Posts By PHYLLIS BRAUN - AJP Executive Editor

Jason Dov Greenblatt, seen at Trump world headquarters in Manhattan, is one of Donald Trump's two key Israel advisers along with being his top real estate attorney. (Uriel Heilman)

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Less than a week before the presidential election, Donald Trump’s two top Israel advisers released a detailed plan that pledges assistance to Israel beyond current levels but stops short of pledging to kill the Iran nuclear deal. The 16-point plan, which was posted Wednesday on the Medium publishing platform… Read more »

October, with its record breaking heat, is finally past. With a promise of cooler weather in Southern Arizona, local restaurateurs are beginning to think about dishes that make the most of fall’s bounty. At Gusto Osteria on Tucson’s east side, where owner Gus Gerson rules the kitchen, the focus… Read more »

Steve Levine

The Beth Shalom Temple Center, Green Valley’s self-proclaimed “reconformadox” Jewish congregation, recently hired its first membership coordinator. Steve Levine was attracted to his new position for professional and personal reasons, and began his new job in September. “The Jewish community has been very good to me over the years,… Read more »

Dr. Eliezer Diamond

Congregation Anshei Israel will host scholar-in-residence Dr. Eliezer Diamond on Friday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 12. Diamond is an associate professor of Talmud and rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He teaches courses in rabbinic literature and introductory, intermediate and advanced Talmud studies. He is the author of… Read more »

More than a dozen local rabbis and educators will present adult education classes on myriad topics at the Jewish Culture Shuk on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at Tucson Hebrew Academy. A shuk is an open marketplace; the Jewish Culture Shuk, presented by the Jewish Federation of Southern… Read more »

Adena Bank Lees (Jacquelynn Buck)

Jewish Family & Children’s Services will present a Shalom in Every Home Healthy Family Lecture Series this month. The free, interactive two-part series will explore the important connection between healthy families and healthy relationships. The series will begin with “Put Your Listening Ears On: How to Create and Enhance… Read more »

TEL AVIV (JTA) – As a kid, Ben Engelman dreamed of being a warrior. Until he was old enough to join the Israeli army, he settled for role playing as a sword fighter. Now 25, Engelman has been to war in Gaza and finished his service in a special… Read more »

Jill Rosenzweig, a local Jewish philanthropist and former board chair at Jewish Family & Children’s Services, enrolled in Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging’s post-hospital treatment program for physical therapy following back surgery last August. She recently returned to the care facility for further treatment. Rosenzweig initially chose Handmaker’s… Read more »

(JTA) — As she prepared to take inventory of one of Vienna’s oldest and least-known Jewish cemeteries, historian Tina Walzer anticipated many genealogical twists and archaeological challenges. But upon entering the Waehringer Cemetery in 2008, Walzer quickly saw that before she could even begin her research, she would first need to… Read more »

  (JTA) — For years, I’ve told anyone who would listen that the Cubs were the team of the Jews. I’ve written two blog posts about it during the past month alone. Long suffering. Faithful. Bound to tradition. Hoping for redemption, to no avail. It was all there. Until… Read more »

 KARNEI SHOMRON, West Bank (JTA) — The Chicago Cubs are facing the Cleveland Indians in a historic World Series, and most of Israel could not care less. This Jewish settlement is different. The Neve Aliza neighborhood of Karnei Shomron is overwhelmingly American. Among the some 200 families from the… Read more »

(JTA) — This presidential campaign has made Jewish history, for reasons good and bad. Bernie Sanders became the first Jewish candidate to win a U.S. presidential primary, and the families of both presidential nominees had strong Jewish ties. But the campaign also saw heated debate on Israel and Iran and a troubling rise… Read more »

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Hillary vs. Donald is sucking all the air out of the room. Consider: The first woman major party nominee battling a reality TV star. The Republican nominee, Donald Trump, bragging in a 2005 video about sexual assault, then denying it when a dozen women corroborate his braggadacio. The… Read more »

(JTA) — Five years ago, on a whim, Cindy, a 27-year-old Jewish woman, decided to pursue genetic testing through an online laboratory. She wasn’t expecting any surprises because she had no family history of cancer or increased risk factors. She was young and living a healthy lifestyle. But Cindy’s… Read more »

NEW YORK (JTA) — Hillel International’s swift decision to cancel a campus tour featuring Israeli journalist Ari Shavit has prompted other organizations to consider similar policies on speakers and sexual assault. On Thursday, following allegations that Shavit sexually assaulted a reporter, Hillel nixed a speaking tour featuring Shavit scheduled for later… Read more »

  (JTA) — For much of her adult life, Rachel Freier has been a trailblazer in her Hasidic Brooklyn community of Borough Park: a lawyer, an advocate for higher education, the founder of an all-female ambulance service and of a nonprofit to aid underprivileged mothers during the Gulf War. Now… Read more »

Women and girls ages 9 and up will come together for the Mega Challah Bake on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. The event is a joint initiative of Chabad Tucson and the Tucson J with the participation of local congregations and organizations.… Read more »

Brian Puffer says his volunteer work has made Tucson feel more like home, and his new life here is starting to bloom. Puffer, 19, grew up in Tempe, Ariz., and moved to Tucson after enrolling in a two-year residential program at Chapel Haven West, a school and transitional home… Read more »

The Jewish Federation will launch its 2017 Community Campaign with a free event, “Together: A Post Election Conversation with Mara Liasson” on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at Congregation Anshei Israel. Liasson is the national political correspondent for NPR and a regular panelist on “Special Report with Bret… Read more »

Fourteen children enrolled in Our Family Services, a local program that provides support for homeless families and youth, pack a small conference room on a crisp Saturday morning, listing their future goals, decorating coloring sheets and snacking on cheese sticks. Linda Solomon, a Tucson native and founder of Pictures… Read more »