ALLIE LONDON has been appointed program officer for the JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA. She is responsible for overseeing the Foundation’s grants program. A native New Yorker who recently relocated to Tucson from Chicago, she has over two decades of experience in marketing, copywriting and client engagement, including 14 years as marketing director at Oracle in San Francisco. She holds a B.A. in politics and journalism from New York University. London volunteers with the Tucson Wildlife Center and Felicia’s Farm, a cause dedicated to feeding Tucson’s homeless.
EDWARD LEVEN, Ph.D, is returning to the position of coordinator of the LGBT Jewish Inclusion Project at the JEWISH FEDERATION OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA. Leven initiated the project under a JFSA Compelling Needs Grant approximately 10 years ago. He was a professor of health administration at Golden Gate University, San Francisco and taught part-time for several California universities including the University of California, Davis; Saint Mary’s College; and the University of San Francisco. Leven also worked as a trainer and lobbyist for Bay Area hospitals, initiating several public health projects. His work to improve childhood immunization rates in Silicon Valley received national recognition. Leven studies yoga, Spanish and Mussar. He and his partner are members of Congregation M’kor Hayim.
AMALIA MARK has been named director of Jewish Student Life at the UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA HILLEL FOUNDATION. In addition to building relationships with Jewish students all over campus, she will support Hillel’s year-round programming, from biweekly Shabbat celebrations to the annual 24-hour Holocaust vigil. A 2013 graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with a major in theater, Mark spent this past year as a fellow for Repair the World, where she was a community organizer and volunteer mobilizer in Baltimore City.
SARAH SPIETH has joined the JEWISH FEDERATION OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA as B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy coordinator. She holds a master’s degree in peace building and conflict resolution from the University of Sydney, Australia, and has worked in capacity building, trauma mitigation and empowerment with communities domestically and abroad. Spieth is a trained yoga teacher and coach and has been a sole proprietor in mediation, coaching and yoga therapy.
DEBORAH JASSEM has been named development director for the UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA HILLEL FOUNDATION. Jassem has served as a consultant for nonprofits across the country including the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, Calif. She was director of philanthropy for Tohono Chul and also held development positions with the University of Arizona and the University of Arizona Foundation. Jassem holds a master’s degree from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and a bachelor of arts from Central Connecticut State University.
THE JEWISH HISTORY MUSEUM and HOLOCAUST HISTORY CENTER were awarded the Governor’s Tourism Award for Best Arizona Preservation, in the urban category. JHM Executive Director Judy Rose Sensibar received the award last month at the 2014 Governor’s Conference on Tourism Gala Dinner.
FOX TUCSON THEATER has announced its fall season, which starts with musician Randy Newman on Aug. 19. It includes comedian Paul Reiser on Oct. 9, presented by the Hearth Foundation’s 2nd Annual Comedy for a Cause, and Israeli singer-songwriter/peace activist David Broza on Oct. 30 in a show cosponsored by the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona. For more information, visit www.foxtucsontheatre.org.
GRAZE PREMUM BURGERS & FRESH CUT FRIES opened Aug. 5 at 2721 E. Speedway Blvd. The restaurant, operated by Jeff and Fran Katz and Paolo DeFelippis, who also operate Choice Greens, features antiobiotic- and hormone-free beef and chicken.
