Judith Manelis In a recent issue of the New York Times, a writer talked about how to prepare for retirement and aging with a focus on the various emotions one can experience late in life: depression, sadness, loneliness, alienation and a lack of purpose. Many of these are brought on by… Read more »
Judith Manelis On a recent Friday night, I arrived at my synagogue to discover something had been added to its architectural design. There were large round cement balls in a line across the front of the building and doorway. So now, in addition to having a security guard at the building… Read more »
Last month, I went to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona on South Country Club Road to drop off several bags of food. When I arrived, I realized that I had entered the wrong parking lot; it was for those seeking food. But before turning around, I sat… Read more »
For as long as I can remember, the portrait of my mother hung on the living room wall. First, it graced our apartment on the top floor of a two-family house in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Then, in fifth grade, we upscaled and moved into a one-family house. The painting… Read more »
Chaim Grade On Wednesday, Feb. 26, The New York Times ran a front-page article by Joseph Berger entitled “A Discovery of Lost Pages Brings to Light a ‘Last Great Yiddish Novel.’” The article detailed the search for a missing manuscript by a giant of 20th century Yiddish literature, Chaim Grade, its… Read more »
He was standing at a busy intersection when I drove by. What caught my attention was the small dog wrapped in a blanket that he pushed in a stroller. Also, his sign had a name on it: Leo. It seemed every major intersection had people with signs, pleading for… Read more »
The Arizona Jewish Post issue of September 27, 2019, has a wonderful article on Willy Halpert, a nonagenarian living in Southern Arizona who had escaped the Holocaust as a young boy. I happened to be looking up names from my past and came upon the story. I didn’t know… Read more »
In January, I traveled with thirty-five of my colleagues in Holocaust education to Poland for the 80th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. This trip was arranged for members of the Association of Holocaust Organizations and led by renowned Holocaust scholar and professor, Rabbi Michael Berenbaum. This was a… Read more »
Some years ago, I had a 93-year-old client who was depressed. Try as I did to interest her in attending programs in the medical day care program where I worked, she resisted. One day, in response to my encouragement, she made a comment that has stayed with me ever… Read more »
I found it, like many discoveries, accidentally. I was busy pursuing a pre-Internet interest of mine – poring through old newspapers – but now online. Having spent the first 76% of my life in Oklahoma City, I was interested in looking at The Southwest Jewish Chronicle, a regional Jewish… Read more »
Many know that I was born and raised in a moshav in the Golan Heights, northern Israel. But what does a moshav actually mean? According to Wikipedia, a moshav is “a type of Israeli village or town or Jewish settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of… Read more »
After October 7, we were all overwhelmed, in pain. It was a moment in time that changed everything that we knew, reminding us of the fragility of life and the importance of standing together in times of crisis. I was so moved by the solidarity, love and concern I… Read more »
David Tannenbaum, with gold medal The Maccabi Pan-American Games recently concluded in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some 4000 Jewish athletes from 24 countries competed for medals in 20 sports in an expression of Jewish pride through athletics. I was fortunate to be among the 650-member Team USA and competed as a cyclist in the 60-69… Read more »
This article was first published in the October 2023 issue of DesertLeaf magazine. My Aunt Jan saved my life. The overall risk of a woman developing breast cancer during her lifetime is approximately 13%. My risk was much higher—55%-72%—due to a genetic predisposition known as a BRCA1 mutation. I… Read more »
Dear Community Member, As a new member of the Weintraub Israel Center team, it is with great sadness that this has to be my first letter to the community. Friday evening, October 6, we returned from Shabbat dinner and arrived home. Suddenly, I received a message from one of my friends:… Read more »
Dipping apples and honey, savoring a thick slice of warm, raisin challah, I think about how blessed I am to celebrate a new year; healthy, happy, and sharing a delicious, fresh meal with loved ones. I also think about my neighbors that do not have access to food, especially… Read more »
Graham Hoffman
As I have recently assumed the mantle of the president and CEO of both the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, I am humbled by the responsibility that I now bear as the leader of these agencies and this remarkable community. Authenticity is central to… Read more »
Health care providers wear protective equipment, like gloves, but some still get the coronavirus. (Getty Images)
NEW YORK (JTA) — I am a pediatrician who for 15 years has practiced in a medical office in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We serve the local Hasidic community and see a variety of other patients from Brooklyn, the Lower East Side and Queens. When the coronavirus emerged… Read more »
(We Are via Getty Images)
This story originally appeared on Alma. “Your Hebrew name?” the head of the yeshiva asked, pencil and paper poised to take it down for my aliyah, the honor of reciting Torah blessings. It was my third week at his school, a place where I’d reluctantly agreed to study for… Read more »
Bob Kovitz during his U.S. Army basic training at Fort Ord in Monterey, California, in 1969. Courtesy Bob Kovitz
Fifty years ago, I reported to the U.S. Army induction center in Los Angeles. My father, who was a World War II veteran, later described the experience of driving me to the center as the worst day of his life. Why was a Jewish graduate student from the University… Read more »
