Our Town

A photo taken in Israel by KEN BRANDIS, “Path to Peace,” will be part of the University of Arizona Center for Middle Eastern Studies 25th annual photography exhibit. The show will displayed in the Union Gallery at the UA Student Union beginning Jan. 28, with an opening reception from… Read more »

Elana Beth Goldberg, daughter of Lisa and Ben Goldberg, will celebrate becoming a bat mitzvah on Saturday, Jan. 16, at Congregation Or Chadash. She is the granddaughter of Mimi and Jerry Sisk of Palos Verdes, Calif., and Karen and Bill Goldberg of Tucson. Elana attends Tucson Hebrew Academy and… Read more »

  THA Chanukah concert Tucson Hebrew Academy celebrated Chanukah on Monday evening, Dec. 7, with a show featuring holiday-themed parodies of Disney tunes performed by lower school students, the upper school choir, orchestra and eighth-grade class. Lower school students also visited local preschools last week to perform their songs… Read more »

The National Shoe Retailers Association honored ALAN MIKLOFSKY, president of ALAN’S SHOES/ NEW BALANCE TUCSON, as the 2015 Retailer of the Year at its annual leadership conference in Charlotte, N.C., last month. Alan and Annette Miklofsky have been operating stores in the Tucson area since 1982 and currently have… Read more »

CORINNE FORTI was named Hadassah Southern Arizona’s Wom­an of the Year at Hadassah’s Chanu­kah brunch on Dec. 6. Forti, who became a Jew by choice in 2009, has served as president and co-president of the chapter. She continues to serve on the chapter board, has been appointed to the… Read more »

THA gets AED The Steven M. Gootter Foundation presented Tucson Hebrew Academy with an automated external defibrillator on Friday, Nov. 13. The Gootter foundation’s mission is to save lives by defeating sudden cardiac death. Allen Yalen, a THA parent and Rincon Valley Fire District battalion chief, trained and certified… Read more »

THE ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM has been recognized as a winner in the 2015 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice  awards for museums, ranking 11 out of 25. The 600 institutions recognized with Travelers’ Choice awards represent just 1 percent of all attractions worldwide. The Desert Museum is recognized on the TripAdvisor site… Read more »

A series of paintings by LAURA WILSON ETTER, “Medical Bodies,” is on display at the Hotel Congress Lobby Gallery through Dec. 9. Etter, a mixed-media artist, used vintage medical diagrams as inspiration for her pieces, which highlight the body parts that make us what and possibly who we are.… Read more »

PJ Library & THA celebrate Chanukah PJ library held a pre-Chanukah celebration at Tucson Hebrew Academy on Sunday, Nov. 8. Children listened to “Gracie’s Night: A Hanukkah Story” by Lynn Taylor Gordon, illustrated by Laura Brown; built sparkly menorahs; ate latkes and desserts created by THA’s chef; and filled… Read more »

McSally dinner with UA student leaders U.S. Rep. Martha McSally spoke to some 80 University of Arizona student leaders on Tuesday, Oct. 13 about the U.S.-Israel relationship, saying it needed to be strengthened. The dinner, held at the UA Hillel Foundation, was hosted by CatPAC Wildcats for Israel and… Read more »

HANDMAKER JEWISH SERVICES FOR THE AGING has hired NANCI LEVY as community outreach coordinator, The position is funded, in part, by a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation. Levy has been volunteering in the Tucson Jewish community for nearly 20 years. In her new position, she will focus on… Read more »

A book by local author DEBRA SCHILDHOUSE, “Bio-Touch: Healing with the Power in Our Fingertips” was recently published by SelectBooks, Inc.  Schildhouse will hold a meet and greet on Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 5130 E. Broadway.  More information is available at debra schildhouse.com. Disruptive… Read more »

Mark Rubin

MARK RUBIN has re-established the Law Office of Mark Rubin in Tucson. His practice focuses on real estate, business, probate/fiduciary services and estate planning. Rubin also serves Pima Medical Institute — a Tucson-based private post-secondary school — as its general counsel. He blogs at MarkRubinWrites.com. The SOUTHERN ARIZONA HOME… Read more »

MICHELLE BLUMENBERG, director of the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation, received a Community Service Award from the UA SALT (Strategic Alternative Learning Techniques) Center at its annual Family Weekend Celebration and Awards Ceremony on Oct. 9. Hillel recently hosted the SALT tutoring program while the SALT Center was undergoing… Read more »

MARILYN PESKIN-KAUFMAN, owner of ADOBE TRANSPORTATION, was appointed to Gov. Doug Ducey’s new statewide marketing initiative, the Arizona Zanjeros. This group of business leaders who will focus on promoting Arizona as a prime place for business takes its name from the traditional zanjeros who control water flow through Arizona’s… Read more »

DAVID ALBERTS, M.D., was one of three finalists for the Lifetime Achievement in Health Care award presented at Tucson Local Media’s Influential Health and Medical Leaders Awards on Sept. 23. Alberts is the director emeritus of the University of Arizona Cancer Center and a regent’s professor of medicine, pharmacology,… Read more »

Chaverim cemetery dedication Congregation Chaverim dedicated a new sign and consecrated an expanded section of Evergreen Cemetery on Sunday, Sept. 6. Pictured (left to right): Naomi Present, Jill Shover, Jack Aaron, Ann Revelle, Rabbi Stephanie Aaron, Bob Schwartz, Judith Brown, Dina Rosengarten and Dave More.   Rosh Hashanah at… Read more »

REBECCA CROW has been named director of education for CONGREGATION CHAVERIM. She is a past director of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s department of outreach, past president of the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation and Congregation Cha­verim, and has over 30 years experience as a social worker in… Read more »

CLARE LINDNER, M.D., has joined the University of Arizona department of pediatrics and Banner Children’s — Diamond Children’s Medical Center as a pediatric nephrologist. Lindner received her medical degree from Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University. She completed her residency in pediatrics from Cohen Children’s Medical Center of… Read more »

Local filmmaker, actor and health coach JUDY BEN-ASHER is one of 25 authors featured in “Menopause Mavens: Master the Mystery of Menopause,” published last month by Flower of Life Press. Ben-Asher’s work on the book also ties in with her documentary in progress,“TruthSeeker, Shedding Layers and Shifting Forward,” which… Read more »