Gabe Zimmerman at Kinderland Camp in the summer of 2001. [Photo courtesy Maria Falconi-Sachs] It is, perhaps, only in America that a congresswoman named Gabrielle Giffords could reclaim the Jewish identity of her father’s family — originally named Hornstein — after living much of her life apart from the Jewish community. And it is no less of a tribute to American fluidity, however… Read more »
Smoke from a burning government building fills the sky above the Eyptian Museum in Cairo, Jan. 29. The photograph was taken from a tour bus window. (Joan Elder) When Tucsonan Joan Elder signed up for a 10-day late-January trip to Egypt to celebrate her 70th birthday, she had no idea that her adventure would be interrupted by massive anti-government demonstrations. Apparently, the Egyptian people were just as stunned by the uprising. “No one expected anything like this… Read more »
Temple Emanu-El will host a Jewish camp night on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 5:30 pm at Reid Park Ramada #20 and a Jewish camp fair on Sunday, Jan. 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the synagogue. Representatives from Jewish overnight camps from across the country will be… Read more »
Joseph Regenstein You are what you eat. So what does that mean for your morality? Do the choices you make about food affect your ethics? And can food standards unite Jews and Muslims as nothing else does? These and other questions will be answered by scholar-in-residence Joseph Regenstein, who will explore… Read more »
Rabbi David Golinkin “Israel: From Dream to Reality” is the theme for Congregation Anshei Israel’s scholar-in-residence, Rabbi David Golinkin, who will give talks on Feb. 11 and 12. Golinkin is president and professor of Jewish Law at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. On Friday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m.,… Read more »
William Link The Tucson chapter of the Brandeis National Committee will hold two Book and Author events next month, an evening soiree on Feb. 9 and a lunch program on Feb. 10. Featured authors — all with a mystery or history bent — are William Link, Douglas Starr, Rhys Bowen and… Read more »
The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona approved the Jewish History Museum as a Federation community partner at its Nov. 3 board meeting. Founded in 1947, the Tucson Jewish Community Council became the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona in 1989. The agencies of the Council were given new autonomy with… Read more »
Paulette Gootter [Photos by Martha Lochert] “If you want something done, your best bet is to ask a Jewish woman to do it,” Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said during her 2004 campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. On Sunday, Jan. 9, the day after Giffords, 40, was gravely wounded in a Tucson shooting rampage, a… Read more »
Messages and tributes left by Tucsonans in front of University Medical Center on Jan. 15, 2011 (Sheila Wilensky) It’s been nearly three weeks since the assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the murders of six Tucsonans, and the wounding of 12 others. For many members of the Jewish community, the singing of the Mi Shebeirach, a prayer/song of healing, framed the week following the shooting rampage. On… Read more »
In addition to the tragic shootings that occurred at Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ “Congress on Your Corner” event last Saturday, the Jewish world experienced the untimely loss of a beloved star, composer and performer, Debbie Friedman, 59. She was best known for writing music that expresses healing and accessibility to… Read more »
Volunteer Angie Goorman makes calls at the JFSA Super Sunday phone-a-thon on Jan. 31, 2010 On Sunday, Jan. 30, members of Southern Arizona’s Jewish community will have their annual opportunity to change the world with one phone call, as hundreds of volunteers with the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Super Sunday phone-a-thon call Tucsonans to raise funds for the JFSA 2011 Community Campaign. Super… Read more »
Hebrew High student Alyssa Silva with tzedekah box Students from Tucson Hebrew High and six religious schools are participating in the “613 Coins and Counting!” campaign to raise funds for LEAF, the Local Emergency Assistance Fund, which helps local Jewish families in need with housing costs, food, job placement and more. Their efforts, which began Jan. 9,… Read more »
Howard Silverman, M.D., M.S. Howard Silverman, M.D., M.S., will speak on “Judaism, Clinicians and Healing” at the next Tucson Maimonides Society dinner event, Monday, Jan. 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the Westward Look Resort. His book, “Healing Ceremonies: Creating Personal Rituals for Spiritual, Emotional, Physical and Mental Health” describes his experiences using ceremonies… Read more »
Dr. Mordechai Popovtzer will speak at Hadassah lunch. Hadassah Southern Arizona will hold a gala celebration in honor of long- time Tucson resident and Hadassah member Beverly Goldberg on Sunday, Jan. 23 at 12:30 p.m. at the Skyline Country Club. Goldberg was born in New York to a family deeply rooted in Zionism and moved with her… Read more »
Shalom Tucson will sponsor a free bagel brunch, “Gateway to Adult Education,” on Sunday, Jan. 23 from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. Attendees will be able to chat with representatives from Tucson’s congregations, Jewish organizations and agencies about adult education opportunities, such as lectures,… Read more »
A Jewish community blood drive will be held Friday, Jan. 14, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. Advance appointments to donate are required. To make an appointment contact Jane Scott at the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, 577-9393, ext. 114. In addition, an interfaith community conversation,… Read more »
Congregation Anshei Israel will celebrate its 80th anniversary on Sunday, Feb. 13, with a “White House” dinner event (a tongue-in-cheek play on the synagogue being a large white building). CAI received its charter in April 1930. It was originally located in a small adobe building at 526 South Stone… Read more »
The Southwest Torah Institute, the educational and outreach arm of Congregation Chofetz Chayim, will lead its first Israel Experience with Rabbi Israel and Esther Becker from May 1 to 15. Limited to 20 participants, the trip will be designed for those “seeking a spiritually uplifting yet physically challenging experience,”… Read more »
In response the shootings on Jan. 8, the University of Arizona Religious Council will hold a memorial and prayer service on Wednesday, Jan. 12 at noon on the UA Mall. Participants include the Newman Center, the Lutheran Campus Ministry, Hillel and Jewish Arizonans on Campus. UA President Robert Shelton… Read more »
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was gravely wounded on Jan. 8, 2011 in Tucson Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was holding her first “Congress on Your Corner”event since being re-elected in November. It was a typical sunny Saturday morning in Tucson in front of the Safeway market at Ina and Oracle, where some 25 to 30 people stood in line to have a word with… Read more »
