Arizona Jewish Historical Society Keeps Holocaust History Alive

PHOENIX­– The Arizona Jewish Historical Society is honored to announce that Phoenix will be one of only 12 locations worldwide to feature a holographic-like video of a local holocaust survivor. Part of a new original exhibit, Stories of Survival: An Immersive Journey through the Holocaust, is coming to Phoenix on Nov. 9, also known as Kristallnacht Remembrance Day.

As World War II and the holocaust get pushed further into history, it becomes even more important to archive the memories of past events so that generations to come can remember. This compelling museum will showcase experiences to help visitors learn and understand the impact of the holocaust on the Jewish community and how the public can carry the stories and lessons with them.

“We are humbled to preserve the stories of those who endured the horrific events that occurred during the holocaust,” said Lawrence Bell, Executive Director of AZJHS. “Our hope is that Oskar’s story will live on to teach others about the power of our words and actions. This new exhibit is meant to inform and educate the public about the dangers of hate speech and the idea that any race, religion, or background is above others.”

The installation will feature an interactive real time Q & A holographic of Oskar Knoblauch, a local survivor of the holocaust who has made it his mission to never let the horrors of the Holocaust be forgotten. The Shoah Foundation’s, Dimensions in Testimony, is a 3D life size holographic of Knoblauch that “comes alive” as he educates by answering questions from visitors with his true story and the story of others who were affected by the holocaust. The horrors he experienced will live on to teach the lessons he learned of treating humans with respect, understanding self-love and loving others through hardship, and being an upstander who speaks up for those being bullied and mistreated by their peers.

“I had a fulfilling and quite memorable childhood until in 1933 when at the age of eight, my life was shattered by the onset of Nazism. Hitler spread propaganda that Jews were a horrible, dirty, and evil race. My family was none of these and I hope people can learn from my experience,” said Knoblauch.

The second immersive and educational experience will be a virtual walk-through of a concentration camp with the utilization of VR. A 360-degree, virtual reality experience will captivate visitors with an Oculus Quest Meta Head and Hand Controlled video. Visitors will be immersed in the powerful 16-minute award-winning Shoah Foundation virtual-reality film, The Last Goodbye, that transports viewers inside the Nazi death camp Majdanek in Poland.

The Arizona Jewish Historical Society is located at 122 E. Culver Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004-1720.

To learn more about the holographic, please visit https://www.azjhs.org/interactive-hologram-holocaust-testimony-experience. For more information on the Arizona Jewish Historical Society please visit https://www.azjhs.org/ .

About Arizona Jewish Historical Society

The Arizona Jewish Historical Society preserves and celebrates the rich heritage of Arizona’s Jewish communities, educates the public about the Jewish historical experience including the Holocaust, and promotes awareness of our state’s diverse history through arts, culture, and educational programming.

For too long, LGBTQ+ elders have felt invisible. Whether you’re older or younger, voting is a way for us to honor the LGBTQ+ pioneers that came before us and strive to create an equitable world that values our elders and offers boundless opportunity for our community to thrive.

SAGE is gathering with community organizations in Arizona to discuss what older Arizonans need to know when heading to the polls on November 8^th and commit to being SAGE Voters to remind the country that LGBTQ+ elders refuse to be invisible on Election Day and all year round.

We’ll hear from advocates from the ACLU, Equality Arizona, and others about how to safely vote this year and how people of all ages can support LGBTQ+ elders as they head to the polls.

Please reach out to advocacy@sageusa.org with any questions.

Date: Friday, October 7th, 2022

Time: 6 pm MST

Location:

Church of the Beatitudes
555 W Glendale Ave, Phoenix, AZ, 85021

Exact location provided upon RSVP

RSVP link: https://sageusa.org/vote-az.

Organizations partner to provide no-cost vaccine administration.
APPOINTMENTS STRONGLY SUGGESTED. Limited walk-ins available.

PHOENIX — Phoenix Pride (phoenixpride.org) and Southwest Center (swcenter.org) are partnering to host a FREE and OPEN-TO-THE-PUBLIC Monkeypox Vaccination Clinic on Sat., Oct. 1 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Southwest Center campus, 1101 N. Central Ave. Phoenix 85014. The event is being supported by the Maricopa County Public Health Department.

      APPOINTMENTS FOR THE CLINIC ARE AVAILABLE NOW and can be made online at https://bit.ly/swcclinic. A limited number of walk-in doses will be available while supplies last, but APPOINTMENTS ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

       No medical referral is needed to participate in the clinic and payment is not required for individuals to receive the vaccine during the event, which will also feature information about HIV/AIDS testing and PREP. Southwest Center will accept a range of health insurance plans, but those without insurance will still be seen. Some clinical restrictions may prevent individuals from receiving the vaccine, and detailed information regarding restrictions and limitations with the monkeypox vaccine can be found online at https://www.maricopa.gov/5825/Monkeypox. Southwest Center representatives are also available to answer additional questions, via email to prideinyourhealth@swcenter.org.

         The clinic is being held under the “Pride in Your Health” banner as part of the series of “Fall into Pride” events leading up to the 41st Phoenix Pride Festival & Parade, Oct. 15-16, at Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix.

        “Phoenix Pride is committed to promoting the health and well-being of our entire community, including the LGBTQ+ comm-unity and our allies, but also, the public at large,” Executive Director of Phoenix Pride Mike Fornelli said. “We know that the LGBTQ+ community often faces greater challenges in accessing quality and affordable healthcare, and we continually undertake efforts to provide preventative measures to the community, in conjunction with outstanding healthcare partners like Southwest Center. And, at a time when gay and bi men, in particular, are being stigmatized in association with the spread of monkeypox infections, it is vitally important that we create safe spaces where people know they can be comfortable receiving the preventative care that they need, especially as we head into this year’s Pride Festival weekend.”

         “We recognize that being protected and educated on monkeypox and how it spreads is mission-critical to ensure a success-ful, responsible, and safe celebration of Pride here in Phoenix,” Southwest Center Senior Director of Healthcare Operations Casey Simon added. “Our community has responded to monkeypox positively. We are confident that we can continue this momentum of protecting ourselves and others by getting vaccinated before Pride. We are grateful to Phoenix Pride for making the community’s health a priority for this year’s event and to Maricopa County Public Health for their support.”

Davey Miller

September 14, 1958 ~ August 14, 2022 (age 63)

           Davey Wylie Miller age 63, of Phoenix, AZ passed away on Sunday August 14, 2022.  He was born in Iowa on September 14, 1958, the son of Walter and Edith (Ferguson) Miller. 

            In the mid 1980’s, Davey moved to Phoenix, AZ, fell in love with the area and made Phoenix his permanent home.  Davey was a lover of schnauzers and at one time, had seven of them!  They brought him so much joy over the years and he cherished spending time with them.  Davey was adored in his neighborhood and valued time spent with his neighborhood friends.  He always appreciated the delightful cooking of Annette and Michelle, laughing at Mitch’s jokes, laughs with Michael.  He often called Michael and Annette to “take me to the store or the doctor” and he was famous for requesting take out from Red Lobster or Outback!!

            Davey is survived by his daughter, Chantelle; grandchildren, Jenna and Rayden; siblings, Dayton (Sue) Miller, Marion (Charlotte) Miller, Daniel (Jean) Miller, Owen (Carol) Miller, Dianne Knockel, Denise Boardman, Betty (Tom) Thompson, Susanne (Jay) Westemeier and many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

            He was preceded in death by his life partner Albert Monteverde, parents, sister, Donna Balk; 3 brothers, Merlin, Jerry Lee & Walter Jr. 

           Davey is now in heaven with Albert who he loved and adored.  The family would like to thank his caring neighbors in Phoenix and appreciate all who were there for him.

Because of Davey’s love for his schnauzers, we ask that donations be made in his name to Arizona Schnauzer Rescue.

https://www.azschnauzer.org/donate

General admission and VIP Experience tickets go on sale
on Friday, July 15, at 2:00 p.m. at www.PHOENIXPRIDE.org

PHOENIX — Phoenix Pride has announced the headlining performers and ticket on-sale information for the 41st Annual Phoenix Pride Festival, taking place this Oct. 15-16 at Steele Indian School Park (300 E. Indian School Rd.) in Phoenix.

       The festival, presented by Bud Light Seltzer and Embry Health, will run from noon-9 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, and will feature more than 60 acres of family-friendly entertainment on seven stages, as well as the premium Festival VIP Experience. A crowd of more than 50,000 is expected to attend the event, throughout the weekend.

        The organization has revealed that the Festival Main Stage headliners for Saturday, Oct. 15 will be singer-songwriter and “The Four” finalist VINCINT at 7 p.m., followed by current pop singing sensation Gayle at 8 p.m. The festival will close out on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 8 p.m., with a performance by longtime vocal powerhouse act En Vogue.

     In addition, Phoenix Pride announced the exclusive entertainment for this year’s Festival V.I.P. Experience. Appearing throughout the weekend to host the V.I.P. Experience will be drag legend Sherry Vine. Appearing Saturday in the V.I.P. will be renown Elton John tribute performer Sir Elton, followed on Sunday by “RuPaul’s Drag Race” veteran Kimora Blac. Set lakeside, in the heart of Steele Indian School Park, the Phoenix Pride Festival V.I.P. Experience includes an air-conditioned tented lounge and show space, as well as access to special up-front viewing sections at the Festival Main Stage, limited drinks and included food, and upgraded executive restrooms, throughout the weekend. The V.I.P. Experience is available to festival guests ages 18 and over.

          The theme for the 41st Phoenix Pride Festival is “Be You! Believe in Yourself!”

         General admission and V.I.P. Experience tickets for the festival will go ON SALE on Friday, July 15, at 2 p.m. (Arizona Local Time), exclusively online at WWW.PHOENIXPRIDE.ORG, which also includes additional details regarding the festival, including accessibility, parking, admission and other information. Phoenix Pride is proud to announce that ticket prices for the festival, at all levels, HAVE NOT INCREASED OVER LAST YEAR’S PRICES. (Detailed ticket information is attached.)

        “This is the most exciting time of the year for us, as we switch into full gear for our signature annual event, the Phoenix Pride Festival, this year marking its 41st anniversary in the Valley,” Executive Director of Phoenix Pride Mike Fornelli stated. “It has been a trying year for our community in Arizona, with renewed fights under way to protect the members of our community, so the opportunity to come back together as a community is more important than ever.

         “The safe space that the Pride Festival creates is not only a celebration, but for many in our community, it is the only truly safe space they experience throughout the year. We never lose sight of how important that is, and we are always working to make the Phoenix Pride Festival accessible to as much of our community as possible. So we are really pleased to announce that, despite the ever-present impact of current economic conditions, we have not raised the price of festival admission, at any ticket level. Through the support of our generous sponsors, who are genuine year-round partners, we are pleased to do this for the community, and we look forward to seeing both new and familiar faces when we gather back together in October.”

        “This year, more than ever, the Phoenix Pride Festival is going to be a sanctuary as well as a celebration,” President of the Phoenix Pride Board of Directors Tait Moline added. “Recent threats and policy moves against our community serve as constant reminders of the important work Phoenix Pride does to defend not only our rights, but our very existence. In October, we will celebrate the successes we’ve had in those efforts as well as come together to strengthen our community and our allies for the challenges that still lie ahead of us. As it has been for the past 41 years, this year’s Phoenix Pride Festival will not only be fun and enjoyable, but powerful as well.”

          In addition to the festival, Phoenix Pride has also announced the 41st Phoenix Pride Parade, presented by Embry Health, taking place on Sunday, Oct. 16, beginning at 10 a.m. at Thomas Road and Third Street, heading north to Indian School Road. Parade attendance is FREE, FAMILY FRIENDLY and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

       Additional information regarding the 41st Phoenix Pride Festival & Parade, including additional performers, Latin Stage headliners, parade grand marshals and more, will be released when available.

           The Phoenix Pride Festival is Arizona’s largest annual LGBTQ+ community event. It is produced by Phoenix Pride, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.