Our Authors and Moderator
Top row, left to right:
Rabia Chaudry, Larry Loftis, Rebecca Makkai
Bottom row, left to right:
Wanda Morris, Dani Shapiro, Olivia Fierro
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Scroll down for 3 of our Authors' bios;
the others will be in our December issue.
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Dear Friends,
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday it is a great time to reflect, give thanks and recognize the people who make the BNC Phoenix Chapter possible.
We have so much to be thankful for. Our volunteers have shown countless acts of innovation, collaboration, courage and dedication to our chapter.
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Our deep appreciation goes to:
Our Board of Directors, which governs and decides the direction of our organization.
Our Study Group Vice Presidents Stephanie Klopper, Barbara Stern and Joyce Steinberg, who recruit, train, register, and help implement over 80 Study Groups covering a range of intellectual, social, and physical activities.
Our Study Group facilitators, who are responsible for providing lifelong learning to our members and devote so much of their time and expertise. You are the heart of our organization.
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Our Membership Vice Presidents Laurie Burns and Gale Gradus, and their talented committee, who are the first point of contact for our members through their new member socials and ambassador program. We appreciate your efforts to welcome, inform and engage our members.
Our Secretaries Joyce Grant, Linda Perlman, Andi Carrino and Geri Gould, who are the communication center for our board members. They make it possible to provide all the information with which our leadership team can make good decisions as they help move our organization forward.
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Our Treasurers, Joan Davis and Bonnie Furst, who ensure our fiscal integrity, provide budget guidance to our event chairs, and work closely with our National Staff.
Our Community Outreach Chairs, Wendy Cohen and Ellen Kirschenbaum, who make it possible for us to fulfill our community service goals, a major pillar of the University.
Our Strategy and Leadership Vice President Joellyn Pollock, with whom we are able to ensure a mentoring culture, the development of new and existing leaders, and the succession planning that ensures the continuation of our chapter.
Our Book & Author Vice Presidents Jan Lebovitz, Linda Ullman and Carol Kern, and their committee chairs and volunteers, who help coordinate our signature event. They will certainly make sure that we celebrate the 75th anniversary of Brandeis University in style.
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Our Event Chairs and their committees, who provide programs that entertain, engage, and inform us while supporting the important work of our university: Stan and Linda Burech; Ruth Lerner and Hillary Kaminsky; Michelle Fischler and Barbara Stern; Harriet Schwartz, Marcia Langer and Andrew Tievsky; Patti Grossman, Terriann Kleiner and Gail Tenn.
Our Internal Communications Coordinator, Sara Leopold, who edits our bulletin with Ronee Siegel and is responsible for our eblasts, website, and the coordination of chapter communication. There are very few leaders who have not benefitted from Sara’s time and skills. She is selfless in her accessibility to all leaders and her commitment to the smooth running of our chapter.
Our Marketing Coordinator, Carol Kadet, who makes it possible to have a presence on all platforms of social media, provides promotional materials for our events, and markets our programs in the community.
Our Summer Camp Chairs, Harriet Schwartz and Ronee Siegel, who offer a variety of activities that make it possible for those of us summering in Arizona to enjoy ourselves despite the oppressive heat and for those of us who return to our city of origin, to stay connected through Zoom activities.
Our Executive Administrator Kathleen Witkin, who provides support and helps us be more effective and efficient.
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Our Presidential Advisors Nancy Sacks, Iris Wigal and Carol Kern, who offer their wisdom, institutional knowledge, and guidance as we navigate all aspects of our large, multifaceted organization.
Our Sunshine Fund Chair Sue Lawler, our Tributes Chair, Beth Messer and our Members at Large Chair, Gail Vinik, who ensure that all milestones, challenges, and successes are acknowledged - both within our board and among our membership.
Someone told us that the BNC Phoenix Chapter works like a well-oiled machine. If there are leaders we did not mention, we apologize. The machine could not work without you.
Finally, and importantly, we express deep gratitude for the support of our members who attend our Study Groups and Events. You are part of a vibrant community of active learners, developing meaningful friendships and connections and giving back in ways that benefit Brandeis students for generations to come.
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Wishing you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
Warmly,
Ellen and Leith
Ellen Widoff and Leith Baletin, Presidents
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BNC Phoenix Chapter's COVID-19 Vaccination Protocols apply to all study groups and events - attendees must submit proof of vaccination one time in advance to [email protected], if they have not already done so. Currently, masking is not required, but is optional.
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An Evening of Music & Conversation
with Allan Naplan
Executive & Producing Director of Arizona Musicfest
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Join us for Music, Conversation and Dessert
Sunday, December 11, 2022
Doors open at 6:30 pm
Program begins at 7:15 pm
Assumption Greek Church,
8202 E Cactus Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
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Allan Naplan is the driving force behind Arizona’s Musicfest and has been called the Valley of the Sun’s own “Music Man.” Following a career as an operatic baritone performing nationwide, he then served in senior management roles with several major opera companies. As a composer, his works have been performed in over 40 countries and featured in concerts at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the White House. Allan is also a well-known cantorial soloist, performing locally and in California. | Piano $40 ~ Violin $50 ~ Harp $65 | |
Any amount over $28 is considered a charitable contribution and is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Proceeds benefit the Brandeis National Committee’s campaign, The Legacy of Louis: Inspiring Inquiry.
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Photos from our recent event
Brandeis Alumni Making a Difference in Arizona
on October 30th
Left to right: Chapter co-President Leith Baletin, Dannah Rubinstein, Damien Preciado, Suzy Stone, Sara Mason-Barkin, Jessica Yanow, Paul Rockower, Chapter co-President Ellen Widoff
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Rabia Chaudry is an attorney, advocate, podcaster, and author of the New York Times bestseller Adnan's Story:
The Search for Truth and Justice After “Serial” and executive producer of a four-part HBO documentary The Case Against Adnan Syed, which was based on her book. Chaudry is also co-producer and co-host of three podcasts, Undisclosed (over 400 million downloads), The Hidden Djinn and Nighty Night (bone-chilling bedtime stories). A 2021 Aspen Institute/ADL Civil Society Fellow and a 2016 Aspen Ideas Scholar, she serves on the Vanguard Board at the Aspen Institute. She is a Fellow of the Truman National Security Project, a Fellow of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute, and a Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute. Currently, she is a founding board member of the Inter-Jewish Muslim Alliance and the Muslim Jewish Advisory Council, both of which focus on building Muslim-Jewish coalitions around pressing policy issues and educating across communities to break barriers. Her new book, Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat & Family (11/22), is “a warm, intimate memoir about food, body image, and growing up in a loving but sometimes oppressively concerned Pakistani immigrant family.”
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Larry Loftis is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of the nonfiction spy thrillers The Princess Spy: The True Story of World War II Spy Aline Griffith, Countess of Romanones; Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII’s Most Highly Decorated Spy; and Into the Lion’s Mouth: The True Story of Dusko Popov - World War II Spy, Patriot, and the Real-Life Inspiration for James Bond. Larry has been featured on several national and international media outlets, including the Smithsonian Channel, C-Span, and The Today Show. His books have been translated into numerous languages and can be found throughout the world. Larry is an attorney, having received his B.A. and J.D. from the University of Florida, where he served on the Law Review. Larry’s newest book,The Watchmaker’s Daughter: The True Story of World War II Heroine Corrie ten Boom (3/23), has been called “Reminiscent of Shindler’s List and featuring a journey of faith and forgiveness not unlike Unbroken;” it “is destined to become a classic work of World War II nonfiction.”
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Rebecca Makkai is the Chicago-based author of the novels The Great Believers, The Hundred-Year House, and The Borrower, as well as the short story collection Music for Wartime. Her work has been translated into 20 languages, and her short fiction has been anthologized in The Pushcart Prize XLI (2017), The Best American Short Stories (2008-2011), The Best American Nonrequired Reading (2009, 2016), and featured on Public Radio International’s Selected Shorts and This American Life. Her last novel, The Great Believers, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, and received the ALA Carnegie Medal and the LA Times Book Prize, among other honors. One of the New York Times Ten Best Books of 2018, it has been optioned for TV by Amy Poehler’s production company. A 2022 Guggenheim fellow, Makkai is on the MFA faculties of Sierra Nevada College and Northwestern University. She is also Artistic Director of StoryStudio Chicago. Her new novel, I have Some Questions for You (2/23), is both “a transfixing mystery and deeply felt examination of one woman’s reckoning with her past.” It is considered to be “the greatest achievement yet by one of America’s most acclaimed authors.”
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Read about our other two authors and our moderator in the December Bulletin. | | |
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Spotlight on Study Groups | |
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STUDY GROUP REGISTRATION CONTINUES!
PARTICIPANTS: If you registered for study groups after October 10 and have not heard from your facilitator(s), please contact them and make sure you are on their group list.
FACILITATORS: If a participant informs you that they registered for your group after the group lists were sent, please verify with the Study Group VPs.
This season of Brandeis Phoenix study groups is in full swing as more and more groups have had their first meetings!
There are still many study groups that have space available for more participants. For details and to sign up for
available study groups, see the Study Group Guide and Registration links below and on our website.
Some groups that still have openings this fall include:
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15. MEDITATION: PATHWAYS to PEACE
This Study Group will focus on how to become a peaceful person amid personal and societal crises and challenges. We will discuss traits that enable peacefulness and use meditation experiences to achieve this goal. This study group is suitable for beginners as well as those who have an established practice. To enhance this experience, we will invite a variety of meditation practitioners to guide us. For those who attended previously, it is an opportunity to reinforce and habituate what we learned last year. Join us each week for eight evening sessions via Zoom.
Tuesday Evenings, 7:00 – 8:00 pm (October– November)
Facilitators:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fee: $20
Nancy Siefer [email protected] 480- 577-1439
Ellen Widoff [email protected] 602-513-3138
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20. LET’S EXPLORE TRAVEL
Join our travel group as we explore and discuss the world with a different theme or topic each month. Members will be notified of the topic in advance (to be determined by the group), in time to prepare and participate. The first meeting will be via Zoom on November 29, due to Thanksgiving, and further in-person meetings will be determined by the consensus of the group. We are very excited as our universe is continuously evolving! Minimum 7, maximum 20.
Fourth Tuesdays, 10:30 am-12:30 pm (November 29; January – April)
Facilitators: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fee: $20
Helen Abrams [email protected] 312-593-4456
Kathleen Witkin [email protected] 480-473-4825
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23. ROCK ‘N ROLL IS HERE TO STAY
This in-person group is for men who love rock ‘n roll and rock ‘n roll trivia. We will have many trivia questions about rock and roll from the fifties through the eighties, but some stuff from later decades, as well. Questions will range from easy to difficult. There will also be activities, class discussions, and perhaps some singing and dancing. The group will share information and tell stories about how music affected their lives. The first meeting will be January 10. Location details will be emailed to participants. Maximum 10.
Second and Fourth Tuesdays, 3:00 pm (January - April)
Facilitator:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . Fee: $20
Jeffrey Glassman [email protected] 847-212-1699
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29. FAR NORTH BOOK GROUP
Do I complain of being exhausted after staying up reading too late? Of course. Will I put down my book to go to sleep? Don’t be ridiculous!” If you’re a lover of fiction of all types, and a lover of discussing fiction, and a lover of hanging out in your neighborhood, then this group is for you! We will be meeting on the third Wednesday of the month in person at each others’ homes. We hope you will join us for an optional lunch afterward. Minimum 4, maximum 16.
Third Wednesdays, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm (October - April)
Facilitator:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fee $20
Mickie Applebaum [email protected] 847-309-7081
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59. CONTINUING TAI CHI
Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese art combining body & mind. Tai Chi's slow and relaxed movements are sometimes referred to as "meditation in motion." There are many benefits including, but not limited to, stress reduction, improving balance, endurance and agility. This group is primarily for those who have had some experience with Tai Chi or have taken the previous BNC Phoenix Study Group. There will be a review of previously learned skills. The group will meet once a week for six weeks at a Scottsdale location. Participants will be emailed the location after registration. Minimum 3, maximum 6.
Thursdays,10:30-11:30 am (October - December, excluding Thanksgiving)
Facilitator:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fee $20
David Burns [email protected] 520-444-1255
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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 guide for group details, which include contact information for the facilitators. A $5 guest fee will apply.
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*If you have already registered for 2022-23 Study Groups, use the link in the
confirmation email you received when you registered.
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Study Group Vice Presidents
Stephanie Klopper, Joyce Steinberg and Barbara Stern
[email protected]
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Wednesday, November 9
11:00 am • Pueblo Grande Museum
4619 E Washington Street • Phoenix
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On Nov 9th, the Men of Brandeis will be visiting the Pueblo Grande Museum, located at 4619 E Washington Street in Phoenix.
The tour will be led by fellow Men of Brandeis member, Simon Burrow, who is a docent at the museum. The tour will begin at 11:00 am, followed by lunch nearby.
Pueblo Grande is a National Historic Landmark in the heart of Phoenix. This ancient Hohokam village site contains the remains of a 1000 year-old platform mound, an excavated ball court and irrigation canals. The Museum exhibits feature ancient Hohokam artifacts, archeological discoveries and authentic Native American art.
A visit consists of a two-thirds of a mile interpretive trail, which travels around the remains of the ball court and platform mound constructed by the ancestral Sonoran Desert people, identified by archaeologists as the Hohokam culture. The trail also features a variety of native plants, walk-in replicated dwellings and an interpretive agricultural garden featuring cotton, corn, beans, squash and amaranth.
It includes galleries, which explore this industrious people and their relationship with the environment, a hands-on gallery that explains the process of archaeology, the changing exhibit gallery, featuring rotating exhibits on a wide-variety of fascinating topics, and a community gallery highlighting the site’s connection to the contemporary peoples.
For additional information or to attend, contact the facilitator:
Leith Baletin [email protected] 480-874-9434
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Note: All attendees must show proof of vaccination one time in advance and
our Chapter's COVID-19 Vaccination Protocols will be strictly observed.
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Have you considered taking on a leadership position in our chapter, maybe with a friend?
Being a chapter leader is very rewarding - and fun!
The Nominating Committee is looking for nominations to fill the following positions, available now:
Executive Vice Presidents
Event Planning Vice Presidents
Book & Author Vice Presidents (to begin in April, 2023)
Study Group Vice President - 1 position
If you are interested, or know anyone who is, or would like more information,
please contact Jan Lebovitz or Linda Ullman,
Nominating Committee Chairs
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Winter Event
Sunday, December 11
An Evening of Music and Conversation with Allan Naplan,
Composer, Cantorial Soloist and Executive Director of Arizona Musicfest
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church
7:00 - 9:00 pm • Doors open at 6:30 pm
University on Wheels (UoW)
Monday, January 9, 2023
Presentation from a visiting Brandeis professor
Breakfast • Embassy Suites Biltmore
Dance Fever
Saturday, January 28, 2023
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Imperial Ballroom
Annual Meeting
Wednesday, February 15
2:00 - 4:00 pm
Gloria Christi Federated Church (formerly Palo Cristi Church)
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Book & Author - Diamond Jubilee
Celebrating the 75th Anniversaries of Brandeis University and the BNC
Sunday, March 12 - Cocktail Reception with the Authors
Monday, March 13 - Luncheon/Authors/Boutiques
Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort at Gainey Ranch
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Membership Milestones
- Congratulations to Barbara and Mark Stern on the Bat Mitzvah of their granddaughter, Micah Stav Mandell.
- Our sincere condolences to the family of life member Ruth Braunstein (2021).
- Our sincere condolences to the family of life member Nancy Vender (2020).
- Our sincere condolences to the family of life member Sybil Yastrow.
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We welcome our new members:
Jackie Black, Sue Broggi, Nancy Cohen, Greg and Lisa Lane, Rachel Rabinovich, Betty and Marty Rosenstein, Michele Scheiner, Charles Schikman, Marilyn Steisel, Nancy and Shaul Streifler, Joyce Stuehringer, Charles Warshaver, Eric Weiner and Louise Zirretta
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To report life-cycle events, please contact:
Marilyn Reinfeld • [email protected] • 480-620-5601
CHAPTER ROSTER
To report a change in email address, phone number (cell or landline) or mailing address, please contact:
Carol Kadet • [email protected]
She will update our membership roster and ensure that you receive Chapter mailings and information.
| A Coffee/Tea for New and Prospective Members | |
A beautiful event on a beautiful day!
Our next Coffee/Tea will be in January. Watch this space for more information.
| Join our chapter - participate in study groups! | |
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Study Group registration continues!
In order to take part in any Study Groups, your Membership must be current.
If you click on the graphic and renew or join our chapter now,
your membership will be in good standing through June 30, 2023.
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The Membership page of our website has a link to step-by-step instructions for online membership.
If you need assistance in any way, please contact us at [email protected].
New members: We look forward to having you join our Chapter, meeting and welcoming you at one of our fabulous functions and making your BNC experience extra special!
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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 $15.00, 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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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 Maven Study Group provides participatory activities for our members to volunteer directly with specific agencies.
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Many thanks to everyone for our successful school supply initiative. We’re still collecting new socks, all sizes. You DO make a difference!
Something new: Thanks to one of our members, Merri Rubin, we will be collecting gently used handbags, totes, purses, etc. She told us about Purse-Impressions, based out of Cave Creek. They collect new and used handbags, fill them with toilet articles and distribute them to women coming out of rehab. You can read about this charity on the Purse-Impressions website.
Let’s clean out those closets!
For more information or collection addresses, please contact us.
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Wendy Cohen and Ellen Kirschenbaum
[email protected]
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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.
For more information, please contact:
Ronee Siegel
[email protected] 917-273-0393
Joan Davis
[email protected] 602–499-8357
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FEEL GOOD WHILE DOING GOOD!
For more information, see our website.
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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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For more information, contact the Community Outreach Chairs:
Wendy Cohen and Ellen Kirschenbaum
[email protected]
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The Legacy of Louis: Inspiring Inquiry
The Brandeis National Committee is proud to announce its newest campaign, The Legacy of Louis: Inspiring Inquiry, as the university nears its milestone 75th anniversary in 2023.
The campaign will reinvigorate the Brandeis Library's mission to empower its community to become scholars, creators, and innovators through the creation of two interactive additions to the Library. The first will be the construction of a research archive of original letters, photographs, documents and family objects that shed light on the life and the lasting contributions of Justice Louis D. Brandeis.
The second addition to the Brandeis Library will be the creation of a new Judaica reading room in the library. This space will provide the Brandeis community with a place to engage with Jewish texts outside of the typical classroom and religious environments. By presenting Jewish texts in conversation with writings from cultural and religious traditions from around the world, the room will serve scholars and students alike.
In 1948, the BNC (formerly BUNWC) was founded alongside the university to provide philanthropic support and now nearly 75 years later, continues to support the mission and principles upon which Brandeis was founded.
More information will be coming soon.
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Many people don’t realize that the institution we support with our philanthropic work, Brandeis University, is named for Louis Dembitz Brandeis (1856-1941), the first Jewish Justice of the Supreme Court and one of the most brilliant minds to ever serve the court. Louis Brandeis graduated first in his class from Harvard University and began practicing law in Boston. He became known as the “people’s attorney,” due to his passion and work in social justice movements and pro bono work on behalf of the public interest. He made an indelible mark on the law and social justice reforms. His method of arguing cases using fact-based evidence became known as the “Brandeis Brief,” which became a staple of American Constitutional law.
Brandeis University was established seven years after Justice Brandeis’s death, when the American Jewish community decided to build an institution that embodied Justice Brandeis’s values: academic excellence, social justice and service to the community. These are the major tenets today of this great University, and of the Brandeis National Committee, of which Phoenix represents the largest chapter.
So, as you support and attend our chapter events and study groups you can reflect on the legacy of this great man and the values that we hold so dear today.
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To make a donation online using a credit card, go to giving.brandeis.edu/bnc.
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 [email protected].
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Brandeis announces Rosenstiel Award winners | | |
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The 52nd Rosenstiel, given annually by Brandeis to recognize distinguished work in basic medical research, will go to Christine Holt and Erin Schuman | |
October 17, 2022
The 52nd Rosenstiel Award for Distinguished Work in Basic Medical Research has been awarded to Christine Holt, professor of developmental neuroscience at the University of Cambridge; and Erin Schuman, professor of neurobiology at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, for their pioneering work shedding light on the role of local protein synthesis in neuronal development and function. Their work has provided important insights about the way nerve cells are guided over long distances, from the eye to the brain, and how specific regions of nerve cells may change during learning and memory.
Schuman and Holt have developed imaginative cellular and molecular approaches to study how the translation of messenger RNA into protein can be localized to specific regions of a nerve cell. Local translation is a fundamental process for the normal function of neurons, and has emerged as critical for understanding the etiology of many neurodevelopmental disorders, including Fragile X syndrome and some autism spectrum disorders.
The Rosenstiel Award lectures will be presented at Brandeis on April 24, 2023.
Full article
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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 | |
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. | |
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