking powder and beer in a bowl, whisk together till a smooth batter forms, making sure to get all the lumps out. Refrigerate batter for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in the deep fryer to 350 degrees (alternatively if you do not have a deep fryer, you may use a heavy bottom, deep pot on the stove).

Lightly coat the mini franks in flour. Using a large skewer, dip the flour coated franks into the beer batter, then drop into the fryer.

Using the skewer, flip the franks around in the oil so they do not stick to the bottom of the fryer. Only fry a few franks at a time, turn the franks in the oil occasionally to ensure they are cooked evenly. Repeat the process until the entire package is fried. Lay beer battered franks on paper towels to drain.

Serve with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce (below).

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce 1 part honey 1 part dark brown sugar 2 parts your favorite spicy brown mustard Mix together till combined

Simple, Quick, Delicious Candied Corn Beef Salad

Slice A&H Corn Beef into strips Coat the strips in honey Heat in a hot pan until caramelized (this will happen fast, so be ready to flip) Scrape up the bits and immediately serve over crisp romaine lettuce Serve with your favorite dressing

Chipotle Frankfurter Wrapped in Guacamole

This frank has a delicious flavor with a spicy finish; the creamy guacamole cools it off. I wrapped them in a whole wheat wrap to round off the meal and make it super exciting for the kids!

1 Package of Abeles & Heymann Chipotle Franks cooked in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Guacamole 2 ripe Haas avocados Juice of half a lemon Sprinkling of garlic powder Salt and pepper to taste Mash the avocados and combine with the lemon juice and spices.

Warm up the wraps in a hot pan. Spread the guacamole on each wrap, place the frank in the wrap and roll it up.

KosherMoms (koshermoms.com) is a new blog site dedicated to incredible family friendly food and lifestyle ideas. Abeles & Heymann (abelesheymann.com) products are gluten-free and certified glatt kosher by the Orthodox Union, Kehillah Kashrus and Rabbi Yecheil Babad.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 55

FOOD RESTAURANT REVIEW

taste of

Arizona

DUCK TACO

CRUjiente:

Tasty tacos and more

By A. Noshman

People always ask me where to get Mexican food, and now I have a new place to recommend.

Finding one that doesn’t use lard, or mix cheese and meat together in every dish, is hard for lovers of Mexican food. Though CRUjiente serves very traditional food, there is nothing traditional about it, including the way it spells its name.

CRUjiente means “crunchy” in Spanish, and they specialize in street tacos. But why are the first three letters capitalized? I posed this question to a food photographer friend of mine on Facebook, only to have the chef of CRUjiente, Richard Hinosoa, chime in live with the answer So it is with great surprise and confidence I can tell you why. CRU is emphasized in the name because it is a designation in France 56 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

for a vineyard, or a group of vineyards that produce high quality wine. In short, the chef is a wine guy, and the food is served on small plates, like tapas. You drink, you eat, you talk, you eat, and so it goes. Delightful!

The décor is modern, stylish, and a bit loud from people having fun and talking.

The beautiful interior serves as a lovely backdrop for fine food and service. There are craft cocktails and a selection of fine wines available. They have a nice happy hour with reduced prices on both food and drink.

The Arcadia neighborhood gets to claim another fabulous restaurant in its midst.

CRUjiente is located in that little strip mall on the southwest corner of 40th Street and Camelback Road, home of one of my favorite Italian restaurants ages ago: Chianti. Over the course of a couple of visits, here are some highlights.

THIS MONTH’S RESTAURANT

CRUjiente Tacos 3961 E. Camelback Road Phoenix crutacos.com

Contact A. Noshman at a.noshman@azjewishlife.com

Premier CRU Margarita $5 (happy hour price)

(Exotico Blanco tequila, house agave syrup, lime, expressed orange peel) Although I love a good glass of wine, I am more of a cocktail guy. In an era gone by, my grandparents observed the cocktail hour religiously. I guess it is genetic. Our server convinced me to order a margarita PREMIER CRU from the whole list of MARGARITA signature cocktails, and I obliged. I loved in on the first sip and here is why. They do not use margarita mix. Whoever invented margarita mix should be banished from the kingdom. Instead, they make it my favorite way – with fresh lime juice and agave syrup, which makes a margarita taste like it was plucked off a tree. Great price, too.

Chips and Guacamole $ 7 (happy hour price)

(fresh tortilla chips, house guacamole) If a Mexican restaurant is going to be good, you are going to find that out in this dish – because the proof is in the guacamole. The chips appear made to order and are served in a paper bag to absorb the oil. They are crunchy (crujiente), with a dash of salt, warm and fresh. The guacamole is also freshly made and a bit spicy.

It’s the good kind of spice - the kind that keeps you shoveling it in. The squeamish will find it too hot. Highly recommended.

36-Hour Beef Short Rib Taco $4 (happy hour price)

(house hot sauce, onions, cilantro) This is a soft taco, a warm, nicely-made tortilla that serves as the vehicle to your mouth. It is usually served with a Mexican Cotija cheese, which I asked to be held. This delicious treat melts in your mouth. The meat was tender and savory and again there was a bit of heat to this taco. All of the ingredients blended nicely and it was devoured in short order.

Korean Fried Chicken Taco $3 (happy hour price)

(gochujang, mojo de cebollin, compressed cabbage) This is an award-winning dish of CRUjientes. When you add the fact it was happy hour priced, that was enough motivation for me to try it. It’s a soft taco containing a nice portion of fried chicken made with a combination of Korean spices (gochuang)

and onion sauce (mojo de cebollin) with a dollop of compressed cabbage. I have no idea what compressed cabbage is, but give me some more, please! This tasty taco is certainly award winning and one of my favorites. Again, there’s heat in this one but the good kind. Highly recommended.

Duck $5

(mole, sesame, peanut, verde salsa) I love duck, and when I saw it in a soft taco, I had to have it. The duck is served rare (yum) and artistically laid upon a delicate mole sauce, and garnished with sesame and peanuts (and jalapeño, though not mentioned in the description).

Again, the heat has snuck into this taco as well. The duck was tender and tasty – and gone in three bites.

Lamb $6

(pickled red onion, radish, cabbage, “birria” sauce) This crunchy taco was one of my favorites. It is served with Cojito cheese which I asked to be held, and to tell you the truth, there is so much flavor going on in this taco that I don’t think it really mattered. Birria is a spicy lamb stew so I am guessing that the menu description in quotes, “birria,” is some sort of use of the sauce generated from cooking the lamb. Like most of their tacos, there is heat to this dish I’ll bet you’ve never tasted a taco as good as this one. Highly recommended.

Fresh Fish $5

(citrus slaw, ancho tartar) I didn’t catch the name of the whitefish they used, but it was fresh and fried to a golden brown. The citrus slaw gave it a zesty tang and the ancho tartar brought a little heat to the table. Served as a soft taco because the fish adds crunch, this taco really pleases the palate.

Tempura Avocado $4

(black bean muñeta, Cotija, queso fresco, red onion, jalapeño) I wanted to try a vegetarian TEMPURA offering and found this tempting AVOCADO soft taco. I can’t remember ever having fried avocado before and this was very good. Muñeta is a Cuban preparation, if I’m not mistaken, that uses cumin, oregano, bay leaves and sesame to flavor these slow-cooked beans. The cheeses added flavor and texture. This taco was not spicy at all, so order these for your friends who are avoiding the heat. CRUjiente is a little gem on a hard-to-park corner. It fills with people as the night goes on. It’s a place to meet, talk and dine on crunchy delicacies. It’s like a tapas bar – only cooler. It’s run by an executive chef whose main experience is luxury hotel dining, and he has combined that elegance into street food.

If you are looking for street tacos with a gourmet flair, you’ve found it here. Crunch on, mis amigos!

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 57

A kitchen by Shelia Landau Designs. Photo courtesy Charles Abrams Photography.

Home & Lifestyle

Sheila Landau:

Colorful life, colorful designs

By Melissa Hirschl

Scottsdale interior designer Sheila Landau has led a life as varied and colorful as the homes she decorates. A Michigan native, she has worked with a wide spectrum of clients, including some of society’s upper crust. She is totally candid when describing her career. “Designing is in my soul, and my passion has been there ever since I can remember. I remember designing homes with blocks as a child and instructing my mother where to place the piano when I was 3,” she laughs. Saturated with art, theater and music since childhood, it is no wonder she gravitated to interior design. Her mother painted, sculpted and played classical music by ear, enabling Sheila to appreciate the arts early on. “I have learned through the years, that art in all forms opens your eyes and heart,” says Sheila. “I believe design and art and architecture work together like Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel.”

Delighting in “risky and unexpected design twists,” Sheila is proud of the multi-faceted set of skills she has honed over the years. “I can build a house from the ground up,” she says.

“In addition to doing the plans and the work a general contractor can do, I see myself as the conductor of the orchestra, guiding my clients to make the right decision.” Thanks to her keen imagination and use of sleek, upscale elements, Sheila has clients all over the Phoenix area.

She provides guidance on architectural enhancement, furniture choices and placement, as well as complete remodeling jobs. She also enhances houses to facilitate a sale. “One client in McCormick Ranch made $100,000 more than her neighbors after I redid her home for resale,” she says.

Sheila’s illustrious career has been peppered with high-profile clients such as Lillian and Giocondo Jacuzzi, inventors of the Jacuzzi whirlpool tub; Lou and Priscilla Cohen, owners of Sheplers (Western wear stores); and Ginnie Dayton of the Dayton-Hudson department store chain. “I did three houses for the Daytons,” says Sheila. “When they were looking to move, they would not buy a house unless I gave the stamp of approval. They knew I would know what was right for them.”

As a child, Sheila had the cachet of growing up in an old Detroit family that has been around since the late 1800s. In a town where “everybody knew my name,” relatives like her great uncle, Samuel Levey forged a legacy by creating the Detroit Opera House and the Knollwood Country Club.

58 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

in living rooms of After graduation, condominiums. she landed a plum The building Sheila position in the owned for her business, design department of “Sheila Landau Designs” Gorman’s, a highwas as steeped in history end furniture store as her lineage. “It was in the Detroit area. in a historic town This fortuitous foray called Franklin Village, into the world of Michigan, also known design enabled her as the 'town that time to soak up valuable forgot,'” explains Sheila. information on “I had a historic house furniture styles that was over 200 years and fabrics, paving old,” she says. “It was a the way for her hotel that travelers on ASID (American horseback used. I was Society of Interior very busy and business Designers) associate was flourishing.” membership. “My To keep her edge, she first interior design sought out novel ways job was doing buildings without to make a dramatic statement. One of those walls that were sold Sheila Landau techniques was installing to professionals: a Lucite railing in a doctors, lawyers stairway. Another imaginative idea she pulled out of her bag of and dentists. I did all the electrical and space planning and tricks was creating wood palm trees that came out of the wall even planned out where phones and heat ducts would go,” she for a client. “They were part of the décor and made the walls recalls. Sheila's lucrative career also included some commercial come alive,” she says. Even though her business was flourishing, jobs, such as creating circle soffits (dropped spaces on ceilings)

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cleverly used medallions, (three-dimensional circles within a the inevitable cycle of a changing economy came into play; circle), which were plastered and painted. The design duo also causing a major shift in her career. The builders were going to added moldings and dropped soffits, and put in lots of lights.

Dallas, Las Vegas and Arizona, and Sheila and her contractor According to Sheila, the biggest design trend currently is husband knew it was time to “follow the money” on the advice of friends. Arizona beckoned, and they have been in the “Valley quartz instead of granite and lighter colors. Shiny chrome is now more popular than brushed or of the Sun” ever since. bronze. “Things are cleaner The fact Sheila didn't know a soul in Sheila’s illustrious career rubbed looking now and more contemporary,” she Arizona didn’t daunt her ambition or says. “Especially if you have that Spanish her dreams. The state was in a recession, has been peppered with villa look; that is pretty much gone. I as was Detroit, but she managed to find a lot of my clients are using their parlay her love of color and design into high-profile clients such older things with newer things to create a a successful business venture – a stylish as Lillian and Giocondo unique look.” clothing boutique called “She” near the Client Donna Horwitz has been Biltmore. The store gained immediate Jacuzzi, inventors of the working with Sheila for 13 years. attention, with Ginnie Dayton being one “Sheila turned my house into a warm, of her first clients. Jeannie Collins, who Jacuzzi whirlpool tub; later created the trendy “Kiss Me Kate” friendly home,” she says. “In one day, Lou and Priscilla Cohen, we rearranged the whole house. Later boutique in Phoenix, was her clothing buyer and the store stayed open almost on, we recovered chairs, put cushions owners of Sheplers on the sofas, put up crown molding and 20 years. Sheila also opened a store in added new flooring. Plus, she picked out Scottsdale Fashion Square. “Eventually (Western wear stores); the building industry boomed again, and the ideal paintings to hang, that my late husband created. We wound up doing the everyone was decorating and renovating and Ginnie Dayton of whole kitchen plus carpeting and new again. I really wanted to get back into the the Dayton-Hudson flooring. I ended up with a new house!” design game,” she says.

To see what wonders are in store for In addition to working on homes in department store chain. your home, contact Sheila at 602-809Arizona, Sheila worked on the Coronado 5100, or visit sheilalandaudesigns.com.

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Keeping with the

Eb

Flow of design

The remodeled clubhouse with tables containing built-in USB ports and power.

“The client took over the property, so they wanted a fresh start.

They wanted to open it up, freshen it up and do some spatial changes.”

Designing duo Elana Lathan and Breyan Sussman have been working together for seven years as Eb Flow Design Group. Their extensive backgrounds – Elana’s in healthcare and commercial design and Breyan’s in residential design – have allowed this pair of talented designers to combine their talents to take on more commercial projects. Their latest is – Elana Lathan a remodel/redesign of an apartment complex clubhouse, fitness center and leasing office at a residential community in the Kierland area of Scottsdale.

“The client took over the property and wanted a fresh start,” says Elana. “They wanted to open it up, freshen it up and do some spatial changes.”

The beginning of their collaborative design process starts off with interviewing the client and determining their needs.

62 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

The redesigned fitness center contains all new exercise equipment.

“We call that ‘programming,’” says Elana.

For their current project, that means joining the leasing office and fitness center for easier access by residents. They also saw the need for a “closing room” where prospective tenants could sign documents and leasing managers could work on a day-to-day basis.

Working on an apartment complex or business versus a private home does present some different challenges. “The leasing staff took over the clubhouse side while we remodeled the fitness center and leasing office,” says Elana, resulting in the project being broken up into two phases.

Eb Flow Design Group selected all of the finishes, furniture, fabric, artwork and accessories. “We used commercial fabrics and commercial furniture that have a residential feel, [but] have

Designers Elana Lathan (left) and Breyan Sussman

higher fire-rating codes,” says Elana, adding that they also tried a new look for walls by incorporating resin and painted panels. All new equipment was added to the fitness center.

For the clubhouse remodel, Elana and Breyan added new artwork, new accessories and decorative painted panels. In the kitchen, the bar area was brought down to counter height. The addition of a business center with two sets of tables with builtin, pop-up USB ports and power access provides residents with the convenience of working on laptops.

Though not intentional, Elana says the colors in the remodeled area were not far off from those in the apartment models: “This gave it a fresher look. The previous owners had used residential furniture; it looked heavy and wasn’t functional.”

The inspiration for commercial design often comes from different places than residential design. “In residential design, [a private client] can say ‘I really love this’ – whatever it might be; it could be a sofa or the whole room,” says Elana. “[The one thing] we were told for this project was that the client didn’t like the color red.”

The annual Hospitality Design Exposition & Conference (HD Expo) in Las Vegas is always a source of design inspiration. The popular trade show features the newest finishes, lighting, fabrics and wall coverings. “For a project in Temecula, California, I created the palette as I went through the show,” says Elena, adding that the HD Expo has products specifically designed for the hospitality industry (hotels and restaurants). “[Products for] hospitality cross over for use in residential and commercial projects, but residential [products] don’t cross over to commercial use.”

Making sure that all commercial fire and safety codes have been satisfied while creating a warm, inviting feel for a residential property is a balancing act. The women of Eb Flow Design have achieved just that.

Reach Elana and Breyan at 480-502-8202 or visit ebflowdesigngroup.com.

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"Kosher" conversations on fish, life in Côte d'Azur, France

By Murray Rosenbaum

Around three o'clock, just after the traditional two-hour lunch break, they would begin gathering in front of the Harbor Master's little office at the port, by the small fishing skiffs bobbing in the crystal-clear water of the France's Côte d'Azur.

One by one, this group of seven or eight pensioners – fishermen or shipbuilders since their youth, life-long residents of Villefranche-sur-Mer – would walk over to their stack of plastic chairs and set themselves up for the next couple of hours.

Perfectly placed to watch all the comings and goings at the harbor, they took it all in, exchanged comments about boats, fish, people, the human condition and about events, both pres64 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

ent and past. And they told stories; not just stories, but truly an oral history of their town and their region.

I sauntered by the first day I was in town and asked if I could sit for a while; I took a place when one or two nodded an OK. I kept silent and just listened to the flavor of their conversation.

I wasn't unwelcome, but I wasn't welcomed either as they went on about their conversation. When I returned the following day, there were one or two nods of greeting.

KOSHER CONVERSATIONS By the third day, I was in conversation with one of the guys as he was mending his fishing nets. We talked about the local fish that appeared nightly on restaurant menus. The focus was

on which fish were kosher, having both scales and fins, and which lacked one or the other. He was interested as I explained this law of kashrut and was eager to describe each of the local fish to me.

By the fourth day, I was welcomed. The previous evening I had passed one of the group in a different part of the village.

He raised his arm, smiled and greeted me with "Salut!"

During the following five days, I learned a lot about the village, located seven miles east of Nice, and the Nicoise region.

The region is distinctive, with its own customs, dialect and culture that are different from the heart of France. A generation ago, Nicoise was still being spoken among its residents.

Situated close to the Italian border, there is historical Italian influence. This region became part of France only in 1860, ceded by the Royal House of Savoy, Kingdom of Piedmont, Sardinia and Sicily to France via a plebiscite in exchange for having Piedmont and Liguria remain as part of the newly declared kingdom of a united Italy.

THE HARBOR

"THE GUYS"

MEMORIES OF WORLD WAR II I brought up World War II and the fate of Villefranche's and the region's Jews. The discussion lasted two days. The emotions stirred from painful memories of living under German occupation as young children were evident. The talk turned to the local Resistance and of memories of going to school with Jewish classmates, several of whom one day disappeared. These old guys still remembered. I asked them to recount their memories to me of this time in Vichy France.

"My father was a bus driver. He was in the Resistance. He would hide guns and ammunition in his bus and would transport them to his compatriots waiting in the next town to receive them. They would make their way, through several relays like this, to the fighters who were waiting for them up in the mountains above Nice and the towns along the Côte d'Azur."

"My parents spoke in hushed tones – warning us children never to repeat a word – about the village priest, who received several Jewish children from villagers and protected them throughout the war. It was a secret shared and protected by the entire village."

"I remember the Germans coming in in September, 1943, taking over the Italian occupation zones from their Italian allies after the Italians signed an armistice with the Allied armed forces. Then things, already bad, became much worse. The Gestapo command took over the hotel in the center of the village and made it their headquarters. The Gestapo officers took over luxe villas overlooking the village and harbor as their personal residences. As the bay of Villefranche was the deepest along the entire coast, their ships set anchor in the bay, and their comings and goings at the harbor were continuous."

"I remember when the village and the coast were liberated by the Allies and seeing the reprisals against those who had collaborated with the Nazis. Several men were shot by Resistance fighters, and those women who had slept with Nazis and accepted their favors had their heads shorn as a badge of shame."

"We lost many of our Jewish residents. When the Gestapo arrived, they were rounded up and shipped north near Paris to Drancy Internment Camp, the holding center for transit to Auschwitz for extermination.

“Many of our Resistance fighters were, when captured, shot on ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 65

Indeed, in walking through the narrow walkways of the village, one sees plaques on a house or in a square commemorating the site of a fallen local hero who bravely resisted against the Nazi machine.

THE VILLAGE TODAY Those narrow, cobbled walkways remain today. The old center of the village is car-free and charming. The ancient houses display freshly washed clothing hanging on lines, gently blowing in the breeze, on narrow balconies that are centuries old. The sound of hammers hitting nails is everywhere, as renovation of these beautiful historic buildings is ongoing.

Neighbors are seen chatting with each other and with shopkeepers in this village.

66 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

If one follows the scent of freshly baked baguettes, it leads directly to a morning line at the boulangerie. It is difficult not to succumb. Beautiful croissants and fruit tarts also beckon from behind the glass case.

Everything is easily reached by walking. The picturesque, finely pebbled swimming beach is populated with local families, children and visitors – both domestic and foreign.

Postcard views are seen from every corner of this scenic village. Restaurants are plentiful and offer a variety of choices, together with pleasing local wines.

Villefranche is also an ideal base from which to do daily excursions, either by train from the local station or by local bus, or with rental car. By train, it is seven minutes to Nice. A half-hour further is Cannes. Both offer scenic seaside promenades and a wide range of activities. In the opposite direction, toward the Italian border, is an easy day's excursion to the Principality of Monaco. A fourth choice is Eze Village, a picturesque, ancient, mountain village with narrow and steep cobbled lanes, seemingly perched precariously among the clouds. For a taste of Italy, the pleasant town of San Remo beckons, just a few miles across the border, and offers an easy day's excursion.

Nine days of combining the daily local rhythm of life in the village with day excursions from this convenient base to the surrounding area passed both enjoyably and much too quickly. On my last afternoon I walked down by the harbor to say goodbye to the guys, whose companionship I had enjoyed immensely. There was Frankie, mending his fishing nets, and Roger, Franco and the others. We shook hands all around, photos were promised, contacts exchanged. As I turned to leave Frankie, that wizened old fisherman who had spent his youth sailing the seven seas on merchant freighters rose up, approached me, gave me a hug and, as the French do with friends, gave me a kiss on both cheeks and looked me in the eye.

"Come back soon,” he said. “We're waiting for you."

Murray Rosenbaum is a veteran tourism-industry professional and a contracts attorney. He and his wife, Karen, have a 22-year-old daughter, Alex, who made aliyah in November 2016 with Nefesh b'Nefesh. His travel articles have appeared in the Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Milwaukee Journal. He can be reached at mrosenbaum1@cox.net.

Daydreamers suffer more from sleep deprivation

By Viva Sarah Press

Would-be pilots, ER doctors and combat soldiers possessing a personality trait called “dissociative absorption” are likely to suffer from sleep deprivation and will have a harder time returning to full alertness as opposed to those without it.

A new study from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev also shows that even after an eight-hour night of sleep, people who tend to daydream, get absorbed in reading a book or watching a movie to the exclusion of their surroundings are those who will feel more tired as a result of sleep deprivation.

“Dissociative absorption is the tendency to involuntarily narrow one’s attention to the point where one is oblivious to the surroundings. It involves a temporary lack of reflective consciousness, which means that the individual may act automatically while imagining vividly, bringing about confusion between reality and fantasy,” the researchers write in their article, recently published in Consciousness and Cognition.

There are many studies about the deleterious effects of sleep deprivation (partial or full), including its effect on mood, cognitive function and motor function. At the same time, there have been very few studies that identified who would be especially affected by sleep deprivation.

The researchers say this study is the first to identify the role of dissociative absorption.

Dr. Nirit Soffer-Dudek of BGU’s Department of Psychology and Major Shirley Gordon, head of the Aeromedical psychology section in the Israel Air Force, who is also a doctoral student in the Department, identified the key role of dissociative absorption.

“People who tend to daydream have difficulty regulating the transition between different states of consciousness and transitioning between different awake and sleep states,” says Soffer-Dudek, “therefore any disruptions to their sleep-wake cycle generates an especially strong shakeup of their system, and the person has a harder time fighting off sleepiness.”

The question of who is more affected by sleepiness is relevant to the general population, but it is especially crucial when it comes to people who must function in extreme situations with very little sleep such as pilots, combat soldiers, professional drivers and doctors.

Soffer-Dudek, Gordon and their coauthors conducted their experiments on IAF pilots and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) officers. As part of their training, pilots and RPA officers participated in a four-day seminar exposing them to the subjective and objective effects of fatigue.

The study is the initial publication on this topic, but the researchers hope that this personality trait may be instrumental in sorting people for key roles in the future.

This article provided by israel21c.org.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 67

ACTIVE ADULTS

Unsure what to do with your stuff?

By Mary Ann Bashaw

Read this book!

Life is a series of collections. We collect experiences, memories, relationships – and stuff. Lots of stuff. As our shelves, drawers and closets fill with the tchotchkes and trinkets we so covet, we rarely stop to think about what they really mean and where they’ll end up when we’re gone.

But our personal possessions represent only one component of our lifetimes. What about the more important, practical aspects of modern life: finances, assets, legalities, medical issues? All of these parts and pieces can combine to produce a potentially problematic – even destructive – scenario if we neglect to face inherently difficult decisions head on and simply leave them to others, assuming they can read our minds and will do “what’s best.”

Author Lois Tager, M.Ed., has seen it all when it comes to such situations.

A Northern California transplant and Scottsdale resident since October 2016, Lois is a C.S.A., or certified senior advisor, who specializes in aging issues and improving the lives of older adults. Her journey into this field began when her sister Judy was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease at 56, which drew her into working with others with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. A chance newsletter from California elder care attorney Roy W. Litherland was the catalyst for a successful professional association in which they worked hand in hand to help seniors in areas ranging from legal issues and estate planning to long-term care and the challenges of daily life.

“I visited homes and with doctors. I worked in every aspect of elder care, including helping people find the right facility for their spouses with Alzheimer’s,” says Lois. She met more and more seniors who didn’t know where to turn in dealing with aging issues, whose families were ill equipped or even unwilling to help make decisions in their best interests. “Clients came out of the woodwork,” she says.

Too often, Lois encountered situations where nothing was in writing. No one was willing to make the “hard decisions” regarding downsizing, inheritances or end-of-life issues. Too often, Lois says she heard family members say, “‘So and so wouldn’t want that’ – but who really knows what they want 68 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

unless it’s spelled out?” Too often, the mentality is “let the kids decide.”

DECISIONS, DECISIONS Why are such decisions so hard to make? “It takes effort to do it,” says Lois. “As seniors get older, it’s just too hard. Most people do what’s easy first. And they don’t want to face the inevitable.” She cites the number one fear: a fear of death.

“I was very blunt with my clients, telling them, ‘None of us is going to live forever. That’s not reality,’” says Lois. “Making these decisions will not only be a comfort to you, but your family will be forever grateful, believe me!”

So she wrote a book called What to Do with Your Stuff: A Guide to Decisions about Personal Possessions and Life Choices. Her goal with the book is to “help seniors and their families make decisions for today, tomorrow and beyond.”

The book (“It’s short for a reason,” says Lois. “I want seniors to read it.”) addresses why such decisions are important; how to make decisions regarding finances, change and health; downsizing; and managing conflict. (Litherland wrote the chapter on legal tips.) At the back of the book are helpful organizational sections that include a numbered checklist of important eldercare considerations and pages for listing what specific item goes to what individual and why. Lois offers engaging “back stories” of real-life encounters – several of them noteworthy cautionary tales – she has witnessed among clients and their family members.

YOUR WISHES, YOUR CHOICE We collect “stuff ” in life – whether valuable jewelry or inexpensive travel trinkets – because they have meaning. Lois recommends not only designating desired recipients but also sharing stories about what made those things special in the first place. Making decisions and writing them down – not to mention inviting family members’ input in those decisions – can help prevent the conflicts and lasting ill will that Lois has seen tear families apart. (Lois recounts the story of a simple candy dish that started as a divisive and testy confrontation

between siblings but ended in compromise.) By making lists of who is to receive what, “You’re telling your family that these are your wishes – and your choice,” says Lois.

Lois keeps her own separate book with such notations, including stories behind certain special, meaningful items.

During the interview, I comment on the beautiful garnet ring I notice on her finger “Oh, that’s the ‘I love you’ ring!” she exclaims before joyfully sharing a back story: Some years ago, she and her “romantic and generous” husband Steven were cutting through the jewelry department at Macy’s during the holidays. December also happened to be the month of their anniversary. Steven stopped short when he saw the ring in the display case and said, “Honey, that’s yours! Happy anniversary!”

– and then promptly bought it for her. “Whoever gets that ring will get the story behind it,” adds Lois.

THE UPSIDE OF DOWNSIZING Moving offers the chance to downsize, which Lois says can be “truly revitalizing to your lifestyle and your health.” Her own recent move offered such an opportunity, though she admits that it can be difficult to choose what to shed and that most of us don’t get rid of enough. Still, she admits that she has “become unencumbered. I can spend time doing other things and live very nicely without all this stuff.”

Lois acknowledges that the effort it takes just thinking about going through all of our stuff is “daunting and exhausting.” She suggests simply spending an hour tackling a drawer, closet or section of a room. Return to the same project later – and when you find a special item, write it down! She also suggests giving special things away now and sharing stories about them so that you can witness firsthand the recipient’s joy.

Lois stresses that her book isn’t just for seniors; younger people can benefit from reading it, too, and start to become aware of these inevitable issues. And her advice to family members willing but reluctant to start the conversation? “I have found that a gradual approach to become direct works,” she says with a laugh. “Start at a comfortable level” and let them know you are here for them and want to make an admittedly difficult process as easy as possible.

“A lightness comes from leaving some things behind. It feels like a cleansing,” says Lois. “Better I do it than leave it for my children to do. That’s my gift to them.”

Mary Ann Bashaw, of Phoenix, is an editor and writer.

A little help.

A big difference.

The assisted living services at The Village at Ocotillo Senior Living Community are about the whole family and the whole YOU. Of course, we can help you with your daily needs. But did you know you will also have options for fitness, socializing, healthy fine dining, and more? And services are tailored to you, so you’ll get just the right amount of help you need, when you request it.

But the best part? No matter if you need a little help or a lot, the difference you’ll feel will be amazing.

Please call The Village at Ocotillo to schedule your complimentary lunch and tour.

Lois Tager’s book What to Do with Your Stuff is available on amazon.com. Visit whattodowithyourstuff.com for more information. Lois is also available to speak at

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

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

her at lgtager303@gmail.com.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 69

ACTIVE ADULTS

The relevance of radio: Stu Turgel at the mic

By Mary Ann Bashaw

By his own admission, Stu Turgel likes to talk – a lot. So what better place than his seat behind a mic in the downtown studios of Radio Phoenix, an internet-based music and talk radio station, inside Phoenix Center for the Arts?

Stu’s weekly newsmagazine, “The Phoenix File,” allows him to do just that as he engages guests in compelling conversations about the people and programs making a positive difference around the Valley. Most of his guests represent nonprofit organizations; his listeners are people “who are curious about what’s going well in our community versus who focus on what’s wrong in society,” says Stu. Topics run the gamut from sensible election reform and responsible downtown development to recent shows featuring 70 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

the Arizona Talking Book Library for those with visual or other physical challenges and a nonprofit called “Families Giving Back” that pairs families and their young children with local volunteering opportunities. The Phoenix File airs for 30 minutes every Tuesday evening at 6:30. And if you miss it live, his show is conveniently available for a listen at your leisure at thephoenixfile.net/podcasts.

When asked about the particular demographics of his listeners, Stu cites the difference between stations like Radio Phoenix and commercial stations, which have deeper pockets to track ratings through surveys and market research: “What we do know [at Radio Phoenix] is that we tend to provide content that isn’t available anywhere else. We reach audiences and markets that are typically not well-served by [commercial] broadcast media.

“My audience tends to be more educated, more enlightened, with a decided liberal bent – people who are generally socially responsible,” says Stu.

ACCESSIBILITY OF RADIO With myriad ways today to engage and listen electronically – cell phones, computers, the internet, podcasts – Stu points out that radio is more relevant than ever.

“People want what they want, when they want it,” says Stu. “We have the ability to find very specific information from many different sources. We can all listen on our devices to any radio station we want” through streaming, the web and podcasts on demand. “I want to hear different perspectives, from different sources. Radio is so accessible.”

Stu discovered a love of radio at an early age. “Since I was a child, I’ve been hooked on talk radio,” he says. “I go to bed every night with headphones on.”

“Since I was a child, I’ve been hooked on talk radio. I go to bed every night with headphones on.”

-Stu Turgel TuneIn, a free online radio service with access to thousands of stations around the country and around the world, allows Stu to listen to WBEZ Boston to keep up with what’s going on in his hometown.

Stu’s varied and esteemed career began as a college disc jockey and newscaster for WCMO-FM at Marietta College in Ohio. He joined the Army during the Vietnam War and graduated from the military broadcast journalism program at the Department of Defense Information School in Indianapolis. He was news director for the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service on Johnston Island in the Pacific, broadcasting on both radio and TV. Following his military service, entry-level healthcare PR jobs for national organizations under Jewish sponsorship set the course for his career. After decades of working in philanthropy, marketing communications, nonprofit management and communal service, Stu came to the Valley in 2006 to join the Jewish Community Foundation ( JCF) of Greater Phoenix, where he worked tirelessly to strengthen local Jewish nonprofits. He retired from JCF as president in 2013 and joined Radio Phoenix in May 2016.

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LIFELONG LOVE OF COMMUNICATION Stu likes to have about three months’ worth of shows booked in advance. “I’ll never run out of subject matter, because virtually every nonprofit organization has a story to tell,” he says. He also stresses that he is a volunteer at Radio Phoenix, along with 50 other volunteers who keep it going 24/7/365.

“I’m a one-man band: host and producer,” says Stu, who does the preproduction, editing, promotion and operation of the studio equipment for his show himself. He tells invited guests to “take a deep breath and relax. We ain’t ‘60 Minutes!’” He doesn’t blindside them with awkward questions and stresses that the show is not intended to be “cutting edge or controversial. I shine a light on people and programs that aren’t on the radar screen,” says Stu, adding that it’s totally unintentional that half of his guests have been members of the Jewish community with “causes that really deserve attention.”

Stu has enjoyed a lifelong love of

communication. “There’s more to it than just listening – there’s talking,” he says. “My professional career has been about talking and communicating. Always talking. Sometimes it got me into trouble, but I always felt I had something to say and could say it reasonably well.”

“My mother always used to say that when they vaccinated me, it was with a phonograph needle,” says Stu with a laugh.

When Stu isn’t in the studio, he’s out bicycling or walking his beloved rescue pup, Emmie (his first dog). He and his life-partner Judy enjoy the theater and the symphony. They share a love of wine and Stu admits that they could “do sushi every night of the week.” His synagogue affiliation is Congregation Or Tzion in Scottsdale.

As a child, Stu enjoyed classic radio dramas like “The Shadow” from the 1930s. “You can still listen to those shows on the internet!” exclaims Stu. “Is radio still relevant? It sure is!”

Learn more at phoenixradio.org. Listen to Stu every Tuesday night at 6:30 pm or catch the show on your own time at thephoenixfile.net/podcasts.

Mary Ann Bashaw, of Phoenix, is an editor and writer.

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72 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

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FAMILY TIME

How many gaffes can a reformed conservative gal make at an orthodox rabbi’s Shabbat table?

By Debra Rich Gettleman

My title sounds like the opening of a bad joke. Unfortunately, it isn’t.

It’s merely the start of my embarrassing behavior at the table of our new friends, a lovely Hasidic family who invited us to share Shabbat with them on a Friday night last month. My family and I arrived with the best bottle of kosher Cabernet I could find in this secular Pacific Northwest mecca. (I only went to five wine shops before giving up and hitting Total Wine, which had a whopping selection of three Kosher varietals, two of which were Concord grape versions of that sophisticated, sweet stuff we all grew up on.)

As we gathered around the table, the rabbi suggested the boys don their kippot, which of course their mother had forgotten to bring. Awkward. They were given kippot by the rabbi’s young twin sons and glared at me with humiliation as they placed them on their heads. Gaffe #1.

We couldn’t keep up with the breakneck-paced Hebrew as we sang the blessings and ushered in the Shabbat bride, but I doubt anyone at the table even noticed. We feasted on a delicious meal that mixed traditional Jewish fare with modern-gourmet, gluten-free Seattle cuisine. I was gently reprimanded several times as I attempted to clear plates and assist in the kitchen. As a good Jewish girl, this made me uncomfortable. I finally managed to collect some soup bowls and cart them into the kitchen without causing a scene.

I liked being in the kitchen with the women. It was almost as if I fit in somewhere – until the arrival of a beautiful dark-haired, exotic woman who was ushered into the kitchen and introduced as the rebbetzin’s health and diet coach. She came to “drink in” the spiritual nutrients of Shabbat, even though she wouldn’t actually ingest anything the rebbetzin had prepared. She was lively and spirited and I thought that we might actually become friends – until the conversation took an ugly turn. I’m not sure how we got there, but when the topic of autism came up. I had a bad feeling.

Health-guru gal began to harp on the evils of Western medicine and insisted that pediatricians were purposefully injecting autism-causing vaccines into babies for financial gain. I suggested that we not bring this conversation into the dining room, where my noble, opinionated pediatrician husband was sitting. All the women concurred. But our impassioned wellness coach grew more strident and vocal. I vowed to keep silent, though I have spent years examining this accusation, writing about it and even winning journalism awards.

Once she asserted that the money-grubbing pediatricians at the helm of this conspiracy were willfully harming innocent babies for money from vaccine companies, I could no longer remain mute. “I’m sorry,” I calmly announced. “That is simply not true.”

“It is true,” she countered. “I work with Robert DeNiro. And we go all over the world lecturing about this.”

I practiced restraint. After all, with Robert DeNiro – clearly a paragon of scientific wisdom and an intellectual giant to boot – commanding the opposing forces, I had little hope of convincing anyone that low-paid pediatricians do what they do for virtuous purposes that

74 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

have nothing to do with profit.

I explained that my husband had been in private practice for decades and had lost thousands of non-reimbursable dollars immunizing his patients because it was simply the right thing to do. She continued to berate my husband and me. I excused myself and returned to the table.

The women rejoined the group and listened attentively as the rabbi shared an enlightening story about his 103-yearold grandmother. The exotic health guru chirped that her grandmother had also lived to be 103 years old. What a coincidence!

“Mazel tov,” I promptly replied, trying to mend fences and put the evening back on course. Everyone at the the table looked at me with odd expressions. There was a long moment of silence.

“She died last week,” the woman said. I shrank in my seat, horrified by my error. My family began to snicker. Then I, too, found myself giggling. If arguing in the kitchen was gaffe #2, this was pretty much gaffes #3, 4 and 5 – ones from which I doubted I could recover.

The rabbi adeptly guided the conversation out of the woods and the women slipped back into the kitchen. Only an artsy-looking blonde woman and I remained at the table with the men. During a lull in the conversation, I mentioned how beautiful her hair was and wondered if I might have the name of her stylist in Seattle. Again, a long moment of silence overtook the table. “It’s not mine,” she said. “It’s a wig.”

“Oh, of course it is,” I stammered. After all, I do know the custom of Judaism and shaitels. What was wrong with me?

We sang some niggunim and the rabbi invited us to say the post-meal blessing. I called my children to the table: “Boys, it’s time to bench.” The rabbi smiled and celebrated the fact that I actually knew what the Birkat Hamazon was and had used the English version of the Yiddish term “bentshn.”

Things couldn’t get worse, I thought – until the rabbi shared a poignant story about his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor.

As I looked past him at the portrait of the elderly black-hatted, bearded man hanging on the wall, I felt overwhelmed by the sense that I had seen this man’s image before. My husband Mark saw the wheels turning in my head and as I opened my mouth to ask about this portrait of the rabbi’s familial ancestor, my husband kicked me hard under the table. He shook his head at me with a look begging me to not speak. While this is not my custom, I took the cue and closed my mouth.

When we left, I said to Mark, “That was a portrait of Baal Shem Tov, wasn’t it?” He nodded. “Thank you for stopping me,” I gratefully acknowledged. Then we drove home, my husband and children desperately trying to stifle their laughter – to no avail.

So how many gaffes can a reformed conservative gal make at an orthodox rabbi’s Shabbat table before she never gets invited back? Only time will tell.

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J

Kids & teens too

Jeremy Jackrabbit needs your help!

Authors Rodney and Sasha Glassman

By Mala Blomquist

Jeremy Jackrabbit Hops on Board is the latest book in the Jeremy Jackrabbit series by local authors Sasha and Rodney Glassman. The goal of the series is to increase literacy and environmental awareness in the youngest of readers. Jeremy’s first adventure, Jeremy Jackrabbit Harvests the Rain, focused on sustainability. Since then, he has covered other topics: solar power, recycling and water conservation. His newest is public transportation.

The couple have partnered with local corporations, businesses, agencies, public schools and libraries to produce the books, which are distributed for free to public school children in the Valley and across the state.

“With over 200,000 free books distributed to date, we are thrilled that business and education leaders from across Arizona have helped us to build what has become the biggest literacy collaboration in Arizona,” says Sasha.

With the theme of the new book being public transportation, it makes sense that Valley Metro is the collaborating partner.

“Valley Metro is proud to join the local team of partners 76 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

to share Jeremy’s latest adventure, discovering the benefits of public transportation,” says Corrine Holliday, public information specialist for Valley Metro.

In keeping with the tradition of the previous books, young artists in grades K through 8 are invited to submit illustrations matching a part of the story. Corinne says that each grade level is assigned a different line of the story to illustrate.

Here is an example of lines assigned to fourth-graders: • As they boarded the train, their friend Flora the Crane was dancing, singing, and jumping quite loudly.

• The others quickly joined in, with big smiles and wide grins; they were traveling safely and proudly.

Illustrations can be in any medium: crayon, marker, colored pencil or watercolor; including a colored background is recommended. The artwork should also be done on a page of white paper no larger than 11-by-17-inches, with no lines. The artwork should also be done with a horizontal orientation on the page. The deadline for the contest is Tuesday, Feb. 28.

All previous books in the series can be viewed online at

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When Jeremy Jackrabbit Hops on Board is complete, thousands of school children will not only have a new addition to their personal libraries, but they will also have an original piece of artwork proudly created by many of their peers.

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Entry deadline is 5 pm on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Artwork must be accompanied by an entry & release form and can be dropped off at any location listed on valleymetro.org/jeremy, which includes all contest materials.

Entries may also be mailed to: Valley Metro – Jeremy Jackrabbit Art Contest 101 N. First Ave. #1300 Phoenix, AZ 85003

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J

s d i K o

& teens to

Events ry Februa

Ongoing: CLUB J AT THE VALLEY OF THE SUN JCC

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

J CARE AT THE EAST VALLEY JCC

Parent drop-off or bus transportation from area schools for grades K-7. Includes homework club, cooking, Israeli culture, dance, sports, gymnastics and more. Early pick-ups from Kyrene schools on Wednesday early dismissals. East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N Alma School Road, Chandler. Contact Jeff at 480-897-0588 or hastj@evjcc.org, evjcc.org.

J-CARE AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM AT THE TUCSON JCC

Includes a variety of activities, Homework Hangout program (help from education specialists), arts, sports or teens can hang in the Youth Lounge.

Bus transportation from schools available for K-12. Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson. Contact Scott at 520-2993000 ext. 192 or szorn@tucsonjcc.org, tucsonjcc.org.

Feb. 2

MADISON SCHOOL DISTRICT KINDERGARTEN Roundup at all Madison elementary schools from 6-7 pm. Tour the school, speak with administrators and receive information on enrollment on the 2017-2018 school year. Free. madisonaz.org.

Feb. 3

TOT SHABBAT at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E 5th St., Tucson from 5:45-7:15 pm. 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 & up to 4 children). Additional adults $10 per person. RSVP to Kim, 520-745-5550 ext. 224 or edasst@ caiaz.org.

Feb. 3, 10, 17 & 24

MOMMY & ME ROCK SHABBAT at Temple Kol Ami Early

Childhood Center, 15030 N 64th St., Scottsdale from 9-10:30 am.

Teacher-led class for moms and their children ages infant to 2 years.

Moms connect and share experiences while their children learn and grow.

Classes are just $5 per class (or $35 for a 10-class pass) for Temple Kol Ami members. Non-members pay $10 per class (or $75 for a 10- class pass). For registration or information contact 480-951-5825 or tkaecc@ templekolami.org.

78 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Feb. 5

CAI SUPER BOWL PARTY at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E 5th St., Tucson. Part of the Mishpacha (Family) Programs especially designed for our families with children (but everyone is welcome!). A Jewish journey of making friends, building community, learning about Judaism and family fun. Contact Nichole at 520-745-5550 ext. 228 or cantorialsoloist@caiaz.org.

T(W)EEN SUPER BOWL SUNDAY at The J at the Valley of the

Sun Jewish Community Center, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale.

Time depends on kick-off. Tweens and teens grades 6-8 enjoy Havdalah, mixers and the Super Bowl fun in The J’s Teen Lounge. Even non-football fans will enjoy games, food and time with friends. $50/non-members, $40/members; $5 sibling discount. 480-634-4949 or youth@vosjcc.org.

Feb. 6, 13, 20 & 27

PARENT-TOT CLASS for ages up to 24 months and their parent(s).

Participants sign songs, make art projects, read stories, have a snack and share parenting advice. Free. 9-11 am at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E 5th St., Tucson. 520-745-5550 ext. 229 or lynne@caiaz.org.

Feb. 7

FRIENDLY PINES CAMP Information Night at AZ Air Time, 13802

N Scottsdale Road #145, Scottsdale from 6:30-8 pm. The Director of Friendly Pines Camp in Prescott, Kevin Nissen, will offer a very informative and helpful presentation and discuss all the emotional and physical benefits that children experience when they attend a summer sleepaway camp. All of your questions about sleepaway camp will be answered. Gifts and door prizes will be given. Every child who attends will also get treated to one free hour of jump time at AZ Air Time. 928-4452128 or friendlypines.com.

Feb. 9

THRILLING THURSDAY AT THE J: Tu B’Shevat at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale from 5:30-7 pm. Celebrate Tu B’Shevat as a family with The J’s first backwards dinner. Start with dessert and work towards tasty appetizers.

Music, games and crafts round out the family fun. Kosher laws observed. $40/non-members, $25/members; prices per family up to 5 people, $8/ additional person. 480-634-4949 or youth@vosjcc.org.

Feb. 11

PARENT’S NIGHT OUT at Xtreme Gymnastics, 15821 N 79th St. #3, Scottsdale from 6-10 pm. Leave your kids for a funfilled Saturday evening of gymnastics fun, games and group activities while you go out and have a lively time of your own! For ages 3-12; open to non-members. $24/individual, $58/family. Reservations required.

480-596-3543 or xtreme@xtremegymnastics.com.

PARENT’S NIGHT OUT at the J at East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N Alma School Road, Chandler from 6-11 pm. Leave the babysitting to the JCC! Kids will enjoy games, crafts, movies, and pizza.

For ages infants through grade 7. Non-members welcome. $30-$35/ child, $20-$25/additional children. Contact Jeff at 480-897-0588 or hastj@evjcc.org.

Feb. 17

FAMILY SHABBAT DINNER at Temple Emanu-El, 225 N Country Club Road, Tucson from 5:30-8 pm. Shabbat dinner at 5:30 pm of kosher chicken and sides (vegetarian upon request). Then an energetic, musical Shabbat service for the whole family at 6:30 pm, followed by dessert oneg. All are welcome; please RSVP for the dinner. Diner is $12/adults, under 13 free. 520-327-4501 or mila@templeemanueltucson.org.

ck!

IT ba g n i g n i r b We’re

Feb. 20

FIT-N-FUN DAY CAMP at Xtreme Gymnastics, 15821 N 79th St. #3, Scottsdale from 9 am-3 pm; extended hours available. Gymnastics, trampoline, group challenge activities, obstacle courses, team sports, inflatables and more. For ages 3-12. Half- and full-day options. $49-62 daily rate; $199-$256 weekly rate. Reservations required. 480-596-3543 or xtreme@xtremegymnastics.com.

Feb. 26

GET FIT SUPER SUNDAY at The J at the Valley of the Sun Jewish

Community Center, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale from 10 am- 2 pm. Families learn more about Purim through stories and crafts. Free and open to the community. 480-634-4949 or youth@vosjcc.org.

FAMILY YOGA at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center,

12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale from 12:30-1:30 pm. Ageappropriate yoga poses, animated breathing and soothing techniques awaken the inner-child of all participants in this light-hearted class for adults and children ages 5 and up. Open to adults without children and levels are welcome. Members are free. 480-481-7015 or healthandfitness@vosjcc.org.

SHEMESH SNEAK PEEK at The J. See page 97.

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 79

YOUNG ADULTS

University of Arizona Hillel building in 2011, after it’s renovation.

University of Arizona Hillel Foundation celebrates a collective 100 years She has actually worked for the foundation for 30 years, including five years at the University of Michigan Hillel prior to moving to Tucson.

In February 1941, the University of Arizona Board of When asked about some of the changes she had seen in Regents voted unanimously to approve the establishment of the past 25 years, she thinks a moment before citing students’ the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation. The building backgrounds: “More and more of our students are coming in that Hillel currently occupies on the UA campus is where with one Jewish parent – and not necessarily with a strong it has been since 1950, across from the Student Union on Jewish background.

That give us more opportunities, and Second Street and Mountain Avenue. Hillel offers a wide challenges, to engage Jewish students or help students identify range of cultural, social, Israeli, religious and philanthropic as Jewish.” programming.

The program at Hillel is Hillel is celebrating 75 always changing because it years at the University is student driven. “That’s one of Arizona as Executive of the beauties of working on Director Michelle campus,” says Michelle.

“We Blumenberg celebrates her are always dynamic.

As far as 25th year with Hillel. A “100 the students are concerned, Years of Celebration” event when they come in on day commemorating these two one, this must be how it’s shared milestones will take always been. Even though place on Saturday, Feb. 18. we know we might be in an Michelle’s responsibility era of change, for students, as executive director is to whatever is in front of them, oversee all aspects of Hillel. that’s what they know.”

This includes working with That also means that staff and board members, Hillel must respond quickly campus relations, fundraising, to change, issues on campus strategic planning and the The first University of Arizona Hillel building in the and issues of importance to planning of Hillel’s future.

1980s, before its renovation.

By Mala Blomquist

80 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

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students.

“The program staff rule is to be the advisor and help the students accomplish their goals,” says Michele. “[We] help them write a program plan, market, do outreach – how to go from A to Z in order to be successful.”

“UA is a great campus to be Jewish, just like many other campuses,” says Michelle. “We have 3,000 Jewish undergrads.

Of [those], at any given time, we know of – or we have been in contact with – probably 1,200 to 1,300 of them.”

A main focus for the 2016-17 school year is bridge-building with the other cultural centers on campus, including Creating relationships with the African American Student Affairs, Hispanic Student Affairs and the LGBTQ Resource Center.

“In this day and age, we all need to have open relationships with other communities on campus and I think everyone is looking to build those bridges,” says Michelle. “It’s really easy to get consumed in your own community. It takes energy and effort to walk outside of your doors. [It’s] not because people don’t want to; you just get sidetracked,” says Michelle.

Hillel held a joint event with the Black Student Union this past November. UA has its first-ever pair of Shinshinim (18-year-old Israelis who have graduated high school and come to the U.S. for a year of service). They were brought to the U.S. by the Tucson Jewish Community Center and the Federation.

One of the students is a young Ethiopian Israeli woman named Leah Avuno. Michelle says that Jewish and African-American students enjoyed hearing from this young Ethiopian Israeli about her journey in Israel.

Hillel’s work follows its mission statement: “To facilitate the development of a vibrant, diverse, meaningful and empowered Jewish community.” Hopefully for many years to come!

100 Years of Celebration & Arsenio Hall 2017 Saturday, Feb. 18, 6-10 pm 6 pm hors-d’oeuvres and beverages at the Scottish Rite, 160 S. Scott Ave., Tucson 8 pm special performance by Arsenio Hall at Fox Tucson Theater, 17 W. Congress St., Tucson Prices for donor packages: $250-$5,000 General admission tickets through the Fox Theater: $45 & $60 520-624-6561 or arizona.hillel.org

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 81

“We all want to be heroes.

All we need is a good idea, motivation and plenty of chutzpah!”

ISRAEL

– Volunteer at United Hatzalah of Israel

, Israel.

ar ters in Jerusalem

Hatzalah headqu

hers Institute of g Beth Jacob Teac Students attendin r skills. ute mp co Jerusalem develop

njamin Prime Minister Be

sses Netanyahu addre

journalists.

Innovative and inspirational Israeli entrepreneurs – but a brusque and boastful Bibi Story and photos by Leni Reiss

Although this was my 15th business trip to Israel, it never ceases to amaze me that there is always something new and special to see and learn in and about the Jewish state. On this particular trip, I was one of a contingent of some 50 Jewish journalists from around the world invited to Jerusalem to participate in the 2016 Jewish Media Summit, sponsored by the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Government Press Office.

Our group met with both Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu (more about that later) and President Reuven Rivlin, and our days were filled with sessions, panels, meetings and more. But what moved and impressed me most was a visit to the Beth Jacob Teachers Institute of Jerusalem and its Telem Inclusion Center. Founded 70 years ago, the institute is a religious high school and teacher seminary that serves more 82 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

than 3,000 girls. It is also a highlight of Jerusalem’s Haredi community.

BLURRING THE LINES OF SEPARATION Thirty years ago, under the inspirational leadership of Mrs. Esther Jakobovitz, the Telem Inclusion Center was incorporated into the institute’s curriculum to serve young women ages 14 to 20 and beyond “with all levels of learning, emotional, physical and social disabilities, intellectual challenges and autistic spectrum disorders.”

In a fully equipped kitchen – and under the watchful eye of supervisors – we observed a group of Telem participants chatting and chopping vegetables for more than 800 daily meals for the needy children of Jerusalem’s institutions. Other in-house, paying projects for students include sewing and

computerized embroidery. The students also prepare and market a “Simcha Line” of festive products for celebrations.

Mrs. Jakobovitz beamed with pride as she described the efforts of her students, each of whom she knows by name.

From its earliest beginnings, the institute’s special education department has been a pioneer in the area of inclusion in mainstream classes and programs, blurring the lines that separate special education students from the rest of the population. Yedidut (Hebrew for “friendship”) pairs students for common-interest activities. Weekly workshops include painting, choir, clothing design and elder care. Staff members report that the effects have been “no less than electric.”

HEROES WITH CHUTZPAH On the same day, I visited the Jerusalem office of United Hatzalah of Israel, the extraordinary free communitybased, volunteer-led emergency medical response program.

“Ambulances don’t save lives – people do!” according to Hatzalah spokespeople. The program teaches neighbors and colleagues to become trained first responders. All are welcome to learn what to do when every second counts. Citizen rescuers from all backgrounds are on call 24/7 to respond and provide lifesaving care before the ambulance arrives. Hatzalah “ambucycles” enable responders to get to the scene of an emergency 75% faster than traditional ambulances.

A GPS-based command and control system automatically locates and dispatches the nearest volunteer to an emergency.

As of last year, 10 cities worldwide – from Detroit to Delhi, from Jersey City to Panama City – have adopted the Hatzalah model.

“We all want to be heroes,” says one volunteer. “All we need is a good idea, motivation and plenty of chutzpah!” In just one day, I connected with a good number of heroes.

A BOMBASTIC BIBI As for the meeting with Netanyahu at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, all of us – mostly seasoned journalists for whom press conferences are fairly routine – were nonetheless abuzz with anticipation as we awaited the prime minister’s arrival.

“What’s on your mind?” was his opening salvo to the audience as he walked to the podium, ignoring the session chair’s attempts to ask him a question. He told us what we should be asking him, virtually dissing those reporters who had thought long and hard about appropriate queries. He interrupted some of them, determined to set his own agenda.

He boasted about his country’s political and technological successes and acknowledged that his government has backed off from a promise to approve prayer space for women at the Western Wall. “These things take time,” he said. He made the point that Israel now has allies in the Arab world ­– without naming them – who have joined with the Jewish state in fear of a nuclear Iran.

I consider my latest trip to Israel successful and memorable.

But the consensus among my colleagues was that it is unlikely that Netanyahu would have been so arrogant, rude and dismissive to an audience of non-Jewish reporters. Live and learn!

Journalistic Jewish geography During the International Jewish Media Summit in Jerusalem last December, Arizona Jewish Life Contributing Editor Leni Reiss took advantage of the opportunity to ask several colleagues to briefly describe their publications. Their responses follow:

“My material is distributed to every member of the American Jewish and foreign press.

I have been reaching out for 29 years.”

David Bedein, bureau chief, Israel Resource News Agency (Jerusalem)

“My readers cross all the boundaries of Jewish New Orleans: young, old – everyone who cares about local, national, international news – and want it in a timely manner.”

Alan Smason, editor, Crescent City Jewish News (New Orleans)

“Our audience is intergenerational. We are one of the publications for whom that is consistently true. We are geared toward women who are independent, Jewish, and frankly feminist.”

Susan Weidman Schneider, editor-in-chief, Lilith magazine (New York)

“We cover the whole spectrum from Chabad to non-Jewish.

The intention is to promote Jewish culture and life. The content can be described as a sophisticated mix.”

Morton Landowne, publisher, Tablet magazine (New York) ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 83

“We cover the expat European community and the 100,000-plus Israelis in London. We print in Hebrew and English.”

“Our readers are Jews and Jewish allies who care about world news through a Jewish lens in addition to news and opinion from their local Jewish community.”

Doug Dalgleish, social and media editor, Alondon (London) Sue Fishkoff, editor, j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California (name change to Bay Arizona Jewish Life ad_Layout 1 Area Jewish News in the works) (California)

“We strive for the engaged Jewish reader who wants an unbiased and unfiltered daily update on Jewish matters. We have an international Jewishspeaking audience.”

“We are a weekly newspaper in Turkish with one page in Ladino.

It is a community paper, the only one in Turkey.

The ministry of foreign affairs reads us along with the Jewish community.”

8/20/2016 8:51 AM Page 1

Karel Valansi, columnist, Shalom Newspaper (Turkey)

Andrew Silow-Carroll, editor-in-chief, JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency) (New York) AndrewSilow-Carroll.jpg

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Monday, March 13, 2017 JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort 5350 East Marriott Drive, Phoenix 85054 Featuring New York Times Bestselling Authors:

LINWOOD BARCLAY - Mystery JOHN DICKERSON - Politics CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE - Fiction/Art History CAROLINE LEAVITT - Fiction DAVA SOBEL - Science/History Doors open for Fantastic Boutiques and Program moderated by Book Sales at 9:00 am Mark Curtis - 12 News Anchor Program begins promptly at 11:00 am Proceeds to benefit Research and Scholarship in Neurodegenerative Diseases at Brandeis University

Luncheon admission is $125 including $5.00 coupon toward book purchases

For additional information, contact bncphxba@gmail.com 480-442-9623 www.brandeisphoenix.com 84 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

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A NOSH OF

JEWISH WISDOM:

In honor of Tu B’Shevat, consider “what kind are you?”

At the holiday seder this idea is demonstrated with fruits and nuts such as almonds, dates and raisins. Do you have a hard outer shell and soft center, a soft outer but stony center, or are you loving and sweet all the way through?

Dear Helen: My son went through high school without a single date. He’s a good kid, a geek and never needed much from his peers. Now in his second year of college he’s been dating the same girl for more than a year. She’s lovely, and they’re both 4.0 pre-meds. He seems so happy with her, and, I am pretty sure, no longer the only virgin he knows. But I want him to have more experiences in life. We have no problem with her visiting and sleeping over, but her parents, who live two hours away, are very (I think overly) protective. We’ve never met them, but she talks about them in the careful way my students use when there’s family dysfunction.

I just got a post-holiday gift basket with a note saying, “We hope our daughter has her own room when she stays in your home.” How should I reply?

Gifted Dear Gifted: You have two interlocking issues. Your son seems to be making up for lost time very nicely.

Relationships between college kids may seem serious, but if they’re both aimed toward med school, the chances that they’ll stay together are pretty slim. As long as he seems happy, let life take its course.

As for the parent, reply: “Dear Mr./Mrs. (name): Thanks for the delicious gift box. How kind of you. We’ve enjoyed getting to know (daughter’s name). She is a lovely person. I’m sure we’ll meet if they continue to date. When she visits us she’s treated like an honored guest.”

That shows you’re supportive of the relationship, without disclosing enough to start a fight. Their presumed dysfunction isn’t your problem to solve.

Dear Helen: I’ve been single for several years. I’d been in a serious relationship that fell apart when I realized my partner had been self-medicating a serious depression for a long time. It’s not that he didn’t talk about his problems. In fact, that’s mostly what he talked about. But he was secretly drinking and taking pills at a rate that would have felled a lesser man. I tried to get him to go into counseling, rehab or a 12-step

program, all of which he refused. So I ended the relationship.

Now I have started dating someone new, and I am seeing symptoms that scare me, but I cannot tell if I’m just suspicious because of my prior experience. We agreed not to dissect our pasts in the first three months. Should I say something now, wait or … ?

Once Burned Dear Burned: There’s a difference between not talking about exes or why previous relationships fell apart and not talking about something that would be an immediate deal-killer to how the two of you are relating now. Even business contracts have cancellation clauses, so it’s not like you must stay in this relationship for the full three months before having a discussion about medical or substance-abuse issues.

You have a choice about relaying how your relationship history touches these topics, but do not wait to bring up the subject.

I’d start with something such as: “I’ve noticed that I respond with concern, apprehension and curiosity when I see you do x, y, z. (Notice so far this is phrased in “I” statements, as most counselors suggest.) Are these issues you’ll discuss? Am I misreading something?” Then see how he responds and how you respond to how he speaks and acts.

The bottom line on this and any relationship is always good communication over troublesome topics, no matter how well you enjoy the good times. No one deserves to have the shadow of an ex looming over their future happiness. You or him.

HELEN

A resident of Eugene since 1981, Helen is a member of Temple Beth Israel, where she studies and speaks on Torah. She claims to have black belts in schmoozing, problem solving and chutzpah. She’s a writer and an artist (kabbalahglass.com). Please email your questions to helen@yourjewishfairygodmother.com

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 85

What’s love got to do with it?

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By Amy Hirshberg Lederman

TO LIFE!

In 1984, after an abusive marriage and a stalled career, singer Tina Turner wrote her comeback smash hit “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” The song is actually an anti-love rant, praising carnal love without any emotional attachment. In a gut-wrenching voice, Tina belts out that love is nothing more than a “secondhand emotion” and “a sweet old-fashioned notion.”

As much as I loved dancing to this song while singing the chorus full on with my friends back in the 80s, I never agreed with Tina’s concept of love. Almost 35 years after she won the 1985 Grammy for “Record of the Year,” I would like to offer my own version of the song.

So what’s love got to do with it? In my book, pretty much everything.

Love is what makes us who we are. It is at the core of the story we tell others about ourselves.

It is the foundation of our identity and the currency by which our concept of self-worth is evaluated. I am what I love. I am that I love. I am because I love. I struggle with love and being loved.

Love holds us, binds us, controls us, liberates us, pulls at us until we can’t resist. Love is a connector, no matter how we define or celebrate it. Whether it’s the love between a parent and child, a man and woman, a couple of the same sex or any other combination of life forces that are drawn together with a need to create meaning, intimacy and understanding, love has everything to do with it.

Life has taught me many lessons about love and I believe this much is true: We aren’t the things we possess, our careers or professions or the successes and failings we encounter. We aren’t our mistakes or regrets, our best accomplishments or the moments of guilt, shame or rage we have endured.

We are, for as long as we walk through life, a reflection of the love we give and receive. A mother’s love for her child is reflected in her baby’s eyes; a man’s love for his partner is reflected through a tender touch in passing. Love breaks through the toughest barriers to enable us to experience our highest potential – to give and receive love.

It is through the people we love and the values we cherish and live by that we continue to live on after we are gone and be loved by those we leave behind.

But there is something else I know to be true: that when you love, you will have loss. And the deeper the love, the deeper the loss. There is no way around loss ­– but it should never stop us from loving.

As humans, we accept that the natural cycle of life goes from birth through life to death. As Jews, we are fortunate to have a treasure chest of rituals to help us celebrate birth, praise life and mourn death.

When it comes to Jewish mourning rituals, Judaism offers both comfort and wisdom in the many ways it acknowledges that, while people die, our love for them does not. The seven days of shiva, the 30 days of shloshim, the 11 months before the unveiling and the ongoing commandment to say Kaddish for a deceased parent or family member are but a few of the ways we are able to keep our loved ones close to our hearts.

Tina Turner may have won a Grammy for her song, but she missed the boat when it comes to what love really is. Love is not a second hand-emotion or an old-fashioned notion. It is the source of our greatest potential in life – and what endures long after we are gone.

86 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

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

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Limmud means ”to learn”

Limmud is a worldwide movement that started in Great Britain in 1980 and has grown to more than 84 Limmud communities in 44 countries around the world. Last year, over 33,000 people participated in Limmud events created by teams of 3,000 volunteers. In Hebrew, Limmud means “to learn.” While communities create Limmud events that are unique to them, all communities are asked to subscribe to the core Limmud values that highlight the organization’s mission and promise, “Wherever you find yourself, Limmud will take you one step further on your Jewish journey.”

A one-day celebration of Jewish life and learning presented by Limmud AZ will be held at Arizona State University Memorial Union Student Conference Center in Tempe on Feb. 12 from 9 am to 5 pm. The day will be divided into individual sessions where attendees can choose from multiple programs with different presenters. Topics covered is these sessions include: arts & culture, lifecycle, Israel, spirituality, Jewish experience and more. Most people are able to attend six sessions during the day. Last year more than 400 people attended the event.

“We’ve had great word-of-mouth because people who attend Limmud are often so enthusiastic about the experience that many more of their friends want to participate as well,” says Limmud AZ team leader Sandy Adler. “Limmud brings together Jews from across the spectrum of Judaism to learn and share as one community. It’s a real ripple effect.”

The event brings people from across the community who want to engage in this learning experience, further building their strength in the Jewish community and gaining respect and understanding for each other.

Highlights of the 2017 event will include presentations by:

• Rabbi Ben Kamin, author of 11 books on human values, civil rights and spirituality • Iris Krasnow, popular speaker and author of six books that chronicle the passages in our lives • Ezra Glinter, award-winning journalist, critic, translator and biographer • Julia Tarney, author of the memoir “My Son Wears Heels,” and a speaker, educator and advocate for LGBTQ youth • Robert Watson, historian and author of more than 40 books on topics in history and politics.

What: Limmud AZ Where: ASU Conference Center at Memorial Union, 301 E Orange Mall, Tempe When: February 12, 9am-5pm Cost: The cost for the day-long program, which includes lunch (dietary laws are observed), is $50 per adult. For adults under age 40, the cost is $25; college students are $18; students age 12-18 are $15; Camp Limmud for kids age 4-12 is $15. Free parking available in the visitor’s garage at Apache and Normal, south of the Conference Center.

Information, registration and complete programming available at limmudaz.org

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 87

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Panelists for the second Ladies First event included Aly Saxe, Lucia Schnitzer and Beth Jo Zeitzer with Kathy Sacks as moderator.

Ladies First

returns in February

seeing them regularly at events. Our goal was to provide an environment where guests could gather, learn from women at the top of their game, be inspired and make connections.

The popular “Ladies First” event returns to the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus in Scottsdale on Feb. 9. The topic of this event will be “Rising to C-Level” and will feature moderator Marcia Mintz, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Phoenix and panelists Jordan Rose, founder and president of Rose Law Group; Jami Schulman, chief operating officer of HavenBrook Homes and Stacy Tucker, vice president & CFO of Flinn Foundation. There have been two previous Ladies First events which featured businesswomen in the Jewish community who shared their stories of success.

Amanda Garcia, special events manager at the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix helps organize the Ladies First events. She also runs the Business and Professional Groups as well as all major federation events. Arizona Jewish Life posed some questions to Amanda about the event.

A: The program was created with the support of the Jewish Federation’s Business & Professionals Groups and NowGen young adult program. Thankfully all the women we have asked to be involved have been eager to contribute. We have poured our hearts in to the Ladies First event series by making it inclusive, inviting and an event that we would want to attend.

We thought about every detail including child care to make it more accessible for working women.

Q: Where did the concept come from for creating the Ladies First events?

Q: What are some of the topics planned for the future?

A: We developed the idea for Ladies First by exploring ways to engage more professional women of all ages. We are inspired by so many female leaders in the community but were not

A. Our final event in the series Ladies First: Rising to C-Level will be on Feb. 9th. The Ladies First series has been well received by the community which motivates us to

88 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Q: What is your involvement with the Ladies First events?

The first Ladies First event featured panelists Abbie Fink, Denise Resnik, Julia Rosen and moderator Ilana Lowery.

continue to provide programming tailored to the specific interests of professional women. We hope that the women who attended Ladies First will continue to interact with the Jewish Federation through the Business & Professional Groups, NowGen and Women’s Philanthropy programs.

Q: Why this event so important for the community?

A: Jewish women are the driving force of many community and professional organizations in the greater Phoenix area.

Yet these hard working women do not often get publicly recognized for their accomplishments or have the opportunity to share their insights with others. We aim to make local Jewish women more visible as role models and provide a forum where women can network with each other in a comfortable setting.

Q: What have you gained personally from planning/participating in these events?

A: I have learned that there are so many women doing incredible things in this community. I am inspired by their drive, knowledge and ability to succeed in a variety of industries. The women who attend the events are eager to connect and help each other to reach their professional goals.

FEDERATION MATTERS Your donation to the Federation impacts thousands of lives...

• Caring for Jews in need and building vibrant Jewish communities • Increasing understanding and support for Israel • Engaging young Jewish adults with their Jewish identity and community • Helping seniors age in place with Jewish dignity

Your gift matters

Ladies First: Rising to C-Level

Feb. 9 at 6 pm Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus Social Hall 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale Wine, appetizers, free child care, and secrets of success from leading Jewish businesswomen. $10, $18 at the door. Register by Feb. 7 at jewishphoenix.org.

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

480.481.1757 | jewishphoenix.org/donate ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 89

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Marty Haberer during his first trip to Israel in 1991.

MEGA Israel 2017 welcomes former Prime Minister Ehud Barak Last July, Marty Haberer, chief development officer for the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, went on his 40th mission to Israel. According to Marty, the 40th trip was as exciting as the first.

“When I get the privilege to be at the [Western] Wall in Jerusalem, every time I put my head against that wall – [whether it’s] the second time, the fifth time, the 19th time, the 32nd time – I always look up to the sky and say ‘Wow, I didn’t know you had this planned for me, Lord! You brought me back again!’” says Marty. “Once would have been more than sufficient. How blessed am I?” Marty has spent the last 30 years in Jewish communal service, including 28 at federations. He has been with the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix for 19 months.

All of his trips to Israel have been missions, taking American Jews to experience what’s happening in Israel. Marty marvels at “putting your feet on the ground where all this biblical 90 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

archeology and stories [took] place. [Being] on the ground where Moses was standing and couldn’t get into Israel and where King David set up the 12 Tribes of Israel. For me, it’s an incredibly emotional experience to be wandering around and kicking up pottery that’s 2,000 years old. America is an amazing place, but you are never going to [walk] and kick around stuff that’s 2,000 years old,” says Marty.

Marty’s passion for Israel carries over to his excitement about the guest speaker for the Federation’s MEGA Israel 2017 event, former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak.

He says no organization has ever brought in a sitting or former prime minister of Israel, “so this is big for Arizona.”

Marty stresses that the Israel connection is a big part of many Jews’ identity. “It connects us to our ancient history and our modern day, 68-year history,” he says. “Barak has a place in the recent history of the country. He had a significant impact on Israel, the peace process and moving Israel into its place

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“A lot of [federation’s] focus in the next year-and-a-half…is More than a half-century of public service going to be on Israel,” says Marty. “Israeli-themed activities Tel: 480-668-3347 info@jewishgeneticsphx.org www.jewis andIsrael events, Israel conversations, all of those things that [raise] to and the Jewish People the consciousness of ‘Israel at 70.’ This is the launching point 12701 N. Scottsdale Road Scottsdale, AZ 8525 for that.”

MEGA Israel is the kick-off event of the 2017 Jewish Federation’s Annual Campaign, which will be presented in Tel: Ask 480-668-3347 info@jewishgeneticsphx.org www.jewishgeneticsphx.org for Gary Kravetz, Fleet Director tiers. The reception and program begin at $150 cover charge 12701 N. Scottsdale Road Scottsdale, AZ 85254 per person, with a minimum household contribution of $365 to the 2017 Annual Campaign. There is also an optional preevent dinner or pre-event dinner plus roundtable discussion RIGHT HONDA’s Fleet and Internet Department with Prime Minister Barak ($12,000 or $25,000 minimum welcomes different buying clubs like Costco, Sam’s, contribution, respectively). Co-chairs for the event are Carrie all credit unions, Police and Fire Departments, Protecting Our Community and Morrie Aaron. Co-chairs of the 2017 Jewish Federation’s Motorola, Intel, etc., so please call or email to see if Annual Campaign are Julee Landau Shahon and Rudy Troisi. your company is an approved organization.

“I was fortunate to have had Prime Minister Ehud Barak in f you are interested in being screened at a hig my former community in Sarasota, Florida,” says Marty. “He added to our list and notified of potential scre really communicates nicely with donors and is a special guy.

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What: MEGA Israel 2017 featuring former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak When: Wednesday, March 1; 6:30 pm reception, 7:30 pm program begins Where: Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, 7575 E. Princess Dr., Scottsdale For more information, call 480-481-1754 or visit megaevent@jewishphoenix.org and/or jewishphoenix.org/megaisrael.

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 91

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FEDERATION NOTES Listening and Serving

By Mark Feldman & David Weiner As incoming co-chairs, we are dedicated to serving this community and impacting Jewish lives in the Valley, in Israel and around the world.

Mark Feldman Here is a list of our intentions: • We plan to spend the first few months listening to members of our community, including agencies, organizations, synagogues and community leaders, past and present. The information gathered during these meetings will help us determine how the federation can best serve our community – and Jews in need, wherever they may be.

• We will continue to ensure that our culture is one of service, David Weiner humility, responsiveness and growth.

We will implement a new committee structure with community relations representatives acting as liaisons for our synagogues and agencies, as well as for our diverse geographic area, including the West and East Valley.

• We will develop a long-term strategic plan to strengthen the federation through sustainable campaign growth with the goal of increasing support for and the impact on our community.

• We are renewing our commitment to education and the understanding of how we can best support our community while continuing to provide focused funding and support in core areas, including senior services, NowGen and advocacy for Israel.

We extend our appreciation to the outgoing officers, especially Immediate Past Chairman Steven Schwartz. Their service is an example to all.

We are proud of what was accomplished in 2016, including providing transportation for community seniors; partnering with the Israeli American Council to create a regional office, IAC Phoenix; and expanding engagement among young Jewish adults through NowGen and Jewish professionals through business and professional groups. We look forward to building on that foundation and moving the Federation – and the community – forward.

Thank you for your trust. We are honored and excited to build a strong federation for all and a more vibrant Jewish community here, in Israel and around the world.

If you have something to share – hopes, views, etc. – please send us a note at infocc@jewishphoenix.org.

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FACES & PLACES

CHANUKAH PARTY - More than 80 people attended the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix Business & Professionals Chanukah Party on Dec. 20. The event honored outgoing B&P Chair Eliot Kaplan, who greatly expanded the program, including launching its newest division Chai Tech.

Pictured: Outgoing B&P Chair Eliot Kaplan with outgoing Federation Chair Steven Schwarz and B&P Real Estate & Finance committee member Jon Rosenberg. Photo by Daniel Spiegelman

KEEP SMILING - Smile on Seniors of Arizona held 14 Hanukkah Parties throughout the Valley as well as a party for their volunteers and supporters.

ART ALL AROUND US - “The Art of Illusion: Some New Perspectives” was the intriguing topic when Phoenix Art Museum docent Richard Felnagle spoke to an enthusiastic crowd on Dec. 19 at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center. Sylvia Caplow, left, and Lesley Veit co-chair the Art All Around Us program at the center. Docent Jessica Funkhouser will talk about “Power, Position and Propaganda” on Feb. 20 and docent Cathie Rubins will discuss the work of Camille Claudel on March 20.

Photo by Leni Reiss

94 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Lauren Colick, Sean Kogan, Carly Glick and Adam Green

HANUKKAH FUN - Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley celebrated Hanukkah with fun events and good times. Evan and Ilana Kenville were on latke duty and the whole group got into the holiday with an “ugly sweater” contest.

Rob Adler, Yanive Shmoel, Victoria Nazarov, and Michelle Mandell light the menorah

Mazelpalooza Committee Co-Chair Mitch Cohen with wife Jamie

MAZELPALOOZA - Nearly 1,000 young Jews participated in the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix NowGen 18th annual Mazelpalooza.

The event is held on Christmas Eve and was hosted at Maya Day + Night Club this year. Entertainment included DJ Soloman and aerialist performers. $18 from each ticket sold was contributed to the Federation’s 2016 campaign to help Jews in needs and to build vibrant Jewish communities in the Valley, Israel and around the world. Photos

by Dave Katz

SHISHI ISRAEL – ON Friday, Jan. 13. The Israeli American Council – IAC Arizona held their second Shabbat.

More than 300 Israli-Americans celebrated together at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus in Scottsdale.

Pictured: Kara Yoder, Shahar Edry and their son Lev.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 95

PREVIEWS

CHRYSALIS CEO TO DISCUSS DOMESTIC ABUSE WITHIN THE JEWISH HOME Chrysalis President and CEO Patricia Klahr will discuss domestic abuse within the Jewish home as part of the Speakers Series on Feb. 3 at 7:30 pm at Beth Ami Temple, 3535 E Lincoln Dr., Paradise Valley.

For over 30 years, Chrysalis has been servicing the needs of women, children and men throughout the Valley who are trying to break the cycle of violence and abuse with an array of comprehensive services. These include shelters and transitional housing, outpatient counseling, court

community education and prevention programs for temples, schools and other Jewish organizations.

“If we can help education, whether it’s at a temple or in a newspaper or magazine, then we are doing our job,” explains Klahr. The domestic violence prevention advocate was listed as one of Arizona Jewish Life Magazine’s Empowered Women of 2016.

The public is encouraged to attend this informative evening of discussion.

A brief Shabbat service will be held before Klahr speaks followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience. Light refreshments will follow. The event is free; however, reservations are required. For more information, contact 602-956-0805 or bethamitemple@hotmail.com.

HISTORIC EVENING WITH ANNE FRANK’S STEPSISTER Eva Schloss will share her experiences as the childhood friend and stepsister of Anne Frank, including accounts of the publishing of Anne’s famed diary.

The presentation will take place on Feb. 13 at 7 pm at The Camelback Golf Club, 7847 N Mockingbird Lane, Paradise Valley, and will be suitable for people of all ages. This is a special opportunity to hear a first-hand account from someone whose life intersected with one of the most compelling figures in our history.

Since 1985, Eva has devoted herself to holocaust education and global peace. She has recounted her wartime experiences in more than one thousand speaking engagements. She has written two books and has had a play written about her life. In 1999 Eva signed the Anne Frank Peace Declaration along with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and the niece of Raul Wallenberg, a legendary figure who rescued thousands of Jews in Budapest.

Chabad of Paradise Valley and JPhoenix Young Jewish Professionals are honored to sponsor the event. Sponsorships are available (starting at $180) and there will be a “meet & greet” and book signing for sponsors. Individual tickets are $25 at the door or $18 if purchased by Feb. 1. For reservations or more information, contact 480-788-9310 or visit jewishparadisevalley.com/annefrank.

Patricia Klahr

victim and lay legal advocacy, offender treatment programs, children's services and community education.

Klahr, who also serves on the Governor’s Commission to Prevent Violence Against Women, has helmed the organization for the last 18 years, after having worked in many different capacities at Chrysalis, including college intern and overnight advocate.

The nonprofit organization’s Chai Program meets the special needs of Jewish families that experience domestic violence. Cornerstones of the program include individual counseling, kosher meals in the shelter, and 96 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

BRIGHTER TOMORROW LUNCHEON Jewish Family & Children’s Service is holding its annual Brighter Tomorrow Luncheon at 11:45 am on Feb. 24 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort, 2400 E Missouri Ave., Phoenix.

Learn how JFCS touches lives with their programs and strengthens the community by offering high-quality behavioral health and social services to children, families and adults of all ages, in accordance with a Jewish value system that cares about all humanity.

The topic for the luncheon is foster care and features guest speaker, Andrew Bridge, director of the Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation, whose

PREVIEWS PREVIEWS mission is to elevate the lives of those most vulnerable in Maricopa County. Andrew spent age 7 through 18 in foster care in Los Angeles. He began his legal career representing impoverished children in Alabama’s state psychiatric hospitals and mental health facilities and children in its foster care system. He played a critical role in streamlining foster children’s adoptions and establishing National Adoption Day. He is also a New York Times bestselling author for his book, Hopes Boy. Registration for the luncheon is due by Feb. 14. Tickets are $180 for individuals ($100 for ages 40 and under). To register and for more information, contact Jayne Plotkin at 602-567-8334 or jayne.plotkin@jfcsaz.org.

CHABAD CELEBRATES 40 YEARS Chabad of Arizona will celebrate its 40th Anniversary Dinner and Silent Auction at 5 pm on Feb. 26 at Embassy Suites by Hilton Scottsdale, 5001 N Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale. During the event the Chabad will be honoring Michael and Judith Bernstein, Drs. Barry and Chiky

Eva Schloss

summer fun, including cooking, art, theatre, science, engineering, sports and more! Sample camp activities and enjoy snacks and crafts. Meet the staff and tour the facility with its two indoor basketball courts, two heated pools, splash pad, climbing wall and more. Free and open to the community. For more information, contact 480-634.-4949 or youth@ vosjcc.org.

CELEBRATION OF HERITAGE CONCERT SERIES

Andrew Bridge

Goldberg, Loren and Barbara Greenberg and Mr. Zalman Segal.

Chabad has centers in Anthem, ASU, North Phoenix, Flagstaff, U of A, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Chandler, Glendale, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Mesa and Tucson that service their respective communities with Hebrew schools, synagogues, day camps, mikvaot and a growing variety of classes and one-on-one learning groups for all ages.

Chabad Lubavitch of Arizona is dedicated to providing an open-door environment for strengthening and enhancing Jewish values and identity to all people, regardless of background, color, philosophy or level of commitment.

Chabad serves individuals and families looking for a non-judgmental, accepting, personalized Jewish experience.

Dinner reservations are $250, please RSVP by Feb. 16. For more information or to make reservations, visit chabadaz.com.

Tucson Jewish Community Center (the Tucson J) is pleased to announce a series of four concerts, The Celebration of Heritage Concert Series. The series will be hosted by Roza Simkhovich and includes performances by The Arizona Symphonic Winds, Cantor Janece E. Cohen, Camerata Sonora and Joe Bourne and The Trio. All performances will be held at 6:30 pm at the Tucson J, 3800 E River Road, Tucson. The concert dates are Feb 15, March 15, April 19 and May 17.

Roza Simkhovich holds a MS from Kaliningrad State Technical University, Russia and M.Ed. from University of Arizona, Tucson. She is an educator with more than 30 years of experience and a former Senior Lecturer in the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies at the University of Arizona and with OASIS. A former board member of the Tucson J in the 1980s, she started “The Celebration of Heritage Concert Series,” which returns this year.

Tickets for each performance are $10 for non-members and $9 for members of The J. Tickets can be purchased for all four concerts for $40 for non-members and $36 for members of The J. Tickets can be purchased at tucsonjcc.org.

SHEMESH SNEAK PEEK AT THE J The Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center at 12701 N Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale will answer all your questions about what to do with the kids this summer at their Sneak Peek event on Feb. 26 from 1:30-4 pm.

Learn all about the variety of camp options Shemesh has to offer for ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 97

FEBRUARY CALENDAR Feb. 1

It’s Not Just Lunch at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale from noon-1:30 pm. Great speakers and a different topic each month with a full kosher lunch. $5 suggested donation. A collaboration with Smile On Seniors. Contact Chani at 602-492-7670 or chani@sosaz.org.

Feb. 2

Academy Award-winning film “Son of Saul.” $36; reception to follow. 520-577-9393 or jewishhistorymuseum.org/events.

Valentine Celebration Sip & Shop Happy Hour at BLK Live, 7301 E Butherus Dr., Scottsdale from 5-9 pm. Giveaways, DJ, dancing, vendors and happy hour specials. Free admission. 602-9966300 or jyl@shapeupus.org.

2017 Greater Phoenix Economic Outlook featuring Elliott Pollack at Biltmore Financial Center, 2398 E Camelback Road #180, Phoenix from 5:30-8 pm. Jewish business professionals network and learn about the state of business in the Valley, economic trends and more. Includes appetizers, wine and beer. $18 for professionals; $10 for students. 480-481-1754 or jewishphoenix.org.

Feb. 10

Feb. 2-26

Feb. 12

“Baby Boomer Baby.” See page 49.

Limmud AZ. See page 87.

Feb. 3

Tu B’Shevat Potluck Brunch Seder at the Arizona Jewish Historical Society, Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center, 122 E Culver St., Phoenix at 11 am. Come meet the family! Event is free; reservations needed by Feb. 6. 480-865-4710 or oradaminfo@gmail.com.

Friday Night Live at Congregation Or Chadash, 3939 N Alvernon Way, Tucson at 6:30 pm.

Family-friendly, toe-tapping musical service with our Chai Lights Band and Teen Choir All are welcome! Free. 520-512-8500 or eileen@ octucson.org.

Feb. 8 Jewish Genetic Diseases Annual Luncheon at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale from 11:30 am-1:30 pm. Rabbi Joe Black will share his personal story and perform his music. $54/person. To register, call 480-668-3347 or jewishgeneticsphx.org.

Cardiac Wellness at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale from 5:30-7 pm. Join Cardiologist Wesley Tyree, MD, and learn how cardiac supplements and lifestyles changes can decrease the risk of cardiac disease. Presented in partnership with Belmont Village Scottsdale and Honor Health. Free, but registration is required.

623-580-5800 or honorhealth.org/events.

Feb. 9 Categories (Trivia) Day at Beth Emeth Congregation, 13702 W Meeker Blvd., Sun City West at 1 pm. The Beth Emeth Congregation Sisterhood, will be sponsoring a Categories (Trivia) Fun Day led by members Marilyn Newberg and Ketzi Toney. All are welcome and in addition, free desserts will be served and prizes awarded.

Call 623-584-7210 Mon-Fri between 9 am-noon to reserve a spot.

Young Professionals Shabbat Dinner at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale at 7 pm. Join Valley Beit Midrash for a fun-filled Shabbat experience for Jewish young professionals aged 25-45. $10.

Register at valleybeitmidrash.org.

Feb. 22 Handmaker Lecture with Rabbi Helen Cohn at Handmaker in the Rubin Café, 2221 N Rosemont Blvd., Tucson from 10-11 am. Join Rabbi Cohn for a close reading of Psalm 23 (The Lord is my shepherd…), and explore how it can speak to each of us personally. 520-322-3632 or handmaker.org.

Feb. 23 Cardozo Society General Counsel Forum at Perkins Coie, 2901 N Central Ave. #2000, Phoenix from 7:30-9:30 am. Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix Business & Professionals Groups for an informative panel featuring in-house attorneys for mid to large companies. Panel moderated by Eliot Kaplan, partner at Perkins Coie. Jewish professionals and students in the legal field welcome. $36 professional; $18 student. Includes breakfast.

Dietary laws observed. Register by Feb. 21 at jewishphoenix.org.

Feb. 24 Brighter Tomorrow Luncheon. See page 96.

Historic Evening with Anne Frank’s Stepsister. See Page 96.

Singles Shabbat Dinner with Project Jewish Love at Congregation Beth Tefillah, 10636 N 71st Way #1, Scottsdale at 6 pm. All single Jews 40+ are welcome to attend. You do not need to attend the Shabbat Prayer Service to attend the dinner.

You do not have to be Orthodox to attend the dinner. Advance registration required; RSVP to projectjewishlove.com.

Feb. 15

Feb. 25

Single Meet and Mingle with Project Jewish Love at Sapparo, 14344 n Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale at 6 pm. Social gathering for single Jews 40+. Contact admin@projectjewishlove.com or projectjewishlove.com.

Celebration of Heritage Concert Series.

See page 96.

Singles Saturday Night Havdalah Party with Project Jewish Love at a private residence at 7 pm. All Single Jews 40+ are welcome to enjoy Havdalah and kosher-style meal. Address provided upon RSVP. All Jewish backgrounds welcome. Contact admin@projectjewishlove.com or projectjewishlove.com.

Feb. 16

Feb. 26

AIPAC Phoenix Dinner features keynote speaker Ron Prosor, Israel’s former Ambassador to the United Nations. 6 pm registration and reception; 7 pm program and dinner. $225/person; advance registration is required. 602-277-3318 or phoenixdinner@aipac.org.

Chabad Celebrates 40 Years. See page 97.

Feb. 12-26 Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival. See page 52.

Feb. 13

Navah Perlman – A Musical Memoir. See page 51.

Feb. 18 100 Years of Celebration & Arsenio Hall 2017.

See page 81.

Ladies First: Rising to C-Level. See page 89.

Feb. 20

An Evening with Geza Rohrig at Holsclaw Hall in the UA Music Building, 1017 N Olive Road, Tucson at 7 pm. Multi-media evening with Geza Rohrig, Hungarian actor, poet, musician and star of the

Let’s All Go to The Movie: “Indignation” at Harkins Shea 14 Theatre, 7354 E Shea Blvd., Scottsdale at 7 pm. Join Or Adam for a movie and discussion of James Schamus’ film at the Greater

98 FEBRUARY 2017 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Phoenix Jewish Film Festival. $11/person; reservations needed by Feb. 10. 480-865-4710 or oradaminfo@gmail.com.

Feb. 28 Schmooze & Pastry with Chani at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale from 11 am-noon.

Enjoy homemade pastries and stimulating conversation with Chani. A collaboration with Smile On Seniors. Contact Chani at 602-492-7670 or chani@sosaz.org.

March 1 Mega Israel 2017. See page 91.

The Producers Of WaistWatchers The Musical; My Mother’s Italian My Father’s Jewish & I’m In Therapy!; You Say Tomato I Say Shut Up!; RESPECT: A Musical Celebration of Women; and My Son The Waiter... Present

Written by & Starring National Lampoon’s TOMMY KOENIG

Join veteran Jewish actor/comedian Tommy Koenig’s hilarious, insightful, and wildly entertaining musical flashback through our times & the music that defined it.

You’ll love his ‘take’ on the Beatles, Madonna, Elton John, Tina Turner, Lady Gaga, James Brown, Santana, Bee Gees, Neil Young, Blondie, Bruce Springsteen, Ramones, The Eagles and many more!

“A Master of Caricature.

He’s A ” Major Talemnest!

- New York Ti

“Hilarious.

Hysterical.

A Steady Stre am of Fun!” - LA Weekly

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL

$10 OFF OUR BEST SEATS

Use Code AJL2 and order by Feb. 10. Subject to availability. Limit 6 tickets per order. Not valid w/ previously purchased, group, or discounted tickets.

Now Playing thru February 26 Box Office: 1-602-252-8497 Groups (12+): 1-888-264-1788

Showtimes: Thur 2 & 7pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2 & 8pm, Sun 2 pm

HerbergerTheater.org PlayhouseInfo.com

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | FEBRUARY 2017 99

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