The Arizona Jewish Post has won a Simon Rockower Award from the American Jewish Press Association. The second place Louis Rapoport Award for Excellence in Commentary (Division B., newspapers 14,999 circulation and under) is for three columns by Amir Eden, former director of the Weintraub Israel Center: “On the Day of Atonement, let us cry for the suffering of all,” “Whether in U.S. or Israel, voting is vital duty,” and “At Hanukkah, don’t take message for granted.” The awards were presented at the AJPA’s 2019 annual conference in St. Louis on Tuesday.
Román Gabriel Urias recently became an advertising and marketing assistant for the Arizona Jewish Post and Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona. A May 2019 graduate of Southwest University of Visual Arts in graphic design, he previously interned as a junior graphic designer and worked as a part-time advertising account executive with AJP. The Tucson native won a Top 10 Arizona Advertising Federation of Tucson student award in 2019.
The Tucson Jewish Community Center has hired Khylie Gardner as director of marketing, communications, and public relations. An Arizona native, Gardner most recently lived in New York City, where she was the director of program marketing at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan on the Upper West Side. She previously worked for Hazon’s Israel Ride, a fundraising project for environmental activism and cooperation in the Middle East. She has lived in Flagstaff, where she earned a BS in strategic communication from Northern Arizona University, and in Scotland, where she earned an MSc in marketing for festivals and events from Edinburgh Napier University. She is passionate about Sephardi/Mizrahi culture and enjoys art, music, and following soccer.
Tucson Hebrew Academy has raised more than $40,000 to purchase new laptops for each student in grades 1-4. THA will use the devices to provide students with a blended learning experience as part of its Challenge Based Learning delivery system. The computers will allow more opportunities to learn how to collaborate via technology and use resources effectively, as well as provide students with individualized instruction in Hebrew, Judaics, and general studies. For more information, visit www.thaaz.org.
Tucson Symphony Orchestra has hired three new musicians: Zach Warren, flute; Darren Cueva, bassist; and Alana Wiesing, timpanist and percussionist. More than 60 musicians from around the world traveled to Tucson for the auditions. Two musicians announced their retirement: violinist Dawn Calista, retiring after 39 years, and cellist Mary Beth Tyndall, retiring after 38 years in the orchestra. Auditions for violin, viola, and cello will be held in the fall. For more information, visit www.tucsonsymphony.org.
