One Minute With.... Devora Schiff
Name: Devora Schiff
Occupation: Research scientist working on a Federal grant at Robert Wood Johnson on women's health.
Address: Highland Park
Family: Married 25 years to David, a mechanical engineer working in product design for Bressler Group in Philadelphia, Pa; three sons, Ezra, 22, who is attending Stanford Graduate school for a Masters in mechanical engineer, Samuel, 19, a student at Emory in Atlanta, Ga. and Joseph, a senior at Highland Park High School who is President of Highland Park High School.
Parents are Burnice and Robert Siegel of Roselle, a brother, Jodan Siegel, married to Devra who have two sons and live in Highland Park. A sister, Pamela Gentlecore, married to Mauel who live in Beitar Ilit, Israel with their three sons.
Community activities: Member of the Highland Park Minyan active on its steering committee. Creator of individualized certificates for each bar/bat mitzvah presented at the ceremony. Volunteered in a bedside music therapy program at Robert Wood Johnson in achieving 100 hours of training to become a certified harp music therapist able to work in nursing homes, rehab centers and in operating rooms.
Hobbies: "Playing the harp, taking a yoga class and painting tallises on silk to be worn by women."
Self portrait: "I'm a frustrated artist. I'm good with people. From the moment I get up in the morning, I'm always busy doing different stuff all the time.
Greatest accomplishment: "The most recent accomplishment was getting certified as a hospital harp therapist. I started working for it two years ago. I've always wanted to play the harp since childhood. As a gift to me from my husband, I began taking lessons four years ago, and I'm still taking harp lessons."
Bad habits: "Working too hard. I never sit down."
Favorite TV show: "I never watch TV. With the devices my husband and kids use, I don't even know how to put the TV on. But I don't really have time to watch it. I usually listen to the radio National Public Radio and on Saturday I listen to Jonathan Schwartz's program featuring older songs and find songs I can use to play for patients."
Favorite food: "The chicken soup with matzo balls I make from scratch."
Best childhood memory: "The Passover Seders with my uncle Hillel Sadawitz a cantor with a synagogue in Union. He conducted our Seders in our house and every spot was used for all the people who came. It was lively, fun and very musical. My father sometimes played his violin. We sang every song in the Haggadah."
People don't know that I..."used to perform as a clown to my cousin's magician . We would perform at hospitals and parties."
Last book I read: "I'm reading Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks. It's about how music affects the nervous system of the human body. He write about how it's been shown that listening to music can lower blood pressure, calm anxieties and ‘entrain' the heart to beat a slower pace. He writes about what I've seen occur when I play the harp. I'm also reading a book about acupuncture called Potent Points by Michael Gach."
The biggest asset in the local Jewish community: "It's how we work as a community together. If there is a problem, people will help. There is even a special web site that I subscribe to for Edison and Highland Park providing a space for people come together if they need help or a specific service."
The biggest problem in the local Jewish community: This is not a problem just with this community, I think we are always apologizing for Israel. We Jews are allowed to live in Israel. Why do we have to give land away? Why do we have to bend over backward? We're told if we give this land or that land away, we will have peace, and then we've compromised. It's such a harsh view, and we're no bigger than the state of New Jersey. God gave us Israel, and we have to say ‘this is our land.'"
If I had more time, I would... "apart from spending more time practicing on my harp and painting more, I would go to school get a degree in alternative therapies. I'd spend more time learning Torah, and even computers."