Rabbi Batsheva Appel I am not a fan of “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein, although I used it in my teaching for years around Tu B’Shevat, needing a story that features trees. Every time I taught with the book, it made me uncomfortable. Designated the birthday of the trees, Tu B’Shevat… Read more »
Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom cofounders Sheryl Olitzky and Atiya Aftab speak to members at a dinner hosted by The Tucson Islamic center Jan. 26.
The Tucson chapter of the national non-profit Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom recently hosted 52 international and local members for a fact-finding mission in Southern Arizona. The group of 26 Jewish and 26 Muslim members focused on southern border issues Jan. 26-30. The apolitical Sisterhood strives to build bridges between… Read more »
Swimming is one of the many offerings for children at Camp J each summer.
The Tucson Jewish Community Center will offer its Camp J this summer from May 26-Aug. 27, with a variety of programs for kids of all ages. Camp activities include arts and crafts, archery, STEM, swimming, field trips, and a variety of electives. Christy Ball has been sending her sons,… Read more »
Stuart Mellan Congregation Or Chadash will host “Celebrating 25 Years of Gratitude,” a dinner honoring Stuart Mellan, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, on Friday, Feb. 21. Mellan will retire in May, after more than 25 years at the Federation. Or Chadash also got its start 25… Read more »
Rina Paz, right, leads members of Tucson’s Shirat HaShirim Hebrew choir in a rehearsal. From left, Norma Torres, Norma Edgerton, Lorena Caspar, Armando Garcia, Ruby Rodarte and Crystal Rodarte
Rina Paz leads Tucson’s Shirat HaShirim Hebrew choir and does other volunteer work within the Jewish community. She grew up in Haifa, Israel, in a large family that was always singing and dancing. Ever since she was a little girl, she says, she has been living life as the… Read more »
An acrylic Torah stand was among Judaica recently at 1st Rate 2nd Hand.
The 1st Rate 2nd Hand Thrift Store, which was started in 2007 as a way to earn extra funds for Jewish organizations while helping budget-conscious consumers and keeping cast-off items out of the waste stream, will close its doors this month. 1st Rate 2nd Hand’s original concept included having… Read more »
Isaac and Simone Figueroa at the 1920s-themed Hava Tequila party on Feb. 2, 2019.
Hava Tequila, the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s annual Young Leadership benefit party, will be held Saturday, Feb. 29, 8-11 p.m. at a new location, the Sonoran Rooftop at the Westward Look, 245 E. Ina Road. The theme will be “A Night on the Red Carpet.” “We checked out… Read more »
State Rep. Alma Hernandez with Holocaust survivors and Jewish Family & Children’s Services staff from Southern Arizona at the capitol in Phoenix Jan. 27. (L-R) Erika Dattner, Susan Kasle (JFCS vice president of community services), Raisa Moroz (JFCS Holocaust survivors program manager), Michael Bokor, Wanda Wolosky, Sharon Glassberg (JFCS clinical therapist/wellness and support specialist), Hernandez, Theresa Dulgov, Sara Lichter, Pawel Lichter, Sidney Finkel, Barbara Agee
On Monday, Jan. 27, which was International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, bill #HB2682, submitted by Arizona Rep. Alma Hernandez with bipartisan support, passed unanimously in the House education committee. The bill requires Arizona schools to teach about the Holocaust and other genocides.… Read more »
In 2019, some 500 of 3,500 immigrants to Israel from North America were retirees.
For a growing number of Jews in the Diaspora, turning retirement dreams into reality also means realizing a lifelong dream of living in Israel. Over the past decade, more than 6,000 Jews from North America and Britain have retired to Israel. In 2019, some 500 of 3,500 immigrants to… Read more »
Kenneth Martin Greenfield, 87, died Jan. 23, 2020. Born on Feb. 25, 1932, Mr. Greenfield was raised and lived in New York City and New Jersey. He moved to Tucson in 2000. A corporate attorney for most of his professional life, he graduated from Columbia University Business School and… Read more »
(JTA) — Tom Stoppard, the winner of multiple Tony Awards and an Oscar, and the author of plays such as “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” and “Travesties,” is often described as one of the best living playwrights. He’s not often described as Jewish, which he is, perhaps in part… Read more »
Hasidim, government officials and police officers stand in front of the K'hal Adas Greenville synagogue next door to the JC Kosher Supermarket in Jersey City, N.J., the site of a deadly shooting, Dec. 11, 2019. (Laura E. Adkins/JTA)
CHICAGO (JTA) — Some commentators have used the word “epidemic” to describe the recent spikes in anti-Semitism. They may not realize how correct they are. Twenty years ago, upon my return to the United States after serving as a senior infectious disease epidemiologist at the World Health Organization in… Read more »
NEW YORK (JTA) — Get ready with the “yada yada” references, Jerry Seinfeld is coming out with another book about comedy. More than 25 years after he sold a million copies with “Seinlanguage,” the star of the megahit “Seinfeld” and “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” will present the best… Read more »
(JTA) — The first trailer for HBO’s adaptation of the Philip Roth novel “The Plot Against America” was released on Thursday. The series, co-created by David Simon and based on Roth’s 2004 novel of the same name, premieres on March 16. It stars John Turturro (as a rabbi), Winona… Read more »
Jared Kushner, an architect of the Trump peace plan, amid maps of the plan (Getty Images/JTA Montage)
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Call it the deal of the century, the ultimate deal, the vision for peace: President Donald Trump and his Middle East team unveiled their long-awaited peace plan on Tuesday. My colleague Gabe Friedman runs down the highlights (you can also read all 181 pages here and judge… Read more »
(JTA) — A bag emblazoned with a Star of David containing soap and anti-Semitic literature was left outside an exhibition about the Holocaust. For many years after World War II, rumors persisted that the Nazis used Jewish bodies to produce soap. No evidence was found to support the claim.… Read more »
(JTA) — A boarding school in Britain said it will modify its logo following complaints that it references an anti-Semitic blood libel. Jeremy Wyld, headmaster of St. Hugh’s School in Woodhall Spa, situated some 130 miles north of London, told The Jewish Chronicle that a red dot hanging over… Read more »
(JTA) — Terrorists in the Gaza Strip launched rockets into Israel on Friday, the second straight day of rocket fire from the strip. Three rockets and three mortar rounds were launched into Israel on Friday. Israel’s Iron Dome defense system intercepted one of the mortar rounds, leaving the remaining two… Read more »
(JTA) — More than 15% of respondents to a poll in Italy said the Holocaust never happened. The results are part of the annual Italy Report of the Eurispes published Thursday. The poll by the nongovernmental organization probes Italians’ views on a number of subjects, including the credibility of… Read more »
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Palestinians in Gaza fired a mortar at southern Israel, setting off Code Red sirens. The mortar exploded in an open field near Kibbutz Kissufim, a Gaza border community, on Wednesday evening. It caused no injuries or damage, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Two other explosives… Read more »
