HEADLINES | 4
SPECIAL PULLOUT | B1
COMMUNITY
SENIOR LIFESTYLE
Long-awaited Scottsdale Community Bank receives green light
Seniors starting new careers, retiring to Israel and researching Elvis’ Jewish roots
FEBRUARY 4, 2022 | ADAR 3, 5782 | VOLUME 74, NUMBER 11
NFL considers local Jewish man for Fan of the Year award NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER
I
t only took going to one Cardinals game to hook Robert Freedman for life. “I was 9 years old when I went to my first Cardinals game with my dad,” said Freedman, 37. “It’s a very special memory.” He loved the energy at the stadium, cheering with fellow fans and seeing the sport play out on the field. He became a season ticket holder in 2007, and has been to every home game except one since. The NFL announced in November that Freedman was named Cardinals Fan of the Year. Next month, Freedman, who is Jewish, will find out whether he beat out 31 others — one from each NFL team — to also be named 2021 NFL Fan of the Year. The league collected nearly 35,000 submissions from its 32 teams. It is a “special honor” to represent Arizona’s Jewish community, Freedman said. He’d love to be named NFL Fan of the Year, but he’s trying not to think about it too much. “I’ve been there before when you think you landed a job or are getting an award. Disappointment is the last thing I want to think about, and I want to think about the positives,” he said. An NFL spokesman did not return a request for comment about the award or what made Freedman stand out in Arizona. According to the NFL website, the league launched the contest to “celebrate extraordinary fans who inspire others through their love of football and bring an ‘original spice’ to what it means to be a fan.” Submissions were judged SEE CARDINALS, PAGE 2 based on a nominee’s
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Phoenix mom creates community for Jews with alopecia NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER
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iba Yoffe had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that her 2-year-old daughter’s hair wouldn’t grow back. Her daughter, Tehila, has alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss. Liba had never heard about alopecia before Tehila’s diagnosis. “It was very shocking in the beginning. I went home and Googled it — I had no clue what it was,” Liba said. She and her husband quickly realized that in order to raise a confident kid, they needed to “transform ourselves as parents,” she said. “The way that you, as parents, relate to your kid who has alopecia is going to very much affect their future. Liba, who lives in Phoenix, helps run a nonprofit called HAIROES, which provides support and organizes events for Jewish children and adults with alopecia. On Feb. 6, HAIROES is hosting its first in-person event since the COVID pandemic began in early 2020. According to the National Library of Medicine, alopecia SEE HAIROES, PAGE 3 affects 1 in every
Tehila Yoffe, left, and her mom Liba.
COURTESY OF LIBA YOFFE
Every ticket is a reserved seat as 26th Annual Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival takes place virtually again “Tiger Within,” starring Ed Asner, is one of the films on the GPJFF’s schedule. To learn more, go to p. 13. COURTESY OF GPJFF
KEEP YOUR EYE ON jewishaz.com
NATIONAL
The great ‘Maus’ giveaway is on as bookstores, professors and churches counter school board’s ban
INTERNATIONAL
Swastikas displayed at Canadian ‘Freedom Convoy’ protests against vaccination mandates
ISRAEL
China was Israel’s largest source of imports in 2021, surpassing US