Posts By PHYLLIS BRAUN - AJP Executive Editor

THE PETER AND PATRICIA LIKINS FAMILY, JEWISH FEDERATION OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA and ARIZONA CENTER FOR JUDAIC STUDIES at the University of Arizona have awarded the 2012-13 John Likins Memorial Scholarship to MARIA FERNANDA VELASCO. The scholarship supports an incoming freshman from a Tucson area high school, majoring in any… Read more »

Theodore H. (Ted) Silverman, 83, died Oct. 10, 2013. Mr. Silverman was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War and a member of Temple Emanu-El. He enjoyed sculpting in marble and alabaster and displayed his works in his studio and throughout Tucson. Survivors include his wife of 60… Read more »

Louise Shapiro, 84, died Oct. 4, 2013. Mrs. Shapiro was born in Alabama. Her family moved to New York City, where she graduated from Hunter College. She received her master’s degree in education from the University of Arizona. She met her husband, Norman, while working as a camp counselor… Read more »

Liba Feurstein, 76, died Oct. 2, 2013 in California. Mrs. Feurstein worked as a teacher. She was preceded in death by her parents, Rabbi Marcus and Bertha Breger and her husband, Seymour. Survivors include her children, David (Dalia) Feurstein of Sherman Oaks, Calif., Judy (Slone) Citron and Esther Netter;… Read more »

Monte Seymour, 94, died Oct. 1, 2013. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mr. Seymour was the son of Russian immigrants. At a young age, he sold newspapers during baseball games at Ebbets Field and concessions at Madison Square Garden. Mr. Seymour enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps, part of the… Read more »

Rabbi Stephanie Aaron

On Nov. 19, 1863, with 270 words and in slightly more than two minutes, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. Although he stated, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here,” those words were only… Read more »

The 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the “Night of Broken Glass,” a dark time in Jewish and world history, will be commemorated Nov. 9 and 10. The Tucson Jewish community will host several interrelated events to memorialize what’s often referred to as the start of the Holocaust, when violence against… Read more »

Gary Kippur

The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona is set to begin its 2014 Community Campaign next month with a goal of $3.5 million, an increase from last year’s goal of $3.36 million. One boost for this year’s campaign, says Campaign Chair Gary Kippur, is a matching grant for new or… Read more »

Gabrielle Giffords

Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will receive the 2013 Jewish Heritage Award at the Jewish History Museum’s annual brunch and silent auction on Sunday, Nov. 3 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The event will take place at the Tucson Marriott University Park, 880 E. Second Street. The award is… Read more »

(copyright Irving Olson)

The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Northwest Division will hold a fundraising event, You Gotta Have Heart, on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 5:30 p.m. The evening will include a 100th birthday celebration for Irving Olson, the honorary event chair, as well as a live and silent auction of art… Read more »

Rabbi Ethan Tucker will serve as scholar-in-residence at Congregation Anshei Israel Nov. 8 and 9. His topic will be “Judaism and Ethics.” Tucker is co-founder, rosh yeshiva and chair in Jewish law at Mechon Hadar, a New York-based educational institution. Named one of America’s Top 50 Rabbis by Newsweek… Read more »

The 9th annual CHAI Circle Retreat, “A Day for Healing and Spirituality,” will take place on Sunday, Nov. 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Canyon Ranch Health Resort, 8600 E. Rockcliff Road. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. There is no registration fee for… Read more »

Rabbi Wayne Dosick, Ph.D., author of eight books including “The Real Name of God: Embracing the Full Essence of the Divine,” will present a workshop at Congregation Chaverim on Sunday, Nov. 3 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dosick is the founder and spiritual leader of the Elijah Minyan,… Read more »

Hadassah Southern Arizona will sponsor a free education seminar, “Be Your Own Health Advocate,” on Sunday, Nov. 10, 9 a.m. to noon at Tucson Medical Center’s Marshall Auditorium, 5301 E. Grant Road. The emphasis of the seminar will be on lifestyle choices and preventive measures that promote wellness. The… Read more »

Ellen Freeman

This summer, 150 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Jews from around the world gathered in Winnipeg, this year’s host city for the 21st World Congress of GLBT Jews, held July 5 to 7. Attendees represented more than 15 countries, including the United States, Canada, England, France, Israel, Argentina and… Read more »

A gravestone at the Jewish cemetery in Douglas shows signs of vandalism. (Benjamin Herman)

Touring the U.S.-Mexico border may conjure up intrigue, fear and compassion, depending on one’s perspective. For Congregation Anshei Israel’s Assistant Rabbi Benjamin Herman, checking out the border led to an adventure in Jewish pioneer history. On Nov. 29, 2012, Robert Feinman, vice president of the humanitarian organization Humane Borders,… Read more »

JEWISH FAMILY & CHILDREN’S SERVICES OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA has named MICHAEL E. BLIMES vice president for philanthropy. Blimes was most recently vice president for philanthropy at the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. He founded and served for nearly three decades as chairman of the MIDAS Consulting Group, Inc., a full-service national… Read more »

Pattie Feder, Tucson Padres business/merchandise manager, with the team’s mascot, the “Swinging Friar”

The last first pitch Tucson Padres general manager Mike Feder, “Mr. Baseball” to many in our city, was in the news throughout the summer, yet we heard little of the proverbial “woman behind the man,” his wife, Pattie Feder. It was fitting that Pattie was invited to throw out… Read more »

Hazel Gordon Kaufman, 87, died Sept. 2, 2013. Born in New York City, Mrs. Kaufman was raised in New Rochelle, N.Y., and graduated from Mount Ida College. She owned art galleries in Highland Park, Ill., and Santa Fe, N.M. Mrs. Kaufman was preceded in death by her brother, James.… Read more »

Goldie Wiederhorn, 89, lifelong resident of Cleveland, died Sept. 21, 2013. Mrs. Wiederhorn was president of the boards of the Cleveland Hebrew Schools and the Warrensville Center Synagogue and a member of Oheb Zedek Cedar Sinai Synagogue in Beachwood, Ohio. Mrs. Weiderhorn was preceded in death by her husand… Read more »