News

Beauty of Shabbat transcends fear
November 9, 2018 / Barbara Russek

On Friday night, Nov. 2, I entered a local synagogue with a feeling of trepidation. Could a copycat of the recent tragedy in Pittsburgh take place in Tucson? I wondered what I would do if the unthinkable happened again. Remembering how we were taught in elementary school to crouch… Read more »

At the Vigil for Tree of Life Temple (Tucson JCC)
November 9, 2018 / Joy Nelson

We sang Shalom and we almost believed it We proclaimed Love stronger than Hate and we tried to believe it We stressed Solidarity and we thought we believed it We shouted Never Again but we could not believe it. — Joy Nelson… Read more »

UA holds vigil for victims of Pittsburgh tragedy

University of Arizona senior and Hillel student leader Calli Bagshaw lights a candle at the UA Hillel Foundation vigil for victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, Oct. 29. (John de Dios /UA News)
November 9, 2018 / Micheal Romero, Intern

The University of Arizona Hillel Foundation, Chabad, and Jewish Arizonans on Campus held a vigil on the UA Mall Monday, Oct. 29 for the 11 victims of the Oct. 27 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. Participants observed a moment of silence, sang prayers and lit… Read more »

Tucson’s two oldest synagogues plan Kristallnacht anniversary pulpit exchange
November 9, 2018 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Executive Editor
Rabbi Robert Eisen, left, and Rabbi Batsheva Appel

Rabbi Robert Eisen of Congregation Anshei Israel and Rabbi Batsheva Appel of Temple Emanu-El will exchange pulpits this weekend for “Unity in the Faceof Brokenness,” a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht. Kristallnacht, which is German for “Crystal Night,” is also known as “The Night of Broken Glass.”… Read more »

Multifaith WIC trip brings travelers closer to Israel, one another

Weintraub Israel 2018 multifaith mission group in the Old City of Jerusalem, Oct. 20. Front row (L-R): Ricki Shore, Mary Cochran, Jill Feldhausen, Dawn Gunter, Oshrat Barel, Michael Solan, Susan McMahon, Debe Campbell, Steve Wool, Jarrod Rulney (University of Arizona graduate student at Hebrew University), Gil Alvidrez; middle row: Andrea Crane, Debby Shore, Sara Ross, Bonnie Shore-Dombrowski, Dina Rosengarten, Grace Hartman, Theresa Dulgov, Florence Solan, Gayle Marrett, Pam Sorock, Michele Canney, Jacquelyn Feller, Ron Feller, Wendy Weinberg; back row: Harry Crane, Janice Brundage, Robert Wolk, Marshall Humphrey, Richard Hartman, Muki Jankelowitz (tour educator), Jeff Weinberg, Britt Feldhausen, David Zeinfeld, Lawrence Kinet, Todd Rockoff, Marsha Kinet, Jim Dever, Vicky Lunday, Michelle Kroeger, Richard Canney. (courtesy Weintraub Israel Center)
November 9, 2018 / Debe Campbell, AJP Assistant Editor

Weintraub Israel Center hosted its second annual multifaith mission to Israel in mid-October. A group of 43 participated in the nine-day journey from Tucson to Tel Aviv and around the nation’s interior. “We believe the most effective way to fulfill our mission to build living bridges is for participants… Read more »

JFCS counselor: No group immune from domestic abuse
November 9, 2018 / Micheal Romero, Intern
Joan-e Rapine

Let’s End Abusive Households, a program of Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona,  hosted an interactive discussion with mental health counselor Joan-e Rapine on Oct. 28 to help engage the community on domestic abuse awareness. Rapine talked to the audience about red flags that might indicate abuse… Read more »

Hadassah brunch to focus on nursing history
November 9, 2018 /

Hadassah Southern Arizona will present “Glimpses from 100 years of the Henrietta Szold – Hadassah School of Nursing Through the Eyes of Nursing Graduates” at a brunch on Sunday, Nov. 11. Gilat Yihye, a graduate of the Henrietta Szold Hadassah Hebrew University School of Nursing, will speak and screen… Read more »

Violinist is always learning, even when he is teaching
November 9, 2018 / Micheal Romero, Intern
Immanuel Abraham (courtesy The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre)

It was a Jewish adaptation of “Sesame Street” called “Shalom Sesame” that inspired Immanuel Abraham to pick up the instrument that would shape his life and career. Filmed in Tel Aviv, “Shalom Sesame” regularly featured renowned violinist Itzak Perlman performing and Abraham was amazed by his craft. “I thought… Read more »

Jewish background part of mix for pub owner, manager
November 9, 2018 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Executive Editor
Firefighter and co-owner of Sentinel Peak Brewing Company, left, with Samantha Berkson, Sentinel Peak general manager (Courtesy Sentinel Peak Brewing Company)

Quite a few firefighters open restaurants. But how many can say they’ve also celebrated a bar mitzvah at the Kotel? Matt Gordon of Sentinel Peak Brewing Company can. Gordon is a Tucson native who graduated from Catalina Foothills High School in 2001 and joined the Golder Ranch Fire District… Read more »

Autumn menus at local restaurants emphasize fresh flavors, local sources
November 9, 2018 / Micheal Romero, Intern

From Italian to Greek, bars to bakeries, here’s a look at what’s on the menu across the area this fall. Braised lamb at Athens on 4th Avenue is the house special, browned with extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, caramelized onions, and special herbs and spices. Jeannie Delfakis-Benavente, daughter of… Read more »

JFSA women plan Mystery Mitzvah Morning
November 9, 2018 /

Updated 11.12.18: This event has been cancelled. Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Women’s Philanthropy will host a Mystery Mitzvah Morning for newcomers and longtime residents on Sunday, Nov. 18, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. The event will begin with a light breakfast at the Harvey and Deanna Evenchik Center for Jewish… Read more »

Business briefs 11.9.18
November 9, 2018 /

PAWS Veterinary Center celebrated its 10th anniversary with an open house party on Oct. 27. Owned by Randy Aronson, VMD, CCRT, and his wife, Geren Thurston, DVM, the facility offers holistic, integrative care, blending conventional and complementary veterinary therapies.   Bruce D. Greenberg, real estate consultant and analyst has… Read more »

People in the news 11.9.18
November 9, 2018 /

Beth Braun and the University/Rincon High School Primaveras dance group have been invited to perform at the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France, in June 2020. As official representatives of  the United States, the Primaveras will perform at the D-Day Anniversary Parade, the International Salute to Liberation, and… Read more »

#WeAreAllJews: The American Jewish media stand with Pittsburgh
November 9, 2018 /

Earlier this year, our colleagues at the three leading Jewish newspapers in the United Kingdom published the same front-page headline and joint editorial voicing concern over rising anti-Semitism in Britain’s Labour Party. Today we have found a mournful occasion to follow in their footsteps. For many Jews, the United States… Read more »

LFA helps local businesses save money, energy

Instructor Virgil Jones, left, works on a piece in the Sonoran Glass School’s hot shop. (Courtesy Sonoran Glass)
November 9, 2018 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Executive Editor

This spring, 11 locally owned businesses began learning how they could become more sustainable through a Local First Arizona pilot program called SCALE UP, which stands for Sustainable Communities Accessing Lending and Expertise Upon Performance. Representatives of these businesses met weekly for six weeks with local experts to learn… Read more »

Is this the last stand for Amsterdam’s Jewish market?

Nissim Kol shows off his merchandise to a prospective shopper at Amsterdam's so-called Jewish market, Oct. 26, 2018. (Cnaan Liphshiz)
November 8, 2018 / Cnaan Liphshiz, JTA

AMSTERDAM (JTA) — Growing up, Jaap Soesan would count the days until his parents would take him to Waterloo Square, a central area that many people here call the Jewish market. “It was a treat to go there,” recalled Soesan, a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor from the Amsterdam suburb of… Read more »

Israeli lawmakers debate American anti-Semitism without American Jewish input

Israeli parliament member Avraham Neguise, shown in 2015, chairs the Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Committee, which recently held a meeting about anti-Semitism in America. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
November 8, 2018 / Sam Sokol, JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) — In the wake of the deadly shooting Oct. 27 at a Pittsburgh synagogue, Israeli lawmakers gathered for a special meeting for a discussion of anti-Semitism in America. It was dialogue that at times grew heated: Politicians yelled at each other and argued about the definition of… Read more »

Did Angela Merkel pay the price for seeking a kinder, gentler Germany?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a joint news conference in Jerusalem, Oct. 4, 2018. Merkel spoke of Germany's "everlasting responsibility" to oppose anti-Semitism during the visit. (Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)
November 8, 2018 / Toby Axelrod, JTA

BERLIN (JTA) — Israeli author Eldad Beck regards Angela Merkel‘s engagement with Israel and Judaism as “spectacular.” Germany’s chancellor has “developed a very personal connection to the State of Israel and the Jewish people, one of the rare German politicians who – when speaking about lessons learned from the past – really knows what… Read more »