(JTA) — The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has pitted Jewish leaders from both countries against each other, touching off a discordant exchange between prominent rabbis on opposite sides of the border. The discord had been brewing since the onset of the protests in Ukraine in November, but it… Read more »
News
Family’s WWII aftermath unravels in ‘The Flat’
A special screening of “The Flat” will take place at the Tucson Jewish Community Center on Sunday, March 30 at 3 p.m. The documentary, in Hebrew/German/English with subtitles, was released in September 2011 in Israel, where it played continuously for 13 months. At age 98, director Arnon Goldfinger’s grandmother… Read more »
PCC launches Family Heritage Project website
Pima Community College has posted its Family Heritage Project website at www.pima.edu/community/the-arts/family-heritage.html. The project was conceived by Todd Poelstra, director of PCC’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” in celebration of the musical’s themes of tradition and family. The project includes more than 125 photographs and stories submitted by… Read more »
Invisible Theatre seeks actress for Israeli role
Can you play a sad, beautiful Hebrew-speaking Israeli in her 30s? The Invisible Theatre will be holding auditions for this female character and two male characters on Sunday, March 30 at 5 p.m. for “Handle With Care,” a romantic comedy by Jason Odell Williams. The play will be part… Read more »
Community Seders abound in Tucson, Southern Arizona
If you are looking for a community Passover Seder to attend this year, Tucson’s got you covered. There are first, second, third and seventh night Seders, several chocolate-based festivities and a chance to start the celebrating more than a week before the holiday officially begins. The 18 events below… Read more »
Jewish perspectives to illumine ICS conference on mental illness
Depression may often seem like an epidemic in today’s society. Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub, a rabbi and licensed therapist, will deliver the first keynote address, “The Dark Night of the Soul: Some Jewish Perspectives on Depression,” at the Interfaith Community Services “Faith Communities and Mental Illness” conference on April… Read more »
Hadassah speaker to explore women’s history
“Why Teach Jewish Women’s History?” Kelly Feinstein-Johnson, Ph.D., will address this question at a Hadassah Southern Arizona Chapter luncheon on Sunday, April 6 at noon at the Five Palms Restaurant, 3500 E. Sunrise Drive. Feinstein-Johnson taught “Jewish Women’s History through Memoir” at Temple Emanu-El’s Adult Education Academy, and is… Read more »
Border communities topic for JCRC breakfast and panel discussion
“Border Communities: Issues, Ideas and Initiatives” will be the focus of a breakfast and panel discussion presented by the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona. The event will take place on Friday, April 11 from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. in the Tucson Jewish Community… Read more »
In Crimea, a Karaite community carries on, and welcomes Russia
(JTA) — Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the strategically critical peninsula that dangles from Ukraine into the Black Sea, has drawn international condemnation. But for the leader of the All-Ukrainian Organization of Crimean Karaites — a group with an unusual heritage that draws from Jewish traditions — joining Russia is… Read more »
U.S. scrambles as prisoner release, Jewish state issues threaten to sink talks
WASHINGTON (JTA) – The Obama administration is scrambling to salvage Israeli-Palestinian talks threatened by disputes over core identity issues for each side: recognition of the state’s Jewish character for Israel, the release of prisoners for the Palestinians. Martin Indyk, the peace process envoy for U.S. Secretary of State John… Read more »
A year on, Israeli team of rivals rules Netanyahu’s coalition
TEL AVIV (JTA) – In the lead-up to last year’s Knesset elections, the pro-settlement Jewish Home party released a controversial ad showing party chairman Naftali Bennett smiling alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The message was clear: Netanyahu will be prime minister, but a vote for Jewish Home would… Read more »
As Jobbik popularity grows, Hungary’s governing party increases its nationalist rhetoric
BUDAPEST, Hungary (JTA) — A lone heckler tried to disrupt him, but Hungarian lawmaker Janos Hargitai was undeterred as he spoke earlier this month at a memorial day gathering in Hungary commemorating the 1848 revolution there. The holiday marks Hungary’s attempt to break free from the Austrian Empire, and… Read more »
In rural Uganda, small Jewish community splits over conversion
NABUGOYE, Uganda (JTA) — On Fridays at sundown, the Jewish residents of this village set amid the lush hills of eastern Uganda gather in the synagogue to greet Shabbat. The room is bare, the light is dim and the Conservative prayer books are worn. But the spare surroundings do… Read more »
Stymied by Israeli bureaucracy, Ukrainian has been making aliyah for three years
LOD, Israel (JTA) — Sitting in his sister’s living room in this town outside Tel Aviv, Yuriy Yukhatskov says he’s glad to be far from his home city of Kiev. Yukhatskov, 44, says that what he sees as the pervasive anti-Semitism in Ukraine’s capital would grow only worse with… Read more »
At new Anne Frank theater in Amsterdam, tragedy and fancy dinners
AMSTERDAM (JTA) — To millions worldwide, she is a symbol of heroism and a haunting reminder of the dangers of discrimination. But for one Dutch entertainment firm, Anne Frank is a brand name powerful enough to merit millions of dollars of investment. Last week, the Amsterdam-based production company Imagine… Read more »
Post-army travelers or Dead Sea scammers? Congress and State Dept. at odds over Israeli visas
WASHINGTON (JTA) – The battle between members of Congress and the State Department over tourist visas for Israelis features two competing archetypes of the young Israeli traveler. The lawmakers paint a picture of a world traveler, matured by service to country, who deserves a break from the stresses of the… Read more »
Trauma from Palestinian rocket attacks inflicts deepening wounds on Israeli society
Fifteen seconds. That’s how long a resident of Sderot has from the time a Code Red alert is announced until a Palestinian rocket strikes the town or is intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. In other southern Israeli communities, one might have 30 seconds, maybe even a… Read more »
Lies, silence surround flouting of Poland’s kosher slaughter ban
(JTA) — After a Polish court tossed out a government regulation permitting kosher slaughter in 2012, Poland’s $500 million ritual slaughter industry was expected to be brought to its knees. Evidence shows, however, that not only was kosher slaughter still being performed in Poland as recently as this month,… Read more »
Rabbi, JDC execs to brief community on Georgia, Ukraine
On Thursday, March 27, Rabbi Robert Eisen will share insights from his recent visit to the Jewish community of Tbilisi, Georgia, as part of a “Between the Headlines: Tbilisi, Ukraine and the Global Jewish Community” briefing sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona. It also will feature Danny… Read more »
‘Medical Mind’ authors to keynote Cindy Wool seminar
Understanding your patient and yourself as a physician — and a human being — is the path to the best medical treatment. So say Dr. Jerome Groopman and Dr. Pamela Hartzband, authors of “Your Medical Mind: How to Decide What is Right for You.” Both Harvard Medical School educators… Read more »