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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 »

A Thai worker picking decorative flower leaves on the Kibbutz Sde Nitzan flower farm, near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, July 20, 2014. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

TEL AVIV (JTA) — When Rosh Hashanah comes later this month, Israel’s Jewish farmers won’t just be celebrating the start of a new year. They’ll be marking a year in which they are prohibited from doing their jobs. Called Shmita, the Torah-mandated, yearlong farming hiatus is felt across Israel,… Read more »

Melissa Suzanne Klein and Matthew Loren Landau were married on March 23, 2014 at Reflections at the Buttes in Tucson, with Rabbi Thomas Louchheim of Congregation Or Chadash officiating. Melissa is the daughter of Cindy Klein of Grass Lake, Mich., and Steve Klein of Tucson. She received a Bachelor… Read more »

B’nai Tzedek Tucson Teen Philanthropy will hold its annual kick-off party on Sunday, Sept. 14 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. Teens in grades 8-12 and their parents are invited to learn about B’nai Tzedek, a program of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and the… Read more »

Aliya Markowitz with Cubby Graham, charity: water school partnerships manager, at the organization’s office in New York City

In the spirit of infusing the ethic of tikkun olam, repairing the world, into the process of becoming  B’nai Mitzvah, many synagogues now require their students to complete a mitzvah project in addition to learning Hebrew and chanting from the Torah. Students typically choose their own projects based on… Read more »

(MyJewishLearning.com) — I’m advocating a new angle on Heshbon Nefesh, “soul’s accounting,” that we do in preparation to the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This soul work begins with the ancient Greek dictum “know thyself”? Or, to put it more rabbinically, “know before whom you stand?”… Read more »

Casa Milagro Artisans 6062 N. Oracle Road • 440-2567 Hours: Tues.–Thurs. 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Closed Sunday and Monday 40 local artisans represented, handmade crafts, home décor, Native American jewelry and artwork, unique Southwest art Davis Dominguez 154 E. 6th St. • 629-9759 Hours:… Read more »

If you are not at home to water pots of colorful annuals, there are a number of welcoming green succulents that will survive long periods between watering in decorative containers.

    A nicely designed landscape with ample shade trees can boost the sale price of a home as much as $12,000 higher than identical homes on similarly sized lots that have poor landscaping, the American Association of Nurserymen reports. If you already have nice shade trees in place… Read more »

Mindful of its rich 40-year history, Tucson Hebrew Academy has launched a new business strategy and branding project. “We want to talk with and hear input from the Jewish community,” says Jon Ben-Asher, interim head of school. Bromberg Consulting has developed a confidential questionnaire to elicit an “open dialogue… Read more »

Tucson’s Jewish schools are heading into the new school year with new programs and teachers on tap. As Tucson Hebrew High begins its 37th year, Rabbi Yudi Ceitlin joins the faculty, teaching a course on overlooked epic moments in history. Cantor Janece Cohen will direct the first Tucson Hebrew… Read more »

Deborah Kaye

Online Jewish education is thriving, and the University of Arizona’s Center for Judaic Studies is part of the trend. As with other online Jewish studies programs, most of the center’s courses will be “blended learning, part in-person and part online,” says Deborah Kaye, Ph.D., a full-time adjunct lecturer at… Read more »

AJP_Gallery Guide 8.15.14… Read more »

On June 25, the Holistic Animal Care Shoppes OutReach program donated 10 gift baskets to the Tucson Police Foundation for the K9 police units. The baskets included organic treats,  dry and canned food, supplements, treatments for sore muscles and cracked pads, a no-leak water bottle and toys. • •… Read more »

The Fourth of July is one of the most stressful and potentially dangerous times of the year for pets. While you and your family, friends and neighbors are celebrating the holiday with fireworks, pets are finding these activities anything but festive. Many pet parents assume that if their pet… Read more »

When I was in elementary school, on occasion I would miss school because of illness. Usually I would be suffering from a sore throat. If I had a fever, my mother would summon the doctor. In those days, the doctor made house calls, and our family doctor would give… Read more »