Opinion

Chaim Grade Manuscript Discovered: Where Has It Been and Why Do I Care?

A dust jacked photo of Chaim GradeChaim Grade

On Wednesday, Feb. 26, The New York Times ran a front-page article by Joseph Berger entitled “A Discovery of Lost Pages Brings to Light a ‘Last Great Yiddish Novel.’” The article detailed the search for a missing manuscript by a giant of 20th century Yiddish literature, Chaim Grade, its… Read more »

Letter to the Editor: Now More Than Ever, Invest in Jewish Education

Melissa Spiller-Shiner with her husband and their two children

As a parent, a Tucson Hebrew Academy board member, and a proud member of this community, I’ve seen firsthand how Jewish education shapes not only our children’s minds but also their hearts. When my husband and I enrolled our son at THA, we were initially drawn by the small… Read more »

A Tucson Portrait: Old Man with a Dog

He was standing at a busy intersection when I drove by.  What caught my attention was the small dog wrapped in a blanket that he pushed in a stroller. Also, his sign had a name on it: Leo. It seemed every major intersection had people with signs, pleading for… Read more »

I Remember Willy

The Arizona Jewish Post issue of September 27, 2019, has a wonderful article on Willy Halpert, a nonagenarian living in Southern Arizona who had escaped the Holocaust as a young boy. I happened to be looking up names from my past and came upon the story.  I didn’t know… Read more »

A Tucson Portrait: And Then There Was One

Some years ago, I had a 93-year-old client who was depressed. Try as I did to interest her in attending programs in the medical day care program where I worked, she resisted. One day, in response to my encouragement, she made a comment that has stayed with me ever… Read more »

Op-Ed: The School Choice – A Tension for Liberal Jews

Everyone holds a multitude of identities that guide our choices: gender, race, occupation, sexuality, and more. As a professor, my research expertise is in how individuals negotiate these many, and often competing, identities when making choices. Perhaps it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me, then, that I… Read more »

Hillel is Home for UArizona Student

Hey everyone! My name is Zach “Schwally” Schawelson and I have been a Jewish student at the University of Arizona for the past FIVE years! I study engineering and when I’m not stressing about homework, projects, or finals, I spend my time at the Hillel building. During my 5… Read more »

Letter to the Editor: A Jewish Heart

Several years ago, a coworker who knew I was a Christian, told me that I was more Jewish than she was. Coming from a “sabra” (native born Israeli), sealed the deal for me and I’ve never looked back. Since then, I have told some that I am a Christian,… Read more »

Op-Ed: Antisemitism in the Workplace and How to Fight It

It’s there. It has to be. According to Anti-Defamation League Director and CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, antisemitism has increased 388% since October 7 over the same time period last year. Christopher Wray, FBI Director calls it at a historic level and points out that Jews are the target of international… Read more »

Op-Ed: Awareness and Diligence Save Lives

This article was first published in the October 2023 issue of DesertLeaf magazine. My Aunt Jan saved my life. The overall risk of a woman developing breast cancer during her lifetime is approximately 13%. My risk was much higher—55%-72%—due to a genetic predisposition known as a BRCA1 mutation. I… Read more »

Op-Ed: Tucson’s Multifaith Coalition Shows Up for Pride

What comes to mind when you think of a parade? Music, dancing, fanciful clothing, even a float or two? A  Pride parade is all that and more: it marks an exuberant and enthusiastic celebration for and by the LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual) community. (The… Read more »

OP-ED: Say “No” to the Nazi Salute, Pima County. Just Say “No.”

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Arizona Jewish Post or its publisher, Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona. At a Pima County (Arizona) Board of Supervisors meeting in early June, an attendee made a straight-arm… Read more »

It’s Human to Want to Give

Arizona. California. Israel. Peru. Boston. No matter what state, country, time zone or zip code, I call my mother every day. And at 97, she still answers the phone with energy and excitement. Calling home was a decision I made over two decades ago to intentionally stay connected to… Read more »

Guest Columnist: Rosh Hashanah Reminds Us That We Have the Power to Change

Amy Hirshberg Lederman, guest speaker at upcoming JPSA Advanced Gifts/Summit dinner

Amy Hirshberg Lederman will be a guest speaker at Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona’s (JPSA’s) Campaign Summit & Advanced Gifts Dinner, October 25, 2022, details are forthcoming. It’s that time of year again. Backpacks and school binders tumble off the shelves at Target, crossing guards in bright orange vests… Read more »

My Single, Senior, Challenging, Meaningful Life

My birthday this year came and went with no bouquet of roses gifted to me by a special man and nary a sweet nothing whispered in my ear. It’s just not fair, I silently reproached the universe.  Why are there so many more women than men over 60 looking… Read more »

Tzedek Project: Comparing trial processes then and now

Watching a TV drama unfold as a crime is committed, the suspect is apprehended, tried, and convicted in one hour (including commercials) has always been unrealistic to those of us who have been participants in both sides of “law and order.” The juxtaposition of watching the entire trial seeking… Read more »

Honoring on the legacy of the Arizona Jewish Post

The Arizona Jewish Post (AJP), like the Southern Arizona Jewish community, grew, blossomed, and transformed over the past 75 years. The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona (JFSA) honors and celebrates the rich history of the AJP and its special place in our community. Timeline A powerful team Over the… Read more »

Boycotting Twitter to protest its handling of anti-Semitism could backfire

The Twitter logo is superimposed on anti-Semitic tweets. (Screenshots/JTA Montage)

NEW YORK (JTA) — On Friday afternoon, a few hours before Shabbat, I found myself scrolling through Twitter when I stumbled upon an anti-Semitic rant. This by itself is hardly unusual — the amount of anti-Semitic vitriol on Twitter is horrifying. But when I checked the account, I found that… Read more »

I’m an Israeli settler. American Jews are debating my future, but here’s what they don’t understand.

A woman walks with her child in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Efrat, April 26, 2020. (David Vaaknin for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

MITZPE YERICHO, West Bank (JTA) — It’s been surreal watching from Israel as Americans discuss my future. I’ve gotten used to presidents spending years developing plans for my neighborhood and other towns in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank — they mean well and I truly… Read more »