Tagged FRONT

Is it Islamophobic to oppose the mosque next door? London Jews debate the question.

A Jewish man walking in London's Golders Green neighborhood, which is home to a large Jewish population, Sept. 23, 2015. (Tony Margiocchi/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
October 18, 2017 / Cnaan Liphshiz, JTA

(JTA) — A plan to open a mosque in a heavily Jewish area of London is dividing British Jews, with some calling the development worrisome and others accusing its opponents of racism. The Islamic center is slated to open next month at the Hippodrome, a former concert hall in the heart… Read more »

Richard Spencer will soon speak at the university with the largest Jewish student body in the US

White supremacist leader Richard Spencer, center, and supporters clashing with police after the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Va., was declared unlawful, Aug. 12, 2017. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
October 18, 2017 / Josefin Dolsten, JTA

(JTA) — The University of Florida, home to the largest Jewish student body in the country, is bracing for an upcoming speech on campus by white supremacist leader Richard Spencer. Only six weeks after Hurricane Irma wrought destruction in Florida, Gov. Rick Scott declared another state of emergency, this… Read more »

OP-ED How to get more women speakers at big Jewish events

The General Assembly is one of the largest annual gatherings of the organized Jewish world. (Jewish Federations of North America)
October 11, 2017 / Esther D. Kustanowitz, JTA

LOS ANGELES (JTA) — In November, the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America is coming to Los Angeles for the first time since it became my home city in 2008. Over the course of my Jewish professional life, I have eagerly attended at least six General Assemblies,… Read more »

To save Yiddish theater, these Romanian actors abandoned their home

Nicolae Botezatu, sitting, with the rest of the cast of Romania's Jewish State Theater last year. (Courtesy of Jewish State Theater)
October 11, 2017 / Cnaan Liphshiz, JTA

BUCHAREST, Romania (JTA) — When the roof of the Jewish State Theater collapsed during a 2014 snowstorm, its director reluctantly knew it was finally time to abandon the century-old building in this capital city. Maia Morgenstern did not take the decision lightly. Following years of neglect by authorities, the Bucharest Jewish… Read more »

‘Stumbling stone’ gives family overdue closure

Tucsonan Bertie Levkowitz-Herz speaks at the installation of a ‘stumbling stone’ honoring her uncle in Groningen, the Netherlands, Aug. 6. (Photo courtesy Bertie Levkowitz-Herz)
October 6, 2017 / David J. Del Grande, AJP Staff Writer

Active remembrance can provide an alternative to warfare, and taking pause to acknowledge as well as consider human tragedies may force us to search for peaceful means, says Bertie Levkowitz-Herz.    “You only have losers with war, and killing makes no sense,” she says. “There’s got to be another… Read more »

‘Courage to Sparkle’ to welcome JFSA women

Lois Barth
October 6, 2017 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Executive Editor

“Courage to Sparkle: Creating a Life That Lights You Up” is the theme for the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Women’s Philanthropy annual welcome event, which will be held Wednesday, Oct. 18, at the Harvey and Deanna Evenchik Center for Philanthropy, the new home of the Federation and Jewish… Read more »

Local teens bring passion, talent and caring to b’nai mitzvah projects

David Jurkowitz plays piano for residents of Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging on Sept. 22. [Courtesy Lisa Jurkowitz)
October 6, 2017 / Kaye Patchett, Special to the AJP

For Jewish teens, a bar or bat mitzvah project is an opportunity to learn more about their responsibilities as Jewish adults. It’s a  hands-on way to learn the meaning of tikkun olam (repairing the world), and serve the community in personally meaningful ways. Several Tucson Jewish teens shared with… Read more »

With America’s blessing, Abbas signals a reconciliation with Hamas

President Donald Trump and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, May 23, 2017. (Flash90)
October 3, 2017 / Ron Kampeas, JTA

  WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Trump administration is encouraging the Palestinian Authority to assume control of the Gaza Strip and leaving the door open for a role by Hamas in the subsequent Palestinian government. But if such a move was once seen as a traditional predicate to a two-state… Read more »

Barcelona chaos had this Israeli reporter-turned-lawmaker dodging bullets

Police dispersing a crowd in Sant Julia de Ramis, Spain, Oct. 1, 2017. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
October 2, 2017 / Cnaan Liphshiz, JTA

(JTA) — Seeing armed police in riot gear outside a school in Barcelona, the Israeli lawmaker Ksenia Svetlova felt the instincts kick in from her days as a Middle East reporter for Russian-language media. “One look was enough to see these officers were preparing for something bad,” said Svetlova, a… Read more »

An Israeli trauma expert predicted a Las Vegas attack three years ago

Dr. Avi Rivkind. in scrubs, cares for an injured person. Rivkind has pioneered treatments for terror victims based on his experience in Israel. (Courtesy of Hadassah Medical Center)
October 2, 2017 / Ben Sales, JTA

(JTA) — When Dr. Avi Rivkind landed in Las Vegas three years ago to lecture as a trauma care expert, he saw something that troubled him. The airport, McCarran International, felt too open, almost exposed. He felt no less comfortable on the city’s Strip while watching crowds flow from… Read more »

Mark Feuerstein dishes on his very Jewy new sitcom, ‘9JKL’

Mark Feuerstein as Josh, Liza Lapira as Eve, David Walton as Andrew, Linda Lavin as Judy and Elliott Gould as Harry in a scene from "9JKL." (Cliff Lipson/CBS Broadcasting Inc.)
October 1, 2017 / Cindy Sher, JUF News via JTA

  CHICAGO (JUF News via JTA) — A grown man moves into a New York apartment sandwiched between his meddlesome, boundary-less parents on one side and his brother, wife and their newborn baby on the other. Sounds kind of like a sitcom, right? It is. But the premise also happens to… Read more »

Five key takeaways from a new survey about Modern Orthodox Jews

Children sitting at the Park East Synagogue, a Modern Orthodox congregation in New York City, March 3, 2017. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
October 1, 2017 / Ben Sales, JTA

  NEW YORK (JTA) — The Orthodox Jewish world is even more fragmented than you think. That’s the key takeaway from a study published Thursday of Modern Orthodox Jews in the U.S., a group that adheres to traditional Jewish law while engaging with the secular world. Some of them think women… Read more »

Robotic arm system puts Tucson surgeon on the cutting edge

Russell Cohen, M.D., with Stryker’s Mako robotic-arm assisted surgery system (Courtesy Stryker)
September 22, 2017 / Kaye Patchett, Special to the AJP

People are living longer than ever before — but living with a painful joint can restrict daily activities and decimate quality of life. In the 1950s, few retirees lived beyond their mid-60s, but today the average length of retirement is 18 years. During that time, joints often degenerate. As… Read more »

UA telehealth pioneer sees program thriving

Dr. Ronald S. Weinstein demonstrates telepathology during a teaching session at the University of Arizona.
September 22, 2017 / David J. Del Grande, AJP Staff Writer

When it comes to healthcare in rural areas, the overarching question is how to level the playing field between geographically isolated healthcare facilities and their urban counterparts, says Ronald S. Weinstein, director of the Arizona Telemedicine Program at the University of Arizona. That’s exactly why the Arizona Telemedicine Program… Read more »

Brandeis gears up for annual used book sale

Meg Sivitz and Rachel Barker, Brandeis Tucson chapter vice presidents, prepare for the Brandeis Book Bonanza to be held at the Foothills Mall next month. (Courtesy Meg Sivitz)
September 22, 2017 /

The Tucson chapter of the Brandeis National Committee will hold its annual used book sale, dubbed the “Brandeis Book Bonanza,” next month, beginning with a preview night on Thursday, Oct. 5 from 5-9 p.m. The book fair will be open for two weekends during mall hours, Oct. 6-9 and… Read more »

Federations create hurricane relief fund

Rescue workers and volunteers help residents make their way out of a flooded neighborhood in Houston following Hurricane Harvey, Aug. 29, 2017. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
September 22, 2017 /

The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona is joining with the Jewish Federations of North America to help the victims of Hurricane Irma, which battered the Caribbean and the eastern United States earlier this month. At least 42 people in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina have died as a result… Read more »

THA Passport2Peace teaches kids importance of giving

Tucson Hebrew Academy students make cards for kids at local children's organizations during THA's annual Passport2Peace fundraiser benefiting local charities, Sept. 18. (David J. Del Grande/AJP)
September 22, 2017 / David J. Del Grande, AJP Staff Writer

On Monday, Tucson Hebrew Academy held its annual “Passport2Peace” fundraising event, which educates students about local charitable organizations and allows them to donate funds to their favorite charities. Informational booths are set up throughout THA’s courtyard. Professional or student liaisons explain how the charities help the community. When the… Read more »

Why Obama’s former speechwriter calls him the most Jewish president ever

David Litt, center, with President Obama and actor Keegan-Michael Key at the White House. (Courtesy of Litt)
September 20, 2017 / Gabe Friedman, JTA

(JTA) — He was just 24, but speechwriter David Litt had already become President Barack Obama’s go-to guy for anything considered “kishke-related.” In Litt’s parlance, that meant he wrote the president’s speeches aiming to connect with Jewish Americans on a gut level — things like holiday and anniversary commemorations,… Read more »