Rabbi Joseph Telushkin More than 600 people attended Rabbi Joseph Telushkin’s talk — and laughed at his perfectly delivered jokes — at the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s 2011 Campaign kickoff at Congregation Anshei Israel on Wednesday, Nov. 17. Not only is Telushkin an Orthodox, observant Jew, said JFSA Vice Chair Larry… Read more »
There is something about small lights glowing in the vast darkness that renews our childlike wonder: sparklers, flashlights, birthday candles. And we all remember “Lite-Brite,” the little black box of our childhood with the multicolored plastic pegs that, once plugged in, illuminated our designs. For Jews, there are the… Read more »
Gila Silverman’s husband, David, created this 10-foot dreidel the third year that the family lived in Winterhaven. I live in a neighborhood known for its Christmas displays. No one is more surprised about this than I am. And, to my even greater surprise, I have found living here to be a moving experience. The one thing I have known for certain my entire life is that… Read more »
Janet (Maedell Dixon) and Josh (David Alexander Johnston) prove opposites do attract in “2 Across.” In the romantic comedy “2 Across,” now playing at the Invisible Theatre, two strangers meet on a San Francisco BART train. They’re opposites: she’s a pragmatist, he’s a dreamer. She’s Catholic, he’s Jewish. And she does the New York Times crossword in pen, while he does it in pencil… Read more »
Nancy Kumble Fenn (left) and her daughter Melissa, 22, pause about halfway on their ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Nancy Kumble Fenn’s first outdoor adventure was biking up the coast of Maine in 1976 at age 16. Now the mother of three grown children, Kumble Fenn has traveled all over the world with her husband, Richmond Fenn, a mining engineer. In July, with nine members of her family… Read more »
Why read memoirs about terrible persecution? This provocative question was the focus of “Teaching the Holocaust: Diaries, Personal Correspondence and Memoir,” an in-service workshop for teachers held at the University of Arizona Poetry Center on Oct. 28. The workshop was organized by the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Coalition… Read more »
Walk into most synagogue gift shops this time of year and you’ll find all manner of dreidels and menorahs, from traditional to whimsical, in materials ranging from glass and porcelain to metal and wood. But Tucson’s synagogue gift shops also contain unexpected items, hidden treasures tucked amid the essentials… Read more »
Arlene Weintraub The quest for the fountain of youth has become a fountain of profit for the anti-aging industry and a waste of money for the youth-seekers, says award-winning investigative reporter Arlene Weintraub, who will discuss her findings at Temple Emanu-El on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 10:30 a.m. Weintraub, a Tucson… Read more »
At Tucson Hebrew Academy’s Tikkun Olam Award Celebration on Oct. 24, guest speaker Rabbi Daniel Gordis, author of “Saving Israel,” drew a direct connection between Jewish education and the Jewish future. “There are challenges facing the Jewish people across the world … and Jewish education is so critical in… Read more »
Menahem Pressler Clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, a two-time Grammy Award winner, rejoices in the power of music written by the world’s greatest composers, “taking my turn to take those notes and turn them into life.” Stoltzman intends do just that when he performs with pianist Menahem Pressler and the New York Chamber… Read more »
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, named by Talk magazine as one of the 50 best speakers in the United States, will be the keynote speaker at the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Campaign Kickoff event on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at Congregation Anshei Israel at 7:15 p.m. The author of “Jewish Literacy:… Read more »
The Tucson International Jewish Film Festival will present a sneak preview of “Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story” on Sunday, Nov. 28 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. The festival runs Jan. 20-30, 2011. “Jews and Baseball” explores the contributions of Jewish major… Read more »
Through a new community-wide partnership, the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona is leading a program that will help local Jewish agencies and synagogues work together to build endowment funding. The Foundation is one of five organizations chosen nationally to participate in the new Areivim Legacy Community Project. This… Read more »
The Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona will offer a second annual Israel Scholarship Grant, providing up to $2,500 for one trip to Israel. Any non-profit organization with 501(c)(3) status that is sponsoring an individual or group trip to Israel may apply for the Goldman Family Israel Scholarship Grant.… Read more »
A Guinness Book of World Records attempt at the world’s largest matzah ball will be a highlight of the third annual Jewish Food Festival & Family Fun Fair on Sunday, Nov. 7. The event will be held at Brandi Fenton Memorial Park, 3482 E. River Road, from 11 a.m.… Read more »
Congregations Or Chadash, Chaverim, and Anshei Israel will hold a community Youth Mitzvah Day on Sunday, Oct. 31, combining their religious school studies. The event, open to all Jewish students from pre-K through 8th grade, will be held at Congregation Or Chadash from 9:30 a.m. to noon. The theme… Read more »
Rabbi Shafir Lobb A focus on blending heart and mind brings a new congregation to Tucson. Congregation Kol Simchah (voice of joy) will hold its first Friday night Shabbat service and dinner on Nov. 19. “Born of the seed of Ner Tamid,” says Rabbi Shafir Lobb, the new Renewal congregation has emerged… Read more »
William G. Dever William G. Dever, professor emeritus of the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Arizona, will deliver a Shaol Pozez memorial lecture, “The Lives of Ordinary People in Ancient Israel: Where the Bible and Archaeology Intersect” on Monday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish… Read more »
In response to unprecedented requests for economic assistance from Jewish Tucsonans, the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona has launched the Local Emergency Assistance Fund to provide assistance with housing costs, food, job placement and more. While pledges to the Federation campaign traditionally are unrestricted, the Federation board is allowing… Read more »
The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona has awarded grants to five local Jewish agencies and synagogues to create programs for Jewish seniors that will focus on transportation needs, helping seniors stay in their homes, and counseling services. Jewish Family & Children’s Services has received a grant to assist low-income… Read more »
