News

Israel heads to early elections as government coalition dissolves

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel will hold new elections in April after the heads of all six coalition parties announced Monday that they were dissolving the government. The current government’s term was set to end in November. “Out of national and budgetary responsibility, the leaders of the coalition parties decided,… Read more »

Property owners may need attorney for more protection than they think

Anyone who owns property — personal or commercial — may find themselves in need of legal services. A personal property attorney can represent you in a dispute over transfer of moveable property, such as a car, a piece of furniture, or even stocks and bonds. This differs from real… Read more »

CAI rabbi in residence to focus on heart of Torah

Rabbi Shai Held, Ph. D.

Rabbi Shai Held, Ph.D. — one of the 50 most influential rabbis in America, according to Newsweek — will be the scholar-in-residence at Congregation Anshei Israel on Jan. 11 and 12. His overall theme for the weekend will be “The Heart of Jewish Spirituality.” A theologian, scholar and educator,… Read more »

All-female talent to show display entertainment variety

Sara Lopez

Sara Lopez, a local wife, mother and opera singer, is curating a Jewish women’s performance showcase, by and for women, at the Tucson Jewish Community Center on Sunday, Jan. 6 at 6 p.m. Having an all-female audience “allows women across the spectrum of Jewish practice and belief to participate,”… Read more »

Israeli educators’ visit strengthens classroom partnerships with Tucson

Partnership2Gether fellows celebrate the last night of Hanukkah with Jewish Federation of the Southwest staff at the Ruth and Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life in the Northwest. Back (L-R): Ariel Miklofsky, Adi Shacham, Ravit Gedanken, Alan Kendal, Phyllis Gold, Nili Cohen Hammer, Daniealla Cohen, Nesia Regev Livne. Front (L-R): Rotem Rappaport, Amir Eden, Ron Benecort. Not pictured: Avi Hadad and Ofra Gueta. (Courtesy Olson Center)

Visiting Tucson during the week of Hanukkah, four Israeli teachers and three school principals from the Partnership2Gether region were most surprised by the effort local community members invest in maintaining their Jewish identity. “It was a very powerful experience,” says Ravit Gedanken, a principal at Netzach Israel school in… Read more »

Brandeis University expert to explore privacy and the law

Daniel Breen, Ph.D., J.D.

Brandeis University lecturer Daniel Breen, Ph.D., J.D., will present “Stories of Privacy: The Legal Boundaries of Public and Private Life” on Wednesday, Jan. 9 as the Tucson Chapter of Brandeis National Committee’s annual University on Wheels program, in partnership with the Tucson Jewish Community Center. The talk will take… Read more »

Pro to dissect DNA test tools for genealogy

Richard Hallick explores a graveyard in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in fall 2018. Hallick’s sixth great-grandfather is buried there. (Courtesy Hallick)

The Southern Arizona Jewish Genealogy Society will host Richard Hallick, Sunday, Jan. 13, offering a comprehensive look at DNA testing and how it applies to genealogy today. Hallick will discuss how to understand and interpret DNA test results, including those with Jewish ancestors. Hallick is a retired University of… Read more »

All-star cast delivers chuckles in ‘Humor Me’

Sam Hoffman’s resoundingly funny debut feature, “Humor Me,” could be marketed thusly: Come for Elliott Gould, stay for Jemaine Clement. The New Zealand actor displays a nimble gift for wit and pathos in this smart, grown-up comedy about mid-career stumbles, aging parents, and intergenerational acceptance. An under-the-radar treat, “Humor… Read more »

‘Magic of Negev’ explores life along border

Michal Uziyahu

Jewish National Fund will host a panel in Tucson, “The Magic of the Negev Desert: From East to West and Everything in Between” on Monday, Jan. 14 (registration at 11 a.m.; event at 11:30 a.m.) at a private residence. The panelists are Michal Uziyahu, JNF’s liaison for the Gaza… Read more »

Register newborns online for gift box

Jewish Tucson’s Shalom Baby program now is accessible online. The Shalom Baby box has gifts for mother and baby, resources, and information about Jewish Tucson. It includes gifts from the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, area synagogues and agencies. If you have had or adopted a new baby or… Read more »

Local agency programs spread JFSA funds

A view from the lobby of the Harvey and Deanna Evenchik Center for Jewish Philanthropy, home of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona (Martha Lochert)

Editor’s Note: This is the last in a series of four articles on how the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona allocates funds. The first, in the Oct. 12 issue, focused on youth and family education programs at synagogues. The second, in the Nov. 23 issue, looked at national and… Read more »

ADL Arizona reports year-end rise in hate symbols

Carlos Galindo-Elvira

In the first 10 days of December, a series of six swastika incidents across Arizona were reported to ADL Arizona. The latest incident involved an elderly woman in Scottsdale who found a swastika drawing at her doorstep the morning after displaying her menorah during Hanukkah. This was the second… Read more »

Social justice symposium to tackle anti-Semitism, conversos

International journalists Dagmar and Peter Schroeder will share their experience in addressing hate, discrimination and intolerance Jan. 7 as part of a two-day symposium hosted by the Ruth and Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life in the Northwest. (Courtesy Dagmar and Peter Schroeder)

Anti-Semitism past and present will be the focus of a two-day symposium hosted by the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Ruth and Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life in the Northwest next month. “Anti-Semitism from the Spanish Inquisition On: Educating for Social Justice,” which will be held Jan. 6-7… Read more »

Beit Simcha finds temporary location in Catalina Foothills

Congregation Beit Simcha has an interim location on the Northeast corner of Skyline and Campbell, across from La Encantada Shopping Center. The address is 3001 E. Skyline Drive, Suite 117, and the first Shabbat service will be held there today at 6:30 p.m. “We have confirmed Congregation Beit Simcha’s… Read more »