Extremism has hijacked the global social media conversation. Most of our lives — not just social life but news and entertainment that form our worldview — is online. The once-beautiful dream of a free internet — now a huge, irredeemable dumpster fire — is increasingly corrupted by conspiracy and… Read more »
Arts and Culture
Mountain camp experience in April set to bond PJ Library families
PJ Library will partner with Camp Daisy and Harry Stein in Prescott, Arizona, for a family weekend getaway April 17-19. The first five families from Southern Arizona to register will get $100 off the event. “We are having family camp to give families the opportunity to spend the weekend… Read more »
Biographies, mysteries on tap for Brandeis
The Brandeis National Committee Tucson Chapter 24th Annual Book and Author Events will take place March 4 and 5, with four nationally recognized authors: journalists Todd S. Purdum and Hank Phillippi Ryan, each with a departure from their usual beats; biographer James McGrath Morris; and park ranger turned mystery… Read more »
Jewish, Muslim sisters explore border issues
The Tucson chapter of the national non-profit Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom recently hosted 52 international and local members for a fact-finding mission in Southern Arizona. The group of 26 Jewish and 26 Muslim members focused on southern border issues Jan. 26-30. The apolitical Sisterhood strives to build bridges between… Read more »
J’s varied camp experience builds character
The Tucson Jewish Community Center will offer its Camp J this summer from May 26-Aug. 27, with a variety of programs for kids of all ages. Camp activities include arts and crafts, archery, STEM, swimming, field trips, and a variety of electives. Christy Ball has been sending her sons,… Read more »
Hava Tequila party will raise the roof
Hava Tequila, the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s annual Young Leadership benefit party, will be held Saturday, Feb. 29, 8-11 p.m. at a new location, the Sonoran Rooftop at the Westward Look, 245 E. Ina Road. The theme will be “A Night on the Red Carpet.” “We checked out… Read more »
You are going to crave this easy Israeli quiche
This recipe originally appeared on The Nosher. Americans don’t have nearly the appreciation that Israelis do for quiche. In the States, it’s an unimaginative brunch addition that never really shines. But in Israel, it’s the star of many lunch tables and an incredible dairy dinner. Not to mention Shavuot,… Read more »
Kirk Douglas, iconic movie star who reconnected to Judaism later in life, dies at 103
LOS ANGELES (JTA) – Kirk Douglas, the legendary actor who portrayed legions of tough guys and embraced his Jewish heritage later in life, died at his home in Beverly Hills on Wednesday. He was 103. Over a career that spanned 87 films — including 73 big screen features and… Read more »
Tom Stoppard explores his Jewish heritage for the first time in new play ‘Leopoldstadt’
(JTA) — Tom Stoppard, the winner of multiple Tony Awards and an Oscar, and the author of plays such as “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” and “Travesties,” is often described as one of the best living playwrights. He’s not often described as Jewish, which he is, perhaps in part… Read more »
Jerry Seinfeld writing new book tracing 45 years of his stand-up routines
NEW YORK (JTA) — Get ready with the “yada yada” references, Jerry Seinfeld is coming out with another book about comedy. More than 25 years after he sold a million copies with “Seinlanguage,” the star of the megahit “Seinfeld” and “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” will present the best… Read more »
In HBO’s first ‘The Plot Against America’ trailer, Jews are under attack
(JTA) — The first trailer for HBO’s adaptation of the Philip Roth novel “The Plot Against America” was released on Thursday. The series, co-created by David Simon and based on Roth’s 2004 novel of the same name, premieres on March 16. It stars John Turturro (as a rabbi), Winona… Read more »
Fran Drescher doesn’t mind being single because she has a ‘friend with benefits’
(JTA) — Fran Drescher, the star of the 1990s sitcom “The Nanny,” says she loves her gay former husband, but some of her needs are met by a “friend with benefits.” The twice-divorced Jewish actress spilt with Peter Marc Jacobson in 1999 after more than 20 years of marriage.… Read more »
Bar Refaeli names her first son David
(JTA) — Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli named her son David. Refaeli’s third child and first son joins sisters Liv and Elle. The boy’s name was announced Tuesday. Refaeli is married to Israeli businessman Adi Ezra. David, who was born on Jan. 14, was named after Ezra’s father, Mako reported.… Read more »
Their romance ended. Then the duo behind Lola Marsh became Israel’s biggest indie band.
(JTA) — Gil Landau and Yael Cohen, the two core members of Lola Marsh, don’t seem to care much about any of it — the pressure of being Israel’s biggest indie band, the baggage that comes with being labeled as Israeli occupiers in some of the places they perform,… Read more »
Local artist brings 19th century cantor to life in ‘My Grandfather’s Prayers’
Relocating her well established Red Herring Puppets studio from North Carolina to Tucson last year was a big move for Lisa Amie Sturz. She brings to the Old Pueblo 40 years of experience in building, performing, and directing puppetry for film and television, theater, museums, educational institutions, and special… Read more »
JHM to debut Sephardic and Mizrahi Festival
The Jewish History Museum is sponsoring “In Diaspora We Are Many,” a festival that explores the Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish cultures. The festival will take place Friday, Jan. 31 through Sunday, Feb. 2. This is the museum’s first Sephardic and Mizrahi festival. “We are holding a Sephardic and… Read more »
In new Tucson J exhibit, two local artists focus on the natural world
The Tucson Jewish Community Center Gallery will present “Elements of Nature through the Artist’s Eye: The works of Lily Rosenberg and Lisa Mishler” Feb. 2–March 14. An artist reception will be held Sunday, Feb. 9, 1:30-3 p.m. Rosenberg uses acrylic paint in a contemporary impressionistic style to express her… Read more »
Community arts news, in brief 1.24.20
Bonnie Schock has been selected as the new executive director of the Fox Tucson Theatre, beginning March 9. Schock comes to Tucson from Red Wing, Minnesota, where she has been executive director of the Sheldon Theatre of Performing Arts since 2015. Along with a Bachelor of Arts from The… Read more »
Dutch artist’s Holocaust display shines light on stones to commemorate murdered Jews
A Dutch artist is installing a light display commemorating the Holocaust in 150 municipalities ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Daan Roosegaarde’s “Light of Life” project features dark spaces with stones that light up briefly. Roosegaarde chose the theme of stones because Jewish custom is to place them on… Read more »
Jesse Eisenberg plays Marcel Marceau in new film and says he feels connected to the famed mime
(JTA) — American actor Jesse Eisenberg said he was attracted to the World War II movie “Resistance,” in which he portrays Marcel Marceau, because he lost family during World War II from the same area as the late Jewish mime’s family. The film, scheduled for release in late March,… Read more »