Special Sections

Handmaker resident Barbara Shore: Feminist with an eye on history

Barbara Shore and her daughter Deborah Shore participate in a project at Handmaker during the Israeli Artists Exchange in February. (Photo: Lori Riegel)

Coming from a Jewish family that valued education propelled Barbara Shore, now 91, into academia. Becoming a feminist happened along the way. Her husband, Jack Shore, whom she married in 1942, was instrumental in that progression. “We didn’t call it then,” Shore told the AJP in her apartment… Read more »

Why kosher cooking is good for the soul

NEW YORK (JTA) — Cooking has been a passion for me, and passing on my knowledge and experience to a new kosher audience one of my greatest joys. When my two earlier books were published — “Kosher Cuisine” and “Helen Nash’s Kosher Kitchen” — that joy was mingled with… Read more »

Teshuvah and Penn State: the sin of rushing to judgment

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (JTA) — In our busy lives, there are lots of decisions to make. Though we know that quick judgments made without all the facts can be faulty, we do not have the time to dwell on each decision, and we learn to live with a kind… Read more »

Looking back at the highlights of 5772

NEW YORK (JTA) — The following is a review of the news highlights of the Jewish year 5772. September 2011 An Egyptian mob breaks into the Israeli Embassy in Cairo and Israeli personnel are stuck inside for hours until Egyptian commandos arrive at the scene. Israeli Air Force jets… Read more »

Putting the high back into the High Holidays

BOULDER, Colo. (JTA) — For many of us, let’s face it, the upcoming High Holidays will be anything but a high. Oh, we’ll pack every pew in the synagogues, dressed in our holiday best. We’ll be there for hours, rising when told to, sinking thankfully back into our seats,… Read more »

Sign of the times: Menu inspired by ‘simanim’ brings meaning to Rosh Hashanah meal

In this honey chicken recipe, the olive oil, soy sauce, garlic and pepper temper the honey perfectly. (Stuart Schnee)

(JTA) — So this is where it all comes together — all the thought, all the planning, the testing. And the tasting, the tasting and the tasting. (That’s the best part). A simanim-inspired menu brings added challenges, but also adds a level of meaning to your Rosh Hashanah meal. … Read more »

Health and wellness, food and hunger issues spur B’nai Mitzvah projects

Gavin Cohen with his cousin, Trinity Hungerford

Every year dozens of Tucson teens who turn 13 choose a cause to support — through deeds, funds or both — as they prepare for the ceremonies and celebrations that mark their coming of age as B’nai Mitzvah. These mitzvah projects, as they’ve come to be known, assist a… Read more »

Presumptuous JDate suitor is ‘the one’

Rebecca Light and Joshua Wertlieb

Rebecca Sara Light, daughter of Marcia and Ken Light of Tucson, and Joshua Michael Wertlieb, son of Dr. Donald Wert­lieb and Lorre Polinger of West Newton, Mass., were married May 20, 2012 at the Phoenix Art Museum. Rabbi Steven Foster of Denver, Colo., a family friend, officiated. The matron… Read more »

Alexis Sokoloff: Local Bat Mitzvah celebrant rises above special needs

Alexis Sokoloff holds the Torah at her Bat Mitzvah ceremony (Courtesy Gwen Sokolof)

Fourteen-year-old Alexis Sokoloff smiles as she recalls her Bat Mitzvah on June 9. “I wasn’t nervous at all,” she told the AJP. “I really love learning Hebrew.” Sokoloff was born with Down syndrome, but with the support of her parents, Gwen and Mitchell Sokoloff, and her younger sister, Rebecka,… Read more »

For local man, giving blood means giving back

Paul Adler

On their 1964 honeymoon, Paul Adler and his bride, Clarise, went to Portuguese East Africa from Johannesburg, South Africa, where they met and courted. On that trip, “there was the usual fighting between two tribes,” says Adler. “I had a bit of a flu and went to the hospital.… Read more »

Israeli spinning his wheels for cancer research

Tom Peled, founder of “Bike for the Fight,” with Israeli President Shimon Peres (Courtesy Tom Peled)

Tom Peled has a goal: Livestrong for the Jewish world. The Israeli is finding inspiration in biking champion Lance Armstrong’s cancer awareness organization as he prepares for a 3,000-mile bike trek across the United States to raise money for his own Bike for the Fight to support cancer research… Read more »

New FDA sunscreen rules simplify label language

HOUSTON — Sunscreen labels can be confusing or misleading. Dermatologists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center applaud new U.S. Food and Drug Administration label changes that help consumers understand exactly what they’re buying. Starting this month, sunscreen makers will be required to use labels with simpler… Read more »

Tucsonan keeps high spirits — and hair — despite cancer

Pam Bridgmon adjusts a cold cap, which reduces hair loss following chemotherapy, on Sharon Arkin. (Sheila Wilensky)

Tucsonan Sharon Arkin, 72, leads an energetic life — and she has no intention of letting cancer set any limits. After missing her annual gynecological exam and Pap smear in 2011, she went in January. An examination by her doctor discovered cancer cells, or a thickening in the walls… Read more »

Local day camps promote science, fitness, leadership — and love of Judaism

Jane Hiller (left) enjoys a creative movement class at Congregation Anshei Israel’s summer camp.

Seeking an enriching day camp environment for your kids this summer? Tucson offers several Jewish day camp options. Congregation Anshei Israel’s summer camp, which serves children ages 2-6, runs through July 27. Along with water play, arts and crafts, songs and stories, the camp offers two areas of special… Read more »

Israeli microbiologist still inventing after all these years

Nathan Citri

At 91, professor Nathan Citri offers no advice on how to achieve longevity. That he’s made it this far — with a mind so sharp he is still inventing innovative medical diagnostic kits — may be thanks to long walks or good genes. He cannot know for sure, since… Read more »

Resident finds new zest for life at Handmaker: ‘I’ve never been happier’

Brian Litwak

Brian Litwak, 75, has gone through life coping with poor health. Nine years ago, following quadruple bypass surgery and suffering from diabetes, he came from Los Angeles to Handmaker Services for the Aging, brought here by his younger brother. “No one told me I was supposed to die,” says… Read more »

Practical steps to curb Alzheimer’s symptoms

Alzheimer’s disease is a dreaded brain disease that afflicts an estimated 5 million Americans — mostly people over 65 — and half of people over 85. Feared more than cancer by most people, Alzheimer’s disease is expected to increase exponentially as the baby boomer generation swells the ranks of… Read more »

Arbor Day Foundation tree booklet available

For a $3 donation, the Arbor Day Foundation is offering a booklet, “Conservation Trees,” designed to help people plant and care for trees. “Conservation Trees” features illustrations, color photos and simple descriptions. “This is an ideal resource for tree planters throughout the country,” said John Rosenow, chief executive and… Read more »

Book spins yarns on fabric crafts

The world of Jewish fabric crafts is explored in a new book, “Jewish Threads: A Hands-On Guide to Stitching Spiritual Intention into Jewish Fabric Crafts” (Jewish Lights Publishing). The book presents 30 projects created by artisans from the United States and Israel. Some of the crafts presented, such as… Read more »

Craft devotee bringing Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework to Tucson

Afikomen bag

Photographs can’t do justice to the exquisite stitchery on the table linens, wall hangings and other objects Tucsonan Barbara Esmond has created over the years as a member of The Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework. The group is named for the fruit that is one of the “seven species”… Read more »