News

Virtual Jewish film festivals are providing film buffs with a smorgasbord of options to lift hearts and minds during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The 30th anniversary of the Tucson International Jewish Film Festival, already underway, begins its streaming of “Standing Up, Falling Down” with comedy stars Billy Crystal and… Read more »

Scott J. Sherman, M.D., Ph.D.

Scott Sherman, M.D., Ph.D., and Torsten Falk, Ph.D., both associate professors in the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, have developed a method of using ketamine in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The university has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Pharmather Inc., a subsidiary of… Read more »

A travel group (minus leader and photographer Tom Price) on tour in Fez, Morocco, once a major center of Jewish life. (Photo courtesy Tom Price)

International travelers seeking new and exciting experiences can depart today from Tucson, or anywhere, at no cost, with no passport, and with no travel restrictions. All that’s required is an Internet connection, a digital device, some curiosity, and one’s attention for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. “Around… Read more »

Editor’s note: There’s no denying 2020 has been a tough year, and we’re sorry we missed this noteworthy story from last month. Enjoy! Over the Nov. 8 weekend, members of the men’s club at Beth Shalom Temple Center in Green Valley came together for a bagel making fundraiser for… Read more »

In an effort to promote peace through harmony, more than 100 faith leaders came together this fall to produce an interfaith, multiracial video that unites the voices of Black and Jewish prayer leaders from around the world. The Cantors Assembly, an international membership group of Jewish clergy, came up… Read more »

Pastor D. Grady Scott of the Grace Temple Baptist Church and former Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild will discuss “African American and Jewish Communities: Partners for a More Equitable Tucson” in a Zoom presentation on Sunday, Jan. 10 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. The discussion about racism both nationally and in Tucson… Read more »

Local food columnist and photographer Jackie Alpers’ cookbook, “Taste of Tucson: Sonoran-Style Recipes Inspired by the Rich Culture of Southern Arizona,” is replete with recipes from well-known local chefs such as Suzana Davila of Café Poca Cosa and The Little One, and Carlotta Flores of El Charro Café. Published… Read more »

How can the Southern Arizona Jewish community shape a future that engages, fulfills, and sustains more people than ever before, in this generation and the generations to come? A newly released 21-page document called “Southern Arizona Jewish Community: Pathways to Enriching Jewish Life” aims to answer this question. Developed… Read more »

Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging has announced a partnership with the ongoing Chabad of Tucson Kosher Meals on Wheels program. By providing affordable kosher meals to those in need, this collaboration helps tackle the issue of food insecurity in the local community. The program will provide glatt kosher… Read more »

Graham Hoffman

Social Venture Partners Tucson has selected 10 local nonprofits to participate in its sixth annual Fast Pitch program. These organizations will take part in an 18-week training program designed to help nonprofits build meaningful relationships, gain resources, and become more resilient. At the centerpiece event on March 11, 2021,… Read more »

Months ago, Ester Leutenberg told her husband, Jay, she was concerned about young children and teens’ reactions to the restrictions and uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. “Our twin grandsons could not have a high school graduation ceremony; young people of all ages were either struggling with virtual… Read more »

High school seniors Bella Wexler of Tucson and Amber Juang of Taiwan have been friends since they were fifth-grade students together at Ventana Vista Elementary School in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills School District. They’ve maintained that friendship across 7,000 miles since Amber’s family returned to Taiwan during the girls’ first… Read more »

As a way to connect Jews during the pandemic’s second wave, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee will unite on Facebook with different Jewish communities worldwide through a Hanukkah candle-lighting video each night of the holiday at 5 p.m. EST. The holiday begins on the night of Dec. 10.… Read more »

T. Marie King

Amplifying Voices, a six-part virtual series, provides an opportunity to explore the intersectional relationship between the Black and Jewish communities. Launched in October by the Tucson Jewish Community Center and a group of community partners, it will continue on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 4 p.m. with session five, “Learning the Land,… Read more »

The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards are now accepting applications. Up to 15 Jewish teens will be awarded $36,000 each. The Diller Family Foundation, which presents the awards, seeks teens who show “significant initiative and leadership in creating and leading a new initiative – or have considerably deepened or… Read more »

The Red Cross is in critical need of blood donations. The Tucson Jewish Community Center will hold a blood drive in it is north parking lot (next to Tucson Hebrew Academy) on Wednesday, Dec. 30, from 8-2 p.m. Blood donations help patients of all ages: accident and burn victims,… Read more »

Updated 12.7: The Dec. 13 concert planned by Congregation Or Chadash, Temple Emanu-El and the Tucson Jewish Community Center has been canceled. An email from Temple Emanu-el read, in part, “Due to the rise in Covid cases in Pima County, and new county restrictions for gatherings, we have made… Read more »

(LOS ANGELES)  – UCLA has opened North America’s first permanent academic home for the study of American Jewish music. Housed in the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience, which seeks to foster artistic creativity, scholarship, performance, and other cultural… Read more »

It doesn’t matter if you spell it Hanukkah, Chanukah, or some other variation – The Ruth and Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life is celebrating the holiday this year. The Northwest Division of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona is bringing its annual Hanukkah party online, on Monday, Dec.… Read more »

A new local semi-professional soccer team has its roots not only in the Old Pueblo, but also in “the old country.” “My first experience with soccer was as a young child in Romania when my father took me to a game,” recalls Meir Segal, the team’s founder and coach.… Read more »