WASHINGTON (JTA) — By now it should be obvious how absurd it is to call President Barack Obama Israel’s “best friend” ever, as Thomas Friedman of The New York Times has claimed. A Blame Israel Firster, Obama won’t use his moral authority to try stopping the instigators of this… Read more »
News
Some fear refugee center planned for Amsterdam’s Jewish heart
AMSTERDAM (JTA) — In Buitenveldert, a quiet residential area of the Dutch capital, special forces soldiers are watching over a Jewish school from inside unmarked cars. About half of the Netherlands’ 40,000 Jews live here and in the adjacent suburb of Amstelveen, the only areas of the country with a… Read more »
Once a dream, paid parental leave now a reality at 100 Jewish groups — and counting
NEW YORK (JTA) — It’s a Sunday in 2010, and in one hand I’m texting with a colleague about work. In the other I hold a pee stick, waiting for the results of my home pregnancy test to appear. As I press send, I realize that parenthood isn’t the… Read more »
BLOG My Jewish kids are the product of intermarriage, and other reasons for hope
(JTA) — Jewish leaders have long warned of the bleak Jewish futures in store for children of intermarriage. But these prognostications were based largely on information from more than a decade ago, when intermarriage was far less common and far less accepted by American Jews than it is today.… Read more »
Christian organization to challenge UNESCO on classification of Jewish holy sites
(TPS) – Last week, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved a resolution in which it listed Rachel’s Tomb, located just south of Jerusalem and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, as Islamic sites. The resolution not only stirred up a firestorm of protests from many in… Read more »
An Israeli, American, and Palestinian to launch a ‘peace’ game app
SAN FRANCISCO (Tazpit) – Bandura Games, a computer gaming company based in San Francisco, California, is set to launch a new mobile game app that would bridge gaps, build connections and create empathy between people from different sides of conflict zones. Initially interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Justin Hefter,… Read more »
How a Holocaust legacy helped launch the Kind bar brand
NEW YORK (JTA) — In many respects, the Manhattan headquarters of Kind Snacks — the purveyors of the omnipresent fruit and nut bars found everywhere from health-food stores to office-supply emporiums — are pretty much what you’d expect: Scads of casually dressed millennials mill about sleek, brightly colored rooms adorned… Read more »
Ethics of driving course to give teens Jewish perspective
“You’re Driving Me Nuts,” a program on the ethics of driving for teens, will take place Sunday, Nov. 1 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Congregation Or Chadash. “Every year we see too many accidents and other issues related to teens and driving, some stemming from lack of… Read more »
Israel Public Diplomacy Forum to give talks on Mideast
A delegation from the Israel Public Diplomacy Forum will present a series of free discussions in Tucson Nov. 3-4. IPD Forum is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization established to advance international understanding of Israel and the Middle East. On Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 6:30 p.m., “Shifting Alliances in the… Read more »
History museum benefit to honor Tucson’s Jewish mayors
The Jewish History Museum will hold its seventh annual fall fundraiser next month, honoring Tucson’s Jewish mayors. Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, the current incumbent — and the city’s fifth Jewish mayor — will be a special guest. The event, a champagne brunch, will be held Sunday, Nov. 8 at 10… Read more »
Huge crowd turns out for Sanders Tucson rally
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont spoke Oct. 9 to an estimated crowd of 11,000 at the Demeester Outdoor Performance Center at Reid Park. The rally marked the first large-scale event in Tucson by a national Jewish candidate and brought Sanders his first congressional endorsement. Former Connecticut… Read more »
Rabinovich, Susser to head experts at UA Israel conference
In the wake of the “Arab Spring,” the Middle East has been rocked by national conflicts, sectarian civil wars and economic challenges. Iran’s nuclear program has increased political tensions and threatens to further destabilize the region. As Shiite Iran and its proxies battle for regional hegemony against their Sunni… Read more »
THA will honor Lex Sears with Tikkun Olam award
Tucson Hebrew Academy will honor Lex Sears, a former THA trustee, at its annual Tikkun Olam Award dinner on Sunday, Nov. 1. “It is with deep gratitude that we recognize Lex Sears this year with the Tikkun Olam Award for the incredible work he’s done for THA and the… Read more »
Pros and cons of Pima bond proposals outlined at COC
Helping voters make sense of the 2015 Pima County bond election was the focus of a presentation jointly sponsored by Congregation Or Chadash’s social action committee and the Pima County Interfaith Council on Oct. 1. Cycling advocate and realtor Damion Alexander and his daughter, Sophia, a freshman at Catalina… Read more »
Bet Shalom scholar to examine anti-Semitism, ethics
Rabbi Elijah Schochet will be Congregation Bet Shalom’s scholar-in-residence Oct. 23 and 24. He will speak on “The Value of a Jewish Life,” exploring both superficial and deep reasons behind anti-Semitism, at the Shabbat evening service on Friday, Oct. 23 at 5:30 p.m. At the Oct. 24 Shabbat service… Read more »
ATC staging Pulitzer winner on race, identity
Arizona Theater Company’s production of “Disgraced,” Ayad Akhtar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a successful Muslim-American lawyer whose dinner guests’ discussion of race and identity explodes into chaos, plays at the Temple of Music and Art through Nov. 7. I n“Disgraced,” corporate lawyer Amir Kapoor is happy, in love and… Read more »
Tucson walk for type 1 diabetes research planned
The JDRF will hold its 2015 Southern Arizona One Walk to raise money for Type 1 diabetes research on Sunday, Nov. 8 at the University of Arizona. “There are many Jewish kids and adults in our community living with type 1 diabetes,” says Rosi Vogel, who is president of… Read more »
Local teens b’nai mitzvah projects reflect love of art, camp, pets and shul
Young teenagers at Tucson synagogues work hard to prepare for their b’nai mitzvah ceremonies. In addition to learning to chant Torah and Haftorah, and prepare and deliver a sermon, these motivated young people commit hours and energy to charitable causes in their community and beyond. In a spirit of… Read more »
Community Gardens of Tucson to celebrate 25 years, 25 gardens with event at JCC
Community Gardens of Tucson, a nonprofit started in 1990 by author George Brookbank, will host a fundraising event in his honor at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, the site of its 25th garden, on Sunday, Oct. 25. The celebration will kick off in the Tucson J’s sculpture garden at… Read more »
As board members, tutors and chefs, Kronmans aid many Tucson charities
Since moving to Tucson 10 years ago, Len and Harriet Kronman have supported a wide range of charitable organizations, offering ideas and aid to help them expand. They have served as board members, tutors, program developers and chefs. “Now that we’re retired, we have time to volunteer more,” says… Read more »