Sam Wolsky, 91, died Dec. 5, 2015. Born in Chicago, Mr. Wolsky married Bobbie shortly after his service in the Coast Guard. He owned a furniture and appliance business called Wolsky Brothers with his brother Nat, and later a catalog showroom in Chicago called Oak Supply. In 1994 Sam… Read more »
Minerva “Min” Rein, 90, died Nov. 21, 2015. Born in Philadelphia, Mrs. Rein was raised in Baltimore and lived in Tucson for the past 55 years. In 1951, after a blind date, she married Milton Rein of New York City, who died in 1984. Mrs. Rein was active in… Read more »
Dr. Allen Erenberg, 72, died Nov. 20, 2015. Born in Chicago, Dr. Erenberg attended the University of Illinois College of Medicine and graduated in 1967 with an MD degree. He received his neonatology training in Torrance, Calif., served in the United States Air Force Medical Corp for two years,… Read more »
Seena Brodkin Ponemon, 83, died Oct. 31, 2015. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mrs. Ponemon had lived in Tucson since 1974. Survivors include her sons, Edward Ponemon of Tucson and Lawrence Ponemon of Traverse City, Mich.; sister, Marcia Brodkin Perlstein of Canoga Park, Calif.; and brother, Sheldon Sid (Sally) Brodkin… Read more »
Tom Doherty Professor Tom Doherty, Ph.D., chair of the American studies program at Brandeis University and author of “Hollywood and Hitler, 1933-1939,” will present a University on Wheels lecture, “Jews, Nazis and Hollywood Cinema,” on Thursday, Jan. 7 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. The Tucson… Read more »
The inaugural exhibition of the expanded Holocaust History Center on the campus of the Jewish History Museum will feature an exhibit displaying portraits of individuals who perished in the Holocaust, whose relatives live or have lived in Southern Arizona. The Center is issuing a public call for photos and… Read more »
The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Northwest Division and Chabad of Oro Valley will present local Holocaust survivor Willy Halpert on “The Hidden Child During the Holocaust” on Sunday, Dec. 27 at 4 p.m. at the JFSA Northwest office, 190 W. Magee Road. Halpert recalls walking with his father… Read more »
Ori Parnaby Dear Jewish Community Concierge, My parents are retiring and moving to Tucson. I want to help them keep busy and make friends. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you, Linda Dear Linda, Great question. These are common issues for many seniors. Luckily, Tucson has plenty of options. Don’t forget… Read more »
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Tucson resident Beth Surdut will present “The Modern Tallit” at a Hadassah Southern Arizona luncheon on Sunday, Jan. 10. Surdut, who creates hand-painted silk prayer shawls, will discuss how personal stories and prayers become essential elements in her designs. Whether for pre-teens or adults, she says, each tallit becomes… Read more »
I was moved by reading Amy Hirshberg Lederman’s articles about the loss of her beloved husband, Ray, in the context of her Judaism. In expressing herself through the medium of the written word, I know that Amy was better able to deal with her pain and suffering. I am… Read more »
The 25th annual Tucson Jewish International Film Festival is dedicated to the memory of Bob Polinsky, a longtime volunteer. Every time I go to a movie, it’s magic, no matter what the movie’s about. —Steven Spielberg The Tucson International Jewish Film Festival uses that “magic” to promote the preservation of Jewish culture and celebrate cultural diversity. For 10 days, Jan. 14 - 23, the 25th annual festival… Read more »
Gregg Mozgala (left) and choreographer Tamar Rogoff in a scene from ‘Enter the Faun,’ which will be screened as part of the 25th Tucson International Jewish Film Festival.
When New York choreographer Tamar Rogoff invited Gregg Mozgala, an actor with cerebral palsy, to dance the role of the faun in an original production, they had no idea that their collaboration would lead to a profound and unexpected physical transformation. At the time they met in 2008, Mozgala… Read more »
Netanel (left) and Eden Achituv, Israeli teachers new to Tucson Hebrew Academy this year, at THA’s all-school Thanksgiving lunch on Nov. 24. (Alix Cramer/THA)
Netanel and Eden Achituv are the first Israelis to join Tucson Hebrew Academy as part of the World Zionist Organization’s Morim Shlichim (teacher-emissary) program. WZO and the Weintraub Israel Center helped THA recruit the Achituvs, who bring rich experience to the day school’s Hebrew and Judaic studies programs. Coming… Read more »
Sheldon Clare teaches Yiddish at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. (Renee Claire)
So what’s your Yiddish IQ, bubbeleh? Don’t be too quick with your answer because truth is, lots of the mamaloshen (mother tongue) has entered into common English usage; think kibbitz, bagel, klutz, kosher and chutzpah. But should you want to think of more than the commonly known terms, then… Read more »
Elder Rehab at the Tucson Jewish Community Center couples memory-impaired seniors with University of Arizona students who supervise them in physical exercise and memory and language stimulation activities. The research-tested program, developed by psychologist Sharon Arkin, is now enrolling participants for its third semester, which begins Jan. 25. The… Read more »
Nanci Levy and Handmaker residents braid challah. Seated, L-R: Peggy Simon, Betty Light and Anna Rogovin (Courtesy Handmaker)
Recently hired as community outreach coordinator at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging, Nanci Levy says 20 years of volunteer work in the Tucson Jewish community was great preparation for her new role — along with a background in advertising, public relations, event planning and fund development. “Over the… Read more »
Into a world bombarded by research on wellness and longevity comes “Staying Sharp: 9 Keys for a Youthful Brain through Modern Science and Ageless Wisdom.” In this smart and (relatively) simple guide, the authors, psychologist David Alter, Ph.D., and psychiatrist Henry Emmons, M.D., boil down the brightest science and… Read more »
Rabbi Nachum Ehrentreu, left, and Tucsonan Ron Rosenberg with Jewish kindergarteners in Zaporozhye, Ukraine (Courtesy Ron Rosenberg)
Looking back at 2015, there is no question that the growing number of refugees worldwide has become a huge concern. The United Nations refugee agency reported this summer that there are more refugees in the world today than ever previously recorded. The agency labels Syria, Ukraine and South Sudan… Read more »
Nicholas Thalasinos renewing his marital vows with his wife at a
Jewish-style ceremony, 2013. (Facebook)
(JTA) – While America puzzles over the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, many American Jews are puzzling over an additional element: the religious identity of victim Nicholas Thalasinos. Pictured on his Facebook page wearing a scarf-style tallit prayer shawl, Thalasinos, who was killed along with 13 others in… Read more »
It was fitting and ironic that Donald Trump chose this week of all weeks to issue his monstrous missive calling for all Muslims – including citizens who have traveled outside of the country for work, vacation, or any reason at all – to be barred from entering the United… Read more »
