“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
- Proverbs 27:17
The Winnetka’s Children’s Fair continues to delight families of the North Shore and marks the beginning of summer for kids of all ages. pg6
TICKETS
NEWS
A new exhibit tells the story of a 14-year-old Jewish girl named Rywka Lipszyc who survived the Łódz Ghetto
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#HASHTAG
Local neurosurgeon Dr. Sheri Dewan, an inspiration to all, talks about what's trending in her life
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Bespoke Land
Rovers feature high-end finishes and details, including one that's made from LEGO bricks pg13
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On June 4, runners come together to support victims of last year's July 4 shooting
The Long Grove Chocolate Festival returns this weekend for some sweet fun
A new exhibit tells the compelling story of a girl who survived the Holocaust, writing a diary from the Łódz Ghetto
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10 book club: the next chapter
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A film starring Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton, and Mary Steenburgen is uneven but entertaining
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Meet board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Sheri Dewan, who shares what's trending in her world
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Our Land Rover-themed column offers something for everyone to dream about, including kids
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Get ready for summer with this delicious paloma cocktail recipe made with Eleven20 Tequila
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Founded in the wake of 9-11, Gretchen Grad's Hands of Peace continues to welcome and stir future world leaders on the North Shore
It’s an annual rite of summer. Winnetka elementary school children escape their last day of school and swiftly pedal to the Winnetka Children’s Fair, the annual jamboree held at the Ryerson family backyard in Winnetka. They’ve been pedaling that route for 75 years.
Baily Morris first went to the Winnetka Children’s Fair when her son was 2 years old. He had a blast, and so did she. Five years on, they both can’t wait for this year’s fair which will be held June 9 and 10 at Village Green Park.
It hasn’t changed much over the years. It hasn’t needed to. Because those behind it have kept one interest in mind—fun. Put your mobile phones away kids, this is an analog experience.
Morris is this year’s Children’s Fair chair, which raises funds for the Winnetka Community Nursery School, and she says while the fair continues to evolve, it remains true to its roots that started in 1945.
“This will be our 76th Children's Fair. and it's the same theme every year of just general family, fun, and community gathering. We will have carnival rides, ponies, camels, a petting zoo, lots of food, and beer and wine for the adults,” Morris says. “We have a dad band performing Friday evening for entertainment. There's a children's DJ that is scheduled to perform on Saturday, and the New Trier cheerleading squad will be doing a
performance on Friday as well.”
Morris says it's a great place for families in Winnetka and surrounding communities to come together; enjoy some rides, arcade games, and face painting; eat some good food; and have a drink to celebrate the beginning of summer.
Rumor has it the adult drinks were a big hit last year, the first year that adult beverages were available. But at its essence, the fair is all about the kids.
“This year we're bringing back the inflatable zip line and the Euro bungee—two new rides from last year that were incredibly successful, very popular,” Morris says. “Then we have more standard carnival rides including a large slide where
you go down in a potato sack. There's also going to be a spinning apples and a little miniature roller coaster.”
When Morris first went to the fair with her son, she thought it was a fun community event nestled in one of Winnetka’s beautiful parks.
“It's a great way for me to be involved in our children's preschool, and a great way to be involved in the community,” she says. “I feel like I’m getting back to, to a place that we live for this beloved community event.”
Morris says an enormous amount of work goes into planning and executing the fair and it's all done by volunteers, a majority of whom are moms of young children.
“Putting this into our very busy schedules can be challenging, but the reward at the end of the fair and all of the feedback from the community is worth it,” she says. “People love going and they went as kids and they're so happy to bring their kids back. It’s an exciting way to start the summer together, such a feel-good moment that it makes all the hard work with it.”
The fair is completely run by the community nursery school and is a fundraiser for the school. Volunteers for the fair come from throughout the community but the core group of individuals who run the fair are all affiliated with the school, and it's been that way for 76 years. Morris says she can see the impact it has on her own son.
“He loves the arcades where you get prizes, and Kona Ice (a shaved ice truck) was popular last year,” says Morris. “He's old enough now and a lot of the kids that attend the fair are kind of that younger-to-late elementary school and even
into early middle school. There's just such a great feeling of freedom to be able to come to meet all of your friends and run around and use tickets to go on rides and have snacks and just see your buddies and play games and get little trinkets. I think that's really what makes these kids so excited.”
The fair averages about 4,000 attendees a year, and the planning committee is increasingly using social media to get the word out (it is, after all, for kids). Tickets went on sale on May 15 and can be purchased on the Winnetka Community Nursery School website or on site at the fair entrance. There are also some new twists to this year’s fair.
“What's new this year is we're selling merchandise—T-shirts and drawstring bags that the kids can use to hold their tickets and all their little trinkets and prizes that they get from the arcade games,” says Morris, adding that she draws her inspiration for volunteering for the fair from the kids and that last day of school when they hop on their bicycles and dart for the rides and the fun.
“There's such an amazing energy. We always plan it for the last day of school, so kids will ride their bikes from school directly to the Village Green and this wave of energy comes from the schools to the Village Green,” she says. “The kids run around and celebrate the end of school and the start of summer, just to have a good time. I think with the current environment we live in, that levity and that happiness is truly a gift.”
To purchase tickets to the Winnetka Children’s Fair, visit winnetkachildrensnurseryschool.org. To get the latest updates on the fair, follow @winnetkachildrensfair on Instagram.
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A June 4 race will honor the victims of the Highland Park 4th of July shooting.
On June 4, runners will race to honor the victims of the Highland Park shooting and benefit impacted community members. The Highland Park Community Foundation (HPCF) is proud to be the charitable partner of the Highland Park Strong Half Marathon, 5K and 1 Mile Run (or walk), formerly known as the North Shore Classic.
One of the best in Chicago, the half marathon begins in downtown Highland Park and makes its way north past historic sites in Fort Sheridan before heading back to downtown Highland Park.
The 5K and 1 Mile Run/Walk make a quick loop around the neighborhood. There is a virtual option for those who want to participate at a distance, and there will be a post-race celebration for participants as well as the entire community.
Ventures Endurance is known for producing unique races and athletic events that bring communities together in an active way. After nearly five decades of producing the North Shore Classic, Stuart Wall, Senior Director, Event Development & Operations at Ventures Endurance, says this year is “an inflection point” for the event in light of the Highland Park shooting. Reflecting on what makes this year’s race different from those in the past, he says “we are enhancing the community atmosphere and participant experience by engaging more local part-
ners, extending the post-race celebration, and creating meaningful connections with neighbors. We look forward to welcoming new runners and non-runners to the event and 1 Mile walk. We will also remember those impacted by the shooting.”
Participants can raise money for the HPCF’s July 4th Recovery Fund, which will be distributed to local organizations dedicated to providing mental health, legal, and other services for impacted community members.
From its Hot Chocolate 15K/5K races to obstacle courses and cycling races, through their charity program, each of Ventures Endurance’s events support nonprofits, allowing participants to fundraise and donate as well as raise awareness for the chosen cause.
The inspiration to choose the HPCF as this year’s charitable partner came from Ali Burnham, a Highland Park resident and avid runner. Just weeks after the shooting, Ali rallied her fellow runners and approached Ventures Endurance about modifying the race to honor the victims and help the community.
“We were impressed by the immediate action to establish and distribute the July 4th Response Fund to assist victims and families following the shooting. More than that, though, the Community Foundation has long been a presence in Highland Park, reinvesting in the community in which we host our events. From our initial
The Long Grove Chocolate Festival returns this weekend, featuring everything from hot chocolate to interactive “chocolate experiences.”
Chocolate lovers from around the Chicago region are invited to three days of pure imagination when the legendary Chocolate Fest returns to the historic streets of downtown Long Grove from now through Sunday, May 21.
From hot chocolate eats to cold chocolate drinks, Chocolate Fest has it all! This year’s cocoa-crazed family festival is the next best thing to winning a golden ticket to Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, with three days of chocolate-infused cuisine and chocolateinfused experiences plus live music, games, artists, and activities.
Above anything else, Chocolate Fest is known for its diverse selection of foods and drinks made with or dipped in chocolate. The
festival features dozens of chocolate vendors spread out throughout historic downtown Long Grove dishing out delectable treats like chocolate donuts, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate cupcakes, cake pops, cocoa bombs, chocolate truffles, chocolate croissants, chocolate eclairs, chocolate macarons, handdipped fine chocolates, chocolate covered funnel cakes, chocolate popcorn, chocolate cotton candy, frozen hot chocolate, and much more.
Meanwhile, visitors can engage in a sensorium of chocolate at various themed experiences located around the village and inside participating shops and restaurants. Historic Long Grove converts into a one giant chocolate lab during Chocolate Fest, with many merchants
conversations, we felt we could be great partners, and together we could raise more funds that would create a greater impact.” HPCF Board Member Craig Leva adds. “The HPCF is very much honored to be the chosen beneficiary for this race. The funds raised from this race will support a variety of local organizations that continue to help the community’s grieving and healing process.”
This year’s Half Marathon, 5K and 1 Mile Walk/Run will be particularly meaningful for the Highland Park and Highwood community. This importance is reflected in the new logo for the race, which was redesigned to honor the 7 victims through the leaves of the tree and in the name change for the event to the Highland Park Strong Race.
“Having this race renamed as the Highland Park Strong race is a testament to our community’s resiliency. There were so many members in our community who took immediate action with candlelight vigils, memorials with pictures, flowers, and words of hope,” remembers Craig. “The Highland Park Community Foundation, with help from an incredible number of individuals and businesses, quickly raised and distributed $5.8 million to help the victims’ families and those physically injured. Somehow Highland Park Strong went from a hope to a reality.”
The Highland Park Strong Half Marathon, 5K, and 1 Mile Race will take place on Sunday,
in town offering interactive experiences such as chocolate and wine pairings and chocolate candy-making demonstrations and viewing opportunities to see how the process unfolds up close. For competitive types, the iconic chocolate factory wrapping scene from the classic episode of “I Love Lucy” is being recreated (and sponsored by Long Grove Confectionery) on the busiest corner of the fest for anybody who is up for an extreme chocolate indulging challenge. During festival weekend, guests are encouraged not only to eat chocolate but to get interactive with chocolate by discovering all the unique and fun experiences that await.
As always, Chocolate Fest will host multiple stages of live entertainment and music, from stripped down acoustic artists to Chicago’s biggest party bands, sprinkled throughout the historic town. The main stage schedule for the rest of the weekend is as follows:
SATURDAY, MAY 20
9–11 p.m.—ARRA
7-8:20 p.m.—The Gingers
5-6:30 p.m.—Charlie Foxtrot
3-4:30 p.m.—David’s House
1:30– 2:30 p.m.—Six on Friday Noon–1 p.m.—School of Rock Arlington Heights
June 4. The Half Marathon begins at 7:30 a.m. at St. Johns and Central Ave. The 5K and 1 Mile Race start at 7 a.m. All end at the site of the post-race party, St. Johns and Elm Place, where there will be food, refreshments, and more.
For race details and to register, please visit the hpstrongrun.com. Registration for the virtual event ends May 27. Registration for the in-person race will remain open until noon the day prior to race day.
SUNDAY, MAY 21
4– 6 p.m. —American English
1:30– 3:30 p.m.—The Noize Noon–1 p.m.—School of Rock Barrington
CHOCOLATE ACTIVITIES
For the young and young at heart, Chocolate Fest 2023 will include complimentary throwback games, chocolate pie eating contests, impersonators, live animal shows, DJs, and chocolate arts and crafts located in Fountain Square. There will also be a separate classic carnival area with everyone’s favorite carnival thrill rides and games. Plus, in Towner Green, a brand-new Artist Row will feature a selection of dazzling local artists curated by Long Grove's own Epilogue. Chocolate Fest marks the official opening of the spring shopping season in town, with village merchants featuring big promos and sales throughout the event weekend in addition to decadent chocolatethemed specialties.
Chocolate Fest is held through Sunday, May 21, in historic downtown Long Grove at 145 Old McHenry Road. Hours are 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $5 per day or $10 for a three-day pass. For tickets and more information, visit longgrove. org/festivals/chocolatefest.
A new exhibit at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center pieces together the story of a Jewish girl who survived the Holocaust and captured her experiences living in the Łódz ghetto in her diary.
BY MITCH HURST THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
of men, the perspective from Rwyka is the opposite. Her diary is populated by women and its structure is created by relations between them. It is filled with their pain and longing, their daily struggles and courage.”
She says the museum tries to strike a balance with special exhibitions that are about specific Holocaust history or stories and other social justice issues, so she’s always interested to see what quality Holocaust-themed exhibitions are out there.
and ultimately put on a death march to Bergen Belsen, where they were liberated. Esther and Mina, who were sisters, were transferred to Sweden to get medical care, but Rywka was in too perilous of a state to be moved. That’s where Rywka’s trail ends.
“Excerpts have been selected and are presented to the visitor on the table and then there are iPads next to each one where you can scroll and read commentary about that section that's been highlighted,” Wieninger says.
In 1945, a diary was found in the ashes of a destroyed crematorium at Auschwitz-Birkenau. It was written by a 14-year-old Jewish girl named Rywka Lipszyc and documented her life in the Łódz Ghetto between October 1943 and April 1944.
The diary is at the center of a new exhibition, “The Girl in the Diary: Searching for Rywka from the Łódz Ghetto,” which opened at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie on May 18.
The exhibit tells the story of Rywka and her
The exhibit isn’t just about a diary, but the story behind it. The granddaughter of a female Soviet doctor who came in with the Red Army at the Liberation of Auschwitz found the diary outside of Crematoria Number Three and then took it home to Siberia. It stayed with her for nearly 50 years. When she passed away, it moved on to her son, who was living in Moscow, and his daughter, Anastasia, who was living in San Francisco.
“She came back over from to Moscow when her father passed away and that's when she discovered the diary in his in his belongings,” Weininger says. “So, she brought it back to San Francisco, and then approached the Holocaust Center connected to the Jewish Family Services there.”
An archivist took a look at it for the first time and recognized that it was something that needed to be translated. That began a multi-country investigation into what the document was, and it was revealed to be a diary.
“Initially a researcher in Warsaw was the one who over a multi-year period trans-
“Through this whole process, they did find her two cousins, Esther and Mina, living outside of Tel Aviv and actually had a chance to bring the diary over and they could see and read this diary written by their cousin,” says Weininger. “All of that is included in the exhibition.”
The exhibit includes very enlarged wallpapers of some of the documents that were found that
Another important feature, she says, is the exhibit captures Holocaust history from a feminine point of view. There’s Rywka and her diary, and her female cousins who became responsible for her after her father passed away. Esther was just 22 years of age at the time.
diary through historical artifacts and documents, interactive touch screens, documentary videos, and exceptionally rare photographs. It is presented in both Polish and English and runs through September 24.
The exhibit was created and is sponsored by the Galicia Jewish Museum in Kraków, Poland, and has appeared in various venues across the country. Arielle Weininger, Chief Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the museum, first encountered the exhibit at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee and knew then she wanted to bring it to Skokie. It was just a matter of scheduling.
“Rywka’s words speak for thousands upon thousands of people, including children, who never had the chance to record their story,” Weininger explains. “While most wartime narratives of German occupation focus on the fate
lated the diary. Then they got it translated into English,” Weininger says. “They worked with archivists in Germany, Poland, and Israel to piece together who this person was and to figure out who her family members were.”
They learned that Rywka did survive Auschwitz, along with her two cousins, Esther and Mina. They were sent to a slave labor camp
list her name and a film showing in the gallery that includes interviews with the surviving cousins.
“It’s a historical piecing together of all of this information, but then there's also other elements within the exhibition. There's an interactive touch table that really is this deep dive into the history of the Łódz Ghetto,” Weininger says. “So, there's a lot to learn about the Łódz Ghetto and about the structure of the ghettos through the Jewish Council and its Chairman Mordechai Chaim Rumkowski.”
The exhibit also includes information about language that developed specifically inside of the ghetto, and a timeline. But at the center is an illuminated table that includes objects from both the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Illinois Holocaust Museum. and segments of the diary itself.
“What we get is this very feminine story of being a woman in the Holocaust or being a young woman in the Holocaust, and she's very reliant on the connectedness of her cousins,” says Weininger. “The commentators are also female—a female rabbi, a female psychologist, and an art therapist. What I actually think is really interesting about that structure is that Rywka is orthodox She gets very upset at one point in time when she is made to go to work on Saturday because the Sabbath was very important to her.”
True scholarship into women in the Holocaust has risen to the forefront only in the last 15 or 20 years, adds Weininger. A year ago, the museum hosted an exhibit called “Spots of Light” that looked into women and the Holocaust.
“This is really only the second show that has this very strong emphasis on a woman's experience during the Holocaust,” she says. “I don't think it is covered as it should be.”
“The Girl in the Diary: Searching for Rywka from the Łódz Ghetto” runs through September 24 at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, in cooperation with the Galicia Jewish Museum, Kraków, Poland. Details about the exhibition are available at ilholocaustmuseum.org/exhibitions/ the-girl-in-the-diary-searching-for-rywka-fromthe-lodz-ghetto/
RUNNING TIME: 1 hour, 47 minutes
RATING: 3 stars
BY REX REED THE NORTH SHORE WEEKENDAs a sequel to the popular 2018 comedy about four middle-aged women in Los Angeles who keep their friendship alive by meeting once a month to drink gallons of wine and discuss a book they’ve just read, Book Club: The Next Chapter follows the current trend of joining Jane Fonda with a trio of fading screen stars who are still ambulatory and sending them all on location, hoping they’re funny.
The abysmal 80 For Brady dragged Jane, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field, and Rita Moreno off to the Super Bowl with dismal results. Book Club: The Next Chapter reunites Jane, Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton, and Mary Steenburgen as the plucked, pedicured, and camera-ready septuagenarians they played in the original. It’s somewhat (but not very) superior to its recent all-star predecessors starring glamorous seniors, but even when it stumbles, the stars have never been more welcome.
The ladies, whose lives were radically sensualized after reading the Fifty Shades of Gray trilogy, still guzzle chardonnay but now, instead of meeting in each other’s lavish kitchens, they do it on Zoom. Sharon (Bergen) is a retired federal judge, long divorced but still seeing her sexy pilot Mitchell (Andy Garcia). Diane (Keaton) is a widow with two grown daughters and no sex life. Carol (Steenburgen) has surrendered her career as a restauranteur-chef to worry and fret over her husband Bruce (Craig T. Nelson) after he suffered a stroke. Vivian (Fonda) is the vivacious hotel owner, still firmly unattached and fiercely independent, who shocks them all when she announces that after decades of happy emotional solitude, she and old boyfriend Arthur (Don Johnson) are engaged to be married in Italy.
Separated too many years by the COVID-19 pandemic, the girls decide it’s the perfect occasion to rejoin their friendship and accompany Vivian to Italy for her wedding, turning the celebration into an adventurous bachelorette party.
These icons still have immeasurable charm and charisma, but in the meandering mechanics that follow, they need a miracle to enhance the limp direction and dawdling screenplay by Bill Holder-
man and co-writer Erin Simms, who created the original Book Club five years ago.
Surprisingly, in the interim, they’ve lost some of their zest and sparkle, and so has the premise. I didn’t believe the way everyone’s luggage disappears in Rome, before they even unpack, with everything in it including Diane’s late husband’s ashes, forcing them to buy fabulous new clothes and turning the rest of the movie into a fashion show.
And I found even more implausible the reason they end up spending a night in jail. Still, their enthusiasm enthralls as they admire the Spanish steps, dine in the Piazza Navona, knock back the prosecco, fall in love with the statues, and especially the penises on the statues. From Rome to Tuscany to the canals of Venice, they knock themselves out grinning and posing for selfies and trying to look half their age. I admit I found it a cinematic joy watching them do it. Since nobody bothered to develop the characters and they never say anything amusing anyway, the film turns into a travelogue that should do wonders for travel agents everywhere.
The men finally arrive, but they’re just vestigial, serving the same purpose women used to do as mere set decorations. By suddenly tracking the moves of an expanded cast instead of four gal pals, Book Club: The Next Chapter proves it is possible for a movie to be both contrived and confusing at the same time. In the end there is an element of real surprise, involving a wedding between the wrong people.
Bad decisions abound, old jokes lack fresh appeal. Even Bette Midler’s recording of the film’s corny and annoyingly often-repeated theme song is the wrong version of “Mambo Italiano.” For maximum impact, they should have used Rosemary Clooney’s much peppier version instead.
Having said all this, I fear I’ve given the bogus impression that this is a sequel I don’t give a hang about. Quite the contrary. It’s the kind of film that exists for the sole purpose of entertainment, which it provides consistently. The four stars deserve better material, but even they seem to enjoy themselves (and each other).
Call Book Club: The Next Chapter the rare sequel that looks like an expense-paid vacation.
17 Canterbury Court • Wilmette • $3,100,000
Situated in a prime Wilmette location, this exceptional home is perfect for buyers seeking a blend of history and luxury. Meticulously renovated by the current owner, it offers a timeless charm with modern upgrades. The open layout seamlessly connects formal and casual spaces, while the stunning staircase and unique art tiles add character. Enjoy a cozy living room with a marble fireplace, a chef’s kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances, and a serene primary suite. With Lake Michigan views and a superb location, this home is a work of art waiting to be discovered.
Board-certified neurosurgeon
DR. SHERI DEWAN practices at Northwestern Medicine by day and studies business and finance at the University of Oxford by night. She completed her neurosurgery residency at Brown University and has a graduate degree from Northwestern University. Dr. Dewan donates her time performing charity surgery in Southern India and sits on multiple charity foundation boards. Outside of the operating room, she enjoys traveling, yoga, and spending time with her husband and three children. She started on the path toward becoming one of approximately 200 female neurosurgeons in the United States, after witnessing the neurosurgery that saved her mother's life from a ruptured brain aneurysm. Cutting a Path: The Power of Purpose, Discipline, and Determination is the inspiring, eye-opening memoir of how Dr. Dewan overcame numerous personal and professional obstacles to reach her dream. She gives the reader inner resources utilizing meditation, yoga, and mindfulness with visualization techniques to achieve goals and find balance. Join Dr. Dewan in discussing the concept of purpose and how it’s used as fuel to drive one’s own unique goals and passion in life. Here is how this busy doctor, author, student, mother, wife, and volunteer stays on trend.
#ON MY NIGHTSTAND
I keep a copy of Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart by neurosurgeon Dr. James Doty on my bedside table. There is a section on how to "open your heart and mind" that I refer to when I'm feeling disconnected or worn out. This guide allows me to re-center myself and fully refocus my energies. I also have a copy of Educated by Tara Westover, who is one of my favorite authors. Her memoir was an inspirational guide as I wrote my own book.
#ON MY MOBILE
I follow several nutrition and health specialists who I use as a guide for healthy eating, living, and cooking. I like to experiment with their ideas and recipes while adopting strategies for myself to live my best life. I also follow various travel companies to get ideas for trips in less well-known, less traveled locations. I love interacting with people of different cultures and backgrounds.
#IN MY EARBUDS
I’m currently audio booking The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This was an Oprah book club pick a few years ago and details a story based on historical fiction of slavery and oppression. I also like to keep things light and listen to spa/relaxing music through the Calm App periodically. I also use their meditation app two to three times daily.
Land Rover Classic's new heritage offering pays homage to the brand’s Hebridean roots.
The Land Rover Classic Defender Works V8 Islay Edition takes inspiration from the 1965 Land Rover Series driven by one of the founders of Land Rover, Spencer Wilks, on the Hebridean Isle of Islay. Informed by the Mid Grey exterior of the 1965 original, the Islay Edition is finished in Heritage Grey with contrast roof and heavy-duty steel wheels in Limestone. A bespoke side graphic reads “GXC 639C” to complement the iconic grille and heritage Land Rover badging, with seats and accents upholstered in tactile tweed—crafted by the Islay Woolen Mill. Round removable trays are made from the oak barrels of the Kilchoman Distillery, and each Islay Edition comes with a bottle of "639" whiskey made exclusively for the vehicle. Expect to pay at least $250,000 for this very limited-edition model.
Bespoke editions of classically elegant cars such as the Land Rover and Range Rover have become de rigueur in the auto world and at the top of that list is the Valiance Convertible—a limited edition motorcar based on the Land Rover Defender 90 body style. In addition to its carefully curated color schemes and unique exterior details, this built-to-order number by Heritage Customs has another coveted feature Land Rover hasn’t offered since 2018—all tops are off. Now made exclusively as an open-top vehicle, the Valiance offers a range of soft top color combinations and upgrades. Priced in Euros with a conversion that tops off around $100K, this is a collector’s dream.
When it comes to our love affair with Land Rover, we can’t let the adults have all the fun. For all the children (or grandchildren) of Lake Rover enthusiasts, LEGO® has released its Icons Land Rover Classic Defender 90—an immersive building experience. The design is a faithful interpretation of the original 1983 model, complete with functioning steering, working suspension, and accurate interior details. With two ways to customize, you can build your choice of a streamlined Land Rover Estate or add accessories and gear for an epic off-road adventure. It comes with a Land Rover badge and a classic LEGO® mini-figure to take it to the road on a miniature scale. Prices vary. Visit lego.com.
Nothing says summer like a light and refreshing paloma—a classic cocktail made with just the right of tequila, lime, and fresh grapefruit juice. Spanish for the word “peace,” the paloma has been the drink of choice in Mexico for generations, often surpassing the margarita in popularity. Our recipe is made with Eleven20 Tequila, a premium brand that uses only blue agave sourced from producers in the region. Founded by a husband-and-wife team, this awardwinning tequila has become recognized as an innovator of flavor and aromas, with its signature blend being celebrated by mixologists and connoisseurs alike. Squeeze a grapefruit, add some lime juice, and you’ve got vacation in a glass.
2 oz. Eleven20 Tequila
1 oz. grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
Club soda
Combine 2 oz. Eleven20 Tequila, 1 oz. grapefruit juice, 1/2 oz. lime juice, and 1/2 oz. simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a glass filled with ice. Top with club soda and garnish with a grapefruit wedge.
Six months after the September 11, 2001 attacks on U.S. soil, Gretchen Grad was in bed at her home in Glenview, unable to fall asleep one night.
The fractured world concerned her.
“I was thinking, ‘Maybe we could do something to help heal the world,’” Grad says.
Her mind raced. “Something” turned into an bold idea to bring Middle Eastern teens to U.S. soil, where they would join teens from the North Shore and other Chicago area communities to engage in serious dialogues.
She hoped her vision would empower young Israelis, Palestinians, and Americans to become agents of change in their communities and around the world.
A wide-awake Grad created Hands of Peace. A little more than a year later, the international nonprofit launched its first three-week Summer Program in 2003 and welcomed 21 participants at Hands of Peace sponsor Glenview Community Church. San Diego has been the organization’s second Summer Program site since 2014.
Grad estimates a combined total of 90 teens will congregate at this year’s pair of Summer Programs from July 13-31.
The number of Hands of Peace Summer Program alumni is close to 800.
“We picked up that first Israeli-Palestinian delegation at O’Hare and then stopped at a park in Glenview,” recalls the 60-year-old Grad, who lived in Glenview from 1993-2022 before moving to Harbor Springs, Michigan. “I still can’t believe it took us only 15 months to put the Summer Program together. I had never built an organization from scratch.
“I remember a Palestinian woman, who had accompanied the teens on the trip, looking at me at the park and saying, ‘Can you believe they’re really here?’”
The Hands of Peace Chicago Benefit, “Power of Purple,” was held on May 7 at Chevy Chase Country Club in Wheeling. It raised close to its goal of $157,000 and featured change maker and Hands of Peace alum Stav Friedman as speaker.
Friedman is an environmental scientist who’s leading research projects at Imperial College London.
Many of the Middle Eastern teens who participate in Hands of Peace hail from areas deeply divided by conflict and vio lence. Each morning during the Summer Program, for more than two hours, they meet and engage in dialogue groups with guidance from adults, who are trained facilitators.
“The conversa tions are often intense and deeply emotional,” Grad says. “Each teen is actively listening and trying to understand the other side’s per spective. They’ve cried in those rooms. They’ve gotten angry. But what’s great is their commit ment to develop ing skills to lead, as well as their willingness to take a deep dive into criti cal think ing.
“It goes from blackand-white thinking to the uncomfort able gray,” she adds. “And that’s when progress starts and they begin to think, ‘Change is possible.’
Grad grew up in Rochester, New York, and attended Pittsford-Mendon High School, where she developed interests in math and science and was a volunteer for several organizations. She was only 16 years old when the local ambulance corps trusted her to serve as a volunteer overnight dispatcher.
Her father, Ed, worked as a Kodak executive.
“My father,” Grad says, “raised me to be very independent and responsible. I took academics
But she discovered, thanks to English teacher Paul Littrell in her junior year, the joys—and importance—of levity in the classroom.
“He was an influential teacher,” Grad says. “He had such passion for the subject, and he taught with frivolity. I loved that a sense of play, as well as laughter, became part of the learning process
Grad earned a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics at Hamilton
as an economist, securities trader, and fixed income expert from 1985-1997. Her final position there was managing director.
She and her husband, Brian—“My Hands of Peace right-hand man,” Grad says—raised daughters and Hands of Peace alumni Erika, 28, and Dana, 26. Erika lives in Virginia and has already traveled to 105 countries, 60 more than her mother has. Dana is a scuba instructor on Maui.
Not too many mothers get invited to join one daughter on a trip to Armenia and to join another daughter for whale watching on Maui.
“It’s a humbling experience,” Grad says of motherhood. “But I love every opportunity to experience the world alongside my daughters.”
Though she’s no longer a resident of Glenview, where she became a parishioner of Glenview Community Church on Easter in 1995, Grad insists the village will never leave her heart.
“We picked the best community in Glenview,” says Grad, who serves on the Hands of Peace Board of Directors. “My best friends live in Glenview. I love its diversity. Did you know 53 languages are spoken by Glenview’s residents?
“The people of Glenview,” she adds, “are engaged locally and globally.”
Every summer, the most moving Hands of Peace moment unfolds atop the Glenview Community Church parking lot. It’s where Summer Program participants board buses for the trip to O’Hare Airport.
“You want a strong Hands of Peace visual? I have one,” Grad says. “The goodbyes are long and emotional. The Palestinians and Israelis don’t board the same bus because they’re booked on different flights. Picture the Palestinians on a bus as they look at their new partners in peace on the ground. As the bus departs slowly, they roll down their windows and reach down to clutch the outstretched hands of Israelis and Americans for another round of goodbyes.
“It’s so intense,” she adds. “It’s so special.”
What excites me, and what people should know, is that real peacemaking is going on right here on the North Shore.”
College in Clinton, New York, and an MBA at the University of Chicago. She worked for First Chicago Capital Markets
Visit handsofpeace.org for more information. Gretchen Grad invites the public to attend Hands of Peace’s 2023 Summer Program “Farewell Celebration” on July 30 at Beth Emet The Free Synagogue in Evanston. To volunteer or serve as a host family, contact Emily Kenward at 847-922-9389.
What excites me, and what people should know, is that real peacemaking is going on right here on the North Shore.
Gretchen Grad
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