Some of Anarchestra’s unique instruments
Three concerts at Temple Emanu-El this fall offer a mix of jazz, classical and what can only be described as “an instrument petting zoo.” “First, we’re bringing in two really genre-bending jazz bands on Aug. 25,” says Robert Lopez-Hanshaw, choir director at Temple Emanu-El. The headliner is Resurrecting Id,… Read more »
Members of Tucson Hebrew High’s 40th graduating class: front row, from left, Nathan Rix, Emily Jones, Julia Braun, Michael Artzi, Emily Youngerman, Hannah Weisman, Sarah Artzi (teacher); back row, Yonatan Weiner, Benjamin Manninen, Andrew Gross, Rafe Centuori
“I just need to know, just what makes you glow.” —Jacob Spike Kraus, What Makes You Glow Tucson High School for Jewish Studies (Hebrew High) graduated 10 students at its 40th commencement in May. The seniors planned their own Glow-themed celebration, facilitated by Hebrew High Co-chair Sarah Artzi. “Throughout… Read more »
The Tucson Jewish community will hold its annual Project Isaiah food drive benefiting the Community Food Bank from Aug. 24-Sept.20. The project, timed to coincide with the High Holy Days, is named for the Prophet Isaiah. When asked why we fast on Yom Kippur, he responded, “Is it not… Read more »
Thirteen members of the Tucson Jewish Artists will present a group show, “Simcha,” in the Fine Art Gallery at the Tucson Jewish Community Center Aug. 26-Oct. 3. The group, which numbers around 25 visual artists, meets several times a year under the auspices of the Tucson Jewish concierge.… Read more »
Michael McDonald Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona CEO and President Michael McDonald will be the guest speaker during the annual Taste of Or Chadash, which starts next week. On Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m., McDonald will discuss how nonprofits navigate paradoxes to accomplish charitable missions. “Feeding Tzedakah: Charity and… Read more »
Esther Becker will present the annual Women’s Academy of Jewish Studies women’s book brunch on Sunday, Sept. 16 at Congregation Chofetz Chayim. She found this year’s book by a happy accident. “Several weeks ago in Jerusalem, Rabbi and I were searching for a specific bookshop with the… Read more »
Tucson host family members greet new shinshiniyot (Israeli teen emissaries) at Tucson International Airport. From left, Joel and Rachel Black, shinshinyot Rotem Rappaport and Ron Benacot, and Marla Handler; front row: Rebecca Black and Amir Eden, director of the Weintraub Israel Center
Recent Israeli high school graduate Ron Benacot’s get-to-know-you video for the Tucson Jewish community is rich with sight gags: see her jump up and down as she plays fetch with her impassive dog, or step up to hefty barbells only to lift the lighter weights they conceal (see www.bit.ly/ronvid).… Read more »
"BlacKkKlansman" tells the story of two cops -- a black and a Jew -- infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan in 1972. (Screenshot from YouTube)
Spoilers for “BlacKkKlansman” below. NEW YORK (JTA) — In 1965, two young Jewish men, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, were murdered along with black activist James Chaney by Ku Klux Klansmen in a Southern horror memorialized in the 1988 film “Mississippi Burning.” My own Jew-adjacent summer camp showed the film to… Read more »
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu understands that Israel’s “hasbarah” can only get the country so far. (Illustration by Charles Dunst/JTA; photo: Michal Cizek/AFP/Getty)
(JTA) — The first mention in JTA of the Hebrew word “hasbarah” was in 1988, at the height of the first intifada. The article focused on Israelis and American Jews and their deep concern that the media were distorting the unrest and showing the Israeli military in a bad… Read more »
Ronald Lauder helped make Benjamin Netanyahu prime minister. Now he's publicly opposing him.
(JTA) — It’s gotta hurt when the guy who used to fund your political career writes two op-eds criticizing you in The New York Times. Benjamin Netanyahu would know — that’s what’s happening to him right now. On Monday, Netanyahu was the target of a scathing column by Ronald… Read more »
(JTA) — A Missouri Republican who has made anti-Semitic and other bigoted statements handily won a primary for the state’s House of Representatives. Steve West, who promotes anti-Semitic conspiracy theories on a radio show he hosts, defeated three other candidates Tuesday in the bid for a seat representing Clay… Read more »
This Ruth Bader Ginsburg action figure is being sold by a Brooklyn-based company. (Fctry via Kickstarter)
(JTA) — Fans of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg can already buy a plethora of items with her face on it, including T-shirts, mugs and prayer candles. Soon they will be able to add another keepsake to their collections: an RBG action figure. If the amount of money raised to produce the… Read more »
A look at the Avocado Rose dish at The Avocado Show. (Courtesy of The Avocado Show)
AMSTERDAM (JTA) — Last year, Ron Simpson was still managing talent for a living. But within just a few months Simpson, a 34-year-old Jewish marketing professional and producer from Amsterdam with no experience in running a restaurant, launched an international chain of eateries with a partner. It is so… Read more »
"Three Identical Strangers" is a documentary about triplets separated at birth by a Jewish-affiliated adoption agency in 1961. (Courtesy of NEON)
NEW YORK (JTA) — A critical consensus has formed around the hit documentary film “Three Identical Strangers,” which can be summarized in the title of one of its glowing reviews: “‘Three Identical Strangers’ Is as Unnerving as It Is Thrilling.” This story of three triplets, reunited as teenagers after… Read more »
Simone Zimmerman, a leftist activist, lives in Israel on a work visa. (Courtesy of Zimmerman)
(JTA) — For years, Simone Zimmerman has protested Israel’s actions from the left. She’s led activist groups, organized protests and gone on camera. But she never worried that her activism would get her barred from entering the country — until this week. Zimmerman, who is Jewish and lives in… Read more »
Sarah Jeong's anti-white tweets prompted a debate over the definition of racism and, subsequently, anti-Semitism. (Illustration by Charles Dunst/JTA; photo: Wikimedia Commons)
NEW YORK (JTA) — Are Jews too powerful to be considered “victims” of racism? Some progressives think so and have been downplaying accusations of anti-Semitism in light of a debate over prejudice and power. This week, The New York Times took heat for hiring Sarah Jeong, a technology writer,… Read more »
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appears on "Meet the Press," July 1, 2018. (William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC NewsWire via Getty Images)
NEW YORK (JTA) — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic congressional candidate and rising progressive star, was cheered at an event at a Jewish museum that did not touch on Israel or the Jewish community. Ocasio-Cortez appeared at a conference here hosted by the Immigrant Arts Coalition at the Museum of… Read more »
Kate Bornstein after the opening night of "Straight White Men" in New York City, July 23, 2018. (Walter McBride/WireImage)
(JTA) — The Hayes Theater in New York, currently home to the Broadway show “Straight White Men,” has just opened its doors, and Kate Bornstein is already patrolling the orchestra seating area. There’s an unusual cacophony of rap music and flashing lights in the theater during the preshow. As… Read more »
Dafna Michaelson Jenet says her experiences in BBYO and Hadassah gave her “the underpinnings I needed to be a legislator.” (Sophia Laster)
(JTA) — Dafna Michaelson Jenet traces her political career back to conversations around the Shabbat table as a 14-year-old. She remembers hearing her parents and their friends discuss the challenges facing Cincinnati, where they were living. But the conversations would quickly be forgotten once the day of rest came… Read more »
(Kveller via JTA) – On Nov. 22, 1909, at a massive workers meeting held at Cooper Union, Clara Lemlich Shavelson made herself known. In Yiddish, she declared, “I am tired of listening to speakers who talk in general terms. … I move that we go on a general strike!”… Read more »
