Special Sections

As students sharpen their pencils and charge their laptops and smartphones for the new school year, Tucson’s Jewish schools are keeping their programs fresh with everything from new electives to new teachers. Temple Emanu-El’s Kurn Religious School will hold a geniza (archive) ceremony field trip as students learn about… Read more »

Tucson Jewish Montessori, Tucson’s first Jewish Montessori preschool, founded by Rabbi Israel and Esther Becker, will open Monday, Aug. 31. Classes are aimed at 3- to 6-year-olds, and will run from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday, with childcare available before and after classes. “Our focus is honoring the… Read more »

Stephen Shore

For some students who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or Asperger’s syndrome, the start of a new school year can be especially difficult. Adjusting to new teachers, schedules, classmates and rules can be hard for all children, but for children with ASD or Asperger’s syndrome, changes in… Read more »

Tu Nidito is reaching out to college students and other young adults who may need support as they cope with the death of a loved one. More than 31,600 students will be returning to the University of Arizona this month, and odds are more than 6,300 of them will… Read more »

Egg banks report that they cannot meet the demand for Jewish donations. (Ian Waldie/Getty Images)

ROCKVILLE, Md. (Washington Jewish Week via JTA) – Laura has donated her eggs four times to women who needed help having children. “It gave me a real sense of purpose,” she said. “It really is a great personal pleasure to know that I have something that changes someone’s life.”… Read more »

University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center researchers are seeking community input on a clinical trial that requires qualified patients to be enrolled when they are unconscious and unable to give consent. This study may improve care for all cardiac arrest patients. Cardiac arrest is a major public health issue,… Read more »

Ever since he can remember, Kenneth Cohn, DVM, wanted to work with animals. “As a child, right from the beginning, I knew that being a veterinarian was exactly what I wanted to do,” says Cohn. Drawing from his 38-year career in St. Louis and Tucson, Cohn has written a… Read more »

Tracy Salkowitz

In memory of Ray Lederman, who always made whoever he was speaking to feel as if they were the most important person in the world. Many of us, when considering the legacy we want to leave, think about our family and our community. We hope to raise children who… Read more »

(JTA) — A 65-year-old haredi Orthodox woman became the oldest woman ever to birth a child in Israel and one of the oldest in the world. Chaya Sarah Schachar of Bnei Brak delivered her first child, a healthy boy, on May 18 at the Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba,… Read more »

It is forbidden to live in a town that does not have a green garden. — Jerusalem Talmud, Kiddushin 4:12 Sustainability, growing local and urban gardens are trending. But growing your own food has been a staple of a healthy lifestyle over the last century, from the early Zionists… Read more »

The saddest event in Rabbi Richard Safran’s life was probably the death of his wife of 60 years, Lois, two years ago. “I shared everything with my life partner. Sometimes it’s overwhelming” to be alone,” says Safran, but that hasn’t stopped him from helping others navigate difficult times, or… Read more »

Caitlin Jensen

As Local First Arizona gears up for its 10th annual Independents Week celebration June 26-July 5, the Downtown Tucson Partnership is pleased to say that more than 90 percent of downtown businesses are locally owned. “I think that’s one of the things that truly makes downtown unique, the concentration… Read more »

Atelier de LaFleur 410 N. Toole Ave. • 548-1338 lafleurevents.com Our team of wedding planners, event producers and florists work with you to realize your event decor dreams. Our plantscapes and floral arrangements are designed to go from party to garden and last for years with proper upkeep, reminding you of… Read more »

Maickel Melamed (in ski mask and rain poncho) running in the Boston Marathon. (Maickel Melamed Facebook page)

BOSTON (JTA) —Twenty hours after the start of Monday’s Boston Marathon, Venezuelan long-distance runner Maickel Melamed crossed the finish line, prompting an impromptu City Hall ceremony in his honor later that morning. Melamed finished far behind the marathon’s winners, but he nonetheless received a medal. That’s because Melamed, who is Jewish,… Read more »

The Town of Oro Valley is running two campaigns to bolster local spending and keep dollars in the community. The first, Shop Oro Valley Summer Campaign, which runs through July 3, is open to anyone who shops at an Oro Valley business and spends at least $25. Participants are… Read more »

Ed Stolmaker

Ed Stolmaker grew up in Haw­thorne, N.J., but almost 16 years ago, he made an impetuous move to unincorporated Pima County. The current president and CEO of the Marana Chamber of Commerce was visiting Tucson with his wife, Marianne, on New Year’s Eve 1998. “We weren’t planning on moving… Read more »

Rabbi Manis Friedman speaks at the Tucson Jewish Community Center May 26.

Good health and happiness can be achieved, says Rabbi Manis Friedman. During his talk, “A Healthy, Joyous and Fulfilling Life, A Holistic and Kabalistic Perspective,” attended by about 50 people on May 26 at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, Friedman highlighted ways for people to look at life and… Read more »

Evelyn Varady

On Sunday, March 8, 18 Jewish women gathered at the Tucson Jewish Community Center for brunch, inspiration and guided schmoozing. Most of the women were not strangers. Some have been meeting regularly for nearly 13 years; others have joined the group more recently; two were attending for the first… Read more »

Blue Banana Frozen Yogurt 12125 N Oracle Road, #121 989-3998 • bluebananafrozenyogurt.com Owners Rick and Linda Brady invite you to enjoy their delicious, healthy self-serve frozen yogurt at only 45 cents per ounce. Located at the Oro Valley Marketplace, they also hand make unique flavors of Italian gelato, such… Read more »

From Providence, R.I., to Santa Fe, N.M., to Tucson, with many stops in between, tallit maker Beth Surdut has always been an artist. Her approach to Judaism is as expansive as her art, always growing and changing. “Being brought up Jewish you’re brought up to have an inquiring mind,”… Read more »