Former Denver Mayor Federico Peña rose to address the overflow crowd at Rodef Shalom on Nov. 3 to eulogize his longtime friend and colleague, Stephen Kaplan. “Steve was the person you went to when you needed someone to help you see things more clearly,” Peña said. “He never made a production of helping. He simply showed up.”

When I was a younger man, I harbored the illusion that as I grew older, my tastes would become more refined, such as I would prefer classical music to pop. I was wrong. I have fallen deeply in love with the country song, which some would say — with its emphasis on cold beer, girls and country roads — is even less refined than pop.

In a legal career that began in 1967, Denverite Len Chesler, by his accounting, has tried “hundreds and hundreds” of civil and criminal cases. He is a member of the exclusive, 200-member American Board of Criminal Lawyers.In the June, 2013, 100th anniversary magazine of the IJN, Chesler was characterized: “The mind of a defense attorney, the heart of humanity. Len Chesler walks into court. Immediately, the clerks, the judges, the opposing counsel relax. Len’s manners and mannerisms bespeak respect and fairness. Meanwhile, this legendary counselor wins very tough criminal cases.”

Submissions are now being accepted for the 40th annual Intermountain Jewish News Chanukah Coloring Contest. Chanukah begins the evening of Sunday, Dec. 4 and concludes Dec. 12.

Dekel Bar wears a blue-and-white wristband. For Bar, a professional pickleball player with a No. 32 world ranking, the wristband is functional but also sends a message: He is a proud Israeli. “Ever since Oct. 7, I’ve been wearing it,” Bar, 33, said. “It’s my way of showing support wherever I am playing, and a lot of people like that. I get a lot of good comments about it.