HEADLINES | 3
SPECIAL SECTION | 14
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HOME DESIGN & REAL ESTATE
Experience Matters’ new executive director, Wendy Cohen, refocuses on group's original mission
Turn a home into your sanctuary and who’s on your team when buying or selling a home
JANUARY 11, 2019 | SHEVAT 5, 5779 | VOLUME 70, NUMBER 68
People struggling with infertility have new support group NICK ENQUIST | STAFF WRITER
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nfertility can take an emotional toll, but a new organization, Fruitful, aims to provide support for women and couples in the Valley who are struggling to conceive a child. “Our goal is to be there mainly for emotional support,” said Chani Levertov, co-founder of Fruitful. “Even though we’re a Jewish organization, we’re open to everyone who needs support and we offer programs for individuals and couples.” In 2013, Levertov, who also is the co-executive director of the Chabad of Downtown Phoenix, was experiencing secondary infertility. After her first child, she and her husband, Rabbi Levi Levertov, were having a difficult time conceiving another baby. Frustration settled in and she needed a place to vent. She discovered that she was not alone. Fruitful traces its roots to a monthly coffee date when Levertov would meet with a friend who also was experiencing infertility. They shared their concerns as they both navigated their personal fertility challenges. Levertov helped to found Fruitful after she met more women and couples who were going through what she was experiencing. Levertov said Fruitful meets a need in the Jewish community to discuss infertility and pregnancy loss. “They believed women and couples needed and deserved more,” said Lauren Hendeles, a Fruitful board member. “More
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Lake Havasu City’s only synagogue vandalized JANET PEREZ | MANAGING EDITOR
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olice in Lake Havasu City are investigating an act of vandalism at the city’s only synagogue. Congregation leaders at Temple Beth Sholom discovered the vandalism, which police believe occurred between 8 p.m. on Dec. 27 and 8 a.m. on Dec. 28. So far, there are no suspects or leads in the case. “It appears that about eight SEE SYNAGOGUE, PAGE 2 Temple Beth Sholom’s sign lays on the ground after being pushed over. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ADL
Hemp comeback After decades of trying re-legitimize hemp, states across the country are taking another look at this crop. The nexus of hemp production in the U.S. is a $40 million, 100,000-square-foot facility in Mayfield, Kentucky owned by GenCanna, which has Jewish leadership. Read more on Page 11. PHOTO COURTESY GENCANNA
SEE INFERTILITY, PAGE 4
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