On June 17, I attended a performance of Tzofim Israeli Scouts at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, an event celebrating the group’s 40th anniversary. The pleasure I had taken in previous performances of Tzofim, and which I might have taken in this event, was marred by the over-the-top volume… Read more »
Posts By April Bauer
Margot and Gunther Marx: ‘We’re supposed to help others’
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Over the past 18 years in Tucson, Gunther Marx and his wife, Margot, have racked up more than 10,000 volunteer hours with organizations ranging from Tucson Medical Center to the Tucson Botanical Gardens to Project Linus. The Marxes began spending winters in Tucson in 1995 and moved here full-time… Read more »
Emberly Davis: Animal rehab sparks ambition
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Emberly Davis, 11, has been volunteering at the Forever Wild wildlife animal rehabilitation center for three years. “I’m mostly in charge of the night birds and creatures,” she says, explaining that she feeds the hawks, falcons and owls on her weekly visits to the center with her mother, Shanna… Read more »
Soralé Fortman: Former teacher enjoys broad horizons
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The Tucson chapter of Brandeis National Committee honored Soralé “Sorkey” Fortman as a Woman of Valor in 1997. Now, having celebrated her 80th birthday in April, she shows little sign of slowing down. Since she retired from teaching 20 years ago, Fortman has held every position available in the… Read more »
Tucsonans bound for Maccabiah Games
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Laurence Kaye’s whole mishpocheh, from all over the United States and his native South Africa, will be heading to Israel for the Maccabiah Games this July — not necessarily to watch him compete in the Men’s Open Squash tournament, although that’s a bonus, but to be on hand as… Read more »
Business briefs 6.28.13
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LEAH RICHTER, office manager of the ARIZONA JEWISH POST, is retiring after 36 years. She started with the newspaper, then known as the Arizona Post, under the editorship of Martha K. Rothman. The Tucson Pima Arts Council presented its 2013 Lumies Arts & Business Awards June… Read more »
Nathan Shapiro: Boy cantor at 10, active senior and ‘lucky guy’ at 95
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Nathan Shapiro, 95, served in World War II, was married for 61 years and still drives his own car. “I’m a very lucky guy in many respects,” was the first thing he told the AJP in his apartment at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging. “If I have years,… Read more »
Wagner anti-Semitism was clear
In reference to a news brief published in the May 17 edition: To call Wagner’s anti-Semitism “alleged” is beyond ignorant. One of the reasons that Richard Wagner was Hitler’s favorite composer was their agreement that Jews comprised a single race. For your edification you should read the virulent anti-Semitic… Read more »
Mideast status quo is untenable
In your May 31 issue, Max Lazar criticized Rabbi Schneier for urging the Israeli prime minister to make some concessions for the sake of a lasting and just peace with the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza (“Rabbi Schneier misguided on Arab proposal”). Mr. Lazar considers any proposed… Read more »
JFCS stands ready to serve
We appreciate the Post’s coverage of how Jewish Family & Children’s Services has expanded its capacity to serve the community (“Partnerships help JFCS expand behavioral health care services,” AJP 5/17/13). Your article also pointed out how important our expert counseling and social services are to vulnerable people of all… Read more »
CAI to offer free religious school kindergarten
In a new initiative for 2013-14, Congregation Anshei Israel will offer free tuition and waive the registration fee for its religious school kindergarten. The offer is available to synagogue members and nonmembers alike. Classes will be taught by Renee Hulsey, who was recently named “Outstanding Judaic Educator” by the… Read more »
Idan Raichel Project to play Tucson in October
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The Idan Raichel Project, known for its fusion of diverse musical styles and ethnicities, will perform at the Fox Tucson Theater on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m., in a concert cosponsored by the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona. The group, which rocketed to fame in Israel with its… Read more »
JCF 2013 grants fund $179K for local, Israeli nonprofits
The Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona recently announced $179,517 in 21 grants to nonprofit organizations in Tucson and Israel. JCF manages 460 individual donor-advised funds, endowments, supporting foundations and agency custodial funds that enable donors to fulfill their own philanthropic visions, but the 2013 competitive grants are the… Read more »
Lightman family calls for grants
The Steven A. Lightman Family Foundation has opened its 2013 call for grants. The Lightman Family Foundation distributes funds to further the Jewish Community Foundation’s charitable activities that promote health and wellness, on a local and national level, and foster creative and artistic endeavors. The areas of interest include,… Read more »
TIPS partnership aids youth in Israel; seeks Tucson volunteers
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More than a dozen Americans and Israelis met recently in Israel to strategize plans for the TIPS (Tucson, Israel, Phoenix, Seattle) Partnership2Gether project for the coming year. Tucson volunteer Gail Ben-Jamin (known to her Israeli friends as Gila) and Oshrat Barel, the future shlicha or Israeli emissary to Tucson,… Read more »
Loving the storm: lessons from my father
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Crack! Boom! The sound of big fat pebbles pounding the roof and rattling windows. Maybe it’s the Nazis coming to get us! That afternoon my brother Stan and I saw a war movie at a theatre near our home in the Bronx, N.Y. We watched as mighty John Wayne,… Read more »
Israeli couple hopes for change in U.S. immigration policy
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A same-sex Israeli couple struggling against U.S. immigration laws are set to become the faces of the fight to extend one of the foundations of immigration policy to gays and lesbians. Adi Lavy and Tzila Levy have been caught in the bureaucratic red tape of the American immigration system… Read more »
Border clashes may make it hard for Israel to steer clear of Syria
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For much of the past two years, Israel has taken a singular approach to the Syrian civil war: Stay as far away as possible. But with a recent string of victories by forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and the crumbling of the U.N. peacekeeping force that has kept… Read more »
‘Conundrum kids’ intrigue, bring joy to neuropsychologist
Renee Gutman, Ph.D., has a thriving practice as a pediatric and adolescent neuropsychologist in Tucson, but her family’s relocation from Mamaroneck, N.Y., wasn’t for professional reasons. Their 2004 move depended on finding the right Orthodox shul for her grieving father. When Gutman’s mother lay dying in her arms, her… Read more »
Time to make relationships, not programs, the heart of Jewish affiliation
It’s that time of year, when Jewish institutions pull out their 2013-14 calendars and fill them with events. Many of the programs are very good, with clever names and slick marketing: Jews and Brews, for young federation leadership; L’mazeltov, for expectant parents; Torah and Tacos, for synagogue members who… Read more »