Migrants cross into Hungary as they walk over railroad tracks at the Serbian border, Sept. 8. (Dan Kirkwood/Getty Images
Editor’s note: For the local response, see JFSA facilitates gift for Syrian refugee aid (JTA) — When he looks into the tired eyes of the Syrian refugees now flooding Europe’s borders, Guy Sorman is reminded of his father, Nathan, who fled Germany for France just months before Adolf Hitler… Read more »
The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona recently received a $25,000 gift from a donor advised fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, which it forwarded to the Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief to aid the swelling population of migrants and Syrian refugees in Europe and the Middle… Read more »
Iranians walk through Tehran's old main bazaar, March 18, 2014. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Images)
WASHINGTON (JTA) – If you’re an American who likes Iranian caviar and pistachios, you’re in for a treat. Once the nuclear deal with Iran is implemented, the U.S. sanctions that until now have blocked the export of those Iranian foodstuffs into the United States will be lifted. Bon appetit.… Read more »
Tourists at Auschwitz photographing the "Arbeit Macht Frei" gate, July 2015. (Ruth Ellen Gruber)
(JTA) – Pawel Sawicki gets to his desk every morning by 7, but he works no regular office job. Sawicki is an information officer at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Memorial and Museum, the sprawling complex in southern Poland that encompasses the largest and most notorious Nazi death camp. More than 1.1 million… Read more »
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, left, shaking hands with his Israeli counterpart, Moshe Yaalon, before boarding a military aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, July 21, 2015. (Carolyn Kaster/Pool/AP Images)
WASHINGTON (JTA) – The moment the Iran nuclear deal becomes law, as seems increasingly likely given growing congressional support for the agreement, the focus of the U.S.-Israel conversation will shift to the question of what’s next. What more will Washington do to mitigate the Iranian threat and reassure… Read more »
Rebecca Pitts and Keith Kueny were married Aug. 8, 2015 in Salem, Ore. Both are 2013 graduates of Willamette University College of Law. Rebecca is the daughter of Judith Brown of Tucson and Terry Pitts of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the granddaughter of Miriam Brown of Tucson. Keith is… Read more »
Dana and Ira Adler announce the engagement of their son, Michael Alan Adler, to Meredith Jacqueline Zitron, daughter of Barbara Gross of Pepper Pike, Ohio, and stepdaughter of Terry Pollack. Michael is the grandson of Joanne Dendinger of Bloomington, Minn., and the late Miriam and Milton Adler and Wilbert… Read more »
THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA HILLEL FOUNDATION has hired two new staff members to increase Israel engagement. ELYSE PINCUS, a UA alumna who grew up in Tucson, is the IACT coordinator for Israel engagement, which is a new position sponsored by the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston. The program originated… Read more »
JORDAN NATHANIEL SUMBERG, son of Lori and Craig Sumberg, will celebrate becoming a bar mitzvah on Saturday, September 5, 2015 at Temple Emanu-El. He is the grandson of Estelle and Eugene Laska of New York, and the late Arlene and Shepard Sumberg of Boston. Jordan attends The Gregory School… Read more »
Pima County Attorney BARBARA LaWALL was honored at a recent Arizona’s Children Association VIP celebration for her dedication to children and families and her advocacy efforts in Pima County. ITZIK BECHER was named major gifts director at the Jewish National Fund. He will work with the Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson… Read more »
Maris (Mitzi) Kay Bootzin, 74, died Aug. 17, 2015, in Austin, Texas. Born in Milwaukee, Mrs. Bootzin graduated from Whitefish Bay High School in Milwaukee where, in her senior year, she directed all theatre productions. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Early in her career, she was a part-time… Read more »
Naomi Islin, 100, died March 11, 2015. Born in Manhattan, N.Y., she married Sidney Islin in 1936 and they moved to Tucson in 1948. Mrs. Islin worked as a civilian for the U.S. Navy at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II while her husband served in the… Read more »
Broadway in Tucson Centennial Hall 1020 E. University Blvd. 903-2929 broadwayintucson.com The season begins with America’s favorite redhead in a new incarnation of the iconic “Annie.” “The Phantom of the Opera” returns with new scenic and lighting designs, including the show’s legendary chandelier, followed by the 20th anniversary world… Read more »
Irving Berlin left an indelible mark on the classic American songbook with hits like “White Christmas,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and “God Bless America.” Arizona Theatre Company will bring Berlin’s story to life in “Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin,” which opens ATC’s 2015-16… Read more »
Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon We are about to begin the yearly journey of the Jewish fall holidays, examining the choices we continually make and the way our choices have worked out for us in the past year. The last month of the Jewish year, Elul, is bracketed by Torah portions from Deuteronomy that… Read more »
Ori Parnaby Dear Jewish Community Concierge, I’m new to Tucson and thinking of joining a synagogue. I’m not very religious and am not sure if a synagogue is really the right place to connect, but I want to do something to connect with the Jewish community here. Do you have any… Read more »
Now is certainly the time for all compassionate Arizonans, and particularly our progressive Jewish community, to speak out and lobby local and state lawmakers to pass Death With Dignity legislation. Do not confuse this with assisted suicide or euthanasia, because in appropriate legislation a competent, severely ill person judged… Read more »
Jewish Family & Children’s Services, in collaboration with experts from the University of Arizona Center on Aging, will present the Mel Sherman Institute on Mental Health lecture series this fall, with free talks on Fridays, Sept. 18 and Nov. 13, from 1-3 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center.… Read more »
Congregation Bet Shalom will hold its 12th annual Wine Tasting at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19 at CataVinos Wine Shoppe & Tasting Room, 3063 N. Alvernon Way. The event will feature tastings of kosher wines from around the world. Rosa Cohen, president of the synagogue, notes that in… Read more »
Chabad Tucson will sample and sell a variety of kosher wine for the High Holidays on Sunday, Sept. 6, from 1-3 p.m. at Congregation Young Israel/Chabad. Single bottles and cases of wines from the United States, Israel, France and Italy will be available “for tasting and purchase at attractive… Read more »
