Forty years after the Children of Israel left Egypt, God led them out of the desert into the Promised Land, redeeming them from slavery. In 1967, years after the horrors of the Holocaust, the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary came into the desert. They established a home here in Phoenix, dedicating their existence to seeking redemption…
As a native, I love all things Arizona – except for the politics. Newly opened Southern Rail Restaurant is steeped in Arizona history, as it takes over the former location of Jay Newton’s Beef Eaters restaurant. Built in 1961, Beef Eaters was a sprawling English-themed celebration of steak and prime rib. This special occasion restaurant…
I recently looked inside my pantry and discovered bags of silver and gold chocolate gelt left over from last Hanukkah. So what to do with all those mesh bags of chocolate coins? A) Reuse them as gifts for the kids this Hanukkah. B) Save them for the next birthday party’s piñata. C) Get wild with…
Phyllis Novy has a long career of teaching and theater. She taught English to teenagers for 15 years at South Mountain High School in Phoenix and was also education director for Phoenix Children’s Theatre, which provided theater opportunities for young people for more than 50 years in the Valley. With her master’s in theater from…
Of the 12 guys on Mark Medoff ’s championship high school basketball team, one became a grocery store manager, Mark himself became a writer/producer/director/actor/professor and the rest became doctors or lawyers. Perhaps that’s because he grew up in the largely Jewish community of Miami Beach, FL. “Most people think there are only hotels in Miami…
Don’t you just love the media? If it’s not an impending hurricane in Florida, it’s Ebola coming across our shores, the next great economic depression, gangs, guns, rampant terrorists, etc. … There is always something perilous on our horizon, and the media seems to take great glee in over-reporting every potential threat, no matter how…
Hanukkah, or dedication in Hebrew, commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem following the triumph of the Maccabees over the Syrians (who had outlawed Judaism) in the second century BCE. The miracle of the Temple’s meager one-day supply of oil lasting for eight until a new supply could be procured is remembered not…
Are you afflicted with the dreaded People Pleaser Syndrome? Before the loss of my first husband, I know I exhibited the major symptom inherent in a people pleaser, which is putting the desires and needs of everyone else before your own. While I’m somewhat recovered, remnants of my former self do linger, for, at my…
The problem with trying to interview Rick Bronson is that you’ll be laughing so hard, you won’t be able to write anything down. Believe me – I know! I sat down to interview Rick at his newest comedy club, House of Comedy, in north Phoenix last month. I’m old fashioned enough to still simply take…
I got these pink boxing gloves for Hanukkah last year. They were the only gift that really spoke to me. Well, along with the complete set of Dick Van Dyke DVDs. (That’s funny. If you abbreviate Dick Van Dyke, it’s the same as DVD. Hmmm.) Anyway, both gifts were from the same person, a newish…
