News

POTOMAC, Md. (Washington Jewish Week via JTA) — J Street U’s new president Amna Farooqi has made no secret of being a “Pakistani American Muslim.” That’s how she described herself in a keynote speech this spring at J Street’s national convention in Washington, D.C., when she was a board member.… Read more »

TBILISI, Georgia (JTA) — Until April of last year, Julia Podinovskaya felt like she had a pretty good handle on where her life was going. Born to a middle-class Jewish family in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, Podinovskaya, who is in her 20s, was volunteering with the local Jewish community… Read more »

JERUSALEM (JTA) — When Issamar Ginzberg enters his Jerusalem office on a sweltering summer day, he’s wearing a long black coat tied at the waist and a black hat. His long, scraggly beard and sidecurls, or payos, offer no relief from the heat. The office — thank God —… Read more »

(JTA) – Several years ago, Jessica Berman and her husband, Brad, bumped into her high school boyfriend. “If you aren’t working as a lawyer in hockey, I’d be amazed,” Berman recalled him saying. The ex had her pegged. Berman, 37, has been employed by the National Hockey League for… Read more »

  WASHINGTON (JTA) – The moment the Iran nuclear deal becomes law, as seems increasingly likely given growing congressional support for the agreement, the focus of the U.S.-Israel conversation will shift to the question of what’s next. What more will Washington do to mitigate the Iranian threat and reassure… Read more »

Broadway in Tucson Centennial Hall 1020 E. University Blvd. 903-2929 broadwayintucson.com The season begins with America’s favorite redhead in a new incarnation of the iconic “Annie.” “The Phantom of the Opera” returns with new scenic and lighting designs, including the show’s legendary chandelier, followed by the 20th anniversary world… Read more »

Irving Berlin left an indelible mark on the classic American songbook with hits like “White Christmas,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and “God Bless America.” Arizona Theatre Company will bring Berlin’s story to life in “Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin,” which opens ATC’s 2015-16… Read more »

Jewish Family & Children’s Services, in collaboration with experts from the University of Arizona Center on Aging, will present the Mel Sherman Institute on Mental Health lecture series this fall, with free talks on Fridays, Sept. 18 and Nov. 13, from 1-3 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center.… Read more »

Congregation Bet Shalom will hold its 12th annual Wine Tasting at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19 at CataVinos Wine Shoppe & Tasting Room, 3063 N. Alvernon Way. The event will feature tastings of kosher wines from around the world. Rosa Cohen, president of the synagogue, notes that in… Read more »

Chabad Tucson will sample and sell a variety of kosher wine for the High Holidays on Sunday, Sept. 6, from 1-3 p.m. at Congregation Young Israel/Chabad. Single bottles and cases of wines from the United States, Israel, France and Italy will be available “for tasting and purchase at attractive… Read more »

Justice Richard Bernstein

He is an Ironman. He’s run 18 mara­thons, including one just a year after shattering his hip and pelvis in an accident. He’s a graduate of the distinguished Northwestern University School of Law and, since passing the bar, he’s developed into a civil rights powerhouse, having earned numerous verdicts… Read more »

U.S. Rep. Martha McSally joined 25 Republican legislators on a whirlwind trip to Israel earlier this month. McSally, who was elected to represent Arizona’s Second Congressional District last fall and serves on the Armed Services and Homeland Security committees, said she chose to participate in the trip to get… Read more »

(JTA) – Does the Iran deal have the votes or not? Though President Barack Obama is vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard and Congress is in recess through Labor Day, there’s plenty of action on the agreement as lawmakers debate whether to vote with their colleagues, constituents, aides or consciences — or… Read more »

Philip A. Pinto

The Arizona Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Arizona, together with the College of Science and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, will present a free panel lecture, “The Iranian Nuclear Agreement: Containment or Catastrophe?” on Thursday, Sept. 17, from 7-8 p.m. in Crowder Hall. Three… Read more »

Project Isaiah, Tucson’s annual High Holy Days food drive benefiting the Community Food bank, begins Sept. 1. The project is named for the Prophet Isaiah, who when asked why we fast on Yom Kippur, responded, “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry?” (Isaiah 58:6). It is… Read more »

Jeremy Kridel

The Secular Humanist Jewish Circle will present a lecture Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015, 2-4 p.m. at the Dusenberry-River Library, 5605 E River Road. Practicing lawyer and rabbinical student Jeremy Kridel will discuss “Fact and Fiction; Myth and Metaphor — How Secular Humanist Judaism, a non-theist branch of Judaism, deals… Read more »

Opening Milk and Honey Breastfeeding and Postpartum Support Center is a dream that was a long time coming for co-owners Nina Isaac and Crissi Blake. The women met 15 years ago, after Isaac’s first child was born. “My baby was colicky and Crissi taught infant massage,” says Isaac. “It… Read more »

What makes someone a mensch (a person of integ­rity)? Students at Tucson Hebrew High and the Tucson Jewish Community Center will join others worldwide in exploring that question as part of the second annual Character Day, a concept created by filmmaker Tiffany Shlain. Known for her 2005 short film… Read more »

(JTA) — A Spanish music festival’s recent decision to rescind its invitation to the American reggae singer Matisyahu, after he declined to endorse a Palestinian state, brought international attention to a phenomenon that many European Jews have been feeling for years: that they are being targeted for Israel’s actions.… Read more »

BILOXI, Miss. (JTA) — Standing on an empty lot at the corner of Camellia Street and Southern Avenue, Brad Kessie wistfully inspected one of two sago palms that marked the pathway to Congregation Beth Israel, which had stood here for nearly five decades before Hurricane Katrina struck 10 years… Read more »