(The Nosher via JTA) — These bourekas are a mix of New York Jewish and Middle Eastern Israeli food cultures. It sounds a little crazy, but it’s incredibly good: The flavorful seasoning blend, slightly sweet from the dried onion and garlic, balances out the salty, briny feta interior, and… Read more »
Arts and Culture
‘RBG’ filmmakers hope to inspire Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s millennial fans
NEW YORK (JTA) — One of the first scenes in a new documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsburg features the Supreme Court associate justice, then 84, vigorously lifting weights, doing leg exercises and holding herself in a plank position. The much buzzed-about workout routine has only added to her status… Read more »
The Kennedy Center wants to revive the Israel room you didn’t know it had
WASHINGTON (JTA) — It’s like finding out that the White House has a mikvah in its basement and no one knows about it. Up an elegant stairway next to the concert hall at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is the “Concert Lounge dedicated by the… Read more »
Will Europe’s Jews stop wearing kippahs? Most already have.
AMSTERDAM (JTA) — The debate about wearing a kippah in Western Europe returned only a decade or so ago, but it has nonetheless come to follow a rigid pattern even in that short period of time. The cycle – there have been dozens of such cases — begins with… Read more »
All The Mom Tears I’ve Cried, and Where and Why I Cried Them
(Kveller via JTA) — I’m going to start with a confession: I am generally not a crier. I am a yeller whose operatic yawp can be heard for suburban blocks. I am also an amazingly targeted vomiter, and I can hit a trash can while running through an airport… Read more »
Strawberry and Cream Rugelach Recipe
(The Nosher via JTA) — I had never been much of a rugelach baker until this recipe. While I gravitated toward challah and babka, I always found store-bought rugelach to be a bit bland and disappointing. But to my great delight, rugelach are supremely easy to make. Most recipes… Read more »
‘Disobedience’ is an accurate portrayal of lesbian love — and the Orthodox Jewish community
LOS ANGELES (JTA) — Sebastian Lelio, the director who recently won the Academy Award for best foreign film for “A Fantastic Woman,” grew up Catholic in Chile knowing almost nothing about observant Jews. So when the Jewish actress Rachel Weisz approached him a couple of years ago and suggested… Read more »
A Montreal pilgrimage in the footsteps of Leonard Cohen
MONTREAL (JTA) — Just inside the gate of the Shaar Hashomayim synagogue off Boulevard du Mont Royal, a gravestone bears an unusual Star of David, the sharp angles of its two opposing triangles — one reaching heavenward, the other aimed at the earth — softened into the shape of… Read more »
In Krakow, Jews celebrate their community’s ‘revival’ amid rising xenophobia
KRAKOW, Poland (JTA) — At one of Poland’s plushest synagogues, leaders of this city’s small but vibrant Jewish community welcomed visitors from around the world to a celebration of what the hosts call their minority’s “revival” in this country. The occasion for the party Sunday at Tempel Synagogue was… Read more »
New sculpture honors Federation donors, symbolizes mission
A new glass and metal sculpture, “Flame” by Tidhar Ozeri, was installed late last month outside the Harvey and Deanna Evenchik Center for Jewish Philanthropy. The new work is part of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s intention to use architectural elements and art in the new building to reinforce… Read more »
Film will honor Brazilian who saved Jews
The Latin American Studies department at the University of Arizona, in collaboration with the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies and the Jewish History Museum, will present a free screening of “Dear Ambassador” at the UA Center for Creative Photography, 1030 N. Olive Road, on Sunday, April 22, at 2… Read more »
Saffron rice with raisins and pine nuts gives meals Middle Eastern zest
Saffron rice with pine nuts is made all over the Middle East. Sometimes it is spiced with a little ground coriander, cinnamon and cumin, or flaked almonds are used instead of the pine nuts. Saffron rice is often served for Rosh Hashanah as the addition of raisins is said… Read more »
Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini and Tomato Salsa Recipe
(The Nosher via JTA) — Cauliflower is probably my favorite vegetable, and I could eat it cooked like this every day. One of my chefs, Matthew Wihongi, created this recipe for our catering business and it really wows. If you don’t have time to slow roast the cauliflower, parboil… Read more »
Jewish Currents, a 72-year-old left-wing magazine, wants to appeal to millennials
NEW YORK (JTA) — This won’t be the first time Jewish Currents, a 72-year-old magazine for the secular left, undergoes a transformation. It was founded in 1946 as a communist magazine, clashing with other Jewish institutions such as the socialist Workmen’s Circle. The magazine later abandoned communism as its political ideology,… Read more »
How to Make a Georgian Cheese Boat (Khatchapuri)
(The Nosher via JTA) — I first fell in love with adjaruli khatchapuri, also known as Georgian cheese bread or cheese boat, at Marani Restaurant in Queens, New York. This cheesy-carby deliciousness is basically all the comfort food you could possibly crave in one single dish: cheese, runny egg… Read more »
Tucson J film screening to raise awareness, funds for special abilities initiative
The Tucson Jewish Community Center will present a screening of the independent film, “Keep the Change,” on Thursday, April 19 at 7 p.m. A performance by the Sparks Cheerleaders will be the opening act for the film, a romantic comedy about two young adults on the autism spectrum. All of the… Read more »
‘Diary of Anne Frank,’ coming to ATC, never more relevant
David Ira Goldstein spent a week in Amsterdam this October as he prepared to direct “The Diary of Anne Frank,” which opens at Arizona Theatre Company later this month. Along with the Anne Frank House, the former ATC artistic director visited the National Holocaust Museum, The Resistance Museum, synagogues… Read more »
Local genealogist to reveal how shtetl film helped him discover family history
Local publisher and genealogist Joel Alpert has expanded his credentials to include sleuth. On Friday, April 13, in a Jewish History Museum gallery chat at 11:30 a.m., he will reveal how he unraveled family mysteries, reconnecting people and events, through research. Focusing on a 70-year-old black and white film… Read more »
Temple Emanu-El to present ‘Music of the Shoah,’ Arizona Repertory Singers’ ‘King David’ oratorio
Temple Emanu-El continues its concert series with two notable performances later this month, “Music of the Shoah” and the “King David” oratorio. On Wednesday, April 11 at 7 p.m., the eve of Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), Temple Emanu-El will present a concert of Jewish music either composed during… Read more »
Author will discuss historical novel at brunch
Author Paul Boorstin will discuss his novel, “David and the Philistine Woman,” at a brunch on Sunday, April 29 at 10 a.m. at Congregation Bet Shalom. Critics compare the novel, which reimagines the Biblical story of David and Goliath, to Anita Diamant’s “The Red Tent.” The program is co-sponsored… Read more »