This Sunday evening, Jews around the world will chant the Kol Nidre, the ancient Aramaic incantation repeated three times at the Yom Kippur evening ceremony. Hillel International, embracing the diversity of Jewish tradition, is sharing three distinct versions as part of its Higher Holidays program: A dramatized reading in… Read more »
Yearly Archives 2020
Check out the AJP Advertising Directories
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As part of the Arizona Jewish Post’s pivot to an all-digital platform, we’ve introduced new monthly ad directories. On Sept. 11, we kicked things off with two directories: L’Shana Tova Tikatevu 5781, featuring Rosh Hashanah greetings from community members and organizations, and the September – October 2020 Business Directory.… Read more »
One Zoom employee saved High Holidays streaming for 300 synagogues
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(JTA) — When Rosh Hashanah begins on Friday night, some 300 synagogues across North America streaming their High Holidays services via Zoom will be able to set it and forget it thanks largely to one man: Mitch Tarica. Tarica is the streaming platform’s director of North American sales. He’s… Read more »
A tale of two High Holidays: Why Orthodox Jews are going to synagogue while everyone else is on Zoom
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(JTA) – At the Jewish Center on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, this year’s High Holidays will be anything but normal. With eight services happening in various spaces throughout the building, on the roof and in the street (closed off to facilitate services), approximately 400 people will gather for socially distanced… Read more »
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, first Jewish woman to serve on Supreme Court, dies at 87
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WASHINGTON (JTA) – Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first Jewish woman to serve on the Supreme Court and a tireless advocate for gender equality, has died at 87. A fierce jurist known for her outsized presence and outspokenness, Ginsburg died from “complications of metastatic pancreas cancer,” the Supreme Court announced… Read more »
The Israel-UAE-Bahrain peace deals, explained
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(JTA) — Israel has signed diplomatic agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, two of its Arab neighbors, and the word “historic” has been used a lot. For Israel and the region, the so-called Abraham Accords signings truly were historic: There was a big ceremony on the White… Read more »
Netanyahu nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for agreements with UAE and Bahrain
(JTA) — An Italian lawmaker has nominated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel for the Nobel Peace Prize. Paolo Grimoldi of the right-wing Northern League party tweeted Wednesday that he had nominated Netanyahu because he signed peace agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as well as the… Read more »
Earl Surwit, M.D., 73, died Sept. 10
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Earl Surwit, M.D., 73, died Sept. 10, 2020. Earl grew up in Maryland and earned a medical degree from Georgetown University. Earl grew up in Maryland. He graduated from Muhlenberg College and earned a medical degree from Georgetown University. He completed a residency at the University of North Carolina… Read more »
Danilo Fredman
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A son, Danilo Judah Fredman, was born July 3, 2020 to Brenda and Daniel Fredman, M.D. of Tucson. Grandparents are the late Avery and Henrietta Fredman of St. Louis, Missouri; José Netzahualcóyotl Ruíz, M.D., of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico; and Guadalupe Gurrola of Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico. Danilo joins his brother,… Read more »
Community invited to attend online annual meeting and awards celebration Sept. 15
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On Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 5 p.m., community members are invited to participate in an online joint Jewish Community Awards Celebration and Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Annual Meeting. The awards celebration portion of the event will recognize Federation’s Woman and Man of the Year, Gary I. Sarver Young… Read more »
JFSA and JCF to partner with SVP Fast Pitch program
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The Jewish Federation and Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona are collaborating with Social Venture Partners Tucson to grow and advance its Fast Pitch program, which helps local nonprofits raise funds, boost awareness, and build their capacity. In Fast Pitch, which debuted locally in 2015, SVP staff and volunteers… Read more »
In COVID-19 era, Project Isaiah food drive focusing on monetary donations
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Project Isaiah, the Jewish community’s annual High Holidays food drive benefiting the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, begins Sept. 14 and continues through Oct. 2. Coordinated by the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, this annual effort evokes the memory of the prophet who, when asked why we fast… Read more »
THA to honor Mellans with Tikkun Olam award
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Stuart Mellan, longtime leader of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, and his wife, Nancy, will be the honorees for Tucson Hebrew Academy’s 2020 Tikkun Olam Celebration. “Then and Now: Celebrating 25 Years of Leadership” will be presented as a YouTube video on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m.… Read more »
The Arizona Jewish Post transitions to digital
As of our Sept. 11, 2020 issue, the Arizona Jewish Post has pivoted to become an all-digital publication. All content, including articles, life cycle announcements, advertisements, and opinion pieces will be featured online at azjewishpost.com. Why the change? On July 17, 2020, the board of directors of the Federation… Read more »
Chabad to present Mega Challah Bake online
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Southern Arizona’s Mega Challah Bake will be held in your own kitchen this year — with Chabad providing live instructions and entertainment via Zoom, plus ingredients for those who want them. “It has been a delight to organize and host the Mega Challah Bake of Tucson over the past… Read more »
High Holiday profiles: Local environmentalists’ passion stems from Jewish roots, family
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The year 2020 has brought us face-to-face with many significant obstacles, from the global coronavirus pandemic to issues of racial injustice. Among the challenges that we are confronting is climate change, which forces us to ask ourselves, “How will we leave the environment for future generations?” In time for… Read more »
Childhood tales of oppression spur environmental advocate
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The echoes of oppression in Jewish history have shaped Lori Ann Burd’s strong sense of Jewish identity and desire to do good in the world. “I am so privileged, and have come from these people who fought so hard just to survive,” says Burd, 39. “I have literally no… Read more »
Water researcher links arid regions of Arizona, Israel, and Jordan
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Sharon B. Megdal, Ph.D., director of the Water Resources Research Center at the University of Arizona, was not always interested in water. She studied economics, planning to work in public policy, and became immersed in the world of water as part of that journey. “A lot of people just… Read more »
At Tumamoc Hill lab, Tucson native explores past, future of the Sonoran Desert
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Benjamin Wilder, Ph.D., 36, is director of the University of Arizona Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, a job that connects him deeply with his Tucson roots. Wilder was born and raised in Tucson. His father, Janos Wilder, is an award-winning chef and owner of the local DOWNTOWN Kitchen +… Read more »
Environmental Education Exchange founder Markowitz empowers kids
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Neil Markowitz, 61, has been a contributing member of the Tucson community for over 25 years. His work in founding and running the Environmental Education Exchange (E3) as well as the time he gives to Jewish organizations has made an impact felt across the region. Markowitz has been working… Read more »