Yearly Archives 2019

(JTA) — Jewish astronaut Jessica Meir posted photos of Israel that she took from space. “My father’s globe spanning journey as a surgeon from the Middle East, to Europe, and eventually to the U.S. was an inspiration to many in my immediate and extended family. #TheJourney,” Meir tweeted on… Read more »

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Hamas is responsible for every attack originating from Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, following rocket attacks from the coastal strip that scored a direct hit on a home in southern Israel. “Immediately after the firing at the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip, I convened… Read more »

“Conquering Arthritis … Meet the University of Arizona Arthritis Center Researchers” will be presented Wednesday, Nov. 6, 6-7:15 p.m., at the Health Sciences Innovation Building on the UA Health Science campus, 1670 E. Drachman St., Tucson. This event features a look into the future of care, prevention, and ultimately… Read more »

(JTA) — Since announcing his presidential run in May, Michael Bennet has been polling between zero and 1 percent. He didn’t qualify for the latest Democratic debate and he’s a long shot to make the next one. The Colorado senator raised only $2.1 million in the third quarter of… Read more »

(JTA) — French President Emmanuel Macron and leaders of the country’s Jewish community inaugurated a $17 million Jewish community center in Paris that has been in the works for 20 years. The European Center for Judaism was opened on Tuesday, “amid painful times of terrorism and anti-Semitism,” said Joel… Read more »

Israel’s Sept. 17 elections, its second national elections in less than six months, produced no clear victory for either Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud Party or his top rival, Benny Gantz, retired commander–in-chief of the Israel Defense Forces who now serves as the head of the Blue… Read more »

A sermon at Congregation Shalom in Milwaukee translated into generosity from that community to Tucson. It all began when Rabbi Ronald Shapiro joined a group of rabbis visiting a migrant detention center in San Diego in the spring. Returning to Milwaukee to share what he witnessed, he relayed how… Read more »

The Ruth & Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life (Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Northwest Division) will commemorate Kristallnacht, the “night of broken glass” that took place in Nazi Germany Nov. 8-9, 1938, with a program on Sunday, Nov. 10, from 10 a.m.-noon. Many historians view Kristallnacht, in which… Read more »

Next week, on Nov. 4, Israel will mark 24 years since the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Rabin, a leader, politician, and army commander, was killed by a Jewish assassin as he was walking down the stairs from the stage at what is now called Rabin Square… Read more »

Dawn Messer

Dawn Messer, founder of Mindful Meanderings, will be the keynote speaker for the 15th annual CHAI Circle retreat on Sunday, Nov. 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort, 5501 N. Hacienda del Sol Road. CHAI Circle, a program of Jewish Family… Read more »

Israeli author Avi Jorisch

Israeli author Avi Jorisch will discuss his best-selling book, “Thou Shalt Innovate: How Israeli Ingenuity Repairs the World,” on Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. The book was published by Gefen Publishing House in 2018. It is being translated into more than 30 languages. Jorisch, an… Read more »

If you’ve spent any time in Tucson you’ve seen the swarms of quirky yellow VW bugs dressed up with floppy black ears and a tail. They’re the iconic Truly Nolen Pest Control Mousecars. But, did you know there really was a man called Truly David Nolen … and that… Read more »

One of every person’s most important decisions is the choice of a future profession. Tedd Goldfinger, D.O., FACC, FESC, FCCP, and Ronald Mann, M.D., chose rewarding careers in the field of medicine with specialties in cardiology and dermatology, respectively. In addition, both have upped the ante in their busy… Read more »

COLOGNE, Germany (JTA) — When the breaking news from Halle started to pour in on Oct. 9, the Jewish community around the world was still in the midst of commemorating the holiest day of the year in Judaism, Yom Kippur. Equipped with a rifle, ammunition and other military gear, the… Read more »

Rabbi Robert Eisen

Finish the sentence: “If not now, _____” I would venture to guess that most of us would immediately call to mind the famous passage attributed to Hillel the Elder (Pirkei Avot 1:14): If I am not for myself, who is for me? When I am for myself, what am… Read more »

For her final project in a course on the history of medicine, first-year medical student Raeesa Hossain joined with four fellow students from New York Medical College to interview a Holocaust survivor deported to Auschwitz as a child. The survivor told the students how his experience during the war… Read more »

The year is 1939 and while Hitler is invading Poland, Atlanta’s close-knit Jewish community is preparing for Ballyhoo, the social event of the year. The Arizona Repertory Theatre of the University of Arizona College of Fine Arts School of Theatre, Film & Television will present Alfred Uhry’s “The Last… Read more »

The Council for Higher Education in Israel recently launched the national initiative “Study in Israel” to double the number of international students enrolled in Israeli colleges and universities, initially targeting students in North America, China, and India. There are currently about 12,000 international students studying in Israel. “Study in… Read more »

As America’s opioid epidemic continues to impact communities large and small, new trends are raising new challenges for doctors and policymakers. While opioid-related overdose remains a top concern, the epidemic now is driven by illicitly manufactured fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. In 2017, more than 70,000 people died from… Read more »

Two Celebration of Heritage concerts will take center stage at the Tucson Jewish Community Center in the coming months. Robin Bessier’s band returns to the J on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. with the next concert in the Jewish Jazz Connection series, “The Life and Music of Irving… Read more »