Yearly Archives 2015

(Jewniverse via JTA) – It might seem that the only Jews left in Pakistan are underground – in Karachi’s lone Jewish cemetery. But that’s not quite so. Faisal (Fishel) Benkhald, the son of a Muslim father and Iranian Jewish mother, dares to call himself a Jew in a country… Read more »

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and owner Robert Kraft are all smiles after beating the Inidanapolis Colts, but will a Super Bowl victory be tainted by "Deflategate?" (Elsa/Getty Images)

(JTA) – “Deflategate,” the controversy surrounding the New England Patriots that has made national news, made its way to a Houston business conference led by a rabbi. Rabbi Yossi Grossman, dean of the Jewish Ethics Institute, on Monday transformed the football prattle into a high-minded look at ethics on… Read more »

(JTA) — World Zionist Congress elections began earlier this month and run through April 30. Here’s a primer on what the congress is, how (logistically) to vote, who’s on the ballot, and why you just might want to sign up for PayPal before casting your vote. What is it?… Read more »

WASHINGTON (JTA) — When Israel wants something from the United States, it typically makes three stops: the pro-Israel lobby, Jewish members of Congress and the White House. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignored all three when he accepted an invitation from House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to address Congress about… Read more »

Protesters clashing with Israeli police following the funeral of Sami al-Ja'ar in Rahat, in southern Israel, Jan. 18, 2015. (Activestills.org)

TEL AVIV (JTA) — In an economically depressed town populated largely by a minority group, a young man is killed under disputed circumstances. In the days that follow, riots consume the town, pitting frustrated and angry residents against the police, who maintain their officers acted in self-defense. But activists… Read more »

Rabbi Rachel S. Mikva

Religious ideas can be used both constructively and destructively, says Rabbi Rachel S. Mikva, Ph.D., the upcoming Rabbi Albert T. Bilgray scholar-in-residence at Temple Emanu-El. Mikva aims to encourage critical thinking about “Dangerous Religious Ideas” in the 29th Bilgray Memorial Lectureship series from Feb. 5 to 7, in collaboration… Read more »

KRAKOW, Poland (JTA) — Holocaust survivors gathered in Krakow on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz amid unease regarding the safety of Jews in Europe. Some 100 survivors from 19 countries — each with a child, grandchild or companion — are expected to attend official ceremonies on… Read more »

At Tu b'Shvat, bidding to save a beloved tree

LOS ANGELES (JTA) — If Tu b’Shvat is such a happy New Year for Trees, why am I sucking lemons? The holiday, usually a time for planting — except this year in Israel, where many are observing the shmitta year by not planting — for me may be a… Read more »

Stav Shaffir makes a point at a meeting of the Knesset Finance Committee in Jerusalem, Sept. 3, 2014. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

TEL AVIV (JTA) — Stav Shaffir was angry. The 29-year-old firebrand is known for her outbursts, which have gotten her kicked out of multiple Knesset hearings in the past year. But when she rose in the Knesset on Jan. 21 to answer Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett’s charge… Read more »

The conservation laboratory at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, which was established two years after the German army's retreat in 1945. (Katarzyna Markusz)

OSWIECIM, Poland (JTA) — Seventy years ago this month, Germany evacuated 58,000 prisoners from the concentration camps at Auschwitz and Birkenau, burning documents and blowing up gas chambers and crematoria. On Jan. 27 — the day now celebrated as International Holocaust Remembrance Day — the Soviet Red Army arrived,… Read more »

WASHINGTON (Washington Jewish Week) — For the second year running, a bid to pass a bill intensifying sanctions against Iran appears to be foundering on threat of a presidential veto. In his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Obama vowed to veto further sanctions legislation, saying it would… Read more »

International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced a preliminary examination concerning the "situation in Palestine." (Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (JTA) — On Jan. 16, the International Criminal Court prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, launched a “preliminary examination into the situation in Palestine.” Here is a review of what that means based on interviews with experts on international law and statements by the ICC and Israeli and U.S. officials. Has… Read more »

Bobbie Roffman, 93, died Jan. 3, 2015. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mrs. Roffman moved to Tucson in 1949. She was a member of Congregation Anshei Israel and was Sisterhood president for many years. She was a facilitator for the Arizona Lung Association in their smoking cessation classes and volunteered… Read more »

Matthew S. Gentle, 54, died Nov. 17, 2014. Born in Bay City, Mich., Mr. Gentle was a member of the U.S. Air Force. He moved to Florida where he met his wife Beth Abelson. They moved to Oro Valley in 2004. Survivors include his wife of almost 20 years,… Read more »

Oshrat Barel

Elections in Israel — why now? During my recent visit to Israel, many of the conversations I had with family and friends were about the upcoming elections in Israel. The fact that the elections are being held prematurely did not come as a surprise, especially given that Israel has… Read more »

Tucsonans Elyse Pincus (currently a Masa Israel teaching fellow in Rehovot) and Birthright participants Tanya Hetlinger and Adam Knox at the Path to Peace mosaic wall

Birthright update The Birthright Israel Foundation asks: “What has four wheels and takes 40 young Jewish adults on the experience of a lifetime?” Answer: A Taglit-Birthright Israel bus. During this winter season, Birthright brought more than 14,000 young Jews, ages 18-26, from 21 countries to our homeland for the… Read more »

The Institute for the Study of Religion and Culture at the University of Arizona College of Humanities will present the first of a series of conversations entitled “The Abrahamic Family Reunion: Jewish, Christian and Muslim Perspectives on Moses, Jesus and Muhammad”on Tuesday, Jan. 27 from 4 to 6 p.m.… Read more »

Hadassah Southern Arizona will sponsor a mah jongg tournament on Sunday, Feb. 15, beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Skyline Country Club, 5200 E. St. Andrews Drive. The entry fee of $40 includes lunch. There will be cash prizes for the top three scorers, plus each round winner will receive… Read more »

Limmud, a day of learning for the Jewish community, will be held at Arizona State University in Tempe on Sunday, Feb. 8. Limmud (Hebrew for “to learn”) is part of a worldwide movement that began in Great Britain in 1980. The Arizona program will feature over 40 presenters with… Read more »

Rabbi Benjamin Blech, in “Before Hawking, Golem story warned of dangers of intelligent machines” (AJP, 1/9/15), ponders the possibility that the “artificial intelligence” that science and technology produces may lead to “creations capable of destroying our world because we doubt our creator.” Over the centuries millions of people have… Read more »