Writer Dasee Berkowitz’s 4-year-old son, Tamir, prepares to battle the the bad guys — his way of showing courage, which we celebrate at Chanukah. (Courtesey Dasee Berkowitz) My 4-year-old son is obsessed with superheroes, dressing up at every opportunity as the superhero du jour to do battle with the bad guys lurking around the corner. (My 2-year-old daughter is just as enthusiastic, but at her age all she can really muster is a “meanie” face.) From… Read more »
Roast capon with olives makes a great Chanukah dish -- especially for olive lovers. (Ann Stratton) When I married 55 years ago, I knew nothing about cooking. I grew up during war years in Europe when food was not available. So my exposure to food, and particularly traditional food, was nonexistent. After I married, I decided to take cooking classes, first studying with chef Michael… Read more »
Frony Chaima from Malawi, with a heifer her family received from a Heifer International supporter Heifer International is known for practical, philanthropic gift-giving. Since 1944, Heifer’s mission has been to end hunger and poverty through gifts that provide self-reliance. The organization currently offers 30 kinds of livestock, trees, seeds and agricultural training to needy families in 42 countries, including the United States. Donations may… Read more »
With this Chanukah season calling for a Lincoln connection, why not light a Lincoln menorah? (Edmon J. Rodman) LOS ANGELES (JTA) — We need to celebrate a Lincoln Chanukah this year. It’s not because of the new Spielberg movie — that gives us something to do on Christmas Day — but because of the 150th anniversary of a little-known event in American history that threatened to expel… Read more »
Walter Ferguson’s childhood encounter with birds piqued a lifelong interest. Road kill, for most people, is something you try not to look at too closely and leave behind. But for Walter Ferguson these misfortunate animals could be a prized treasure. Ferguson, one of the world’s preeminent wildlife artists, would never wish for a little creature to be maimed. However,… Read more »
High-quality ingredients, local specialties and seasonal cuisine are on tap for new fall menus in Tucson. Everything is “fresh, homemade” at Tavolino Ristorante Italiano, says owner and chef Massimo Tenino. “Coming from Italy, I take for granted that every day we bake fresh bread in our pecan wood-burning oven.”… Read more »
BALTIMORE (JTA) – Every Jewish community wants more Raymonde Fiols among its active retirees. The question is whether those communities are prepared to meet the needs she and hundreds of thousands of “younger seniors” and older ones will have in the near future. Now 76, Fiol has resided in… Read more »
Stephanie Neidermyer, LMFT, in the lobby of the new northwest office of Jewish Family & Children’s Services Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona, a nonprofit agency that offers social and behavioral health services to the Jewish and greater Tucson community, recently opened an office on the Northwest side, at the corner of Oracle and Magee Roads. Shoshana Elkins, vice president of programs and services… Read more »
Wearing a tattered house robe and with a cigarette dangling from her hand, the pregnant woman in a low-income neighborhood opened the door. Would she cut down on smoking now that her first child was on the way, the expectant mother was asked by the visiting nurse? The response:… Read more »
Matt Bycer showing off an etrog from his farm in the backyard of his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., Sept. 20, 2012. (Chavie Lieber) (JTA) — Matt Bycer is like any other 33-year-old attorney who wakes up at the crack of dawn to exercise. Except that rather than sweating to a P90X regimen, Bycer, in a T-shirt, shorts and cowboy hat, lugs 170 buckets of water across his backyard in Scottsdale, Ariz., to… Read more »
...becomes a funky-chic chalkboard lamp Jenni Steinberg Pagano’s fifth grade teacher once declared that she’d be “forever known for her ability to make something out of nothing.” The manager of the 1st Rate 2nd Hand Thrift Store for the past year, Pagano has been making good on that early promise, bringing her UCLA… Read more »
The University of Arizona Pima County Cooperative Extension will offer free master gardener presentations this year at Wilmot-Murphy Library on Wednesdays at 1 p.m and Oro Valley Library on Fridays at 1 p.m. Topics and dates (Oro Valley in parentheses) include the following: Oct. 3 (5): Preparing your vegetable… Read more »
After blotting spills on granite countertops, dry with a soft cloth (StatePoint) — Natural stone is one of the hottest trends in home decor. According to a 2012 survey conducted by Harris Interactive, three-quarters of homeowners who intend to remodel their kitchens in the next two years would like to install granite countertops. “Granite and marble countertops and floors add… Read more »
Meryl Press Volunteers — defined as those “who perform a service willingly and without pay” — are the backbone of many organizations, helping them fulfill and sometimes expand upon their core missions. In this special “Volunteer Salute,” the AJP presents brief snapshots of volunteers from the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona… Read more »
(JTA) — Don’t turn off your phone — it’s not an announcement typically heard as religious services begin. But congregants at a Miami Beach High Holidays service for young adults will be asked to use their cellphones to send text messages to the rabbi during parts of the Rosh… Read more »
Right to left: Jakob Staszevski, Tyson Herberger and Rebecca Herberger at Kalatowki Lodge in southern Poland, Sept. 6, 2012. (Cnaan Liphshiz) ZAKOPANE, Poland (JTA) — In southern Polish woods, an unfamiliar blast alarms hikers and wildlife as it pierces the still of a misty morning. It has been a long time since a shofar echoed in these mountains. At the narrow end of the traditional Jewish horn are the puckered… Read more »
One way to keep things even and even-tempered in your sukkah this holiday and election season. (Edmon J. Rodman) LOS ANGELES (JTA) — In an election year, a sukkah divided against itself cannot stand. Especially in the swing states, where each party is basically claiming that if the other wins we’ll all be living in sukkahs, political dinner conversation this Sukkot could really topple an already shaky house.… Read more »
Gilad Shalit is greeted by cheering crowds as he finally returns to his family home in Mitzpe Hila, Israel after five years in captivity, Oct. 18, 2011. (IDF spokesperson) NEW YORK (JTA) — JTA follows and updates some of the stories on which it reported during 5772. * Skeleton competitor Bradley Chalupski followed through on his plans to make aliyah, moving to Israel from Lake Placid, N.Y., where he had spent two years practicing on the… Read more »
CHICAGO (JUF News) — Ready for a clean slate? We Jews are lucky to get a chance to start over every fall as the shofar sounds a wake-up call in each of our lives. With the changing leaves, the crispness in the air and new Justin Bieber Trapper Keepers… Read more »
Last Yom Kippur, a fasting Brenda Rienhardt sat in the hallway outside her classroom studying for a test while watching online Yom Kippur services on her laptop. “I wanted to keep up with what was going on religiously and not fail my test,” said Rienhardt, 26, a Fort Lauderdale,… Read more »
