The Book & Author Overview page of our website has more details, bios of our authors and other news - check it often for updates! | |
Scroll down for details of additional Upcoming Events:
Game Day, the Annual Meeting & Program and Summer Camp
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Dear Friends,
Since this is the first bulletin of 2025, we want to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. We hope that you are all taking advantage of everything we have to offer. Being a member of the BNC Phoenix chapter provides you with many opportunities to learn, make new friends and engage with our community.
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Our members participated in a wonderful University on Wheels program in January. Our thanks go out to the event chairs, Michelle Fischler, Beth Messer and Ronee Siegel, who managed the event flawlessly. Brandeis professor Dr. Avi Rodal brought us vicariously into her lab and enthusiastically introduced us to the new Engineering Sciences program at Brandeis.
We were thrilled to have the new Interim BNC Executive Director, Ingrid Schorr, join us for this event. The following day, our board members stepped up in the chilly morning to hike Piestewa Peak, arranged by Bob Kirschenbaum and Simon Burrow, followed by a lovely brunch. Ingrid loved the Arizona landscape and was charmed by the friendliness and enthusiasm of our members.
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The 35th Annual Book & Author Event, Carnival of Books, is ramping up and will take place on February 24 at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa. The Book & Author VPs, Patti Grossman, Ileen Herberg and Joellyn Pollock, have been working nonstop over the last many months to make this a fabulous event.
We hope you consider going beyond the luncheon only and becoming a Bookmark Donor. This gives you the opportunity to join us at the Donor Cocktail Reception and/or the Donor Dinner, where you can spend more time with our wonderful authors. These take place on February 23, the evening before the luncheon.
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The Table Captain Brunch, honoring those who arrange for friends to come to our Book & Author event and make a table, was held in January, at the home of Donna Heller. Hillary Kaminsky, Ruth Lerner, Susie Sacks, Linda Ullman and their committee channeled the Mardi Gras theme and everything was just lovely. Photos are on the Events page of our website.
Next year, perhaps consider becoming a table captain for our B&A event.
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Laurie Burns and Gale Stam, the Membership VPs and their Membership Committee members, do an excellent job of hosting new member socials and reaching out to prospective members. Another successful event was held in January and our chapter continues to grow through their efforts.
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The Annual Meeting is March 19 and event chairs Judy Krockey and Sheila Landau are working closely with the Event VPs Wendy Cohen and Ellen Kirschenbaum. Please come and join us. Watch for registration details. | |
Finally, our Leadership Team is looking for members to step up and join our Board of Directors. Please consider becoming a member-at-large or taking on a new role on our Executive Committee. You will meet wonderful people and learn more about how our chapter functions. If you are interested in a new challenge, please contact our Nominating Committee Chairs, Leith Baletin and Ellen Widoff.
We look forward to seeing all of you at the upcoming events (details below). If we haven’t personally met you, please come up to us and say “hello.” We would love to chat with you.
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Warmly,
Joyce and Stephanie
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What does it mean to be a Table Captain? |
Table Captains gather their friends together to form one or more tables of 10 at the event and inform the committee chairs below. One table can have two co-Captains.
Your friends register and pay for the luncheon on their own, and will enter your name in the box that asks about seating.
Table Captains will have a ribbon attached to their name badge, allowing them to enter the ballroom early, in order to put down place cards for each person at their table(s), if they choose to do so.
If you would like to be a Table Captain or would like more information, contact Linda Ullman
Hillary Kaminsky, Ruth Lerner, Susie Sacks and Linda Ullman, Committee Chairs
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Calling all Book & Author Volunteers!
Volunteers are needed before, during and after the event -
If you were unable to attend the Author Reveal and Volunteer Sign-Up meeting, it’s not too late!
To learn more or to volunteer, contact the Volunteer Committee chairs:
Michelle Fischler • Terriann Kleiner • Beth Messer
bncphxbavol@gmail.com
| See the Book & Author Overview page of our website often for event information on a continuing basis. | |
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Game Day
Monday, March 17 • 10:30 am - 2:30 pm
Congregation Or Tzion
Registration details to follow
Terriann Kleiner, Jan Lebovitz, Ruth Lerner, Linda Ullman and Iris Wigal, Event Chairs
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Annual Meeting and Program
Wednesday, March 19 • 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Temple Chai
David Tierney, a Brandeis University graduate, will speak about the Civil Rights Movement of the '60s and how other movements emulate it.
More information to follow
Judy Krockey and Sheila Landau, Event Chairs
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Summer Camp
Amazing how time flies! We are starting to plan for Summer
Camp (June, July and August, 2025). Put on your thinking caps
and let us know if you wish to lead a Summer Camp activity.
Please send us an email with a brief description, tell us whether
the activity is in-person or on Zoom, and we will contact you.
Ronee Siegel and Harriet Schwartz
bncphxsummercamp@gmail.com
Summer Camp Chairs
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Recent Event - University of Wheels | |
L-R: Michelle Fischler (co-chair), Professor Rodal, Ronee Siegel and Beth Messer (co-chairs), Joyce Steinberg (co-president) and Ingrid Schorr, Interim BNC Executive Director | |
University on Wheels took place on January 10, 2025 at the Embassy Suites Phoenix – Biltmore. Dr. Avital Rodal, Professor of Biology, and co-chair of the new engineering initiative, gave a dynamic talk on the new campaign: Engineering the Future: The BNC Professorship in Engineering Science.
Over 100 people registered for the event, and we were honored to have Ingrid Schorr, Interim BNC Executive Director, attend the breakfast and also participate in a hike and brunch the following day.
We thank everyone who attended this event and those who made additional donations to the campaign and led to its success.
Michelle Fischler, Beth Messer and Ronee Siegel,
Event Chairs, University on Wheels 2025
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The day after University on Wheels, Ingrid Schorr, the Interim BNC Executive Director, and fellow Brandeis members hiked Piestewa Peak. | |
Photos from previous events can be seen on our website on the Events page. | |
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Spotlight on Study Groups | |
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STUDY GROUPS ARE GOING STRONG! | |
More than half the groups still have spots for anyone who wants to join and several just started in January. If you are looking for some groups that interest you, please go to the registration website and browse through the options. | |
One of the available groups is 101. People Who Repair the World, which is featured this month:
This group presents stellar people who truly repair the world. Our next speaker is Ron Balson, an esteemed author of historical fiction, including Once We Were Brothers. We’ll discuss his new novel, A Place to Hide, which explores true heroism in WWII. The group is on Zoom on Friday, February 21, 11:00 am MST.
Mark Gerson, Chairman and Co-Founder of United Hatzalah, a lifesaving organization in Israel, will speak in March, date TBD. Please join us for amazing and impactful discussions.
Facilitator: Elaine Howard • elaine.howard@comcast.net
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As a reminder, registrants who registered after September 30 would be wise to contact the facilitators to let them know they have joined the group. |
NEW: Photos that facilitators take of their groups and send to us are available to view on the
Study Group Photos page of our website.
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It’s time to start thinking of facilitating a study group for Fall/Winter 2025-2026. Even though it’s early in the year, preparing the study guide begins with curating the groups.
If you want to facilitate a study group, please email us at phxstudygroups@gmail.com
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SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT FULL GROUPS:
Even a group that has reached its maximum participation may have openings from time to time - if you are interested in a particular group, contact the facilitator(s) to see if space is available. Very often there is! Look in the study group guide for group details, which include contact information for the facilitators. A $5 guest fee will apply.
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Registration Information:
If you have not registered: Registration website
Screen-by-screen instructions - both printable and a video
If you have registered and want to make a change: click on the link at the bottom of the confirmation email you received that says "Modify your event registration"
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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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Please contact us if any questions,
Carol Kadet • Harriet Schwartz • Barbara Stern
phxstudygroups@gmail.com
Study Group Vice Presidents
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The Economy and Cryptocurrency
Art Rolnick
Wednesday, February 12
1:00 pm
JCC • Scottsdale
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This is the 12th year of Men of Brandeis, and it has been an exciting one. So far we have visited the Hall of Flame in Tempe and the Commemorative Air Force Museum at Falcon Field in Mesa. We’ve also heard from two local speakers and chapter members: Rick Goeld spoke about chip technology and Harry Sunenshine told us his personal life story of how he got to America during the Holocaust.
On February 12, Art Rolnick will return to talk to us. As always, his subject will be the economy, this time with a little crypto thrown in.
March sees us visiting SRP’s museum in Tempe. We’ll finish up the year with an interesting talk about pens. Syd Saperstein will amaze us on this “oddball” topic. You’ll be wowed!
| Art's talk will begin at 1:00, preceded by lunch at the J’s in-house eatery, Milk and Honey, at noon. |
Guests (men and women) are welcome for a $5.00 guest fee.
For additional information or to RSVP, contact the facilitator:
Leith Baletin • lbaletin@gmail.com
480-874-9434
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Book & Author 2025
Sunday, February 23 • Bookmark Cocktail Reception and
Donor Dinner with the Authors
Westin Kierland Resort
Monday, February 24 ~ Luncheon • Authors • Boutiques
Westin Kierland Resort
Game Day
Monday, March 17
10:30 am -2:30 pm • Congregation Or Tzion
Registration Details coming soon
Annual Meeting
Wednesday, March 19
10:00 am ~12:00 pm • Temple Chai
More details to follow
Spring Luncheon and Installation
Information to follow
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 will be focusing our community support on collecting travel-size personal items for families, seniors, and individuals in need.
It is our hope that at EACH event you attend, you will bring one or two items for this Community Outreach Program. We will have 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 will benefit Arizona Friends of the Homeless and Nourish Phoenix, among others |
Contact our Community Outreach co-chairs,
Debbie and Gale, for pick-up of any of these items.
Thank you for your support!
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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 Carla and Scott Schneider on the marriage of their son, Cory, to Jessica Morse
- Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Georgeann Levy
- Our sincere condolences to Gail Pincus on the passing of her husband, Steven
- Our sincere condolences to Ann Sanders on the passing of her husband, Marty
- Our sincere condolences to Mark Stern on the passing of his sister, Diane Gitlin
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We welcome our new members:
Alysa Binder, Robin Bright, Judith Caffrey, Lynn Gottlob, Lawrence Jaffe, Cory Liston, June Liston, Suzie Mitchell, Rob Modugno, Dennis Neiman, Brenda Pollack, Kathy Roeske, Cheryl Shore, Lynn Yogel
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To report life-cycle events, please contact:
Marilyn Reinfeld • mkr1227@cox.net • 480-620-5601
Chapter Roster
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 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, February 17 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.
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How to join or renew your membership | |
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
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BNC Phoenix Chapter Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee meets regularly to ensure an ongoing vibrant board of directors.
For your convenience, all board job position descriptions are located in our Handbook, which is available on our chapter website's Chapter Documents page.
Please notify Leith Baletin at: lbaletin@gmail.com for more information or if you are interested
in being considered for one of our positions.
Ellen Widoff and Leith Baletin
Nominating Committee Chairs
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Engineering the Future Campaign | |
Michelle & George Fischler | Mark Stern | In memory of his sister, Diane Gitlin | Beth & Jon Messer | Mark Stern | In memory of his sister, Diane Gitlin | | |
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.
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BNC's New Campaign: Engineering the Future
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Engineering Program
As part of our ongoing commitment to interdisciplinary excellence, Brandeis is launching a new interdepartmental program in Engineering Science, which will foster research, education, collaboration and innovation at the interface of engineering, the sciences and the liberal arts.
Brandeis already possesses the core elements to become a leader in engineering research and education, as evidenced by the success of our basic science programs, our NSF-funded Materials Science Research and Engineering Center, and the MakerLab. Our new program will grow these strengths by embedding engineers across our existing departments, seeding and nurturing enduring collaborations with and between Brandeis faculty and students in the sciences, humanities, social sciences, creative arts, business, and social policy.
More
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Did you miss one of Brandeis' virtual events and would like to access a recording of it?
Visit the on-demand Virtual Event Library.
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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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