Miriam Romero received the Arizona English Language Teacher of the Year Award at the Arizona Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition Services 2018 Conference, held Dec. 5 at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort. Romero is a teacher at Carrillo K-5 Magnet School in the Tucson Unified… Read more »
Stanley Paul Abrams, 86, died Dec. 20, 2018. Mr. Abrams was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Jesse and Gustav Abrams. He received his bachelor’s degree from Ohio University and attended graduate school at the University of Michigan. While at Ohio University, he entered the ROTC program and was… Read more »
Myron “Mickey” H. Freedman, 86, died Dec. 15, 2018. Mr. Freedman was born in Chicago. He was an engineer, retired from Raytheon. Mr. Freedman was predeceased by his wife, Cynthia, and daughter, Gail Freedman. Survivors include his daughter, Renee Freedman; one granddaughter and one great-granddaughter; and friend Anita Asquith.… Read more »
Robert A. Leffler, 88, died Dec. 20, 2018. Mr. Leffler was born in New York City. He received a degree in accounting from New York University. Mr. Leffler was predeceased by his wife of 50 years, Anita Stein Leffler, and brother, John Leffler, who died in World War II.… Read more »
Elise B. Gilden, 101, died Dec. 16, 2018. A native Chicagoan, Mrs. Gilden lived in Tucson for over 40 years. She graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in art history, and in her 50s received a master’s in special education from Roosevelt University in Chicago. As… Read more »
Philip S. Kleiman 65, died Nov. 14, 2018. Mr. Kleiman attended the Franklin Institute in Boston where he earned a degree in mechanical drafting. He met his wife, Sheri, in Denver in 1974 and they married in 1979. The two moved to Tucson in 1980. Mr. Kleiman had a… Read more »
Cnaan Liphshiz examines binned avocados at Amsterdam's Albert Cuyp Market, Jan. 5, 2018. (Cnaan Liphshiz)
AMSTERDAM — I was recently offered a handout while rummaging for food in a heap of trash as my two small children looked on. It happened all because I wanted to start attending synagogue regularly. To be clear, I’m writing this neither as a plea for pity nor an indictment against… Read more »
Mikhl Baran with some Kinder Ring campers. (Courtesy of Sharon Strongin/Camp Kinder Ring)
Editor’s note: JTA published this article in February 2018. Marc Rauch, director of Camp Kinder Ring, assures the Arizona Jewish Post that Mikhl Baran, now 96, taught at the camp “throughout the summer of 2018 and plans to return in 2019. He is truly an icon at Kinder Ring,… Read more »
Jeremy Huw Williams
Editor’s note: A second concert, in which Argentine pianist and conductor Ricardo Hegman was to play works by the renowned Israeli composer Andres Hadju, was canceled on Jan. 10 because Hegman will not be able to get a visa in time. Daniel Asia, a composer and University of Arizona… Read more »
Rabbi Peter Berg of The Temple in Atlanta speaks at an interfaith prayer vigil following the Pittsburgh shooting last year. (Ellis Vener)
(JTA) — On an average Saturday morning at the Orthodox Ohel Tefillah synagogue on Chicago’s North Side, about 10 percent of the men carry a handgun. That number may seem high in a liberal city with some of the strictest gun laws in the country. But in the aftermath… Read more »
(JTA) — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is the winner of the $1 million Genesis Prize, the so-called Jewish Nobel. Kraft, 77, will be giving the money “to initiatives combatting anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice as well as attempts to de-legitimize the State of Israel,” according to… Read more »
(JTA) — Michael Phelps, the most decorated swimmer in Olympics history, will receive the Morton E. Ruderman Award for Inclusion of People with Disabilities. The Ruderman Family Foundation will honor Phelps in recognition of his advocacy for people with disabilities and the sharing of his own journey with mental health, the… Read more »
Ginger and turmeric soup (Emanuelle Lee)
This article originally appeared on The Nosher. Along with the start of a new year comes long, cold, tiring days and withdrawal symptoms from holiday excess. We can all use a little refresh when it’s time to step back into reality, and this soup is all I ever want to… Read more »
(JTA) — Jewish federal employees who are struggling with expenses due to the government shutdown can now find some relief. The Hebrew Free Loan Association of Greater Washington approved an emergency program last week to provide loans of up to $2,000 per household to affected Jews living in the… Read more »
(JTA) — It has been four years since a gunman attacked the Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in Paris. JTA’s Cnaan Liphshiz went back to the scene of the shooting for a commemoration ceremony, and to check in with French Jewry on how they feel their country has progressed —… Read more »
(JTA) — Serge and Beate Klarsfeld, two prominent French Nazi hunters, won the Jewish Book Council’s top national book award on Wednesday. “Hunting the Truth: Memoirs of Serge and Beate Klarsfeld” includes first person accounts of the couple’s 50-plus years of pursuing Nazi war criminals. The Jewish Book Council… Read more »
Annie Cohen, right, met Holocaust survivor Ela Weissberger when the teen appeared in a New Orleans production of "Brundibar" in 2016. The children's opera by Jewish Czech composer Hans Krása was performed by the children of the Theresienstadt concentration camp, including Weissberger. (Courtesy of Cohen)
NEW ORLEANS (JTA) — Ela Weissberger, though tiny and elderly when I met her, was the strongest woman I have ever known. Her energy was indefatigable, her personality vibrant and sunny, her wit sharp and charming. Her magical rapport with children was undeniable. Ela was a Holocaust survivor, sent… Read more »
The Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue in Yangon dates back to the 19th century. (Charles Dunst)
YANGON, Myanmar (JTA) – There was a Hanukkah party last month in this former capital city and enough guests — over 200 — to surprise an uninvited tourist. “They’re no Jews here anymore,” the tourist proclaims, confused about the celebration at Yangon’s regal Chatrium Hotel. “Yes there are,” replies… Read more »
(JTA) — The father of Meadow Pollack, a student who was among the 17 people killed in the shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school, has been appointed to the state Board of Education. Gov. Rick Scott appointed Andy Pollack in an announcement on Friday evening, the South Florida… Read more »
Michael Douglas, left, and Alan Arkin have some fun after winning big at the 76th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., Jan. 6, 2019. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)
(JTA) — From Michael Douglas’ Yiddish exclamation to more success for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” to Regina King’s Hebrew-letter tattoo, the 2019 Golden Globes had its fair share of Jewish moments. Rachel Brosnahan is not Jewish, but she does a convincing job playing a very Jewish woman in “Mrs.… Read more »
