Tucsonan Bobby Present, right, defeated Barry Danser of London, left. (Courtesy Bobby Present) Tucsonan Bobby Present competed in the Maccabi Games in Vienna, Austria, this summer, playing in the masters tennis men’s 55+ category — and doing well until an injury forced him to default for the first time in his tennis career. “It was unfortunate timing,” he told the AJP, because… Read more »
The Men’s Club of Beth Shalom Temple Center has launched a free “Offbeat Film Retrospective,” with screenings on the first and third Thursday of each month at 1 p.m. Many of the films reflect the Jewish experience in the diaspora, directly or indirectly, says men’s club president Merle Sobol.… Read more »
Temple Emanu-El is bringing back its free “Taste of Judaism” classes for the 12th year. Nearly 4,000 people have completed the course through Temple Emanu-El, which now offers five sessions at locations throughout Tucson. Rabbis Samuel M. Cohon and Jason Holtz will lead an interactive exploration of the history… Read more »
Congregation Anshei Israel is continuing “Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing!” for a fourth year. The nationwide program uses Jewish teachings to help pre-teen and teenage girls make healthy life choices and features an informal setting, small group size, and carefully designed activities. The program is free and is… Read more »
Congregation Or Chadash will host Leah Hochman, Ph.D., as scholar-in-residence Aug. 26-28. Hochman is director of the Jerome H. Louchheim School of Judaic Studies at the University of Southern California and assistant professor of Jewish thought on the Los Angeles campus of Hebrew-Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She teaches… Read more »
Food allergies among children have become more commonplace in recent years, and Tucson’s Jewish schools are paying attention. “Not only has there been an increase in allergies, but there’s been an increase in the severity” of allergies among students at Tucson Hebrew Academy, says Ronnie Sebold, the school’s… Read more »
The 2nd Annual Rainbow Keshet Awards committee is seeking nominations honoring individuals in Southern Arizona who have helped make the local community and the world a better place for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals and families. The awards ceremony will be held at the Tucson Jewish Community… Read more »
Esther Becker of Congregation Chofetz Chayim will hold a free pre-High Holiday women’s dinner and discussion of the book “A Daughter of Two Mothers” by Miriam Cohen on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. “Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur offer a time for introspection, a time for renewal, and… Read more »
Alfred Schreier returned to Vienna in 2009 for the 100th anniversary of the Hakoah Sport Club (above), and again this summer for the first European Maccabi Games to be held in a German-speaking country since 1945. Alfred Schreier was proud to be among the 2,000 athletes representing 37 nations at this year’s European Maccabi Games held July 5 to 13 in Vienna, Austria. A Sahuarita resident, Schreier, 82, was born in Vienna, where he returned after the Holocaust to become a successful teen athlete in… Read more »
Ben Louchheim (Photos courtesy Tucson Hebrew Academy) At Tucson Hebrew Academy parents sometimes say “you keep them in a cocoon,” says Ronnie Sebold, director of admissions. But this cocoon also nurtures THA students as they embark on their high school years. “They get a lot of comfort here, learn skills and are academically so prepared and… Read more »
'Sunset II,' acrylic, by Diana Madaras An art exhibit by Diana Madaras is on display at the Tucson Jewish Community Center Fine Art Gallery through Aug. 11. Madaras, known for her bold, colorful paintings in watercolor and acrylic, owns two galleries in Tucson that feature her work exclusively. She is president of the nonprofit Art… Read more »
Congregation Chofetz Chayim’s annual Spirit program will again give Tucson’s Jewish men the opportunity to experience one-on-one or intimate group learning with rabbinical students. Two full weeks of free study sessions will be held this month. Spirit participants will study with students from Rabbi Israel Becker’s alma mater, The… Read more »
Applications for the 2011 Cohon Award will be accepted until Sept. 1; forms are available at www. cohonaward.com. This year’s award for achievements in the areas of Jewish unity, education/information, rescue or creative arts will be $30,000. In addition to the major award, which will go to individuals, smaller… Read more »
Shalom Tucson will present the ninth annual Gateway to our Synagogues bagel brunch on Sunday, Aug. 14, from 10:30 a.m. until noon at the Tucson Jewish Community Center at 3800 E. River Road. The event, which is for newcomers and anyone interested in hearing about Tucson’s synagogues, is one… Read more »
Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging and JoiN (Jewish Organized i-Network), a program of Too Jewish Radio, will co-host a business mixer on Thursday, Aug. 11 at 5:30 p.m. at Handmaker. Local business owners and professionals will have the chance to network and learn about business practices based on… Read more »
Detective Donna Jacob, who retired last month from her position in intelligence and hate crimes with the Tucson Police Department, is now serving as a Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona community security consultant on a part-time contract, funded by the Federation for six months. Jacob will be available to… Read more »
Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging will hold a celebration for the holiday of Tu B’Av on Monday, Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. . The holiday celebrates the end of a three-week period of mourning that commemorates tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people. Tu B’Av is considered a… Read more »
The Outreach Connections of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona is sponsoring Jewish Heritage Night at a Tucson Padres baseball game on Sunday, Aug. 21 at 7 p.m. at Kino Park (formerly Tucson Electric Park). The Padres will play against the Sacramento River Cats. Cosponsors of the event include… Read more »
"Mrs. Cohen's Shabbat Table" is part of the new Jewish History Museum exhibit A new exhibit, “History & Nostalgia: The Southern Arizona Jewish Experience, 1850-1950,” exploring the daily life of Jews of the Southern Arizona region, will be on display at the Jewish History Museum from Aug. 14 through Dec. 30. The exhibit is part of Tucson’s birthday celebrations (see tucsons birthday.org).… Read more »
Emily Ellentuck Congregation Anshei Israel will hold a special Shabbat evening service called “Shir Hadash: A New Song,” beginning Friday, Aug. 19, at 5:45 p.m., and continuing approximately once a month. The service will be led by Rabbis Robert Eisen and Ben Herman and feature Emily Ellentuck as cantorial soloist. Ellentuck… Read more »
