Posts By PHYLLIS BRAUN - AJP Executive Editor

The “Seeking Kin” column aims to help reunite long-lost relatives and friends. (JTA) – When Brazil native Fabio Rosenfeld brought up launching a search for his grandfather’s sister who had survived the Holocaust, I opened my “National Geographic Atlas of the World” to locate her hometown of Reghin. A… Read more »

LOS ANGELES (JTA) — There’s a popular Chanukah song recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary, “Light One Candle.” Its chorus insists we “don’t let the light go out” — but I’ve been thinking that maybe we should. Not that I want to leave all those Maccabee children stumbling in the… Read more »

NEW YORK (JTA) – Nonprofit organizations are preparing for a new but remarkably successful philanthropy holiday, #GivingTuesday, which this year falls on Dec. 1. Organizations are busy crafting special campaigns, creating new online giving portals and planning fundraisers for the holiday, which began in 2012 on the Tuesday after… Read more »

Samuel Paul Goldfinger, son of Melissa and Tedd Goldfinger, will celebrate becoming a bar mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 21 at Congregation Anshei Israel. He is the grandson of Sandi and Jerry Henderson of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Judi and Jerry Schumacher of Saddlebrooke. Samuel attends Tucson Hebrew Academy where… Read more »

Shmuel Moshe White, son of the Honorable James Garfield White and Hallie Bongar White, celebrated becoming a bar mitzvah on Saturday, Nov.14 at Congregation Young Israel. Shmuel is an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and attends Tucson Hebrew Academy, where he plays on the basketball and football… Read more »

THE ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM has been recognized as a winner in the 2015 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice  awards for museums, ranking 11 out of 25. The 600 institutions recognized with Travelers’ Choice awards represent just 1 percent of all attractions worldwide. The Desert Museum is recognized on the TripAdvisor site… Read more »

A series of paintings by LAURA WILSON ETTER, “Medical Bodies,” is on display at the Hotel Congress Lobby Gallery through Dec. 9. Etter, a mixed-media artist, used vintage medical diagrams as inspiration for her pieces, which highlight the body parts that make us what and possibly who we are.… Read more »

(JTA) — Admittedly, “The Man in the High Castle,” the new original series from Amazon Prime, is in a tough spot. Many TV fans are wondering if the much-hyped drama can live up to the standard set by its Emmy-award winning Amazon predecessor, “Transparent.” “High Castle” is based on — but… Read more »

TEL AVIV (JTA) – The Israeli government has approved entry of the “last” group of Ethiopian Jews awaiting immigration to Israel. The move comes two years after the arrival of 450 Ethiopian Jews then deemed to be the “last” such group. Indeed, there have been several groups said to… Read more »

  TEL AVIV (JTA) — His best friend remembered him starting up a children’s game on their senior school trip. His teacher retold the time he made Hebrew jokes on a whiteboard during class. His rabbi recalled him committing to study the entire Bible this year. His parents wrote… Read more »

PJ Library & THA celebrate Chanukah PJ library held a pre-Chanukah celebration at Tucson Hebrew Academy on Sunday, Nov. 8. Children listened to “Gracie’s Night: A Hanukkah Story” by Lynn Taylor Gordon, illustrated by Laura Brown; built sparkly menorahs; ate latkes and desserts created by THA’s chef; and filled… Read more »

Helene (Levkowitz) Goodman with niece Ella Levkowitz at Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem

Israeli mitzvah project From Sept. 22 through Oct. 2, Bertie Levkowitz and Tom Herz were in Israel for Bertie’s youngest granddaughter’s bat mitzvah. Ella Levkowitz, the celebrant, is the daughter of Howard and Elaine Levkowitz, of Los Angeles. The Levkowitz clan with native Tucson ties included Howard’s sister, Helene… Read more »

David Mordecai Steinborn, 79, died Nov. 10, 2015, in Dallas, Texas. Born in Detroit, Mich., Mr. Steinborn moved to Tucson at age 7 with his mother and brother Michael. In 1953, he moved back to Detroit to live with his father, stepmother and three of his siblings. He attended… Read more »

Theodore “Ted” Karnofsky, 93. died Oct. 24, 2015. Mr. Karnofsky loved sports. He played in the Arizona Jewish Post bowling league for over 20 years and never missed a University of Arizona home football game in over 60 years. Survivors include his wife, Shirley; children, Ilene Scannel and Shelby… Read more »

Cooler weather isn’t the only thing Tucsonans can look forward to this fall. Local kitchens are heating up with all new menus and pumpkin-flavored treats galore. Gourmet Girls’ Susan Fulton says she and co-owner Mary Steiger “are in our full pumpkin mode.” The gluten free bakery is offering pumpkin… Read more »

Teen drivers are involved in more crashes than any other demographic, primarily due to poor decision making, Officer William Honomichl of the Tucson Police Department Traffic Division told a group of about 35 teens and parents on Nov. 1 at Congregation Or Chadash. “You’re Driving Me Nuts,” a driver’s… Read more »

Itamar Rabinovich

Political and social ideological conflicts among Arab nations have fostered continued instability in the Middle East. Israel’s 1948 founding as a Jewish state, and the only democracy in the region, forever changed the landscape and interaction among regional interests. The University of Arizona will host “Israel in the Changing… Read more »

The U.S. Passport Control agent greeted me with uncustomary warmth as I returned to Newark Liberty Airport on Nov. 2. “Was your trip business or vacation?” he asked. For a split second I hesitated, but answered firmly “vacation.” How could I tell him that the time I had just… Read more »

The Jewish Community Foundation is seeking applications from nonprofit organizations in Southern Arizona for a grant from the JCF Israel Discovery Fund, made possible by the Shaol & Evelyn Pozez Endowment Fund and the Beren Family Scholarship Fund. The purpose of the JCF Israel Discovery Fund is to send… Read more »

The Tucson Jewish Community Center will return from a three-year hiatus at the JCC Maccabi Games, sending a delegation of teen athletes to the games that will be held July 24-29 in Columbus, Ohio. Over the past few years, the games conflicted with Tucson school schedules, although a few… Read more »