Yearly Archives 2014

EXO ROAST CO. and TAP & BOTTLE are working with the nonprofit Living Streets Alliance (www.livingstreetsal liance.org) to raise funds and create a design for Tucson’s first “parklet” at 403 N. Sixth Ave. QUEEN CREEK OLIVE MILL has opened a Tucson store, Oils and Olives, in the La Encantada… Read more »

An article by former Tucsonan MIMI SCHULTZ, “A Survivor’s Lost Torah Scroll,” was published by The Jewish Daily Forward. See http://forward.co/articles/190723/a-survivor-s-lost-torah-scroll/?p=all.… Read more »

NEW YORK (JTA) — On her way out the door to defend the SodaStream company, the suddenly political Scarlett Johannson threw a grenade at her erstwhile cause, the international aid organization Oxfam. According to her spokesperson, “she and Oxfam have a fundamental difference of opinion in regards to the… Read more »

With the Winter Olympics set to open in Sochi, Russia, in February, Moment’s Josh Tapper talks to David Wallechinsky, author of The Complete Book of the Olympics and president of the International Society of Olympic Historians. • Why aren’t American Jewish Olympians, such as swimmer Mark Spitz, as revered as other American Jewish athletes,… Read more »

Martin Indyk, the U.S. special envoy for Ben Gurion International Airport on Jan. 5, 2014. (Matty Stern/U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv/Flash90)

WASHINGTON (JTA) — As the Obama administration prepares to unveil a framework plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, Jewish groups have responded by laying low. In contrast to the noisy Iran sanctions contretemps between the administration and much of the pro-Israel community, the leading centrist Jewish groups… Read more »

Yakov Burg, CEO of Psagot Winery in the Israeli West Bank settlement of Psagot, says boycotts of settlement goods haven't affected profits in a major way. (Courtesy Psagot Winery)

TEL AVIV (JTA) — Of the 200,000 wine bottles Yakov Burg produced last year, 16,000 went to Europe. The possibility of a boycott and repeated rumblings that Europe is planning to label goods produced in the settlements could decrease that number, but Burg isn’t worried. The CEO of Psagot… Read more »

From left to right: John Goodman, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Bob Balaban and Bill Murray star in "The Monuments Men" (Claudette Barius/Columbia Pictures)

BOSTON (JTA) — There’s nothing like a star-studded Hollywood movie to shine a light on a little-known piece of history. That’s the hope of Robert Edsel, who wrote the book that inspired “The Monuments Men,” the George Clooney-Matt Damon film that opens Friday in theaters across the country. The… Read more »

Israel's Sochi-bound figure skaters who train in New Jersey: from left, Alexei Bychenko, Andrea Davidovich and Evgeni Krasnapolsky. (Hillel Kuttler)

HACKENSACK, N.J. (JTA) — Evgeni Krasnapolsky and Andrea Davidovich glide around the ice, shadowing one another to the accompaniment of Nino Rota’s “Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet.” At a rink in this New York City suburb, the figure-skating pair are refining their long program a few weeks before… Read more »

NEW YORK (JTA) — All in favor of a strong Jewish future say “aye.” On that core question, there is resounding unanimity, but there have been some unnecessarily polarizing articles in the Jewish press suggesting that we have to select either endogamy or outreach. Nonsense! Such binary thinking reduces… Read more »

Barbara Levkowitz with her youngest great-granddaughter, Halle

Jewish Cuba From Dec. 9 to 18, Barbara Esmond traveled on Road Scholar’s “Shalom Cuba” bus tour. Sixteen participants explored the Jewish heritage of this island nation. The group carried donations of school, medical and religious goods to augment government rationing and short supplies. The American Jewish Joint Distribution… Read more »

Anne Heyman (Courtesy of DOROT)

AGAHOZO-SHALOM YOUTH VILLAGE, Rwanda (JTA) – Anne Heyman’s death during a horse-riding competition in Palm Beach, Fla., on Jan. 31 shocked and devastated many in the Jewish world. But it was Heyman’s work in Rwanda that so many of her admirers will remember most. A former assistant district attorney… Read more »

Bernyce Simon, 79, died Jan. 23, 2014. Born in Paterson, N.J., Mrs. Simon was active in many community and civic endeavors. Mrs. Simon was preceded in death by her brother, Albert Kamine. Survivors include her husband of 58 years, Donald; children, Michael (Lynn) Simon of North Caldwell, N.J., and… Read more »

Lester Morton Goldsmith, 79, died Dec. 25, 2013. Born in Chicago, Mr. Goldsmith was a graduate of Northwestern University. While in high school, he began working at one of Chicago’s first television stations. He later was a campaign videographer for John and Robert Kennedy. He was a story development… Read more »

Louis Norman Rib­, 85, died Dec. 18, 2013. Raised in the Bronx, N.Y., Mr. Rib was part of the Kingsmen club at the Young Men’s Hebrew Association during high school. He attended New York University earning a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in meteorology (sponsored… Read more »

Rabbi Harold Kushner

There is a universal human craving for significance, says Rabbi Harold Kushner. The world-renowned rabbi and author will speak on this idea when Temple Emanu-El presents “Making a Difference in Your Life and in Our City,” a brunch next month honoring Mayor Jonathan Rothschild. “We want to know that… Read more »

Laura Heisler, daughter of Barbara and Michael Heisler of Tucson, and Scott Cogan, son of Jesse and Sandra Cogan of Livingston, N.J., were married on May 26, 2013 at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort with Rabbi Robert Eisen and Ron Sandler officiating. Scott is the grandson of Abraham Olshan of… Read more »

Models pose at the home of Catherene Morton prior to the Jewish History Museum’s bridal style show on Jan. 1. (Athol Cline/JHM)

Exotic gowns in red, purple and gold as well as the traditional white are on display at the Jewish History Museum’s sixth annual ketubah (Jewish wedding contract) and wedding dress exhibit, which continues through March 30. The exhibit features gowns from the 1500s to 2010, with origins from New… Read more »

The good news is in: Rabbi Avi Weiss’ conversions will be accepted in Israel. I am glad to see that the religious integrity and leadership of Rabbi Weiss has been acknowledged. Undoubtedly, this course correction on the part of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate is due in part to the… Read more »

The Modern Language Association, which held its annual conference here Jan. 9-12, has approximately 28,000 humanities scholars in its membership, about 4,000 of whom attend the annual conference. The conference features hundreds of workshops and panel discussions — about 800 in total this year — on topics ranging from… Read more »

Hava Tirosh-Samuelson

Jewish thinkers focus on happiness as the quality of life as a whole, not a few moments in the accrual of pleasure or money. So said Hava Tirosh-Samuelson in her talk “Judaism and the Contemporary Pursuit of Happiness” on Jan. 13 at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. The Irving… Read more »