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JFSA women open Zehngut nominations

Erika Spivack

The Women’s Philanthropy Advisory Council of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona is seeking nominations for the 14th annual Bryna Zehngut Mitzvot Award, recognizing an outstanding Jewish teenage girl. The award honors Zehn-gut, a community leader who died in 2005. Nominees should be high school juniors or seniors who… Read more »

Hadassah event to celebrate 2019 Woman of the Year

Hadassah Southern Arizona will announce its Woman of the Year for 2019 and install its 2020 officers at a wine and chocolate philanthropy event on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 1:30 p.m. at the Ruth and Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life, 180 W. Magee Road, Suite 140. The Enchanted… Read more »

Stone Avenue Block Party to host four Arizona bands

Sonido Tambó is among the bands entertaining at the fifth annual Stone Avenue Block Party on Nov. 16. (Courtesy photo)

This year’s free Stone Avenue Block Party will be the best yet, says Bryan Davis, Jewish History Museum executive director and host of the fifth annual event. The event is set for Saturday, Nov. 16, in front of the Jewish History Museum/Holocaust History Center, 564 S. Stone Ave. The… Read more »

Tucson J seeks applications for pilot Women InPower leadership program

(L-R) Deb Krivoy, Springfield JCC (Massachusetts); Sarah Siegel, Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC (Milwaukee); Kendall Sisisky Valliere, Jewish Community Alliance of Jacksonville; Allison Wexler, Tucson Jewish Community Center; Leslie Sholl Jaffee, Leslie Jaffe Consulting; and Jessica Schneider, Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact at 92nd Street Y, at a Women InPower training session at the JCC Association in New York, Oct. 30. (Amy Wexler)

In August, a coalition of women leaders in the Jewish community, including Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women; Idit Klein, CEO of Keshet; and Shifra Broznick, founder of Advancing Women Professionals and the Jewish Community, authored a piece for eJewishphilanthropy about their experiences as highly… Read more »

CHAI Circle retreat to focus on mindfulness

Dawn Messer

Dawn Messer, founder of Mindful Meanderings, will be the keynote speaker for the 15th annual CHAI Circle retreat on Sunday, Nov. 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort, 5501 N. Hacienda del Sol Road. CHAI Circle, a program of Jewish Family… Read more »

Acclaimed Israeli author to address innovation

Israeli author Avi Jorisch

Israeli author Avi Jorisch will discuss his best-selling book, “Thou Shalt Innovate: How Israeli Ingenuity Repairs the World,” on Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. The book was published by Gefen Publishing House in 2018. It is being translated into more than 30 languages. Jorisch, an… Read more »

Award-winner set for UA stage next month

The year is 1939 and while Hitler is invading Poland, Atlanta’s close-knit Jewish community is preparing for Ballyhoo, the social event of the year. The Arizona Repertory Theatre of the University of Arizona College of Fine Arts School of Theatre, Film & Television will present Alfred Uhry’s “The Last… Read more »

Launching Oct. 24: Annual campaign funds local, global needs

Melissa Goldfinger, Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona annual campaign chair for 2020, is surrounded by (L-R) Deborah Oseran, Ronnie Sebold, Andy Kunsberg, and Leslie Glaze. Photo: Debe Campbell/AJP

Educating the community — that’s our real campaign task,” says Melissa Goldfinger, chair of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s 2020 fundraising drive. “We kick off our 100 Days of Impact on Oct. 24, with our 2020 theme: Powered by You — Stronger Together. Our job is to help… Read more »

Migrant justice learning session to kick off initiative

A new mural by JJ Dardano, unveiled outside the Jewish History Museum Sept. 6, underscores the institution’s focus this year on humanitarian issues. Photo Debe Campbell

The Jewish History Museum and Jewish Community Relations Council will formally launch the Jewish Community Migrant Justice Initiative on Thursday, Oct. 24. The project will coordinate Jewish community efforts in response to the humanitarian needs of asylum seekers and refugees in Southern Arizona, says Bryan Davis, JHM executive director.… Read more »

105th birthday plans in works for local woman

Carolee Asia, left, visits with longtime friend Gertrude Shankman, a Handmaker resident. Photo: Nanci Levy/Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging

If you are a Tucson Hebrew Academy student, you have probably met, or at least heard of, Gertrude Shankman, a resident at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging. THA students have been celebrating Shankman’s birthday every year since she turned 100. On Oct. 26, Shankman will turn 105. “It… Read more »

At COC Sisterhood Girls’ Night Out, fitness coach to discuss healthy aging

Laurie Rein, right, works on balance practice with friend and client Jenny Fisk. (Debe Campbell/AJP)

Health and fitness coach and author Laurie Rein will present a Healthy Aging for Women program for a Congregation Or Chadash Sisterhood Girl’s Night Out on Nov. 13.  Rein brings 30 years of experience in health training and a career in professional dance to her talk. Growing up in… Read more »

Celebrate 50th anniversary of Woodstock with outdoor concert at the Tucson JCC

Wayback Machine with special guest Shanti Foster (far left) and core members Beverly Seckinger, Jim Lipson, and Tom Woolley — from their ‘Barrio Jam’ CD cover (2004). Photo: Deo Wright

This summer marked the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, the music festival that brought half a million people together in 1969 to celebrate peace, love, and music. In celebration of this anniversary, the Tucson J is putting on J-Stock: an outdoor community concert featuring Eric Schaffer & the Other Troublemakers,… Read more »

Border justice tops Jewish History Museum agenda

Jewish History Museum/Holocaust History Center staff Bryan Davis, left, and Josie Shapiro, center, unfurl a new banner on the fence in front of the museum Aug. 12 while Rabbi Stephanie Aaron, right, looks on. (Debe Campbell/AJP)

Tucson’s Jewish History Museum and Holocaust History Center will launch a migrant justice initiative in conjunction with its new annual exhibition, “Asylum Seeking at the U.S.-Mexico Border,” which opens in the Allen and Marianne Langer Contemporary Human Rights Gallery on Oct. 24. As with past annual exhibits, programming, and… Read more »

Synagogues, Hillel will join multi-faith pack-a-thon

Congregation Or Chadash, Temple Emanu-El and the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation are participating in this year’s Pack-a-Thon on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2-4 p.m. at the Muslim Community Center, 5100 N. Kevy Place. This is a multi-faith program involving these Jewish organizations, churches and the Muslim community of Tucson… Read more »

Concierge seeks to rekindle Jewish artists group

Southern Arizona’s Jewish Artist Group seeks new members for its monthly meetings, says group coordinator Carol Sack, the Jewish Tucson concierge. The informal meetings offer an opportunity for artists who often work alone to network and connect with other area artists. The free meetings include coffee and noshes. The… Read more »

Brandeis to welcome Canyon Ranch doctor

Nicola Finley, M.D., of Canyon Ranch will present “Wellness: The Integrative Way” at the opening luncheon for Brandeis National Committee Tucson chapter’s 2019-2020 program year, Thursday, Oct. 17.    Finley worked for more than 10 years at El Rio Community Health Center and St. Mary’s Hospital in Tucson before… Read more »

Finkel to lead teens on March of the Living

Tucson Holocaust survivor  Sidney Finkel will lead Southern Arizona teens on the 2020 March of the Living. Participants will retrace his steps through his childhood home of Piotrkow, Poland, including the first Nazi decreed ghetto in occupied Poland, where he and his family were forced to live. Finkel is… Read more »

Israeli elections and analysis available online in English

Almost 6 million voters, over 11,000 ballots. Sept. 17 is national Elections Day for the 22nd Knesset. This is the second time in 2019 that the Israeli public is called to actively participate in the democratic process. First results of this 2nd round are expected to be published tomorrow… Read more »

THA Tikkun Olam dinner to celebrate co-founder Bertie Levkowitz

Bertie Levkowitz

Tucson Hebrew Academy will honor one of its founders, Bertie Levkowitz, at its 2019 Tikkun Olam Celebration next month. Daniel Asia, president of THA’s board of trustees, remembers meeting her back in 1988. “When we first got to Tucson I met Bertie and her then-husband, Jack, and I went… Read more »