Yearly Archives 2013

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma in Moscow. Amid reports of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal falling within Hezbollah's reach, Assad reportedly remains "calm," perhaps due to Russia's deployment of a sizable naval force for an exercise off the Syrian coast. (Rakkar/Wikimedia Commons)

Israel is continuing to warn the world of the potentially devastating outcome if Syria’s chemical arsenal falls into the hands of rebels, or worse, Hezbollah, as Lebanese media outlets reported that the Lebanese terror group had already obtained some chemical weapons and long-range missiles. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who… Read more »

Khaled Abu Taomeh

The truth sometimes hurts; that is why the Palestinian Authority (PA) has been working hard to prevent the outside world from hearing about many occurrences that reflect negatively on its leaders or people. In recent years, the PA leadership, often with the help of the mainstream media in the… Read more »

The Collier Bar Mitzvah group at the Davidson Center in Jerusalem: (L-R) Jack Aaron, David Aaron, Carol Collier, Naomi Present, Rosalie Rellin (back), Rabbi Stephanie Aaron (front), Maya Collier, Randie Collier, Joel Collier, Shelby Collier, Roger Collier

Winter Birthright Israel After finishing final exams, 30 University of Arizona students embarked on the Winter Taglit-Birthright Israel Hillel experience. Nine of the participants hail from Tucson — Michael Evenchik, Allie Healy, Emily Healy, Lauren Katz, Daniel Millstone, Benjamin Offenhartz, Nathan Sacks, Zachary Sattinger and Alyssa Silva. “The reasons… Read more »

Cari Frisch and Jason Drimer under the chuppah (Elyse Hall)

Cari Frisch, daughter of James and Myrna Frisch of Tucson, and Jason Drimer, son of Jeffrey and Linda Drimer of Syracuse, N.Y., were married on Oct. 28, 2012, at Skyline Country Club, with Rabbi Robert Eisen of Congregation Anshei Israel officiating. Honored guests included Jason’s grandmother, Selma Radin of… Read more »

(L-R) Jennifer Kern, Ashley Heather, Jodi Pulman, Shelley Hoffman, Katy Darnaby, Ilana Shenitzer, Lindsay Nagel, Megan Rovner, Bari Levine, Leslie Pearlman, Joey Blumenfeld, Sadie Reuben (Elyse Hall)

High school romances that endure and result in marriage are not unheard of. But marrying your friend from preschool days is a precious rarity. Ilana Shenitzer and Jeremy Rothstein have enjoyed a life-long friendship that blossomed into love in their late teens. They cemented their relationship under the chuppah… Read more »

(JointMedia News Service) — As borders become more faint, and online dating services more prevalent, many of us are pushed out of our respective ethnic bubbles and into the arms of a special someone from a different background. While Jews share many customs and traditions, we also have our… Read more »

The “Nazi Hunters” series, with new episodes airing on PBS 6 next month, chronicles the stories of the determined individuals who chased some of the most reviled criminals on earth — the men who perpetuated the atrocities of the Third Reich during World War II. But the pursuers themselves… Read more »

TEMPLE EMANU-EL is one of eight Reform congregations nationwide selected to participate in the Union for Reform Judaism Emerging Young Adult Initiatives Community of Practice, a networking group aimed at discovering new ways to engage young adults in congregational life.… Read more »

BOB SCHWARTZ, formerly of the law firm of Russo, Russo & Slania, P.C., has been named chief executive officer of Southern Arizona Land Trust, Inc. Schwartz also will serve as in-house legal counsel of SALT’s sister company, Family Housing Resources, Inc. SALT and FHR are nonprofit supporting organizations of… Read more »

Lynn Sharon Strauss, 76, died Jan. 11, 2013, in Shreveport, La. A 45-year resident of Tucson, Mrs. Strauss operated an office consulting firm for medical practices specializing in computerized record keeping. She was a long-time member of Congregation Anshei Israel, where she was elected secretary-treasurer of the board of… Read more »

Milan Bier, 92, died Jan. 15, 2013. Born in Vukovar, Croatia (then part of Yugoslavia), Mr. Bier spent four years as a refugee in Yugoslavia, Italy and Switzerland during World War II. He graduated from the University of Geneva and immigrated to the United States in 1945. He received… Read more »

Henry and Madeleine Cornet in their home near Brussels in the 1940s (Jan Maes)

As the sister of Belgium’s most powerful Nazi, Madeleine Cornet knew better than to inquire about the ethnicity of the three women she hired as housemaids in October 1942. Cornet did not want to further implicate herself by hearing what she already knew: Her new hires were Jews who… Read more »

Omri Boneh, the Jewish National Fund’s northern Israel regional director, in the area destroyed by the 2010 Carmel Fire, January 2013. (Ben Sales/JTA)

The rabbi’s yarmulke fluttered in the wind, his hand holding it to his head, as he recited El Malei Racha­mim, the traditional prayer for the deceased. In front of him were 50 guards from a nearby prison. Behind him, a wall displayed the names of 44 prison service cadets,… Read more »

Rabbi Avi Shafron mentions the importance of empathy in his article (“Halachah must rule at the Western Wall, but empathy is the most important factor,” AJP, 1.11.13, but, in my opinion, he  does not demonstrate empathy and respect to either Anat Hoffman or to Jews who may think and… Read more »

Rabbi Avi Shafran’s commentary, “Halachah must rule at Western Wall” (AJP, 1/11/13 ) can only be seen as part of his continuing effort to hijack our traditions. Assigning himself to be the supreme halachic authority and protector of our traditions, Shafran informs us that women and religious services other… Read more »

I was extremely disappointed to read the condescending piece by Rabbi Shafran about Women of the Wall (“Halachah must rule at Western Wall, but empathy most important factor,” AJP, 1/11/13). I have been a supporter of Women of the Wall for years. The group’s actions are not “antics” nor… Read more »

Trees have been known to break their way through the toughest rock slabs to get to the water and nutrients they need to live the life they were destined to live. So it is with my sister, Anna Greenberg, and her Healing Groves. The Greenberg family, in cooperation with… Read more »

Scott Edmiston

The Brandeis National Committee will host its annual University on Wheels event on Thursday, Feb. 7, at 9 a.m. at Skyline Country Club. Scott Edmiston, director of the Office of the Arts at Brandeis University, will speak on: “Truth or Beauty: The Need for Art in the 21st Century.”… Read more »

Bryan Pisetsky

Bryan Pisetsky will join the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona as campaign manager full time beginning April 3. He will relocate to Tucson from California with his wife, Kira, and two children. Pisetsky’s professional career has included an outreach fellowship with the Las Vegas Hillel Center for Jewish Student… Read more »

Temple Emanu-El will host the annual Jewish Camp Fair on Sunday, Feb. 3, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Camp directors from more than 15 Jewish camps will be on hand to meet with parents and children from the entire Jewish community. Camps from across the United States will… Read more »