The lunar eclipse over Los Angeles on the first night of Passover, April 14, 2014. (Anthony Cook, courtesy of Griffith Observatory) LOS ANGELES (JTA) — As we usher in Sukkot, will there be a blood moon rising? John Hagee, the San Antonio pastor who wrote the book “Four Blood Moons: Something is About to Change,” would have us believe so. Hagee predicts that because of a cycle of four lunar… Read more »
LOS ANGELES (JTA) — These days, more people are wearing white after Labor Day, especially on Yom Kippur. Last year, to keep up with the trend, I looked to buy a white suit to wear during my yearly battle of spirituality vs somnambulism. I had heard that everyone else… Read more »
SALEM, Mass. (JTA) — Every fall, Jewish teens arrive on college campuses unprepared, uninformed and unable to cope with the hostility and antagonism against Israel and Jews that they find there. While Birthright Israel does a commendable job of bolstering Jewish student pride and community, the program could have… Read more »
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his address at the U.N. General Assembly shows a photo of a rocket launcher in a civilian area of Gaza with children nearby, Sept. 29, 2014. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images) NEW YORK (JTA) – In the end, there was much to talk about at the U.N. General Assembly but few genuine surprises. With an eye on the jihadist group ISIS, President Obama focused on the need for the international community to counter the dangers of violent extremism. Israeli Prime… Read more »
President Obama speaks before the U.N. General Assembly, Sept. 24, 2014. (Getty Images) NEW YORK (JTA) – A year ago, when President Barack Obama took the dais at the U.N. General Assembly, his speech focused on Iran’s nuclear program, Syria’s chemical weapons and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He talked about Egypt’s messy transition to democracy and defended America’s actions in Libya. A year… Read more »
In situations as complex as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which often seem insoluble, one sometimes envies the ancient Greeks, who invented deus ex machina — that artificial device that solved the entanglement of the dramatic plot. No wonder, then, that many in Israel cheered recently when Israel Army Radio announced… Read more »
Michael Hewitt, Ph.D. What we can do to “live younger longer” will be discussed in “Optimal Aging, Rewinding the Clock,” a University of Arizona Arthritis Center presentation by Michael Hewitt, Ph.D., Canyon Ranch Health Resort research director for exercise science, on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 6 to 7:15 p.m., at the University of… Read more »
GARY BACHMAN, a program manager in the Pima County community development and neighborhood conservation department, received a 2014 Housing Hero Award from the Arizona Department of Housing. Bachman has been an advocate for affordable housing and community development planning in Southern Arizona for nearly 30 years, including the last… Read more »
ARIZONA PUBLIC MEDIA has received 23 Emmy nominations from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Rocky Mountain chapter. The nominations, more than any other public broadcaster in the region, include 36 staff members and mark the best performance in AZPM’s history. The winners will be announced on… Read more »
Lori and Harvey Meislin announce the engagement of their daughter, Megan Anne Meislin, to Michael Conti Mica, son of Sal and Rosalie Conti Mica of Chicago and Jupiter Beach, Fla. Megan attended the University of Washington and received an undergraduate degree in molecular biology. She attended the University of… Read more »
A son, ISAAC REUVEN GOODMAN, was born May 27, 2014 to Rebecca and Ted Goodman of West Lafayette, Ind. Grandparents are Andrew and Linda Kunsberg of Tucson, Beanie and Markus Rohtbart of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and Don and Gloria Goodman of West Bloomfield, Mich. Isaac joins his sister, Emma.… Read more »
Eliana Eden Webber Rosenzweig, daughter of Yvonne Webber and Ephron Rosenzweig of San Diego, became a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014 at Congregation Beth Am in San Diego. Eliana was born in Tucson. She is the granddaughter of Nancy Webber of Richmond, Calif., and the late Jerry… Read more »
Mayor Jonathan Rothschild presents a proclamation declaring “Education and Sharing Day” on March 31, 2015 in honor of the Rebbe to the five Chabad leadership couples in the area. (L-R): Rabbi Ram Bigelman, Rabbi Yossi Winner, Rabbi Ephraim Zimmerman, Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin, Rabbi Yossie Shemtov, Rothschild, Chanie Shemtov, Feigie Ceitlin, Naomi Winner, Chani Bigelman and Mushkie Zimmerman (JW Photographers) Some 400 people filled the Tucson Jewish Community Center ballroom to hear Rabbi Joseph Telushkin discuss his New York Times best-seller, “Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History” on Sept. 15 in an event organized by the JCC, Chabad Tucson… Read more »
Penelope Starr Odyssey Storytelling, a monthly array of six Tucsonans each telling a true life story, began 10 years ago. “It’s all about the stories, the unique ways people figure out how to do life,” says founder and artist Penelope Starr. “It’s fascinating and so complicated.” Complexity has never stopped Starr… Read more »
Sheila Rothenberg As “author wrangler” for the annual Book and Author event benefitting the Brandeis National Committee Tucson Chapter, Sheila Rothenberg translates her three decades of publishing experience into a meaningful volunteer activity. “I’m very pleased to be able to do it,” Rothenberg says. “For me, participating in Tucson’s Brandeis chapter… Read more »
Sabrina Plattner Sabrina Plattner has been promoting better health in children for the past nine years. Her last professional position, with Healthy Children Arizona at the University of Arizona, introduced positive health, nutrition and sun safety concepts to children, putting her in contact with 25,000 local kids. In June, Plattner began… Read more »
Simon Rosenblatt Simon Rosenblatt is emphatic as he speaks about volunteering with the Tucson Jewish community: “Make no mistake, Jewish Tucson is our family.” Rosenblatt spreads his energy and time across a trifecta of local and national Jewish efforts: Temple Emanu-El, the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Union for Reform… Read more »
Laura Green Laura Green of Hadassah’s Desert Mountain Region will present “Israel’s Ups and Downs, Ins and Outs: The Whole Lowdown,” at Hadassah Southern Arizona’s opening luncheon meeting Sunday, Oct. 12 at noon at Skyline Country Club, 5200 E. St. Andrews Drive. Green made her first visit to Israel, as well… Read more »
Oshrat Barel Current Israel So much has already been written about the past summer in Israel, the kidnap and murder of our three teens, nonstop missiles firing into Israel, tunnels, terrorism and the double standards of the international media. It is almost four months since it began. Only last week, while… Read more »
Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona will hold its annual welcome and board installations on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Lodge at Ventana Canyon, 6200 N. Clubhouse Lane. The event will focus on challenging sex trafficking in Arizona, as the state gears up… Read more »
