Frank (Waldemar Torenstra) and Esther (Anna Drijver) in ‘Bride Flight’ Half an hour into the richly layered Dutch saga “Bride Flight,” you’d never imagine that a menorah would become the film’s most affecting and enduring symbol. At that point, we’re scarcely aware that there’s a Jewish character in this first-rate romantic drama, which centers on a quartet of 20-something… Read more »
(L-R): David Updegraff, Bob Kovitz, Kathleen Cannon, Babe McGuire, Scott Berg and Robyn Austin in “Elevator” “Elevator,” a play about six people trapped inside a World Trade Center elevator on Sept. 11, 2001, debuted in Tucson at the Pima Community College Proscenium Theater, Sept. 1-4. Based on facts about the elevator system in the twin towers, the play begins a few minutes before the first… Read more »
(Tel Aviv) — Working out can help you shed pounds — but that’s just the beginning. New research from Tel Aviv University has found that “endurance exercises,” like a Central Park jog or a spinning class, can make us look younger. Exercise unlocks the stem cells of our muscles.… Read more »
Fran Donnellan If you’re a baby boomer lucky enough to have aging parents, chances are you’ve been noticing changes in your parents’ activity level, health, diet or mental state. You want to help, but you’re not always sure how. You need information, but don’t always know where to turn. In this… Read more »
Sharon Arkin (Sheila Wilensky) In her 40s, Sharon Arkin had an epiphany. “I can still do the kinds of things I did when I was 18,” she realized. “I’ve never really changed very much.” Arkin, who turned 72 last month, maintains a list of activities that might stagger an 18-year-old. She’s a clinical… Read more »
It’s hard to think of a more innocuous word for most American Jews than “community.” But in France, things aren’t so simple. France’s national ethos frowns upon displays of ethnic difference. So for many French Jews, the word “community” conveys a sense of separatism and insularity that clashes with… Read more »
Marc Stanely I was amused by Adam Serwer’s recent blog post titled “Is Bibi anti-Israel?” in which he pointed out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conditionally offered this month to negotiate with the Palestinians using the pre-1967 borders as a framework. Amazingly, there was no outcry by American Jews that… Read more »
Morton A. Klein It’s high time to face an unpleasant fact: President Obama and Israel are not on the same page. This has been true ever since Obama took office in January 2009, but it was most recently apparent this May when the president ambushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an… Read more »
Tucsonan Bobby Present, right, defeated Barry Danser of London, left. (Courtesy Bobby Present) Tucsonan Bobby Present competed in the Maccabi Games in Vienna, Austria, this summer, playing in the masters tennis men’s 55+ category — and doing well until an injury forced him to default for the first time in his tennis career. “It was unfortunate timing,” he told the AJP, because… Read more »
It has been interesting to read the spate of letters in the last issue of the Arizona Jewish Post, mostly responding to letters in the previous issue disagreeing with Guy Gelbart’s opinions on the Steadfast Hope series. I always prefer for there to be open airing of issues, and… Read more »
The Men’s Club of Beth Shalom Temple Center has launched a free “Offbeat Film Retrospective,” with screenings on the first and third Thursday of each month at 1 p.m. Many of the films reflect the Jewish experience in the diaspora, directly or indirectly, says men’s club president Merle Sobol.… Read more »
Temple Emanu-El is bringing back its free “Taste of Judaism” classes for the 12th year. Nearly 4,000 people have completed the course through Temple Emanu-El, which now offers five sessions at locations throughout Tucson. Rabbis Samuel M. Cohon and Jason Holtz will lead an interactive exploration of the history… Read more »
Congregation Anshei Israel is continuing “Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing!” for a fourth year. The nationwide program uses Jewish teachings to help pre-teen and teenage girls make healthy life choices and features an informal setting, small group size, and carefully designed activities. The program is free and is… Read more »
Congregation Or Chadash will host Leah Hochman, Ph.D., as scholar-in-residence Aug. 26-28. Hochman is director of the Jerome H. Louchheim School of Judaic Studies at the University of Southern California and assistant professor of Jewish thought on the Los Angeles campus of Hebrew-Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She teaches… Read more »
Food allergies among children have become more commonplace in recent years, and Tucson’s Jewish schools are paying attention. “Not only has there been an increase in allergies, but there’s been an increase in the severity” of allergies among students at Tucson Hebrew Academy, says Ronnie Sebold, the school’s… Read more »
The 2nd Annual Rainbow Keshet Awards committee is seeking nominations honoring individuals in Southern Arizona who have helped make the local community and the world a better place for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals and families. The awards ceremony will be held at the Tucson Jewish Community… Read more »
Esther Becker of Congregation Chofetz Chayim will hold a free pre-High Holiday women’s dinner and discussion of the book “A Daughter of Two Mothers” by Miriam Cohen on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. “Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur offer a time for introspection, a time for renewal, and… Read more »
Israeli soldiers scuffle with Palestinians during a demonstration near the West Bank village of Beit Omar, Aug. 13. Some analysts warn that a U.N. vote on the Palestinian statehood could set off a new wave of Mideast violence. ( Najeh Hashlamoun/Flash 90) On Sept. 20, when the annual session of the U.N. General Assembly opens, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to ask U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to present a Palestinian request for statehood recognition to the U.N. Security Council. The long-anticipated request will kick off a chain of events… Read more »
Alfred Schreier returned to Vienna in 2009 for the 100th anniversary of the Hakoah Sport Club (above), and again this summer for the first European Maccabi Games to be held in a German-speaking country since 1945. Alfred Schreier was proud to be among the 2,000 athletes representing 37 nations at this year’s European Maccabi Games held July 5 to 13 in Vienna, Austria. A Sahuarita resident, Schreier, 82, was born in Vienna, where he returned after the Holocaust to become a successful teen athlete in… Read more »
Ben Louchheim (Photos courtesy Tucson Hebrew Academy) At Tucson Hebrew Academy parents sometimes say “you keep them in a cocoon,” says Ronnie Sebold, director of admissions. But this cocoon also nurtures THA students as they embark on their high school years. “They get a lot of comfort here, learn skills and are academically so prepared and… Read more »
