The Jewish History Museum & Holocaust History Center’s annual fall benefit, “You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught,” will honor Holocaust education pioneer Ray Davies. It will be held Sunday, Oct. 29 at noon at the Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort. Richard T. Hanson, professor emeritus of the School… Read more »
News
‘Courage to Sparkle’ to welcome JFSA women
“Courage to Sparkle: Creating a Life That Lights You Up” is the theme for the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Women’s Philanthropy annual welcome event, which will be held Wednesday, Oct. 18, at the Harvey and Deanna Evenchik Center for Philanthropy, the new home of the Federation and Jewish… Read more »
JFCS brings back ‘Shalom in Every Home’ talks
Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona kicks off its annual “Shalom in Every Home” lecture series featuring guest speaker Adena Bank Lees, LCSW, on Sunday Oct. 22. The two-day event, which continues Oct. 29, will be held at the Tucson Jewish Community Center from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.… Read more »
UA lecture to examine gender in Judaism, law
The Arizona Center for Judaic Studies will present a lecture by Max Strassfeld, Ph.D., “(Cis)gendering Religion: Rabbinic Literature, Anti-trans Bills, and Trans Jewish Cosmology,” on Oct. 9 at 4 p.m. at the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation, 1245 E. 2nd St. Strassfeld is a professor in the UA department… Read more »
Tucson J concerts to include Celebration of Heritage, Jewish-jazz connection
Music takes center stage this month at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, ranging from Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn to the Jewish-jazz connection. The fall Celebration of Heritage concert series begins Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. with “Celebrating Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Mendelssohn,” German Jewish composers of the Romantic… Read more »
Israelis are throwing themselves one-of-a kind weddings in nature
TEL AVIV (JTA) – In this tiny country, there are only so many places to have a wedding. Or so you would think. But a growing number of Israelis are creating one-of-a-kind outdoor weddings from the ground up. In some cases, they even start with the ground. “We brought in bulldozers for one couple,” said Ori Fuks, an Israeli… Read more »
OP-ED As Orthodox community grows, study of all Jews reveals stark contrasts
(JTA) — The 2013 Pew survey “A Portrait of Jewish Americans” shows that Orthodox Judaism, while currently attracting the allegiance of only about 10 percent of all American Jews, is the fastest growing sector of the community. The high birthrate and retention rate confirmed by the survey have led some observers to predict that within a generation, American Jewry will… Read more »
OP-ED Why I traveled to Las Vegas to help after the deadly shooting
LAS VEGAS (JTA) — We just got into our car and drove. Going to Las Vegas after the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history felt like the right thing to do. As Americans and as Jews, we wanted to be a source of support and love in the face… Read more »
Local teens bring passion, talent and caring to b’nai mitzvah projects
For Jewish teens, a bar or bat mitzvah project is an opportunity to learn more about their responsibilities as Jewish adults. It’s a hands-on way to learn the meaning of tikkun olam (repairing the world), and serve the community in personally meaningful ways. Several Tucson Jewish teens shared with… Read more »
Cantor becomes rabbi, and Bet Shalom plans gala in celebration
Congregation Bet Shalom will celebrate the recent ordination of Rabbi Hazzan Avraham “Avi” Alpert next month at a gala event. Alpert says he’s both humbled by the attention and excited because the event supports his mission of reaching out to the entire Jewish community. Alpert’s personal journey began when… Read more »
JFSA Northwest event to feature ‘Life in a Jar’ film, local survivor’s story
The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Northwest Division will host a community gathering and screening of the documentary “Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project” on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 4 p.m. at Splendido at Rancho Vistoso, 13500 N. Rancho Vistoso Blvd. The event also will feature Tucson… Read more »
With America’s blessing, Abbas signals a reconciliation with Hamas
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Trump administration is encouraging the Palestinian Authority to assume control of the Gaza Strip and leaving the door open for a role by Hamas in the subsequent Palestinian government. But if such a move was once seen as a traditional predicate to a two-state… Read more »
Barcelona chaos had this Israeli reporter-turned-lawmaker dodging bullets
(JTA) — Seeing armed police in riot gear outside a school in Barcelona, the Israeli lawmaker Ksenia Svetlova felt the instincts kick in from her days as a Middle East reporter for Russian-language media. “One look was enough to see these officers were preparing for something bad,” said Svetlova, a… Read more »
An Israeli trauma expert predicted a Las Vegas attack three years ago
(JTA) — When Dr. Avi Rivkind landed in Las Vegas three years ago to lecture as a trauma care expert, he saw something that troubled him. The airport, McCarran International, felt too open, almost exposed. He felt no less comfortable on the city’s Strip while watching crowds flow from… Read more »
Josh Gad honors his Holocaust survivor grandparents with role in ‘Marshall’
(JTA) — Actor Josh Gad may be best known for voicing Olaf in the animated Disney hit “Frozen” and originating the role of Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Tony Award-winning musical “The Book of Mormon.” He’s also been a correspondent for “The Daily Show,” co-starred with Billy Crystal in the… Read more »
Mark Feuerstein dishes on his very Jewy new sitcom, ‘9JKL’
CHICAGO (JUF News via JTA) — A grown man moves into a New York apartment sandwiched between his meddlesome, boundary-less parents on one side and his brother, wife and their newborn baby on the other. Sounds kind of like a sitcom, right? It is. But the premise also happens to… Read more »
Five key takeaways from a new survey about Modern Orthodox Jews
NEW YORK (JTA) — The Orthodox Jewish world is even more fragmented than you think. That’s the key takeaway from a study published Thursday of Modern Orthodox Jews in the U.S., a group that adheres to traditional Jewish law while engaging with the secular world. Some of them think women… Read more »
‘The Odd Couple’ at Arizona Rose Theatre
(L-R) Christopher Younggren as Felix and Lawrence Fuller as Oscar in a rehearsal for the Arizona Rose Theatre’s production of Neil Simon’s classic comedy, “The Odd Couple.” Arizona Rose Theatre will present “The Odd Couple” on Oct. 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22. The theatre is located in the… Read more »
JDC responds to Mexican earthquake, continues hurricane relief efforts
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is responding to the devastating 7.1 earthquake in Central Mexico, immediately supporting the search, rescue, and emergency aid efforts of CADENA, its Mexican Jewish humanitarian partner, in hard-hit Mexico City. This work, as well as the tracking of Hurricane Maria’s impending impact in… Read more »
ANALYSIS Why Trump’s UN speech thrilled Netanyahu — for the moment, anyway
ANALYSIS Why Trump‘s UN speech thrilled Netanyahu — for the moment, anyway By Ron Kampeas WASHINGTON (JTA) — The number of times President Donald Trump mentioned Iran or its derivatives in his U.N. speech? Twelve, and each time to emphasize its threat. The number of times he mentioned the Palestinians or derivatives?… Read more »