Post-Its

Caleb Joseph Groff

CALEB JOSEPH GROFF, son of Amy Kublin and Steven Groff, celebrated becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, March 19, 2011 at Congregation Or Chadash. He is the grandson of Irving and the late Rita Kublin of Sharon, Mass., and Lee and the late Berde Groff of Houston, Texas. Caleb… Read more »

Rebecca Elizabeth Groff

REBECCA ELIZABETH GROFF, daughter of Amy Kublin and Steven Groff, celebrated becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, March 19, 2011 at Congregation Or Chadash. She is the granddaughter of Irving and the late Rita Kublin of Sharon, Mass., and Lee and the late Berde Groff of Houston, Texas. Rebecca… Read more »

Joyce Oresman

Joyce Oresman, 79, died March 10, 2011 in San Francisco. Raised in the Bronx, New York, she married her husband, Edward Oresman, in 1953 and they moved to Tucson and raised four children before moving to San Francisco in 1980. Mrs. Oresman was office manager at Peter Wells Press,… Read more »

Betty Zunin

Betty Zunin, 95, died Feb. 27, 2011 in Napa, Calif. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mrs. Zunin lived most of her life in Tucson. Mrs. Zunin was preceded in death by her husband, Louis Zunin. Graveside services were held in the Congregation Anshei Israel section of Evergreen Cemetery with Rabbi… Read more »

Elaine Smelkinson

Elaine Judith Smelkinson, 71, died Feb. 23, 2011. Born in Baltimore, Md., Mrs. Smelkinson graduated high school at age 16 and was a registered nurse. After earning a bachelor’s degree in 1985, she moved into psychiatric nursing. After retiring, Mrs. Smelkinson did volunteer work chairing community events for organizations… Read more »

Beyond animal sacrifice: At heart, Leviticus is timeless moral guide

Rabbi Helen T. Cohn

Impenetrable, irrelevant, boring. These are some of the descriptions I’ve heard about the Book of Leviticus, which we begin reading this week during the annual Torah cycle. Even the great Israeli teacher Nehama Leibowitz called the laws of Leviticus a “closed book to us” — which did not prevent… Read more »

Jacob Marshall Meyer

JACOB MARSHALL MEYER, son of Deborah Baker and Matthew Meyer, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, March 12 at Congregation Anshei Israel. He is the grandson of Alice and Paul Baker of Tucson, and Lynn and Henry Meyer of Yuma, Ariz. Jacob attends Tucson Hebrew Academy where… Read more »

Gabriel Algazi Lehrer

GABRIEL ALGAZI LEHRER, son of Mimi Algazi and Matt Lehrer, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, March 5 at Congregation Or Chadash. He is the grandson of Sheila and Cy Lehrer of Tucson, and Liliane and Albert Algazi of La Jolla, Calif. Gabriel attends Esperero Canyon Middle… Read more »

Noah Aaron Pensak

NOAH AARON PENSAK, son of Michael Pensak and Catherine Pensak, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, March 5 at Congregation Anshei Israel. He is the grandson of Ruth and the late Aaron Pensak of Fairfield, Conn., and Betty Henning and the late Leo Churchfield of Scottsdale, Ariz.… Read more »

Jerry Sorkin

Jerry Sorkin, 77, died Feb. 10, 2011. Born in the Bronx, N.Y., Mr. Sorkin grew up in Passaic, N.J. , where he met and married his high school sweetheart, Phyllis Cohen. Mr. Sorkin was a captain in the U.S. Air Force before beginning his career in engineering and aerospace… Read more »

Marcia Burstein

Marcia Burstein, 86, died Feb. 10, 2011. Born in Newark, N.J., she lived in Tucson since 1952. Mrs. Burstein was preceded in death by her husband of 31 years, Joel. Survivors include her children, Barbara Burstein of Tucson, and Larry (Linda) Burstein of St. Paul, Minn.; brother, David (Bryna)… Read more »

Sara Blumenthal

Sara G. Blumenthal, 91, died Feb. 10, 2011. Mrs. Blumenthal was preceded in death by her husband, Benjamin Blumenthal; sister, Bertha Korn and brother, Jacob Schachter. Survivors include her daugher, Sharon (Richard) Walton of Tucson; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Mrs. Blumenthal was an active member of Congregation Anshei… Read more »

Daniel Haiken

Daniel Haiken, 92, died Jan. 19, 2011. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mr. Haiken attended City College of New York before entering the military. As a first lieutenant, he completed 50 combat missions (including the raid on Ploesti) as a B-24 pilot during World War II. His awards included a… Read more »

Mary Johannessen

Mary Johannessen, 85, died December 22, 2010. Born in New York City, Mrs. Johannessen graduated from the High School of Fashion Design in Manhattan. Mrs. Johannessen was preceded in death by her husband, Bernard “Bunny” Johannessen. Survivors include her daughters, Koreen (Ted Seger) Johannessen and Robyn Anyaeji Johannessen, both… Read more »

Riley Morgan

A daughter, RILEY MORGAN, was born Dec. 21, 2010 to Stephanie and Jay Zuckerman of Tucson. Riley joins her brother, Colton. Grandparents are Enid and Mel Zuckerman of Tucson.… Read more »

Ezra Avram Simon Osherovich

A son, EZRA AVRAM SIMON OSHEROVICH, was born Nov. 7, 2010 to Molli Simon and Dr. Lev Osherovich of San Francisco, Calif. Grandmother is Dr. Miki Paul of Tucson.… Read more »

Eva Rose Turner

EVA ROSE TURNER, daughter of Deborah and Carey Turner, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Temple Emanu-El. She is the granddaughter of Joyce Turner of Staten Island, N.Y., and Josephine and Serafin Fernandez of Tucson. Eva attends Esperero Canyon Middle School where she plays… Read more »

Miriam Adler

Miriam Alyce (Harris) Adler, 86, died Jan. 21, 2011. Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., and raised in Canton, Ohio, Mrs. Adler attended Ohio State University. After World War II, she resided in Great Neck, N.Y., where she worked at North Shore/Long Island Jewish Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., as the volunteer… Read more »

Tucson trauma and civility

For a while last month we here in Tucson were the epicenter of the world, thanks to the brutal act of the deeply disturbed man who murdered six innocent people and wounded 13 others, including our congresswoman and friend, Gabrielle Giffords. She is a kind, intelligent, principled, Jewish representative… Read more »

Under Tucson sunset and grandmother’s lace, couple takes their vows

Bride Rebecca Kunsberg is veiled by her mother, Linda Kunsberg (left), and the groom’s mother, Beanie Rohtbart, in the ‘bedeken’ ceremony, witnessed by Rabbi Robert Eisen (far left) and groom Ted Goodman. (John Hursh - Focus On Events Photography)

Rebecca Kunsberg, 31, daughter of Andrew and Linda Kunsberg of Tucson, and Theodore Goodman, 33, son of Beanie and Markus Rohtbart of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and Don and Gloria Goodman of West Bloomfield, Mich., were married on Nov. 14, 2010 at Westward Look Resort with Rabbi Robert Eisen of… Read more »