Local

The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona recently received a $25,000 gift from a donor advised fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, which it forwarded to the Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief to aid the swelling population of migrants and Syrian refugees in Europe and the Middle… Read more »

Broadway in Tucson Centennial Hall 1020 E. University Blvd. 903-2929 broadwayintucson.com The season begins with America’s favorite redhead in a new incarnation of the iconic “Annie.” “The Phantom of the Opera” returns with new scenic and lighting designs, including the show’s legendary chandelier, followed by the 20th anniversary world… Read more »

Irving Berlin left an indelible mark on the classic American songbook with hits like “White Christmas,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and “God Bless America.” Arizona Theatre Company will bring Berlin’s story to life in “Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin,” which opens ATC’s 2015-16… Read more »

Jewish Family & Children’s Services, in collaboration with experts from the University of Arizona Center on Aging, will present the Mel Sherman Institute on Mental Health lecture series this fall, with free talks on Fridays, Sept. 18 and Nov. 13, from 1-3 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center.… Read more »

Congregation Bet Shalom will hold its 12th annual Wine Tasting at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19 at CataVinos Wine Shoppe & Tasting Room, 3063 N. Alvernon Way. The event will feature tastings of kosher wines from around the world. Rosa Cohen, president of the synagogue, notes that in… Read more »

Chabad Tucson will sample and sell a variety of kosher wine for the High Holidays on Sunday, Sept. 6, from 1-3 p.m. at Congregation Young Israel/Chabad. Single bottles and cases of wines from the United States, Israel, France and Italy will be available “for tasting and purchase at attractive… Read more »

Justice Richard Bernstein

He is an Ironman. He’s run 18 mara­thons, including one just a year after shattering his hip and pelvis in an accident. He’s a graduate of the distinguished Northwestern University School of Law and, since passing the bar, he’s developed into a civil rights powerhouse, having earned numerous verdicts… Read more »

U.S. Rep. Martha McSally joined 25 Republican legislators on a whirlwind trip to Israel earlier this month. McSally, who was elected to represent Arizona’s Second Congressional District last fall and serves on the Armed Services and Homeland Security committees, said she chose to participate in the trip to get… Read more »

Philip A. Pinto

The Arizona Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Arizona, together with the College of Science and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, will present a free panel lecture, “The Iranian Nuclear Agreement: Containment or Catastrophe?” on Thursday, Sept. 17, from 7-8 p.m. in Crowder Hall. Three… Read more »

Project Isaiah, Tucson’s annual High Holy Days food drive benefiting the Community Food bank, begins Sept. 1. The project is named for the Prophet Isaiah, who when asked why we fast on Yom Kippur, responded, “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry?” (Isaiah 58:6). It is… Read more »

Jeremy Kridel

The Secular Humanist Jewish Circle will present a lecture Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015, 2-4 p.m. at the Dusenberry-River Library, 5605 E River Road. Practicing lawyer and rabbinical student Jeremy Kridel will discuss “Fact and Fiction; Myth and Metaphor — How Secular Humanist Judaism, a non-theist branch of Judaism, deals… Read more »

Opening Milk and Honey Breastfeeding and Postpartum Support Center is a dream that was a long time coming for co-owners Nina Isaac and Crissi Blake. The women met 15 years ago, after Isaac’s first child was born. “My baby was colicky and Crissi taught infant massage,” says Isaac. “It… Read more »

What makes someone a mensch (a person of integ­rity)? Students at Tucson Hebrew High and the Tucson Jewish Community Center will join others worldwide in exploring that question as part of the second annual Character Day, a concept created by filmmaker Tiffany Shlain. Known for her 2005 short film… Read more »

Elaine Lisberg

Elaine Lisberg doesn’t like to live in the past or dwell over what she’s accomplished. “To me, life’s all about moving forward.” A lifelong devotee of Jewish causes and educational nonprofits, Lisberg has transitioned from active volunteer to trained professional, then to professional volunteer and now officially considers herself… Read more »

Allan Mendelsberg serves on the community advisory board for the Special Olympics. He began volunteering for the organization when he was a high school student in Denver. “I really enjoyed working with the kids and when I moved to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona, I just stayed… Read more »

Jonathan Ben-Asher

It’s time for school, and the view from THA is tremendously exciting! At the eagle’s perspective, you’ll see our beautiful building (designed like a tallit, or prayer shawl) and grounds, ready to embrace teaching and learning every day; our wonderful, engaged, energized community of students, parents, teachers and staff… Read more »

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a diagnosis of HIV or AIDS was essentially a death sentence. Pharmaceutical representative Pa­trice White was fresh out of grad school at that time and employed as a social worker for the local hospitals. “It was just awful,” says White of the… Read more »

As students sharpen their pencils and charge their laptops and smartphones for the new school year, Tucson’s Jewish schools are keeping their programs fresh with everything from new electives to new teachers. Temple Emanu-El’s Kurn Religious School will hold a geniza (archive) ceremony field trip as students learn about… Read more »

Lola Lieber

“A World After This” will be the focus of the Women’s Academy of Jewish Studies eighth annual High Holy Days season book brunch with Esther Becker on Sunday, Sept. 20 at Congregation Chofetz Chayim. A memoir by Holocaust survivor Lola Lieber, “A World After This” spans 91 years, moving… Read more »

The Jewish History Museum, which reopens Aug. 15, will present “Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Postcards from the Permanent Collection,” Aug. 19-Dec. 20. The collection of handwritten cards shows Southern Arizona from the early 1900s through the 1960s. Visitors will have the opportunity to write their own postcards and send them… Read more »