William Daroff WASHINGTON (JTA) — In the days President Obama was preparing to deliver his State of the Union address, everyone knew the economy would play a major role. What remains unknown is what will result for millions of vulnerable Americans once the applause dies down and the political maneuvering picks… Read more »
Messages and tributes left by Tucsonans in front of University Medical Center on Jan. 15, 2011 (Sheila Wilensky) It’s been nearly three weeks since the assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the murders of six Tucsonans, and the wounding of 12 others. For many members of the Jewish community, the singing of the Mi Shebeirach, a prayer/song of healing, framed the week following the shooting rampage. On… Read more »
I am extremely saddened, as well as appalled at the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a member of the Jewish community, as well as an elected Democratic representative. My heart goes out to the families of the shooting victims. My prayers go out to those who lost loved ones,… Read more »
When I made Aliyah (immigrated to Israel) six and a half years ago from Tucson, the streets here in Israel were full of violence. I witnessed a bus bombing less than 50 meters from the bus I was sitting on. As I sit at my desk in Jerusalem today… Read more »
Knesset legislation calling for an investigation of Israeli human rights groups has sparked a fierce argument over who is doing more to hurt Israel’s reputation: Human rights organizations critical of the Israeli government and army, or the politicians who want to investigate them for allegedly going too far. By… Read more »
The 8th District in southern Arizona represented by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords comprises liberal Tucson and its rural hinterlands, which means moderation is a must. But it also means that spirits and tensions run high. Giffords’ office in Tucson was ransacked in March following her vote for health care… Read more »
When Evie Pozez died last month, I had the sense that this was another major milestone in the passing of what Tom Brokaw coined “The Greatest Generation.” Evie, who was dynamic in her own right, was, in the context of our Jewish community, “joined at the hip” with her… Read more »
Not so long ago, few Israelis had heard of Rabbi Chaim Amsellem, a soft-spoken Shas backbencher in the Knesset. Over the past few weeks, however, Amsellem has emerged as a maverick in Israeli politics. Having broken ranks with the Orthodox-oriented Shas and its haredi leaders, he is talking about… Read more »
Many in Latin America and around the world were asking one question following the news that Brazil and Argentina had recognized the state of Palestine in the West Bank: Why now? Among the answers, PLO envoy to Washington Maen Areikat told JTA, was the frustration with the stops and… Read more »
Sylvia Barack Fishman (Courtesy of the Avi Chai Foundation) WALTHAM, Mass. (JTA) — “Why are so many people in their 20s taking so long to grow up?” Robin Marantz Henig asked in The New York Times Magazine (“The Post-Adolescent, Pre-Adult, Not-Quite-Decided Life Stage,” Aug. 22). Lori Gottlieb urged reluctant single women to “Marry Him: The Case for Settling… Read more »
Reading and watching the news about the devastating forest fire in Israel, I found myself profoundly confused: There were so many reversals, so much was wrong with the picture. We are used to thinking of Israel as being so adept, so professional at looking after its citizens — but… Read more »
The campaign to curb Iran’s nuclear program just acquired a new deadline: the end of the 111th Congress. The Obama administration has made a priority of ratifying the START nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia before the Senate’s lame-duck session finishes at year’s end. A number of Republicans, citing… Read more »
On Sunday night I attended, with much anticipation, the “Israel Taverna,” an evening offered annually by Tucson’s Israel Center. To my dismay, only a small handful were there to take part in what, in all the preceding years, had been joyful, exciting and fully attended musical evenings. I cannot… Read more »
Ethan Felson NEW YORK (JTA) — What’s old is new, and unfortunately this holiday season, wrapped in a bow, is a boycott of things Israeli and Jewish. The relics of the past boycotts — from Nuremberg to Damascus — are back. Uninterested in reconciliation, the extremist and myopic fervor that undergirds… Read more »
Residents of the arid West Bank town of Ariel got a taste last week of Paris. Defying left-wing calls for an actors’ boycott, the Beersheba theater group inaugurated a new cultural center with a moving performance of “Piaf,” a musical tribute to the undisputed doyenne of the French chanson.… Read more »
The election season has finally ended. Victors have celebrated, the defeated have conceded and we are left to clean up the detritus: direct-mail fliers, defunct posters — and the scorched earth left by one of the least civil election campaigns in memory. American political culture has always been spirited… Read more »
We are happy to report an addition to the list of Jewish community members who received honors at the Nov. 9 National Philanthropy Day luncheon at The Westin La Paloma Resort. Mike Steinberg and Alan Taylor received a “Spirit of Philanthropy” award from the Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network. Mazel… Read more »
I read Guy Gelbart’s “Shaliach’s View” column (“Local talks contrast false, real views of Israel,” AJP 10/29/10) with some interest, and then with increasing dismay. Guy will not be surprised to know that I disagree with a number of his statements, as we have already had this argument. His… Read more »
WASHINGTON (JTA) — With a tradition thousands of years old, Judaism informs us on taking the long view — the Divine view, as it were, since God is concerned even to the thousandth generation in the future (Exodus 34:7). So with environmental policy, we consider not only our own… Read more »
An all-time high of 600 college students took part in the 2010 General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America held in New Orleans, Nov. 7, 2010. (JFNA) NEW ORLEANS, La. (JTA) – After three days of schmoozing, sessions and feel-good speeches, the 3,000 or so Jewish federation officials who came to the annual General Assembly may have left New Orleans feeling invigorated. The view expressed by many top officials was that after two years of a… Read more »
