Jeannie OpDyke Smith The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Northwest Division will hold a campaign event on Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m., featuring Jeannie OpDyke Smith, the daughter of Polish rescuer Irene Gut OpDyke, who died in 2003. OpDyke received international recognition for her actions during the Holocaust while working for… Read more »
Dmitri Shostakovich The University of Arizona’s Center for Judaic Studies, School of Music and Center for the Study of American Ideals and Culture will present a free symposium and concert, “The Jewish Experience in Classical Music: Shostakovich and Asia,” on Sunday, Jan. 13. The symposium will look at the influence of… Read more »
Irving Berlin (Culver Pictures) Why has the Broadway musical proven to be such fertile territory for Jewish artists? From Broadway’s golden age, names like Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, the Gershwins, Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim immediately come to mind. More recently, Broadway babies such as Stephen Schwartz, Marc Shaiman… Read more »
Rabbi David Nesenoff David Nesenoff, who filmed the video exposing the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views of longtime White House correspondent Helen Thomas, will speak Sunday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. at Congregation Young Israel. The lecture, “To Catch an Anti-Semite,” will kick off Chabad of Tucson’s 2013 lecture series. Nesenoff, ordained as… Read more »
Ruth Davis Ruth Davis will go anywhere to talk about the U.S. Constitution. Anywhere that people will listen, says the retired attorney, former public school teacher and counselor. Her next stop to discuss “The U.S. Project: In Our Words” will be Temple Emanu-El on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m., the… Read more »
Emilio Zweig and Noam Shahar in a scene from “The Chosen,” adapted by Aaron Posner and Chaim Potok from Potok’s novel set in Brooklyn in the 1940s. “The Chosen” will be performed at Live Theatre Workshop from Jan. 3-Feb. 9. For more information visit www.livetheatreworkshop.org. 
Zerach Greenfield writes the first letter of Congregation Anshei Israel’s new Torah with the Borin family. Seated (L-R): Anna Katz Lederman, Greenfield and Leon Lederman. Standing: Sara Borin, Tom Borin, Zach Singer and Stacey Singer. At right, Jonah Parnaby and Michael Jurkowitz (in camouflage jacket) look on. (Madeline Friedman) Each Hebrew letter has meaning, Zerach Greenfield, a sofer stam (scribe), said at the kick-off for Congregation Anshei Israel’s new Torah scroll on Dec. 16. That meaning is reflected in the way each letter is written in the Torah. For example, the letter aleph stands for eretz (earth) and… Read more »
Prof. Robert Eisen Congregation Anshei Israel will host Prof. Robert Eisen as its scholar-in-residence for the weekend of Jan. 11-12. Eisen’s work as a professor of religion and Jewish studies at George Washington University focuses on the interpretation of peace and violence in the three Abrahamic faiths. Why is it, asks Eisen,… Read more »
The Women’s Philanthropy Advisory Council of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona is accepting applications for the Seventh Annual Bryna Zehngut Mitzvot Award, recognizing an outstanding Jewish teenage girl. The award, which honors the late Zehngut, will recognize a girl who is currently a high school junior or senior… Read more »
Allen Lee Baron, 79, died Dec. 14, 2012. Born Abraham Podolny in the Bronx, N.Y., Mr. Baron attended DeWitt Clinton High School. He graduated from University High School in Los Angeles. He enrolled at UCLA in 1952, joining the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity, but his studies were interrupted by… Read more »
If there were a prize for the Arab country that has done most to promote Arab-Israeli peace recently, I’d seriously consider nominating Saudi Arabia. Admittedly, that’s a counterintuitive choice: Riyadh doesn’t even recognize Israel and shows no signs of doing so anytime soon; moreover, it finances the spread of… Read more »
Anna Greenberg lights the Chanukah candles at the service of healing in her honor Dec. 5. (L-R) Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon, Wendy Weise Cohon, Anna, Bruce Greenberg, Burney Starks (behind Bruce), Aaron Greenberg, Alayne Greenberg, Joree Sowards, Tzadik Rosenberg-Greenberg (MartyJohnston/TJCC) “Anna-tude” – it’s a new word in the Tucson lexicon to describe the shining spirit of Anna Greenberg, 27, who has been fighting cancer with enormous courage and a wry sense of humor for more than a year. Anna was diagnosed with cancer in October 2011 after her dramatic… Read more »
Do rebels have what it takes to overthrow Bashar al-Assad’s government? Why hasn’t the United Nations or the European Union taken action to stop an ongoing massacre in Syria that has thus far claimed more than 40,000 victims? Why does Iran support Syria? How do the events currently unfolding… Read more »
Is it possible to move to the Jewish State and feel less Jewish? Yes. Yes, it is. Even when you’re acting a lot more Jewish than you did when you lived in the Non-Jewish Jewish state. (Not, no the Vatican. New Jersey.) Even though I moved to Israel and… Read more »
Twice a month, on average, I travel to Tel Aviv for work. And twice a month, on average, after I park my car on Menachem Begin street in Ramat Gan I walk over to Cafe Cafe to order an espresso k’tzar to go. Today, I walked into Cafe Cafe… Read more »
(This was originally posted on The Times of Israel on 12.13.12 … before the hullabaloo over Instagram privacy rules …) In college, one of my best friends was Stephanie. We met sophomore year as we both hesitantly decided to join the eager freshman girls in sorority rush. By the… Read more »
”’Kathy, I’m lost,’ I said, though I knew she was sleeping, I’m empty and aching and I don’t know why…” Lyrics written before I was born, and yet as I sing them out loud today, I feel their depth and their truth. They penetrate my heart, and silence my… Read more »
Ellen Freeman ELLEN FREEMAN has been named coordinator for the LGBT Jewish Inclusion Project of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona. Freeman has a long history of activities in the LGBT non-profit sector. She is also an award-winning professional in media, marketing and business development arenas. A Massachusetts native, Freeman lives… Read more »
Emily Singer, daughter of Steve and Shelley Singer of Tucson, and Yaron Hurvitz, son of Udi and Mickey Hurvitz of Ramat HaSharon, Israel, were married June 15, 2012 in Tel Aviv. Yaron is the grandson of Eldad and Leah Hurvitz of Ramat Chen. Joining their Israeli friends and relatives… Read more »
LT. COL. JONATHAN E. LOWE recently became the squadron commander of the 348th Recruiting Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, near Salt Lake City, Utah. Lowe is the son of Anne and David Lowe of Marana. BRYCE MEGDAL was named Tucson Photographer of the Year by RAW Natural Born… Read more »
