Posts By PHYLLIS BRAUN - AJP Executive Editor

The 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are a traditional period of reflection. But that ritual is often lost in an era where much reflection happens publicly in 140 characters or less. Reboot’s 10Q, a national project that asks people to answer a question a day online… Read more »

The Arizona Jewish Post asked Tucson’s congregational rabbis for a few words on how they hope to inspire their congregants for the new year. Here are their diverse and enlightening responses:… Read more »

Although Israel is 7,500 miles from Tucson, for some in the Jewish community it may seem like a hop, skip and a jump away. During the High Holidays, we’re particularly conscious of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. For some Tucsonans affiliated with the University of Arizona,… Read more »

Stephen Ost could win “College Entrepreneur of the Year” for his Ufree app. (Courtesy Stephen Ost)

The bold letters “Ufree?” emblazon the T-shirt Stephen Ost wears and the license plate on his car. Ironically, these days he rarely is free as he speeds from one appointment to the next, working to determine the valuation of his company Ufree, LLC. Ost has spent the last three… Read more »

Tucson author Jillian Cantor’s spare, elegant new novel, “Margot,” begins with a startling premise: What if Anne Frank’s sister had survived the Holocaust and was living under an assumed name in Philadelphia? Cantor, 35, says the first time she read “The Diary of a Young Girl” at age 13,… Read more »

Oshrat Barel and her husband, Eli, with daughters (L-R) Ronnie, Shira, and Yuval

Earlier this month, Oshrat Avitan Barel arrived in Tucson as the sixth director of the Weintraub Israel Center. The five shlichim (emissaries from Israel) who preceded her were men, making Barel the community’s first shlicha (female emissary). “Oshrat has an outstanding background and we thought she’d do wonders for… Read more »

Maya Marlene Krouse, daughter of Nancy and Robert Krouse, M.D., will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Aug. 17 at Congregation Anshei Israel. She is the granddaughter of Sandra and Bernard Krouse of Penn Valley, Pa., and the late Amalia and Numa Coca. Maya attends Orange Grove Middle School,… Read more »

Joshua Emet Cohen, son of Nancy Cohen and Stephen Cohen, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Aug. 17 at Congregation Or Chadash. He is the grandson of Alan and Susan Cohen of Denver, Warren and Patricia Henderson of Dunbarton, N.H., and Janet Gagnon of Tucson. Joshua attends Orange… Read more »

Julia Marie Braun, daughter of Roxie and Jerry Braun, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Aug. 17 at Congregation Chaverim. She is the granddaughter of Zev and Mayling Braun of Los Angeles, Foy Shoemaker of Tucson and the late Joan Weinstein. Julia attends BASIS Charter School. She enjoys… Read more »

Lil “Cookie” Boas, 91, died July 11, 2013. Mrs. Boas and her family moved to Tucson in 1959. She found work as a model, singer and actress, and can be seen as an extra in the John Wayne classic, “McLintock!” She worked at Merrill Lynch and retired after 25… Read more »

Howard Starman Horne, 81, died July 1, 2013. Mr. Horne was educated at Central and Cass Tech in Detroit and then joined the U.S. Navy Medical Corps. He returned to Michigan to continue his education and marry his first wife. He then ventured to Arizona to mine uranium. He… Read more »

Rabbi Jason Holtz

  When I arrived in Tucson three years ago, I found synagogues filled with learning, service and community. I found Jewish agencies and nonprofits devoted to turning Jewish values into Jewish action. I found a compelling Federation centered on tzedakah, righteous giving, and tikkun olam, repairing the world. And… Read more »

This is in response to David E. Steinberg’s letter, “WWII end near before bombs dropped on Japan” (AJP, 7/12/13). I’m a World War II Navy veteran. In late spring 1945, my unit (all 10 of us) was awaiting deployment orders in San Bruno, Calif., when unexpectedly we were transferred… Read more »

Handball hall-of-famer Fred Lewis, second from right, with his brother, Jack Lewis, sister-in-law, Ilene Lewis, and son, David Lewis, at the memorial to the 11 athletes murdered at the Munich Olympics in 1972, at the Wingate Institute in Netanya, Israel, site of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (Courtesy Fred Lewis)

  Israel hosted the world’s largest sporting event of the year this summer, the 19th Maccabiah Games, held July 17-30. Three Tucsonans participated as athletes in the Olympic-style games, which included Jewish athletes from 70 countries, while one current and one former Tucsonan were inducted into the International Jewish… Read more »

Ella Vaturi and Noa Berman

On August 2, Noa Berman and Ella Vaturi wrapped up two months as shlichot (Israeli emissaries) with the Tucson Jewish Community Center’s day camp. Every year, the Jewish Agency for Israel sends two Israelis in their early 20s to share knowledge and love for Israel and Jewish culture with… Read more »

Rabbi Batsheva Appel

Temple Emanu-El has appointed Rabbi Batsheva Appel as associate rabbi. “I’m looking forward to working with a rabbi who I know is very talented,” Appel told the AJP, referring to Temple’s senior rabbi Samuel M. Cohon, “and a community that seems to be doing wonderful things here in Tucson.… Read more »

Rides to synagogue programs and services – including High Holy Days celebrations – are available for seniors and adults with disabilities through a special grant program. The program, “Tucson Community Shared Transportation for Seniors and Adults with Disabilities,” has a new phone number: 465-4323. The Jewish Federation of Southern… Read more »

A new school year is beginning and innovative plans are on the agenda for Tucson’s Jewish schools. Congregation Bet Shalom’s religious school is adding a seventh and eighth grade Sunday program that will combine text study with “inspirational informal learning.” It will include a class on the Mishnah, which… Read more »

Essie Nadler and Stu Mellan, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, sign an endowment agreement for the Message of Hope Fund at the home of Ruthann Pozez.

“We will never forget.” These words have become a staple for Jewish people around the globe. On the surface, they remind us of the millions of innocent lives lost in a world of blind hatred, blatant egotism and unimaginable fear, in the hope that such horrendous acts never happen… Read more »

(L-R) Becky Monroy, Heather Rich and Hayley Flanigan won bronze medals with the Team Austin girls basketball team.

Thirteen teen basketball players from Tucson — 10 boys and three girls —participated in the JCC Maccabi Games in Austin, Texas, July 28-Aug. 2. The annual games for Jewish teens ages 13 to 16 are like a mini-Olympics, but with the emphasis on camaraderie and enhancing Jewish identity more… Read more »