Shelia Wilensky

SHEILA WILENSKY has been named associate editor of the ARIZONA JEWISH POST. Wilensky, a former teacher and bookstore owner, has been assistant editor of the AJP for the past eight years.

1ST RATE 2ND HAND THRIFT STORE has given $100,000 back to the Jewish community since its inception in November 2007, with a new round of checks being delivered this month. Funds are distributed to participating organizations based on volunteer hours. In 2011, the organizations logged more than 1,000 hours. The top recipients for this year’s distribution are Tucson Jewish Community Center, Hadassah Southern Arizona, Congregation Or Chadash, Jewish Family & Children’s Services, Tucson Hebrew Academy and Temple Emanu-El.

TUCSON HEBREW ACADEMY has acquired eight classroom-sized SmartBoards and one large portable SmartBoard as the result of a fundraising effort during the school’s Tikkun Olam Award Celebration on Nov. 6. THA previously had three SmartBoards and the school’s goal, based on a survey of parents, students and faculty, was to place one in every classroom. Used in place of a standard chalk or white board, the electronic boards are hooked up to computers, enabling teachers to display notes and images from the Internet and use interactive games and other applications.

TUCSON ORIGINALS has announced new officers for 2012, including Anthony Rocco DiGrazia, president; Frank Santos, vice president; Suzanne Kaiser, treasurer; and Julie Connors, acting secretary. Other board members include Mindi Bernstein, Pat Connors, Susie Elefante, Jonathan Landeen, Doug Levy, Todd Martin, Jim Murphy, Coralie Satta and Colette Landeen.

LAWRENCE I. SUBRIN, CPA, has decided to “un-retire.” He is located at 3041 N. Swan Road and can be reached at 299-6977 or lsubrincpa@aol.com.

THE FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL COMPLEX in Tucson is seeking rabbis or lay volunteers to help serve the incarcerated Jewish population. Contact Chaplain James Elliott at 663-5000, ext. 6376.

ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY is recruiting volunteers for a variety of weekday and evening/weekend tasks. Volunteer perks include tickets to ATC performances. Contact Jonathon Crider at 884-8210 or jcrider@arizonatheatre.org.

THE INVISIBLE THEATRE has received a $5,000 grand from RBC Foundation-USA to fund its Pastime Players youth programming and outreach.

AMY HIRSHBERG LEDERMAN has joined the JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION’s legacy team as a development associate. A Jewish educator, attorney and author, Lederman has written and lectured about legacy. For more information, contact the JCF at 577-0388 or promise@jcftucson.org.

ARIZONA PUBLIC MEDIA’s PBS-HD Channel 6 received five Emmy Awards from the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, tying for sixth overall (commercial and non-commercial stations). The programs honored were “Neon Artistry” (“Arizona Illustrated”); “Secrets of the Divine: The Altarpiece of Ciudad Rodrigo,” which won two awards; “WaveLengths: Scientific Voyage”; and “Unforgettable: The Korean War.”

REBECCA KLEIN VISCUSI, M.D., has joined the University of Arizona Department of Surgery breast cancer team as assistant professor of surgery. She specializes in procedures to optimize breast reconstruction. An Arizona native, Viscusi received her bachelor’s degree from the UA and her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.

U-SWIRL FROZEN YOGURT has been certified kosher by Rabbi Israel Becker and Rabbi Yossie Shemtov. The certification applies to all flavors, toppings and beverages. All frozen yogurt and toppings are dairy (cholov stam) and all sorbets are non-dairy (pareve). U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt is located at 3857 E. Broadway Blvd., Suite 115.

THE TUCSON JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER has announced new staff positions. WENDY EDMONDS and AMY DeWITT are now co-directors of early childhood education. Edmonds was ECE associate director for more than 15 years. DeWitt, who has an undergraduate degree in psychology/family studies and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction/ early childhood education, has a diverse background in teaching, training and administration. LYNN DAVIS has been named arts & culture director. She was most recently director of the DNA Shoah Project at the University of Arizona. Previously, she was director of two Tucson art galleries and was director of community relations and volunteer resources at Child & Family Resources.

JEREMY A. LITE was elected president of the board of directors of Congregation Young Israel. Lite is a partner at Quarles & Brady LLP and leader of the firm’s environmental and water law practice in Tucson. He is a vice president of the Jewish Community Foundation.  Other board members include outgoing president David Siegel, Harriette Levitt, Willy Kats, Cathy Olswing, Howard Sloane, Bruce Minkus and Sharon Rosenfield.

ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY has named LEWIS SCHORR and LEWIS AND ROCA LLP as recipients of its 2011 Georgy Award. The award will be presented at ATC’s Gala 2011: Sapphire and Steele, on Oct. 1 at the Temple of Music and Art. Named for George Rosenberg, an ATC trustee emeritus and longtime benefactor, the award honors individuals and organizations that have demonstrated outstanding commitment and meaningful support to ATC.

PEPPER VINER HOMES has partnered with Native Tucson Builders to open a Pepper Viner remodeling division. GRANT LOVALLO, owner of Native Tucson Builders, will head the new division, which will retain the Native Tucson Builders name. Pepper Viner Homes, three-time Southern Arizona Home Builder of the Year, is one of 1.5 percent of builders nationwide that meet the standards of the Builder’s Challenge, building production homes that offer energy savings of 50 percent or more over homes built to standard code. The new partnership will offer remodeling clients similar high-performance, energy-saving features. Pepper Viner Homes can be reached at 721-7964.

ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY has hired MARK COLE as managing director. Cole had been the general manager of Miami City Ballet since 2006 and has experience in the corporate world at firms such as E.F. Hutton, Barclays Bank and Wang Laboratories. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from Auburn University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in acting from the University of Minnesota.

LORI SUMBERG was appointed cantorial soloist of Congregation Chaverim beginning July 1. Previously, she served as a cantorial soloist at Temple Emanu-El in Tucson, Beth Shalom Temple Center in Green Valley, and Adat Shalom in Bethesda, Md. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a master’s degree in English education from Boston University. She has been an educator for over 20 years. She attended H.L. Miller Cantorial School at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. A composer and guitarist, Sumberg was a 2010 finalist in Shalshelet: The International Foundation for New Jewish Liturgical Music and was honored as the “2011 Commissioned Composer” for the Women Cantors’ Network. On July 14, 80 women cantors performed the world premier of her piece, “Shar Hapa’amon/Song of the Bell,” at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia.