A son, Ezra Abraham Boxer, was born June 16, 2020 to Alex and Dara Boxer of St. Louis, Missouri. Grandparents are Michael and Betsy Boxer of Tucson, and Lynn and Barry Goldberg of Delray Beach, Florida. … Read more »
Yearly Archives 2020
Boycotting Twitter to protest its handling of anti-Semitism could backfire
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074709/07-27-20-rabbiemilytwitter-1024x569.jpg)
NEW YORK (JTA) — On Friday afternoon, a few hours before Shabbat, I found myself scrolling through Twitter when I stumbled upon an anti-Semitic rant. This by itself is hardly unusual — the amount of anti-Semitic vitriol on Twitter is horrifying. But when I checked the account, I found that… Read more »
Thousands join 48-hour #NoSafeSpaceForJewHate Twitter boycott to protest anti-Semitism on the platform
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074709/Twitter-walkout_edited-e1595874446406-1024x607.jpg)
(JTA) — After their vocal calls for Twitter to take down rapper Wiley’s spree of anti-Semitic tweets went unanswered, Jews in the United Kingdom are taking another approach: silence. British Jewish activists and their allies — including high-profile celebrities, both Jewish and non-Jewish — are staging a 48-hour boycott… Read more »
After George Floyd, Jewish institutions consider their own shortcomings on race
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074711/7-23-20race1-scaled-1024x768.jpeg)
When the protests over the police killing of George Floyd spread throughout the United States this spring, the moment served as a wakeup call not just for the country but for American Jews. Very quickly, leading Jewish institutions realized that the issue of racial justice wasn’t just about how… Read more »
Israel will allow foreign students to enter country to begin studies
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Foreign students planning to begin their studies in Israel this fall will be permitted to enter the country despite coronavirus restrictions that ban non-citizens. Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said in a statement reported by The Jerusalem Post that “we have been making great efforts to maintain… Read more »
An enduring feature of the pandemic so far: Jews are flocking to online classes
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074711/07-22-20-korazim-1024x574.jpg)
(JTA) — Israeli poetry scholar Rachel Korazim had been thinking about cutting back on travel when the coronavirus pandemic made the decision for her. “I said I really want to shift my teaching to distance learning because, you know, I’m not getting any younger. Travel is tiring,” she said… Read more »
John Lewis and the Jews: 6 moments that showcase an enduring alliance
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074712/07-20-2020-John-Lewis-1024x572.jpg)
WASHINGTON (JTA) — When John Lewis, the civil rights icon and congressman from Georgia, died at 80 over the weekend, Jews in America and abroad lost an ally of nearly six decades. Lewis never tired of telling folks to “get into good trouble,” to defy the authorities and the… Read more »
Israel’s schools will open on time even with rise in coronavirus cases, education minister asserts
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s education minister made it clear: Rise in coronavirus cases or not, schools in the country will open on time. “I say here to the citizens of the State of Israel, the school year will open on Sept. 1. Period,” Yoav Gallant said in an interview… Read more »
Abe Foxman’s next act: Raising $28 million to feed thousands of struggling Holocaust survivors
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074712/07-21-20-Met-Council-1024x569.jpg)
(JTA) – Since retiring from his post as national director of the Anti-Defamation League in 2015, Abraham Foxman has had plenty of opportunities to take on other projects in the Jewish world. Until now, he’s always said no. But now the 80-year-old is coming out of retirement with an… Read more »
Some synagogues are opting for high quality over homegrown when it comes to online services. Is that a good thing?
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074712/7-20-20-Virtual-Services-1024x569.jpg)
(JTA) – For the rabbis and cantor of Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, Illinois, the to-do list to prepare for the unprecedented online-only High Holidays season was long. In addition to transforming their usual services for over 3,000 people into an experience that congregants will find meaningful online, they… Read more »
Portland-area rabbis call on Department of Homeland Security to withdraw federal agents
(JTA) — Seven rabbis from the Portland, Oregon, area are pushing back against the Department of Homeland Security’s covert activity against protesters in their city. Portland has been the site of protests against racial inequality and police brutality for the past 50 nights, in the wake of the death… Read more »
Important announcement about the AJP from the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona board of directors
All of us look forward to learning what’s happening in our Jewish community. For generations, the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona has proudly produced the Arizona Jewish Post. Over that time, some of us have preferred to read our news in print, while others of us read online. Nonetheless,… Read more »
Federation plans online annual meeting and community awards celebration
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074714/wezelman-liz-kanter-groskind.jpg)
The second annual combined Jewish Community Awards Celebration and Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Annual Meeting will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 5-6:30 p.m. A Zoom invitation will be issued closer to the date. The event will include special recognition awards honoring lay or professional leaders from… Read more »
Interim rabbi takes helm at Temple Emanu-El
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074715/Rabbi-Scott-Slausen.jpg)
Rabbi Scott Saulson, Ph.D., joined Temple Emanu-El this month as interim rabbi. With an extensive background in pastoral counseling and mediation, Saulson specializes in helping congregations in transition. This is his eighth interim rabbi position. Along with fulfilling typical rabbinic duties for a year, such as officiating at services… Read more »
Tucsonans’ ‘Way to Be’ designed to help people examine, transform lives
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074715/Shari-Gootter-and-Tejpal.jpg)
With all the chaos and uncertainty in the outside world in recent months, many people are looking for ways to stabilize their inner lives. Tucson-based authors Shari Gootter, MA, LPC, CRC, and Tejpal, MA, MBA, have written a book, “Way to Be: 40 Insights and Transformative Practices in the… Read more »
Retired doctor turned rabbi shares joy of Jewish knowledge with Tucson
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074719/Howard-Schwartz-senior-lifestyle.jpg)
Judaism has always been a large part of Howard Schwartz’s life, but only after moving to Tucson did he truly fall into his role as a teacher of Jewish beliefs. The doctor turned rabbi uses his time post-retirement volunteering at different synagogues to give lectures on Judaism, and has… Read more »
Esther Becker’s annual book event for women takes on a new format
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074718/Esther_Jungreis_at_Scott_Air_Force_Base-1024x923.jpg)
For the past 16 years, hundreds of women have spent summer hours reading books selected by Esther Becker of the Women’s Academy of Jewish Studies in advance of her annual book brunch. Her selections have included novels, mysteries, biographies, essays, autobiographies, and prayer. Although the format will be different,… Read more »
Anti-Semitic stickers posted downtown Tucson and at UA
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074718/Chelsea-Gutierrez-e1594942082496-460x483.jpg)
An anti-Semitic sticker was posted downtown on Tucson’s Fourth Avenue recently, and more appeared on the University of Arizona campus. “The stickers appear to be the same type that surfaced here in Tucson approximately one year ago,” says Paul Patterson, Jewish community security director (see www.azjewishpost.com/2019/tucson-is-not-immune-to-hate-messaging-fliers-show). There also is the… Read more »
Gratitude: an antidote to emotional distancing
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223075548/Amy-Lederman-2009TLifestylepic-for-LEAD-article-2-e1554329559626.jpg)
Since March of this year, we have been forced to reassess and restructure how we think about and interact with the world. From empty calendars and stockpiled closets to work, family, and social lives that resemble nothing we have ever known, we bear witness to living in a COVID-19… Read more »
Online programs aid Southern Arizona community connections
![](https://cdn-15011.jigsawanalyticsgroup.cloud/20240223074714/shutterstock_1492696199-scaled-1024x684.jpg)
synagogues and Jewish agencies offer an assortment of virtual engagement programs for long summer days spent sheltering from the heat and the coronavirus. The list below includes some items that have crossed our desks recently but it is by no means exhaustive; check with other local organizations for additional… Read more »