Barbara Ann Longo, 72, died Feb. 13, 2015. Mrs. Longo volunteered at the food bank in Catalina for many years. Mrs. Longo was preceded in death by her husband, Frank;, and sister, Marlene. Survivors include her children, Joshua Longo of East Brunswick, N.J., and Paula Magee of Indianapolis; and… Read more »
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clarified his position on the two-state solution in an interview after his election win with Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC, March 19, 2015. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)
(JTA) — There are two Benjamin Netanyahus. To his detractors, Netanyahu is arrogant, a dissembler and a racist. To his defenders, he is intrepid, politically astute and singularly devoted to Israel’s security. Netanyahu’s critics blame him for alienating Israel’s closest ally — snubbing the U.S. president, using Congress as… Read more »
On Tuesday, Israeli voters gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a clear mandate to form the next government. To do that, he’ll need the support of at least 61 of the Knesset’s 120 lawmakers. Here are a few of his options, and for background, here’s an overview of the parties… Read more »
The University of Arizona Hillel Foundation will hold its 24th Annual Holocaust Vigil March 25-26. During this student-led event, thousands of names of people murdered in the Holocaust will be read aloud. This 24-hour reading will take place from noon on Wednesday, March 25 through noon on Thursday, March… Read more »
The Tucson Jewish Community Center has launched Shabbat & Me, a new program for families and children. The free weekly class meets Fridays at 10 a.m. Shabbat & Me encourages families to spend quality time together without the use of electronics, taking the opportunity to consider family priorities and… Read more »
Zander Meisner
Zander Meisner knows the Tony Award-winning musical “Once” inside and out. In fact, given his unusual position as an understudy for four of the eight male roles in the play, it’s possible that Meisner is more intimately familiar with the show than anyone else, period. Now that the current… Read more »
Chabad Tucson will host a Passover 101 event in preparation for the upcoming holiday, Sunday, March 22 from 2-4 p.m. at Congregation Young Israel. The event will feature a tasting and sale of a variety of kosher for Passover wines from the United States, Israel, France and Italy. Traditional… Read more »
Interested in being part of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Young Women’s Cabinet? There will be an opportunity to meet current participants on Wednesday, March 25, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Tucson Hebrew Academy’s art studio, 3888 E. River Road. Participants will paint ceramic tiles to send to the Federation’s… Read more »
Rabbi Robert Eisen The holiday of Passover that many of us are eagerly anticipating is known by many names, each of which reflects a different dimension of what we will be celebrating. While we are usually more concerned with who may or may not be present at our seder table (finding the… Read more »
Whether you weave in one, a few, or all 10 of these tips, consider honoring the matriarchal roots of Judaism this Passover with a little girl power fun at your seder. Add an orange and coffee bean to your seder plate. The orange represents both inclusion and solidarity… Read more »
Even if a donkey will be at the head of the Likud, you will vote Likud,” I laughed with my father, and he said, “Yes,” smiling, “because I am a man of ideology.” I was raised in a pluralistic home in terms of political approach. My beloved late father… Read more »
Stuart Mellan, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin on Feb. 19. “The photo,” he says, “does not even begin to capture the power of walking through and finding the pillars dwarfing you as they grow to 15 feet in the center of the installation.”
I sat between Grandmother and Aunt Etta. I never had a chance. Grandmother would point to her forearm, the numbers tattooed there … and that’s how I learned to count. I sat between Grandmother and Aunt Etta. Between spoonfuls of regret they fed me: “From this you shouldn’t… Read more »
The outcomes of the Israeli elections are a great personal victory for Benjamin Netanyahu, who, a few days ago, was already dismissed by pundits as a relic of the past. Indeed, this is a double victory: Not only will Netanyahu be able to form a stable, right-wing government, but… Read more »
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrates his Election Day victory at his Tel Aviv headquarters March 18. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)
This city’s Rabin Square was full of young men wearing large knit kippahs and women in long skirts and long sleeves cheering as right-wing politicians declared their opposition to Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank. On Sunday night, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ascended the stage to address the… Read more »
The Cindy Wool Memorial Seminar on Humanism in Medicine will take place on Tuesday, March 31 at 7 p.m. at the Fox Tucson Theatre. The keynote speaker will be Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., author of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.” In his… Read more »
Pinchas Zukerman
Tucsonans will have an opportunity to see and hear a giant of the classical music world on March 31 when the Tucson Symphony Orchestra welcomes world-renowned violinist Pinchas Zukerman. With a musical career spanning more than four decades, the Israeli-born Zukerman continues to delight audiences worldwide, playing nearly 100… Read more »
New treadmills in The J’s modernized sports and wellness center look out at the Tucson Mountains.
After several years of planning and fundraising and more than nine months of construction, the Tucson Jewish Community Center will hold the official grand opening of its new 15,000-square-foot sports and wellness center on Sunday, March 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The day will start with a… Read more »
The new entrance of the Holocaust History Center, sharing a plaza with the Jewish History Museum, will allow for easy traffic flow from one museum to the other.
More than 250 Holocaust survivors have lived in Southern Arizona since the 1950s. Following decades of hoping for an institution that would archive the stories and memorabilia of survivors’ lives, the dream will become a reality when a greatly expanded Holocaust History Center opens in early 2016. “By creating… Read more »
Israeli election candidates
TEL AVIV (JTA) — After weeks in which polls consistently showed Zionist Union holding a slight lead over the Likud Party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israelis delivered a split decision in elections, leaving the two parties virtually tied atop exit polls. The polls on Tuesday from two Israeli… Read more »
A chocolate raspberry torte with pecan provides a sweet finish to the seder. (Shannon Sarna)
NEW YORK (JTA) — I am not one of those people who looks forward to Passover each year. I dread it. I love my carbs and I absolutely loathe the constant cooking and dishwashing that somehow always accompanies the holiday. Since my husband and I started hosting our own… Read more »
