You can hear the pride in Dr. Sarette Zecharia’s voice when she talks about the new facility for Shalom Montessori located near Hayden and McCormick in Scottsdale. “This recent move has been incredible for us. We’re more centrally located and we’ve gone from a maximum capacity of 30 to 250.” And it’s not just the…
Temple Emanuel of Tempe member Karen Joseph’s life has revolved around two consistent themes since 2009 – networking and empowerment. A former preschool teacher at the iconic 92nd Street Y in New York, Joseph’s passion for teaching and helping others became the perfect springboard for creating S-E-V-E-N (Supporting and Empowering the Vision of Entrepreneurial Networking),…
The year was 1976: America celebrated its 200th birthday, Alex Haley published Roots, the Dow Jones closed at 1004, and I arrived in Tucson with a backpack, a college degree and $80 in my pocket. My parents were less than thrilled with my postgrad decision to hitchhike across the country to “find myself.” Tucson was,…
Besides the obvious fact that we, as a family, and more generally as a tribe, do not celebrate the Sainted Señor Valentine, there is an even more compelling reason why we will not commemorate Cupid with the purchase of any- thing electronic. After all, I made it through the holiday season without caving and I…
Dear Helen: I had lunch last week with someone I’ve known professionally for 15 years and seen through a divorce, substance abuse, car accidents (related to drinking) and other traumas. He’s done the same for me, but I have never abused anything except caffeine. We’re friends in a professional way, and he has absolutely made…
Valley education professionals weigh in on technology in the classroom. Question: Do you believe technology enhances education? If so, please give an example of how your school incorporates it into the curriculum. Arthur Yavelberg, Head of School/Head of Middle School, Tucson Hebrew Academy: Of course technology enhances education. There are so many interactive tools — mathematical…
Forty-seven years ago, Phoenix was a very different city. Substantially smaller, it had yet to become the urban hub and metropolis that we know today. Being a Jew in Phoenix was also a different experience. “[Phoenix Hebrew Academy] was the trailblazer in Jewish education, founded in ’65, when Jewish education was considered to be backwards…
Imagine being a young child who doesn’t quite learn the same way as other kids. Maybe you look at a word and two of the letters are reversed, or you have issues keeping your focus in key moments. It’s difficult enough to spend your days in a classroom with a bunch of kids who seem…
Parents always want to do the best they can for their children, no matter what type of background they have. In the past few years, some parents may have felt they couldn’t afford the Jewish day school of their dreams for their kids because of financial reasons, while others may consider those types of schools…
As a child, I always dreaded going to Hebrew school. Although it was only a few blocks from my public school, the lonely bike ride felt like miles as I watched my friends walk away in the opposite direction, arms linked together like a gum chain. Being Jewish in the small town in which I…
