Beit Hatfutsot, the museum which chronicles the history of Jews throughout the Diaspora, has been one of Israel’s most visited tourist sites since it first opened in 1978 on the campus of Tel Aviv University. Not only has the museum recently undergone a name change – it’s now the Museum of the Jewish People –…
Although this was my 15th business trip to Israel, it never ceases to amaze me that there is always something new and special to see and learn in and about the Jewish state. On this particular trip, I was one of a contingent of some 50 Jewish journalists from around the world invited to Jerusalem…
During the International Jewish Media Summit in Jerusalem last December, Arizona Jewish Life Contributing Editor Leni Reiss took advantage of the opportunity to ask several colleagues to briefly describe their publications. Their responses follow: “My material is distributed to every member of the American Jewish and foreign press. I have been reaching out for 29…
She’s a self-described “big, brassy dame” with a penchant, as a kid, for “overacting and stealing the show.” She is Paulette Rockir, a native New Yorker with a flair for mimicry and a passion to perform. Now residing in Prescott since 2009 with her husband and biggest fan, David, Paulette was on stage in November…
Full disclosure: Myra Richman and I met in Columbus, Ohio as collegians and “sisters” in a Jewish sorority. She comes from small-town life in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. I am a native New Yorker. To me, Myra – my “first Canadian” – was unique, soft-spoken and elegant. Since our happy reunion, she has admitted that she…
In anticipation of celebrating Thanksgiving, just about everyone’s favorite secular holiday, we asked some third graders at Pardes Jewish Day School in Scottsdale to tell us what they are thankful for, and also what they most enjoy at the traditional holiday feast. Following are their answers, compiled by Leni Reiss. ELIANA KLEIN I am thankful…
For inspiration, Meir Jolovitz doesn’t have to look farther than his late mother and father. He explains that his father survived an unprecedented 13 camps and his mother also endured the Holocaust and war years. “They never stopped talking about their experiences,” he says, “and they always told me how fortunate I was. That is…
“Welcome to Fran’s Zoo!” Those were the words that welcomed me as I arrived at the Paradise Valley home Fran Mallace presently shares with husband Michael; two daughters, Sydney and Jordie; and their two family pets, Leo, a shih tzu, and Izzy, a cockapoo. The sisters will soon be sharing digs in Chicago: Jordie, 22,…
When I visited with Fran Kades in her Scottsdale home, she had just returned from a world balloon convention in New Orleans attended by representatives from some 53 countries. Founder and owner of the Valley-based The Balloon People, Fran says that consumers might tend to think of balloon décor as balloons tied with ribbon or…
As the proud daughter of PFC Edward A. Rosenberg, who fought, was wounded in Germany’s Black Forest in WWII, and earned the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, it was a pleasure and privilege for me to attend a recent meeting of Jewish War Veterans Scottsdale Post 210, one of four such groups in Arizona….
