ENROLLMENT WILL BEGIN ON MAY 1 | Summer Camp Activities begin in June |
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- Participants in Summer Camp ($30 individual, $40 household) may attend all activities listed on the calendar, providing there is sufficient space
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Summer Camp is for the benefit of chapter members, so please remember to join or renew your membership for the 2025-2026 year
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The Summer Camp Calendar will be available soon!
For more information, contact
Harriet Schwartz and Ronee Siegel, Summer Camp Chairs
bncphxsummercamp@gmail.com
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Dear Friends,
Quite a lot has happened since our last Bulletin!
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We had an incredible Book & Author event with 739 lunches served, raising about $71,000 for Brandeis University. Kudos to the Book & Author VPs: Patti Grossman, Ileen Herberg and Joellyn Pollock, as well as their committee chairs. They did a fantastic job! The National President of BNC, Merle Carrus, as well as Stephen Rodriguez, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, attended and were blown away by the event. A Wrap-Up meeting was held on April 3 to share the final details.
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Kudos also go to our VPs of Event Planning, Wendy Cohen and Ellen Kirschenbaum, and their event chairs, Sheila Landau and Judy Krockey, who oversaw our Annual Meeting held March 19 at Temple Chai, with our own Dr. Gale Stam as the speaker. Her talk on Body Language and Gestures was truly riveting. They are also hard at work on our Spring Luncheon and Installation of new Board members to be held Monday, April 21 at Maggiano’s Little Italy, with Donna Vessey giving a talk entitled Creativity – Embrace the Adventure.
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Game Day was a success with Event Chairs Terriann Kleiner, Jan Lebovitz, Ruth Lerner, Roberta Selnick, Linda Ullman and Iris Wigal, who hosted favorites such as Bridge, Canasta, Mah Jongg and Mexican Train.
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Harriet Schwartz and Ronee Siegel have been hard at work preparing for Summer Camp. Registration will begin in May, and we hope you all sign up. As in the past, there will be something for everyone!
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Sadly, the hackers are at it again. Be very careful when reading both emails and texts, as they have gotten very creative. Please take the time to read the article below, which has some helpful hints. A reminder: do not click on any questionable links and remember, we will NEVER ask you to send us any gift cards.
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Warmly,
Joyce and Stephanie
| | Phishing: Email, Text or Phone Scams | | |
Phishing scams have returned to affect members of our chapter.
If your contact information - email or phone # - is included in a scam recipient's contact list, you could be at risk of these scams also.
1. Know that our board members will NEVER ask you to purchase gift cards.
2, Read the information below and be extra vigilant!
| | Common types of Phishing attacks include: | |
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DO NOT RESPOND OR INTERACT WITH THE EMAIL OR TEXT
• Contact your board or event organizer
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For cases when you receive an invoice or request for payment that you were not expecting, reach out to your event chairs or other relevant board members to get more information - do not send money or gift cards
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Refer to your list of contacts; do not click on any links or linked email addresses or phone numbers in the email or text
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Provide no personal details in emails, texts or over the phone when you did not initiate the contact
- If you do find that it is a phishing attempt, reach out to your board to inform them
- Delete the email or text
| | | | Thank you to everyone who made Book & Author 2025 such a successful event. We couldn't have put on this event without all the committee chairs and their hard work and attention to detail. | |
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The festivities began with the Bookmark Donor Cocktail Party on a beautiful evening and then moved on to the intimate Bookmark Dinner with the authors. Thank you to Janis Lipman, Michelle Fischler and Iris Wigal for the elegance of the evening events and Carol Kern and Marcy Strauss for bringing our Bookmark Donors to these events.
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The luncheon exceeded our expectations with 739 lunches served at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa. Registering and seating all these people went smoothly thanks to Marcia Langer and Barbara Stern.
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We could not have registered this many people without our wonderful Marketing Committee chairs - Carol Kadet and Sandy Golden - who blanketed the valley with news of the event. Internal communication was the work of Sara Leopold; thank you for the eblasts.
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The decorations on the tables were bright and festive due to Wendy Cohen, Phyllis Stone and their group of creative people.
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The boutiques afforded great shopping experiences with popular returnees and the addition of some new faces this year. We appreciate the diligence of Brina Pepper and Linda Perlman.
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The favors added some color to our tables and will be with us as we travel. Thank you, Ellen Kirschenbaum.
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The logo and the program book will be delightful reminders of this day thanks to the creativity of Georgia Heller and Sara Leopold.
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The books we purchased will prompt us to think about how much we enjoyed listening and learning from these engaging authors. The Author Committee of Gayle McKenna, Jytte Methmann and Sue Rollins, under the tutelage of Joyce Goldstein, spent countless hours finding these authors, meeting their needs and helping them to feel comfortable. Sharon Polan made airplane and hotel reservations that worked for everyone. Julia Libling made sure everyone was chauffeured and cared for while signing books. Thank you to Bonnie Furst and Harriet Schwartz for organizing the book sales and working closely with Changing Hands to make sure we had everything on hand.
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Registration/Check-In went smoothly thanks to the continuing expertise of Susie Sacks, Ronee Siegel and Gail Tenn.
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The many Table Captains were recruited by the team of Ruth Lerner, Hillary Kaminsky, Susie Sacks and Linda Ullman. They thanked them ahead of time with a lovely brunch.
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Thank you to Truda Chick for being available if anyone was in need of a ride.
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Behind the scenes Joyce Steinberg created all the posters needed and the Powerpoint presentation for the luncheon. Bonnie Furst and Joan Davis helped set the budget and ensured payments were made on time. Martha Patrick kept the speakers on schedule. We are indebted also to past presidents, Jan Lebovitz, Marcy Stauss and Linda Ullman, who were wherever they were needed at the moment.
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It takes a village of volunteers to put on this event and we couldn't do it without the Volunteer Committee, who made sure that people were in all the places they were needed. Thank you to Michelle Fischler, Terriann Kleiner and Beth Messer.
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Make sure you check out the photos on our website from all three experiences as they captured the two days. Bill Stoffers did an excellent job telling the story of Book & Author 2025.
- Thank you to all who served on committees to help the chairs with what needed to be done.
- Thank you to all who attended!!!
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To top it all off, we are able to contribute about $71,000 for BNC's Engineering the Future campaign.
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Next year, on February 22-23, we will be back at Westin Kierland Resort & Spa for
Book & Author 2026 - save the date!!
| | We welcome Brina Pepper as a co-chair of the event in 2026. | | | |
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Patti Grossman, Ileen Herberg, Joellyn Pollock
2025 Book & Author Event Chairs
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| | Event Planning for 2025-2026 | | |
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Event Planning Meeting for next year
Wednesday, April 30 • 1:00 PM
Ellen Kirschenbaum’s house
Everyone is welcome!
| | | We invite you to join us to brainstorm ideas, plan and create a wonderfully active event calendar for next year. If you have not been involved before, it’s the perfect time to do so. There’s no pressure - if you’d like to be involved, please let us know. Once you do, we will provide the location specifics. We’ll have a fun time. There are so many possibilities! | | |
Wendy Cohen and Ellen Kirschenbaum
Event Planning VPs
Please contact for information wesc1949@yahoo.com
| | Photos from previous events can be seen on our website on the Events page. | | |
We want to hear your Ideas!
Do you have a Study Group Idea?
Do you want to facilitate a new Study Group?
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Our chapter’s Study Groups are for the benefit and enjoyment of current BNC members.
Please be sure to join or renew your membership, so you will be able to register for study groups!
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Spring Luncheon, Installation and Program
Monday, April 21
12:00 - 3:00 pm
Maggiano's Little Italy • Scottsdale
Summer Camp
June 1 - August 31
Registration begins in May
More information to follow
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Community Service is a fundamental part of the mission of BNC. Throughout the year, we collect items for various non-profits in the greater Phoenix area, and your support is much appreciated.
Additionally, our Mitzvah Mavens Study Group provides participatory activities for our members to volunteer directly with specific agencies.
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Needed: Travel-Size Personal Care Items
This year, we focused our community support on collecting travel-size personal items for families, seniors, and individuals in need.
We had a donation box at every event for:
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Shampoo, soap, body wash, body lotion, toothpaste, toothbrushes, lip balm and deodorant. Take a moment and clean out those travel-size bottles from your last hotel stay and bring them to us, or consider picking up a few items when you are out shopping.
- Empty, clean pill bottles - they are filled with personal hygiene products and handed out for single use. Please remove the labels before donating.
| Your donations benefitted Arizona Friends of the Homeless and Nourish Phoenix, among others | We will collect these items at our final event of the year, the Installation Luncheon on April 21. | |
We send a huge THANK YOU to all our members who so generously delivered personal care products to our last events: Game Day and the Opening Meeting. Our community members who are less fortunate will be very happy with your kind thoughts and goodies.
Please continue to collect and save these items from your summer travels. We will be happy to receive them next fall.
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Knit A Mitzvah
Do you Knit? Do you Crochet?
Help us make Scarves, Newborn Baby Caps,
Lap Blankets and Chemo Caps
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We donate newborn baby caps and lap
blankets to Honor Health Medical
Center, scarves to Sojourner Center
and chemo caps to
Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center
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For more information, please contact:
Ronee Siegel
ronees@aol.com 917-273-0393
Joan Davis
davis6j@gmail.com 602–499-8357
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Mitzvah Mavens
Participants in this study group volunteer at a variety of Valley non-profit organizations. We meet at the specific locations of the organizations on various dates, lending helping hands as needed. If there are activities that can be done at home, participants will be notified.
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Membership Milestones
- Congratulations to Helen and Mike Abrams on the engagement of their daughter Michelle Abrams to Hank Blum
- Congratulations to Cindy and Larry Glick on the birth of their grandson, Charlie Gene Kogan. Proud parents are Carly and Sean Kogan.
- Congratulations to Stephanie and Hal Klopper on the birth of their granddaughter, Stevie Juliette Salter. Proud parents are Courtney Klopper-Salter and Corey Salter.
- We wish Myral Robbins a speedy recovery
- Our sincere condolences to Stephanie Klopper on the passing of her mother, Edna “Julie” Tunnell
- Our sincere condolences to Ralph Seligmann on the passing of his wife, Leslie
- Our sincere condolences to Barbara Weiss on the passing of her husband, Don
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We welcome our new members:
Steven Bienstock and Marilyn Sadowski
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To report life-cycle events, please contact:
Marilyn Reinfeld • mkr1227@cox.net • 480-620-5601
Chapter Roster and Email Database
To report a change in email address, phone number (cell or landline) or mailing address, please contact:
Carol Kadet • carolkadet@gmail.com
She will update our membership roster and our email database to ensure that you receive Chapter mailings and information.
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Socials for New and Prospective Members
We hold socials several times throughout the year to welcome new and prospective members.
Our next event will be
Friday, April 25 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm
Please watch your inbox for an eVite invitation and respond whether or not you plan on joining us. Once you RSVP, the address will be sent to you a few days before the event. We look forward to meeting and greeting you!
New members: We look forward to having you join us at an event, meeting and welcoming you at one of our fabulous functions and making your BNC experience extra special!
Coming by yourself? Not a problem. We usually have a table reserved for New Members!
Membership Committee Meetings
Our next Membership Committee meeting will be Monday, April 28, 2025 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm via Zoom. If you are interested in learning more about membership or interested in joining the committee, please contact the Membership VPs.
| | How to join or renew your membership | | |
15-Month Membership Promotion
Brandeis is offering a 15-month membership promotion. Membership for new members who
join the chapter after April 1, 2025, expires on June 30, 2026.
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The Membership page of our website has a link to step-by-step instructions for joining online.
If you have questions about online payments for membership, please contact Irene Lubin at 480-948-3773.
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Name Tags
Would you prefer not to wear the stick-on name tags used at Chapter functions?
We are offering personalized, magnetic BNC name tags for $18.00, including shipping. You can get your name tag by filling out the order form and mailing it to the listed address.
Order Form
Note: Replacement magnetic backs for existing name tags are available; contact the Chapter at 480-359-7262
| | Engineering the Future Campaign | | | Joyce Grant | Stephanie & Hal Klopper | In honor of the birth of their granddaughter, Stevie Salter | | Joyce Lefco | Terriann Kleiner | In honor of Terriann | | Contemporary Reads Book Group | Stephanie Klopper | In memory of her mother, Edna "Julie" Tunnell | | Joyce Grant | Stephanie Klopper | In memory of her mother, Edna "Julie" Tunnell | | Beth Messer | Stephanie Klopper | In memory of her mother, Edna "Julie" Tunnell | | Joyce Steinberg | Stephanie Klopper | In memory of her mother, Edna "Julie" Tunnell | | | | Harriet Schwartz | Stephanie Klopper | In memory of her mother, Edna "Julie" Tunnell | | | |
To make a donation online using a credit card, click here
In order to include your online tributes in the bulletin, please email the details -
Fund, Donor(s), Recipient(s) and Occasion only - to Beth Messer at bethmae721@gmail.com
This list is current as of the date of publication. We regret any errors or omissions.
For future corrections or inclusions, please notify Beth Messer.
| | Leith Baletin supports the BNC Professorship in Engineering Science | | Leith Baletin, BNC member since 2007; former vice-president and president, Phoenix Chapter |
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I’m a retired engineer with a BEE in electrical engineering and an MS in engineering management. It’s a traditional way of educating engineers. Some call it a silo approach because it’s narrow.
The Brandeis Engineering Science program is different. It’s interdisciplinary. It’s inclusive. Students can incorporate problem-solving and engineering skills into their studies in other ways.
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It’s because of my extensive background as an engineer that my wife, Judy, and I are really excited about Brandeis entering a new era of engineering education. We have made a pledge to fund an undergraduate scholarship in engineering at Brandeis, and we are now turning our support to the BNC Professorship in Engineering Science.
When BNC meets its $3 million goal, Brandeis will be able to hire a top professor to join the engineering science faculty in a secure, tenured position.
| I consider Brandeis to be my second alma mater. I’m so proud of the progress that the university has made in creating the program, and BNC is off to a fantastic start in supporting it. | | | Engineering the Future at Brandeis University: this innovative approach will provide students with the essential skills to think like engineers, and design solutions to complex problems, in the context of a first-class liberal arts education. More | | | | | |
The Brandeis Archives and Special Collections has launched an online exhibition of Brandeis National Committee materials such as conference programs, membership brochures, and other ephemera dating from the 1960s to the 1990s. This collection provides insight into the founding days of Brandeis and the role the BNC had in fundraising for the university and the library. Some examples are on our website here.
Take a trip back in time and enjoy looking at this collection! If you have materials you wold like to donate to the archives, please email bnc@brandeis.edu.
| | General Chapter Information | | Founded in 1948, Brandeis National Committee is dedicated to providing philanthropic support to Brandeis University, a distinguished liberal arts and research university founded by the American Jewish community. Its membership is connected to the University through fundraising and through activities that reflect the values on which the University was founded: academic excellence, social justice, nonsectarianism and service to the community. | | |
Presidents: Stephanie Klopper and Joyce Steinberg
Editor: Donna Germuska • Assistant Editor: Ronee Siegel
Layout: Sara Leopold
bncphxbulletin@gmail.com
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