NEW YORK (JTA) — “There’s no such thing as a bad date — there’s just a funny story,” says Jessica Schechter, a 28-year-old modern Orthodox woman who teaches acting in New York City and lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. There’s the guy who took her to the action… Read more »
Arts and Culture
‘Nazi Hunters’ details triumphs, flaws of vanishing breed
In June 2014, 89-year-old Johann Breyer appeared before a Philadelphia federal judge charged with complicity in the gassing of 216,000 Jews at Auschwitz. American and German investigators presented the court with documents that proved that Breyer, a dedicated SS officer, was a willing participant in the Nazi death camp’s… Read more »
A fresh crop of Jewish books for spring
(JTA) — Spring — when nature itself seems to reawaken — is a time for renewal. So it’s probably a good idea to spruce up your bookshelf (or e-reader or audiobook app), no? Here are nine Jewishy suggestions to rejuvenate your reading. Alligator Candy (Simon & Schuster) By David… Read more »
Jewish dentist represents France in world’s most-watched song contest
(JTA) — The Eurovision Song Contest — the world’s most popular televised singing competition, which pits singers from 43 countries against one another in the battle for the year’s best pop song — is being held this week. France’s representative is a 31-year-old Israeli singer, Amir Haddad, who goes by the… Read more »
Actress Kathryn Hahn talks about playing Rabbi Raquel on ‘Transparent’
NEW YORK (JTA) — Kathryn Hahn’s no rabbi, but this nice Catholic girl from Cleveland plays one on TV. As Rabbi Raquel Fein on “Transparent,” the groundbreaking Amazon series about a dysfunctional Jewish family with a transgender parent (Jeffrey Tambor), Hahn has spent a lot of time thinking about… Read more »
In new film, Yitzhak Rabin narrates his autobiography
(JTA) — “Rabin in his Own Words,” which opens in Friday in New York, Los Angeles and South Florida, is more than a tribute to the two-time Israeli prime minister tragically gunned down in 1995. The aptly named cinematic autobiography, which uses archival footage going back to the statesman’s childhood, is entirely narrated… Read more »
‘Bad Jews’ probes identity with comic twist
Arizona Onstage Productions will present “Bad Jews,” a dark comedy by Joshua Harmon, at the Temple of Music and Art Cabaret Space for three weekends beginning Friday, May 6. “Bad Jews” pits Daphna Feygenbaum, a “real Jew” with an Israeli boyfriend, against her cousin Liam after the death of… Read more »
WWII film echoes role of Tucsonan’s parents
The Tucson International Jewish Film Festival and the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona will present a free screening of “Walking with the Enemy” on Thursday, May 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. Tucsonan I. Michael Kasser will introduce the film, which is set in Hungary… Read more »
IN REMEMBRANCE In novels, Holocaust survivor expressed the inexpressible
In June of 1944, an anonymous diarist in the Lodz Ghetto wrote, “The human language is too poor to describe the suffering of Jews in the ghettos of 1944. Where would the expressions come from, the descriptions, adjectives, that could only superficially describe our pain?” This diarist kept his… Read more »
Ezra Furman — a gender-bending, genre-crossing, observant Jewish rocker — is the next big thing
(JTA) — Ezra Furman is an acclaimed indie rocker who, while hanging on his tour bus, has been known to lay tefillin. Striking, too, is Furman’s typical getup: The singer and guitarist often eschews the standard millennial indie rocker uniform — skinny jeans, tight T-shirt — in favor of… Read more »
Bridging cultures topic for AZ International Film Festival
The Arizona International Film Festival, running now through May 1, is celebrating its 25th year with films from 25 countries. Revolving around the theme “Bridging Cultures,” 30 full length features and 58 shorts in a variety of categories are scheduled at nine downtown venues. Among the films is “Blind… Read more »
Neil Simon play coming to Invisible Theatre
Invisible Theatre will stage Neil Simon’s comedy, “I Ought to Be in Pictures,” April 19-May 1. Ticket information is available at 882-9721 or invisibletheatre.com.… Read more »
Potato and Carrot Gratin Passover Recipe
(The Nosher via JTA) — With Passover comes lots of cleaning, matzah eating, and potato peeling. I know, I know — potatoes get a bad rap during Passover because they’re one of the seemingly few things we can eat (and therefore are made very frequently during these eight days). But I say… Read more »
Celebrity impressionists returning to Tucson
The Edwards Twins, identical twin celebrity impressionists, will return to Tucson, their childhood home, for a charity performance at the Fox Tucson Theatre on Sunday, April 10 at 6:30 p.m. Anthony and Eddie Edwards, who are Jewish, are alumni of Rincon High School. They have toured the globe for… Read more »
UA dance concert to benefit Holocaust History Center
“In the Shadows of the Dreamers,” a dance commemorating the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, will be part of a University of Arizona School of Dance concert later this month to benefit the Holocaust History Center at the Jewish History Museum. The concert and reception will be… Read more »
Meet Sarah Aroeste, the Jewish Mom Revitalizing Ladino Music
(Kveller via JTA) — Sarah Aroeste is one of those people who seem utterly fascinating. She’s a mom and Ladino musician who recently released her fourth album “Ora de Despertar,” or “Time to Wake Up.” In her music, she explores her connection between her Sephardic roots in Greece and her passion for Ladino musical… Read more »
Vegan Chopped Liver Recipe with Mushrooms and Miso
(The Nosher via JTA) — For thrifty, veggie-loving cooks like me, signing up for a CSA share is the way to go. Sure, it can be a daunting investment up front, but it’s often the best deal you’ll find in the city for local and fresh produce. And there’s… Read more »
Evening with Israeli dancers at UA planned
The Arizona Center for Judaic Studies and the University of Arizona School of Dance will present “An Evening with Yaniv Abraham & Guy Shomroni” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 31 at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre, 1737 E. University Blvd. The event is free and open to the… Read more »
‘Batman v. Superman’: Jesse Eisenberg on Lex Luthor’s embrace of Jewish culture
(JTA) — When the highly anticipated movie “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” opens nationally on Friday, several burning questions will finally be answered. Among them: Which superhero is tougher? Does Wonder Woman hold her own? And does actor Jesse Eisenberg, who often plays characters of a more sensitive sort,… Read more »
Tucson J to exhibit artwork by Rotraut
An exhibition of small sculpture and works on paper by international artist and sculptor Rotraut (Rotraut Klein Moquay) is on display at the Tucson Jewish Community Center Fine Art Gallery through April 13. Born in East Germany in 1938, Rotraut spent much of her life and career in France.… Read more »