Class Correspondent

University of Virginia French professor Ari Blatt was chosen for the prestigious University Teaching Fellows Program, which aims to help the university’s top junior faculty members develop into exceptional teachers. The selection committee — comprising award-winning faculty — chooses junior faculty members who show promise of becoming both eminent researchers and inspiring teachers. As a University Teaching Fellow, he will create “A Pletzl in Paris: Jewish France,” a course in which he and his students will explore what it means to be Jewish in modern France.

Noam Lindenboim and his wife, Amie, were married on Feb. 8, 2009, at the MV Skansonia in Seattle. He writes, “Several dear Brandeis friends schlepped to Seattle on a cold winter weekend to join us.” Among them were Arik Ben-Avi, Avi Kumin, Christopher McKelvey, David Evan, John Bohn and Sean Mandell ’05, M.A.’05. After receiving a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Washington, Noam moved to Massachusetts to work for the Department of Veterans Affairs. He provides services to homeless veterans and to veterans with serious mental illness.

Aaron Manela completed the first year of a master’s degree program in musicology at the University of Oregon.

Michael Mahoney of Denver accepted a position as senior financial analyst at Holme Roberts & Owen.

John Godfrey is a cardiologist practicing at Crozer-Chester Medical Center outside Philadelphia, where he specializes in valvular heart disease and cardiomyopathies.

Shira (Silverman) Nafshi recently accepted a position as cantor at Temple Adath Yeshurun in Manchester, N.H. Her partner, Rabbi Robin Nafshi, serves Temple Beth Jacob in nearby Concord, N.H. Shira also plans to restart her business, Hoof-Sense, which provides natural horsemanship training, barefoot trimming, and counseling on animal nutrition.

Brian Brewer of New York participated in the American Express Nonprofit Leadership Academy, which provided 48 emerging nonprofit leaders access to coaching and other resources from the Center for Creative Leadership. Brian writes, “I’ve also moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn and now finally understand what all the fuss was about. Love it!"

Eric Demers joined MEDecision as senior vice president of life sciences. He was with Orion Health, where he served as vice president of operations, North America.

Lukas Pribyl directed “Forgotten Transports,” a series of four 90-minute Holocaust documentaries based on the experience of Jews deported to virtually unknown camps and ghettos in Latvia, Estonia, Belarus and the Lublin region of eastern Poland. After visits to 30 countries over 10 years, he hunted down photographs of SS camp commanders and snapshots taken by local residents and workers who might have encountered inmates.

Nancy (Wolf) Fellner, M.A.’97, and her husband, Michael, welcomed their newest addition, Allison Beth. Siblings Kaylee, Arielle and Ross eagerly awaited her arrival. 
Allison Sherwat Cooper and Jeff Cooper had a baby boy, Nathan Bryce, who was born on Nov. 18, 2009.

Michael Mahoney and wife Meredith Mahoney welcomed a baby boy, Gregory James, on Dec. 7, 2009, in Boulder, Colo.

David Eric Morris has a baby girl, Ella Jean Morris, born on Feb. 9.

Garen Corbett relocated to the Bay Area in 2009 with his fiancée, Stacey Stein ’99. Garen works as a principal analyst in the University of California’s Office of the President. He is enjoying the natural beauty, weather and fun of Northern California and looks forward to reconnecting and getting to know other Brandeis alumni in the area.

Nadine Greenfield-Binstock and her husband, Andrew Binstock, had a baby girl, Hadas Medina Greenfield Binstock, on July 20, 2009. Nadine writes that son Eliav, 3, is “proving to be a very protective and sweet big brother.”

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