On Friday, May 5, at Tucson Medical Center’s Marshall Conference Center, the Pima County on Aging and TMC hosted their 30th annual Salute to Centenarians. Held to coincide with Older Americans Month, the event celebrates our community’s elders aged 99 and older. There were 43 such senior citizens in… Read more »
Lauren Brewer (left) and Shelby Roseman before picking up their Hollywood Half-Marathon race packets Hollywood Half-Marathon On April 8 at 6 a.m., Shelby Roseman and her daughter, Lauren Brewer (Phoenix), ran in the Hollywood Half-Marathon. The race started in front of the Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards, and continued down the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At the finish line near Hollywood… Read more »
Indian adventure Before Ruth Kolker embarked on a Portrait of India tour, her friend, Tucson philanthropist Neelam Sethi, sent her off with the charge: “Open yourself up to the colors, sounds and smells of my country.” From Jan. 24 – Feb. 13, that’s exactly what Ruth, her husband, Ron,… Read more »
Tucsonans march in D.C. On Jan. 21, Tucson was represented among the half a million people at the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. Attendees marched in solidarity, supporting a spectrum of issues. Here is a sampling of their impressions: Eleanor Jeck: “I traveled to Washington to join thousands of… Read more »
Gary and Marsha Tankenoff flank Itzhak Perlman. (Courtesy UA Presents) A musical treat On Wednesday, Jan. 11, a sold-out crowd at UA Centennial Hall was treated to a concert by Grammy and Emmy award-winning violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman. Sponsors of this UA Presents classical music event were Irene and Ellis (UA Presents board member) Friedman, Carol and Phil Lyons,… Read more »
Michelle Blumenberg and Richard Green at the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation. High Holiday leader For 35 years, Richard Green led the Conservative service for the first day of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur at the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation. A student rabbi from the Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles conducted the Reform service. Growing up in Omaha, Green… Read more »
Liz Weiner-Schulman with guitarist Misael Barraza-Diaz Music to our ears Following Steve Schulman’s passing in 2013, his wife, Liz Weiner-Schulman, established the Steve Schulman Memorial Award in Guitar Endowment through the University of Arizona Foundation. On Sunday, Sept. 25, the UA’s Fred Fox School of Music presented the second annual Steve Schulman award recital in… Read more »
Over 30,000 participants were expected to travel with Taglit-Birthright Israel this past summer. Following the University of Arizona graduation in May, 28 UA students traveled on Birthright. Other schools represented on the bus included the University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin, Washington University, and Arizona State University. Elyse… Read more »
Centenarian Janet Schlesinger Live long and prosper On May 6, the 29th Salute to Centenarians was held at Tucson Medical Center’s Marshall Conference Center. This annual event, sponsored by the Pima Council on Aging and TMC, takes place during Older Americans Month and celebrates those people aged 99 and older who represent Pima… Read more »
Joan Elder (left) and Esta Goldstein on the bus to Patagonia. Jewish Patagonia Patagonia, Ariz., that is, not Argentina/Chile. On Tuesday, March 29, a busload of 54 Tucsonans traveled to Patagonia. The trip was co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Northwest Division and the Hadassah Southern Arizona chapter. The tour group learned that there are between 8 and… Read more »
Anne Romanelli (left) and Kara Cartin at a women’s event at the Taipei Jewish Center Former Tucsonans in Taiwan From mid-January to mid-February, Lee Surwit visited her daughter Kara Cartin and family in Taipei. Kara and her husband, Josh, both former Tucsonans, moved to Taipei with their two daughters in 2013 for Josh’s diplomatic assignment. Kara recently met up with former Tucsonan Anne (Miller)… Read more »
Centenarian plus one Shabbat dinner on Jan. 15 was a little different at Madeline and Barry Friedman’s household. The couple hosted a 101st birthday celebration for Madeline’s dad, Murray Rosenbaum. Fifteen family and friends gathered from Tucson, Connecticut, New York, and New Mexico to join in this simcha. Local… Read more »
(L-R) Leslie Glaze, screenwriter Pamela Gray, Janet Lang and Marcia Abelson on Lion of Judah mission to Los Angeles A roaring good time In early December, 24 Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Lions of Judah flew to Tinseltown. In Los Angeles, the group explored the Jewish influence on the entertainment industry, while strengthening their bonds with one another. According to Marcia Abelson, Tucson Lion and JFSA Women’s Philanthropy… Read more »
Helene (Levkowitz) Goodman with niece Ella Levkowitz at Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem Israeli mitzvah project From Sept. 22 through Oct. 2, Bertie Levkowitz and Tom Herz were in Israel for Bertie’s youngest granddaughter’s bat mitzvah. Ella Levkowitz, the celebrant, is the daughter of Howard and Elaine Levkowitz, of Los Angeles. The Levkowitz clan with native Tucson ties included Howard’s sister, Helene… Read more »
(Clockwise from left): Jane Barton, Lenny Roberts of Los Angeles (Dream Street board member and counselor), Alice Steinfeld and Patty Grubman of Los Angeles (Dream Street founder) at Canyon Ranch 25 years of healing and hope This summer, the Dream Street Foundation, a California-based nonprofit organization, celebrated 25 years at Canyon Ranch in Tucson. Thanks to the generosity of ranch founders Enid and Mel Zuckerman, hundreds of Dream Street campers with chronic and life-threatening illnesses have enjoyed activities promoting… Read more »
Jenna Langert (front row, fourth from left) with her Brandeis group in front of the Knesset menorah in Jerusalem Jenna Langert, 23, a 2014 University of Arizona graduate, is currently pursuing a two-year Master of Arts degree in international economics and finance at the Brandeis International Business School. Her specializations are in data analytics and business economics. Jenna traveled to Israel May 18-28 as part of the Hassenfeld… Read more »
Marian Lupu A new nonagenarian Guess who just turned 90? Her birthday invitation, using the numbers “9” and “90,” gave some clues: 1) She advised 9 U.S. presidents on how to improve aging services. 2) She has collected more than 90 giraffes. 3) 9 is associated with the Chinese dragon, a… Read more »
Lola Maas (left) and Lindsay Migdal at the Flo Rida, Aer and Kap Slap concert at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta during the BBYO International Convention. BBYO International Convention Over Presidents Day weekend, more than 2,200 Jewish teens from across the globe gathered in Atlanta for the largest BBYO International Convention ever. Lola Maas, a freshman at Tucson High Magnet School and member of Kadimah BBG, and Lindsay Migdal, Tucson BBYO city director, participated in… Read more »
Michael Goldman and actress Gwyneth Paltrow at the White House Chanukah Party A coveted invitation Tucsonans Gloria and Michael Goldman were among the approximately 500 guests at the White House Chanukah party on the evening of Dec. 17, the same day Alan Gross was released from a Cuban prison. The Goldmans secured the email invitation through a friend’s son, Matthew Nosanchuk,… Read more »
Tucsonans Elyse Pincus (currently a Masa Israel teaching fellow in Rehovot) and Birthright participants Tanya Hetlinger and Adam Knox at the Path to Peace mosaic wall
Birthright update The Birthright Israel Foundation asks: “What has four wheels and takes 40 young Jewish adults on the experience of a lifetime?” Answer: A Taglit-Birthright Israel bus. During this winter season, Birthright brought more than 14,000 young Jews, ages 18-26, from 21 countries to our homeland for the… Read more »
