Yearly Archives 2015

(The Nosher via JTA) — “Ladies can grill too!” is what I thought while watching the men tend to the grill at one of my favorite Middle Eastern eateries recently. But after years of owning a charcoal grill and by default having the husband maintain it, I figured it was about… Read more »

TBILISI, Georgia (JTA) — Until April of last year, Julia Podinovskaya felt like she had a pretty good handle on where her life was going. Born to a middle-class Jewish family in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, Podinovskaya, who is in her 20s, was volunteering with the local Jewish community… Read more »

JERUSALEM (JTA) — When Issamar Ginzberg enters his Jerusalem office on a sweltering summer day, he’s wearing a long black coat tied at the waist and a black hat. His long, scraggly beard and sidecurls, or payos, offer no relief from the heat. The office — thank God —… Read more »

(JTA) — Forget sprawling estates and yacht slips, the hottest real estate in the Hamptons might just be a Jewish cemetery. The Shaarey Pardes Accabonac Grove Cemetery, a private plot owned by the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, a Reform synagogue in East Hampton, has become one of the most… Read more »

(JTA) – Several years ago, Jessica Berman and her husband, Brad, bumped into her high school boyfriend. “If you aren’t working as a lawyer in hockey, I’d be amazed,” Berman recalled him saying. The ex had her pegged. Berman, 37, has been employed by the National Hockey League for… Read more »

  WASHINGTON (JTA) – The moment the Iran nuclear deal becomes law, as seems increasingly likely given growing congressional support for the agreement, the focus of the U.S.-Israel conversation will shift to the question of what’s next. What more will Washington do to mitigate the Iranian threat and reassure… Read more »

Rebecca Pitts and Keith Kueny were married Aug. 8, 2015 in Salem, Ore. Both are 2013 graduates of Willamette University College of Law. Rebecca is the daughter of Judith Brown of Tucson and Terry Pitts of Cedar Ra­pids, Iowa, and the granddaughter of Miriam Brown of Tucson. Keith is… Read more »

Dana and Ira Adler announce the engagement of their son, Michael Alan Adler, to Meredith Jacqueline Zitron, daughter of Barbara Gross of Pepper Pike, Ohio, and stepdaughter of Terry Pollack. Michael is the grandson of Joanne Dendinger of Bloomington, Minn., and the late Miriam and Milton Adler and Wilbert… Read more »

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA HILLEL FOUNDATION has hired two new staff members to increase Israel engagement. ELYSE PINCUS, a UA alumna who grew up in Tucson, is the IACT coordinator for Israel engagement, which is a new position sponsored by the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston. The program originated… Read more »

JORDAN NATHANIEL SUMBERG, son of Lori and Craig Sumberg, will celebrate becoming a bar mitzvah on Saturday, September 5, 2015 at Temple Emanu-El. He is the grandson of Estelle and Eugene Laska of New York, and the late Arlene and Shepard Sumberg of Boston. Jordan attends The Gregory School… Read more »

Pima County Attorney BARBARA LaWALL was honored at a recent Arizona’s Children Association VIP celebration for her dedication to children and families and her advocacy efforts in Pima County. ITZIK BECHER was named major gifts director at the Jewish National Fund. He will work with the Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson… Read more »

Maris (Mitzi) Kay Bootzin, 74, died Aug. 17, 2015, in Austin, Texas. Born in Milwaukee, Mrs. Bootzin graduated from Whitefish Bay High School in Milwaukee where, in her senior year, she directed all theatre productions. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Early in her career, she was a part-time… Read more »

Naomi Islin, 100, died March 11, 2015. Born in Manhattan, N.Y., she married Sidney Islin in 1936 and they moved to Tucson in 1948. Mrs. Islin worked as a civilian for the U.S. Navy at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II while her husband served in the… Read more »

Broadway in Tucson Centennial Hall 1020 E. University Blvd. 903-2929 broadwayintucson.com The season begins with America’s favorite redhead in a new incarnation of the iconic “Annie.” “The Phantom of the Opera” returns with new scenic and lighting designs, including the show’s legendary chandelier, followed by the 20th anniversary world… Read more »

Irving Berlin left an indelible mark on the classic American songbook with hits like “White Christmas,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and “God Bless America.” Arizona Theatre Company will bring Berlin’s story to life in “Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin,” which opens ATC’s 2015-16… Read more »

Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon

We are about to begin the yearly journey of the Jewish fall holidays, examining the choices we continually make and the way our choices have worked out for us in the past year. The last month of the Jewish year, Elul, is bracketed by Torah portions from Deuteronomy that… Read more »

Ori Parnaby

Dear Jewish Community Concierge, I’m new to Tucson and thinking of joining a synagogue. I’m not very religious and am not sure if a synagogue is really the right place to connect, but I want to do something to connect with the Jewish community here. Do you have any… Read more »

Now is certainly the time for all compassionate Arizonans, and particularly our progressive Jewish community, to speak out and lobby local and state lawmakers to pass Death With Dignity legislation. Do not confuse this with assisted suicide or euthanasia, because in appropriate legislation a competent, severely ill person judged… Read more »

Jewish Family & Children’s Services, in collaboration with experts from the University of Arizona Center on Aging, will present the Mel Sherman Institute on Mental Health lecture series this fall, with free talks on Fridays, Sept. 18 and Nov. 13, from 1-3 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center.… Read more »

Congregation Bet Shalom will hold its 12th annual Wine Tasting at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19 at CataVinos Wine Shoppe & Tasting Room, 3063 N. Alvernon Way. The event will feature tastings of kosher wines from around the world. Rosa Cohen, president of the synagogue, notes that in… Read more »