South Carolina Rep. Alan Clemmons with a group of Israeli soldiers at Masada during his visit to Israel, November 2011. (Alan Clemmons via Twitter) NEW YORK (JTA) — The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a hotly debated issue — but not in the Florida Legislature. Both houses of the state’s Legislature voted unanimously in February to stake out a bold position on the issue — but it’s not entirely clear what, exactly, Florida lawmakers were… Read more »
NEW YORK (JTA) — Passover celebrates the exodus of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, their wandering in the desert for 40 years, and their ultimate deliverance to the Promised Land. But a contemporary observer might be forgiven for imagining the holiday marks a different sort of migration:… Read more »
Sol Factor, who was given up by a mother who was in a displaced persons' camp, is looking for information about his family tree. (Courtesy Sol Factor) The “Seeking Kin” column aims to help reunite long-lost friends and relatives. BALTIMORE (JTA) — Sol Factor recalls a happy childhood in circa-1950s Boston suburbia with his physician-father Joseph, teacher-mother Bernice and younger sister Rachel. His first life, as Meier Pollak — born in 1946 near a displaced persons’… Read more »
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is waiting and watching when it comes to Iran — although for how long, no one knows. Analysts and Jewish organizational officials who speak with Israeli and U.S. government say Netanyahu came away from his meeting last week with President Obama… Read more »
Rutgers University Press has published “Gentile New York: The Images of Non-Jews among Jewish Immigrants” by GIL RIBAK. Ribak is the Schusterman Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Judaic Studies, University of Arizona. More information and a 20 percent discount are available at http://judaic.arizona.edu/sites/judaic. arizona.edu/files/Ribak_author_flier.pdf.… Read more »
JANOS WILDER has been named a James Beard semi-finalist for Outstanding Chef: United States. The James Beard Foundation named Wilder as the top chef in the Southwest in 2000. Wilder is the chef of Janos, JBAR and Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails. DARRELL PATTON, assistant varsity coach at ST. GREGORY… Read more »
A daughter, TZIPORRA MALKA CHORNY, was born Feb. 23, 2012, to Nichole and Joel Chorny of Tucson. Grandparents are Aaron and Shawn Hellman of Tucson and Rabbi Ammos and Avivia Chorny of London, Ontario.… Read more »
A son, YOSEPH (YOSSI) SHA’ANAN GEFFEN was born Feb. 3, 2012, to Zev and Leah Geffen of Modi’in, Israel. Grandparents are Sharon and the late Joseph Geffen of Tucson and Michael and Dena Granof of Austin, Texas.… Read more »
A daughter, JOSEPHINE SULIMA GEFFEN, was born Dec. 20, 2011, to Malka and Kristy Geffen of Portland, Ore. Grandparents are Sharon and the late Joseph Geffen of Tucson and Pam Sulima of Madison, Wisc.… Read more »
A son, YOSEPH (YOSSI) MEIR, was born Aug. 23, 2011, to Noach and Yocheved Meir of Beitar, Israel. Grandparents are Rabbi Ron-Ami and Miriam (Mimi Geffen) Meyers of Seattle, Wash. Great-grandparents are Sharon and the late Joseph Geffen of Tucson and Sylvia Meyers of Winnepeg, Canada.… Read more »
ZAKKAI SHLOMO MARKOWITZ, son of Ilana and Neil Boss Markowitz, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, March 24 with Congregation Chaverim at a ranch in Oracle. He is the grandson of Jana Liba Klenburg of New York, N.Y., Barbara and the late Herb Potashkin of Watchung, N.J.,… Read more »
SAMUEL ELIJAH RIVERA, son of Rachel Rivera and Dennis Rivera, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, March 24 with Congregation Or Chadash at the Tucson Jewish Community Center.. He is the grandson of Miriam Effron of Shorline, Wash., Stephen and Clydean Troner of Tucson, and the late… Read more »
SAPIR L. CURIEL, daughter of Mimi and Dan Curiel, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, March 17 at Chabad on River. She is the granddaughter of Lily Mimran of Ramat Hasharon, Israel, and Abraham Curiel, Liz Daddoun and Nissim Davda, all of Jerusalem, Israel. Sapir attends Tucson… Read more »
REBECCA ELLEN BAUER, daughter of April and William Bauer, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, March 17 at Temple Emanu-El. She is the granddaughter of Barbara Esmond of Tucson, Lynne and Joel Esmond of Los Angeles, Calif., and Joan and the late John Bauer of Raytown, Mo.… Read more »
KACIE AMANDA BAUER, daughter of April and William Bauer, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, March 17 at Temple Emanu-El. She is the granddaughter of Barbara Esmond of Tucson, Lynne and Joel Esmond of Los Angeles, Calif., and Joan and the late John Bauer of Raytown, Mo.… Read more »
Hank Mitchell Case, 87, died Feb. 23, 2012. Mr. Case was born in Perth Amboy, N.J. He started his college career at New Jersey State University (now Rutgers), interrupting his studies to enlist in the U.S. Navy during World War II, serving as an engineer. After the war he… Read more »
Rochelle Beverly Sulman (née Chanen), 73, died Feb. 19, 2012. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pa., Mrs. Sulman moved to Pittsburgh with her husband, and in 1977 settled in Tucson, where she worked for Southwest Gas Company. She was involved in the Jewish community, especially Congregation Anshei Israel. Mrs.… Read more »
(N.Y. Jewish Week) — The recent celebration of Purim offers an appropriate moment to recall a man known for a time as “America’s Haman.” That Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s story ended very differently than the story of Haman in the Book of Esther reminds us how America itself is… Read more »
A volley of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip was intercepted by the Iron Dome system near the Israeli town of Ashdod area on Sunday morning March 11, 2012. (Flash90/JTA) JERUSALEM (JTA) – As southern Israel was barraged by rockets for a fourth straight day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was hitting back “strongly and decisively,” and its Iron Dome anti-missile defense system was intercepting many of the rockets coming from the Gaza Strip. “The IDF is continuing… Read more »
Dear Avi and Adele: How can I select the best photos for my online profile on jdate.com? –Cute Punim Dear Cute Punim: All the online dating sites will tell you that photo quality impacts the responses that you get, and we have to agree. Here are a few easy… Read more »
