Raise your hand if you’ve heard this one: A rescue ship stops at a nearly deserted island to find just one old Jewish man. They see three huts in the distance. “What are those?” they ask. “Ah,” the man says, “those are the temples I built.” “But why three?” they query. “Oh, that’s easy” he…
“There is nothing wrong with me. You are just making stuff up so I can die, and you can have my money.” This harrowing, paranoid quote is from the self-published book of Mesa resident Phyllis Palm, Ph.D. Put That Knife Away – Alzheimer’s, Marriage and My Transition from Wife to Caregiver describes the emotional and…
When Ted and Shirley Century, both 82, decided to downsize their home, they looked for a place near family. With seven children and 14 grandchildren scattered around the country, they had many places to choose from, but they wanted someplace where they could continue their active lifestyle. Arizona won and they started looking for a…
As a parent, the first thing you want is to protect your child from getting hurt. It’s a lot easier when they’re younger. “Don’t hit your head!”“Watch the step!”“Pay attention!”We constantly monitor our babies and toddlers to ensure safety and a minimum of painful experiences. But it gets harder as they age. That old “bigger…
“The mission of the Jewish Student Union is to get more Jewish teens attending public high schools to do something Jewish! That’s it! It’s that simple!” This is the opening statement on the website for the national Jewish Student Union program, jsu.org. The social and educational movement began includes a topic to discuss and, of…
In the summer of 2013 Courtney Haworth, director of Camp Simcha, the summer day camp held at Scottsdale’s Congregation Beth Israel, was approached by temple member Daniel Openden with an interesting question. Would the camp consider partnering with SARRC, the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center, to provide a camping experience for some of their…
Excerpted from postings by Stuart Wachs, who participated in a Solidarity Mission to Israel with a group of more than 50 Jewish Federation professionals and lay leaders. AUG. 16 I am on my way to Israel today and I stand firmly with Israel. When will the world wake up there is evil in the world!…
Don’t call Keep it Cut a barbershop. “We are a men’s hair salon,” co-owner Jacob Meltzer says proudly. Seems there is another barbershop in the complex at 28th Street and Indian School Road, and a distinction has to be drawn to keep everyone happy. “We don’t do some of the straight razor grooming they do,…
Socially minded teens eligible for $36,000 Tikkun Olam Awards alongside projects with broad impact, as can be seen at the awards program website. The Helen Diller Family Foundation is accepting nominations for the 2015 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards. The program recognizes as many as 15 Jewish teens annually with awards of $36,000 each for…
“What a mensch!” When said about a boy or a girl, this compliment is guaranteed to make us feel like great parents. We all know what it means, but what does it really mean? An honorable and decent person (according to YiddishDictionaryOnline and my grandma z”l). Who doesn’t want a few of those at home?…
