Brandeis Magazine

Seymour Epstein, MA’70, wrote “The Esther Scroll: The Author’s Tale,” published last year by Mosaic Press. The book attempts to uncover the original intent of the author of the Book of Esther. Allon Gal (Goldberg), MA’70, PhD’76, is publishing “On Jewish Nationhood and Nationalism: A Historical Survey From Antiquity to the Establishment of the State of Israel,” part of the Cambridge University History of Nationhood and Nationalism series. In September, Paul Fennelly, MA’71, PhD’72, celebrated the birth of his 10th grandchild, Boden, to son Kevin and daughter-in-law Lauren. Paul says he and his wife, Kathy, feel blessed to have all their grandchildren living within five miles of their home in Arlington, Massachusetts. Barbara Lyman, MA’71, is interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at SUNY New Paltz for the 2019-20 academic year. Previously, she was senior associate vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Peter Mansbach, PhD’71, president of the Circadian Sleep Disorders Network, recently wrote an article on circadian rhythms disorders for A2Zzz magazine. He reports he was gratified when Brandeis researchers Michael Rosbash and Jeffrey Hall earned the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work in circadian rhythms. Joseph Otieno-Malo, PhD’72, is a fellow of the Kenya Physical Society, the Kenya National Academy of Sciences and the African Academy of Sciences. He has been appointed to the boards of the Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority, the Kenya Power and Lighting Company, and the Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board. Joseph and his wife have two children and four grandchildren, who live in Sweden. Jan Schreiber, PhD’72, has published a new poetry chapbook, “Bay Leaves.” He is an advisory editor of the literary journal Think and chairs an annual symposium on poetry criticism. Harvey Raben, MA’73, retired in July from full-time Jewish educational work. He is director emeritus of congregational learning at Congregation Agudas Achim, in Austin, Texas. Richard Bolt, MA’75, PhD’76, was a founding member of MIT’s Media Laboratory. After retiring, he wrote a mystery novel, “Sailor Take Warning,” which is set, in part, in the fictional MIT Cognitive Computing Lab. Since graduating from Brandeis, Yitzhak Brick, Heller PhD’75, has worked in the social welfare field, with a particular focus on aging. He is a professor in the gerontology department at Israel’s University of Haifa and chairman of the Israel Gerontological Society. Last year, Yitzhak served as an adviser to a committee of the Knesset, the legislative branch of Israel’s government, preparing a national plan on aging. Judy Feierstein, MA’75, is returning to Jerusalem after living in Modi’in, Israel, for 11 years. She most recently led three large outplacement projects in Israel and Jordan. She feels fortunate that her four children and three grandchildren live in Israel. Skip Rosenthal, PhD’75, is senior vice president for clinical affairs at Mevion Medical Systems, a manufacturer of radiation cancer-therapy devices that use high-energy protons to treat solid tumors. After a career as a university professor, Christine Kaseta Cornelius, MFA’78, is a scenic artist in the film industry. She is studying screenwriting and has started marketing a script based on a solo 15,000-mile motorcycle trip she took across the U.S. and Canada.