Brandeis Magazine

Mark Cohen, P’09, P’17, reports the coronavirus pandemic prevented him and Roberta Weinstein-Cohen ’79, P’09, P’17, from celebrating Passover in Israel with their daughters, Hanna ’09 and Rebecca ’17, and their two Israeli grandsons. Son Yaakov, the only non-Brandeisian in the family, who lives in Kansas, was expecting to welcome his third child in August. Mark continues his work as an attorney for a Brandeis-alum client, which he has being doing remotely for almost a decade, and Roberta is keeping up with her Israeli dancing via Zoom sessions. Television producer Marta Kauffman, H’20, has signed with HBO Max to produce an hourlong reunion episode of her iconic series “Friends,” which aired on NBC from 1994-2004. Steven Saklad reports, “In February, I started production designing a big-budget Disney feature that would keep me home in Los Angeles all year long. Of course, the plug was pulled on April 4 after California shut down. The great news is we resumed work on the production in August.” Lesley Sharp, an anthropology professor at Barnard College, recently received several recognitions, including the Society for Medical Anthropology’s MASA Graduate Student Mentorship Award, the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland’s Wellcome Medal, and a 2020 Guggenheim Fellowship. Robert Stachel writes, “The plan was to retire in April, move to NYC and pursue theater projects. Retirement happened, but NYC and theater? Maybe later. Time for a life pivot. Currently hunkered down in Brookline, Massachusetts, where I’m producing and directing a virus-safe short film, “Love and Distance,” about the pandemic’s effect on relationships. Hope to show it at drive-ins.” Gary and Debra (Wortzman) Wasserman recently made aliyah with an eye toward spending more time in Israel in retirement. After a stay at the family house in Zechariah, they planned to return to Portland, Oregon, for the fall.

TIME FOR CHANGE: In June, film and TV production designer Steven Saklad ’78 (right) and his husband, Paul Hartman, participated in a Hollywood protest organized in support of Black trans lives.