Photo: The Fern Family By Dan Fern June 3 is my father’s birthday. Had he still been alive, we would be celebrating his 100th birthday with him. He was born on June 3rd, 1920, in Koblenz Germany. He passed away on August 26th, 2010, in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the age of 90. He would tell…
By Gail Baer The recent COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way we live and interact. Although we have been asked to social distance, our perseverance has helped us find new ways to connect with those we love and cherish. As vice president of philanthropic services for Jewish Family & Children’s Service, I have the…
Photo: The desert-inspired second-floor lounge and at Desert Willow. From modern apartment living design to life-enriching amenities including an on-site rehabilitation and fitness center, restaurant-style dining and chef-prepared meals delivered to your front door, a beautiful and well-stocked library, nondenominational chapel, full-service beauty salon and barber shop, large community living room with fireplace and piano,…
Pantry shelves are stockpiled with cans of beans but while these will last a long time it can be hard to get creative with recipe ideas for beans, beans the magical fruit. After you have made chili, tacos and topped some salads with them, they just aren’t that magical anymore. Chef Oren Zroya, a private…
Photo: Mirjam today By Sharon Gelbach Listening to Mirjam Bait Talmi (nee Szpiro) tell her tale of Holocaust survival, I’m immediately struck by her attempt to date every memory, categorize every conversation, and place each memoir in the context of the larger events taking place around her. It all makes sense when I learn that…
By Jessica Halfin All those homesteaders and end-of-the-world preppers whom you thought were completely nuts don’t seem so silly now, do they? Now that we’re all stuck in some kind of quarantine (bidud in Hebrew) wondering what there is to do with our newfound time at home, why not be as efficient as can be…
Dear Colleagues, As you may have read in the news yesterday, Senate Republicans released a massive stimulus plan to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic to help businesses having trouble staying afloat. We need to make sure that nonprofits, such as Jewish Federations and their partner agencies, receive this aid to ensure our work across the…
By Jay Bycer “What would happen if the blood supply stopped in Israel?” That is the question that Magen David Adom’s Director of Blood Services, Professor Eliat Shinar, asked several years ago. The Marcus National Blood Services Center is the first underground blood center and will serve as a model and vanguard of future blood…
The Arizona legislature is presently considering SB 1143, a bill that would help ensure that key legal protections from antisemitic crime and discrimination are properly provided to Jewish victims. As a general rule, Arizona Jewish Life Magazine does not weigh in on political affairs. Though it might be suggested this editorial is a departure for…
Photo: Pat and Barry Yellen pose in front of an original Dong Kingman watercolor for an animated musical concept called “The Rock Hobbit,” based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy works. By Lee Cooley When Pat De Lieto met Barry Yellen on Dec. 31, 1963, she was a single mom sharing a flat with her mother in…
