Brandeis Magazine

In September, columnist and bestselling author Mitch Albom was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. “When I came to start my column-writing career in Michigan, I was a stranger,” he said. “To wind up in its Hall of Fame 32 years later means an awful lot.” Barry Citrin has been named first vice president and senior portfolio manager at Bankwell. He supervises the bank’s commercial loan portfolio. Barry has 35 years of experience in institutional lending and portfolio management. Michael Lichtenstein reports he and Jodee have an “awesome” grandson, Ross. Debbie Rittner is enjoying her new job as a b’nai mitzvah tutor at Temple Israel of Boston. Benjamin Rubin is keeping on keeping on with his solo law practice in downtown Toronto. Under his pen name, eBenBrandeis, he composes poetry, lyrics and YouTube video poems. He has edited and published a book of contemporary Jewish humor; translated from the Hebrew an autobiography of life in prewar Pinsk, Poland; and created NewHouseOfIsrael.net, an online Zionist conceptual art project. He teaches classes at Limmud at locations in Canada and the United States. Benjamin and his wife, Nava, celebrated 35 years of marriage (and the majority of their kids’ being married) with travels. Naomi Levenson Schaffer has lived in Fairfield, Connecticut, for 20 years. One of her sons lives in the D.C. area; the other, recently engaged, lives in New York City. Pearl Steinbuch teaches business analytics, statistical modeling and managerial economics at the Boston University Questrom School of Business. She is also an advisory board member for the BU chapter of Camp Kesem, which provides a free week of summer camp to Massachusetts children ages 6-16 who have a parent who has or had cancer.