Post-Its

Maurice Jontow

Maurice Washington Jontow, 98, died Oct. 5, 2012. Born in New York City, Mr. Jontow left high school in 1929 to work with his father in the family garment business. He met his wife, Rachel, in 1935 and they were married in 1936. Mr. Jontow served in the Army… Read more »

The secret to Chabad’s (and your) success

Rabbi Yossie Shemtov

Despite the devastation wrought by superstorm Sandy, close to 4,500 Hasidic rabbis, community lead­ers and activists hope to pack a warehouse-turned-ballroom at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal on Sunday, Nov. 11, for the grand banquet of the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries. Seated in the crowd will be me and my… Read more »

Brielle Racheal Kalish-LeBarge

BRIELLE RACHEAL KALISH-LEBARGE, daughter of Toni Kalish and Marc LeBarge, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 3 at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging with Congregation Or Chadash. She is the granddaughter of Cindy Carvill of Massena, N.Y., and Bruce LeBarge of Ogdensburg, N.Y. Brielle attends… Read more »

Jacob Benjamin Spier

JACOB BENJAMIN SPIER, son of Monique Kornell and Jeffrey Spier, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 27 at Congregation Anshei Israel. He is the grandson of Vicki and Jerry Spier of Tucson, Beatrice Spier of Boston and the late Bernice and Simon Kornell of Edmonton, Canada.… Read more »

Spencer Maxell Lewis

SPENCER MAXWELL LEWIS, son of Gayle and Robbie Lewis, celebrated becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 13 at Congregation Chaverim. He is the grandson of Mary Mihailoff and Marcia and George Andrew, all of Tucson, and the late Selma and Sam Lewis of Yonkers, N.Y. Spencer attends Orange… Read more »

George McGovern, a pacifist who wanted to bomb Auschwitz

George McGovern signing his book "Abraham Lincoln" at the Richard M. Nixon Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, Calif., August 2009. (Scott Clarkson via CC)

WASHINGTON (JTA) — George McGovern is widely remembered for advocating immediate American withdrawal from Vietnam and sharp reductions in defense spending. Yet despite his reputation as a pacifist, the former U.S. senator and 1972 presidential candidate, who died Sunday at 90, did believe there were times when America should… Read more »

Ann Goldfein remembered as community builder

Ann Braun Goldfein, 81, died on Sept. 30, 2012, after a yearlong battle with ovarian cancer. Born in Chicago, Mrs. Gold­fein studied art at the Pratt Institute of Design in New York City. Later, while living in Chicago, her brother Mac introduced her to Sam Goldfein and they married… Read more »

Reva Sherman

Reva Sherman, 86, died Oct. 3, 2012. Born in Chicago, Mrs. Sherman was the youngest of six children of Russian Jewish immigrants. She graduated from Chicago’s Von Steuben High School in 1944 and earned a bachelor’s degree from Roosevelt University. Mrs. Sherman was a docent at the Arizona Sonora… Read more »

Claire Kolins

Claire Salonic Kolins, 89, died Oct. 9, 2012. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Mrs. Kolins attended Penn State in the early 1940s and finished college at the University of Arizona in the 1980s. She was a longtime member of Temple Emanu-El. Mrs. Kolins was preceded in death by her… Read more »

Specter remembered as an iconoclast who enjoyed going toe to toe with tyrants

Arlen Specter, shown speaking at the AFL-CIO convention in September 2009, represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate for 30 years. (Steve Dietz/Sharp Image)

WASHINGTON (JTA) — During his 30 years in the clubby confines of the U.S. Senate, Arlen Specter never lost his acerbic prosecutorial zeal, friends and associates say. The insistent questions, the commitment to independence that made the longtime Pennsylvania senator a critical player in recent U.S. history, ultimately did… Read more »

Eshed Ozeri

ESHED OZERI, daughter of Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri and Tidhar Ozeri, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 6 at Congregation Anshei Israel. She is the granddaughter of Bryna and M. David Ben-Asher of Tucson, and Naomi and Yehiel Ozeri of Jerusalem. Eshed attends Tucson Hebrew Academy, where… Read more »

Maxwell Kinney Baruch

MAXWELL KINNEY BARUCH, son of Dana Narter and Edward Baruch, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 13 at Congregation Or Chadash. He is the grandson of Marcia and Irwin Narter of Palm Desert, Calif, and MaryEllen and Hurd Baruch of Tucson. Max attends BASIS Tucson North.… Read more »

Gray Oliver Blaney-Koen

A son, GRAY OLIVER BLANEY-KOEN, was born Sept. 13, 2012 to Lisa and Daniel Blaney-Koen of Chicago. Grandparents are Mike and Gerri Koen of Oracle and Howard and Marie Blaney of Boulder, Colo. Gray joins his brother, Brach William Blaney-Koen.  … Read more »

Faina Luterman

Faina Luterman, 73, died June 22, 2012. Born in Belaya Tserkov, Ukraine, Mrs. Luterman was a Holocaust survivor. She received a master’s degree in physics/astronomy from Orenburg State University, in the former Soviet Union. Mrs. Luterman taught physics and astronomy at high school and college levels for over 30… Read more »

After High Holidays we ask, ‘And then what?’

According to history as I was taught, during World War II, when the leaders of the Japanese armed forces presented their plan to attack Pearl Harbor to the emperor for approval, after all the parties involved had stated their case and guaranteed the success of the mission, the emperor… Read more »

Yoel Don Avisror

A son, YOEL DON AVISROR, was born Sept. 4, to Allison Brown Avisror and Yossi Avisror of Boston, Mass. He joins his sister, Ella Rose. Grandparents are Patrice Janoff Brown and Ronald J. Brown of Tucson and Minneapolis, Minn., and Mazal Avisror of Hod Hasharon, Israel. Great-grandparents are Ronald… Read more »

David Seltzer

David H. Seltzer, 81, died Aug. 22, 2012. Mr. Seltzer graduated from Long Island University. He served in the Korean War and was decorated. Mr. Seltzer owned several businesses including all the Morrow’s Nut Houses in Tucson and the original Famous Sam’s on Prince Road and First Avenue. Mr.… Read more »

Cutler-Amster

David Cutler announces the engagement of his daughter, Shana Diane Cutler, to Mickey Amster, son of Rabbi Moshe and Natalie Amster of Los Angeles. Shana is the daughter of the late Felicia Cutler and the granddaughter of Lois and Ev Broder of Tucson and Esther Gross of Baltimore, Md.… Read more »

Heisler-Cogan

Michael and Barbara Heisler announce the engagement of their daughter, Laura Shayna Heisler, to Scott Philip Cogan, son of Jesse and Sandy Cogan of Livingston, N.J. Laura graduated from St. Gregory College Preparatory School and the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She is currently… Read more »

A fresh start or a September song?

Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon

The great beauty of the Jewish High Holy Day season is the wonderful opportunity it provides for each of us to start over. Whatever it is that we have done in the past year, whoever we have offended, however we have failed, we now have the chance to begin… Read more »