Special Sections

Beyond latkes: Chanukah around the world

SAN FRANCISCO (MyJewishLearning.com) — Hanukkah is observed with joy and celebration in Jewish communities around the world. There are eight nights of lights and blessings the world over, but there are also many ways that different communities make the holiday uniquely their own. Here are eight customs and ideas… Read more »

‘Top your own’ party gives latkes a lift

Brisket-topped latkes: not your ordinary meat and potatoes (Shannon Sarna)

NEW YORK (JTA) — There’s nothing quite like that first night of Hanukkah: a platter full of hot, crispy latkes and the accompanying applesauce and sour cream. It’s classic, delicious and a beloved comfort food for so many American Jews. But by the third or fourth night, I need… Read more »

Chanukah feature: Music hath charms to soothe December Dilemma

A CD set of Christmas and Chanukah music provided the inspiration for the title for the new exhibtion at Philadelphia's Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. (Courtesy Idelsohn Society for Musical Preservation)

PHILADELPHIA (JTA) – In text accompanying a new exhibition at this city’s National Museum of American Jewish History, Sammy Davis Jr. is quoted on why he converted to Judaism. “I became a Jew because I was ready and willing to understand the plight of a people who fought for… Read more »

Chanukah gifts for bookworms

(Courtesy of Riverhead; photo of Sarah Wildman by Kate Warren)

(JTA) — Looking for a  Chanukah gift for the bibliophile in your life? Here are some 2014 Jewish-themed selections spanning fiction, memoir and essay collections. “All I Know and Love” (William Morrow) By Judith Frank In the tradition of the great 19th-century domestic novels, Judith Frank brings us the… Read more »

What the shmita year can teach us about Chanukah

JERUSALEM (JTA) — When the Maccabees climbed the stairs of the Temple in Jerusalem, they lit the menorah with the knowledge that there was only enough oil to last for one day. Only a miracle could turn oil into a renewable resource. And the future of the planet urges… Read more »

CHANUKAH FEATURE: Getting gelt was good as gold

Holding fistfuls of dollars for the family gelt line in the early 2000s are, from left, Lou Hasson, Gene Levey, Stanley Berko and the late Julius Karabel. (Randie Laine K)

LOS ANGELES (JTA) — What can a buck get you on Hanukkah? Maybe a gold mesh bag of chocolate coins or a lighter for your menorah. But Jewish continuity? At Hanukkah time, when we get so wrapped up in gift giving, I propose that it’s a single dollar of… Read more »

CHANUKAH FEATURE: Celebrating Eric Kimmel’s Hershel, meeting new characters

BOSTON (JTA) — Back in 1984, when Eric Kimmel was an up-and-coming children‘sbook author, he tried his hand at a Hanukkah story, one featuring goblins. Overly cautious Jewish editors rejected the manuscript, not knowing what to make of it, Kimmel recalled.“It was strange. It didn’t look like any other Hanukkah books and didn’t… Read more »

FIRST PERSON: Thoughts of Hanukkah applesauce and a bygone era

BALTIMORE (JTA) – Beyond the rusty orange leaves, the sky hugging the orchard flourished in pastel blue – a hue that surprisingly didn’t define my mood while stretched out upon the grass, head nestled in interlocked palms that sweet October day. Surprisingly because the Sunday afternoon outing marked a… Read more »

Philanthropy in brief

Since its opening almost 17 years ago, Pastiche Modern Eatery has donated almost $200,000 to local nonprofit organizations through programs such as “Philanthropy with Phlavor,” “Dine Out for Safety” and “Chicken Soup for Tucson’s Soul.”  Pastiche now holds monthly fundraisers in place of Philanthropy with Phlavor, in addition to monthly painting classes… Read more »

Community members bestow gift of music

Anna Gendler with a student at The Symphony Women’s Association

For Alexander Tent­ser, music was as much a right of passage as his Bar Mitzvah. His father was a klezmer musician and entertainer with a conservatory education in Kiev, Ukraine, and since Tentser had been playing piano since the age of four, it was only natural that he began… Read more »

A journey from pushke to philanthropy

Tracy Salkowitz

When we were little, my friends and I put our coins in a  pushke, a little metal box with a slit in the top, to raise funds for the Jewish National Fund. I remember thinking that I was personally helping to plant trees in Israel. It filled me with… Read more »

Annuals in pots, baskets or beds provide easy winter color for the patio

Brighten your days with the smiling faces of pretty pansies. They love our winter weather and will provide months of color. (Courtesy of All-American Selections)

                                      Southern Arizona is a wonderful place to live for many reasons. Along with not shoveling snow, bright colorful flowers filling the yard all year long are tops on my list.… Read more »

‘Their Lives are in Our Hands’ theme for JFSA 2015 Campaign

Donna Moser, left, and her sister, Audrey Brooks, are co-chairs of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona 2015 Community Campaign.

Visiting Greece, Israel, Russia and Ukraine on Federation missions, sisters Audrey Brooks and Donna Moser recognized that while the landscapes and languages may vary, the problems people face are similar all over the world. That led them to create a new theme, “Their Lives are in Our Hands,” for… Read more »

Some Jewish pet owners celebrate dog’s ‘bark mitzvah’

“Fluffy” Shindler barks when he sees Friday night candles and understands that on Shabbat, it’s quieter than usual around the house. It was only natural, then, for the Shindlers to throw Fluffy a “bark mitzvah.” About eight years ago in Monsey, N.Y., the bichon frise donned a yarmulke and… Read more »

Pet grants, events on tap for local groups

Pima Animal Care Center is a winner in the ASPCA 100K Challenge, held June 1-Aug. 31. PACC ranked first in Arizona in its year-over-year increase of total lives saved, and sixth in its division nationwide. PACC will receive $5,000 in prize money from the ASPCA.  PACC is also the… Read more »

Service dogs and therapy dogs have different roles in helping humans

Chablis, a therapy dog, visits hospitals and other facilities.

The term “service dog” has become a generic term for describing the activities of three types of working dogs: service, therapy and emotional support. They are, however, all different. Service dogs A college student with visual impairment, an older adult with mobility issues, a teenager who is a type… Read more »

Despite myths, domestic violence occurs in Jewish homes

To you, a Jewish woman of any age who has been abused by her loved one. You may be feeling despair, sadness, anger, anxiety or overwhelming fear, but know that you are not alone. There is hope for a new life for you! Dream about a happier life for… Read more »

Recovery changed my life, inspired career helping others

Doron Sears

Two weeks ago, at the gym, I met a man who had lost both feet to frostbite after getting lost while snowboarding. He was a professional hockey player who had become a professional snowboarder, until suddenly this happened. There was nothing about his appearance or personality to indicate that… Read more »

In psychology and in Judaism, local woman keeps mind and heart open

Julie Feldman

The love of learning has been a powerful motivator for Julie Feldman, Ph.D. From spending her formative years in Geneva, Switzerland, with her family, to revamping a desire to become a physician, Feldman, 46, finds joy in expanding her world. Now a clinical assistant professor in psychology at the… Read more »