Where were you born and raised?
I was born to Orthodox Jewish parents on the west side of Chicago at Mount Sinai Hospital. I was raised in Chicago, then Skokie, and then St Louis Missouri. I moved to Rogers Park at began to study art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago at seventeen, and at eighteen moved to Rogers Park, where I’ve been for thirty-two years.

How are you fulfilling your passion in life?
I established the Cuentos Foundation in 1998.This is my life’s work. It is a place to share and learn about the many cultures of our global and local communities. Cuentos means stories, myths, fables, oral history - Cuentos is a place to tell your story through the arts. I care about social justice and how we treat each other as human­beings. Through Cuentos, I strive to spread more understanding and compassion between people. I was raised Orthodox Jewish and still find personal and spiritual meaning in being Jewish. My idiosyncratic and traditional upbringing makes me connect strongly with other cultures with rich and often ancient traditions. I strongly connect with other cultures from around the world. I travel frequently to Mexico where I have been working with the incredible coppersmith community of Santa Clara del Cobre located in the state of Michoacan, since 1997. Cuentos has brought Master artisans from this community to conduct workshops with youth and adults in Chicago and in other areas of the Midwest. We are planning an exhibition as well, and have recently completed a major publication and video documentary about Santa Clara del Cobre.

What do you like about Rogers Park?
I like running along the lakefront and all the interesting people I meet there. The other day I met a newly arrived Iraqi family. They were happy and surprised by my friendliness. Meeting them was a gift, a bracha (blessing in Hebrew) for me.

Which five people (living or dead) would you invite to a dinner party?
Paolo Friere, Richard Pryor, Susan Sontag, Harriet Tubman, and Martin Buber.

If you had one month to live, how would you spend that month?
I would care for my daughter! I would work within community in an effective way. I live my life each day as if I could die tomorrow, I live each day to the fullest.

What two establishments in Rogers Park do you tell your friends about?
The Heartland Café- it is the real deal and Café Ennui when Cathy and Tenley owned it. My daughter grew up there.