Wendy Mendelson is a rock star. Well, sort of. Mendelson, founder of The Mendelson Law Firm in Scottsdale, is a criminal defense attorney who is a rising star in her field. She has a mean singing voice, too. Her journey has included some intriguing stops along the way, leading her to the line of work…
Originally from South Africa, Valley resident Rosemary Abrami periodically does presentations on South Africa and Jewish life in that country. The following historic summary is based largely on her presentation materials. South Africa was part of the British Commonwealth from the early 1800s until 1961, when it became a republic and an independent part of…
By Deborah Moon and Stevie Mack Dr. Raun Melmed believes that differences between people need not divide us. As a developmental pediatrician, he has devoted his life to ensuring those with developmental disabilities are part of our society. Born in South Africa, Dr. Melmed is no stranger to how differences can divide people. But South…
When Lionel Faitelson told his wife, Karen, about a job offer in the cutting-edge field of cardiac electrophysiology at the University of Arizona, her initial response was “There can’t be a single Jew within 50 miles of Tucson, Arizona. That’s a cowboy town! I am not raising my children where there are no Jews.” It…
Wandering among the vestiges of Jewish life in the village of Zagare, Leonard and Marcelle Joffe pieced together the world that his parents and her father had left behind when they fled Lithuania to start new lives in South Africa. “We saw the remains of the old buildings where the mikvah was, the matzah factory…
Uitenhage. This small town is on the eastern side of the tip of South Africa. Its connection to Arizona is artist and teacher Barbara Kaplan Becker. She was born there and lived in South Africa for 28 years before moving to Phoenix for the best reason in the world: Love. When visiting Phoenix for her…
The word “education” was first used in the 1580s to mean “to provide schooling.” In the year 1997, the first tax credit was given to provide schooling for children attending private schools in America. Arizona was the first U.S. state to provide such a tax credit. It’s fortunate that Linda Zell was in Arizona in…
Some people might think winning the lottery would make all their dreams come true. In the case of Jacqui Breger, her family winning the “lottery” was not only good for her, but her good fortune has grown to benefit countless others. Jacqui, the executive director of the Jewish Genetic Disease Center of Greater Phoenix, dedicates…
Amir Give’on is a pretty smart guy. Just ask his classmates at Princeton, or at Cal Tech, or co-workers at NASA. He’s also passionate about Israel and connecting Israelis with Jewish Americans. Now he has used his entrepreneurial bent and his technical knowledge to help others be more savvy advocates for the Jewish homeland. With…
Jessica Berg and the STEP Student Expedition Program Jessica Berg is the real deal. Walking into her home you get the sense of a women with an earthy artistic sensibility. She is warm, engaging and deeply committed to her role as a wife and mother. But once you start talking to her, you realize she’s…
