Deborah Evelyn Swade Margolis, 92, died Oct. 5, 2016. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., she married Bernard Israel Margolis during a two-week furlough before he headed off to the Pacific. They were married for nearly 60 years before his death in 2002. Mrs. Margolis was also preceded in death by… Read more »
Posts By April Bauer
Party planning 101: know your budget and guest list, local experts say
Planning a wedding, bar or bat mitzvah party, or another big occasion? Experts suggest you start by determining your budget, dates and the number of guests you plan to invite. That may sound fairly obvious, but Marci Rogers, director of sales at the Tucson Hilton East, says all too… Read more »
‘Jewish soul’ singer returning to Tucson stage
Neshama Carlebach’s albums have sold 1 million-plus copies — but she views her success as a way to help others through the pain of life transitions toward inner strength and spiritual growth. “Music brings healing to our souls,” says Carlebach, who will perform at the Fox Tucson Theatre on… Read more »
World’s oldest man celebrates bar mitzvah 100 years late
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The world’s oldest man, 113-year-old Yisrael Kristal, a Holocaust survivor living in Israel, celebrated his bar mitzvah a century late. Kristal, of Haifa, celebrated the rite over the weekend with his two children, grandchildren and nearly 30 great-grandchildren, The Associated Press reported. He was recognized as… Read more »
US, Israel and Jewish groups condemn UNESCO vote denying Jewish holy sites
(JTA) — The United States, Israeli officials and Jewish groups reacted with outrage to a preliminary vote by the United Nations cultural agency that denies a Jewish connection to the Old City of Jerusalem. UNESCO — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — at its executive board’s… Read more »
Dutch survivor’s diary called an Anne Frank story with a ‘happy’ ending
AMSTERDAM (JTA) — A Holocaust survivor dubbed “Rotterdam’s Anne Frank” in her native Netherlands published her wartime diary, which she wrote while hiding in the bombed-out city. “At Night I Dream of Peace,” the Dutch-language diary of 89-year-old Carry Ulreich, hit bookstores in the Netherlands last week. The book generated strong… Read more »
JFSA women eager to help homeless shelter
When we work together, when we reach out to the least among us, we improve the lives of others while enriching our own lives and our community, Jean Fedigan, executive director of the Sister Jose Women’s Center, told about 90 people attending the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Women’s… Read more »
JFCS offers facts on teen dating violence
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This year the LEAH program (Let’s End Abusive Households) of Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona is focusing on raising awareness about teen dating violence and abuse. Teen dating violence can be physical, emotional, or sexual. Dating violence can take place… Read more »
OP-ED How Jacob Neusner brought Jewish studies into the mainstream
WORCESTER, Mass. (JTA) — Jacob Neusner, the famed scholar and almost mythically prolific author who died Oct. 8 at age 84, almost singlehandedly created the modern study of Judaism, and in doing so he revolutionized our understanding of the history of Judaism and our perception of what Judaism can mean… Read more »
Culture Shock: When my synagogue banned my baby on Yom Kippur
CHICAGO (JTA) — Why did my synagogue ban my baby? It had been more than a decade since I attended my hometown synagogue for Yom Kippur, and it was my first time as a father, so I didn’t know what to expect. But I never imagined standing in the lobby,… Read more »
Report: Bob Dylan still has not mentioned Nobel Prize
(JTA) — American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan has not been in contact with the Swedish Academy since it awarded him the Nobel Prize for Literature last week. Dylan also has not made a public statement about the honor, the New York Times reported Tuesday. Sara Danius, the permanent… Read more »
The Beautiful Meaning Behind My Daughter’s Nontraditional Bat Mitzvah
(Kveller via JTA) — At my daughter’s bat mitzvah last month, hundreds of people spread out to form a large circle and, together, carefully hold a completely unrolled Torah scroll. With the scroll spread out so that its entire contents were visible, my daughter found the spot on the… Read more »
Making Time for Rosh HaShanah
I went out, Lord. People were coming and going, Walking and running. Everything was rushing: Cars, trucks, the street, the whole town. People were rushing not to waste time. They were rushing after time, To catch up with time. To gain time. Good-bye, excuse me, I haven’t time. I’ll… Read more »
HIGH HOLIDAYS FEATURE This Rosh Hashanah, I challenge you to focus on the positives
(Kveller via JTA) — Two essential parts of preparing for Rosh Hashanah, our clean slate for the year, is asking forgiveness from anyone we wronged and making a list (mental or written) of the ways we fell short since the last time we heard the shofar. Ideally that hard… Read more »
Dill Pickle Challah Recipe
Editor’s note: This article was updated on Aug. 29, thanks to a sharp-eyed reader who noticed inconsistencies between the ingredients list and the directions. (The Nosher via JTA) — Have you noticed that dill pickle-flavored dishes are everywhere lately? There’s dill pickle-brined chicken fingers and dill pickle bread from… Read more »
10 Signs You’re an ‘Older’ Jewish Mom
(Kveller via JTA) — The average age of childbearing in the United States is 26. For Jews, it’s a few years higher. Some of us Jewish moms, however, had our children significantly later than that. Here are 10 things that only “older” Jewish moms will recognize. 1. There’s an… Read more »
OP-ED Jewish pride on campus is under siege. Here’s what your kids can do to fight back
NEW YORK (JTA) — Over 300,000 Jewish college students have arrived or will arrive shortly on American campuses — and what they experience there is likely not only to broaden their minds and uproot long-held assumptions, but shake their Jewish selves to the core. They will contend with powerful faculty… Read more »
Minnesota Vikings’ owner thinks big with new stadium and Holocaust philanthropy
MINNEAPOLIS (JTA) – Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer stepped up to an 800-pound gjallarhorn and exhaled with all he had to launch the festivities that officially inaugurated the team’s $1.1 billion stadium. Music lovers would have found the deep, uneven sound revolting, but the Nordic instrument is plenty… Read more »
SEEKING KIN Calling all Israeli sailors from ’76 NY celebration: It’s reunion time
The “Seeking Kin” column aims to help reunite long-lost friends and relatives. (JTA) – The Israeli missile boat Tarshish had just returned home in June 1976 when crew members learned near midnight that they would be heading back to sea two days later for another couple of months. They… Read more »
Hamas, natural gas and other good reasons Israel and Turkey should stick together
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel and Turkey ought to be friends, geopolitically speaking. As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan put it in January: “Israel needs a country like Turkey in this region. We, too, should admit that we need a country like Israel.” But the regional powers often can’t seem to make… Read more »