Biblical archaeology was revolutionized several years ago when evidence of the existence of the alleged kingdom of David was brought to light in the form of a fortified Iron Age town excavated in the Elah Valley by Hebrew University Professor Yosef Garfinkel and Israeli Antiquities Authority archaeologist Saar Ganor.… Read more »
News
SEEKING KIN Calling all Israeli sailors from ’76 NY celebration: It’s reunion time
The “Seeking Kin” column aims to help reunite long-lost friends and relatives. (JTA) – The Israeli missile boat Tarshish had just returned home in June 1976 when crew members learned near midnight that they would be heading back to sea two days later for another couple of months. They… Read more »
Hamas, natural gas and other good reasons Israel and Turkey should stick together
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel and Turkey ought to be friends, geopolitically speaking. As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan put it in January: “Israel needs a country like Turkey in this region. We, too, should admit that we need a country like Israel.” But the regional powers often can’t seem to make… Read more »
In focus 8.26.16
Surgeon follows tradition of service Major Carl Chen, U.S. Air Force (right), administers the oath of commissioning to Captain (Dr.) James Wiseman, who is entering the medical corps of the U.S. Air Force Reserve as part of the 301st Medical Squadron, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth,… Read more »
Burkini ban is great for business, says Israeli-French maker of modest swimsuits
AMSTERDAM (JTA) — According to the latest tally, at least 30 French municipalities have banned the product that the Paris-born businesswoman Yardena G. sells for a living. Yardena, a haredi Orthodox mother of nine from Jerusalem, owns the Sea Secret fashion label of modest swimwear for devoutly religious women.… Read more »
Israeli forces raid West Bank weapons factories as part of crackdown
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli security forces shut down six illegal weapons manufacturing factories in the West Bank in what the army said was the biggest such operation of an ongoing crackdown. The raids conducted jointly by the Israel Defense Forces, Shin Bet security service and Israel Police took place Monday night in Bethlehem and Hebron.… Read more »
ADL gets new Arizona director
Carlos Galindo-Elvira, the Anti- Defamation League’s new Arizona regional director, wants Tucson Jewish community leaders to know the ADL is there for them, “whether it’s a 411 call, to get information or resources, or a 911 call” in a situation where the ADL can play a role. Galindo-Elvira is… Read more »
Colitis complicates local teen’s life but has not dampened her spirit
Rachel Levy spent her childhood struggling with ulcerative colitis, but she didn’t give in to self-pity. While learning how to manage the symptoms of the disease, she reached out to help others, earning the title of “Hero” from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. “My dream is to… Read more »
UA student’s research is breakthrough in pain, addiction
Understanding how to provide narcotics for pain management, while avoiding potential addiction to opiates, can be difficult for physicians and patients alike. Chronic pain affects more than 100 million Americans and opioids such as morphine have been the mainstay therapy for many years. Yet growing evidence suggests that prescription… Read more »
Witnessing joyous French aliyah — and hoping Diaspora can be sustained
This July, as incoming 2017 Campaign chair for the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, I had the opportunity, with my husband, Bobby Present, and Fran Katz, JFSA senior vice president, to participate in a Jewish Federations of North America Campaign and Directors Mission to France and Israel. The emotional… Read more »
JFCS Sherman Institute program to tackle tough issues
“What would happen to me if I had a severe stroke and couldn’t communicate?” “What would happen if my spouse gets dementia and stops eating?” People sometimes choose to ignore these kind of tough issues rather than talk about them. To help change that, Jewish Family & Children’s Services… Read more »
Gang-to-rabbinate bio topic for Women’s Academy brunch
“Incredible! From the Bronx to Bnei Brak: The Amazing True Story of Rabbi Yossi Wallis” by Rabbi Nachman Seltzer is the title for this year’s Women’s Academy for Jewish Studies community-wide book brunch, which will be presented by Southwest Torah Institute at Congregation Chofetz Chayim on Sunday, Sept. 25… Read more »
MD to speak on women’s rights and access to healthcare
The Secular Humanist Jewish Circle will sponsor a lecture by Eve Shapiro, M.D., “What Century Are We In? Women’s Rights and Access to Healthcare,” on Saturday, Sept. 10, 1:30-4 p.m. at Academy Hall, Atria Bell Court Gardens, 6653 E. Carondelet Drive. Shapiro, a Tucson pediatrician, specializes in adolescent… Read more »
Mapping Q exhibit at Tucson J is forum for LGBTQ+ youth
The Fine Art Gallery at the Tucson Jewish Community Center will present selected artworks from the most recent Mapping Q project through Sept. 29. Mapping Q is a community arts education program where LGBTQ+ youth explore representations of self within art, museums and the wider community. The program originated… Read more »
At ethical wills class, talk of gratitude, regrets
An ordinary will is about leaving money and property. But there is also a way to leave the legacy of who you are and your values, philosophy, religious beliefs, what you hold most dear — even your favorite recipe. This is called an ethical will. About 20 people gathered… Read more »
Jewish community website now features Nosh & More recipe exchange
Jewishtucson.org, Tucson’s Jewish community website, has launched Nosh & More, a recipe exchange. At jewishtucson.org/nosh-more, food lovers can submit everything from treasured traditional recipes to contemporary takes on Jewish cuisine. Participants are encouraged to include a bit of history or a fond remembrance on what makes the recipe special… Read more »
Mah Jongg tournament returning to JFSA-Northwest
The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Northwest Division will hold its Second Annual Mah Jongg Tournament and Silent Auction on Sunday, Sept. 18, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., with registration at 9:30 a.m. The event, which will include three rounds of tournament play, a breakfast assortment, a buffet lunch, prizes and… Read more »
How Paris public schools became no-go zones for Jews
PARIS (JTA) — Twenty-five years after he graduated from a public high school in the French capital, Stephane Tayar recalls favorably his time in one of the world’s most thorough education systems. As for many other French Jews his age, the state-subsidized upbringing has worked out well for Tayar,… Read more »
Is Donald Trump’s proposal to keep out anti-Semites practical — or ethical?
WASHINGTON (JTA) — How extreme does vetting need to be to keep anti-Semites from entering the United States, and is Donald Trump’s plan worth the effort? The Republican nominee’s proposal to apply an ideological test to potential immigrants is based on precedent: The United States in the last century instituted… Read more »
OP-ED How Mike Pence, Trump’s VP pick, supports traditional Jewish values
(JTA) — With the presidential race heating up, a number of progressive Jewish commentators have portrayed the Republicans’ vice presidential candidate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, as a conservative extremist opposed to Jewish beliefs and values. As officers of the only statewide, grassroots Jewish and Israel advocacy organization in Indiana —… Read more »