Posts By PHYLLIS BRAUN - AJP Executive Editor

Congregation Or Chadash will hold a Texas Hold’em poker tournament, plus a dinner and casino night, on Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Tucson Scottish Rite Cathedral, 160 S. Scott Ave. The tournament is limited to 150 players on a first-come, first-served basis. Walk-ins are welcome, unless sold out. The… Read more »

The University of Arizona Hillel Foundation will hold its annual alumni basketball event, a pre-game dinner before the UA vs Oregon basketball game, on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 5:45 p.m. at the Hillel Foundation, 1245 E. 2nd St. The event will include dinner, door prizes, a visit with UA… Read more »

IRIS SAPOVITS was named Hadassah Southern Arizona’s Woman of the Year. She has served as Hadassah Southern Arizona president, co-president and vice president of fundraising as well as on the Desert Mountain Region Board. She is also active with the Green Valley White Elephant thrift store, the Green Valley… Read more »

Sharon Glassberg

SHARON GLASSBERG, vice president of the JEWISH FEDERATION OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA, director of the Coalition of Jewish Education and principal of Tucson Hebrew High, was highlighted in Inside ICS, the newsletter of the Institute for Curriculum Services of the National Resource Center for Accurate Jewish Content in Schools, for… Read more »

ROXANNE ABIGAIL FRANK­EN­BERG, daughter of Viviana and Nathan Frankenberg, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah at Congregation Bet Shalom on Saturday, Jan. 17. Roxanne is the grandaughter of Teresa Frankenberg of East Meadows, N.Y. and Arnoldo Waysburt of Asuncion, Paraguay. Roxanne is an honor student at Coronado K-8, where… Read more »

SAMANTHA DEUTSCH, daughter of Jill and Michael Deutsch, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah at Temple Emanuel of Tempe on Saturday, Jan. 17. She is the grandaughter of Susan and Michael Cohen of Sun Lakes, Ariz., and Judy and Larry Deutsch of St. Louis, and the great- grandaughter of… Read more »

Back row (L-R): Rabbi Batsheva Appel, Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon, Bonnie Golden (Temple president), Ken Silverman, Moira Silverman, Amanda Caldwell, Jason Feld, Lauren Katz, Jonathan Katz and Marcia Katz. Front row: JCTEY-NFTY members Emiliano Miller, Levi Rubin, Rachel Levy, Lucy Heller (Photo: Steve Shawl)

The Rebecca Katz Family Library and Youth Center at Temple Emanu-El was dedicated on Dec.16 in memory of Rebecca Lynne Katz. The new facility includes a collection of Jewish children’s books, games, space for video and digital technology and comfortable furnishings. The library will also serve as a lounge… Read more »

The Strauss ECE Dancing Dreidels perform at Temple Emanu-El’s “Greatest Hanukkah on Earth! XVI” on Sunday, Dec. 14. About 550 people attended the event.

… Read more »

Shalom Tucson will host a free bagel brunch for newcomers and anyone interested in the Tucson Jewish community on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 10 a.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. Representatives from synagogues, agencies and organizations will be on hand, along with the Jewish community concierge, Ori Parnaby.… Read more »

Mary Kate Callahan (front) and her teammates (L-R): Abigail Will, Laura Haley, Jessica Honea, Kimberly Nicolai, Molly Supple and Halli Schmittenberg celebrate the end of a successful season for the University of Arizona Women’s triathlon team. (Photo: Jimmy Song Photography)

The Tucson Jewish Community Center will present “Consider Yourself Challenged,” a family friendly fundraiser on Sunday, Feb. 8 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The University of Arizona TriCats will be on hand to conduct children’s activities and discuss equipment and training required to participate in a triathlon. Mary Kate… Read more »

Tracy Salkowitz

Community foundations are the cool­est thing ever … well, you would think so, too, if you had the greatest job in the world. The first community foundation was created in Cleveland in 1914 by Frederick Goff, a local banker, who understood the need for a centralized philanthropic vehicle to… Read more »

George Miller

George Miller, mayor of Tucson from 1991 to 1999, died Dec. 25 at the age of 92. Born in Detroit, Miller was a Tucsonan since 1939 and briefly attended Tucson High School. He served as a U.S. Marine in World War II, was wounded in the Battle of Saipan… Read more »

Mark Halawa on the first night of Chanukah in Tel Aviv's Great Synagogue. (Anav Silverman/Tazpit News Agency)

When Mark Halawa lights his family’s menorah during Chanukah, it is not without recalling his unique journey as a Kuwaiti Muslim to Orthodox Judaism. The 38-year-old businessman, who lives today in Jerusalem with his wife and family, keeping Shabbat and kosher dietary laws, began his journey 12 years ago in… Read more »

Tucsonans can activate the Jewish concept of halbashat arumin, clothing the needy, this cold season by participating in a clothing drive to benefit Primavera Men’s Shelter. This social action effort running through Jan. 4 is sponsored by the Tucson Jewish Community Center and the Jewish Community Relations Council in partnership with several… Read more »

Sheldon Metz

Sheldon Metz thought he was retiring from a big-time career as an event producer when he came to Tucson in 2007.  “Instead, I’m busier than ever,” says Metz, 69. “My doctor says that’s what keeps me going.” Soon after Metz and his wife, Linda Schulman-Metz, arrived here, he jumped… Read more »

LOS ANGELES (JTA) — Kirk Douglas, born Issur Danielovitch, the son of an immigrant Russian Jewish ragman, marked his 98th birthday on Dec. 9 by launching his 11th book. The legendary star of 87 movies (who can forget “Spartacus”?) can look back, in happiness and grief, on countless one-night… Read more »

Tucson Hebrew Academy first graders roll dough for challah.

THA challah making Every Tucson Hebrew Academy student rolled dough and braided challah on Thursday, Dec. 4. The dough was prepared by teachers the day before. The significance of challah was explained to the students and all said the blessing while they separated out the portion of dough traditionally… Read more »

The National Exchange Club, the oldest service club in the United States, inducted ROBERT ALAN DAVIDSON, owner of Davidson Advertising, into its Court of Honor in October. Induction into the court, located at the headquarters in Toledo, Ohio, is the club’s highest honor. Davidson is a member of the… Read more »

INTERFAITH COMMUNITY SERVICES has appointed Daniel Stoltzfus as chief executive officer, effective Feb. 16. Stoltzfus succeeds longtime ICS CEO Bonnie Kampa, who is retiring at the end of 2014. Stoltzfus has more than 20 years of management experience in nonprofit organizations. He was most recently chief program officer at… Read more »

Lily Hannah Selznick, daughter of Barbara and Sanford Selznick, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Jan. 3, 2015 at Congregation Anshei Israel. She is the granddaughter of Betty Wilinsky of North Woodmere, N.Y. Lily attends BASIS Tucson North and enjoys playing violin, baking and reading. For her mitzvah… Read more »