For children facing stressful situations, the gift of a book can be a comforting reminder that someone cares. Local Jewish author Judy Laufer has teamed up with companies and individuals to give her two award-winning books to kids in need through her “Books for Bambinos” program. “I started this program as a way to help…
International travel always makes one look at the world in a different way. However, a young woman from Arizona, Sheeri A., found that attending the Alexander Muss High School in Israel program in 2003 helped her change the world around her after she returned to Arizona. “I remember coming back from Israel and having a…
Mom, have you ever read that short story The Monkey’s Paw, by W.W. Jacobs?” my 14-year-old son, Levi, asked one day after school. “It sounds really familiar,” I said, “What’s it about?” He quickly summarized the story, and about 30 seconds into his synopsis I remembered the tale all too well. It’s one of those…
A story is told of a man named Akiva who could neither read nor write at the age of 40. He was bothered by the fact that people viewed him as ignorant and unlearned. His wife, Rachel, who was disowned by her father when she married him, and Akiva’s teacher, Rabbi Eliezier ben Hyrkanos, recognized…
By Amy Hirshberg Lederman, November 2014 When I was growing up, money meant AUTHORITY. Dad made the money, so he also made the decisions. Our family lived by the Golden Rule as in: He who has the gold, rules. We were told at an early age that it wasn’t “polite” to talk about money, but…
By By Deborah Gilboa, M.D., aka “Doctor G”, November 2014 “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…
By Staff, November 2014 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…
By Janet Arnold, November 2014 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…
By Janet Arnold, November 2014 “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…
By Debra Rich Gettleman, November 2014 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…
