Arizona Jewish Life Sept 2016 Vol. 4 / Issue 10

SEPTEMBER 2016

WANDER NO MORE

HIGH HOLIDAYS Spiritual & Sweet

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Music, Ballet, Theater & More

MIKE VAX

Prescott Jazz Summit’s Bugle Boy

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 1

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 5

Wander No More

A rizo n a J ewi s h Li fe • S e pt e m b e r 201 6 • Av- E l u l 57 76 • Vo l u m e 4 / I s s u e 1 0

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FEATURES

HIGH HOLIDAYS

COVER STORY

Honey for a sweet and healthy new year A spiritual check-up Mitzvah Challenge 5777 Finding a path to forgiveness

Mike Vax: Boogie woogie bugle boy of Prescott, AZ

28

JEWS WITH ATTITUDE Israeli innovation reduces medical radiation 12

BUSINESS

34

Ins & Outs Media maven Fran Mallace: “At the top of her game”

14 18

FOOD Chef’s Corner: Ooey gooey teiglach Creating culinary community Taste of Arizona: Stock & Stable

50 51 52

TRAVEL Jewish roots entwined with Indian culture

50

54

HOME & LIFESTYLE Updating with style and light Plant now for winter harvest

58 62

Fighting food insecurity on campus

54

Henry Gross: Still rocking after all these years 34 Ballet under the stars and more 36 Directorial debut hits the mark 38 The shows will go on for Arizona Theatre Company 40 Entertainment spotlight 44

JKIDS & TEENS TOO Jordan Wiley-Hill and the power of mindfulness Making a difference on the road Resurfacing Kids & teen events

72 76 78 79

JLIVING

65

66 68

COLUMNS

SENIORS Mother-daughter team crafts workbooks for seniors Advocating for choice

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Building a culture of legacy Hiking with heart Federation notes Faces & Places Previews Calendar

YOUNG ADULTS

20 24 25 26

80 82 83 84 86 89

26 50 52 78

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

SEPTEMBER 2016

ON THE COVER • Original Artwork By Kara Yoder

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6 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

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Wander No More

A rizo n a J ewi s h Li fe • Av- E l u l 57 76 • Vo l u m e 4 / I s s u e 1 0

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UPCOMING ISSUES

WE B M ASTE R

October 2016: All About Women & Bar/Bat Mit zvah Showcase November 2016: Charitable Giving & Seniors

Karl Knelson

P U B L I C AT I O N A N D D E A D L I N E S

ART D I R EC TO R

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CO NTR I B UTI N G WR ITE R S Dan Feller Melissa Hirschl Avia Tirosh Teddy Weinberger COVER: DESIGN BY TAMARA KOPPER

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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.

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 9

Wander No More

A New Year...New Beginings, and a chance to get it right As the High Holidays approach, it is natural to take stock of the past year. We walk through the rooms of our lives, looking at the cracks in the walls, the uneven foundation, the facade that has been chipped away.

While many may look back over the past year with regret and Robert Philip

remorse for mistakes made, it is just as important to look back in gratitude. We must be thankful for the small things that went right and remember those who were kind to us – even if we were not kind in return. As we focus on the coming year, and all of the possibilities, we can learn from past mistakes and create a better path.

In Judaism, we start the New Year with a clean slate. Everyone is on an equal playing field. We can lay the groundwork today for the coming year rather than live another year of regret. We can create a year of happiness, gratitude and meaning for ourselves and others.

Cindy Saltzman

We wish you and your loved ones a healthy and happy New Year, and the chance to “get it right.”

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 11

Jews With Attitude

Mark Seifert, MD, implants a CRT device to synchronize a patient's heartbeat. MediGuide images superimposed over X-rays enable GPS-like guidance with minimal radiation.

Photo by Susan Lynne Fuchs, HonorHealth

Israeli innovation reduces medical radiation

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

“And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.” (Isaiah 2:4) In a very 21st century iteration of Isaiah’s prophesy, Mark Seifert, MD is the first cardiologist in Arizona to take an electromagnetic technology, invented to improve the aim of Israeli fighter pilots, and use it instead to save the lives of heart patients – and protect them from medical radiation risks.

“I have a lifelong aversion to ionizing radiation,” says Mark, a heart rhythm specialist. “My father was an engineer who understood, even in the early ’60s, the risks of ionizing radiation. Growing up, we were only permitted to get dental X-rays every other year. The idea of using X-rays in the workplace would probably make my father roll over in his grave.”

So when Mark was introduced to an Israeli innovation

12 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

that could significantly reduce the amount of radiation that patients are exposed to during the placement of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices, he jumped at the opportunity to be a pioneer.

CRT implants involve placing a wire in the right lower chamber of the heart, so that it presses against the right side of the left lower chamber, and then carefully threading another wire through a vein that goes around the heart to the left side of the left lower chamber. The CRT device enables both sides of the left lower chamber to squeeze at the same time, improving the function of a weak heart. Because of the delicate nature of this procedure, a continuous X-ray process called fluoroscopy is used to help guide placement of the second wire.

This exposes patients to an average of 22.2 minutes of radiation, which Mark says is the equivalent of 1,100 chest X-rays.

Using the new Israeli MediGuide technology. Mark’s team at HonorHealth John C. Lincoln Medical Center has reduced exposure time to an average of 90 seconds of radiation.

“The equipment that we use allows us to record a few seconds of X-ray movie in a typical way, which is then synchronized to the patient’s breathing and heartbeat rates. If the heart rate speeds up, the playback of the movie speeds up…. If the patient moves, the image moves, because there’s a sensor on the patient that tells the system what the patient’s doing in terms of heart rate, respiration and movement.

Instead of – Mark Seifert using live X-ray through the whole procedure, we can just do a few seconds and work for many minutes or even hours.”

MediGuide uses magnetic tracking to locate a miniature sensor embedded in the lead used to position the wire. “Because the images that are recorded are our typical X-ray views, what we’re looking at is exactly like what we’d be looking at if we were using live X-rays. Instead of seeing our leads come down through the blood vessels into the heart, we’re looking at a little cartoon illustration of the sensor at the tip of our tool. But it’s moving exactly as it would,” explains Mark, who belongs to Congregation Or Tzion in Scottsdale.

In addition to reducing the amount of X-ray exposure by 95%, MediGuide increases the rate of successful CRT implants because Mark’s not racing against the “radiation clock.”

Normally, 5-10% of CRT implant procedures need to be stopped before they are completed because radiation exposure exceeds the 60-minute limit, requiring chest surgery to place the leads. With radiation time slashed, this ceiling is gone and the success rate has increased to 98.9%.

“My father was an engineer who understood, even in the early ’60s, the risks of ionizing radiation.

Growing up, we were only permitted to get dental X-rays every other year.”

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This life-saving technology was developed by Israeli engineers who adapted it from a weapons targeting system for fighter pilots. Mark says they were working for Elbit, a defense contractor, to address the limitations of fixed-wing aircraft targeting systems, which only had a 30-degree targeting angle off the nose of the aircraft. Elbit placed a very low-intensity magnetic field in the cockpit and put a sensor on the pilot’s helmet. Small radio transmission receivers in the cockpit, similar to miniGPS satellites, sense the position and orientation of the pilot’s helmet. “So when the pilot is looking at something far off the left wing, now when he hits the fire button, the system knows where the target is,” Mark explains. “They expanded that targeting window from 30 degrees to over 180 degrees. And I’m told that every United States fixed wing aircraft that carries weapons systems incorporates this today.

“A few years back, some of the engineers approached the company and said that they’d really be interested in exploring medical applications of this technology, and would it be permissible if they did that and broke away from the company. They got the blessing from Elbit and that’s how MediGuide started.”

St. Jude Medical bought MediGuide in 2012, although Mark says that most of the R&D still happens in Haifa, which he describes as a hotbed of medical technology innovation. As one of the early adopters of MediGuide, Mark works with engineers both in the U.S. and Israel to help them develop additional tools and applications of the technology.

When Mark’s team began working with MediGuide in 2014, HonorHealth John C. Lincoln Medical Center was the only hospital in the region of Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada to use this technology. And they are still considered at the forefront, presenting at conferences and serving as a show site for academic centers nationwide to observe the procedure.

“We’re really pioneering how to leverage this system and use it to maximize success rates and minimize radiation exposure at the same time,” says Mark. “And those two things, in my view, go hand in hand.”

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ADL ARIZONA ANNOUNCES NEW REGIONAL DIRECTOR

Carlos Galindo-Elvira was recently appointed director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Arizona Office. Galindo-Elvira has been a strong community partner for ADL, as a participant in the organization’s Glass Leadership Institute in 2009 and as a past recipient of ADL Arizona’s Al Brooks Community Leadership Award.

Most recently, he served as the chief development officer at Valle del Sol, a nonprofit agency providing healthcare, human services and leadership development programs in Phoenix.

Prior to joining Valle del Sol, Galindo-Elvira was a special assistant to former U.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini in the areas of civil and human rights, Department of Justice, and Hispanic and Native American affairs. He also worked for the Pinal County Recorder’s Office as the Voter Outreach Program coordinator. Galindo-Elvira served as mayor and vice-mayor for the Town of Hayden, as a council member since 1987 as a magistrate pro tempore for the Hayden Magistrate Court. | arizona.adl.org

ROCHFORD MOVES UP TO EXECUTIVE VP AT JNF

Deb Rochford was promoted to executive vice president at Jewish National Fund (JNF). In her new capacity, Rochford remains based in Phoenix and in addition to overseeing the Las Vegas and Arizona communities, is responsible for the Southwest region, which encompasses Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas.

“This is the most important and meaningful job I have ever had,” says Rochford. “What defines me as a person is my dedication and love of Israel. I wake up in the morning with a smile on my face because I work with a great staff and for an organization whose mission I believe in 100%. I firmly believe the work we do is vital to the future of the state of Israel and am proud of the accomplishments we have achieved. It’s my honor and privilege to work every day for Jewish National Fund.” | jnf. org/arizona.

RICH JOINS VALLEY OF THE SUN JCC

The Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center hired Megan Rich as director of youth and camping. She will provide guidance and support to The J’s K-5 and teen programs, including Club J, afterschool enrichment classes and holiday and summer camps. Rich has more than 20 years of experience developing camp and youth programs. She most recently served as director of outdoor centers/ program, including camps, for the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania.

In addition, she is a certified member and associate visitor of the American Camp Association. | vosjcc.org.

14 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

ASU HILLEL WELCOMES NEW STAFF

Hillel Jewish Student Center at Arizona State University kicks off the new school year with two new employees.

Josh Traulsen, director of student life, focuses on leadership development, programming, and Birthright trips. An Arizona native, Traulsen is excited to return to ASU as part of the Hillel team.

Traulsen was program director for the Arizona Hemophilia Association, where he ran camp programs for children with bleeding disorders and worked with young adults within the community.

Madeline Dolgin, innovation specialist, focuses on freshmen engagement, Shabbat innovation, and increasing opportunities for professional development/mentoring/career readiness. Dolgin is a native of Scottsdale and recently graduated from New York University, where she was active with NYU’s Hillel, the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life. As a Hillel engagement intern sophomore year , Dolgin hosted the first student-led Shabbat dinners. She also sang in the Reform community’s “Shabband” for holidays and Shabbat services. | hillelasu.org.

JTO’S WABNIK ELECTED PRESIDENT; ZELL CHOSEN FOR SCOTTSDALE LEADERSHIP 31 Fred Wabnik was recently elected board president of the Jewish Tuition Organization. Wabnik has been on the JTO board for two years, is past board president of Jewish Free Loan and has served on the boards of the American Jewish Committee and Beth El Congregation.

JTO Executive Director Linda Zell was selected for Scottsdale Leadership Class 31. Each year Scottsdale Leadership selects applicants with leadership qualities who will further develop their civic passion and have a positive impact on their community. Zell has been executive director of the JTO for the past 10 years. When she started with the JTO, its fundraising efforts raised $300,000. This past year the JTO’s fundraising initiatives brought in more than $4 million. | jtophoenix.org.

TAKE THE LEAD ARIZONA PICKS JFL’S SACKS

Jewish Free Loan Associate Executive Director Ellen Sacks was selected by Take the Lead Arizona to participate in the inaugural class of “50 Women Can Change The World” leadership program.

Take The Lead prepares, develops, inspires and propels women to take their fair and equal share of leadership positions across all sectors by 2025. It’s today’s women’s movement – a unique catalyst for women to embrace power and reach leadership parity. jewishfreeloan.org.

JAC WELCOMES NEW FAMILIES TO TUCSON AND JLIVE

Rabbi Moshe and Esti Schonbrun are the new Jewish Arizonans on Campus family at the University of Arizona.

Together with Sophie Gibly, who has been a member of the JAC team in Tucson for the past year, they will lead Schonbrun Family educational and social programming.

Rabbi Moshe was born and raised in Brooklyn and has spent the last 12 years learning in some of the most prominent Talmudic centers of the world, including the Talmudic Research Center in Passaic, NJ; Mir Yeshiva, Jerusalem; and Beth Medrash Gevoha, Lakewood, NJ. Rabbi Moshe is also a graduate of the rabbinical training program Ner Bolel Family Le’elef. Esti hails from Spring Valley, NY, received her master’s degree in social work from Long Island University and has worked primarily with chemically-dependent adolescents.

Rabbi Leib and Devorah Bolel joined the JAC team to serve as directors of jLIVE, JAC’s Young Professional program. The Bolels spent the last six years in Des Moines, where Rabbi Leib served as rabbi of Beth El Jacob Synagogue. Born and raised in Gateshead in the northeast of England, Rabbi Leib received his rabbinic ordination through the Ohr Lagolah Graduate Semicha Program at Ohr Somayach in Jerusalem and furthered his studies at the Jerusalem Kollel. He holds a bachelor of Judaic Studies from Ohr Somayach Tanenbaum College and earned his MBA from Walden University. Devorah, originally from Jerusalem, oversaw the synagogue’s pre-school in Des Moines. | myjac.org.

JFCS ADDS TO LEADERSHIP TEAM

Morgan P. Crowder, M.S., was named director of finance and Monika L. Radford, PHR, SHRM-CP, has been named Human Resources Manager at Jewish Family & Chidren Services of Southern Arizona.

Crowder has more than 15 years of experience in financial roles within complex operations. She was an U.S. Air Force officer in charge of funding mission-critical programs, including humanitarian relief Morgan Crowder efforts and wartime operations. Crowder holds a master’s degree in management and a certificate in teaching finance.

Radford has more than 13 years of human resources management experience in developing strategies and procedures aligned with business objectives, organizational development and talent management. jfcstucson.org.

Monika Radford

NEW HIRES AT TUCSON JCC

Kathy (Kat) Rodriguez joins the Tucson Jewish Community Center as assistant director of digital marketing and communications. She worked as a marketing specialist at the University of Arizona Medical Network for seven years. Rodriguez holds an associate of arts degree from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a masters in business education from American InterContinental Kathy (Kat) Rodriguez University in Chicago.

Eva Romero is the Tucson J’s new grant writer. Born in the U.S. and raised in South America, she repatriated to attend the University of Iowa. Her book, Film and Democracy in Paraguay, will be published by Palgrave Macmillan this year and she will be co-directing LeeAnn Perry-Walker her first documentary film Eva Romero on women and women’s rights in South America. She received her PhD from the University of Arizona, where she taught a range of Hispanic cultural studies and language classes.

LeeAnn Perry-Walker was hired as membership relations coordinator. Perry-Walker worked for The J in 2003 as catering and sales director.

She left to pursue a career in the hotel industry and obtained her culinary degree at Pima Community College. Perry-Walker was director of catering at Lodge in the Desert and the Hilton El Conquistador Resort and catering Andrea Wright ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 15

manager at La Posada Lodge and Casitas.

Andrea Wright, operations coordinator, holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Grand Canyon University. Prior to The J, Andrea worked at A Place to Call Home, BBVA Compass Bank and Living Interiors. tucsonjcc.org.

WHITEHILL ELECTED JCF BOARD PRESIDENT

James A. Whitehill was recently elected president of the board of trustees of the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona. Whitehill has served as a JCF trustee since 2008. Whitehill, a native Tucsonan, is a practicing attorney with Whitehill Law Offices, which he founded 20 years ago. He is certified as a specialist in real estate law by the State Bar of Arizona; has concentrated his practice on real estate, business and estate law for more than 25 years; and has received numerous legal and community awards. Whitehill has served for 20 years on the board of directors of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and is an active member of Arizona Town Hall. Board member Goggy Davidowitz is a newly elected vice president. New board members include Caron Mitchell, Stephen Rodgveller and James Shiner. | jcftucson.org.

RABBI ABRAMI RETURNS TO BETH EMETH

Rabbi Leo Michel Abrami, who retired from Beth Emeth Congregation of the West Valley 10 years ago, has been called back to lead the congregation. During his years away from Beth Emeth, Rabbi Abrami led High Holiday services for unaffiliated coreligionists in Phoenix and the West Valley and taught courses for the Bureau of Jewish Education. Rabbi Abrami, who is a trained counselor and psychoanalyst, will be available for personal counseling on Monday mornings and on appointments. Beth Emeth is offering a special incentive for first time members. | 623-584-7210 | bethemethaz. org

CLERGY TEAM GROWS AT CONGREGATION OR TZION

Rabbi Nate Crane

Rabbi Nate Crane and Cantor Dannah Rubinstein recently joined the clergy team at Congregation Or Tzion. Upon earning his rabbinic ordination from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and master of

arts in rabbinic studies from the American Jewish University, Rabbi Crane began his career at Congregation B’nai Tikvah in Deerfield, IL in July 2014 as the director of lifelong learning. He also served as associate director of Camp Wise at Stephen S. Wise Temple in Los Angeles and as rabbinic intern of Congregation Or Tzion in Scottsdale. He returs to Congregation Or Tzion as associate rabbi and education director.

Cantor Rubinstein grew up in an observant Jewish home in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. 16 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

She attended Brandeis University where she received her bachelor of arts in music, with a minor in film and Judaic Studies. After a brief business career, Cantor Rubinstein returned to study at Gratz College in Philadelphia, where she received her master of arts in cantorial studies and Jewish music in 2008. Following experiences as a Torah reader, b’nai mitzvah program coordinator, tutor and cantor with congregations in Pennsylvania, she spent six years as cantor of Temple Beth Shalom in Vero Beach, FL, where she added choir director and religious school educator to her resume. | congregationortzion.org.

AUTISM SOCIETY OF AMERICA HONORS MATT RESNIK

Matt Resnik, co-founder of SMILE Biscotti, recently received the Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Leader in Adult Autism Award during the Autism Society of America’s 47th annual national conference in New Orleans. “This national honor is Denise and Rob Resnik (Matt’s an exciting and humbling one for parents), Matt Resnik and Linda Matt and our family,” says Denise Walder, founder and president D. Resnik, Matt’s mother. “SMILE of the Daniel Jordan Fiddle Biscotti is demonstrating that Foundation. Photo courtesy when given the chance to succeed, Autism Society of America people with autism can be productive contributing members of our communities. It’s a social enterprise built on hard work and skill. No charitable or government dollars have been involved.”

Resnik is the first recipient of the award. After graduating from high school, he co-founded SMILE Biscotti with his parents in 2013 to develop work skills, learn to support himself and save for his own place to live. Since then, SMILE Biscotti (an acronym for Supporting Matt’s Independent Living Enterprise) has sold more than 150,000 biscotti online and in a growing number of retail locations across the country. | smilebiscotti.com.

GLASSMAN OF COUNSEL AT BEUS GILBERT

Rodney Glassman is now Of Counsel at Beus Gilbert PLLC, where he does strategy work locally, nationally and internationally for Arizona State University President Dr. Michael Crow, Mobile Mini Inc., Phoenix International Raceway (NASCAR), the Brewer Companies (Arizona’s largest newconstruction plumbing company), Phil Francis (former CEO of PetSmart), John Whiteman of Empire Southwest and the Whiteman Foundation, and CASE (Central Arizonans for a Sustainable Economy, which represents over 20,000 working families across Arizona). | beusgilbert.com.

SIEGEL IS NEW CEO OF GRAND CANYON RESORT CORP

Cantor Dannah Rubinstein

The Grand Canyon Resort Corporation hired hospitality industry veteran Brian Siegel as CEO. Siegel brings more than 30 years of hospitality and tourism industry experience to Grand Canyon West and Hualapai Tourism, along with years of insight into Native American business enterprises. Prior to accepting the post, Siegel spent more than 15 years working as an executive with two of the nation’s premier tribal tourism destinations: director of hospitality at Menominee Casino Resort and food and beverage director the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center and Oneida Casino. Siegel also worked for the Hollywood Casino in Columbus, OH and in various

locations for the Marriott Corporation, where he started his career. | grandcanyonwest.com.

DESERT STAGES THEATRE HONORED WITH SPOTLIGHT AWARD

U.S. Rep. David Schweikert presented the Small Business Spotlight Award to Desert Stages Theatre, honoring Desert Stage Theatre’s Linda Barton, the nonprofit community Stephanie Yampolsky, Michael Lev and theater’s 21 years of artistic Executive Director & Artistic Director contribution to Scottsdale.

Laurie Cullity accept the Given to a select number Spotlight Award. of businesses to honor their exemplary hard work and ongoing community giving, the award is part of Congressman Schweikert’s effort to showcase small business in Arizona. | desertstages.org

LEVI CATERING COOKS UP SOMETHING NEW

Leah Pakenav, Levi Catering

At the end of September, Levi Catering will close their Café at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Center and relocate their catering business to 3375 E Shea Blvd., Phoenix. After 10 years of running the Café, this move will enable the company to focus on expanding their catering services. From their new location, Levi Catering will be available for all types of kosher catering at any venue that permits services from outside catering vendors, including Valley of the Sun JCC.

KANE JOINS ALEPH CENTER

Patty Perea Kane, MD recently joined the Aleph Center, a holistic mental health practice in Tucson, as a general psychiatrist treating adults patients.

Dr. Kane earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Princeton University and a master’s degree in religion from Yale University. She attended medical school and residency at the University of Arizona, where she cofounded a volunteer medical clinic serving Central American refugees. Dr. Kane received the Roy N. Killingsworth Memorial Award for Excellence in Psychiatry and the Community Scholar Award for the Outstanding Senior in Community Medicine. The College of Medicine and UA Alumni Association honored her with the Leo B. Hart Humanitarian Award. She also received the Robert Moore Award from Compass Behavioral Health, recognizing an individual who “exemplifies exceptional values, beliefs, dedication and high ethical standards in the field of behavioral health.” | alephcenter.com

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480.634.4900 | jewishphoenix.org ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 17

Media maven Fran Mallace:

“At the top of her game”

By Leni Reiss

“Welcome to Fran’s Zoo!” Those were the words that welcomed me as I arrived at the Paradise Valley home Fran Mallace presently shares with husband Michael; two daughters, Sydney and Jordie; and their two family pets, Leo, a shih tzu, and Izzy, a cockapoo.

The sisters will soon be sharing digs in Chicago: Jordie, 22, and a recent graduate of the University of Kansas, is pursuing a job in public relations/digital media. Her younger sister is entering her sophomore year as a fashion/business major at Columbia College.

The “zoo” Fran is referring to is the impressive collection, scattered throughout the bright and spacious Mallace residence, of various animals: painted, sculpted and crafted in an abundance of textures and techniques. The giraffes, though, have special significance for Fran. “They have stature and they have vision – they have the biggest hearts.” One’s heart, she believes, “is the biggest component of who you are.

And I’m not afraid to stick my neck out for what I believe in.”

“One’s heart is the biggest component of who you are. And I’m not afraid to stick my neck out for what I believe in.”

– Fran Mallace

Fran Mallace with one of the many giraffes that make up her impressive collection of painted, sculpted and crafted animals.

18 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

This attitude has paved the way for Fran to achieve success in what traditionally has been a male-dominated field. Since 2012, she has served as vice president for Cox Media in Arizona.

A native of New Jersey, the Garden State, who played softball on her high school team, Fran ventured west to college. Arizona State University was a big school with a great sports program, she recalls, “and the topography couldn’t be more different than what I was used to.”

But when you are 18, she says, everything can change – and it did. Softball took a back seat to the school’s

The Mallace clan: Fran, Sydney, Jordie and Michael

liberal arts program, where she enrolled in what since has become the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, with the idea of continuing on to law school after graduation. She served an internship here at Channel 12, conducting tours and even helping out in the sales department. “It was a lot of fun for a 19-year-old,” she says, and she ultimately earned a bachelor of science in broadcast management. Before applying to law school, though, she took a year off, accepting a job at Channel 12. She says she “was hooked.” Choosing to remain in the world of communications, she went to work selling advertising for a local ad agency.

Fran had met her husband-to-be, a Chicagoan, in their freshman year at an AEPi fraternity party on the ASU campus.

Fran was a “little sister” for the Jewish fraternity and Michael, a sophomore, served as the group advisor. “He took a liking to me,” Fran says, “but it took him five years to close the deal!”

They married when they both turned 23 and Michael was working at a local radio station. He now is general manager for several local stations. The pair waited 10 years before they started their family. “We had lots of fun, lots of travel and adventures.”

Fran’s move, 24 years ago, to Cox Communications was prescient. She anticipated, early on, the growth of the cable industry. “I was one of only five cable media buyers in town at the time,” she recalls, starting out as national sales manager and working her way up to her current post as vice president for Cox Media in Arizona.

On the path to her present post, Fran held several managerial jobs. She commuted to both Georgia and California, while balancing family and professional challenges. These included earning an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global

Management in 2008. She notes that she was one of the few women in the two-year program, and the only one with kids.

“Michael was so very supportive,” Fran says. “He really was Mr. Mom for 22 months.” But, she says, the experience proved to be positive for the whole family. “It forced me to be structured and focused, and set a good example of study habits for the girls – working seriously to learn and benefit from the opportunity,” which Cox funded. “And Michael and I always have worked family vacations into our schedules so the four of us can enjoy quality together time.”

Regrets? “I’ve had a few,” she acknowledges, “but I really believe I have made up for it.” She says that either she or Michael were always there for school events, admitting though that she sometimes did put work first. “But when I saw some of the male bosses take personal time, I knew it would be okay for me to do the same.”(When Fran and I spoke on the phone in early June she was finalizing plans for a spur-of-the-moment trip with her daughters to visit family in Amsterdam!)

Fran defines her professional role as “pretty much overseeing ad sales and marketing solutions operations, working on integrated campaigns to deliver revenue numbers.” The challenge, she says, “is keeping up with changing technology and driving results for clients.”

She also serves on the boards of ASU’s Cronkite School and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She has moderated panels for the local chapter of Women in Communications.

“I know what’s important and I figure out how to get it done,” Fran says. At age 55, sharing an “empty nest” with her husband of 33 years and proud of her children’s accomplishments, Fran Mallace says with a smile, “I feel like I’m at the top of my game!”

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 19

The buzz on local honey

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

high holidays Inside

20 The buzz on local honey 24 A spiritual check-up 25 Mitzvah Challenge 5777 26 Finding a path to forgiveness Visit azjewishlife.com/calendar for times and locations of High Holiday services around Arizona.

20 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Honey is one of those rare foods that you can indulge in and feel virtuous about at the same time. When we dip apples in honey and recite the blessing for a sweet new year, we also enjoy the healthy benefits of liquid gold.

Honey is reported to be an excellent source of antioxidants and is thought by many to help build up immunities to pollenbased allergies. It’s a potent fuel source, gives a great energy boost and can help soothe a sore throat or a persistent cough.

Because of its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties honey has been used to heal wounds. And since it attracts and retains moisture, it can be found in many natural moisturizers, creams and salves.

“It’s just miraculous stuff. Honey is the only food that lasts forever. They found it in the pyramids, in the tombs in Egypt, 4,000 years old and still good,” says Reed Booth, otherwise known as the Killer Bee Guy in Bisbee. “It is the only food that does not lose its vitamin and mineral content. And it is also the only natural food that has all the vitamins and minerals and amino acids and enzymes that you need to live.

You could actually live on it. So it’s really, literally, a miracle food. And the bees, it’s so nice of them to make it for us.”

With our abundance of desert wildflowers, Arizona has its fair share of beekeepers and honey aficionados selling locallysourced honey at farmers markets, roadside stands, local merchants and their own online stores and retail outlets. The most prominent wild honey in Arizona is mesquite, but it is by no means the only option available. Varieties in elevation, location and season lead to a wide spectrum of colors, consistencies and flavors.

Although he started off as a beekeeper in 1988, Booth stopped maintaining his own hives in 1998. He now salvages wild honey from the Africanized bees he is called in to remove from residential, commercial and even border patrol properties.

“I literally take the money and the honey,” he jokes. In a normal year he harvests over a ton of honey.

“Africanized bees are tough – they’re tough as nails and they make twice as much honey. But they defend the hive to the nth degree,” says Reed. He describes bee removal as the most dangerous job a person can do. “But I’ve been doing it for so many years. I was on the front lines when the killer bees first moved to Arizona in ’93 and basically learned everything about them that I could. … I know what I’m getting myself into. In my bee suit, I’m Superman. Without it … I’m not going anywhere near them.”

From those salvaged hives, Reed makes pure honey in a variety of shades and subtly different flavors. “It depends on what the bees were messing around with, what kinds of flowers.” He says that the lighter the honey, the greater the concentration of mesquite. Reed also makes gourmet honey butters and award-winning honey mustards. His honey mustards have won two gold, one silver and seven bronze

medals at the World Mustard Competition in Napa County, CA. “I’ve actually beat the Germans at mustard, so I’m gloating,” Reed says, with palpable pride.

You can find Killer Bee Honey at the company’s retail stores in Bisbee and Tombstone and at their website killerbeeguy. com.

Dennis Arp, of Mountain Top Honey in Flagstaff, has been raising bees since 1979 initially as a hobby. In 1982 he began bottling and selling honey, starting with 120 hives. He now has 900 hives that he moves four to five times a year to take advantage of different elevations and seasonal flowers around the state. Dennis also drives the bees across the state line into California to pollinate almond groves each February. “The almond growers actually pay a pollination fee because it helps them set more fruit on the trees,” he says.

In the spring he moves the bees to the lower desert around Fort McDowell and Black Canyon City, where they make honey from mesquite, cats claw, palo verde, brittle bush and other wild flowers that may be in bloom, depending on the winter rains. Dennis’s bees spend the summer near Winslow, Joseph City and Holbrook, moving closer to Flagstaff in the fall. Flowers at their disposal may include sweet clover, golden eye, rabbit brush and others, conditional on early spring rains and monsoons. They winter in the desert, before returning to California to help out with the almonds.

Overall, Dennis notes that honey production has declined from over 200 pounds of honey per hive 15 year ago to about 40 pounds per hive last year, primarily due to factors beyond any beekeeper’s control. “The desert just didn’t really produce that much this year,” he says. “Some of it is environmental

– weather conditions and moisture conditions, which translates into what blooms and what’s not blooming.

And there are some issues going on with bees. There are different pests and parasites affecting bees, so they don’t have the production that they used to have.”

Dennis works hard to maintain the health of his European bees and keep them from becoming Africanized. This involves replacing the queen every other year. Although the European bees aren’t as hardy as their Africanized cousins, he prefers their temperament. “With some European hives, you can finish working them, walk 50 feet away, take your veil off and sit down and eat your lunch. They can be that gentle,” he says.

If you’re driving through Flagstaff, you can find Mountain Top Honey at the Flagstaff Farmers Market, Bashas’ and Whole Foods Market. It’s also available at Bashas’ in Payson and Camp Verde, and Whole Foods in Prescott and Sedona. In the Valley, the main outlets are Superstition Ranch Farmers Market in Mesa and Apache Junction, Summers Fruit Barn in Phoenix and a handful of small health food stores. It’s also available through Absolutely Delightful.

“Some people come right here to the house and fill up their own containers. But we don’t really have store hours or a store front. It’s just right here in the honey house where we extract and bottle,” says the 65-year-old beekeeper. He also takes phone orders (928-525-167).

“I’ll ship $50-$100 worth of honey just based on a phone conversation with an invoice, and hopefully, they send me a check. Not too many people do that anymore, but we still do.”

Despite the hard work and unpredictable nature of the job, Dennis says he loves the satisfaction that comes from providing a product that people enjoy. “I’ve gotten calls on our voice mail, ‘Hi. You don’t know who I am, but we just bought a jar of your honey and it’s the best honey I’ve ever tasted.’ Then they just say thank you and hang up. If you get a call like that it’s a little pat on the back.”

Like their bees, many beekeepers are too busy making honey to market it themselves. That’s where Eleanor Dziuk steps in. She runs Absolutely Delightful, which sells honey and bee-related products from eight Arizona beekeepers. She hawks their wares at farmers markets around the Valley and on her website (absolutelydelightfulazhoney.com). It’s all under the Absolutely Delightful brand, but on each jar of honey she lists the beekeeper and where the honey was harvested.

“Right now I have honey from Wickenberg, Gilbert/ Queen Creek area, South Mountain, Mesa, Buckeye, Yarnell and Fountain Hills,” says Eleanor. “When people come to us they can try all kinds of different honeys from all over the Valley and it’s all local and it’s all directly from the beekeeper. The honey differs so much from different areas – the color, the taste, the sugar consistency. It varies all over the place.”

Eleanor says that one variety in particularly high demand is honey made from camelthorn, a prolific shrub that is identified as a noxious weed (noxious plants are non-native plants with invasive characteristics) by the ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 21

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• University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.

She describes it as whitish in color and very creamy, Eleanor Dziuk of “almost along the lines of a frosting. It’s wonderful Absolutely Delightful honey. People watch for it and ask for it all the brings honey from eight time. If you try it you will love it.” It should be beekeepers to farmers markets in the Valley. ready in September, but sells out quickly, so Eleanor recommends checking her website for availability.

Cactus Honey,” says Cheri. “The other vendor obtains his Absolutely Delightful also creates their own honey from several sources – some hives are placed in a citrus uniquely flavored honeys by adding essential oils, cayenne field to yield pure citrus honey for our Orange Blossom Honey pepper, lemon rind and other natural flavorings. For the fall, product; others are placed in a desert area where the bees gather their seasonal honey will be pumpkin spice. nectar from a variety of desert plants, which creates our Desert Eleanor’s personal favorite is crystallized honey. “Most of it Blossom Honey. Each has its own unique flavor profile.” is smooth and creamy. Some have the little crystals in it. Some For more information about Cheri’s Desert Harvest, see people think that crystallized honey is bad, but it’s not. Honey in “Cheri’s kosher cactus confections” in the May 2016 issue of its natural state is crystallized,” she says.

Arizona Jewish Life (azjewishlife.com/cheris-kosher-cactusCheri Romanoski, of Cheri's Desert Harvest in Tucson, confections). markets four varieties of locally sourced kosher honey. “We Since we’ve only scraped the tip of the honey comb, you can obtain barrels of honey from two local vendors. One places find more Arizona beekeepers at Baja Arizona Sustainable his hives in a field of mesquite trees, which we use for our Agriculture (bajaaz.org/lfd/honey_preserves) and Agrilicious Mesquite Honey. We also use the mesquite honey as our base (agrilicious.org/local/honey/arizona/phoenix/farms). and blend prickly pear cactus fruit juice for our Prickly Pear

Refresh Your Soul at Solel this High Holy Day Season

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DYNAMTIC Rabbi Arthur Lavinsky Hazzan Avinoam Sharon and Cantor Sam Goldman

May you have a good and sweet New Year 5777

For Slichot, Rosh Hashanah, Kol Nidre & Yom Kippur Sevices are musically rich and spiritually moving.

We offer fun-filled Family and Youth Services too!

For membership information and tickets For the High Holy Days call Anne Schafer, Executive Director, ext. 109

 22 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

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Life-Legacy-HH-JewishLife-3.504x4.875-FINAL.pdf 1 8/19/2016 12:59:06 PM

Wishing you a year full of happiness and joy!

Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley

Your Home for the High Holidays Please join us for: Erev Rosh HaShanah Rosh HaShanah 1st Day Tashlich/Mincha Rosh HaShanah 2nd Day Kol Nidre Yom Kippur Morning Service Yizkor (approx.)

Mincha Ne’ilah

Sunday, Oct. 2nd Monday, Oct. 3rd Monday, Oct. 3rd Tuesday, Oct. 4th Tuesday, Oct. 11th Wednesday, Oct. 12th

6:00 pm 9:00 am 5:00 pm 9:00 am 6:00 pm 9:00 am 11:00 am 4:00 pm 6:00 pm

October 3rd and October 12th FREE Family Services 10:00 am — 1:30 pm: Families with children, infants through 2nd grade are encouraged to attend our creative services with developmentally appropriate stories, crafts and games in the North building.

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M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

10:00 am — 1:00 pm: Families with children in 3rd-12th grades are encouraged to attend a participatory service with teen involvement, ruach, singing and discussion in the Social Hall.

Bring a hat, water and dairy sack lunch. Challah, apples and honey provided for a happy, sweet New Year!

3400 N. Dobson Rd., Chandler 85224 480.897.3636 • www.tbsev.org

K

This Rosh Hashanah, make this year count for years to come...

The High Holy Days are a time for reflection, and imagining the possibilities for the future. Offering a range of medical, mental health and social services, Jewish Family & Children’s Service helps foster a future where families are healthy, our children are safe, and our elders can live with dignity.

Please consider a Legacy gift or endowment to JFCS.

Jewish Family & Children’s Service

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

Couples • Singles • Winter Visitors

Over 50 and looking to connect with YOUR Jewish background?

Check out A Small Temple With A BIG Heart Established 1978

OPEN HOUSE Friday, September 16th

Wine and Cheese event 6pm - Shabbat Service 7:30pm

A Congregation of INVOLVED Jewish ADULTS

Seeking Spiritual and Social Connections Travel – Hiking – Cultural Outings – Movies – Discussion – Torah Study and more

High Single Holiday Services $125 • Family $250 (Ticket cost can be applied to membership)

Rabbi Arthur Abrams • Cantorial Soloist Pam Beitman

3535 E. Lincoln Drive • Paradise Valley (Sanctuary in Palo Cristi Church)

Call: 602-956-0805 www.bethamitemple.org No Building Fund • Modest Dues ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 23

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p u k c e h c l a u t i r i p s A Engelman r io L i b b a R f o rk from the wo A free translation erger

By Teddy Weinb

As part of the spiritual accounting that characterizes the period of the High Holidays, we are invited to survey ourselves and ask honestly: In relation to last year, has our spiritual condition improved or worsened; were the hopes that we expressed during last year’s High Holidays – that there would be a change in our character – realized or did they vanish into nothing? It’s difficult to find an exact scale to help us perform a proper spiritual check-up, one that will not delude us and yet one that will also not produce a picture of exaggerated gloom.

The Rebbe of Piaseczno offers us an honest and true scale: “If you want to learn about yourself, to tell if you rose or, heaven forbid, if you fell during the past year, look at your wishes – but only your wishes and not your fantasies. Every Jewish person wants to be a tzaddik (a righteous person), but this is a type of fantasy: A person fantasizes that they will wake up one morning and find that they have become a tzaddik.

This is not a true spiritual wish. Only – Rebbe of Piaseczno a condition towards which a person is willing to work can be considered a true spiritual wish. And so, if you want to learn about your spiritual condition, look to your wishes. What did you want spiritually a year ago and what do you want now? If your wishes have increased – or even if they have stayed the same – this is a sign that you have risen spiritually.”

A proper spiritual check-up according to the Rebbe of Piaseczno, therefore, is measured by our willingness to put in effort, to take that extra spiritual step – and to take responsibility for all that results from this step. A comparison of our willingness to commit to this work during the course of the coming year in comparison to last year will testify like 1,000 witnesses to our true spiritual condition.

But something is bothering you. A tiny voice sneaks into your heart and whispers: “Last year at this time you also thought that you could change; yes, you thought that you could change your skin and become a really pious person. And yet, you repeated your sins again and again. What was last year will be this year: You will be greeted by the same failures and sins, and all of your prayers will be for naught.”

Here, too, the words of the Rebbe of Piaseczno can be

helpful. Our problem stems from our hope for big changes: to be a completely different person, to be free of sin. The expectation is so lofty that when the High Holidays pass we find that we have no tools to bring it to fruition, for it’s not possible to change drastically in one fell swoop. And so we are left to struggle with a powerful fantasy that cannot be realized in our lives.

Our job is to translate the great feeling of penitence that we have at this time of year into defined goals. We need to identify honestly for ourselves a practical spiritual goal for the coming year for which we are willing to pay a price. A person who wants to change their character will not desire in a general way to be humble (for example). This person will set aside a defined period of time to study the trait of humbleness and will commit to performing certain specific actions that can help them attain their goal.

And a person who wishes to be more charitable will take it upon themselves to perform a few more specific charitable acts – but to do this with consistency. In this way, one’s practical spiritual wishes will be realized.

The Rebbe of Piaseczno concludes here: “A false spiritual wish can always be very great. A person can always fantasize about taking a giant leap and becoming an exalted tzaddik in an instant. Not so is the true spiritual wish, the wish that is realized with work; it knows no short cuts, but only measured steps, step after step, towards a more elevated spiritual condition.”

Shanah Tova!

“A person fantasizes that they will wake up one morning and find that they have become a tzaddik. This is not a true spiritual wish. Only a condition towards which a person is willing to work can be considered a true spiritual wish.”

24 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

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

5777

Mitzvah Challenge

We invited our readers to share their plans for renewing their spiritual commitment by taking on new mitzvot for the new year. Responses ranged from concrete measures to more esoteric commandments, and one that was even a little tongue-in-cheek. All represent steps along the path to a meaningful year ahead. We’d like to thank everyone who accepted our Mitzvah Challenge.

On Sept, 15 I will go to Hillel at Arizona State University and offer to volunteer my services. I've been meaning to do this for the past year but this has put my feet in the right direction! I have grandchildren in Atlanta and Chicago who have all gone away to college. Two have graduated already and it's time I give time to other college students who might need a Bubbe Esther to talk to.

Esther Zack I will donate four hours of my time helping nonprofit organizations (along with a large number of other volunteers) paint, clean, help with yard work, etc. as part of an annual multi-congregational effort to help the Green Valley community. I was taught not to just take from what my community had to offer, but to also give back to help strengthen the area in which I live. I have always done this because it is tremendously rewarding and satisfying. Helping out battered women’s agencies and other similar organizations is critically important, as is the other work we do on Mitzvah Day. Amy Storer

Amy Storer traces designs for quilts that are donated to hospitals and shelters for women and children.

The mitzvah I would like to renew in my life is the one of sanctifying the month. I have taught my two-year-old son to site the stars for Shabbat and want him to learn how to site the new moon. It is very meaningful to me to take time at the end of the last Shabbat in the month, not just for the blessings, not to think about what I have to finish for the month, but to give all that I have to Hashem so that he can make the way. Also, it's very important from that day on to diligently search the skies for the new moon. Last year and this year I sited the new moon a day earlier than reported by the Jewish calendar, a total of three months. I'm saddened by the fact few seem to notice or have any interest. I hope my zeal can inspire some watchers.

Amanda Grounds

At our granddaughter Bari’s bat mitzvah in 2010, the centerpiece on each table was a hand-sewn therapeutic doll for Hadassah Hospital in Israel.

Bari, her family and friends worked side-by-side for three months creating these dolls. If our granddaughter could take on a creative mitzvah project, why couldn’t I, along with other local Marcia Wiener delivers Hadassah members and friends in therapeutic dolls to Green Valley, make a similar but Hadassah Hospital in ongoing commitment? Over the last Jerusalem. five years, our group has made over 250 therapeutic dolls in hospital gowns. Doctors and nurses use the dolls to demonstrate each child’s upcoming medical procedure, which helps calm the children’s fears. Half of them were sent to Hadassah Hospital in Israel and the others were handdelivered to Banner University Medical Center - Diamond Children’s in Tucson. Through this work I have become a dedicated Hadassah member, a more caring individual and passionate leader, guiding other women to actively participate in doing good deeds. Please join us as we renew our commitment to our mitzvah in 2016. If you are interested in participating, please call me at 520-232-3599.

Marcia Wiener The new mitzvah I will add this year is not to consult yid’onim (wizards) (Leviticus 19:31; Mitzvah 48 in Rambam’s Enumeration). While I won't eschew Harry Potter books, I'll remember that they are fiction. I will avoid watching NBA games featuring the Washington Wizards, as I might be tempted to talk to the screen. If perchance I watch “that movie” – you know, the Oz one – I’ll avoid the final scenes.

Marty Johnston

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 25

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Finding a path to

forgiveness

By Amy Hirshberg Lederman

On a chilly day in February over a decade ago, I drove my mother to the hospital to visit her only sister, Emily. My mother was anxious about seeing her. Not just because of her condition, which bordered on terminal, but because of their relationship, defined by years of unspoken hurt and unfinished conversations.

We both fidgeted in the elevator as we approached the room to say what we knew would be our final goodbyes. No matter how hard you try, there is no way to prepare for a moment like this. You can comfort yourself with thoughts like “She’s so sick, it’s for the best,” or “She’s lived a good life and now it’s her time.” But as we entered the room I was struck by the realization that the cadaverous shell of a woman lying in bed, the same woman who had caused my mother so much grief and pain in her youth, might never be able to speak again. And there was still so much left to say.

Her daughter greeted us at the door.

“She’s been calling for you for days,” she said softly, looking at my mother.

As if choreographed, my mother began stroking Emily’s forehead with her own tired hand. She spoke softly of their lives together as little girls, of books they had loved, of summers at the beach. A smile spread slowly across Emily’s face and for a few moments, her weary eyes focused and were young again.

My mother repeated softly, “I love you, Emily.” And Emily, who had been unable to talk for days, uttered the words that helped to ease my mother’s pain and teach her how to forgive: “I love you too, Elise. I have always loved you.”

Granting forgiveness to those who have hurt us is one of the most difficult things to do: it doesn’t come easily or naturally for most of us. When we are wronged, our tendency is to withdraw or retaliate. If we disengage, we often hold on to the hurt without ever having a chance to resolve it. If we respond by causing new pain, we increase hostility making resolution or forgiveness that much more difficult.

When the injury is interpersonal, we can carry the pain for years and the emotional scar tissue that forms can prevent us from ever healing. When the injury is not just against us, but against our family, faith or the community we care about, it can be even more difficult to find ways to “forgive and forget.”

When we love, we open ourselves up to experiencing many wonderful, intimate, nurturing and deeply gratifying feelings.

We also open ourselves up to being hurt, disappointed, betrayed and abandoned. That is the nature of being in a relationship 26 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

– with others, with our community, our country and yes, even with God. The Torah is the Jewish blueprint for living a good, compassionate and meaningful life. As Jews, we are not expected to be perfect; we are expected to be human. There will be times when we let ourselves and others down, when we hurt others through our words, actions or thoughtless deeds.

Because wronging others is part of being human, Judaism provides guidance in our efforts to forgive and be forgiven.

We are taught that we can’t seek forgiveness from God for a wrong we have committed against others. For those acts, we must ask forgiveness directly from the person we have offended and, if we still are not forgiven after three attempts, our obligation is satisfied.

When someone hurts or wrongs us, the Torah counsels us not to take vengeance or bear a grudge. And when we are sincerely asked for our forgiveness, Judaism teaches us that we should forgive, and do it wholeheartedly.

There is much to gain, psychologically and spiritually, when we let go of past injuries. It frees up the energy we use to stay angry or disappointed for more positive things that can bring us happiness, fulfillment and love. And Judaism assures us that if we show compassion to those who offend us, God will show us compassion as well.

The High Holidays are a time when we are called upon to look deeply at our efforts during the past year to see where we have succeeded and where we have missed the mark. We are asked to make amends to those we may have hurt by going directly to them and asking for forgiveness in order to clear the slate for the new year. It may not be easy, but it is an opportunity to right the wrongs we have done and begin again, each year, with the hope that we will do better and be better in the year ahead.

I think of the years of hurt that my mother endured and of how she longed for her sister to apologize for the hurtful things she did, or at least, to talk about them. She will never have that conversation now, but what she does have is almost as good.

Because she found a path to forgiveness and a way to heal herself even though her sister is gone.

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

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 27

Cover Story

28 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Mike Vax: Boogie woogie bugle boy of Prescott, AZ

By Melissa Hirschl

Big band jazz is a hallmark of American culture, encompassing a wide range of exciting and sensual sounds – from sassy and brassy to velvety smoothness. Master trumpet player, and Dewey resident, Mike Vax, has lived his life immersed in the genre; he has played lead and solo trumpet with the legendary Stan Kenton and his Orchestra, in addition to the Clark Terry Big B-A-D Band. He has performed on more than 75 albums, with 20 in his name, and has appeared as a guest lead trumpet and soloist with symphony pops orchestras throughout the United States and Europe.

Thanks to Mike, Prescott is home to the Prescott Jazz Summit he founded in 1999. The colorful event from Sept.

30 to Oct. 2 draws jazz performers and enthusiasts from all over the United States. Following on the heels of summer concerts “Howlin’ in the Highlands” at the Highland Center for Natural History with Dennis Rowland and a “Tribute to Louis Armstrong, Al Hirt and the Legacy of New Orleans” at the Elks Opera House, the 2016 festival promises to be a jazz band blockbuster as well. (See sidebar for details.)

Mike’s dedication to his craft paved the way for a lifetime of enviable achievements: performances with such jazz greats as Cab Calloway, Freddy Hubbard, Al Grey, Art Pepper, Louie Bellson and the Four Freshmen, to name a few. He’s also had the distinction of performing with the Glenn Miller, Harry James and Jimmy Dorsey Orchestras; the Beverly Hills ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 29

Unlisted Jazz Band and the Dukes of Dixieland in New Orleans.

“Music has always been in my family,” says Mike. “We enjoyed listening to the big bands on the radio in the ’40s, and I also listened to the Metropolitan Opera with my grandfather, who was a huge opera fan. In school, I fell in love with the song flute [recorder] before I even got a real instrument.” He fell so hard, the music teacher quickly put him in the orchestra, giving him all she could manage to come up with – an old beat up cornet. In junior high, Mike switched to the trumpet, setting the stage for an extraordinary life.

His parent’s basement in Oakland, CA became the incubator for his burgeoning talent in. “I formed a band that included the accordion, guitar, drums and saxophone,” says Mike. Before long, he was immersed in a rich variety of 30 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

“I was planning on being a symphony player, but after that experience, I decided I wanted to play with Stan Kenton.

At the end of the camp, I told him I wanted to play in his band some day, and he told me if I wanted it bad enough, I would. ... That changed my life.”

– Mike Vax

musical organizations in high school, including band, orchestra and dance band.

Little did Mike know that two weeks at Stan Kenton’s Summer Camp at Indiana University at the age of 17, would alter his professional trajectory and light a fire that would never go out. “Kenton was the father of jazz education, and he started the whole idea of summer jazz camps,” explains Mike, who had the fortune of playing fourth trumpet for Kenton’s faculty band at the camp. “I was planning on being a symphony player before that, but after that experience, I decided I wanted to play with Stan Kenton. At the end of the camp, I told him I wanted to play in his band some day, and he told me if I wanted it bad enough, I would. ...

That changed my life.”

Band shells and bombshells

“Our bus was ambushed; they put bombs under the In 1966, Mike found himself at the unforeseen precipice of drama and danger. It all began after he was drafted stage, which the secret service and eventually landed in the Navy Show found. Another time a bus Band, which consisted of about 25 musicians. The band primarily traveled blew up outside. Sometimes for the Navy to help recruit in the United States, but for five-and-a-half months they would throw bricks to out of the year they also traveled to South America for the State Department stop our performances. Our to support President John F. Kennedy’s Good Will campaign. Typical crowds for orders were to keep playing evening concerts were 15,000–20,000 people and the band did three to five no matter what they did to concerts a day.

“In South America, the communists stop the performance.” were trying to take over,” explains Mike.

– Mike Vax “Our bus was ambushed; they put bombs under the stage, which the secret service found. Another time a bus blew up outside. Sometimes they would throw bricks to stop our performances. In Chile, some people in the audience got so upset, they stomped one of the communists to death. Our orders were to keep playing no matter what they did to stop the performance.”

Life in the Navy Band became even more precarious. In the mountains of Chile, even with armored cars in front and back of their bus, band members had to dive to the floor in a second because of an ambush. “We had nothing to fight back with,”

says Mike. “All we had was our instruments. We just kept going through the ambush and played that night. The upside of the experience was that the Navy Band was the first band in the history of the United States, not attached to a combat unit, to be awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation, a battle medal.”

A turn of events in 1970 put life into high gear for Mike and his high school aspirations materialized. While in the Navy Band at Treasure Island in San Francisco, he auditioned and landed the coveted job of playing trumpet in Stan Kenton’s band.

Mike was elated, but a huge hurdle was at stake; the caveat was that Kenton wanted him to start before he was scheduled to be discharged from the Navy. “Stan called Washington,” says Mike, “and before I knew it, I was out of the Navy... four months early. I still to this day don’t know who he spoke to.”

The band played throughout the United States and Europe, from small jazz clubs to huge concert halls and famous ballrooms. “Kenton felt strongly about jazz education, so we coached high school and college jazz workshops three to four days a week in afternoons,” says Mike. “This was on top of our concerts in the evening.”

Prescott Jazz Summit 2012 at the Elks Opera House with Joel Robin, Kim Richmon d, Jack Petersen, Tony Vacca, Bill Tole, Mike Vax and Cleve Huff (not shown, Jennifer Leitham on bass)

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 31

Mike Vax as guest soloist with the West Texas All Sta r Big Band, circa 2012

Burned out from the intensity of his career in l972, Mike realized how much enjoyment he garnered from working with students throughout the years. “I kept the contact info for every school we went to and I sent letters to about 300 schools,” he says. “Since then, my main source of income has been the workshops I've been doing with high school and college kids all over the world.”

Mike is blessed to live in a universe encompassing all the things he loves – making a difference with young people, working jazz clinics and camps, performing and spending time with his wife of over 40 years, Peggy. He’s done workshops and concerts in over 2,500 high schools, colleges and universities all over the world. He also founded Friends of Big Band Jazz, a nonprofit corporation that has awarded over $60,000 in scholarships to jazz camps and funds jazz programs in schools.

In 1997, Mike and Peggy visited a friend in the Prescott area and fell in love with the region. “We bought a condo in 1999 and some land for a future home.” That’s when Mike launched the Prescott Jazz Summit. In 2003 they sold them both and bought their current house, finally settling down in Dewey in 2010,when Peggy retired after 33 years as a middle school band director.

Currently, Mike leads his own groups: the Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra, the Swing Shift Big Band in Prescott, the Great American Jazz Band, TRPTS (Trumpets) and the Mike Vax Quintet and Sextet. The Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra tours every year for two to three weeks, performing in high schools, colleges, jazz clubs and concert halls.

“Mike has his own unique voice,” says lifetime friend and biographer, Mark Schwartz. “He doesn't mimic others; he has learned and grown from others, but when he puts the trumpet to his lips, you know it’s Mike Vax.”

32 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Prescott Jazz Summit

2016

WHO: Mike Vax – trumpet; Gary Ande rson, Kim Richmond, Dave Russell and Tony Vacca – saxo phone; Scott Whitfield – trombone and vocals; Jeff Colella – piano; Brian La Chance and Jack Petersen – guita r; Jennifer Leitham and Selwyn Reams – bass; Cleve Huff and Larry Kantor – drums; Ginger Berglund and Denn is Rowland – vocals

FRIDAY, SEPT. 30 Reception and Concert WHAT: Music, food, prizes and other surprises WHERE: York Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram, 500 Prescott Lakes Pkwy, Prescott WHEN: 5–7:30 pm SATURDAY, OCT. 1 Educational Events WHERE: Yavapai College, 1101 E Sheldon St., Prescott WHEN: All day Evening Gala Concert WHO: Prescott Summit All-Star Big Band WHERE: Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E Sheldon St., Prescott WHEN: 7:30–10 pm TICKETS: $30-40 at ycpac. com/prescott-jazz-summit-allstar-band

SUNDAY, OCT. 2 Afternoon Concert WHERE: First Congregational United Church of Christ, 216 E Gurley St., Prescott WHEN: 2 pm TICKETS: visit prescottjazz.com or call 928-277-1576 or 484558-0066 Evening Jam Session WHERE: Murphy’s, 201 N Cortez St., Prescott WHEN: 6:30–9 pm TICKETS: Free. Call Murphy’s for reservations at 928-445-4044

Visit prescottjazz.com for updates and details.

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 33

Henry Gross: Still rocking after all these years

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri INSIDE 3 4 HENRY GROSS:

STILL ROCKING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

36 BALLET UNDER THE STARS AND MORE 38 DIRECTORIAL DEBUT HITS THE MARK 40 THE SHOWS WILL GO ON FOR

ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY 44 ENTERTAINMENT SPOTLIGHT

ONE HIT WANDERER

One Man’s Rock & Roll Journey in Story and Song WHO Henry Gross WHEN Saturday, Sept. 10 Doors open at 7 pm; concert at 8 pm WHERE Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E River Rd, Tucson WHAT Presented by the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Next Gen Men’s Group.

Proceeds benefit JFSA. TICKETS $65 includes hosted bar and snacks.

Table sponsorships available with a private reception.

FOR INFORMATION & TICKETS jfsa.org/jewish-federation-of-southern-arizonacalendar/henry-gross-concert

34 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

D

oes the name Henry Gross ring a bell?

You might remember him as the youngest performer at Woodstock – he was 18 when he took the stage with the ’50s revival band Sha Na Na. Or you might recall his 1976 No.1 hit, “Shannon.” Or perhaps you saw him in the road company of the Broadway musical “Pump Boys and Dinettes” in the early ’80s.

If you’re wondering where Henry went, well, he’s been making music all along, writing and recording more than 15 albums, producing his own music, performing across the country and overseas. Although his penchant to take on new challenges hasn’t always landed him in the spotlight, Henry’s love for music and entertainment has taken him in some very interesting directions.

On Sept. 10 Henry will bring his one-man show “One Hit Wanderer” to the Tucson Jewish Community Center for a performance sponsored by Dr. Tedd Goldfinger and other members of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Next Gen Men’s Group.

“It’s a theatrically written show. It’s not written like a cabaret.

A lot of shows by rock ‘n’ roll musicians or songwriters are like a cabaret. They play a song and they say, ‘I wrote this because… and here’s the story of the song.’ My show’s not like that. The songs advance the story and it’s a lot of fun. It’s about my life. And it’s about my dad. And it’s about growing up in Brooklyn. It’s about my life and music,” says Henry, who is now 65.

While sharing his own remarkable story, Henry touches on universal themes that are totally relatable – even if you’ve never hung out with Jerry Garcia, played guitar with Jim Croce or sung a duet with Chaka Kahn.

Being Jewish shaped his outlook in many ways. “My grandfather lost family in the Holocaust. He was from Russia and his grandfather was the Gerrer Rebbe of Vilna. The only picture that he ever took, he took with my grandfather, and I have it in my bedroom. They were scholars. My mother’s father came in second in the Russian Gymnasium in Leningrad, but they wouldn’t let him go to med school because he was a Jew. He was drafted into the Czar’s army and lost his family when the Germans invaded Russia.

His sister and family were burned alive in their house.”

Henry grew up in Brooklyn, as the only Jewish family on what he describes as the street with the largest Catholic diocese in the world. He attended Yeshiva Rambam in Brooklyn for eight years.

“I was the guy who was not Orthodox at an Orthodox yeshiva.

Nobody liked me there, at least the rabbis didn’t because I wasn’t kosher enough. And then when I went out in the street, everybody hated me because I was a Jew. So I had it from both directions.

Henry Gross circa 1979 and today

I think that alienation, maybe, made me my version of James Dean,” Henry says.

Rock ’n’ roll proved to be an ideal outlet for the frustration Henry felt at being an outsider in both worlds.

He started playing music when he was 13, influenced by his mother, who had sung briefly with the Metropolitan Opera Chorus and had a lifelong love of music. His first band, The Auroras, performed at the New Jersey pavilion of the 1964 New York World’s Fair. At age 14, he played in clubs all over New York and spent summers performing at Catskill Mountain resort hotels.

At 18, Henry helped create the first ’50s rock ’n’ roll revival group, Sha Na Na, He sang two songs on the group’s 1969 debut album, “Rock & Roll is Here to Stay.” Although the group’s popularity soared after their performance at the history-making Woodstock Festival, Henry left Sha Na Na shortly after to pursue a solo career that included the solid gold hit “Shannon” (which he wrote about the passing of Beach Boy Carl Wilson’s Irish Setter), 15 albums on major labels and over 7 million records sold.

“I had done it all and the business had changed. I did not become a brand name act that was going to sell out big theaters. So I thought, what can I do that I haven’t done that was different,?” – Henry Gross

TIME FOR A CHANGE Two decades later, Henry was ready for something new. “I had done it all and the business had changed. I did not become a brand name act that was going to sell out big theaters. So I thought, what can I do that I haven’t done that was different, so I auditioned for ‘Pump Boys and Dinettes.’” He traveled with the road company, which included Jonathan Edwards (known for his hit “Sunshine” and the late Nicolette Larson (“It’s Gonna Take a Lot of Love”). He learned a lot about theater, which was totally different from the rock ’n’ roll business. And then he decided to combine that theatrical experience and his songwriting chops to pen his own show.

“At the time I started writing the show, no rock ’n’ roll person had done one of these one-man kind of shows,” Henry says.

He pitched the idea to one of the producers of “Pump Boys and Dinettes” who was interested and it evolved from there.

“It’s a pretty honest little show. I didn’t want to make this a comedy, like a stand-up routine. There’s funny stuff in it, plenty of it. But sometimes too many jokes bury the plot. This is not a big production, but it’s got a lot of heart. I know, I put my heart and soul in it,” says Henry. “And if my mother was still alive, she’d tell you it’s the best show in the world. And if my dad were alive, he’d say, ‘I told him to go to med school.’”

To watch a trailer and order tickets for “One Hit Wanderer” on Sept. 10, visit jfsa.org/jewish-federation-of-southernarizona-calendar/henry-gross-concert. Tickets are $65 and include a hosted bar and bar snacks. Sponsorships are available and include a private reception. Doors open at 7 pm and the concert starts at 8 pm.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 35

Ballet under the stars and more

By Mala Blomquist

BRING A BLANKET

or lawn chair and enjoy a varied program, ranging from classical to contemporary.

Performances beginning at 7 pm: THURSDAY, SEPT. 22 Estrella Lakeside Amphitheater, 10300 S Estrella Parkway, Goodyear FRIDAY, SEPT. 23 Fountain Park, 12925 N Saguaro Blvd., Fountain Hills SATURDAY, SEPT. 24 Steele Indian School Park, 300 E Indian School Road, Phoenix THURSDAY, SEPT. 29 Tempe Center for the Arts Amphitheater, 700 W Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe FRIDAY, SEPT. 30 Beardsley Park, 20011 N 128th Ave., Sun City West

B

allet Arizona kicks off its new season with the popular “Ballet Under the Stars.” Now in its 18th year, these free community performances have given many their first exposure to a professional ballet performance.

“The dancers and staff really love this opportunity to begin the season with this performance. It feels very connected to the community and we hear so many comments about the joy that the audience experiences. It’s uplifting,” states Executive Director Samantha Turner.

Despite the fact that the settings for “Ballet Under the Stars” are public parks and outdoor amphitheaters, these are still full-scale productions. “Ballet requires a special surface to allow the dancers to perform safely and at their very best. The stage must be constructed from the ground up for each performance, so our crews arrive very early in the morning to build the stage, including lighting and sound equipment. An additional challenge is that the stage is much smaller than a typical performance, so adjustments must be made,” explains Samantha. Each evening performance costs nearly $50,000 to produce.

In October, Ballet Arizona heads back to Symphony Hall for “La Bayadere,” a heartbreaking tale of love and treachery, transporting the audience to a land of princesses, warriors and a mesmerizing golden idol.

The annual classic, “The Nutcracker,” will return Dec. 9-24 and after a break in January, “Romeo & Juliet” will kick off the new year Feb. 9-12 with music by the Phoenix Symphony. A program of contemporary ballet will be highlighted with “Today’s Masters,” March 23-26 at the Orpheum Theatre and an evening of works by the “father of the American Ballet,” George Balanchine, is the inspiration behind “All Balanchine” on May 11-14.

From May 23 – June 10, Ballet Arizona will be outside again, performing Artistic Director Ib Andersen’s vision for dance in the desert, with “Topia – An Evening at Desert Botanical Garden.”

A unique opportunity awaits visitors during “Studio Spotlight.”

On various dates, guests get a behind-the-scenes look at upcoming productions during an intimate rehearsal featuring Ib Andersen and the dancers. Each one-hour gathering includes time for a question and answer discussion.

So whether you prefer your ballet in a park, garden or inside Symphony Hall, Ballet Arizona’s 2016-2017 season has something for everyone to enjoy. For tickets and details call the box office at 602-381-1096 or visit balletaz.org.

36 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Ballet Arizona’s 2016-2017 schedule includes free outdoor performances, classics, contemporary pieces and a tribute to George Balanchine.

PHOTO: ROSALIE O’CONNOR

Onstage 16th Scottsdale International Film Festival Opening Night

The Capitol Steps: What to Expect When You’re Electing

October 6 The Arizona premiere of Denial, starring Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz and based on the book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier

November 25–26 Fresh political satire, direct from D.C.

Noa

ARTrageous Benefit Gala Starring Michael Feinstein

November 5 The internationally acclaimed Israeli singer-songwriter

December 3 A celebration of the Great American Songbook

Adam & Anthony Live: Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of RENT

Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel: The Genius of Chopin

November 19 Broadway hits performed by stars Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp

December 6 A concert with lively commentary

Click ScottsdaleArts.org Call 480-499-TKTS (8587) Visit 7380 E. Second St. ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 37

James Schamus, Logan Lerman and Sarah Gadon on the set of “Indignation.”

J

Directorial debut hits the mark

By Mala Blomquist

ames Schamus isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. He proves this point by choosing the autobiographical Philip Roth novel Indignation for his directorial debut. Eight of Philip Roth’s novels and short stories have made it to the big screen, not an easy task based on the complexities of Roth’s work, and not always a successful undertaking. Yet film critics are calling “Indignation” one of the best adaptations of a Roth novel to hit the screen.

When asked why he picked this particular piece Schamus is reflective, “Being a Jewish guy of a certain age, I obviously read (Philip Roth’s novels) Portnoy’s Complaint and Goodbye Columbus, way too young. The weird thing is, every guy like me had the same experience – finding one of those books on the shelf and going ‘What?!’ It was not a developmentally appropriate moment.” But aside from those anxieties from his youth, there was another reason why he picked Indignation, “Honestly, it was the challenge that I loved. That, and the benefit of having been fired from my studio gig, it helped to be unemployed – timing was really kind of everything.”

The “studio gig” he refers to was at Focus Features. He was CEO until 2013. Focus was the studio behind the release of “Brokeback Mountain,” which Schamus also produced. He was also a writer, co-writer or producer on such films as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “The Ice Storm” and “Hulk.” But Schamus admits that working in the business alongside great directors like Ang Lee and Gus Van Sant does not mean that you are automatically qualified to direct. “I kept my expectations (going into directing) fairly limited. I’ve been on sets for so long, with so many directors, but then again, I’ve had my teeth cleaned a lot too, but it’s not like I’m going to go, ‘I think I’ll clean my own teeth today’ – no, not a good idea,” says Schamus.

Teeth cleaning aside, Schamus made sure he was ready when

38 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

it was time to start shooting. “I prepped, and I prepped, and I prepped and I didn’t stop prepping until we were shooting,” he explains. “It was a joy – I had a great crew, I had a great cast. We had a very loving set. It was a really tough shoot, really short, we didn’t have a lot of money, we shot in 24 days. But we got there; we got there because we all prepared.”

The star of the film is Logan Lerman, who plays Marcus Messner, a young man who, while many of his friends head off to war in Korea, has received a scholarship and the chance to escape his working-class Jewish family in New Jersey to attend a conservative university in Ohio. “It was fun to be able to have a protagonist that in many ways I identified with. Then of course what you do from there is cast someone who is 10 times better looking than you are, so you can really identify with him. It was great finding Logan – he’s a nice Jewish boy from LA,” reflects Schamus.

Even though good looking and smart, Marcus struggles to fit into his new surroundings. “He is that classic Jewish boy who wants to do good. Straight A student, off on a scholarship and then there is that moment when desire kind of turns you on your head and you don’t have the toolkit for handling it,” Schamus explains of Marcus when he experiences his first sexual experience with the preppy goy, Olivia Hutton, played by Sarah Gadon.

This causes internal angst with Marcus, along with having to attend chapel (he insists he is an atheist) and an altercation with his roommate. Soon, Marcus finds himself summoned by Dean Caudwell (played by Tracy Letts), who tries to find out why Marcus is having such a hard time adjusting, and wants to know more about this Jewish student’s background. It is an emotionally-charged scene that sets the tone for the remainder of the film. “At the same time, that moment of, and I think PHOTO: ALISON COHEN ROSA

The greatest thing about a Philip Roth novel – the gift – is that the antagonists are angels of death, but you actually really love them, too.”

Logan [Lerman] captures it perfectly, a Philip Roth moment when Philip Roth himself (autobiographically, in fact) finds himself being more Jewish when he is kind of confronting that heritage.

It’s not an identity in the way you think that identities should work – as a seamless fit into some pre-determined mold. In fact, being Jewish American often is not fitting – James Schamus that mold and not fitting other molds, but still with that Jewish inflection. And I think, for Roth in particular, he said that he never became more Jewish [than] when he went and did that a little bit with his Jewish background,” Schamus explains of the intense scene.

“The greatest thing about a Philip Roth novel – the gift – is that the antagonists are angels of death, but you actually really love them, too.”

When asked what Roth thought about his novel being made into a film, Schamus is candid, “Philip Roth refused to read the script, which was great, I don’t know if he had hated the script, if I could have, in good conscience, gone into pre-production. It was a bit risky to be sending it to him, to be honest. He’s been great. He’s seen the film and has said lovely things about it. He even wrote a statement that the producer read at the world premiere.”

Schamus also reflects on the lack of Jewish characters in films, “Its funny, having the experience of having had distributed “The Pianist” and financed and distributed “A Serious Man” and then looking back and thinking, that’s kind of about it for movies about Jewish people. I mean there are a few more, you can add them up on not much more than one hand. I always found it very odd that I work in an industry, if you haven’t noticed, that there are a few of my fellow Jewish Americans employed – just a smidgen. Yet there is some bizarre, unwritten law that we are never supposed to be making movies about Jewish characters with Jewish themes. I’m sure there is a reason for it, but I couldn’t tell you why. I find it very interesting.”

When asked about his own Jewish roots growing up he explains, “My mom was a Reconstructionist [Jew], it was a pretty LA, the ’60s, Reform temple kind of situation. The cultural winds that were sweeping through our particular corner of the Jewish community in LA at that time were not conducive to a great deal of spiritual searching.” He remains active in the Jewish community today and enjoys the fact that he is being invited to many of his friends’ children’s bar and bat mitzvahs. “I went to a bat mitzvah about a month ago, and I’m singing along, and my friends are like, ‘How are you – what – really?’ I don’t know how I remember the stuff. It’s fun to keep the cultural connections.”

Perhaps this award-winning screenwriter, producer, author, professor (at Columbia University School of the Arts) and now director can change things by bringing more films with Jewish characters to Hollywood. If anyone could do it, he’d be the one up for the challenge.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 39

The shows will go on for Arizona Theatre Company

By Mala Blomquist

D David Ira Goldstein

“King Charles III” launches Arizona Theatre Company’s 50th anniversary season

avid Ira Goldstein has been in the business long enough to know that the show must go on, but just a few short months ago he wasn’t sure if that was going to be the case. He is the artistic director for Arizona Theatre Company and they weren’t quite sure that they would be opening their 50th anniversary season this year.

Despite having a surplus the last two years, ATC was carrying a deficit since the recession had hit. “We just couldn’t carry that anymore, so we had to go out to the community and ask for their help,” explains David. And help came. In a big way. “We raised a million dollars in Tucson and a little over a million in Phoenix and hundreds of people helped us out. We were hopeful that the community would come together and support us and they did. I have an enormous amount of gratitude for that.”

ATC received individual support from all over the Valley and even from foundations and the government. They also received donations from many artists who had worked with the theater over the years. These included playwrights, actors and designers.

“As a non-profit we still have to go out and raise money every year. That’s what’s needed to keep the arts going, not just for us, but for the symphony, the ballet, the opera and museums.

Hopefully, this will be a growing strength of connections and community. If we want to have a strong artistic scene in the community it will take support and hard work,” says David.

Aside from being Arizona Theatre Company’s 50th season, this will also be David’s last. “I announced that I would be leaving three years ago,” he explains with a chuckle. “I stuck around to help with the transition and to keep the theater going and growing.” David would like to do more directing and teaching. He is looking forward to just being in Phoenix with his wife. Part of the challenge of his job was the constant traveling between Phoenix and Tucson. “I’ve driven the equivalent of 19 times around the world driving between Tucson and Phoenix the last 25

40 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

“Luck comes to those who put themselves in the position to get the lucky break.”

– David Ira Goldstein

years,” he states. “We are officially the state theater of Arizona and it is important for us to be equally present in both cities.”

And both cities have a spectacular season to look forward to. “We tried to be ambitious and diverse and celebratory this year,” David says. The season kicks off with two recent Broadway plays “King Charles III” and “An Act of God.” The latter of which will be directed by Academy-award nominated actress Marsha Mason. Then there is a beautiful story that takes place in the Amazon called “River Bride.” This play won the National Latino Playwriting Award in 2013. There is also “Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash” and the season ends with “Holmes and Watson” a new Sherlock Holmes mystery by playwright Jeffrey Hatcher.

TRADITION! The biggest production of the season, and the one that David has always wanted to do at ATC, is “Fiddler on the Roof.”

When asked about the importance of this particular play David responds, “It’s my heritage. … All four of my grandparents came from the Pale (referring to the Pale of Settlement in Russia where Jews were permitted permanent settlement) the same time that Tevye the dairyman was emigrating. So I have always had a soft spot.” Besides the connection to his heritage, there are other reasons he chose this play, “It’s certainly one of the greatest musicals ever written and I think that it is particularly relevant at this time – that we are talking about immigration. After all, ‘Fiddler’ is about a group of people who lose their home and have to emigrate. I think it is a very relevant time; you can’t help but think of the modern resonance when you watch the final scenes of ‘Fiddler’ when they have to leave Anatevka.”

Auditions for “Fiddler on the Roof” will be held this month and the designers have already started working on the play. ATC holds general auditions in May. “We get people from all over the country for auditions because we are a fully professional theater,” David explains, “We have agreements with actors equity, the directors union, the designers union; so we have to use actors that are members of the union. There are 55,000 members and about 250-300 live in Arizona, so we do cast here quite a bit.”

From these general auditions, they make notes on which actors may be right for a specific character in an upcoming production.

Then when it is time to audition for a production, these actors get called back for another audition.

For those interested in one day perhaps being able to audition for ATC, they have an extensive education program that reaches out to all corners of the state. “We bring young people to see our work and we go out to teach classes and seminars; to run programs in schools from Tuba City up north to Nogales down south, and we pride ourselves on trying to really cover ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 41

David also views the actor on the stage as “the tip of the iceberg” – that there ae so many artists under the iceberg that work just as hard. That the definition of artist extends to the people who create the props, paint the scenery, sew the costumes, design the lights and sound. “We consider these people artists just as much as we do the actors and we treasure all of them.”

But once you decide to be an artist, you then have to learn to market yourself; you become your own business in a way, your own product. And, David believes, “Luck comes to those who put themselves in the position to get the lucky break.”

Perhaps the beginning of his last season with Arizona Theatre Company makes David reflective on what he has come to recognize in the last 25 years, “Jews love the theater. Every theater I’ve ever worked at, or been at, we were well represented.

On the stage, behind the stage and in the audience. I don’t know what it is about our heritage, but its something that I am proud of – that my Jewish heritage connects so strongly with the arts.

That it’s an important part of what we value so much.”

He also reflects on the production he has been waiting so long to bring to ATC audiences “’Fiddler’ is a story that we should always be reminded of. It has great music and it’s great fun, but it also has ideas of what it means to have tradition and to value traditions and to be a refugee. Because in some sense all Jews are refugees.”

the state,” explains David. The biggest focus of their educational programs is children in middle school and high school. ATC does not concentrate on the very young because there are other institutions in Phoenix and Tucson that specialize in that age range. David goes on to say, “We are not a children’s theater per se, but every year we do several plays that are familyfriendly.” Youth are not the only benefactors of their educational outreach. ATC also holds after-show discussions for adults and will talk to groups.

David also shares his advice for budding young actors, “If someone wants to be a professional, they need to take it seriously and they need to study for their whole life. They need to take classes. If you want to be a classical musician, you know you have to practice and learn certain skills. It’s the same thing if you’re a dancer. Sometimes people think that anybody can be an actor but that takes technical skills as well. You need vocal skills and physical skills, especially if you perform in large theaters. I always encourage actors who are serious about it to work on those skills the same way as if you wanted to play in the symphony or dance with the ballet. It’s because we see so much TV and film and we think we can be an actor. It’s a different thing to stand on a stage and be able to do it eight times a week and project both emotionally and physically and vocally to a person who is sitting in the last row as well as to the person sitting in the front row.”

Upcoming Shows at The Fox! Live Music, Comedy & More!

The Crown Jewel of Downtown 2016-17 Season Sponsor

Blues Artists Tribute to Willie Dixon Cast from the Hit TV Improv Show

50th Anniversary Tour

WHOSE LIVE ANYWAY? SEPT 10 | 7:30 PM

People’s Republic of China

SHANGHAI ACROBATS OCT 5 | 6:30 PM

THE MONKEES SEPT 14 | 7:30 PM

UT! with AnO Evening D SOL JACKSON BROWNE

OCT 7 | 8:00 PM

5x Grammy Winning Singer/Songwriter

MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER SEPT 24 | 7:30 PM

Family Fun Puppetry!

DINOSAUR ZOO OCT 9 | 2:00 PM

Featuring BIG HEAD TODD & THE MONSTERS SEPT 30 | 7:30 PM

Russian Grand Ballet presents

SWAN LAKE OCT 11 | 7:30 PM

Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation’s 2016 Chasing Rainbows

Gala

Grammy Winning Singer/Pianist

BRUCE HORNSBY NOV 19 | 7:30 PM

Featuring

BOZ SCAGGS OCT 27 | 7:30 PM

An Evening with

GARRISON KEILLOR NOV 29 | 7:30 PM

Tickets at FoxTucson.com 42 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

•

Jewish Music Superstar

NESHAMA CARLEBACH OCT 29 | 7:30 PM

Contemporary Jazz Artist

DAVE KOZ DEC 15 | 7:30 PM

Celebrating 25 Years

MARC COHN NOV 12 | 7:30 PM

Home for the Holidays

THE TEN TENORS DEC 27 & 28 | 7:30 PM

Box Office 17 W. Congress 520.547.3040

Purchase tickets at asukerr.com or 480.596.2660

Harlem Quartet

Thursday, November 17 at 6 p.m.

dining experience with classical music Latin, rumba, reggae

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2016 12-5 PM STEELE INDIAN SCHOOL PARK AMPHITHEATER & CIRCLE OF LIFE AREA The Valley’s largest celebration of Jewish music, food & community.

FREE general admission & VIP tickets available at DesertGatheringAZ.org EVENT INFO 480.425.0700 | MEDIA CONTACT 602.515.2304

Todo Mundo

Saturday, January 21 at 7:30 p.m. jazz, pop

An Evening with Ralna English Wednesday, February 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Show your ticket stub and mention Arizona 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 | SEPTEMBER 2016 43

PHOENIX ART MUSEUM Presents

Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic Oct. 7-Jan. 8 1625 N Central Ave., Phoenix 602-257-1880 • phxart.org This exhibition showcases more than 50 paintings and sculptures of Kehinde Wiley, the internationally-acclaimed, New York-based contemporary artist, whose work raises questions of race, gender and the politics of representation. phxart.org/exhibitions/KehindeWiley.

ASU KERR CULTURAL CENTER Presents

Harlem Quartet

Nov. 17 at 6 pm 6110 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale 480-596-2660 • asukerr.com ASU Kerr Cultural Center kicks off the 2016-2017 season with a fantastic dining experience and fundraiser for the Phoenix Chamber Music Society! The Grammy-winning Harlem Quartet advances diversity in classical music while engaging new audiences with varied repertoire that includes works by minority composers.

TICKETS: $120 reserved seating; $150 table seating

FOX TUCSON THEATRE Presents

2016-2017 Season 17 W Congress St., Tucson 520-547-3040 • foxtucson.com The “Crown Jewel of Downtown” is a beautifully restored 1930s art deco theatre known for its outstanding acoustics and intimate setting.

The Fox presents classic films, community events and an exciting mix of live entertainment.

HIGLEY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Presents

Bee Gees Gold: Bee Gees Tribute Show

Nov. 13 at 7 pm 4132 E Pecos Road, Gilbert 480-279-7194 • higleycenter.org Backed by a live band, the Bee Gees Tribute recreates the look and sound of the Bee Gees from the ’60s to the late ’70s, with their unique falsettos that made them legends.

TICKETS: $31-$36

44 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

TUBAC ART AND GIFTS

31 Tubac Road, Tubac 575-640-6569 tubacartandgifts.com Tubac Art and Gifts is all about fine art and handcrafted gifts.

We think of art as funny, inspiring, deeply moving – it can add color to your walls or dimension to your life.

Open every weekend (year-round) 11 am-5 pm; open daily (Oct.-May) 11 am-5 pm.

PHOENIX THEATRE Presents

Liberace!

Sept. 21-Oct. 9 100 E McDowell Road, Phoenix 602-254-2151 • phoenixtheatre.com Meet the man behind the grand! Liberace! is a moving tribute to the infamous American performer known for his charm, glitz and glamour. Relive the highs (and lows) of the famed piano man’s prolific life with a rollicking score spanning classical and popular music.

DIAMOND HORSESHOE PRODUCTIONS Presents

Barbra & Frank, The Concert That Never Was

Nov. 13 at 3 pm Chandler Center for the Arts 480-782-2680 • chandlercenter.org dhsproductions.com/barbra-frank Barbra & Frank together at last....experience what could have been! This “must see” show brings to life the spirit of two of the most beloved legends ever to grace a stage.

TICKETS: $29 & UP

Michael Feinstein

Art is not a necessity... until you see it.

SCOTTSDALE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Presents

2016-2017 Season

7380 E Second St., Scottsdale 480-499-TKTS (8587) • ScottsdaleArts.org Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts’ new 2016–2017 season showcases a star-studded lineup of dance, music, theater, comedy and film from around the globe. Order tickets or request a free season guide at ScottsdaleArts.org.

Fine Art

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Hand-Crafted Gifts

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Jewelry

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Home Decor

31 Tubac Road, Tubac AZ 85646 575.640.6569 www.tubacartandgifts.com Open every weekend of the year, 11-5 Open daily Oct. through May, 11-5

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 45

DESERT GATHERING JEWISH MUSIC FEST CHANDLER CENTER FOR THE ARTS DANNY ZELISKO PRESENTS

dannyzeliskopresents.com DZP promotes about 150 shows annually in Arizona, New Mexico and Las Vegas. Danny hosts a weekly 2-hour radio show “Phoenix’s Finest Rock” every Monday night at 5 pm, heard locally on 93.9 FM, or on the worldwide internet at KWSS.org.

46 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Presents

Julie Madly Deeply

Oct. 28-29, times vary 250 N Arizona Ave., Chandler 480-782-2680 • chandlercenter.org Do Maria von Trapp or Mary Poppins long to let their hair down? Find out in this cheeky yet affectionate cabaret blended with stories and anecdotes about Julie Andrews’ life.

TICKETS: $36 & $42

Presents

4th Annual Desert Gathering Jewish Music Fest

Nov. 6 from noon-5 pm at Steele Indian School Park 480-425-0700 desertgatheringaz.org Desert Gathering Jewish Music Fest is the Valley’s largest celebration of Jewish music, food and community. Performers include Rick Recht, Joe Buchanan, Todd Herzog and local cantors and students. Free general admission and VIP tickets available.

September 2016

25 Get The Led Out · The American Led Zeppelin

October 2016 28-29 Julie Madly Deeply

Times Vary

November 2016 12 Letters Home 19 New York Gypsy All Stars

3pm & 7:30pm 7:30pm

December 2016

10 Dmitri Matheny’s THE SNOWCAT 16 Christmas with Clay Aiken 27-31 Zoppé Italian Family Circus

January 2017

7pm

1-8 Zoppé Italian Family Circus 22 The King: The Music of Elvis 27 Roots & Boots: Pam Tillis, Sammy Kershaw & Collin Raye 28 Drumline Live

11am 7:30pm Times Vary Times Vary 3pm 7:30pm 8pm

February 2017 12 17 18 25 26

Rhythm of the Dance 3pm California Guitar Trio & Montreal Guitar Trio 7:30pm WAR 7:30pm Pump Boys and Dinettes 7:30pm The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra 3pm

March 2017

3 Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood: Two Man Group 5 Golden Dragon Acrobats 11 Art Garfunkel: In Close-Up 12 Frank Ferrante in An Evening with Groucho 18 The Doo Wop Project 19 Piano Battle 24 Hypnotic Brass Ensemble 25 Stormy Weather: The Story of Lena Horne

April 2017

8 Recycled Percussion

4 8 0.782 . 2 6 8 0 w w w.C h a n d l e r C e n t e r.o rg

7:30pm 6pm 7:30pm 3pm 7:30pm 3pm 7:30pm 7:30pm 7:30pm

/ChandlerCenterfortheArts @ChandlerArts

EXPECT AMAZING 2016/2017 SEASON

SEPTEMBER 7 - OCTOBER 2

SEPTEMBER 21 - OCTOBER 9

JANUARY 25 - FEBRUARY 12

MARCH 8 - APRIL 2

NOVEMBER 16 - DECEMBER 24 NOVEMBER 30 - DECEMBER 24

APRIL 5 - APRIL 23

MAY 10 - JUNE 4

602.254.2151 · PHOENIXTHEATRE.COM AZJewishLife - Sept - Fall Arts Ad.indd 1

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 47 7/28/16 2:40 PM

EAST VALLEY CHILDREN’S THEATRE Presents

A Little Princess

Sept. 29-Oct. 9 4501 E Main St., Mesa (SEC of Greenfield and Main) 480-756-3828 • evct.org East Valley Children’s Theatre, now in its 20th season, provides live theatrical experiences for youth ages 5-18. This includes four main stage productions performed at the Mesa Arts Center, weekly after-school classes, traveling troupes, and spring and summer camps. Fall Classes II begin Oct. 17, so register today!

48 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

STAGE DREAMS YOUTH THEATER Presents

2016-2017 Season

623-252-9001 stagedreams.net Stage Dreams Youth Theater is an educational theater after-school program for children of all ages and levels. Join the cast of “Legally Blonde, Jr.” or attend performances in January!

Imagine a place that will engage your creativity and enhance your education and sense of cultural community. A place where you can explore a collection of more than 18,000 works and experience new exhibitions that are sure to enrich your soul.

Connect with Phoenix Art Museum—it’s a relationship like no other.

PHOTOGRAPHY Edward Burtynsky: WATER Through September 18, 2016 CONTEMPORARY Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic October 7, 2016 – January 8, 2017

DESERT FOOTHILLS THEATER Presents

2016-2017 Season 33606 N 60th St., Scottsdale 480-488-1981 dftheater.org Award-winning Desert Foothills Theater offers a series of productions for both youth and adult audiences/actors ranging from comedies to musicals to dramas. They also offer high quality theater training through classes and camps.

FASHION Emphatics November 6, 2016 – January 16, 2017 ASIAN Samurai: Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection March 1 – July 16, 2017 Image Credits from top to bottom: 1. Edward Burtynsky, Oil Spill #2, Discoverer Enterprise, Gulf of Mexico, USA (detail), 2010. Digital chromogenic print. Photo © Edward Burtynsky, courtesy Metivier Gallery, Toronto / Von Lintel Gallery, Los Angeles. 2. Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic is organized by the Brooklyn Museum. Kehinde Wiley, Morpheus (detail), 2008. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of Roberts & Tilton, Culver City, California; Sean Kelly, New York; Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris; and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London © Kehinde Wiley 3. Thierry Mugler, Dress and Belt (detail), 1985, silk taffeta. Museum purchase of Emphatics Archive with funds provided by Barbara Anderson, Milena and Tony Astoria, Jacquie Dorrance, Kelly Ellman, Michael and Heather Greenbaum, Nancy R. Hanley, Ellen Katz, Miriam Sukhuman, Diane and Bruce Halle. Photo by Ken Howie. 4. Armor of the ōyoroi type (ōyoroi tōsei gusoku) (detail). Mid-Edo period, late 18th century. Iron, leather, gold, bronze, copper. Collection of Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection.

1625 North Central Avenue Phoenix, Arizona 85004, USA phxart.org | @phxart

PHXART_ArizonaJewishLife_JuniorPage_2016.indd 1

8/17/16 2016 10:43 AM ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 49

OOEY GOOEY TEIGLACH CORNER

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.

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50 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA MARCH JEWISH 2016 LIFE | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

If you’re not familiar with “teiglach” a Rosh Hashanah classic, then I’m happy to share with you this ridiculously delicious confection. “Teig” in Yiddish means dough, and “lach” at the end of the word normally signifies small. Hence teiglach, “little small dough balls,” soaked in sweet honey syrup, mixed with almonds and dried fruits piled in little or large mounds.

This is a fun project to do with kids, and don’t be limited in the ingredients you choose to add to these sweet treats. Get creative by adding sprinkles, toasted coconut flakes and even drizzle them with chocolate or caramel. Make this a new family tradition, to be shared year after year.

L’Shanah Tova U’Metukah, Have a good and sweet New Year!

TEIGLACH Ingredients:

3 eggs 3 tablespoons. oil 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups flour 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 cups dried fruit and almonds (I used coconut, dried cranberries, raisins, apricots and apples. If you do not eat nuts, substitute extra dried fruit and sunflower seeds.)

3/4 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups wildflower honey (any honey will do) Zest of orange (section 2 inches long, ½ inch wide) 1/2 teaspoon ginger

Do not skip the orange zest or ginger in this recipe. The syrup is tooth-tingling sweet, and the orange and ginger help cut through that, providing fresh undertones and making it more palatable.

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, oil and vanilla and beat with a fork or whisk until combined. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon salt and baking powder.

3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a fork until well combined.

4. Knead with your hands for a few minutes until dough is smooth and shiny. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.

5. Roll out small balls of dough into long ½-inch wide snakes and cut into 1/3-inch pieces Roll dough pieces briefly in your hands to make balls and place them on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. (You can either fry or bake the dough. To fry, drop the pieces into hot oil until they puff up and turn golden). Cool completely or freeze for later use.

6. Combine sugar, honey, orange zest, ginger and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and bring slowly to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the teiglach balls, almonds and dried fruits to the honey mixture and stir to coat well.

7. Let the mixture cool for 4–5 minutes, then gently spoon into cupcake wrappers or place in a pie plate or individual tart tins stacked to form a pyramid.

8. Sprinkle with coconut and drizzle with chocolate, if desired, and let cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

culinary

Creating community

Looking for an apple cake recipe for Rosh Hashanah?

Nosh & More, a recipe exchange recently launched on the JewishTucson.org website, has it … and many others.

“We think there are a lot of cooks out there who want to learn new recipes. It’s a combination of modern twists and real classics,” says Dale Mayerfeld, who co-chairs Nosh & More with Beverly Sandock. Dale sees the site as an opportunity to preserve traditional dishes that may otherwise be lost. One of the first recipes that Dale posted was for raisin wine, and was handwritten by her grandmother, who died in 1947, before she was born.

Nosh & More is organized around categories, including holidays. The recipes reflect the diversity of

what is considered Jewish food. Jews have always adapted traditional cooking to the regions where they live and the ingredients available. And it’s fascinating to see how dishes continue to evolve – like wasabi mashed potatoes (jewishtucson.org/recipes/wasabi-mashed-potatoes).

An online form makes it easy to submit your favorite recipe. Contributors are encouraged to post photos, attribute sources and share the story behind the dish.

“That’s part of the allure,” says Dale.

To explore ideas for that special holiday meal or post your own, go to jewishtucson.org/nosh-more.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 51

FOOD

taste of

Arizona RESTAURANT REVIEW

Blackberry Lemon Tart

Church on Time

Resurgence on 7th Street

By A. Noshman

How do I choose from the thousands of restaurants around, when I can write only one review a month for Arizona Jewish Life Magazine? Such a dilemma!

This time, I got a tip from a darling friend who is a professional food photographer who has been loving Stock & Stable, a new restaurant in the surging 7th Street corridor of gastropubs and trendy eateries.

It’s interesting how this strip of street has gone from boarded up spaces to thriving restaurants in such a short time. The area used to be home to the now closed Karsh’s bakery, the source of Phoenix’s best (and never replaced) loaf of rye bread. Happy to say that Scott’s Generations, a Jewish deli with fabulous brisket is still on 7th Street, but the other Jewish businesses in this area are gone.

We forget that restaurants and bakeries are businesses, not just wonderful places 52 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

to eat. There is a lot of investment and risk happening on this short strip and I can easily think of 10 new ventures within blocks of each other. The resurgence began with The Yard and mushroomed from there. You can get rich in the restaurant business, or you can die trying. Fortunately for people like me, who support dining out, we reap some of the rewards of these adventurous entrepreneurs, dining experiences we will cherish.

The latest addition is a “Modern American Gastropub” called Stock & Stable. It is just one of the three restaurants in a small building, and as a result, the aroma in the parking lot is like heaven. The interior is best described as a mashup of industrial chic, hipster décor and country farm. To tell you the truth, I don’t get what they are going for, yet it is oddly pretty. What I can tell you for sure is that it’s loud inside from people having a good time and the house music is great.

The menu is unique and it really takes

Fermented Beets

THIS MONTH’S RESTAURANT

Stock & Stable

$$$ 5538 N 7th St., Phoenix stockandstable.com

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

a few reads. Because everything looks so good, it is hard to choose, and it is further complicated by the fact there are daily specials. Not a bad situation to be in, I will just have to come back again and again like my food photographer friend (FPF).

On my first time around, here is what I had:

Church on Time $11

(redemption rye, allspice dram, cointreu, fresh lemon, blackberries) This yummy cocktail description caught my eye and I quickly ordered one. Love the large ice cube in a cocktail, and there it is, sitting in my fuzzy red drink with a plump blackberry skewered across the top. It was deliciously sweet and refreshing on this hot day, and went down quickly.

Fermented Beets $9

(heirloom carrots, goat cheese curds, marcona almond butter) For this one, I was dining with a friend who is allergic to nuts (I know, then what is she doing with me?), so we ordered the almond butter and sprinkle of almond slivers on the side.

I really like beets and I know it’s not everyone’s favorite. I like the earthy tones and the sense you are eating Mother Nature’s goodness. When they are pickled, you still get the earthy goodness but with a naughty sweet zing. There was a wonderful sweetness to this blend, a touch of vinegar and I think I detected a little ginger. The goat cheese curds were absolutely marvelous and I found myself wishing there had been more in the bowl. I ate this dish with and without the almond butter. It totally works either way.

To further explore the menu, we returned for another visit.

Frites $6

(rosemary, parmesan) Yes, it’s what you are thinking. Golden brown French fries generously sprinkled with rosemary and parmesan cheese.

Deliciously simple, and a classic you should order.

Beer Butt Chicken $16

(preserved citrus, herbs) A half chicken, cut into drumstick, thigh, breast and wing, came piled on a plate and swimming in brown gravy. What I just described should have been the menu description because I almost didn’t order it based on theirs, and once it came, I’m glad that I did. Anything swimming in gravy is a plus in my book. The chicken was a crispy golden brown, tender inside and the gravy was well-seasoned and plentiful.

Presentation did not seem to be in the forefront of any dish.

It was mostly dark colored foods in grey bowls. Why, I wonder?

I think it’s because the folks at Stock & Stable let the quality of the ingredients and the innovative cooking speak for itself, like the pile of chicken swimming in gravy spoke to me, and feel they don’t need to pretty it up. I can understand why my PFP loves this place. It is good food, easy parking (which isn’t always the case on 7th Street), and the crowd is having a good time.

It’s nice to be part of the resurgence; you can feel it in the vibe and taste it for yourself at Stock & Stable.

Cavatelli $13

(albacore tuna, gruyère, chive, breadcrumbs, lemon) It’s a pasta dish, comfort food, and was the hit of this evening. You know, one of those times when you put the fork in your mouth and your eyes roll back in your head. It was like having the best tuna casserole you’ve ever had in your life, though I’m sure this didn’t come out of a casserole dish. The cheese sauce was sweet and silky smooth, the tuna was delicious and I wish I had a straw to slurp the left over sauce when the noodles were gone. The serving size was probably appropriate but I found myself wishing it had been larger at this price. This is a must have.

Blackberry Lemon Tart $7

(graham cracker crust, lemon filling, blackberries, dollop vanilla bean whipped cream) If this tasted as good as it looked, I was in for a real treat, and it was fabulous. The crust was thick, firm, and flavorful with a hint of cinnamon. The lemon filling was slightly tart but mostly sweet, the blackberries piled high and fresh, but oh that whipped cream on top. It was like tasting all the goodness in the world in one bite. I alternated eating each component separately and then all together. No matter how you slice it, this is a must have.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 53

Travel

A busy street in the ‘Jew Town’ section of Cochin 54 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Jewish roots entwined with Indian culture Story and photos by Dan Fellner

Numbering only about 5,000 in a country of more than 1.2 billion people, Jews constitute a minuscule fraction – 0.0004 percent – of the inhabitants in the world’s second-most populous country, known far more for curry and cricket than kreplach and kippot.

Yet the unique historical legacy and important contributions of India’s Jewish community have far surpassed its size, ever since they first began arriving in this south Asian country more than 2,000 years ago.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit five functioning synagogues in India and learn more about the Jewish presence in a country that historically has experienced little antiSemitism and in which Jews continue to practice their faith; where traditional Judaic roots are entwined with colorful facets of Indian culture.

My trip to India was part of an 18-day Asian cruise on the 650-passenger Oceania Nautica that began in Hong Kong and included stops in Cochin and Mumbai, where the cruise concluded. In both Cochin and Mumbai, I took tours arranged through the ship that included visits to Jewish sites.

Perhaps the country’s most famous Jewish attraction is found in Cochin, a port city on the Arabian Sea located on India’s southwestern coast. Jewish traders from Judea first arrived in Cochin in 562 BCE, making it India’s oldest Jewish community.

Even though only a handful of Jews now live there, an older section of Cochin is still commonly referred to as “Jew Town.” Its centerpiece is the oldest functioning Jewish house of worship in the former British Commonwealth – the Paradesi Synagogue.

Built in 1568 by Spanish and Dutch Sephardic Jews, Paradesi (which translates to “foreigners” in several Indian languages) remains an enduring symbol of what was once a thriving Jewish community with seven working synagogues. For much of its early history, the synagogue served a community of foreign-born Jewish spice dealers. In 1968, the 400th anniversary of the synagogue was celebrated in a ceremony attended by Indira Gandhi, the Indian prime minister.

Since there aren’t enough male Jews living in Cochin to form a minyan, Paradesi only has services when enough foreigners join with locals to celebrate a Jewish holiday.

In accordance with Hindu tradition, visitors are required to enter the synagogue barefoot.

Other facets of Paradesi that are the result of Hindu influence include the wearing of brightly colored clothing and the distribution of grape-soaked myrtle leaves during various festivals.

Unfortunately, our ship was in Cochin on a Saturday, when the interior of the synagogue was closed.

But we were able to admire the synagogue’s exterior in a courtyard at the end of Jew Street, which includes a 45-foot tall clock tower that was added to the complex in 1761 and was restored a decade ago with funding from the World Monuments Fund.

“Jew Town” remains a popular tourist attraction in Cochin and the busy street where the synagogue is located is full of shops selling everything from Judaica to t-shirts to Indian spices.

Even though only a handful of Jews now live there, an older section of Cochin is still commonly referred to as “Jew Town.” Its centerpiece is the oldest functioning Jewish house of worship in the former British Commonwealth.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 55

The Gateway of India, one of Mumbai’s most famous sites

Bene Israel in Mumbai

Two days later, the Nautica docked in Mumbai, the 13th largest city in the world with a population of about 18 million.

Known as Bombay until 1995, the city is home to most of the country’s Jews and has eight active synagogues.

I was fascinated to learn about a historic community of Indian Jews called Bene Israel (“Sons of Israel”), who arrived in India several hundred years ago and comprise a majority of Mumbai’s Jews to this day.

Some believe that the Bene Israel are one of the disputed lost tribes and migrated to India after centuries of travel through western Asia from Israel. The 12th-century Jewish philosopher Maimonides wrote that there was a Jewish community living in India; historians think he may have been referring to the Bene Israel.

Under British colonial rule, many Bene Israel rose to prominence in India. Later, they became leaders in the country’s new film industry.

At its peak in the late 1940s, the Jewish population of Bombay reached nearly 30,000. But it has since dwindled to

about 4,000, as most Indian Jews have immigrated to Israel.

I was one of 16 passengers on the Nautica who signed up for a half-day tour in Mumbai called “Jewish Chronicles of India.”

The excursion was led by Yael Jhirad, a Bene Israel who has been conducting tours of Jewish sites in Mumbai for more than 20 years. Jhirad, whose husband, Ralphy Jhirad, is a prominent leader of the Indian Jewish community, says Jewish tourists are often surprised to learn about the very existence of Jewish life in the country.

“Jewish visitors are most fascinated by the presence of Jews in India for the past two millennia,” she says, adding that what makes the community especially unique is “its survival in spite of being disconnected with the rest of the Jewish world for centuries.”

Jhirad took us to four synagogues in Mumbai, including the oldest – Shaar Harahamim (The Gate of Mercy), built in 1796 by a Bene Israel, Samuel Ezekiel Divekar. The street on which it is located is named Samuel Street in his honor. We later visited Magen David, a tall blue Orthodox synagogue that was built in 1864

by David Sassoon, an Iraqi Jew who became the leader of the

The 12th-century Jewish philosopher Maimonides wrote that there was a Jewish community living in India; historians think he may have been referring to the Bene Israel.

56 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Bene Israel tour guide Yael Jhirad shows visitors Shaar Harahamim, the oldest synagogue in Mumbai.

Visitors at the historic Paradesi Synagogue in Cochin

Mumbai Jewish community.

Jhirad says Jews have encountered little anti-Semitism in India and get along well with the majority Hindu population as well as Mumbai’s large Muslim community. However, there was a terrorist attack in 2008 by a militant Islamic Pakistani group in which several Mumbai sites were targeted, including the Chabad House. The rabbi and his wife were among the more than 160 people killed in the attacks. Chabad reopened the facility in 2014. Despite the attacks, Jhirad says relations between Jews and Muslims in Mumbai remain on solid footing.

To arrange a tour of the Jewish sites in Mumbai and other attractions in the area, including the famous Gateway to India that was built to welcome King George and Queen Mary during their visit in 1911, send Jhirad an email at yaeljhirad@ hotmail.com.

India is not an easy place to visit, especially for inexperienced travelers. Mumbai is congested, loud and just crossing the street can be a dangerous challenge as cars and motorbikes rarely stop for pedestrians. What you’ve likely heard about the country’s wretched poverty is not an exaggeration and difficult to witness firsthand. The food, while tasty, is often substandard in terms of sanitary conditions. In short, for many Western visitors, the place epitomizes the term “culture shock.”

Perhaps that’s why seeing Jewish sites in India was so comforting and enriching. In a sea of crowded chaos and confusion, walking through Cochin’s “Jew Town” and visiting Mumbai’s splendid surviving synagogues brought much-needed solace and a meaningful connection with a little-known, resilient and historically remarkable Jewish community on the other side of the world.

Dan Fellner of Chandler is a faculty associate at Arizona State University and freelance travel writer specializing in Jewish destinations. Visit his website: Global-Travel-Info.com.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 57

H& Lifestyle ome

The original brick wall in the living room was painted black, leaving the grout in tact.

Updating with style and light

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri Photos by Scott Sandler

When Lynne moved into Phoenix’s Arcadia neighborhood in 1976, the setting was ideal for her young family. “I loved the house because Arcadia at the time was just a perfect neighborhood to raise my family. We had almond trees, we had a fig tree, naval and juice oranges. It was just gorgeous,” says Lynne.

But as their children got older and moved away, she knew it was time to change things up in this 1965-era home. Just not all at once. Over the last 15 years, Lynne worked with interior designer Barbara Kaplan to upgrade the house, one room at a time. She wanted style, but not a museum.

The result is a home that feels tasteful and contemporary, but still comfortable to live in, while retaining its mid-century charm.

58 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

“We didn’t want

anything formal. I

grew up in a formal

house. … we couldn’t walk into the living

room. I didn’t want to ever have to do that.”

A custom glass door creates a colorful entryway and lets in light.

“We didn’t want anything formal,” says Lynne. “I grew up in a formal house. … we couldn’t walk into the living room. I didn’t want to ever have to do that.”

The white linoleum floor was the first to go, replaced with eight-inch caramel tiles. “I had the option, years later, to trade them out for more modern, bigger tiles. I didn’t want to do that. There is something about my tile and the art deco feel that it gives my house that wasn’t going to get changed,” she says.

The first room to get a new treatment was the living room. Lynne and Barbara started out by picking a carpet and then redesigned the room around it. That meant removing a green Formica bar where the entertainment center now stands. Lynne says, “We ripped the living room apart except for the brick,” which Barbara suggested painting black – brick by brick. She had the original idea of leaving the grout a neutral color, so that it would look like black brick rather than a painted red brick wall.

Needless to say, it was painstaking work, but the effect was well worth it.

“My living room is all caramel and black, with red touches in the pillows, paintings, glasswork and the artwork. With the lights on at night, and shining on the glasswork, it’s just perfect,” she. “It really is a fun room.”

Another highlight of the living room is the front door, which was ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 59

H&L

replaced with custom-designed glass that picks up the color of the tile and the exterior brick in a curving pattern reminiscent of river rock. Barbara sites the glass door as a great example of how to create a new look for an older home, while leaving it structurally intact.

The master bedroom was redone more recently. As was typical of homes built in the 1960s, the master bedroom and bath were relatively small, so Barbara worked with an architect and contractor to build out and expand the master suite by an additional 200 square feet. To balance out the enlarged space she added an oversized picture window, bringing the garden 60 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

into the bedroom. The muted blues, grays and browns enhance the sense of the master bedroom as a private sanctuary. Lynne says she loves feeling like she’s in the garden, while sitting in bed or on the loveseat facing the window. She describes it as the perfect place to chill at night.

“My patio, my garden is part of the inside of the house,” says Lynne. Throughout the house, changes were made to bring in more light and greenery from the outside. “I wanted every room to be full of light.” This is especially noticeable in the dining room, where a mirrored wall reflects the garden visible through large picture windows. “For me, it’s magical, because I

A love seat in the bedroom faces an oversized picture window, bringing the garden inside.

wake up and I feel like I’m on vacation every day. The outside is breathtaking.”

Although the kitchen got a facelift in the earlier stages, it is still a work in progress. Initially, Barbara kept the original cabinets, updating them with angular handles and new stain.

“My kitchen is spectacular, even without newer counters and appliances,” says Lynne. That said, she envisions the possibilities and looks forward to working with Barbara to bring the next phase to fruition.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 61

H&L

Plant now for winter harvest Story and photos by Aviva Tirosh

Figuring out when summer ends and fall begins is much less clear in the Sonoran Desert than in other parts of the country. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has defined fall as beginning when the monsoon ends, usually mid-September.

Early in the season the daytime temperatures often rise again to near June levels, but the dry air results in comfortable mornings and evenings. In September the days are lengthening and the nighttime temperatures are dropping. While fighting our latesummer torpor may be a bit of a challenge, now is the time to get outside to plant cool season vegetables.

Start with a few basic questions.

What do you and your family like to eat? Make a list of your 62 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

There is no short-cut to good vegetable garden bed preparation. Excellent groundwork up front will give you delicious rewards until April or even May.

favorite vegetables, ranked in order of preference. This will make a useful guide for deciding how much to plant of each.

How much space is available? Plan your garden on paper first.

Draw a map showing arrangement and spacing of crops. In your plan, place tall and trellised crops on the north side of the garden so they won’t shade the shorter vegetables. Vegetables grow best in a level area with loose, well-drained soil, and at least six hours of sun. It is important to locate your garden near a good and easily accessible supply of water so that taking care of your garden will be convenient.

The ideal soil is deep, well-drained and has a high organic matter content. Proper soil preparation provides the basis for good seed germination and subsequent growth of garden crops.

Till the garden soil thoroughly, adding in amendments

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as needed. For tips on soil preparation for desert vegetable gardens, visit gardenoracle.com. After breaking up clumps and smoothing the surface, water the beds and let them rest for a week before adding seeds or seedlings.

There is no short-cut to good vegetable garden bed preparation. Excellent groundwork up front will give you delicious rewards until April or even May. You can maximize your garden’s yield with succession planting. Refer to your garden plan, which will tell you how many rows of each crop you want. For example, if you plan four rows of salad greens, then plant one row of seeds and wait two to three weeks to plant each successive row. With good planning, you can enjoy fresh salads from your garden until late spring.

It’s fun to trellis snow peas or sugar snap peas along the north end of your bed. Many types of greens do well here, including mesclun mixes, arugula, oak leaf, butter-crunch … really any loose-leafed lettuce. Other greens that are great for desert gardens are spinach, bok choy, Swiss chard and kale.

You can grow greens from seed or buy pony-packs of seedlings at your favorite local nursery. These are preferable over chain store seedlings, which are often loaded with neonicotinoids (pesticides that are harmful to pollinators) and typically are poorly cared for during the crucial growth time from seed to seedling.

Fall is also time for brassicas. These include broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. They do better here if purchased as seedlings (as opposed to planting seeds).

If you are using raised beds, there is nothing quite as delicious as home-grown carrots. They are best grown from seed. My favorites are scarlet nantes and red cored chantenay from Native Seeds/SEARCH in Tucson (nativeseeds.org).

Since NS/S is based in the Sonoran Desert their seeds and gardening tips are geared to our unique climate. I buy all my vegetable seeds from them, since their varieties are all arid lands adapted.

Bunching onions are a great addition to your “salad” garden.

Purchased as bulbs and harvested when green, try the fabulous I’itoi’s onion from NS/S. And don’t forget radishes and turnips!

After the initial planting, water the beds often enough to maintain surface moisture until the seeds have sprouted. Once germination has occurred and plants are growing, reduce your watering schedule to once every day or two. After a week, reduce it even further, watching for signs of drought stress.

Your winter garden watering goal should be once every five or six days, but water needs vary, depending on temperature and rainfall.

Monthly fertilization guarantees that the plants have all the nutrients necessary to produce at their peak. And best of all, winter gardening has very few pests. There really is no greater pleasure than harvesting meals from your own backyard.

Happy fall gardening!

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

64 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

[young adults]

Fighting food insecurity on campus

national initiative to explore student hunger because it is a very complex issue that isn’t widely known or really cared about.

Student volunteers at Arizona State University and the Not only is there food insecurity on the UA campus (there is University of Arizona are joining a new national advocacy a student-run food pantry on campus helping to address this and research project to combat the growing problem of food issue), but students are suffering from hunger on campuses all insecurity on college over the country. We plan campuses. on sharing this information The Campus Hunger at the UA and helping to Project is a collaboration create projects to help defeat of Challah for Hunger this problem,” says Marisa and MAZON: A Jewish Hoffman, co-chair of the Response to Hunger.

University of Arizona Hillel Since ASU and UA Foundation Challah for already have active Hunger group.

Challah for Hunger Challah for Hunger chapters on campus, announced the launch taking this next step was of the Campus Hunger a natural fit. Challah Project during its annual for Hunger volunteers leadership summit at West gather to bake and sell Chester University in July. challah – donating half During its first year, 80 of the profits to antistudent volunteers from 40 hunger organizations in U.S. colleges will be trained the community and half to research the growing to MAZON: A Jewish University of Arizona Challah for Hunger bakers in action: Danielle Almeida, problem of food insecurity Response to Hunger.

Katelyn Starcher, Marisa Hoffman, Samantha Hymanson and Cali Nash. on campus and to investigate “Our chapter plans to how administrations are implement the Campus addressing this issue.

Hunger Project by interviewing members of the university While several universities and colleges have recognized food administration and staff to find out to what extent hunger is insecurity as a growing problem, few, if any, have sought to present on our campus, and to figure out what can be done understand the scope of this issue – or to recommend longabout this issue at ASU. We also plan to educate our campus term solutions. and Challah for Hunger members about the issue of campus “Food insecurity on campus is a hidden health crisis that hunger by displaying information at our sales tables, presenting we intend to address through research and advocacy with the information and encouraging discussion when we get Campus Hunger Project,” says Carly Zimmerman, CEO of together to bake. Additionally, we are working on potentially Challah for Hunger, which has worked with college students implementing a program in which our customers can not only on hunger advocacy and education for 12 years. “We believe purchase challah for themselves, but also additional challah that if you work hard and are accepted to college, you shouldn’t that will be donated to those who cannot afford to buy food have to forfeit basic rights to food, shelter and safety, to pursue or who would otherwise go hungry, as many students on a higher education.” university campuses nationwide do,” says Arhem Barkatullah, Challah for Hunger is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that ASU Challah for Hunger President. involves more than 3,000 youth annually in activism and As college tuition costs continue to rise, an increasing advocacy for social justice through 80 student-led, collegenumber of students cannot afford adequate housing and based chapters in 28 U.S. states, the U.K. and Australia. sufficiently nutritious food. More than 56,000 college students To date, Challah for Hunger has raised and donated over identify as homeless on their financial aid applications and one $900,000 to these causes. For more information visit out of every seven students visited a food bank last year. challahforhunger.org.

“UA Hillel Challah for Hunger is participating in this new

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 65

[seniors]

Mother-daughter team crafts workbooks for seniors adults, along with therapeutic posters, board games, bingo games and card decks. We shared their story in the very first issue of Arizona Jewish Life magazine (azjewishlife.com/itsall-about-mitchell).

“The only way I make sense of my son’s struggling – not his life, but his struggling and his death – is to help other people. That’s what keeps me walking around, that I’m helping other people in his situation. And if I ever had to stop writing books, I’d be miserable. It’s what warms my heart,” says Ester, who has written or co-authored more than 90 workbooks for mental health group therapists. Kathy became a professional life coach and is currently the interim manager of senior behavioral health at Oro Valley Hospital in northwest Tucson.

Ester Leutenberg (right) joins forces with daughters Kathy Khalsa and Amy Leutenberg Brodsky (not pictured) to create tools for facilitators of senior therapy groups

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

Ester Leutenberg and her daughter Kathy Khalsa were inspired to write their first book together in 1987, in response to their son and brother Mitchell’s death by suicide the previous year. It provided a path to healing for them, while creating a tool to help others. With illustrations by her younger daughter, Amy, their Life Management Skills activity book for mental health facilitators expanded into a series of eight workbooks and launched Ester’s career as an author, publisher and advocate for those suffering from loss and mental illness.

Based on Kathy’s experience as an occupational therapist and the research Ester did trying to help Mitchell cope with mental illness for eight years, the duo created a format that was unique at the time, with reproducible activity pages that could be customized and shared. “My intent was helping the Mitchells in this world. Kathy’s intent was helping her clients, and other’s clients,” says Ester.

The three of them went on to write and illustrate a total of 15 books together, including the SEALS (Self-Esteem and Life Skills) series for teens and Meaningful Life Skills for older 66 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

“There’s a magic that happens within a group context.

There’s a certain energy that we all get from each other.”

– Kathy Khalsa

It’s been a decade since the Tucson-based mother-daughter duo collaborated on a book. But recently, they decided the time was right to pen a series for behavioral health facilitators working with seniors. Released earlier this year, Optimal Well-Being for Senior Adults I also features illustrations by Amy, a social worker and artist who lives in Cleveland, the Leutenberg’s hometown.

“We tried writing a book that really focused on what older adults need,” says Kathy. She notes that their life experience and issues of concern warrant special consideration, yet there were no therapy activity books meeting this niche. “It could be used in a mental health unit, or a senior circle, a church group for older adults or even a weekly support group.”

Topics include anxiety and stress, coping, expressing emotions, grief and loss, life balance, reminiscence, selfawareness, social skills, staying young at heart and thinking

Optimal Well-Being for Senior Adults I

Reproducible Activity Handouts Promoting Healthy Life Skills

Ester R.A. Leutenberg Kathy A. Khalsa, CPC, OTR/L Illustrated by

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skills. Each topic includes five activities of different levels of understanding – from basic concepts that are easy to grasp to more abstract ideas for discussion. A leader’s guide is provided for each activity, along with tips for facilitators of senior adult groups. The second book in the series will be released in January 2017.

Kathy emphasizes the importance of providing tools for group leaders. “There’s a magic that happens within a group context. There’s a certain energy that we all get from each other. There’s the collective of being in a group and I believe that changes learning. If we can help that process along, if we can empower therapists, counselors, teachers and activity leaders to be bold, to take a group activity and just try it, they usually feel success because it’s pretty clear cut.”

Ester and Kathy both walk the talk, too.

Kathy uses these tools for groups in the hospital. Ester leads a support group for caregivers in Sun City Oro Valley, where she lives (just 20 minutes from Kathy’s home near Saddlebrooke). They stress the importance of creating community, especially for older adults, who may no longer live near their families or may have left their friends to be closer to children and grandchildren. “We have a handout for that, too,” Kathy says.

“It’s that human connection that we create. If we can be a part of that, then I think that we’re doing good work,” says Kathy.

For more information about Ester’s books, visit wholeperson.com or email her at ester36@gmail.com.

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SRGseniorliving.com ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 67

[seniors]

Advocating for choice

Lance Goldberg frequently shares Terry’s story when speaking about end-of-life choices.

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

Lance Goldberg does not shy away from discussing death.

It’s actually a top priority for him. He is carrying on the advocacy work that his wife, Terry, started before she died in 2015.

“We all die. And our loved ones all die,” says Lance. “It’s not a question of can you keep them from dying, but what is that death like.” After suffering with Terry as her terminal condition deteriorated into an inevitable and, what he describes as horrible death, Lance is committed to raising awareness 68 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

and doing what he can to help change the law in Arizona that prohibits physicians from helping terminally ill patients minimize pain and terror in favor of a more peaceful death.

In January 2013, Terry was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, although she had symptoms for several years before that.

However, the rapid pace of her decline raised questions about the diagnosis. And in May 2014 she was diagnosed with multiple system atrophy (MSA), a rare progressive neurological disorder that affects both movement and involuntary actions, such as breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, bladder function and digestion.

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“At that time we knew that her life expectancy was fairly short – one or two years, three or four years. It’s a very rare disease. They trace life expectancy from when the symptoms began, which was rather vague,” Lance says. “So we knew it was going to be fairly quick. We also saw, in the beginning, that the way that death usually came was in someone’s sleep, because the autonomic nervous system was very much affected, and that controls our breathing.”

They took solace that one night she would just go to sleep and her body wouldn’t remember to breathe, and that would be it. But as her symptoms worsened and there were times when she was unable to clear saliva, swallow or catch her breath, they realized that it wasn’t that simple. “There was an awful lot of terror that went into this before that night that you went to sleep and didn’t wake up. And then the more we read about it … it really isn’t just one night that you go to sleep and you don’t wake up. There are a lot of nights that are terror driven,” Lance says.

At that point, they began asking medical professionals about Terry’s options. Several of them indicated that there were things she could do that might enable her to avoid the worst of it, if she wanted to act on them. That led the Goldbergs to consult with organizations that offer information and knowledge of resource accessability. They were introduced to options that Terry might be able to exercise, while she was still capable.

“Terry was very much aware that the avenues that we found all involved the patient needing to self-administer. Even in Oregon, which has changed their law in the last year or two, at the time that we were looking at this, a physician could

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prescribe and provide medication, but it had to be administered by the patient, not the doctor or any medical professional,” says the 68-year-old Scottsdale resident.

They looked at the option of going to Switzerland, which requires that two independent physicians agree on both the diagnosis and prognosis before a physician is allowed to administer an intravenous medication to hasten death.

However, Terry’s condition continued to worsen, making travel to Europe impossible.

“Our family had the financial wherewithal to do that,” says Lance. “It’s another thing that drives Terry’s surviving family to fight for this, because while it was an option for us and it was comforting to Terry to know that it was a possibility, it’s not an option that’s available to very many people in this country. We – Lance Goldberg ought to have similar laws here.”

Lance says that Terry acquired the medication to bring about a more peaceful end, which gave her a lot of comfort. “From what I understand from all that I’ve read, for those patients who get that prescription, it brings them an enormous amount of psychological and emotional relief. Only about 40% of patients

who get that prescription ever utilize it,” he says.

Although Terry’s condition got progressively worse, she still wanted to spend time with her family and it was hard for her to give that up. Lance says that she passed the point where she could have taken the medication herself by a few months. “It had to be taken in a certain way with a certain sequence and a certain rapidity. And we practiced and found that it wasn’t going to be possible,” Lance says.

“We were still so ignorant in so many ways. We really didn’t know what that end was going to be like until that end was here. There were a lot of things along the way that Terry said, ‘Oh, if that ever happens to me, if I ever have to have someone do that for me, that’ll be it for me.’ She passed a lot of those milestones. She was a lot more courageous then I would be, I think. There was a lot of pain that she endured, there was a lot of loss of dignity that she endured,” he says.

Since Terry could no longer administer the medication herself, the two options that were available were palliative

“We all die. And our loved ones all die. It’s not a question of can you keep them from dying, but what is that death like.”

70 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

sedation (being put into a coma), and VSED (voluntary stopping of eating and drinking). Through counseling, the Goldbergs were informed about what each of these meant. They read, watched videos and learned of other people’s experiences. Lance says that one of the videos chronicled the path of a physician who chose VSED. It took 17 days. “There was some indication that he wasn’t aware of it after the first few days, because he seemed to be in a kind of euphoric state, we think. But that didn’t look like anything she wanted to go through.”

When Terry felt that she couldn’t go on any longer, she and Lance met with a home hospice nurse, who said that she was still getting some relief from morphine and therefore palliative sedation was not yet an option, according to the hospice protocol.

So Terry stopped eating and drinking. “She didn’t tell us; she just showed us by her actions,” says Lance. “Not that she was eating or drinking a lot by that point, but it was pretty obvious by the next day that she was refusing that. And we didn’t do anything other than make it available to her. We continued with the morphine and it was about five days. It was only the

last day, and really the last three or four hours, where she didn’t appear to be quite in the moment.

But it also didn’t appear to be very pleasant for her.”

The Goldberg family now advocates towards changing the law so that others in Terry’s position can choose how they want to die. Lance and his daughter Lauren Cain speak at meetings organized by Compassion & Choices Arizona and by state Senator Barbara Maguire, who introduced aid in dying legislation last session. His daughter, Leigh Suskin, is active with Compassion & Choices in Denver, where she lives. They are not only honoring Terry’s legacy, but pursuing a change that they truly believe in.

“She knew that we were going to continue that discussion after she died and she wanted us to, but we aren’t just doing this to honor her wishes,” he says. “We firmly believe in our right to have that option for all of us. … This ought to be an option that’s available to someone who is going to suffer and we are going to fight for that.”

They looked at the option of going to Switzerland, but Terry’s condition continued to worsen, making travel to Europe impossible.

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Kids &Teens too

A child-friendly resource for parents

INSIDE

72 Jordan Wiley-Hill and the power of mindfulness 76 Making a difference on the road 78 Resurfacing 79 Kids & teen events

72 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Jordan Wiley-Hill and the power of mindfulness

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

Once upon a time, there was a storyteller by the name of Jordan Wiley-Hill.

And Jordan dreamt of a way to use his creativity as a storyteller, pedagogic skills as an educator and awareness of the benefits of mindfulness and meditation to help students succeed in school.

So Jordan created the Mindfulness Education Exchange. His goal was to give students tools to develop basic skills: staying focused, controlling impulsiveness, managing stress, regulating emotions and enhancing interpersonal awareness.

“These are skills that we’ve often just taken for granted because they are so fundamental and yet they are entirely trainable. How often do teachers say to kids, ‘Pay attention!’? And how much time do we spend training kids to pay attention?

If a kid can’t pay attention, they’re going to have a hard time in school,” says Jordan, pointing out that this impacts other areas of their lives as well. If they can’t pay

attention, they’ll have a hard time in gym, in band, on the football field or with friends. “And the same is true for a lot of the social-emotional skills that emerge out of mindfulness training.”

There is an increased emphasis on social and emotional learning (SEL) – developing skills to understand and control emotions, choose and achieve goals, feel and demonstrate empathy, establish and keep positive relationships and make responsible decisions. Jordan says that mindfulness helps develop the capacity to self-monitor and self-regulate, which is crucial to implementing SEL skills.

“You might have a great approach that you’ve learned through social-emotional learning, like, ‘When someone says something mean to you, you can say this…’ But if you just hear the mean thing and then instantly react, then the script doesn’t do you much good. If you’ve got some mindfulness training, you can see your reaction, feel your reaction, know what it is and in an instant, have that space to make a choice whether or not you’re going to react. In that space, the SEL learning has a chance to flourish and be applied.”

This has many payoffs, Jordan notes: well-being and health (especially in light of the data of the effects of chronic stress), emotional and mental health. It also supports kids functioning more effectively in school settings – managing stress, dealing with test anxiety, paying attention to their class work and more.

The benefits of mindfulness training in schools are being documented through a growing body of scientific research, Jordan says. His website, mindfuledex.com, cites a study showing significant improvement among students in several areas: focus in the classroom, calming themselves down when

upset, overall emotion regulation, self-esteem, executive function (attention regulation, working memory) and respect for others (Meiklejohn et al., Mindfulness, 2012). Another source indicates improved academic skills, based on 15% better math scores (Reichl et al., Developmental Psychology, 2015). Assessments completed by the Mindfulness Education Exchange team during their programs in the schools affirm this.

“The kind of mindset we’re cultivating has to do with a lot of positivity and acceptance and kindness, internally and interpersonally,” says Jordan. “The extent to which we can cultivate some of that internal openness, acceptance and kindness, we can also do it with others. Those are the kind of core skills that we’re looking at. How to work with your mind, how to work with your feelings, how to work with what it means to be a human from the inside out.”

Jordan was a classroom teacher for many years, including six at the Tucson Hebrew Academy Jewish day school, and has taught in various informal settings, like religious schools, Jewish camps and teen programs for over a decade. While teaching students at Tucson Hebrew High a few years back, “I had a lot of open space to experiment with Jewish concepts and approaches with the kids. I started trying some meditative approaches to engaging with Jewish content,” he says, describing how he began to form his own unique crossbreed of mindfulness and Jewish education.

He was discovering what he calls “the blossoming field of mindfulness education where mindfulness skills were being transmitted to children.” Together with the special education teacher at THA, he started an after-school program on mindfulness for children, which was then brought into the

Alyson Greene, a teacher with the Mindfulness Education Exchange, leads an exercise at Herencia Guadalupana Preschool.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 73

mind·ful·ness: a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness

on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations. school day as an elective tefillah/mindfulness hybrid for middle school students. “We were deepening their experience of Jewish prayer in the morning service, while at the same time training mindfulness skills, using the prayers as the platform for that.”

In May 2015, Jordan left his full-time position at THA to create the Mindfulness Education Exchange with co-founder Shelly Hubman, an educator with similar interests. They started last fall teaching mindfulness to children at six schools, accompanied by professional development and parent training, to maximize the effectiveness of their curriculum. Over the past year they expanded into early childhood education, after school programs and even working with adults, athletes and seniors.

They have plans to branch out into company settings as well.

Jordan, who was born in South Africa, studied literature at Brandeis University where, during his last semester, he discovered his love for storytelling. With thick dreadlocks pulled back in a bandanna and trailing down his back, Jordan is a captivating and dynamic storyteller. I’ve seen him work his magic with young children, teens and even grownups, always drawing his audience in with his intensity, energy and authenticity.

The Mindful STOP This exe

rcise can he lp kids (and for that matt grownups, er) pause be fore reacting difficult situa to a tion.

S – Stop

Pause. Wha t’s going on in your body now, in this /heart/mind very momen right t?

T

– Take a dee

p breath or tw Pay attentio o n, as fully as poss steady inhala tion and exha ible, to your slow and lation.

O – Open an d Observe While your m ind peripheral aw is centered on the brea th, open your areness outw ards. Feel yo your surround ur body, noti ings, and ca ce ll to mind so going on in yo me good thin ur life. gs

P – Proceed

Staying with whatever still ness and op able to cultiv enness you ate, step ba were ck into the si with a sense tuation at ha of curiosity an nd d tenderness Look for othe . r opportunit ies to STOP – Cour tesy of today. the Mindfulne ss Education

Exchange

“I do storytelling work as well as drama-based education, using drama games to teach and bring content to life. That gives me a pretty unique background,” Jordan says. “There are some stories that are being used to teach mindfulness to kids, but storytelling as an oral form and the use of folktales and legends and stuff really extensively and systematically to train mindfulness isn’t being done very purposefully in the field.

And then the drama games – the capacity to make the material really fun and engaging and bring it to life – make it more external and interpersonal, which kids really need.”

Jordan has plans to develop an online store to sell tools, crafts, toys and lesson modules that are effective for teaching mindfulness, especially to kids. His staff is also working on developing programs and professional training for schools and organizations outside of Tucson, to help them develop their own institutional capacity to have mindfulness at their site.

He also sees potential for fleshing out the mindfulness-based prayer curriculum that he started at THA and bringing it to other Jewish day schools, religious schools, youth groups and summer camps. “This is such an awesome hybrid approach to prayer education,” he says.

For more information about the Mindfulness Education Exchange, you can reach Jordan at 520-222-6577 or jordan@ mindfuledex.com.

74 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

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Making a difference on the road

FROM THE TOP: Leah Millman and Emily Kaplan roll up their sleeves in the St. Vincent De Paul dining room. Before hitting the road to San Diego on Day 1, teens helped prepare and serve food for those less fortunate in the Valley.

Care-a-van teens dedicated the morning hours of July 4th to picking up trash in La Jolla Cove, San Diego.

Sarah Fielman, David Kasper, Ava DiBella, Ezra Phillips and Zach Kasper pitch in at the Los Angeles Food Bank.

Care-a-van teens receive instruction before embarking on an invasive plant removal project at Point Bonita YMCA outside of San Francisco.

76 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Twelve mitzvah projects in 15 days. That’s an accomplishment to be proud of for the 26 teens who spent the first two weeks of July on Hebrew High’s 15th annual summer Care-a-van.

“I have gained so much perspective about the less fortunate.

Because of my Care-a-van experience, I have learned to be grateful and to give back as much as I can,” says Bebe Katsenes. “I have made so many new and incredible friends on this trip that I wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

“Hebrew High Care-a-van brings together teens from across the greater Phoenix Jewish community for an experiential Jewish learning program like no other,” says Myra Shindler, Hebrew High principal and executive director of the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Phoenix. “Carea-van integrates four characteristics that make for a quality Jewish learning experience: context, content, community and common values. The context is the summer travel to new cities and settings; content is the opportunity to engage teens with Jewish texts in ways that open up their minds and hearts while learning about themselves; community is what happens along the trip as teens bond into a close knit havurah (community of friends); and common values is when teens search for ways Judaism acts as a source for values. Add together the recreational activities, the socialization and the challenges of stretching oneself to grow and contribute to tikkun olam (making the world a better place)... this year's group hit the mark!”

Mira was one of five staff members who accompanied the group on their journey along the California coast, through Nevada and Utah. Along the way, they prepared and served food for the poor and homeless, picked up trash, sang to seniors, met with young adults recovering from addiction, played and read with kids, helped out at Habitat for Humanity, cleaned up national park trails and so much more.

“Care-a-van has steered me religiously toward Judaism and made me want to do more mitzvahs,” says Sam Banen.

But the trip wasn’t all work and no play. Teens also enjoyed river rafting, beach time, hiking, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Six Flags Magic Mountain, San Francisco’s Pier 39 and Golden Gate Bridge, Zion National Park and a Las Vegas comedy show.

Interested in joining Care-a-van 2017? School year enrollment in Hebrew High is not required. Contact Myra at myras@bjephoenix.org or 480-634-8050 for details.

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Valley of the Sun JCC 12701 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale 85254 Funded in part by the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 77

[Family Time]

Resurfacing

By Debra Rich Gettleman

“Mommy has a disease,” I hear my husband explaining to my 12-year-old son. I can’t quite make out the rest of the conversation through my quiet sobbing upstairs in the bedroom.

But I catch some of it. “Will she be OK?” Eli asks. “Will I have the disease too? Will I have to take medicine for it?”

I am ashamed and heartbroken that my son needs to learn about the bipolar disorder I’ve battled my whole life. As an advocate for those who suffer from mental illness and a staunch supporter of removing the stigma attached to brain disorders, I am surprisingly filled with the same mortification and sorrow I often rail against as I hear my husband explaining this illness to my youngest child. But the reality seems clear. I am struggling mightily and it is painfully obvious to my son that something is wrong.

Since our recent move from Phoenix to Seattle, life has been challenging for all of us. The anxiety of moving, coupled with the lack of friends, family and support system has sent me into a phase of my illness more severe than ever before. It started with an inability to sleep. After several weeks of insomnia, my emotions became overwhelming. For years, the right medication, exercise and counseling have allowed me to live virtually symptom free. There was really no need to inform my kids about the condition. But the incessant crying and unrelenting wakefulness have made secrecy no longer viable. I shared the truth with my 16-year-old son several years ago when we noticed his severe anxiety and recognized the need to address it.

But somehow I never thought I’d need to tell Eli, like I’d been cured and no longer needed to be branded with the mental illness label.

It troubles me that I felt the need to hide this reality from my son. I would openly tell anyone suffering from any type of mood disorder that it is nothing to be ashamed of, that having a brain disorder is like any other organ problem, that no one would think twice about taking medication for seizures or diabetes. But when it came right down to it, I was embarrassed and felt like a personal failure for having succumbed to a disease that I had convinced myself I had fully overcome.

I remember clearly the day I learned about bipolar disorder. It was after a painful period in my 20s that nearly ended my life. I miraculously discovered a book entitled You Mean I Don’t Have to Feel This Way? by Colette Dowling. Reading it gave me hope and allowed me to forgive myself and recognize that this malady had nothing to do with personal weakness or a lack of trying to “get better” on my own.

78 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

Back when I was first diagnosed, my father, a pharmacist and owner of a small retail drugstore chain, was horrified. He had built his entire life on the belief in the power of medicine and its ability to heal people. But the idea that his own daughter suffered from something “mental” or “emotional” was too challenging for him to face. My first medication was a SSRI (serotonin specific reuptake inhibitor) known as fluoxetine (aka Prozac). It was relatively new and exceedingly expensive.

My dad could have easily reached out to one of his distributors for a wholesale price on the drug. But his shame overtook his practicality and he preferred to pay full price rather than reveal anything so personal and embarrassing to one of his colleagues.

I wasn’t sure how to take my father’s shame. It made me feel defeated, like I was an embarrassment to my family.

It was obvious that I had let my parents down. Over the years, I learned more about my illness and personal brain chemistry, which helped me understand the critical role of psychopharmaceuticals in combating the pain and hopelessness of mental illness. On many occasions I’ve tried desperately to counsel, encourage and support people facing the same guilt and indignity that confronted me as a young woman.

But it is astonishing how quickly the past can resurface, even decades later. I wonder if Eli now thinks differently of his mother. I wonder if he is somehow disappointed in me. I wonder how he will cope with the possibility that his magical creative spirit and volatile temperament may hold some link to my genetic code.

Questions race through my mind at lightning speed. I am suddenly uncertain about my ability to function as a parent and professional. The only thing that seems clear to me is that while times have changed, the issue of mental illness is still a tricky topic to address. The fear of judgment and criticism, along with the negative self-talk that accompanies mental illness is still palpable. My only hope is that as those of us who fight these battles continue to be open and honest with the people around us, we will further sway the societal consciousness and help build a stigma-free world where brain disorders and their management are no longer something to hide, but instead treated like any other biological infirmity.

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

Kids & Teen

EVENTS September

Ongoing: Club J at the Valley of the Sun JCC

Sept 16 Shabbat Stay and Play/Shabbat on the Go features singing and

After-school programming ranging from sports to cooking and crafts to Israeli culture and more for grades 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.

blessings in the art gallery, a special lunch discount for participating parents and children and play space fun immediately following. 10 am at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson. Free. 520-299-3000 ext. 236 or tucsonjcc.org.

J Care at the East Valley JCC

Family Shabbat Service and Dinner at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E Fifth St., Tucson from 5:45-8:30 pm. Interactive and upbeat Shabbat celebration for families incorporates fun-spirited melodies and family-themed activities. Dinner $25 per family (2 adults and up to 4 children) and/or adults (13+) $10 per person. RSVP by Sept 12. 520-745-5550 ext. 224 or caiaz.org.

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-up 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 (help from education specialists), arts, sports or teens can hang in the Youth Lounge. Bus transportation from schools available for K-12. Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson. Contact Scott at 520-299-3000 ext. 192 or szorn@tucsonjcc.org, tucsonjcc.org.

Sept 2 Tot Shabbat at 5:45-7:15 pm at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E 5th St.,

In the Garden Fall Shabbat Potluck from 6-7:30 pm. Includes Garden of Eden inspired recipes prepared by the J-Care Garden Club kids and earthworm dirt cup dessert projects. Please bring a dairy dish for 10 to share. $5 at the door, $3 in advance. Tucson JCC, 3800 E River Road, Tucson. 520-299-3000 ext. 236 or jzorn@tucsonjcc.org.

Sept 16, 23 & 30 Mommy & Me Rock Shabbat at Temple Kol Ami Early Childhood Center,

Tucson. Special Kabbalat Shabbat Service for young families to welcome the Sabbath with stories and songs, followed by kid-friendly Shabbat dinner. $25, family (2 adults and up to 4 children). $10, additional adult. RSVP to Kim, 520745-5550 ext. 224 or edasst@caiaz.org.

15030 N 64th St., Scottsdale from 9-10:30 am. Teacher-led class for moms and children ages infant to 2 years. Moms connect and share experiences while their children learn and grow. Members: $5, class; or $35, 10-class pass for Temple Kol Ami members. Non-members : $10, class; $75, 10-class pass. For registration and information, contact 480-951-5825 or tkaecc@templekolami. org.

Sept 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 Music & Me at East Valley JCC, 908 N Alma School Road, Chandler

Sept 17 Parents Night Out gives parents a well-deserved break! Experienced JCC

from 10-11 am. A parent and child music class. Hannah Creviston, assistant professor of music at ASU, uses an innovative curriculum to aid in developing musical potential of young children, newborn - 18 months. $5, class. 480-8970588 or evjcc.org.

staff lead games, crafts and more. Separate movies for younger and older children. 6-11 pm. $25, first child, $15, sibling. Non-members welcome. East Valley JCC, 908 N Alma School Road, Chandler. Contact Jeff at 480-897-0588 or hastj@evjcc.org.

Sept 3 & 17 Kids Night Out at Arizona Sunrays Gymnastics & Dance Center, 3110 E

Sept 18 Schmooze Young Families Play at the Splash Pad. See page 86

Thunderbird Road, Phoenix, 6-10 pm. Kids ages 3-14 enjoy an exciting evening of gymnastics, dance, organized games, sports, jumping in a bounce house and on trampolines, obstacle courses, and then wind down the evening with a movie. $30, child; $5 sibling discount. Pizza, snacks and drinks included.

Advanced registration required; $5 fee for same-day registration. 602-992-5790 or arizonasunrays.com.

Sept 10 Kids Night Out – Keepin’ it Cool in the Summer for grades K-5 at Valley of

the Sun JCC, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 6-10 pm. Parents, enjoy the night out while the kids cool off with ice painting, ice cream making, snowball fight and delicious dinner. Movie: “Norm of the North.” For information, contact 480.634.4949 or youth@vosjcc.org.

Teens Night Out – Roller Skating at Valley of the Sun JCC, 12701 N

Super Sunday in the Hallway – Rosh Hashanah Fun at Valley of the Sun JCC, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 10 am-3 pm. Rosh Hashanah open house with children’s activities, including Rosh Hashanah stories with PJ Library, New Year’s crafts and apple snacks. Children make New Year’s cards for IDF soldiers. Free for everyone. 480-634-4949 or youth@vosjcc.org.

New Year’s Family Cooking at Valley of the Sun JCC, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 2-3:30 pm. A Rosh Hashanah event for the whole family making challah and honey-apple parfait. Each family receives prayers, recipes and traditions to take home. Kosher dietary laws observed. $20, member families; $30, non-member families. 480-634-4949 or youth@vosjcc.org.

Sept 20 School Days Out for grades K-8. Special activities such as sports, art,

Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 6-10 pm. Start at The J’s Teen Lounge for Havdalah and mixers, then hop in the vans and head to the roller rink. All entry costs included and a snack is provided upon return to The J. $40, members; $50, nonmembers. For information, contact 480-634-4949 or youth@vosjcc.org.

swimming, cooking and more. 9 am-4 pm (pre- and post-care hours for grades K-5 available for additional fee, 6th grade and older may roam). $45, member; $55 non-member. Tucson JCC, 3800 E River Road, Tucson. 520-299-3000 ext.

394 or tucsonjcc.org.

Sept 12, 19 & 26 Parent-Tot Class for ages 9-24 months and their parents. Singing, art

Sept 25 Northwest Fun in the Sun Day at Riverfront Park, 551 N Lambert Place,

projects, stories, snacks and parenting advice. Free. 9-11 am at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E 5th St., Tucson. 520-745-5550 or edasst@caiaz.org.

Tucson from 1-4 pm. Enjoy a one-mile walk, inflatable obstacle courses, activity tables, popcorn, food trucks and more! Free. 520-299-3000 or tucsonjcc.org.

Sept 29-Oct 9 A Little Princess.

See page 48.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 79

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Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix President and CEO Richard Kasper (far left) and Life & Legacy Program Director Rachel Rabinovich (far right) present an incentive grant check to Don Schon and Amanda Garcia of the Jewish Community Association.

Building a culture of legacy

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri Photo by Russ Berkman

g n i v i L

80 Building a culture of legacy 82 Hiking with heart, Project Jewish Love 83 Federation Notes 84 Faces & Places 86 Previews

80 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

It’s been a busy year for the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix, so they’re gearing up to celebrate. In the first year of its Life & Legacy program, the foundation and its 12 community partners exceeded their goal and secured 347 legacy commitments, totaling an estimated $17.2 million, to support local Jewish organizations.

“I think the numbers speak for themselves,” says Jewish Community Foundation President and CEO Richard Kasper. “Although we’ve had plenty of success in the past, numbers like this have not ever really been achieved in this community in a single year. And with respect to creating a culture change, we’ve heard that from the participating organizations. There’s no doubt that this program has been successful.”

Life & Legacy is a partnership program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, which focuses on securing end-of-lifetime gifts that will be held at the foundation as permanent endowments to benefit the designated organizations.

“We saw this as an opportunity to approach the entire community collectively and do something that we thought could have the potential to make some change across our philanthropic community in Greater Phoenix, with the idea that the teams would be working together and supporting one another and also helping us really build a culture of giving, particularly end-of-lifetime giving, in our local Jewish community,” says Richard.

On Sept. 22 JCF will host a cocktail celebration for the organizations participating in the Life & Legacy program, their volunteers, donors who signed declarations of commitment and signers of the Endowment Book of Life. Amy Hirshberg Lederman – author, columnist for Arizona Jewish Life magazine and staunch advocate for legacy giving and philanthropy – will give the keynote presentation.

“It’s really to celebrate our wonderful success and the wonderful commitment to ensure the future and vitality of our own community,” says Life & Legacy Program Director Rachel Rabinovich.

The baseline goal for each organization was to secure at least 18 legacy

ut 1

commitments, with a stretch goal of 25 each. In the end, each of the partners secured 25 or more commitments and were rewarded with a $10,000 unrestricted incentive grant at a private luncheon in May. As the second half of the two-year Life & Legacy program gets underway, the foundation is focused on not just meeting its goal of garnering 600 commitments, but also achieving 100% formalization of those commitments through signed gift completion forms. At the time of publication, the total number of commitments was up to 385 with 146 formalized gifts.

Rachel says that this represents a significant change as well.

“People are Page not just 8/20/2016 8:51 AM 1 saying they’re going to do it,” she notes.

They’re actually taking the steps to finalize their legacy gift, so that all of the documentation is in place.

The 12 Life & Legacy community partners are Arizona Jewish Historical Society, Congregation Or Tzion, East Valley Jewish Community Center, Hillel at Arizona State University, Jewish Family & Children’s Service, Jewish Federation & Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, Jewish Free Loan, Jewish Genetic Diseases Center of Greater Phoenix, Pardes Jewish Day School, Temple Chai, Temple Emanuel of Tempe and Temple Kol Ami. As word spreads through the community about the partners’ successes, other organizations are showing increased interest in legacy giving. Richard sees this as evidence that the program is working. Although they cannot bring in additional Life & Legacy partners, Rachel says the foundation is happy to help any Jewish organization set up the infrastructure for their own legacy program.

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602-241-2500 ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 81

JLiving Hiking with heart

and everyone will have a buddy. All ages are welcome to participate.”

Jennifer Gale was thinking about her own dating future Before the hike commences, the leader will provide a brief when the idea of Project 40 Love first popped into her head. educational overview to ensure safety. Hikes will require an The name was a play on words using the concept of a tennis RSVP because PJL wants to make sure everyone participating match. She requested set-ups and blind date suggestions from is accounted for, plus hikers will receive a list of items to bring her friends, encouraging them to “toss the ball in her court” and along with them and contact information in case there is a need “match” her with potential partners. to communicate on the day of the hike.

For almost a year, she joked with her friends about Project 40 Another event planned for PJL members is Jew Year’s Eve Love, but the more she shared the idea, the more she realized Jewbilee. This celebration of Rosh Hashanah 5777 will take that she was not alone. “That’s when I began to research place on Oct. 8 at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community dedicated outlets available for single Jews over 40 looking Center in Scottsdale. “Jew Year’s Eve Jewbilee will include for companionship, friendship, dating, love or marriage. “The a Havdalah service with live guitar by Erez Kessler and results were a bit slim, not Gal Drimmer. These two just in Arizona,” says Jennifer.

Israeli musicians are extremely “Jewish groups, programming talented and their music will be and dating appear strong for spectacular! After Havdalah, the those approximately 30-yearsdoors open to a joyful celebration old (maybe even 35) and that will connect you to those younger and then again in the within your community! DJ senior years.”

Gravity will play music inside So Jennifer set out to create and the guitar music continues an “old-fashioned” way to outdoors,” describes Jennifer. bring people together in one Jennifer’s goals are to keep of the largest cities in the expanding Project Jewish Love U.S., featuring events that through these events and other would bring people face-toopportunities to provide resources face. Project Jewish Love was for Jewish singles to meet. born. Each month PJL hosts At the request of her members, at least one social, one Judaic, in August Jennifer launched one health and well-being, an online Personal Profile Experienced hiking guide Debra Rosenberg will lead and one Shabbat dinner event directory. This enables single Project Jewish Love’s Climb Higher hikes. at various locations.

Jews nationwide to connect. She At the first Shabbat dinner designed it so that people will she hosted, Jennifer asked the more than 35 attendees to share, be able to show their real name and real email, but people do “something they couldn’t live without.” An overwhelming not have to use their last name or phone number, unless they majority stated that they could not live without being outdoors want to. It’s designed to facilitate communication, which is and/or hiking. Jennifer realized that hiking would be a perfect important to Jennifer, “Compared to other dating sites, PJL bonding activity. At the same event, a woman named Debra will not display fake profiles and allow non-members to display Rosenberg approached her and told Jennifer that she had full profiles that impede the availability to really connect with experience leading hikes. available people.”

On her own, Debra has been facilitating a hiking group Her plans for the latter half of 2016 include launching for seniors with an average age of 72. With her experience, ourjewishgeneration.com. This group will mirror how PJL emphasis on safety and proper hiking protocol, Debra is able works, but be geared towards single Jews in the 18-39 age to customize each Project Jewish Love hike for attendees’ ages, range. “In 2017, I hope to have a comprehensive listing of concerns and skill levels. Select hikes within the series will even singles groups throughout the country posted on the website as be in cooperation with a ranger at the park location. a resource. Working cooperatively with existing singles groups These hikes will be held over a series of Sundays, beginning will only strengthen the Jewish singles experience and enhance in October, and will have a gathering time of 7:45 am, begining the opportunity to meet others,” says Jennifer. promptly at 8 am. “All hikes will be classified as ‘easy to A schedule of upcoming events is posted at moderate’ leisure hikes on trails that are approximately four projectjewishlove.com. All inquiries and RSVPs for events can miles or less,” Jennifer explains. “No one will be left behind be directed to admin@projectjewishlove.com.

By Mala Blomquist

82 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

FEDERATION NOTES Listening and learning make strong community

By Stuart Wachs

In Phoenix, summer is typically a time when things slow down; people take vacations and recharge before school starts and our calendars begin to fill with holiday and other obligations. Unfortunately, this summer has been a time of elevated concern for the world and for our country. Divisiveness seems to be at an all-time high.

These past few months, we have seen continued terror attacks in Israel, as well as increased attacks in England, France, Germany and throughout the Middle East. Anti-Semitism continues to rise, including right here in the U.S. and Arizona.

Innocent people are being killed and persecuted. We have seen police ambushed and murdered. This causes us to seriously question where we are headed as a society and what can be done.

So much of what we do at the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix is caring for those in need, but equally important is our work to build and support communities. This role is even more important at times like these. It is the strength of relationships and a strong community that can help us through and allow us to thrive.

While some of our work is obvious – such as fighting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions or BDS movement – some of our work may be less apparent, but no less important. Our community core impact areas draw us together and assure our continued vibrancy. Our Israel advocacy initiatives and programs, and our funding of organizations that bring our communities together, keep our community focused on what is important and counteract anti-Semitism. Our NowGen initiative ensures that Jewish young adults engage within our community, developing them into leaders and reminding them what it is to live Jewishly.

By bringing people together and creating a true sense of community, we can make our community, our country and our world a better place – tikkun olam. Your support of the federation campaign builds the capacity of the federation’s work directly, as well as through the many amazing organizations we fund. Thank you.

In these divisive times, I ask us all to take a pause to listen more and judge less, and to live our Jewish values. If we all try harder to listen and to learn rather than preach and convince, we will be a stronger and healthier community.

To listen and learn, we are conducting a survey of our community to learn your thoughts about the federation’s role today and in the future. We greatly value your input and thank you in advance for your participation.

I ask you to please support our efforts to enrich Jewish lives here in Phoenix, in Israel and around the globe. With support, optimism and hard work, our Jewish community will thrive and be a brighter light unto the world when it is most needed.

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

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 83

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Living

FACES & PLACESFACES & PLACES BOOKS AND KIDS – After 18 years, Ellen Dean (left) announced at the annual end of year BookPALs get-together, held this year on June 3 at Chompie’s, that she is stepping down as Arizona coordinator for the program. She will, however, continue to coordinate volunteer readers in the public schools under the umbrella of the non-profit Andy Hull’s Sunshine Foundation, with the motto “Reading Matters; You Matter.” Cheryl Hammerman (right) visits with Dean at the breakfast event. Photo

by Leni Reiss

MEZUZAH MAKERS – Teens from Congregation Beth Tefillah’s Generation TMT (Torah, Mitzvoth and Tzedakkah) group created glass fusion mezuzot under the instruction of Barbara Becker at Art for Fun! Studio in Phoenix on May 15. Esther Allouche discussed the beauty and importance of the mezuzah on door posts. Pictured: Becker, Allouche, Arielle Kessler, Eva Lille, Francki Breger and Sivan Nadler.

OVER THE RAINBOW – Iris Wigal and Nancy Sacks Goldberg were among a sizeable Brandeis Summer Camp group attending an afternoon musical tribute to Judy Garland at the KAX Theater in downtown Phoenix on July 20. Photo by Leni Reiss KINDNESS CUBES FOR HANDMAKER – Danit Yona and Israel Biton, Israeli camp counselors at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, visited Handmaker on July 29. They sang and handed out “kindness cubes” made and decorated by kids at Camp J. The origami cubes contained notes with beautiful sentiments for the residents.

ETHICAL WILLS – Les and Lois Waldman shared their stories at an Ethical Will Workshop sponsored by Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona at Handmaker on Thursday, Aug. 11. The workshop was led by Rabbi Stephanie Aaron of Congregation Chaverim.

INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKER – The audience was made up predominantly of Honeymoon Israel alumni when Avraham Infeld spoke at Temple Chai on May 18. The eloquent and inspirational Infeld is the past president of Hillel International.

His visit was sponsored by Valley Beit Midrash.

Pictured with Infeld is Adina Zarchan, Temple Solel’s former program director. Among Honeymoon Israel participants in attendance were, from left, Josh and Cindy Winston and Jenny and Chad Noonan. Photos

by Leni Reiss

84 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

SUMMER SCHMOOZINGS – Schmooze kept busy this summer with a range of events for young families and singles.

Young families enjoyed a trip to the Phoenix Zoo and visits to several splash pads; couples gathered for ShabbatLuck and Schmooze co-hosted a pool party for singles and couples with AVIV of Arizona.

JCCA BIENNIAL – Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center President and CEO Stuart Wachs, Managing Director Kim Subrin and Board Chair Jonathan Hoffer networked with peers at the JCC Association’s Biennial conference in Baltimore, May 15-18.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT – A sold out crowd enjoyed an afternoon of klezmer music on Sunday, Aug. 7 at the Arizona Jewish Historical Society. Featured artist Yale Strom, his wife Elizabeth and local favorites, the Rural Street Klezmer Band, provided the toe-tapping entertainment. Pictured below: Rosalind and Burton Milrod; Shelley and Arnie Silverman. Photo by Leni Reiss. Photo of Yale Strom by Hershl Weberman

OASIS VOLUNTEERS – Dolly Brazlin and Louise Leverant, both volunteer OASIS tutors, were among honorees at a Literacy Appreciation Celebration held at Camelview School on May 18. Photo by Leni Reiss

SHOWTIME FOR SCOUTS – Arizona Friends of Israeli Scouts board member Sandy Shedroff visits with Noa (left) and Mai prior to their performance Saturday evening, June 11 at the LDS Stake center in Gilbert. The 2016 Israel Scout Caravan, comprising 10 talented teenagers, delighted audiences at 11 Arizona venues in June. Photo by Leni Reiss

SUMMER FUN – Shai Maron, a counselorin-training this summer at the Arizona Herpetological Society, poses with a couple Galapagos turtles in the background. Photo

by Leni Reiss ICE CREAM & SONG – Over 135 seniors enjoyed an Ice Cream Social to celebrate the first year of the Jewish Family & Children’s Service Senior Concierge Project and to introduce upcoming Creative Aging classes, which will be offered the beginning of next year. Treats included ice cream sundaes and sandwiches, root beer floats and brownies, with entertainment by T.A. Burrows of Act Two Productions. Sponsored by the Jewish Concierge Project, with support from the Valley of the Sun JCC and the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, the event took place on July 31 at the JCC. Photo by Daniel Spiegelman

ONE ISRAEL – Connie Wolf, left, and Helen Freedman, right, welcome Natalie Sopinsky to the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center on May 17. Sopinsky is Israel community director for One Israel Fund. She lives with her husband and five children in Judea and Samaria. Her lecture, “Living the Dream,” was sponsored by Americans for a Safe Israel, The Israel Center, Bureau of Jewish Education and Volunteers for Israel. Photo by Leni Reiss

SUMMER HAPPY HOUR – More than 50 professionals met up for a bit of networking and summer sips during the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix Real Estate & Finance happy hour at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row in Scottsdale on June 15. Pictured from left to right: Real Estate & Finance Committee Members Paul Mallery and Zach Barness with Bryce Schotz and Rob Marsh; Vicki Harris, Real Estate & Finance Committee Member Melanie Blatt and Marin Stoneman. Photos by Daniel Spiegelman Photography/Jewish Federation ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 85

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Living

JEWISH ADULT ED Beth Emeth Congregation of the West Valley, 13702 W Meeker Blvd., Sun City West will offer adult classes weekly throughout the month of September, taught by Rabbi Leo Michel Abrami. All are welcome to register for these classes whether they are members of the congregation or not. Topics include “Kabbalah: a Spiritual Path beyond Organized Religion” and “History of Zionism and the State of Israel, from Theodor Herzl to Our Days,” beginning Sept.

7; “Reading Hebrew with the Mnemonic Method” (two sessions) and “Biblical Hebrew: a Textual Study of the Book of Jonah” (must be able to read Hebrew) beginning Sept. 12.

For further information and registration, call 623-584-7210 between 9 am and 12 noon, Mon.-Fri.

A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE Beth Emeth Congregation of the West Valley, 13702 W Meeker Blvd., Sun City West will hold a luncheon and ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 12 noon to commemorate and pay tribute to the fallen heroes of Sept. 11, 2001.

The Civilian Air Patrol will present the colors and Rabbi Leo Abrami will open the tribute with a prayer, followed by reading of scriptures by Rabbi Shelley Moss, Reverend Deanne Self Price and Pastor Stephen Beyer. Guest speaker is U.S. Rep. Trent Franks. The event is open to the public at no charge, but reservations are required. To RSVP call 623584-7210 between 9 am and 12 noon, Mon.-Fri., by Sept. 2.

WINE AND CHEESE OPEN HOUSE Beth Ami Temple (sanctuary located inside Palo Cristi Church), 3535 E Lincoln Dr., Paradise Valley invites the community to attend its Open House on Friday, Sept.

16 from 6 -7:30 pm and discover more about the “small temple with a big heart.” Meet Rabbi Arthur Abrams and cantorial soloist Pam Beitman, learn about the centrally-located congregation’s social groups and enjoy complimentary wine and cheese. After the welcome reception, stay for Friday night services to meet current members and discover more information about the congregation’s speakers series, concerts, community involvement. For details, call 602-956-0805 or visit bethamitemple.org.

MAH JONGG TOURNAMENT AND SILENT AUCTION The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Northwest Division is holding a Mah Jongg Tournament and Silent Auction on Sept. 18 at 190 W Magee Road #162, Tucson. Registration starts at 9:30 am and the tournament runs from 10 am-3 pm. The $36 fee includes breakfast, buffet lunch, registration, prizes and favors. Proceeds support the 86 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

PREVIEWS

federation’s maintenance and operation. Players should bring their own 2016 National Mah Jongg League Card.

RSVP with payment by Friday, Sept. 9 by calling 520-5054161. Space is limited, reserve your spot today!

YOUNG FAMILIES PLAY AT THE SPLASH PAD To end the summer, Schmooze Young Families (20s-40s) is making a stop at the splash pad at the Valley of the Sun JCC, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale on Sunday, Sept. 18 between 10-11:30 am. For additional details and to RSVP, visit Facebook.com/azschmooze.

LUCY AHARISH: NO APOLOGIES Join Israeli Arab journalist Lucy Aharish in an honest and open dialogue about daily life in Israeli society on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 7:30 pm at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale.

Lucy’s lecture is built on her experience as a journalist for i24 News and Channel 2 News in Israel. As an Arab Israeli, Lucy stands, both personally and professionally, at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She will share how this has affected her daily life. Highlights include Lucy’s experience as the torch lighter at the annual Israel Independence Day ceremony and how a terrorist attacked her family and changed her life forever. Join us for a memorable lecture (followed by Q&A) as we hear the stories of one of the most well-respected and strongest women in the Israeli communications field. For more information: shahare@vosjcc.org. Visit lucyarizona.eventbrite.com for tickets.

THE POWER OF YOU Oncologist Linda Benaderet shares how to support those with breast cancer and reduce your risk of disease in “The Power of You Speaker Series: Lessons I Learned from My Patients,” on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 6:30 pm at Dance Fusion, 7601 E Gray Road #B, Scottsdale. Celebrate life with laughter, togetherness and a fun dance lesson. Hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix Women’s Philanthropy. $18 includes dessert; dietary laws observed.

Register at jewishphoenix/thepowerofyou.

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JEWISH GENETICS EDUCATION AND SCREENING The Jewish Genetic Diseases Center of Greater Phoenix is offering free or subsidized screening for the entire Jewish community at its Education and Screening Event on Sept.

25,10 am-3 pm at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Knowledge is Power! GetScreenedAZ.org.

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JEWISH REVIVAL IN EASTERN EUROPE Dan Fellner, a three-time Fulbright Scholar to Eastern Europe, will be giving a lecture about Jewish life in the region at the East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N Alma School Road, Chandler on Sunday, Sept. 25, 4-5:30 pm. The lecture is free and open to the public. Fellner’s highly visual presentation, titled “Witnessing a Jewish Revival in Eastern Europe,” chronicles the presenter’s in-depth experiences with Jewish life in the region and reveals his optimism for a continued Jewish revival there. There will be light refreshments. For more information, call 480-897-0588 or visit evjcc.org.

LADIES FIRST: LEADING IN CAREER & COMMUNITY Panelists Abbie Fink of HMA Public Relations, Denise Resnik of DRA Collective, Julia Rosen of the Thunderbird Academy at Arizona State University and moderator Ilana Lowery of the Phoenix Business Journal share how they sustain busy professional lives while maintaining a deep commitment to community on Thursday, Sept. 29, 6 pm at the Valley of the Sun JCC, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix. $10 includes wine and appetizers; dietary laws observed. Complimentary childcare available. Register at jewishphoenix.org/ladiesfirst.

PARKINSON’S 101 Parkinson’s disease experts from the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute offer a free course for people with Parkinson’s disease and their families. The four-week curriculum covers basic neurology and the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, medication, nutrition, exercise, mind-body connection, complementary health, sleep disorders and depression, care giving, how to talk to your doctor and any other topics of interest to the group. The weekly sessions will be held every Friday from 10 am – 12 noon, starting Sept. 30 at the Valley of the Sun JCC, 12701 N Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale. Light refreshments will be served. Call the Resource Link at 877602-4111 to reserve a spot for Parkinson’s 101.

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Or Adam Congregation Meets at Cutler Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center 122 E. Culver St. Phoenix, AZ 85004

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ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 87

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SEPTEMBER CALENDAR Through Sept 6 Monsters Under the Bed – Paintings & Drawings

by Curt Kiwak at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson.

520-299-3800 or tucsonjcc.org.

League Card and a set if you have one.

Snacks provided. 602-944-3359 ext. 123 or bethelphoenix.com.

Through Sept 29

In The Heights is a story of a young storeowner watching the joys and heartbreaks of his tight-knit community as they pass through his bodega.

Call for prices and times. Phoenix Theatre, 100 E McDowell Road, Phoenix. 602-254-2151 or phoenixtheatre.com.

Mapping Q, an innovative community arts education program where LGTBQ+ youth explore representations of self within art, museums, and the wider community, at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson.

520-299-3800 or tucsonjcc.org.

Sept 2 Senior Shabbat Luncheon with The Shinshinim includes music, Shabbat blessings, lunch and a featured program. 11 am at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson. $15; please pay more if you can, less if you can’t.

520-299-3000 or tucsonjcc.org.

Sept 5 Labor Day Member Appreciation Celebration at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson. Splash park, hot dogs, watermelon, swimming, bounce house, inflatable slide, games and activities. Guests welcome. 11 am-3 pm. Free. 520-299-3000 or tucsonjcc.org.

Sept 6, 13, 20 & 27 Talmud on Tuesday at 6 pm, Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E Fifth St., Tucson. Learn about the law and lore in the Talmud with Rabbi Robert Eisen as we dig deep into living Judaism. Open to all. Free. 520-745-5550 or caiaz.org.

Project Jewish Love’s Are You Date Ready? You’ll learn what conscious dating principles are, how you can apply them to find an ideal partner in this weekly workshop held at 6 pm. Free. Email jenn@ projectjewishlove.com for more information and early registration.

Sept 7-Oct 2

Sept 9 Musical Kabbalat Shabbat and Dinner at 5:45 pm at Beth El Congregation, 1118 W Glendale Ave., Phoenix. Invite your friends and family to this community-wide dinner. $20, adults; $10, children; free, under age 5. Please make your reservations with Alicia at 602.944.3359 ext.

113 or amoskowitz@bethelphoenix.com.

NowGen Shabbat Hop at Temple Chai, 4645 E Marilyn Road, Phoenix. Meet at 6:15 pm for Prayer Lab Shabbat Service, followed by kosher Shabbat dinner at 7:30 pm. $10. Presented by NowGen Phoenix.480-634-4900 or nowgen@ jewishphoenix.org.

Sept 9-Oct 11 Discoveries Unfinished with Peaceful Delight features works by Christine Zabramny and paintings by Betty Seery at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E River Road, Tucson.

Monday-Thursday, 9 am-9 pm; Sunday & Friday 9 am-6 pm. Closed Saturdays and Jewish holidays.

All are welcome. Artists’ reception Sunday, Sept 11, 2- 4 pm. 520-299-3000 ext. 106 or tucsonjcc.org.

Sept 10 One Hit Wanderer: One Man’s Rock & Roll Journey in Story and Song. See page 34

Sept 7 & 12

Sept 10, 14, 24 & 30

Jewish Studies Classes. See page 86

Upcoming Shows at the Fox! Features Whose Live Anyway? Sept. 10; The Monkees Sept. 14; Mary Chapin Carpenter Sept. 24 and Big Head Todd and the Monsters Sept. 30. 7:30pm. Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W Congress St., Tucson.

520-547-3040 or foxtucson.com.

Sept 7, 14 & 21 Adult Education Kollel explores “Finding Our Way into the New Year.” 3-week series; $18 plus food donation for the Community Food Bank (please bring to class). RSVP by Sept 2. 7-9 pm.

Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E Fifth St., Tucson. 520-745-5550 ext. 225 or caiaz.org.

Sept 7 & 21 Mahj Meetup at 1-3:30 pm at Beth El Congregation, 1118 W Glendale Ave., Phoenix. All skill levels are welcome. Mahj experts are on hand to help beginners. Bring your 2016 Mah Jongg

Sept 11 A Day of Remembrance. See page 86 SOS Open House Orientation and Training for prospective and current Smile On Seniors volunteers at 11:30 am. Light brunch served.

2110 East Lincoln Drive, Phoenix. Reservations at 602-492-7670 or chani@sosaz.org.

CPR First Aid course 1-5 pm. Certification by the American Heart Association upon completion.

2110 East Lincoln Drive, Phoenix. Reservations at 602-492-7670 or chani@sosaz.org.

Re-Engage with Judaism at Temple Kol Ami, 15030 N 64th St., Scottsdale. The Reform Temple will hold an adult-centric Open House from 4:30-6:30 pm. Free. 480-951-9660 or nancy@ templekolami.org.

Sept 11 & 25 Blanket Boosters at 9 am at Beth El Congregation, 1118 W Glendale Ave., Phoenix.

Beginners are welcome, yarn and crochet hooks are provided. Blankets are donated to local organizations that help children in crisis. For more information, contact Sandy at 602-249-3778 or ssandy6807@gmail.com.

Sept 12 Women’s Study Group at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E Fifth St., Tucson from noon-1 pm.

Rabbi Robert Eisen leads monthly discussions based on The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman’s Commentary on the Torah. Free. Bring your own dairy lunch; beverages and dessert provided.

520-745-5550 ext. 230 or caiaz.org.

Sept 12, 19 & 26 Beginner’s Tai Chi at Temple Beth Shalom of the East Valley, 3400 N Dobson Road, Chandler at 2:30 pm. Open to the general public; no experience required. 480-897-3636 or taichi@ tbsev.org.

Sept 14 Movie Matinee Club at Beth El Congregation, 1118 W Glendale Ave., Phoenix from 1-3 pm.

“Remember” (2015) with Christopher Plummer and Martin Landau. Free. 602-944-3359 ext.

123 or bethelphoenix.com.

Book Club at Beth El Congregation from 6:30-8 pm. The Bridal Chair by Gloria Goldreich. Free.

Pizza and wine available for $5. 602-944-3359 Sept 10-30 ext. 123 or bethelphoenix.com.

King Charles III explores the people underneath Sept 15 the crowns, the unwritten rules of democracy, and the conscience of its most famous family.

Beth El Women’s League International Dinner Presented by Arizona Theatre Company; for new, returning and prospective members performances in Phoenix Oct. 6-23. Temple of Women’s League. 6:30-8 pm at Beth El of Music and Art, 330 S Scott Ave., Tucson.

Congregation, 1118 W Glendale Ave., Phoenix. arizonatheatre.org. $20. 602-944-3359 ext. 113 or bethelphoenix.com.

ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2016 89

Book Discussion features Pumpkinflowers by Matti Friedman. Discussion led by Lawrence Bell, Ph.D. Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center, 122 E Culver St., Phoenix. 7 pm. Free. 602-241-7870 or azjhs.org.

Sept 21

NowGen Happy Hour at The Bee’s Knees, 2401 E Camelback Road, Phoenix from 6-8 pm. Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix’s NowGen for young Jewish adults. Engage, network and have fun at the newly renovated Camby Hotel. facebook.com/nowgenphx.

Sept 22

Sept 16 Summer Film Festival at Grayhawk Community Association office, 7940 E Thompson Peak Pkwy, Scottsdale, Desert Foothills Jewish Community Association presents “A Yiddish World Remembered” at 7:30 pm. For information call Arlene at 480-585-4437.

Wine and Cheese Open House at Beth Ami Temple. See page 86

Sept 17-May 31 John Coleman: Past/Present/Future features the artist’s creations in charcoal, graphite, oil and bronze, plus some works in progress. Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West 3830 N Marshall Way, Scottsdale. Included with museum admission: $13, adults; $11, seniors (65+) and active military; $8, students (full-time with ID) and children (6-17); free to museum members and children 5 and under. 480-6869539 or scottsdalemuseumwest.org.

Sept 18 Café Kehillah at Beth El Congregation, 1118 W Glendale Ave., Phoenix. Have a cup of coffee and nosh at our USY community cafe. Proceeds benefit USY. 8:30-9:30am. 602-944-3359 ext.

123 or bethelphoenix.com.

Super Sunday Fall Phone-A-Thon. Grab some friends and help the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix raise funds to help Jews in need and to build vibrant Jewish communities in Greater Phoenix, Israel and in 70 countries around the world. Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 9 am-1 pm. jewishphoenix.org/phoneathon.

Mah Jongg Tournament and Silent Auction. See page 86

Sept 20 Smile on Seniors: Schmooze & Pastry with Chani features homemade pastries and conversations led by Chani Levertov. 11 am-noon at the Valley of the Sun JCC, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 602-492-7670 or chani@sosaz.org.

Lucy Aharish: No Apologies. See page 86 90 SEPTEMBER 2016 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE

10:45 am, brunch and book discussion at 11 am. $36 includes book and brunch. 520-591-7680 or The Power of You Speaker Series. See page 86 tucsontorah.org.

Sept 21-Oct 9

Liberace! See page 45

Lunch and Learn: Pirkei Avot at Beth El Congregation, 1118 W Glendale Ave., Phoenix from 11:30 am-1 pm. Study with other adult learners while enjoying a delicious lunch and lively discussion . $5. RSVP to Nanci at 602-944-3359 ext. 123 or nsiegelmanson@ bethelphoenix.com.

Jewish Genetic Diseases Center Education and Screening. See page 87 Northwest Fun in the Sun Day at Riverfront Park, 551 N Lambert Place, Tucson from 1-4 pm. Enjoy a one-mile walk, inflatable obstacle courses, activity tables, popcorn, food trucks and more!

Free. 520-299-3000 or tucsonjcc.org.

Dan Fellner on Eastern Europe. See page 87

Get the Led Out: The American Led Zeppelin.

7pm. Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N Arizona Ave., Chandler. 480-782-2680 or chandlercenter.org.

Life & Legacy End of Year Celebration.

See page 80

Sept 22, 23, 24, 29 & 30

Ballet Under the Stars See page 36

Sept 28

Project Jewish Love Singles Shabbat Dinner at Beth El Congregation, 1118 W Glendale Ave., Phoenix. All singles over 40 are welcome. 7:30 9 pm. Please reserve your seat in advance. $36.

RSVP at projectjewishlove.com/events.

Art Addicts Craft Club at Beth El Congregation, 1118 W Glendale Ave., Phoenix from 1-3 pm.

Barbara Becker of Art for Fun! Studio and Gallery will teach silk painting. Class size limited to 16 participants. $20 for supplies. RSVP to Alicia at 602.944.3359 ext. 113 or amoskowitz@ bethelphoenix.com.

Sept 24

Sept 29

Neshamah Minyan: A Service of and for the Soul at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E Fifth St., Tucson from 9:30-10:30 am. Jordan Hill, storyteller and founder/director of the Mindfulness Education Exchange, guides participants in deepening their relationship with the service, raising their prayer experience and developing practices and understandings for everyday life. Free. 520-745-5550 or caiaz.org.

Ladies First: Leading in Career & Community.

See page 87

Selihot Program and Service at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E Fifth St., Tucson from 8-11:15 pm. The evening includes a wine, cheese and dessert reception; Havdallah program “Areshet S’fateinu … May the Words of Our Lips …

Translating Prayer into Song;” the changing of the Torah covers and a moment to honor our minyan; followed by the opening service to the High Holy Days, Selihot, at 10:00 pm. Free. Reservations requested by Sept 19. 520-745-5550 ext. 242 or caiaz.org.

Sept 30-Oct 2

Sept 23

Sept 30 Parkinson’s 101. See page 87 Shabbat Under the Stars at Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E Fifth St., Tucson from 5:45-6:45 pm. 520-745-5550 or caiaz.org.

Prescott Jazz Summit 2016. See page 32

Oct 2-4 Shana Tovah!

Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Oct 2. The Jewish New Year marks the beginning of 5777 on the Hebrew calendar.

Oct 8 A Jew Year’s Eve Jewbilee. See page 82 Sept 25 Kever Avot Memorial Service at Evergreen Cemetery, Congregation Anshei Israel section, 3015 N Oracle Road, Tucson from 10:30-11 am.

520-745-5550 or caiaz.org.

Annual Women’s Book Brunch at Congregation Chofetz Chayim/Southwest Torah Institute Women’s Academy of Jewish Studies, 5150 E Fifth St., Tucson from 10:45 am-1:30 pm. Written

by Rabbi Nachum Seltzer, Incredible! is the biography of Rabbi Yossi Wallis. Registration at

SUBMITTING EVENTS:

To obtain a password to enter an event on our online calendar, go to the bottom right of our home page (AZJewishLife.com) and under “Quick Links,” click on Calendar Access Request. After you submit the form, we will send you an email with instructions for posting future events.Events posted by Sept 10 will be included in the October issue of the magazine.

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