Marlyne Freedman For more than a decade, Marlyne Freedman has been there for members of the Tucson Jewish community. Not just through her job as senior vice president at the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, but as a compassionate supporter of all things Jewish — both people and causes. At 66,… Read more »
Exterior of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw showing the "gap." (Ruth Ellen Gruber) WARSAW, Poland (JTA) — Krzysztof Sliwinski, a longtime Catholic activist in Jewish-Polish relations, gazed wide-eyed at the swooping interior of this city’s Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Nearly two decades in the making, the more than $100 million institution officially opened to the public last month amid… Read more »
David Popovits, owner of the Matzah Soldier, sits down for a meal at his upscale restaurant in Budapest, March 2013. (Canaan Liphshiz/JTA) BUDAPEST, Hungary (JTA) — On a corner in the heart of the former Jewish ghetto here, David Popovits sits down for some matzah ball soup and super-sized dumplings at his newly opened kosher-style restaurant. A burly, 40-year-old Hungarian Jewish businessman, Popovits used to eat in the restaurant as a… Read more »
NEW YORK (JTA) — Until last week, Michael Broyde was considered one of the most respected Orthodox rabbis in America. A professor of law at Emory University, the author of dozens of books and articles, and a leading authority on the intersection of religious and secular law, Broyde was… Read more »
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The day after the Boston Marathon bombing, President Obama called it an “act of terrorism.” What kind of terrorism, no one was ready to say — a caution that derives from years of wrongful speculation that on occasion has ruined innocent lives. Hours after the attack… Read more »
Birthright participants visiting Masada, summer 2012. (Taglit-Birthright) NEW YORK (JTA) — With the summer travel season fast approaching, providers of Israel programs for teenagers are bracing themselves for what several say could be a season of historically low travel in a year unaffected by major security concerns. Over the past decade, Israel travel among those aged… Read more »
NEW YORK (JTA) — Israeli Independence Day celebrations in Boston were muted and security was increased in the wake of bombings that left three dead and dozens injured at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Mike Rosenberg, director of community relations at Maimonides, a Jewish day school in… Read more »
A Boston Marathon runner embracing another woman near Kenmore Square after two bombs exploded in the area, April 15, 2013. (Alex Trautwig/Getty) (Jewish Exponent) — “It was a beautiful day. I was so excited to run and having such a good run. The crowd was unbelievable. The whole experience was amazing. It was almost magical.” That’s how the Boston Marathon began for Rabbi Benjamin David, head rabbi at Adath Emanu-El in Mount… Read more »
WASHINGTON (JTA) – A legislative effort led by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to enable Israelis to enter the United States without visas may be stymied by the government – Israel’s government. The hitch is Israel’s inability or unwillingness to fully reciprocate, something required for visa-free travel to… Read more »
Gilles Bernheim, the chief rabbi of France, leaving the Elysee Palace in Paris after meeting with then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy, March 21, 2012. (Frank Prevel/Getty) (JTA) — “When Gilles Bernheim speaks, France listens.” That’s how Avraham Weill, the chief rabbi of Toulouse, describes what he believes was the main appeal of his charismatic mentor, who on Thursday resigned as chief rabbi of France after admitting to several instances of plagiarism and falsely using an… Read more »
Lesley Sachs, director of "Women of the Wall," is detained by police due to her wearing a "tallit" (prayer shawl) visible at morning prayers together with "WOW" at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in Jerusalem on April 11, 2013. (Miriam Alster/Flash90/JTA) JERUSALEM (JTA) — Natan Sharansky said the implementation of his plan to expand the non-Orthodox prayer site at the Western Wall could begin in as little as one month. In an interview Thursday with JTA, Sharansky sounded cautiously optimistic about his proposal to create an egalitarian space equal in… Read more »
Iran watchers are worried that the reckless gamesmanship of North Korea's Kim Jong-un, shown in an Oct. 9, 2010 photo, will provide a model for the Islamic Republic. (Creative Commons) WASHINGTON (JTA) — If you have nuclear weapons, all sorts of bad behavior will be tolerated. That’s the lesson some are worried Iran may be learning from North Korea’s increasingly confrontational stance against South Korea and the United States. Pyongyang has stepped up its belligerent rhetoric in recent days,… Read more »
Chadwick Boseman playing Jackie Robinson getting ready to take the field in the new film "42." (Legendary Pictures) NEW YORK (JTA) — Moviegoers who head this weekend to the AMC Magic Johnson Harlem 9 for the opening of “42” will see the story of how Jackie Robinson displayed legendary courage, class and talent in the face of immense pressure and racial hatred as he broke down baseball’s color barrier.… Read more »
SOPHIA MORGAN ISAAC, daughter of Nina and Andrew Isaac, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, April 20 at Congregation Anshei Israel. She is the granddaughter of Barbara and Chuck Isaac of Phoenix, Sharon and Seth Weintraub of Medford, Ore., and the late Frances Sydney of Boynton Beach,… Read more »
SAMANTHA LEONARD, granddaughter of Micki and Jerry Shulman, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, April 13 at Temple Emanu-El. Samantha attends Orange Grove Middle School, where she plays clarinet in the school orchestra. She is a member of the teen choir at Temple Emanu-El, and enjoys Irish… Read more »
Rivkah Sophia Selmon, daughter of Penny Selmon and Ira Selmon, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, April 6 at Congregation Bet Shalom. She is the granddaughter of Judy and Jerry Delman of Tucson and Cindy and Searle Selmon of New York. Rivi attends Tucson Hebrew Academy. She… Read more »
Peggy S. Civalier, 62, died March 25, 2013. Born in Rochester, N.Y., Mrs. Civalier graduated from Franklin High School and Monroe Community College. Survivors include her husband of 39 years, Craig T. Civalier; children, Cody Civalier and Brooks Civalier, both of Phoenix; and three grandchildren. Graveside services were held… Read more »
Moses Geffen, 74, died March 20, 2013. Survivors include his children, Marc Geffen of San Diego and Gary Geffen of San Bernadino, Calif.; two grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Graveside services were held in the Congregation Young Israel section of Evergreen Cemetery with Rabbi Yossie Shemtov officiating.… Read more »
Ralph Stein, 82, died March 11, 2013. Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., Mr. Stein graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and attended Ohio State University as a graduate student in nuclear engineering. He began his career as a chemical engineer for Battelle Institute in Columbus, Ohio. At Battelle, in the… Read more »
Salomon Hemmo, 83, died March 4, 2013. Born in Cairo, Egypt, Mr. Hemmo emigrated to Israel in 1953. He married Marylou Chaiten and moved to the United States in 1965. He was a restaurateur in Tucson. Survivors include his wife, Patricia Hemmo; children, Philip Hemmo of Springfield, Ill., David… Read more »
