“The Good Jew” explored at conference
A meeting of the western branch of the American Academy of Religion was held at the University of Arizona April 1-3. A panel presentation April 3, “The Good Jew: Rabbinic Ethnographic and Historical Perspectives” was moderated by Max Strassfeld, assistant professor of religious studies and Judaic studies at the UA. Howard J. Schwartz, adjunct visiting scholar at the UA’s Arizona Center for Judaic Studies, spoke on “Being a (Good) Jew: A Dilemma in an Age of Individualism.” Gila Silverman, an instructor at the UA School of Anthropology, presented “An Imaginary Ideal: The ‘Good Jew’ and Liberal American Jewishness.” David Graizbord, associate professor at the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies, spoke on “Millennial Jews and Americanization: Between Nation and Religion.”
JCF exec honored
Tracy Salkowitz, executive director of the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, received a 2016 Arizona State University Apple Award for outstanding field instruction from the Arizona chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. She was nominated by ASU social work student Christine Liao, a JCF intern.
MHWOW retreat
Moishe House Without Walls Tucson, a program for ages 22-32, held a retreat weekend April 1-3 at the DoubleTree Reid Park Tucson. MHWOW Coordinator Alyssa Silva emphasized that the retreat was a success not because all 20 spots were claimed, “but because everyone who came to the retreat, left with a community of their Jewish peers and the realization that Judaism is an important and positive part of their lives.”
