Israeli election candidates
TEL AVIV (JTA) — After weeks in which polls consistently showed Zionist Union holding a slight lead over the Likud Party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israelis delivered a split decision in elections, leaving the two parties virtually tied atop exit polls. The polls on Tuesday from two Israeli… Read more »
Collage of candidates in March 17 Israeli election
1. It’s too close to call With Israelis heading to the polls March 17, the race remains tight. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party is trailing Isaac Herzog’s center-left Zionist Union by a few percentage points and is expected to come in second. Five of six polls released… Read more »
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview that as long as he is Israel’s prime minister, a Palestinian state will not be established. The interview was published Monday on the Israeli news website NRG, a day before Israelis head to the polls, as Netanyahu attempts to shore… Read more »
Asher Levi, a retired Israeli brigadier general, appears in a video by Commanders for Israel's Security, a group of former generals who oppose Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
TEL AVIV (JTA) — Against a soundtrack of dramatic music, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lists his government’s security accomplishments, declaring over the shouts of opposition lawmakers that his Likud Party has stopped terrorists, stood up to Iran and secured Israel’s borders. Released Wednesday, the video is the latest… Read more »
TEL AVIV (JTA) — In Peter Jairus’ Nairobi neighborhood, almost nobody has a personal computer. Mathare is one of the Kenyan capital’s largest slums. Buildings are constructed from sheets of corrugated metal and Internet access is rare, found only in places like schools or community centers. Even then, the… Read more »
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu campaigning at Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market, March 9, 2015. (Flash90)
TEL AVIV (JTA) — However much they disagree with his policies, opponents of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would surely admit he was right about one thing: These elections are all about him. When he called for new elections in December, Netanyahu said the vote would enable him “to… Read more »
Rabbi Jonah Pesner, left, the new head of the Reform movement's Religious Action Center, and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) in Selma, Ala. (Courtesy photo)
WASHINGTON (JTA) — It was not the first time John Lewis had invoked the Jewish-black alliance that fought for equality during the civil rights era. But it was the first time that the Georgia congressman, a civil rights hero, invoked it to explain why he was skipping a speech… Read more »
TEL AVIV (JTA) – When Israelis head to the polls for the March 17 elections, 26 parties will be vying for the Knesset’s 120 seats — including such fringe groups as the Pirate Party, which supports total government transparency and freedom of information on the Internet, and the Green… Read more »
WASHINGTON (JTA) — At the AIPAC conference, a sea of 16,000 Israel supporters spent their time talking Iran policy amid the swirling controversy over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress. To the sidelines fell discussion of the Israeli elections, the peace process and Israeli innovation — as well… Read more »
Anat Cohen
Israeli-born clarinetist and saxophonist Anat Cohen will bring her quartet to the Tucson Jewish Community Center sculpture garden on March 22 for an evening of jazz under the stars. The concert, hosted by UA Presents, starts at 7 p.m. and will showcase her new CD “Luminosa,” with its Brazilian… Read more »
Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook
Temple Emanu-El and St. Philip’s In The Hills Episcopal Church will join together to present a Spring Retreat Weekend: Exploring the Pilgrimage of Life, March 20-22, featuring the Rev. Dr. Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook. Kujawa-Holbrook is vice president of academic affairs, dean of the faculty and professor of practical theology and… Read more »
"Midnight Serenade, Pos 1" by Pokey Park
Fifteen new additions to the Tucson Jewish Community Center’s sculpture garden will be unveiled on Sunday, March 8, at a free reception from 1-3 p.m. The 6th Annual Sculpture Garden Exhibition features the work of artists from Tucson and across the country. The opening will be preceeded by an… Read more »
Sarah Schultz, right, presents the Bryna Zehngut Mitzvot Award to Sarah Cassius at the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Women’s Philanthropy Connections brunch. (Martha Lochert)
The advisory council of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Women’s Philanthropy awarded Sarah Cassius its ninth annual Bryna Zehngut Mitzvot Award at the annual Connections brunch on Sunday, Feb. 22. The award recognizes an outstanding Jewish teenage girl. The council, which includes past Womenís Philanthropy chairs and campaign… Read more »
Seder plates, kiddish cups and Elijah cups are among the Passover wares at Congregation Anshei Israel’s gift shop. (Korean Charnofsky Cohen)
Passover surrounds us with beauty. The spiritual concepts of struggle, freedom and renewal are timeless and universal. Our wishes for freedom include all people and not just Jews. Our family traditions keep the spirit alive and connect us to all the generations that have come before us. The cleaning… Read more »
Bella Vivante
Bella Vivante was born Bella Zweig in the Bad Reichenhall displaced persons camp in Germany in 1946. Now a professor emerita of classics at the University of Arizona, Vivante recently started Ariela, LLC, a travel and educational touring company that celebrates ancient Greece. She’s traveled a long way as… Read more »
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks about Iran during a joint meeting of Congress, March 3, 2015. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech, in the end, was about reminding Americans that the enemy of your enemy may still be your enemy. He may have lost some friends in the process. Netanyahu spoke before the U.S. Congress on Tuesday following a six-week buildup that spurred questions about… Read more »
Tucson Hebrew Academy fourth-grader Dahlia Tolby and art teacher Amy Pozez add tiles to the students’ peace wall mosaic.
Tucson Hebrew Academy students consistently learn how Jewish values help them make a difference in the world, and at the 8th annual Passport to Peace day on Jan. 28, everyone participated. THA students spent the afternoon visiting booths in the school courtyard to learn about a variety of service… Read more »
The Young Men’s Group of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona will take over a private dining room at Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 1785 E. River Road, for its 5th Annual Poker Tournament on Tuesday, March 10, 5:30-8:30 p.m. All men ages 21+ are invited to play in the Texas Hold… Read more »
The Northwest Division of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona will sponsor a bus trip to the Scottsdale Celebration of Fine Art on Wednesday, March 18. Participants can watch as 100 artists from around the world, including three Jewish artists, work in a variety of media, from painting and… Read more »
Daniel James Brown Joe Rantz was dying. He was north of 90 years old, completely dependent on oxygen, and living in hospice care at his daughter Judy Willman’s house near Seattle when he met award-winning author Daniel James Brown. Brown, a neighbor of Willman’s, wasn’t looking for a book topic when he… Read more »
