Arts and Culture

The Jewish don of Latin American TV says ‘adios’ after 53 years

Don Francisco -- born Mario Luis Kreutzberger Blumenfeld -- celebrating the 50th anniversary of his record-making show "Sabado Gigante." (Courtesy of Univision)
September 18, 2015 / Julian Voloj, JTA

(JTA) — On Saturday, the Spanish language television network Univision will host the final broadcast of “Sábado Gigante.” With 53 years on TV, the world’s longest-running variety show is an eclectic, strange mashup of a game show, a talk show and live entertainment. There are singing competitions — the poor-performing contestants are… Read more »

In off year for Israel, Morocco is etrog hot spot this Sukkot

Merchants walk a dirt path between the coastal city of Agadir, Morocco, and the highland etrog groves in Assads, Sept. 8, 2015. (Ben Sales)
September 18, 2015 / Ben Sales, JTA

ASSADS, Morocco (JTA) — Why the Jews want etrogs, Mohammed Douch does not entirely understand. What he does know is that they are his main customers. Each August and September, Jewish merchants come from around the world to his remote grove in the highlands of Morocco — an hourlong hike through… Read more »

JHM series spotlights modern Jewish writers

The Jewish History Museum’s “Reclaiming Discourses” series will feature (clockwise from top left): Laynie Browne (Sep. 17), Sam Ace (Oct. 14), Hannah Ensor (Nov. 11), Kate Bernheimer (Dec. 16) and Rachel Zucker (Jan. 27, 2016).
September 11, 2015 /

The Jewish History Museum and University of Arizona Poetry Center will present a monthly series, “Reclaiming Discourses: Jewish Writers Today,” beginning Thursday, Sept. 17. The five contemporary authors, who write both poetry and prose, explore what it means to be human by delving into such diverse subjects as fairy… Read more »

It’s Jew vs. Jew (and rabbi vs. rabbi) in fight over Lithuanian site

The Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports, a complex that was shut down a decade ago, is the site of a proposed $25 million conference center. (Flickr Commons)
September 6, 2015 / Cnaan Liphshiz, JTA

VILNIUS, Lithuania (JTA) – It’s one of the most intriguing sites in all of Vilnius: a massive Soviet-style sports complex built in 1971 that since its closure in 2004 has become a run-down haven for vagrants. Now the Lithuanian government has some grand plans to renovate the rotting behemoth and turn… Read more »

Grilled Kofta with Eggplant and Tomatoes
September 4, 2015 / Samantha Ferraro, The Nosher via JTA

(The Nosher via JTA) — “Ladies can grill too!” is what I thought while watching the men tend to the grill at one of my favorite Middle Eastern eateries recently. But after years of owning a charcoal grill and by default having the husband maintain it, I figured it was about… Read more »

Lively season promised for Tucson cultural arts
August 27, 2015 /

Broadway in Tucson Centennial Hall 1020 E. University Blvd. 903-2929 broadwayintucson.com The season begins with America’s favorite redhead in a new incarnation of the iconic “Annie.” “The Phantom of the Opera” returns with new scenic and lighting designs, including the show’s legendary chandelier, followed by the 20th anniversary world… Read more »

Felder returns to Tucson stage as songwriter Irving Berlin
August 27, 2015 /

Irving Berlin left an indelible mark on the classic American songbook with hits like “White Christmas,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and “God Bless America.” Arizona Theatre Company will bring Berlin’s story to life in “Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin,” which opens ATC’s 2015-16… Read more »

Character Day spurs students to ask, what makes a mensch?

Rabbi Billy Lewkowicz, a faculty member at Tucson Hebrew High, leads 10th grade students through an exercise on character development in the digital age on Aug. 11, during the opening program of the 2015-16 school year. (Courtesy Tucson Hebrew High)
August 27, 2015 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Executive Editor

What makes someone a mensch (a person of integ­rity)? Students at Tucson Hebrew High and the Tucson Jewish Community Center will join others worldwide in exploring that question as part of the second annual Character Day, a concept created by filmmaker Tiffany Shlain. Known for her 2005 short film… Read more »

The Matisyahu affair: In Europe, conflating Jew and Israel

Matisyahu performing at the Rototom Festival in Benicassim, Spain, Aug. 22, 2015. (YouTube)
August 27, 2015 / Cnaan Liphshiz, JTA

(JTA) — A Spanish music festival’s recent decision to rescind its invitation to the American reggae singer Matisyahu, after he declined to endorse a Palestinian state, brought international attention to a phenomenon that many European Jews have been feeling for years: that they are being targeted for Israel’s actions.… Read more »

After Freundel scandal, Washington Jewish women reclaim mikvah with mural

After months of work, the mivkeh was dedicated at Orthodox synagogue Oveh Sholom on Aug. 16, in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Suzanne Pollak)
August 21, 2015 / Suzanne Pollak, Washington Jewish Week via JTA

WASHINGTON (Washington Jewish Week via JTA) – When prominent Washington rabbi Barry Freundel was arrested last year for secretly videotaping dozens of women using the mikvah adjacent to his Orthodox synagogue, the sense of sacredness of the ritual of mikvah immersion was shattered for some local Jewish women. Local artist Rena Fruchter recently… Read more »

Spreading Shabbat joy from the Upper East Side around the world
August 21, 2015 / Lucy Cohen Blatter, JTA

NEW YORK (JTA) — To Jewish parents of young children on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Karina Zilberman is something of a celebrity. She is the tall, blonde, guitar-strumming founder of the 92nd Street Y’s Shababa, a multigenerational musical celebration of Shabbat whose name is a mash-up of the modern… Read more »

When the Hasidim come to Norman Rockwell country

Jiminy Peak has become a popular August destination for haredi Orthodox Jews. (Uriel Heilman)
August 21, 2015 / Uriel Heilman, JTA

HANCOCK, Mass. (JTA) — The lazy days of August have a special flavor in the rolling hills of the Berkshires, in western Massachusetts. The flowers are blooming in dazzling colors, the corn at roadside farm stands is delectably sweet, the lakes are refreshingly cool, and the area’s picturesque New England villages… Read more »

In first, Israeli team competes in America’s top bike race

Israeli cyclist Yoav Bear competing in the U.S.A. Pro Challenge in Colorado, Aug. 18, 2015. (Courtesy of Cycling Academy)
August 21, 2015 / Hillel Kuttler, JTA

(JTA) – As Israeli bicyclist Yoav Bear sped through the end of Stage 2 of the U.S.A. Pro Challenge race at nearly 11,000 feet of elevation in the Colorado Rockies, he thrust his water bottle into the hand of a young spectator clutching an Israeli flag. Bear’s gesture made… Read more »

Pomegranate and Honey Glazed Chicken
August 20, 2015 / Liz Rueven, The Nosher via JTA

(The Nosher via JTA) — Pomegranates, or rimonim in Hebrew, are one of the most recognizable and highly symbolic fruits in Jewish culture. Originating in Persia, these reddish, thick-skinned fruits (technically a berry) begin to appear in markets at the end of summer and are readily available for holiday… Read more »

At Tuscany’s only kosher winery, owners can’t touch the Chianti

Maria Pellegrini, who owns the winery with her husband, grew up in a winemaking family in southern Italy. But because she isn't Jewish, she can't take part in the winemaking in her own winery. (Ben Sales)
August 20, 2015 / Ben Sales, JTA

CASTELNUOVO BERARDENGA, Italy (JTA) — Up a windy road in the tranquil Tuscan hills, down a gravel path and past acres of grapevines, a visitor will come across a stainless steel door frame secured with a piece of clear packing tape. The Hebrew scrawled on the adhesive reads: “David Solomon.”… Read more »