Charles Strauss, mayor of Tucson 1883-1884 (left), and Jonathan Rothschild, the current mayor
The Jewish History Museum will hold its seventh annual fall fundraiser next month, honoring Tucson’s Jewish mayors. Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, the current incumbent — and the city’s fifth Jewish mayor — will be a special guest. The event, a champagne brunch, will be held Sunday, Nov. 8 at 10… Read more »
Seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders greets an estimated crowd of 11,000 at Reid Park in Tucson on Oct. 9. Supporters on stage behind him hold signs reading ‘Viva Bernie.’ (Michael Miklofsky)
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont spoke Oct. 9 to an estimated crowd of 11,000 at the Demeester Outdoor Performance Center at Reid Park. The rally marked the first large-scale event in Tucson by a national Jewish candidate and brought Sanders his first congressional endorsement. Former Connecticut… Read more »
Itamar Rabinovich In the wake of the “Arab Spring,” the Middle East has been rocked by national conflicts, sectarian civil wars and economic challenges. Iran’s nuclear program has increased political tensions and threatens to further destabilize the region. As Shiite Iran and its proxies battle for regional hegemony against their Sunni… Read more »
Lex Sears Tucson Hebrew Academy will honor Lex Sears, a former THA trustee, at its annual Tikkun Olam Award dinner on Sunday, Nov. 1. “It is with deep gratitude that we recognize Lex Sears this year with the Tikkun Olam Award for the incredible work he’s done for THA and the… Read more »
Sophia and Damion Alexander
Helping voters make sense of the 2015 Pima County bond election was the focus of a presentation jointly sponsored by Congregation Or Chadash’s social action committee and the Pima County Interfaith Council on Oct. 1. Cycling advocate and realtor Damion Alexander and his daughter, Sophia, a freshman at Catalina… Read more »
Rabbi Elijah Schochet Rabbi Elijah Schochet will be Congregation Bet Shalom’s scholar-in-residence Oct. 23 and 24. He will speak on “The Value of a Jewish Life,” exploring both superficial and deep reasons behind anti-Semitism, at the Shabbat evening service on Friday, Oct. 23 at 5:30 p.m. At the Oct. 24 Shabbat service… Read more »
Allison Jean White and Elijah Alexander in Arizona Theatre Company’s ‘Disgraced.’ (Tim Fuller)
Arizona Theater Company’s production of “Disgraced,” Ayad Akhtar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a successful Muslim-American lawyer whose dinner guests’ discussion of race and identity explodes into chaos, plays at the Temple of Music and Art through Nov. 7. I n“Disgraced,” corporate lawyer Amir Kapoor is happy, in love and… Read more »
(L-R): Ben, Jonathan, Daniel and Rosi Vogel
The JDRF will hold its 2015 Southern Arizona One Walk to raise money for Type 1 diabetes research on Sunday, Nov. 8 at the University of Arizona. “There are many Jewish kids and adults in our community living with type 1 diabetes,” says Rosi Vogel, who is president of… Read more »
Roxanne Frankenberg Young teenagers at Tucson synagogues work hard to prepare for their b’nai mitzvah ceremonies. In addition to learning to chant Torah and Haftorah, and prepare and deliver a sermon, these motivated young people commit hours and energy to charitable causes in their community and beyond. In a spirit of… Read more »
(Community Gardens of Tucson Facebook page)
Community Gardens of Tucson, a nonprofit started in 1990 by author George Brookbank, will host a fundraising event in his honor at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, the site of its 25th garden, on Sunday, Oct. 25. The celebration will kick off in the Tucson J’s sculpture garden at… Read more »
Len Kronman prepares soup at the Casa Maria Soup Kitchen. (Courtesy Len Kronman)
Since moving to Tucson 10 years ago, Len and Harriet Kronman have supported a wide range of charitable organizations, offering ideas and aid to help them expand. They have served as board members, tutors, program developers and chefs. “Now that we’re retired, we have time to volunteer more,” says… Read more »
Shelly Silverman The 2016 Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Community Campaign is now underway. “Do More Than Before, Give With Your Heart” is the theme of this year’s effort, which seeks to connect personally with community members about the future of Jewish social and educational services in Tucson and beyond. The… Read more »
Anna Greenberg Tucson Hebrew Academy has been selected to participate in the Institute for Jewish Spirituality’s Tikkun Middot Project, an initiative to integrate mindfulness practice and character development in 28 Jewish communities across America. Loosely translated, tikkun middot means the cultivation or refinement of ethical traits or measures of character. The… Read more »
At the farm at Echoing Hope Ranch, Jonathan Townsend writes down his schedule for the week. (Courtesy Harlie Garcia) At first glance, Echoing Hope Ranch looks like the other farms and ranches that mark the landscape in Hereford, Ariz.; however, the programs and residents make EHR truly unique. Created six years ago, EHR was built with the goal of providing residential and in-home care for adults with autism… Read more »
J. Edward Wright J. Edward Wright, director of the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Arizona, will give the first of five lectures in a Downtown Lecture Series on immortality offered by the UA College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Wright will speak Oct. 14 on “The Histories and… Read more »
Israeli cellist Amit Peled with perform on Jan. 12 at the University of Arizona. Israeli-born classical cellist Amit Peled got started playing cello late, at the age of 10, because a 14-year-old girl he loved was a cello player. He never spoke to the girl, he told the AJP, but kept on with the instrument and, at the age of 22, after a… Read more »
Anne Marie Chiasson The CHAI Circle will host Ann Marie Chiasson, M.D., M.P.H., author of “Energy Healing: The Essentials of Self Care” at its 11th annual retreat next month. A program of Jewish Family & Children’s Services, CHAI Circle is a support group for women in the Jewish community with a history… Read more »
Lindy Bowser as Gert and Stephanie Howell as Bella (Luke Howell) The Arizona Rose Theatre Company will present Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers” Oct. 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25 at the Temple of Music & Art Cabaret Theatre. Drawn from Simon’s experiences growing up in New York City, “Lost in Yonkers” won the Tony Award for best play and… Read more »
The University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music will present “Music + Festival 2015: Bernstein, Adams, Berio” on Oct. 17, 18 and 24. Directed by UA composer Daniel Asia, the eighth annual composers festival will feature a symposium, concerts and a film. Leonard Bernstein was “a composer, conductor,… Read more »
Ten years ago, the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona became one of the first federations in North America to reach out to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Jewish community by creating an LGBT Jewish Inclusion Project. On June 26, 2015, when a Supreme Court decision extended marriage rights… Read more »
