Nancy Lefkowitz Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona has coordinated Matza & More, a volunteer-driven program to collect and deliver Passover items to more than 200 local Jewish families and individuals in need, for more than 40 years. Local businesses, synagogues and Jewish organizations support the effort. JFCS is… Read more »
The Edwards twins, who studied the arts at Tucson’s Rincon High School, surrounded by some of their characters (Courtesy Anthony Edwards) “We were put on this earth to entertain people!” Anthony Edwards exclaims. Twins Anthony and Eddie Edwards, who spent some of their formative years in the Old Pueblo, will return next month for two shows at the Fox Tucson Theatre (Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.), featuring… Read more »
Leonard Hammer As an Israeli lawyer and legal scholar for more than two decades, Leonard Hammer, Ph.D., is well-equipped to discuss Israel’s complex juncture of religion and democracy. Hammer, the David and Andrea Stein visiting professor of modern Israel studies at the University of Arizona, will speak on “Israel’s Proposed National… Read more »
"Cereusly" by Dot Kret The Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona will host an artists’ reception featuring the work of Mendocino photographer Julie Masterson and Tucson photographer Dot Kret on Monday, Feb. 16 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the JCF office, 3567 E. Sunrise Dr., Suite 143. Masterson’s passion for photography has… Read more »
Omri Margalit, an Israeli serving as a counselor at Tucson’s Camp J, with Tucsonan and fellow counselor Rachel Fox in 2009 (Courtesy Rachel Margalit) For the Margalit family, the Tucson Jewish Community Center was the setting for a true camp love story: a Tucson camp counselor meets and falls for a visiting Israeli. Rachel Fox and Omri Margalit met at the JCC’s summer camp as teenagers serving as counselors. Rachel, a University of… Read more »
Bonnie Golden, Temple Emanu-El president and yoga teacher, and Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon lead a yoga routine at the Old Stone House on the David Yetman Trail during Temple’s Wandering Jews Shabbat hike on Nov. 1. There’s a passage in the Talmud that asks “Why didn’t you take advantage of all the beauty I’ve provided for you in the world?” says Rabbi Thomas Louchheim of Congregation Or Chadash, one of several local synagogues that includes hikes and other opportunities for congregants to worship in the… Read more »
Kevin, Stacy and Ethan Goldstein take a break while walking the Loop. (Damion Alexander) For more than two decades, Pima County has been building a multi-use trail system along the washes in Southern Arizona, officially known as “The Loop.” When completed, The Loop will total 131 miles and connect the Rillito River Park, Santa Cruz River Park and Pantano River Park with the… Read more »
Rabbi Rachel S. Mikva Religious ideas can be used both constructively and destructively, says Rabbi Rachel S. Mikva, Ph.D., the upcoming Rabbi Albert T. Bilgray scholar-in-residence at Temple Emanu-El. Mikva aims to encourage critical thinking about “Dangerous Religious Ideas” in the 29th Bilgray Memorial Lectureship series from Feb. 5 to 7, in collaboration… Read more »
The Institute for the Study of Religion and Culture at the University of Arizona College of Humanities will present the first of a series of conversations entitled “The Abrahamic Family Reunion: Jewish, Christian and Muslim Perspectives on Moses, Jesus and Muhammad”on Tuesday, Jan. 27 from 4 to 6 p.m.… Read more »
Hadassah Southern Arizona will sponsor a mah jongg tournament on Sunday, Feb. 15, beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Skyline Country Club, 5200 E. St. Andrews Drive. The entry fee of $40 includes lunch. There will be cash prizes for the top three scorers, plus each round winner will receive… Read more »
Limmud, a day of learning for the Jewish community, will be held at Arizona State University in Tempe on Sunday, Feb. 8. Limmud (Hebrew for “to learn”) is part of a worldwide movement that began in Great Britain in 1980. The Arizona program will feature over 40 presenters with… Read more »
‘Carlo Giantomassi, Lead Curator of the 1997 San Xavier Del Bac Mission Restoration,’ platinum photograph by Gary Auerbach The Tucson Jewish Community Center Fine Art Gallery is showing “A Retrospective of Photography by Gary Auerbach” through Feb. 9. More than 60 prints spanning 25 years are on display. Auerbach, a doctor of chiropractic, is most widely known for his photographs of Native American. His works are in… Read more »
Avraham Infeld “Together: A Community Event” is an appropriate title for Avraham Infeld’s presentation next month at the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s free event. Infeld, president emeritus of Hillel International, will focus on “connecting the Jewish people in Israel to the Jewish people in America” in his talk on Tuesday,… Read more »
Daniel Katzen Daniel Katzen blows a mean shofar. As a professional French horn player, you might expect he’d be a natural on the ram’s horn. But that’s not the case, says Katzen, associate professor of horn at the University of Arizona. “Brass players find it particularly challenging to play the shofar,”… Read more »
Yaakov Lehman A former Tucsonan is the mastermind behind a multimedia Israeli tour book app (see www.theisraelapp.com). Yaakov Lehman, 29, made aliyah in 2008, after a spiritual, philosophical and physical journey that took him from California to Europe to yeshiva. Lehman grew up as Jake in Tucson and graduated from Catalina… Read more »
Sara, Katie and Dylan Bluth (Courtesy Jeff Bluth) For two local families, the Bluths and the Smiths, the summer camps at Tucson’s Jewish Community Center, fondly known as Camp J, mean much more than just fun for the kids. Their stories reveal the profound impact camp can make. For Jeff Bluth, it is exciting to see the… Read more »
Tucsonan Kim Bayne in her Griddler on the Roof food truck Update 1.21.15: Due to family health issues, Griddler on the Roof is temporarily suspending operation. For more information, visit http://facebook.com/GriddlerTruck . Kim Bayne likes new challenges. Although she’s been a business and technology writer for most of her career, memories of cooking for the Jewish holidays with her mother and grandmother… Read more »
Masha Gessen “Speaking truth to power” is a way of life for Russian-American Jewish journalist Masha Gessen. An outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a staunch supporter of gay rights and a chronicler for the voiceless, the award-winning author will speak at four community events during “A Day With Masha… Read more »
Max Goldschmid It’s cool. It’s funky. And, if you ask local musician, producer and owner of 11:11 Studios, Mike Levy, its rhythm can be visualized something “like an egg rolling” — slightly off-kilter, yet quasi-sober — “steady, but swinging,” he calls it. We’re talking about jazz and, later this month, Tucson… Read more »
James Deem Tucson author James M. Deem will speak at Hadassah Southern Arizona’s luncheon on Sunday, Jan. 11. Deem, the author of over two dozen books for adults and young adults, will present “Albertine’s Doll: A Holocaust Story from Belgium.” This is one of the stories from his upcoming book, “The… Read more »
