Posts By PHYLLIS BRAUN - AJP Executive Editor

(JTA) — Synagogues in California have been shut down again following statewide restrictions announced by the governor with cases of the coronavirus there continuing to rise. The order issued Monday closes all indoor dining, bars, zoos and museums throughout the state, as well as gyms, houses of worship, hair… Read more »

(JTA) — Two Reform synagogues in Sarasota, Florida, were vandalized with swastikas and other unspecified hateful messages. The incidents at Temple Sinai and Temple Emanu-El reportedly took place early on Wednesday morning, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported. The Temple Sinai campus was extensively vandalized, including many walls made of porous… Read more »

(Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle via JTA) — Just two days after Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson posted an anti-Semitic message he attributed to Adolf Hitler on social media, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner came to the defense of the Jewish community. In a series of tweets and videos,… Read more »

The Arizona Department of Revenue reminds taxpayers that tax scam artists do not take a summer break when it comes to identity theft. Thieves use tactics including card-skimming devices, access through unsecured Wi-Fi, stealing mail, hacking email accounts, phishing schemes or using false pretenses. ADOR has prepared a checklist… Read more »

(JTA) — Actor and television host Nick Cannon offered his “most deepest and sincere apologies” to the Jewish community for  the “hurtful and divisive words” he used in an episode of his podcast. “They reinforced the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people and I feel ashamed of… Read more »

(JTA) — Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has returned home after being hospitalized with a suspected infection. Ginsburg, 87, is “is home and doing well,” a court spokeswoman said on Wednesday, CNN reported. Ginsburg was hospitalized at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Tuesday after “experiencing fever and… Read more »

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Police arrested a man suspected of turning the water blood red in a fountain in a square in Israel named for Donald Trump. The Hebrew words for “Annexation will cost us in blood” also were found painted in red on the ground at the site in… Read more »

MITZPE YERICHO, West Bank (JTA) — It’s been surreal watching from Israel as Americans discuss my future. I’ve gotten used to presidents spending years developing plans for my neighborhood and other towns in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank — they mean well and I truly… Read more »

(JTA) — The municipal council of Moissac sometimes calls its placid French town overlooking the Tarn River, near Toulouse, “the city of the Righteous Among the Nations.” It’s a reference to how hundreds of locals during the Holocaust helped resistance activists rescue about 500 Jewish children — an occurrence that… Read more »

(JTA) — Former professional football player Geoff Schwartz wasn’t surprised when he heard about Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson’s anti-Semitic Instagram posts. “I just thought to myself it’s ignorance — someone who has no idea whatsoever what anti-Semitism is, why his quote could be hurtful to Jews, or… Read more »

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(JTA) — Since April, all eyes following the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have been glued to July 1. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had negotiated the date into his government coalition deal with his rival Benny Gantz. On July 1, as stipulated in the agreement, Netanyahu could put the topic of annexing… Read more »

WASHINGTON (JTA) — For Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, the announcement was routine, noting the inclusion of $500 million for Israel’s missile defense in a key defense funding bill. But it was significant as well in its timing, demonstrating that the party’s mainstream remains committed to funding… Read more »

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Defense Minister Benny Gantz of Israel told Trump administration diplomats on Monday that the July 1 date set for starting to annex parts of the West Bank is “not a sacred date.” Meeting in Israel with Avi Berkowitz, the U.S. special envoy for international negotiations, and… Read more »

(JTA) — More than 400 Jewish organizations and synagogues in the United States — including Tucson Jews for Justice — have signed on to a letter that asserts “unequivocally: Black Lives Matter.” The joint letter was an initiative of a diverse group of Jewish activists from across a range… Read more »

(JTA) — Milton Glaser, the godfather of modern graphic design who passed away on his 91st birthday on Friday, didn’t talk about his Jewish identity very often. But when he did, he made clear that his New York Jewish upbringing defined his artistic sensibility. Born to Hungarian immigrant parents,… Read more »

JERUSALEM (JTA) — A suspected cyberattack disrupted a live virtual gala held by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, making it impossible to view for most of the 13,000 people worldwide who had registered. The Sunday afternoon attack on the fundraiser, which was trying to help the orchestra overcome losses due… Read more »

Graham Hoffman

As I have recently assumed the mantle of the president and CEO of both the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, I am humbled by the responsibility that I now bear as the leader of these agencies and this remarkable community. Authenticity is central to… Read more »

Editor’s note: Updated 6.28.20 to reflect additional businesses signed up for the certification program and to add the Pima Association of Governments as a supporter. Local First Arizona has been a champion of sustainability in Southern Arizona for many years. The organization recently created further opportunities for positive change in… Read more »

Rabbi Robert Eisen

Which of the following makes you the angriest: • Arguing with someone when you know you are right? • Arguing with someone when you know they are wrong? • Arguing in general? One of the comments I hear all too often is, “The thing I love most about Judaism… Read more »