Posts By PHYLLIS BRAUN - AJP Executive Editor

(L-R) Front kneeling: Adrian Lehrman; front row: Rachel Badalov, Alyssa Lee, Rochelle Felix, Dreo Polonski, Or Shenkar, Sapir Curiel, Rebecka Sokoloff, Heidi Saxton, Emily Youngerman, Lola Maas, Rivkah Selmon, Alexis McKinstry; back row: Noah Meyer, Avin Kreisler, Rafe Centuori, Benjamin Manninen, Jacob Anderson

Tucson Hebrew Academy graduation Tucson Hebrew Academy held its eighth grade graduation on Thursday, May 8. Based on their academic achievements, the graduates had a variety of high school options from which to choose. This year’s graduates will move on to University High School, St. Gregory College Preparatory School,… Read more »

Alan Robert Pearlman, died June 11, 2014. Mr. Pearlman was preceded in death by his parents, Bernard and Shirley Pearlman. Survivors include his wife, Ann Abramson; sons, Michael Pearlman and Adam Pearlman; brother, David Pearlman; sister, Wendy (Steve) Weiss; brothers- and sisters-in-law, Daniel (Amy) Abramson and Lawrence (Laurie) Abramson;… Read more »

Bryna Shirley Ben-Asher, 78, died on June 14, 2014. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Mrs. Ben-Asher received her bachelor’s of science in physical therapy from the University of Buffalo, where she met M. David Ben-Asher. They married in 1956 and moved to Tucson in 1964. She served on the Catalina… Read more »

“The Storyteller,” life-size bronze sculpture by David Unger

Tucson sculptor David Unger will have a one-man show July 4-31 at Bill Hester Fine Art in Santa Fe, N.M. The show will feature more than 30 of his bronze sculptures, and Unger is particularly excited about his life-size piece, “The Storyteller.” “The Storyteller” can hold children in its… Read more »

Trip members on the promenade at the port at Tel Aviv. Back row (L-R): Howard Peck, Meir Eisenman, Claire Peck, Carolyn Crowder, Esther Becker, Rabbi Israel Becker; front row: Howard Toff, Cheryl Toff, Renee Geffen, Carol Zuckert, Marcia Winick, Alayne Greenberg, Bruce Greenberg; seated: Lyn Lewis, Clifford Altfeld, Ruth Swedarsky

                        My wife, Lyn, and I recently returned from the Congregation Chofetz Chayim/Southwest Torah Institute 2014 Israel Experience, filled with enthusiasm for the trip and the many unique experiences we shared with a group of 13 led by… Read more »

People gather for a vigil for three kidnapped Israeli teens outside the Israeli consulate in New York City on June 16. According to the Israeli defense Forces (IDF), Gilad Shaar (16) Naftali Frenkel, (16) and Eyal Yifrach (19) have been missing since late Thursday or Friday and were last seen around Gush Etzion. Israeli soldiers have detained over 150 Palestinian suspects in the search for the three teens. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Since the three teenagers were abducted last week, Israel’s goals have been simple: Find them and punish their kidnappers. Realizing those goals, though, is far from a simple task. The international community has condemned the kidnappings, and Israel has spread its forces across the West Bank to search for… Read more »

This year, the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona and the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona combined multiple grant programs into one, the 2014 Community Impact Grants. Through the new, aligned grants program, the JCF and the JFSA awarded more than $410,000, which includes $268,472 to Jewish organizations in… Read more »

When people in their 70s or 80s walk into a hospital emergency room with no obvious physical symptoms, medical residents often think their problem must be brain impairment. But that’s “nonsense,” said Ole J. Thienhaus, M.D., of the University of Arizona department of psychiatry, speaking at the “Aging and… Read more »

Gladys Hanfling holds a Torah with a needlepoint mantle she created in 2003 for Temple Emanu-El.

Gladys Hanfling, 87, isn’t afraid of anything. “I’m chutzpahdik,” she says, smiling. Life is full of experiences so why should anything stop her? As for her age, “I don’t look it. I don’t act it. I don’t think it,” Hanfling told the AJP. Born in the Bronx, N.Y., she… Read more »

Deborah Kalar-Crowder, emergency financial assistance manager at Jewish Family & Children’s Services, receives packages for Mitzvah Magic.

For a family struggling to make ends meet, the gifts and holiday items provided by Tucson’s Mitzvah Magic program are “a godsend,” one recipient recently told the AJP. We’ll call her “Rachel.” Mitzvah Magic, a program of Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Women’s Philanthropy and Jewish Family & Children’s… Read more »

Here are some hot summer reading suggestions from your AJP editors. For me, the public library is an Aladdin’s cave of treasures waiting to be discovered. A recent find on a recommended reading display was “Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment,” a 2009 title by A.J. Jacobs, author… Read more »

In response to the kidnapping of three boys last week, some Israelis have prayed. Some have voiced support on social media. And some have done what they do best: they made an app. Prompted by the kidnapping and set to launch in the near future, the SOS Israel app will allow anyone in… Read more »

  (JTA) — The World Jewish Congress called on the FIFA world soccer association to hold a tribute to the victims of the AMIA Jewish center terrorist attack before a match between Argentina and Iran at the World Cup in Brazil. A letter sent to FIFA President Joseph Blatter… Read more »

TribeFest 2014 From March 16-18, six Tucsonans — Pamela Epstein, Dave Hausler, Marina Kandova, Ari Magill, and Amy and Ben Pozez, accompanied by Sarah Langert, Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona leadership development and public relations director, traveled to New Orleans for TribeFest 2014. This biennial national event, organized by… Read more »

STUART SHATKEN was elected president of the board of trustees of the JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA. He has served as a JCF trustee since 2010. An attorney, he was vice president of a large real estate firm in New York for many years. In Tucson, he has… Read more »

Sabina Rachel Anderson, daughter of Mila Vasser and Wayne Anderson, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, June 7 at Temple Emanu-El. She is the granddaughter of Rimma and Richard Felty of Monterey, Calif., and Jane Anderson of Twining, Mich. Sabina attends Basis Tucson North, where she is… Read more »

The Tucson Jewish Youth Choir, led by Cantor Janece Cohen, performs.

Israel 66 Celebration About 500 people attended the Israel 66 Celebration held Wednesday evening, May 14, at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. Coordinated by the Weintraub Israel Center, which is a joint program of the JCC and the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, the event included children’s activities, Israeli… Read more »

Allegro Il Gelato Naturale 446 N. Campbell Ave., #120 207-1991 • www.gelatoallegro.com Allegro uses only natural ingredients and you can really taste the difference. Our coffee gelato is made with Lavazza, Italy’s favorite coffee, and for our chocolate we’ve chosen Valrhona, the Grand Cru of cocoa powder. We know… Read more »

  1702 1702 E. Speedway Blvd. 325-1702 • www.1702az.com All our ingredients are brought in daily and our sauce and dough are made daily as well. We serve any combo of toppings you want on our giant slices that are sure to impress. Caruso’s Italian Restaurant 434 N. 4th… Read more »

Erika Mitnik-White

Why buy local? When you buy from locally owned businesses, you support your friends and neighbors in the community. These are the people who buy homes locally, pay taxes locally and support our local charities. In fact, local businesses contribute twice their percentage of profits to charity than non-local… Read more »