Hollywood Half-Marathon
On April 8 at 6 a.m., Shelby Roseman and her daughter, Lauren Brewer (Phoenix), ran in the Hollywood Half-Marathon. The race started in front of the Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards, and continued down the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At the finish line near Hollywood and Vine, David Roseman cheered for his wife and daughter. Lauren finished with a time of 1:45:47; Shelby’s time of 2:18:51 placed her fourth in her 60-64 age group. Participants each received a Star Medal.
Our runners have competed together in other half-marathons — the Bobbie Olson (Tucson), New York and Yellowstone Half-Marathons. Lauren has also run in other half and full marathons, including Boston and New York. Kudos to this dynamic mother-daughter duo.
Honeymoon Israel
First comes love … then comes Honeymoon Israel.
From Feb. 17–26, 20 couples from Phoenix and Tucson traveled to Israel through Honeymoon Israel. Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, president and dean of Valley Beit Midrash of Phoenix, and Matt Landau, director of leadership development and public relations for the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, led the group. Four Tucson couples participated: Nick Eckley and Rachel Haimowitz, Grayson and Ally Ross, Isaac and Tanya Rothschild, and Michael Shiner and Melissa Spiller-Shiner. While Birthright Israel is free, Honeymoon Israel is highly subsidized ($1,800 per couple). Unlike Birthright, HMI brings together 20 couples, ages 25-40 with at least one Jewish partner, who are entering a new phase in their lives and looking to engage in and build community. What makes this trip unique is experiencing Israel early in their committed relationship with other couples who are working to establish their Jewish identities. HMI participants visit sites that Birthright participants do but also encounter Israel at night at their own leisure. Currently, HMI is being funded on a national level; there will need to be local support as with Birthright in order to ensure that this trip is possible for other young couples. In the future, our community hopes to lead another joint Phoenix/Tucson trip with more local couples.
Pesach on campus
Just as Tucsonans had choices of community Passover seder venues, so did University of Arizona students. As a “home-away-from-home” for the holiday, they chose between the UA Hillel Foundation, UA Chabad and Jewish Arizonans on Campus.
Standing: Hillel board member Danny Klein (Courtesy UA Hillel)
Michelle Blumenberg, UA Hillel executive director, worked with freshman Michaela Davenport and sophomore Jessi Grossman (Phoenix) to compile their own Haggadah to conduct the student-led seder for 129 people on the first night of Passover. The Oy Vey Café was not open during Passover; however, Hillel offered kosher for Passover weekday lunches. Other activities during the week included a matzah pizza-making dinner and a Moroccan-style Mimuna celebration at the end of the holiday.
Over 400 Jewish Wildcats attended seders at the UA Rohr Chabad House. Rabbi Yossi and Naomi Winner, co-directors of UA Chabad, opened their home for the eight days of the holiday, offering students seders on the first and second nights plus lunches and dinners throughout the week. Naomi also instructed about 20 students how to prepare and cook for Passover, making traditional brisket, chicken soup, gefilte fish, salads and other side dishes, in order for them to lead their own seders in the future.
According to Rabbi Moshe Schonbrun of Jewish Arizonans on Campus, JAC held two seders — participatory, traditional, meaningful, discussion-based — with about 25-30 people each, lasting past 1 a.m. both nights. Schonbrun and his wife, Esti, offered home-cooked meals throughout Pesach, including vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Time to share
Keep me posted – 319-1112. L’shalom.
