Yearly Archives 2015

By now, it has become clear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to address Congress on March 4 has become a disaster – not just for him but more importantly for the US-Israel relationship. From the beginning, one of the chief objections to the visit — and the… Read more »

The entrance to the core display of the museum of the Holocaust Education Center in Fukuyama, with its replica of the infamous Auschwitz gate, Dec. 27, 2014. (Cnaan Liphshiz)

FUKUYAMA, Japan (JTA) — In the auditorium of this country’s main Holocaust education center, a teenage actor explains the dilemma that faced a Japanese diplomat during World War II. “My conscience tells me I must act a certain way, but doing so means defying my commanders,” says the actor… Read more »

Michael Oren, a former diplomat and noted historian, may be the only American-born member of the next Israeli parliament. (Gideon Markowicz/FLASH90)

TEL AVIV (JTA) — Michael Oren, New York-born and educated at Columbia and Princeton, begins an interview in Hebrew. Though he quickly switches to English, Oren interrupts himself every so often to translate a word into Hebrew for his assistant. It’s a bilingual bridge he has spanned in one… Read more »

WASHINGTON (JTA) — In tense meetings, top congressional Democrats — including a number of Jewish lawmakers — confronted Israeli officials about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned speech to Congress. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the minority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, met Wednesday with Yuli Edelstein, the Knesset… Read more »

Molly Rothschild and Lutheran Volunteer Corps colleague Torrance Winder

Both Lonnie Kleinman and Molly Rothschild grew up immersed in Tucson’s Jewish community. But like many college graduates in their 20s, each felt compelled to broaden her life experience by leaving home, working with Jewish nonprofits in other parts of the country. Kleinman, 23, who attended Tucson Hebrew Academy… Read more »

ANDREA S. GOULD-MARKS, Ph.D., ABPP, a psychologist with private and public practices in New York, is opening a practice for integrative transitional psychotherapy. Offices will be centrally located in Tucson. Gould-Marks is founder of Lucid Learning Systems, LLC, a provider of psycho-educational programs, and director of community development for… Read more »

AMY KRAUSS has been elected to serve on the governing board of the Catalina Foothills School District. Her four-year term began last month. Krauss, an attorney, will join four other board members. Krauss also serves on the steering committee of the Cardozo Society of the Jewish Federation of Southern… Read more »

EVE PELE SPIEGEL, daughter of Ron Spiegel and Ester Vider-Spiegel will celebrate becoming a bat mitzvah on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 at Temple Emanu-El. She is the granddaughter of Meira Spiegel and the late David Spiegel of Beit She’an, Israel, and Hanna Vider and the late David Vider of… Read more »

BENNETT LAZARUS SILVYN, son of Jeff and Keri Silvyn, will celebrate becoming a bar mitzvah on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015 at Congregation Or Chadash. He is the grandson of Benita Silvyn and Charles Whitehill of Tucson and Larry and Marlys Lazarus of Scottsdale. He is the great-grandson of Maurice… Read more »

Children took part in a PJ Library story walk in the sculpture garden of the JCC. At each set of pages from “Matzo Frogs” by Sally Rosenthal, illustrated by David Sheldon, they performed an activity relating to the story, such as hopping like frogs and pretending to catch flies with their tongues. PJ Library kids also decorated picture frames and created soup kits for seniors in the community. (John Wu)

Super Extraordinary Sunday The Jewish Federation’s Super Extraordinary Sunday phonathon and mitzvah day was held Jan. 25 at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. More than 150 volunteers made calls to community members, who pledged more than $229,000 to the 2015 Community Campaign, which supports humanitarian, educational and social programs… Read more »

The Tucson chapter of the Brandeis National Committee will hold its annual used book sale Feb. 13-22 at the Foothills Mall. Admission is free except for a special preview to be held Thursday, Feb. 12, from 5-9 p.m., which requires a $10 tax-deductible donation to the BNC. Proceeds of… Read more »

On Feb. 10-11, the University of Arizona Center for Judaic Studies will bring master sofer (scribe) Rabbi Gedaliah Druin to campus to resume work on the restoration of its 200-year-old Torah scroll. The scroll was donated anonymously; the center’s Beth Alpert Nakhai, Ph.D., acquired it in 2009. The scroll… Read more »

Temple Emanu-El is holding a series of classes to honor the Shmita, or Sabbatical year. In biblical times the seventh year was a time to let the land lie fallow, for debts to be forgiven and for all who worked the land to rest and rejuvenate. If the Sabbatical… Read more »

Rabbi Ephraim Zimmerman

Picture this: The day at work is almost over and, remembering that you need to pick up some groceries, you mention to your coworker that you’ll be stopping at Sprouts on the way home. Her ears perk up and she asks you for a favor. She’s been wanting to… Read more »

Melissa Goldfinger, a volunteer with the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, has launched a new club for children in grades 4-7 called Many Mitzvah Makers – 3M for short. The mission of 3M is to engage kids in the mitzvot of tzedakah, tikkun olam and chesed (charity, repairing the… Read more »

Tucsonan Arlene Brody’s pearl, rhinestone and lace tiara, also worn by her sisters and sister-in-law (Athol Cline)

The Jewish History Museum’s seventh annual ketubah and wedding gown exhibit will open on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. with a champagne and chocolate reception. Models will wear several gowns from the permanent collection, including new acquisitions, as well as gowns on loan. Some of the local brides… Read more »

Nancy Lefkowitz

Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona has coordinated Matza & More, a volunteer-driven program to collect and deliver Passover items to more than 200 local Jewish families and individuals in need, for more than 40 years. Local businesses, syna­gogues and Jewish organizations support the effort. JFCS is… Read more »

The Edwards twins, who studied the arts at Tucson’s Rincon High School, surrounded by some of their characters (Courtesy Anthony Edwards)

“We were put on this earth to entertain people!” Anthony Edwards exclaims. Twins Anthony and Eddie Edwards, who spent some of their formative years in the Old Pueblo, will return next month for two shows at the Fox Tucson Theatre (Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.), featuring… Read more »

The anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on Jan. 27 was a cold, snowy, windy day. The slush surrounding the former concentration camp was frozen into icy slurry when I arrived by bus from Krakow in the early morning. It was on this day 70 years ago that Red… Read more »

For parents to have the support of the larger community is both a Jewish tradition and a universal need. That support should include families where children are cared for at home as well as those where parents pay for childcare. The childcare tax credit the president recently proposed to… Read more »