Special Sections

For the past several years, and again this year, I have been honored to be chosen to read the Torah in my synagogue on the first day of Rosh Hashanah – and each year I struggle with the troubling text and try to figure out what it is saying… Read more »

NEW YORK (JTA) — Unplugging more from electronic devices has become a commonly cited resolution for both the Jewish and secular new years. But electronics are also increasingly becoming integrated into Jewish New Year observances. Here are some new offerings at the junction between high-tech and High Holidays. G-dcast,… Read more »

As Jews are known as “the People of the Book, “ the Arizona Jewish Post asked Tucson’s congregational rabbis to recommend a book that would inspire their congregants for the new year. Here are some intriguing suggestions: I recommend “John Lennon and the Jews: A Philosophical Rampage” by Ze’ev… Read more »

Tessa Haining of Boston, daughter of Hadine Joffe and Nick Haining, with her grandmother, Marcelle Joffe of Tucson

Editor’s note: Tessa Haining, 13, granddaughter of Tucsonans Marcelle and Leonard Joffe, wrote this essay about their family’s Jewish holiday food traditions. The children in the room were getting antsy, scooching around on their chairs and toying with the silverware laid out on the table. They glanced at the… Read more »

Rabbi Robert Eisen

What a summer this has been! It began with an unprecedented number of congregations sponsoring missions to Israel, and then spent most of its days holding us captive to the news, wondering just what might be. Thoughts of falafel, shawarma and coffee like no other in the world gave… Read more »

Hadassah Southern Arizona will hold its first charity golf tournament on Sunday, Oct. 26, to raise funds for medical research. “We invite you to have a great time golfing, while doing a mitzvah,” says Iris Sapovits, event chair. Noting this summer’s trendy ALS ice bucket challenge, she says, “Hadassah… Read more »

Roberta Bracker

Growing up in the Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles, Roberta Bracker, now 76, took being part of a Jewish community for granted. At her high school, all of the kids were Jewish. Bracker’s mother wanted her three daughters to be knowledgeable about music and Judaic studies. She envisioned her… Read more »

Ben Pozez and his wife, Amy, in New Orleans during the Jewish Federations of North America National Young Leadership Conference — TribeFest in March

For Ben Pozez, involvement in the Jewish community is practically coded into his DNA. His grandparents, the late Shaol and Evie Pozez, were philanthropic and community leaders from the moment they arrived in Tucson in 1979.  His parents, Mitch and Robin, have continued the tradition. So it was only… Read more »

Jack Cole

Jack Cole’s path to leadership began when his life was transformed by Jewish Family & Children’s Services. He and his wife, Joan, adopted Davis, their youngest of three adopted children, through the agency. Cole was motivated to give back so that others could benefit from their services as well.… Read more »

Sarah Singer

For Sarah Heisler Singer, volunteering in the Tucson Jewish community is all about giving back to those who have come before her, and paying that kindness forward for future generations. The mother of two (Celia, 3, and Levi, 8 months) is an attorney at Gadarian and Cacy, PLLC. She… Read more »

Marian Lupu

Marian Lupu, now 89, founded the Pima Council on Aging in 1965. She didn’t retire as executive director until 2006, when she was 82. “If you love what you’re doing, why not?” Lupu asked the AJP. A pioneer in her field, Lupu took one of the first courses ever… Read more »

Adam Goldstein and his wife, Dana, at Young Jewish Tucson’s Roaring 20s-themed Hava Tequila event, Feb. 8.

Adam Goldstein doesn’t see how unique his dedication to Tucson’s Jewish community is. Sitting at his kitchen table, he lists committee after committee he’s chaired, co-chaired, participated in or formed. He was the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Young Man of the Year in 2013. He’s been a member… Read more »

David S. Alberts

David S. Alberts, M.D., has spent 40 years fighting cancer — and he’s not done yet. At age 74, he’s the full-time Regents Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology, Nutritional Science, and Public Health at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. On July 1, 2013, he stepped down after a… Read more »

Amy Beyer (right) at a trade school in Tel Aviv for at-risk youth during a June 2010 Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona women’s mission to Israel. The young man made a pair of earrings that Beyer bought.

If home is where the heart is, then Amy Beyer’s heart beats to the rhythm of Jewish life in Tucson. “The Tucson Jewish community is home for me. It really feels like my extended family,” says Beyer, 36, who began her volunteering “career” at Young Jewish Tucson in 2002.… Read more »

YONKERS, N.Y. (JTA) – If you’re going to Brent Delman’s home in this New York City suburb on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, don’t expect to see the typical meat menu. Delman and his physician wife, Patricia, plan to host a dairy lunch on the first day that… Read more »

SAN FRANCISCO (MyJewishLearning.com) — Here is a radical proposal for the New Year: Forget the guilt and instead lean into what you love to become the best possible version of yourself. The liturgy for the Jewish New Year has us taking a long hard look at all the mistakes… Read more »

At a traveling shofar stop by Brenda Rodman, an unexpected light show at the home of neon artist Stuart Ziff. (Edmon J. Rodman)

LOS ANGELES (JTA) — In preparation for the High Holidays last year, my community sent its shofar blower on the road. During the month of Elul, in the run-up to Rosh Hashanah, we are supposed to hear the shofar blown every day except Shabbat. Traditionally this is done in… Read more »

The dough in the Balsamic Apple Date Challah for Rosh Hashana is sweet, laced with cinnamon, vanilla and just a touch of nutmeg. (Shannon Sarna)

(MyJewishLearning.com) — When the Jewish New Year comes around, many people stress for weeks leading up to the holiday and break out their most complicated recipes to impress guests. But when I entertain around the holidays, I prefer to rely on a few go-to dishes that are simple to… Read more »

JERUSALEM (JTA) — My kids are the first to tell me that God does not have a body. “But how can He write us in a book of life? God isn’t like a person, ima!” Indeed. The image of an anthropomorphic God is rife, however, throughout the machzor, the… Read more »

New children's books: a tale from Spain, easing a young girl's pain (Courtesy Wisdom Tales Press)

BOSTON (JTA) — Fourteen years ago, sitting in her synagogue during Saturday morning services, Jacqueline Jules was browsing some Torah commentary when a story about a medieval poet struck an inspirational chord. “It was an ‘aha’ moment. This will be my next writing project, my next children’s book,” recalled… Read more »