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 »
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 »
(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 »
A week before Yom Kippur 1973, I moved from Hazerim air force base to Jerusalem to study history at Hebrew University. Yet it was life, not university, which actually taught me a history lesson. Early in the morning of Yom Kippur, I woke up amid the half-opened boxes to… Read more »
NEW YORK (JTA) — Sukkot is a wonderful time of year to incorporate seasonal ingredients into your cooking. One of my most important rules for cooking and eating is to use what is best and freshest in the market — fish, vegetables, fruit and meat. The better your ingredients,… Read more »
LOS ANGELES (JTA) — In open opposition to Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), which tells us on Sukkot “there is nothing new under the sun,” I decided to build a solar sukkah this fall. To energize my plan, I went to the 99 Cent Store to buy some solar yard lights to… Read more »
A deep spiritual life is hard to find. While opportunities abound for spiritual connections (yoga, meditation, retreats and the like), for most of us it doesn’t come easy. The noise, unfinished to-do lists and the distractions of everyday life interfere with quieting our minds, letting go of our egos… Read more »
Ruth Messinger NEW YORK (JTA) — Each year when I sit in synagogue during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, I’m struck by the complex stories we read about biblical women and by the wisdom these stories offer about ensuring the dignity of women and girls today. The past year was one… Read more »
