Leonard Frederick Cooper, 90, died Aug. 24, 2016. Born in Manhattan, N.Y., Mr. Cooper served in the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1946, in the European and Mediterranean theatres, and received the European, African, Middle-Eastern Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Rifleman’s Badge and was… Read more »
Fern Feder, 87, died Aug. 23, 2016. She was born and raised in Chicago, where she met her husband, Ed, and raised their two sons. Mrs. Feder became an advocate for deaf education after her son Mark was diagnosed as being deaf at birth. After the diagnosis, she completed… Read more »
Broadway in Tucson Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. 903-2929 broadwayintucson.com The 13th season begins in September with a revival of the Tony-award winning masterpiece “Cabaret.” Rodgers and Hammerstein’s family classic “The Sound of Music” will thrill audiences with its Tony®, Grammy® and Academy Award® winning score, including “My… Read more »
LOS ANGELES (JTA) — A Tel Aviv University graduate has won a top Student Academy Award and her documentary will be automatically entered in the Academy Awards competition. Maya Sarfaty will also receive a gold medal for her film, “The Most Beautiful Woman,” it was announced Monday by the Academy of… Read more »
Gene Wilder, right, in a scene with Cleavon Little from the 1974 comedy "Blazing Saddles." (Warner Bros./Courtesy of Getty Images)
(JTA) — Gene Wilder, 83, a comedic actor known for playing wild-eyed eccentrics such as the titular characters in “Young Frankenstein” and “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” died Aug. 28 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee, Wis., in 1933, Wilder later adopted his stage… Read more »
I am writing in response to Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin’s question in the Aug. 26 AJP, “Who are you voting for on Oct. 3?” (Rabbi’s Corner, “Election overload sparks thoughts of G-d”). I am happy to agree with him that we humans have “the awesome capability of intelligence, plus the… Read more »
Rabbi Israel Becker Nearly 2,000 years ago, the Talmud taught us that when a person leaves this world, he/she will be shown their entire life. Our private showing will include audio and video playback of every single conversation of ours. Every single word that we uttered during our lifetime will be presented.… Read more »
The Tucson Jewish Community Center has added JPride to its programming roster. JPride, then known as the LGBT Jewish Inclusion Project, began in 2005 when the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona became one of the first federations in the country to create an outreach program for lesbian, gay, bisexual… Read more »
Cantor Avraham Alpert at the Holocaust History Center at the Jewish History Museum Sept. 2 (David J. Del Grande/AJP)
Driving one of Tucson’s new Israeli teen emissaries, Leah Avuno, from a lunch and learn on the University of Arizona campus to her next destination, Cantor Avraham Alpert found his talking point. Avuno, originally from Ethiopia, told him Ethiopian Jews would never have made it to Israel if it… Read more »
David Ira Goldstein (Chris Alonis)
The Arizona Theatre Company pulled off a fundraising feat this summer, raising $2 million in pledges from Tucson and Phoenix supporters in less than three weeks. That effort staved off concerns that ATC would have to suspend operations, despite the success of its past three seasons. In the wake… Read more »
The Tucson Jewish community will hold its annual Project Isaiah food drive benefiting the Community Food Bank from Sept. 15-Oct. 15. The project, timed to coincide with the High Holy Days, is named for the Prophet Isaiah, who when asked why we fast on Yom Kippur, responded, “Is it… Read more »
The Temple Emanu-El board of directors has unanimously voted to be a chartering organization for a Cub Scout pack of the Boy Scouts of America. Recruitment is beginning in both the Jewish and general communities for charter members of Pack 613, says Herbert A. Cohn, assistant district commissioner, Spanish… Read more »
The covered playground at Cañada Del Oro Riverfront Park in Oro Valley (Courtesy tucsontopia.com)
A Jewish community “Northwest Fun in the Sun Day” will be held on Sunday, Sept. 25, 1-4 p.m. at Cañada Del Oro Riverfront Park in Oro Valley, hosted by the Tucson Jewish Community Center and the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Northwest Division. The free event, open to all,… Read more »
Leah Avuno The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Women’s Philanthropy will hold its annual welcome, “Making Our Mark in Tucson, Israel and around the World” on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. at Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort. The guest speakers will be Leah Avuno, one of two Israeli teens… Read more »
A three-part campus-wide dialogue at the University of Arizona, “Will Today’s Global Unrest Lead to Genocide?” will examine the roots of genocide and current political discourse to reflect on the state of the world today. Sponsored by the UA Hillel Foundation, the Holocaust History Center at the Jewish History… Read more »
The author as a child with her mother. (Courtesy of Diana Bletter)
(Kveller via JTA) — My mother died on the morning right before Yom Kippur two years ago, and my sister and I were not at all surprised. Irreverent, quirky and eccentric, my mother always kvetched about Yom Kippur and would have done anything to miss it. Dying right… Read more »
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton celebrating their respective victories in the New York primaries in New York City, April 19, 2016. (Spencer Platt and John Moore/Getty Images)
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Most Israeli Jews would prefer Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump as the next president of the United States — even though more of them think Trump would be better for the “Israeli government’s policy.” According to a poll released Wednesday, 43 percent of Israeli Jews prefer Clinton as president, compared to 34 percent who… Read more »
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) at the presidential compound in Ramallah, May 31, 2016 (Ehud Amiton/TPS)
The Hebrew University researcher who unearthed evidence that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas served as an agent for the Soviet Union during the 1980s says that this should not derail Russia’s current attempt re-ignite Israel-Palestinian peace talks. But at least one senior MK said the revelation is serious enough to… Read more »
Addison Russell, left, with Cubs teammate Kris Bryant during the fifth inning of a game against the Padres at Petco Park in San Diego, Aug. 23, 2016. (Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
(JTA) — October marks the beginning of a new year, a time of fresh starts and second chances — and playoff baseball, the climax of a summer of (we still insist) American Jewry’s favorite sport. But if Jews and baseball go together like peanuts and Cracker Jacks (Jewish immigrants found America “in baseball,”… Read more »
MIAMI (JTA) — Every four years the same movie plays at the Jewish Political Film Festival: It’s the one where the Democrats pass another party platform with more ironclad support for Israel and then nominate yet another presidential candidate whose record on Israel is beyond question. The ending is… Read more »
