News

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Letters signed by senators and U.S. House of Representatives from both parties urge Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to protect Israelis from International Criminal Court prosecution. The letters, which have strong backing from the prominent Israel lobby AIPAC, note the recent ICC decision to accept “Palestine”… Read more »

JERUSALEM (JTA) — On the first day that Israel’s schools reopened nine weeks after closing to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Kalanit Taub’s 8-year-old daughter stayed home. As a third-grader, her classes were among the first wave of those to resume. But her 10-year-old brother’s classes hadn’t yet… Read more »

JERUSALEM (JTA) — An Israeli soldier was seriously injured in a car-ramming attack Thursday in the West Bank as violence there escalates. Israeli troops shot the Palestinian driver as he “drove quickly toward IDF soldiers next to a military post” in an apparent deliberate attack, the Israel Defense Forces… Read more »

(JTA) — Portugal’s ruling Socialist Party says it wants to stop giving citizenship to descendants of Sephardic Jews, partly because the application process has turned into a business venture. The announcement came in a draft amendment submitted Monday by the party to a 2015 law that ensured the naturalization… Read more »

(JTA) — You can have one of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s Super Bowl rings while helping those in need facing food insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic. But it’s gonna cost you. Kraft is putting his Super Bowl LI championship ring up for auction to raise money for… Read more »

(JTA) — Twenty-six Israelis who were stuck in Morocco during the coronavirus pandemic were extracted from the country in a secret operation on a plane owned by Sheldon and Miriam Adelson. The group landed in Israel on Thursday morning, Israel Hayom reported. Miriam Adelson is the publisher of the… Read more »

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The U.S. Senate unanimously approved $10 million in funding for Holocaust education in American schools. The vote Wednesday approving the Never Again Education Act, coming after overwhelming approval for the same bill in the House of Representatives in January, sends the bill to President Donald Trump,… Read more »

Updated 5.21.20: The Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A. is working with the Department of Veterans Affairs to address the issue of Nazi symbols on three graves in military cemeteries. JWV wants the gravestones with swastikas and inscriptions that reference the Fuhrer removed from public view and replaced with… Read more »

Maestro Laszlo Veres isn’t allowing the cancellation of the spring season of Tucson Pops Concerts to get in the way of his celebrating Mother’s Day. Traditionally, the orchestra performs ‘My Yiddishe Momme” each year as part of the special concert celebrating mothers. The poignant piece written in… Read more »

TEL AVIV (JTA) — Designer Yoav Gati was walking around his south Tel Aviv block in March when he saw a discarded latex glove on the street. A few meters later he spotted another one, and then another. By the time he looped back home he had collected over… Read more »

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Dr. Anthony Fauci, who directs infectious disease research for the federal government, advised Orthodox Jews to phase in communal prayer as local governments lift coronavirus pandemic restrictions. “The kind of social interactions which is the core of the beauty of your culture has unfortunately led to… Read more »

(JTA) — After several weeks at a London mortuary, the unclaimed body of 95-year-old Herbert Max Fraenkel was slated to be buried in a shared grave at a pauper’s funeral. Fraenkel, who was born in 1924 in Berlin, died alone at his home in January. City workers were unable… Read more »

(JTA) — Renee Godinez had completed nearly all the steps to becoming Jewish before the coronavirus pandemic descended earlier this spring. She had studied extensively with Rabbi Rick Winer of Temple Beth Israel in Fresno, California, and adopted Jewish practices in her life. All that was missing was a… Read more »

The University of Arizona – State of Arizona’s COVID-19 antibody testing initiative has additional testing slots now available in Pima County for health care workers, first responders, and members of the general public. The testing will determine if an individual has developed antibodies against the virus that causes… Read more »

While sheltering in place due to the coronavirus, we may not be able to dine at our favorite restaurants, but we can still make our meals, whether they are home-cooked or takeout, look special, says Monica Barker of Tiger Lily Table Rentals in Tucson. “Don’t save Granny’s china for… Read more »

Rabbi Robert Eisen, who will retire at the end of June after 21 years as Congregation Anshei Israel’s spiritual leader, “doesn’t like to toot his own horn,” says Dan Jurkowitz, president of the CAI board of trustees and a lifelong member of the congregation. Quietly, however, the rabbi does… Read more »

Gov. Doug Ducey announced the closure of Arizona schools on Sunday, March 15 to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. On March 16, Tucson Hebrew Academy was ready with online learning, says Head of School Laurence Kutler, Ph.D. ”We were prepared two weeks before it happened,” Kutler says, explaining… Read more »

Jennifer Selco

The Tucson Jewish Community Center will present a virtual Yom Limmud, a day that celebrates Jewish learning, on Sunday, May 17. “While we cannot be together in person due to the current health crisis, we must create opportunities to gather virtually as a Jewish community,” says Jennifer Selco, the… Read more »

For students, the University of Arizona experience has been turned upside down during this COVID-19 era. The university has switched to online classes and all in-person activities have been canceled or postponed until further notice. Many students have felt the impact of social distancing and have been struggling with… Read more »

The state of Arizona has suspended all in-person worship services, classes, and other programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with many local synagogues halting live events in advance of the governor’s March 30 stay-at-home order. Local congregations have migrated programs to digital spaces, including Shabbat services for non-Orthodox congregations.… Read more »