“Human rights matter no matter who you are.” That is the driving philosophy of Kim Klett, an English teacher at Mesa’s Dobson High School. Inspired by an Arizona State University class in Holocaust literature and history in 1999, she felt compelled to share her newfound knowledge and insights with her students. She envisioned an educational…
Barbara Kaplan, CEO of Design Dimensions, acknowledges with a smile that she might well be described as the Valley’s “Grande Dame” of design. Raised in a home where antiques were collected and treasured, Barbara grew up with an appreciation of the impact on people’s lives of their surroundings. She used that knowledge to forge a…
Passover is my favorite Jewish holiday for the very simple reason that it is the holiday where we are commanded to ask questions. In addition to having the chance to celebrate together with family and friends, it is a time when, as Jews, we cultivate our curiosity by telling the Passover story and by engaging…
Distributed by American Friends of Tel Aviv University Do you consider yourself a conscientious person? Then sign up for a fixed-rate mortgage. Neurotic? You’ll probably opt for home ownership over renting. According to a new study published in the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, personality traits are strong indicators of real-estate decisions. The research,…
When we first moved to Israel in the summer of 1997, it took awhile before I got used to referring to where I live as a “house.” We had made aliyah from Miami, and there we clearly had your standard-definition house: a large unattached structure with spacious front and backyards. In Givat Ze’ev, we moved in…
You may already have a copy of The Three Javelinas on your child’s book shelf. Written in 1992 by Tucson author Susan Lowell and filled with glorious illustrations by Jim Harris, it was named a “One Book AZ” for children a few years ago, designating it as a suggested read for every 3- to 8-year-old…
Mountain Region BBYO, with members from Arizona, Nevada and Utah, sent 37 teens, pictured here, to Atlanta Feb. 12-16 for the BBYO International Convention 2015. IC began 90 years ago to provide a setting for individuals across the Jewish community to learn, lead and work together to ensure a strong Jewish future, spearheaded by the…
Fifty teens from the Greater Phoenix Jewish Community Foundation’s B’nai Tzedek Youth Philanthropy Program participated in a Tikkun Olam tour on Feb. 21. The concept was to have the teens experience firsthand some of the places and people their donated dollars will reach. They stopped at the Valley of the Sun JCC to see Kids…
Incoming 9th-12th grade students interested in tikkun olam and a travel adventure with other teens, are invited to apply for the Hebrew High Care-a-van; applications are due May 4. The Hebrew High Care-a-van is a 15-day summer excursion (June 8-22) that brings together Jewish high school students from across the Valley of the Sun for meaningful…
They’re bright. They’re squishy. They look like something designed to touch, play with or even eat … to a toddler. But they’re deadly and you’re probably keeping them easily accessible to your children. Meet the newest danger in the kitchen and laundry room: dishwasher and laundry detergent pods. They first showed up on supermarket shelves…
