Brandeis Magazine

Beryl Gilfix, P’97, has written “The Adams Street Shul,” a book that explores the origins of the oldest synagogue in Newton, Massachusetts, and the families who built a Jewish congregation in a neighborhood of Italian, Irish and French immigrants at the turn of the 20th century. Beryl, a lifelong resident of Newton, is a granddaughter of one of the synagogue’s founders. She has served the congregation for more than 30 years, including as president, board secretary and chief fundraiser. Arlene Boshes Hirschfelder co-curated “Contemporary Native American Women Opening Doors to Change,” a yearlong exhibition at the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, in Evanston, Illinois. The exhibition won the Illinois Association of Museums’ Superior Award for Exhibits. Arlene recently co-wrote an online essay, “I Is for Ignoble: Stereotyping Native Americans,” for the Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University, in Big Rapids, Michigan. Lois Isenman has written “Understanding Intuition: A Journey In and Out of Science,” an in-depth, accessible exploration of the science and experience of intuition, published by Academic Press. She writes, “Although not a ‘how-to’ book, it will sensitize readers to subtle aspects of inner experience and can enhance their appreciation of the role intuition plays in their own mental activity.” Lois, who lives part time in Nova Scotia, is a resident scholar at Brandeis’ Women’s Studies Research Center. The work of Mary Lucier, who creates video shorts and installations, was featured in an MIT List Visual Arts Center group show titled “Before Projection: Video Sculpture 1975-95”; at the Museum of Modern Art, as part of “Doc Fortnight”; and in a solo installation, “The Plains of Sweet Regret,” at the Phoenix Art Museum. Her work has also been exhibited in Barcelona; Manhattan; and Columbus, Ohio. Joan Michelson’s volume of poetry “The Family Kitchen” was published in March by Finishing Line Press. The collection centers on three generations of a Jewish-American family, who move from Eastern Europe, to New England, to London. Originally from New England, Joan lives in England and teaches at King’s College London. She has been a writing fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the MacDowell Colony. Judy Roberts retired from college teaching and has become more immersed in professional theater. She and her partner, Joe Cronin, manage Fools Haven, a resident Shakespeare company at Oregon’s Wildish Community Theater. She’s also a multidisciplinary adjunct at the University of Oregon and artistic director/writer/ performer at the Shedd Institute for the Arts. Patricia Striar Rohner’s latest novel, “Shari’s Secret,” is available on Amazon. It is the sequel to “Tzippy the Thief.” Sandy Smith is now fully retired, and husband Dennis Smith is 90 percent retired. The couple has downsized to an over-55 community in Woodland Park, New Jersey. They write, “We’re surprised by how much we like living in the smaller space, and we love the community because it’s very active and offers lots of educational and cultural opportunities.”