Posts By PHYLLIS BRAUN - AJP Executive Editor

WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Donald Trump signed a proclamation recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but emphasized that he was not pre-empting negotiations over the final status of the city. “It is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” Trump said in a televised address from the… Read more »

  BUDAPEST (JTA) — The outdoor ice skating rink — the largest in Central Europe — in Budapest’s city center has been part and parcel of Hungary’s Christmas tradition for nearly 150 years. Stretching across 3.5 acres between Heroes’ Square and Vajdahunyad Castle, the Budapest City Park Ice Rink… Read more »

  WASHINGTON (JTA) — Staring at a massive defeat, Jewish groups dealing with social safety net issues are looking at the tax plan about to reach its final stages in Congress and hoping they can snatch a few small victories. The hope is that lawmakers in reconciling the bills… Read more »

WASHINGTON (JTA) — As President Donald Trump prepares to address the issue of Jerusalem in a White House speech, the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem instructed U.S. officials not to travel to the Old City or West Bank in the face of reports that there will be protests. Sarah Huckabee… Read more »

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital would be an act of “naked aggression” that would cause the United States to lose “its mediating role” in the Middle East, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation said. The statement by the group, representing 57 countries, came as President Donald Trump… Read more »

WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Donald Trump will recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but will not open an embassy there for years and will reassure the Palestinians that the recognition does not impinge on their claims to the city. It’s likely to be years before an embassy opens in Jerusalem,… Read more »

(StatePoint) Millions of wild birds are killed each year flying into windows, including private homes. Birds face other dangers, too, in your yard, whether they are migrating or flying locally. Everyone, but especially those who enjoy having birds visit their yards and gardens, should take steps to make their… Read more »

Living in the beautiful Sonoran Desert, we are surrounded by many textures and colors. Think for a moment of the vibrant yellow palo verde blossoms, blaze orange from the desert bird of paradise, vibrant fuchsia from bougainvillea, or the endless shades of blue from sunrise to sunset of our… Read more »

(StatePoint) When it comes to busy families, things have a habit of becoming scattered quickly. Here are five ways to keep everything and everyone organized, all the time. 1. Centralize information. Hang an erasable calendar or family to-do list in a high-traffic area of the home where everyone can… Read more »

JESSE CHARLES has opened MAVERICK DESIGN & CONSULTING, featuring a demo theater to help clients design a new audio/video system or improve their current one. Visit avmaverick.com for more information. ELYSA CRUM and SHERRY WEISS have created TASTE OF TUCSON DOWNTOWN CULINARY AND CULTURE TOURS. Longtime Tucson residents with a… Read more »

UA Hillel gets defibrillator The Steven M. Gootter Foundation recently gave an AED (automated external defibrillator) to the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation. Since 2009 the Gootter Foundation, which works to save lives by defeating sudden cardiac death, has donated and distributed hundreds of AEDs to schools, police and… Read more »

MARK ROBERT GORDON has filed to run for Arizona Secretary of State in the 2018 election. Born in Phoenix, he spent much of his youth participating in programs at the old Phoenix Jewish Community Center, Beth El, and Phoenix High School for Jewish Studies. He earned degrees from Princeton… Read more »

Ava Ilana Silverman, daughter of Breann and Mark Silverman, will celebrate becoming a bat mitzvah on Saturday, Dec. 16 at Congregation Or Chadash. She is the granddaughter of Marsha and Mel Silverman of Tucson and Lynn and Bruce Schmidt of Prescott. Ava attends Emily Gray Junior High where she… Read more »

Peter Graham Constable, 87, died Nov. 16, 2017.     Mr. Constable was born in Chelmsford, England. After a number of years as a seaman, first on tankers and then as a steward on luxury passenger ships (including the Queen of Bermuda and the Queen Mary), he immigrated to… Read more »

Marlyne Freedman, past senior vice president of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, has traveled to Israel many times. A few friends asked her to assemble and lead a small, intimate group of first-timers to visit our homeland. From Oct. 14-28, Tucsonans Peggy and Bob Feinman, Ginny Spencer and… Read more »

Gregg Garfin, Ph.D.

Climate change is happening in the Southwestern United States and across the globe, and Judaism gives us an incentive to address environmental problems, says Gregg Garfin, Ph.D., university director of the Southwest Climate Science Center at the University of Arizona. Garfin presented “The Changing Climate of Arizona and the… Read more »

Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Women’s Philanthropy will present an event for Lion of Judah and Pomegranate members, “Jewish Arts & Culture: From the Historical to the Hysterical with Susan Claassen,” on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at a private home. Claassen is celebrating her 43rd year with Invisible… Read more »

The Women’s Philanthropy Advisory Council of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona is seeking nominees for its 12th annual Bryna Zehngut Mitzvot Award, recognizing an outstanding Jewish teenage girl. Along with some of Bryna’s closest friends, the Advisory Council created this award to honor Zehngut, a community leader who… Read more »

Editor’s note: The time of this concert has been changed to 6:30 p.m. Many holiday songs were written by Jewish composers, including Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”; “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” by Sammy Cahn (born Cohen) and Jule Styne (who also wrote “The Christmas Waltz”… Read more »

The Tucson Chapter of Brandeis National Committee and the Tucson Jewish Community Center will sponsor a BNC University On Wheels program next month, “From Election to Investigation and all the ‘Fake News’ in Between: Media Coverage of This Presidency.” Eileen McNamara, Brandeis University professor of the practice of journalism… Read more »