Daily Archives: October 2, 2013
When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Giving
I felt like I was channeling my parents this week when I heard myself complaining about how I miss "good old days" – when people actually sent handwritten thank you notes and invitations, rather than texing, Facebooking or sending e-vites. Call me old fashioned, but ther'es seomthing nice about getting a real live letter or…
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Planning Timeline
8 months prior • Secure your child’s mitzvah date at your synagogue and schedule their lessons. • Meet with your event planner to set planning guidelines for the event weekend celebrations (budgets, needs lists, logistics etc.). • Secure venues and caterers for the mitzvah weekend events (Friday night service/dinner, Saturday kiddush after service, Saturday party, Sunday…
Chef's Corner: Smart Cooking for a Busy Family – Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
With the holidays behind us and a new year ahead, we are inspired for a happy and healthy new beginning. But how do you make amazing healthy meals that don’t require so much time in the kitchen? In this day and age, so many of us have crazy schedules that really don’t leave a whole…
Beyond the Pink Ribbon
An estimated 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed this year in the United States alone, according to the Susan G. Komen organization (komen.org). This astonishing number doesn’t include reoccurrences among survivors. Breast and ovarian cancer are more common among Ashkenazi Jewish (of central or Eastern European origin) women due to the prevalence…
Early Detection Means Positive Outcome Over Ovarian Cancer
Through a combination of serendipity and intuition, Tucson resident Jill Bash cut her stage 1A ovarian cancer off at the pass – ultimately saving her life. Although testing negatively for BRCA I and II genetic mutations (which increase risk for breast and ovarian cancers), the disease still sideswiped her. As an eight-year survivor, Bash’s passion…
Entrepreneurial Couple
It might have been fate, or just a coincidence, that spurred Tricia Beran’s latest business. The Scottsdale resident was prepared to launch Reflections, a video-history service dedicated to preserving family memories when she heard Rabbi Micah Caplan of Congregation Or Chadash give a Yom Kippur sermon on the importance of capturing one’s values and life lessons…
Life on the Other Side: Care for Cardamom, Ma’am?
I was so foolish. I was sure the English version of a Hebrew recipe for an exotic cauliflower dish was correct. Why would I doubt it? It arrived in the morning paper and looked so appetizing that I decided to drop what I was doing and make it. (OK, so I finished my cup of…
Seeking Peace in the Shadow of War
This column on the renewed negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians might seem somewhat detached because I am writing as all of us are preoccupied figuring out if America will attack Syria – and whether Assad, Hezbollah or even Iran will take out their frustration on Israel. The rush that overwhelmed the civil gas-mask distribution…
A New Generation of Philanthropists
In 2008 Jay Chernikoff and David Schuman learned about giving circles at a Jewish Funders Network meeting held in Phoenix. The two young entrepreneurs were intrigued by the concept of like-minded friends pooling their philanthropic dollars to strengthen their local community. But the recession that soon gripped the country put a damper on innovative ideas. But…