Tucson resident Sula Miller will discuss her recent book “Welcome to … The Widows Club” (CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2017) at two local venues next week. Tucson is the last stop on Miller’s seven-state book tour that began in Florida. The novel was inspired by her mother-in-law, Bernyce, who became… Read more »
Posts By Debe Campbell
Joan Nathan dishes on her 15 favorite Jewish foods
If you’re part of a Jewish family in the U.S., there’s a decent chance you grew up in the vicinity of a Joan Nathan cookbook. Her many books, like “Jewish Cooking in America,” have been staples of the American Jewish experience for decades. Nathan, 76, was honored Dec. 2… Read more »
Amb. Wendy Sherman to speak as J Street honors Gellman
J Street will honor Larry Gellman at a Tucson reception on Monday, Dec. 16, at 6 p.m., with guest speakers Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman and J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami. Sherman led the U.S. negotiating team that reached the Iran nuclear agreement in 2015. Gellman has chaired the boards… Read more »
On border issues, Jewish values spur community work
A collaborative Jewish community initiative that sprang from the Oct. 24 day of a learning journey to the U.S.-Mexico border at Nogales, Arizona, continues to move forward. “There are clearly two tracks of interest that emerged from the initial education event,” Jewish History Museum Director Bryan Davis told the… Read more »
Hallmark Channel to broadcast its first Hanukkah movies
The Hallmark Channel will premiere its first two Hanukkah-themed movies this month in honor of the holiday, which starts this year on Dec. 22. “Our audience is very vocal, and they tell us when they’d like to see more of something,” says Michelle Vicary, Crown Media’s executive vice president… Read more »
Lemon ricotta fritters: Easier and just as delicious as jelly doughnuts
I know that sufganiyot — jelly doughnuts — are traditional and beloved for Hanukkah. But I feel confident that once you try these easy and incredibly delicious ricotta fritters, you will be converted to these sweet fried treats. And if I’m making a confession, I have actually never loved… Read more »
M’kor Hayim joins URJ
Congregation M’kor Hayim has joined the Union for Reform Judaism, the association of nearly 900 Reform congregations in North America. “Our congregation began in 2008. Now that we are fully established locally, we felt it was time to connect with the wider Jewish community,” Rabbi Helen Cohn said. She… Read more »
JFSA interfaith trip took Tucsonans into Israeli homes, hearts
On a Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona interfaith mission Oct. 27-Nov. 5, dubbed “Connecting Cultures, Communities, and Hearts,” 28 participants got a taste of Israel’s diversity and complexity, coming away with a new appreciation for the nation’s challenges, but no easy answers. Members of the group “were touched so… Read more »
Border trip enlightens NW/Hadassah group
About 85 community members joined a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Nogales, Arizona, on Wednesday, Nov. 20. The bus trip, hosted by the Ruth and Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life and Hadassah Southern Arizona, included several speakers along the journey: immigration attorneys Alexandra Miller from Humane… Read more »
Asher Jax Goldstein
A son, Asher Jax Goldstein, was born Oct. 15, 2019 to Steffany and Joseph Goldstein of Scottsdale. Grandparents are Ellen and David Goldstein and Tess and Mark Holcomb, all of Tucson.… Read more »
Aaron Chase Handler
Aaron Chase Handler, son of Marla and Steven Handler, celebrated becoming a bar mitzvah on Nov. 16, 2019, at Congregation Or Chadash. He attends Orange Grove Middle School and plays on the basketball team. Aaron enjoys baseball, basketball, football, and Camp Interlaken in Wisconsin. For his mitzvah project, he… Read more »
Spiritual experience shared
As someone who grew up in Tucson and remembers the joy of seeing the “mousecars” as a kid, the story of Truly Nolen (“From ‘Antcars’ to ‘Mousecars,’ Tucson’s Truly Nolen delivers smiles worldwide,” AJP, 10/25/19) indeed brought a smile. But it might help readers to clarify a point of… Read more »
John Polacheck
John W. Polacheck, M.D., 77, died Nov. 25, 2019, in Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Polacheck was born on April 10, 1942 in Milwaukee, where he grew up with his parents, Walter and Shirley Polacheck, and his younger siblings Linda, Mary, and Tom. After graduating as the valedictorian from Riverside High… Read more »
People in the news 12.6.19
Jeffrey Jacobson has been elected to the board of directors of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Foundation. Last year, he became the 74th supreme master (international president) of Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity. Jacobson is a member of the Tucson Hebrew Academy board of trustees and co-founder of the Will for… Read more »
TE death penalty forum to probe shul shooting
On Oct. 27, 2018, a gunman killed 10 congregants and injured six more at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. The gunman himself was shot but survived. On Aug. 26, 2019, the U.S. Attorney in Pittsburgh announced that federal prosecutors would be seeking the death penalty in the… Read more »
Maximizing philanthropic impact: Why capacity building and unrestricted giving matter most
Philanthropy is increasingly a hands-on endeavor. Donors, particularly in making sizeable philanthropic investments, want to understand the impact of their donations on the causes they support. This approach has influenced the philanthropic landscape, resulting in many nonprofits soliciting program-designated or restricted donations rather than unrestricted support in an attempt… Read more »
Fast facts about the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona
Did you know … that the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona is a 501c3 charitable organization? Did you know … that the Federation, in turn, supports six local community agencies that also are nonprofits? They are the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation, Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging, Jewish… Read more »
My son’s Orthodox Jewish school is 85 percent Muslim. That’s OK with me
My heart jumped when I saw the phone number of my oldest son’s school on the screen. “Hello?” “Is this Dr. Skinazi?” “Yes.” “Don’t worry, Lucas is fine. Only — I just wanted to let you know that there was a little anti-Semitic incident at school today.” Breathe in,… Read more »
UA seeks volunteer Tumamoc stewards
With anywhere from 1,000-2,000 people walking Tumamoc Hill daily — whether for the cardio workout or to commune with nature — a new program is being developed to focus on protecting the site. Tumamoc Stewards, or Guardianes de Tumamoc, will be a physical presence on the hill, helping maintain… Read more »
Hundreds meet in Kyiv for teen conference
More than 400 Jewish teens from around the world gathered for the sixth annual Active Jewish Teens Conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, Nov. 7-10, organized by the JDC, the global Jewish humanitarian organization also known as the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. A bar/bat mitzvah ceremony for five teens, a conference… Read more »