Tagged Covid-19

Amid pandemic, Project Isaiah and Mitzvah Magic continue to help needy Tucsonans

Community Food Bank team members load provide food supplies at the emergency food distribution center it operated at Kino Sports Complex for nine months. On Jan. 7, the food bank moved drive-up distribution to its building at 3003 S. Country Club Road. Project Isaiah, the Jewish community's annual anti-hunger campaign, benefits the Community Food Bank. (Photo courtesy Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona)

Through Project Isaiah and Mitzvah Magic, two longstanding programs organized by the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and community partners, members of the Tucson Jewish community have helped put food on the table and meet other needs for local families this fall, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.… Read more »

Tucson Jewish community members honored among 40 Under 40

Melissa Zimmerman

Melissa Zimmerman, LMSW, CCTP, BHP, vice president of clinical services at Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona; Isaac Rothschild, a managing partner at Mesch Clark Rothschild; and Robin Glicksman, DBH, LMSW, chief clinical officer at Escalera Health, are among those honored recently as “40 Under 40” by… Read more »

Arthur Rotstein

Arthur H. Rotstein, 74, a longtime journalist who was passionate about the pursuit of truth and freedom of the press, died July 20, 2020 of COVID-19. Mr. Rotstein was a Chicago native who earned his undergraduate degree in journalism at the University of Missouri and his master’s in journalism… Read more »

Gratitude: an antidote to emotional distancing

Amy Hirshberg Lederman

Since March of this year, we have been forced to reassess and restructure how we think about and interact with the world. From empty calendars and stockpiled closets to work, family, and social lives that resemble nothing we have ever known, we bear witness to living in a COVID-19… Read more »

Online programs aid Southern Arizona community connections

synagogues and Jewish agencies offer an assortment of virtual engagement programs for long summer days spent sheltering from the heat and the coronavirus. The list below includes some items that have crossed our desks recently but it is by no means exhaustive; check with other local organizations for additional… Read more »

Deluged by pandemic needs, Israeli doctors get help from unlikely source: robots

Surgeons doing knee surgery at Hadassah hospital's Mount Scopus campus use the ROSA robot, made possible with a grant from USAID's Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad. (Gurion Rivkin)

JERUSALEM — Orthopedic surgeons at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center on Mount Scopus recently welcomed a newcomer to their team. She’s incredibly efficient, never needs a coffee break, doesn’t complain about the long hours and isn’t worried about catching COVID-19. That’s because she’s a robot. Called ROSA, short for Robotic… Read more »

COC, J partner to house program for those with developmental disabilities

Kendall, with his advocate Barb Otrovsky, made a boat that won a recent Taglit regatta. (Courtesy Congregation Or Chadash)

Khylie Gardner, communications director at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, says that when the Jewish community comes together, “something amazing happens. Our collective values guide us to uplift one another, helping us to create relationships that are deeply cherished and that work for the good of our entire community… Read more »

Partnerships help Jewish History Museum thrive in digital space

Tucson’s Jewish History Museum closed its doors this spring to maintain physical distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, but the staff has been busy forging new partnerships to help it grow its offerings and its audience in the digital world. “In a time of constricted resources, the Jewish History Museum is… Read more »

Amid pandemic, Jewish groups get creative for Shavuot festivities

Health care staff at Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital participate in the Days of Gratitude project, holding up signs in Hebrew and Arabic reading "Thank you for taking care of yourself," "Thank you for coming to work" and Thank you for your dedication." (Courtesy of M2)

When Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg’s husband, Dave Goldberg, died suddenly during a 2015 vacation to Mexico, Sandberg found solace in Jewish tradition. “One of the ways you find strength is to remember what is still good in your life,” Sandberg said. During the coronavirus crisis, actress, scientist and author… Read more »

Senate legislation would expand COVID-19 projects with Israel to lessen dependence on China

(JTA) — The Senate has introduced legislation to enhance partnerships between American and Israeli companies on COVID-19 projects, thus lessening U.S. dependence on China for life-saving medications and treatments. The bipartisan legislation was introduced on Wednesday as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on a whirlwind eight-hour visit to Israel, criticized… Read more »

COVID-19 antibody testing slots available in Pima County

The University of Arizona – State of Arizona’s COVID-19 antibody testing initiative has additional testing slots now available in Pima County for health care workers, first responders, and members of the general public.  The testing will determine if an individual has developed antibodies against the virus that causes COVID-19.… Read more »

Video chats help local senior living facility residents stay connected during pandemic

Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging Community Outreach Coordinator Nanci Levy facilitates a recent video chat for resident Tony Eichorn. {Angela Salmon/Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging)

Senior living facilities in Southern Arizona and all across the country have been on lockdown for several weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, with non-essential visitors not allowed. “This means no family and friends, and it also means no exercise teachers, musical performers, Shabbat service leaders, lecturers, Torah study… Read more »

B’nai B’rith homes seek DVDs, art supplies

B’nai B’rith Strauss Manor requests donations of DVDs/Blu-Rays and art supplies to occupy residents during the coronavirus pandemic. The Gerd and Inge Strauss Manor is a federally assisted multi-family senior housing project with 81 apartments. “I’ve started a library where residents can check out movies,” says Luz E. Gallego, Strauss… Read more »