News

Egypt and United States, usual brokers in cease-fires, may not help this time

Black smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza International Airport in Rafah, July 7, 2014. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash 90)

  WASHINGTON (JTA) — Escalations between Hamas and Israel are nothing new. What’s missing this time, analysts say, is the alignment of outside interests that has resolved such fights in the past.Egypt’s government lacks the influence over Hamas of its predecessors and the United States is in hand-washing mode… Read more »

‘Borscht Belt Boys and Girl’ coming to Invisible Theatre

Jeff Haskell

        Invisible Theatre will kick off its Sizzling Summer Sounds cabaret series at Skyline Country Club with “Borscht Belt Boys and Girl,” featuring Jeffrey Haskell, Jack Neubeck and Katherine Byrnes, July 9 and 10 at 8 p.m. Susan Claassen, director of Sizzling Summer Sounds and creator… Read more »

As ISIS threatens Jordan, Israel could be dragged into global jihadist conflict

An Israeli border policeman patrols the area of the Judean desert near the Jordan border. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

Emerging from the chaos of the Syrian civil war, the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) terrorist group has gained the world’s attention for its brutal medieval-style Islamic justice and its swift victories in Iraq, threatening to overrun the weak U.S.-backed government there. Now ISIS is also… Read more »

PSA discoverer crusades against prostate cancer test

Dr. Richard J. Ablin

In 1970, Dr. Richard J. Ablin discovered the PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, which has been widely used as a screening test for prostate cancer since 1994. That test, he says, is a terrible mistake — a disaster that spawned a multi-billion dollar industry and has destroyed millions of men’s… Read more »

JFSA Northwest plans midsummer potluck

A potluck “Meet, Greet and Eat” brunch for “summer sunbirds” on July 20 will be a chance to connect with other Jews and build community on Tucson’s northwest side, says Anne Lowe, director of the Northwest Division of the Jewish Federation. The event is for singles, couples and families.… Read more »

Temple Taste of Judaism celebrating 15th year

Temple Emanu-El’s Taste of Judaism outreach and education program celebrates its 15 anniversary this year. The free introductory course offers samplings of Jewish spirituality, values and community in three sessions, taught by Rabbis Samuel M. Cohon and Batsheva Appel. The interactive course is for all, regardless of religious background… Read more »

STI Spirit program reprises ‘gold’ theme

(L-R) Rabbinic student Avrohom Luban talks with Tucsonans Max Lazar and Al Gordon during a “Spirit” study session. (Courtesy Southwest Torah Institute)

The Southwest Torah Institute’s long-running Dr. Paul W. Hoffert Spirit Program returns to Tucson Sunday, Aug. 10 through Friday, Aug. 22. The Spirit program offers two weeks of yeshiva-style learning, open to all Jewish men and boys ages 8 and up. Participants can study virtually any topic of Jewish… Read more »

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, father of Jewish Renewal, dies

(JTA) — Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, the father of the Jewish Renewal movement, has died at age 89. A maverick rabbi from an Orthodox background who spent time in the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Schachter-Shalomi transitioned over time toward a New Age, neo-Hasidic approach, gaining a substantial following on his own but also influencing other… Read more »

Southwest Torah Institute July 4 message mixes patriotism, Judaism

In honor of Independence Day, the Southwest Torah Institute is offering “Proudly American, Devoutly Jewish, Thriving at Both,” a free multimedia presentation, at www.tucsontorah.org.  The 50-minute presentation is written and presented by Rabbi Israel Becker. “With this on-line presentation, you will find a refreshing look at the Jewish experience… Read more »

Hebrew High set for registration/1st night

(L-R) Isaac Zolot, Sarah Cassius, Zohar Amar and Maya Collier celebrate Tu B’Shevat, the birthday of the trees, during a break at Tucson Hebrew High.

Tucson Hebrew High will start off its 2014-15 school year with last-minute registration and the first night of classes on Tuesday, Aug. 12 at its host facility, Congregation Anshei Israel. At 6 p.m., incoming freshmen and new students will meet the faculty and join an opening program and pizza… Read more »

Living with muscular dystrophy, Tucson man inspires

“Freeing Your Mind,” painting by Julian Dombrowski

It was an exciting day for Julian Dombrowski and his family in early May, when he was accepted into an online graduate program in creative writing at Southern New Hampshire University. Dombrowski, 32, is wheelchair-bound with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a muscle disease that begins in childhood. The illness affects… Read more »

At the Tucson Jewish Community Center, making sure camp is inclusive

Kristin Taft

For the 400 school-age children attending Camp J at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, camp is an opportunity to make friends and beat the heat; however, for the 33 children in the Camp J Inclusion Program, it is also an opportunity to put their “special needs” labels aside and… Read more »

Bet Shalom Musical Mission to Israel hits the high notes

Congregation Bet Shalom at Masada. Back row (L-R): Debbie Rich, Helena Lamb, Debbie Belden, Norm Rubin; middle row: Paul Araiza, Tom Alpert, Cantor Avraham Alpert, Bernie Engelhard, Donna Popp, Kathy Rubin, Mesha Seckbach; front row: Keith Belden, Pedro Fajardo, Elinor Engelhard, Carol Alpert, Ezra Alpert, Nicholas Popp

Would you expect to find a Torah scribe atop the mountain fortress at Masada? That’s what happened during Congregation Bet Shalom’s Musical Mission to Israel, June 2-12. Just one day after our grandson Nicholas celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at Robinson’s Arch at the Kotel, he had the opportunity, along… Read more »

At Israeli teens’ funeral, personal grief and national solidarity merge

Rachel Fraenkel, mother of Naftali Fraenkel, cries over the body of her son, during the joint funeral for three murdered Jewish teens in the Modiin cemetery, on July 1, 2014. (Flash 90)

MODIIN, Israel (JTA) — They were their mothers’ sons. They were all of our sons. They were dear boys. They were martyrs for Israel. They were funny, clever, creative. They are the messengers of the Jewish people in heaven. The joint funeral Tuesday of Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaar and… Read more »

Tucson Hebrew Academy 8th graders bond on Israel adventure

Tucson Hebrew Academy eighth grade students partcipate in a team-building activity on the beach in the Hof Ashkelon region, recording their thoughts on the trip. Back, (L-R): Rafe Centuori, Jacob Anderson, Max Silverman, Adrian Lehrman, Benjamin Manninen, Avin Kreisler (obscured); front: Rochelle Felix, Dreo Polonski, Sapir Curiel, Alexis McKinstry, Emily Youngerman, Heidi Sexton, Alyssa Lee (Courtesy Tucson Hebrew Academy)

When Tucson Hebrew Academy eighth grad­ers Emily Young­erman and Alyssa Lee first spotted the Western Wall in Jerusalem, they squealed to each other, “Look! It isn’t just a picture anymore!” While most Tucson eighth graders finished up their year with paperwork and exams, the THA eighth grade class spent… Read more »

Tucson holds memorial service for Israeli teens

(L-R): Rabbi Thomas Louchheim, cantorial soloist Nichole Chorny, Rabbi Batsheva Appel, Steven Seltzer, Cantor Avraham Alpert, Rebecca Crow, Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon and Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin on stage at Tucson's community service memorial for three murdered Israeli teens, July 2, 2014 (Courtesy Simon Rosenblatt)

About 250 people came together Tuesday at the Tucson Jewish Community Center for a memorial service for three Israeli teenagers kidnapped June 12 and found murdered Monday. The service was organized by the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, the JCC and local clergy. Against a backdrop of photos of… Read more »

Jewish groups stand by religious freedom law, but Supremes’ take in Hobby Lobby ruling divides them

Demonstrators in Washington celebrate the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Hobby Lobby case, June 30, 2014. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Two decades ago the Jewish community united in support of landmark religious freedom legislation. Now the Supreme Court’s application of that law has Jewish groups divided. Leading Jewish advocacy groups denounced the court’s 5-4 decision Monday in theHobby Lobby case granting religious freedoms protections to companies, while Orthodox groups… Read more »

JFSA to hold community memorial service for Israeli teens at JCC

A community-wide memorial service for the three Israeli teens found murdered June 30 will be held Tuesday, July 1 at 5:30 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. Naftali Fraenkel, 16, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Eyal  Yifrah, 19, were kidnapped June 12 while hitchhiking near the West Bank settlement of… Read more »

With discovery of Israeli teens’ bodies, national ordeal ends in tragedy

At the hitchhiking spot in the West Bank where teenagers Eyal Yifrach, Naftali Fraenkel and Gilad Shaar were abducted, Israelis light memorial candles after the discovery of their bodies, June 30, 2014. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash 90)

TEL AVIV (JTA) — A national ordeal here ended in tragedy as three Israeli teenagers kidnapped earlier this month were found dead near Hebron. The discovery of their bodies Monday night by the Israeli army and volunteer searchers brings to an unhappy conclusion the intensive effort to find the… Read more »

In suburban settlement bloc, kidnapping shakes sense of security

Israeli soldiers guard near where Jewish settlers hitchhike at the Gush Etzion junction in the West Bank, June 16, 2014/ (Flash 90)

EFRAT, West Bank (JTA) — At a shopping center in the middle of Efrat, families eat pizza, a deliveryman unloads a cart and a barista serves coffee. On a passing bus, a banner reads “Gush Etzion — an Israeli home.” In many respects it’s a normal, quiet Monday in… Read more »