Jonathan Greenblatt
Editor’s note: This opinion piece was written on Nov. 12, one day before the horrific attacks in Paris that have left more than 120 people dead and scores wounded. NEW YORK (JTA) — I have visited Europe many times, but last week I looked at it through a new… Read more »
Israeli Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog speaking at the party's convention In Tel Aviv, Nov. 8, 2015. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
NEW YORK (JTA) – In the mind of Israel’s opposition leader, Labor Party chief Isaac Herzog, the array of threats in the Middle East these days present Israel with a historic opportunity. Yes, Palestinians are stabbing Israelis daily. Yes, Israel arguably has its most right-wing government since Benjamin Netanyahu’s… 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 »
Left to right, Beth Schafer, Julie Silver, Peri Smilow and Michelle Citrin sing "If I Had a Hammer" at the Union for Reform Judaism biennial conference in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 6, 2015. (URJ)
ORLANDO, Fla. (JTA) – Growing up in a traditional Jewish household, Joan Cubell didn’t really know much about Reform Judaism. But after obtaining ordination a few years ago from a little-known rabbinical institute in suburban New York, Cubell decided to make her home in the Reform movement. First she got a… Read more »
ORLANDO, Fla. (JTA) — Last week was a big one for Daryl Messinger. A resident of Palo Alto, California, and an active board member of several organizations, Messinger was installed as chair of the Union for Reform Judaism, becoming the first woman to hold that post. And she chanted Torah… Read more »
: Edward Boarland, sous chef at Le Rafael in Paris, on Nov. 3, 2015. (Cnaan Liphshiz/JTA)
PARIS (JTA) — With 84 Michelin-certified restaurants and a combined total of 115 stars, the French capital offers a dazzling gastronomic selection to anyone willing to stomach the bill. Anyone but observant Jews, that is. For years, the kosher-keeping community has been limited to budget pizzerias or moderately priced… Read more »
Participants in the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism’s centennial celebration in Baltimore in 2013. (Mike Diamond Photography)
NEW YORK (JTA) – When delegates to the biennial convention of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism meet next week near Chicago, they will be seeking a way forward for a movement challenged by numerical decline but holding steady in Jewish engagement. These are the main overall trends that emerge… Read more »
Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona is a finalist in the Santa Rita Landscaping $15,000 Nonprofit Landscape Makeover. If you are on Facebook and would like to help JFCS win, do the following Click here and like the JFCS Facebook page Once there, click on the link… Read more »
ALFONSO GOURMET OLIVE OIL & BALSAMICS St. Philips Plaza, Suite #40 • 4320 N. Campbell Ave. 441-9081 Plaza Escondida • 7854 N. Oracle Road • 638-5000 www.alfonsooliveoil.com Tom Alfonso, co-owner Do you have a secret menu item? All of our extra virgin olive oils are certified kosher and have… Read more »
Abby W. Schacter PITTSBURGH (JTA) — The conventional profile of American Jews is that they tend to be highly educated and work in professions like medicine, finance, law and the academy. Jews, of course, “value education,” as the trope about the “People of the Book” goes. And American Jews, since they… Read more »
Pim Valkenberg (JTA) — Fifty years ago, on Oct. 28, 1965, Pope Paul VI and the bishops of the Second Vatican Council promulgated the declaration Nostra Aetate on the relationship between the Catholic Church and other religions. In the decades since, the document has done much to foster dialogue between Catholics… Read more »
McSally dinner with UA student leaders U.S. Rep. Martha McSally spoke to some 80 University of Arizona student leaders on Tuesday, Oct. 13 about the U.S.-Israel relationship, saying it needed to be strengthened. The dinner, held at the UA Hillel Foundation, was hosted by CatPAC Wildcats for Israel and… Read more »
HANDMAKER JEWISH SERVICES FOR THE AGING has hired NANCI LEVY as community outreach coordinator, The position is funded, in part, by a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation. Levy has been volunteering in the Tucson Jewish community for nearly 20 years. In her new position, she will focus on… Read more »
A book by local author DEBRA SCHILDHOUSE, “Bio-Touch: Healing with the Power in Our Fingertips” was recently published by SelectBooks, Inc. Schildhouse will hold a meet and greet on Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 5130 E. Broadway. More information is available at debra schildhouse.com. Disruptive… Read more »
Aidan Star Jones, son of Elena and Bob Jones, will celebrate becoming a bar mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 21st at Temple Emanu-El. He is the grandson of Judy Shepard Gomez and Marjorie Hochberg of Tucson. Aidan attends Accelerated Learning Laboratory where he is co-chair of the Fall Festival Committee.… Read more »
Good food and drink are among life’s best simple pleasures — especially when you’re talking about pizza baked to perfection or a cold brew shared with friends. Here are a few words about some of Tucson’s best purveyors of gustatory bliss. Fresco Pizzeria & Pastaria Mat and Britnee Cable,… Read more »
Marion Lewis Aptekar, 103, died Oct. 15, 2015 in Portland, Ore. Mrs. Aptekar was born in Garfield, N.J. Her family moved to Detroit when she was 4 years old. She was confirmed at Temple Beth El in 1926 and graduated from Northern High School in 1930. In 1934, she… Read more »
William Krauss, 84, died Oct. 20, 2015. Mr. Krauss was preceded in death by his brothers, Joseph Krauss and Irvin Levin; and sisters, Betty Goldberg and Gloria Levin. Survivors include his wife, Janis Myers Krauss; children, Stephen (Tami) Krauss and John Krauss, both of Tucson, and Arnold Krauss of… Read more »
I recently attended the Bernie Sanders rally here in Tucson at Reid Park. Although I am a strong Hillary Clinton supporter, I wanted to see in person why a 74-year-old Jewish Socialist candidate is inspiring so much passion nationally among progressives and independents. As I was finding a space… Read more »
Gil Hoffman As the chief political correspondent and analyst for The Jerusalem Post, Gil Hoffman has a profound understanding of the nuances that make Israeli politics complex and, at times, confusing. On Friday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 14, Hoffman will share his insights as scholar-in-residence at Congregation Anshei Israel. Having… Read more »
