News

THA Passport2Peace teaches kids importance of giving

Tucson Hebrew Academy students make cards for kids at local children's organizations during THA's annual Passport2Peace fundraiser benefiting local charities, Sept. 18. (David J. Del Grande/AJP)

On Monday, Tucson Hebrew Academy held its annual “Passport2Peace” fundraising event, which educates students about local charitable organizations and allows them to donate funds to their favorite charities. Informational booths are set up throughout THA’s courtyard. Professional or student liaisons explain how the charities help the community. When the… Read more »

Senior rabbi resigns from Temple Emanu-El

Editor’s note: As of Feb. 16, the Central Conference of American Rabbis reversed Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon’s suspension and reinstated him. See more details here: https://azjewishpost.com/2018/ccar-reverses-suspension-reinstates-local-rabbi/ Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon has resigned from his position as senior rabbi with Temple Emanu-El as of Sept. 13. Mona Gibson, president of Temple… Read more »

Genetics of breast cancer topic for Hadassah

Cassandra Garcia

Cassandra Garcia, M.S., CGC, a certified genetic counselor at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, will present “Genetics of Breast Cancer, Jewish Ancestry, and Ongoing Research: Important Information for Men and Women” at a Hadassah Southern Arizona luncheon on Sunday, Oct. 15. The lunch will be held at the… Read more »

UA talk to probe Mideast water, energy issues

The Arizona Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Arizona will present “Water, Wastewater, and Energy Solutions for Off-grid Bedouin, Palestinian, and Jordanian Communities” on Monday, Oct. 2, at 4 p.m., with Clive Lipchin, Ph.D., of the Center for Transboundary Water Management at the Arava Institute for Environmental… Read more »

Why Obama’s former speechwriter calls him the most Jewish president ever

David Litt, center, with President Obama and actor Keegan-Michael Key at the White House. (Courtesy of Litt)

(JTA) — He was just 24, but speechwriter David Litt had already become President Barack Obama’s go-to guy for anything considered “kishke-related.” In Litt’s parlance, that meant he wrote the president’s speeches aiming to connect with Jewish Americans on a gut level — things like holiday and anniversary commemorations,… Read more »

After a year of terror, the Jews of Whitefish, Montana, look ahead

From left: Whitefish Mayor John Muhlfeld, Rabbi Francine Green Roston and Paul Goldenberg, the director of Secure Community Network, Aug. 25, 2017. The Whitefish Jewish community was subjected to an onslaught of anti-Semitic harassment over the past year. (Courtesy of Goldenberg)

  (JTA) — Around the picnic tables at Whitefish City Beach on the final Shabbat eve of last month, the Montana town’s tiny Jewish community shared kosher hot dogs, veggie burgers and memories of terror. In a year when white supremacists have been ascendant, at least in their public… Read more »

How Houston’s synagogues are handling the High Holidays after Harvey

A room in United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston, stripped of its furniture and floors. (Courtesy of United Orthodox Synagogues)

  {JTA) — A few weeks ago, Holly Davies was getting ready to homeschool her kids and preparing the family for the High Holidays. When Hurricane Harvey hit, she helped evacuate 150 people from her neighborhood by airboat and shelter nearly 100 people in a local church. Then came… Read more »

Leftist Jewish youth groups in Rio boycott Israeli folk dance festival

Jewish youths dancing at the Hebraica in Rio de Janeiro. (Courtesy of Hebraica Rio)

RIO DE JANEIRO (JTA) — Three leftist Jewish youth movements have refused to attend Brazil’s longest running Israeli dance festival in retaliation for a lecture given by a right-wing politician at a mainstream Jewish center five months ago. Chazit Hanoar, Habonim Dror and Hashomer Hatzair say their unprecedented boycott… Read more »

In the Ukrainian city of Uman, businesses and mobsters follow the Jewish pilgrims

Pilgrims to Uman praying at the grave of Rebbe Nachman, Sept. 7, 2013. (Yaakov Naumi/Flash90)

UMAN, Ukraine (JTA) — By selling coffee to Jewish tourists, 18-year-old Yuri Breskov can earn in a week more than his teachers from high school make annually in this provincial city. His revenues peak at $3,000 on the week of Rosh Hashanah, when some 30,000 Israelis and other Jews visit… Read more »

This Jewish man was once New York’s toughest cop. Now he’s a TV star.

Ralph Friedman stars in "Street Justice: The Bronx" on the Discovery Channel. (Courtesy of the Discovery Channel)

(JTA) — There are almost as many reality cop shows on television as there are Real Housewives. “Cops” is the granddaddy of them all, in its 30th season, plus there’s “Night Watch” and “Live PD,” to name just a few. The newest is “Street Justice: The Bronx,” which premieres… Read more »

The top 10 moments that mattered to Jews in 5777

(JTA) — This Jewish year was not a quiet one, to say the least. From the tumultuous first eight months of Donald Trump’s presidency, to a wave of bomb threats against Jewish community centers, to a neo-Nazi protest in Charlottesville that turned violent, to the twin weather catastrophes of… Read more »

11 inspiring Jews who died in 5777

(JTA) — It’s always difficult to whittle down the list of influential Jews who died in a given year, but this year the task seemed to be especially tough. The number of Jews who left historic marks on their fields — and, more broadly, on Jewish culture — was… Read more »

American Jews overwhelmingly disapprove of Trump, poll finds

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump observing a moment of silence for the victims of Sept. 11, 2001 on the South Lawn of the White House, Sept. 11, 2017. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (JTA) — American Jews overwhelmingly disapprove of President Donald Trump in just about every area, scoring him lower than his predecessor even on topics like Israel, where Jewish approval of Barack Obama was relatively low, according to an American Jewish Committee poll. The survey also shows a sharp… Read more »

Tikkun olam: Bob Feinman

Bob Feinman

In 1967, Bob Feinman, an 18-year-old Jewish kid from New York City found himself in Tucson, enrolled in college, knowing no one. He could speak Spanish, but had never heard of a taco. He ended up with a 40-year career in Spanish language radio and became an advocate for… Read more »

Tucson emergency doc to be on ‘20/20’

Tucson's Kenneth Iserson, M.D., MBA, FACEP, an expert on emergency medicine, films an episode of ABC's '20/20' in the University of Arizona Simulation Lab (Courtesy Kenneth Iserson)

Medical dramas are among TV’s most popular entertainment shows. But how realistic are those life-saving scenarios? ABC’s news program “20/20” will turn that question over to a group of medical experts to explore “The Good Doctor,” a series starting Sept. 25 from David Shore, the creator of “House.” The… Read more »

Tucson J cooking classes accent healthy eating

Participants learn to make caponata as part of the Tucson Jewish Community Center's 'Around The World: Adult Summer Camp' spotlight on Italy on June 14.

Cooking and culture will blend together in a variety of classes at the Tucson Jewish Community Center starting this month. The classes will emphasize healthy eating and the importance of cooking together as a family, as well as sharing food and culture from around the world. All dishes will… Read more »