Tagged HEADLINES

For Jewish Mormons, hybrid identity seen as no contradiction

The Salt Lake Temple at the world headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Uriel Heilman)
February 24, 2016 / Uriel Heilman, JTA

SALT LAKE CITY (JTA) – Phyllis Miller’s experience growing up in Southern California wasn’t much different from that of many American Jews. The product of an intermarriage — her mother wasn’t Jewish but later converted — Miller’s family attended synagogue occasionally, kept the kids home from school on the High… Read more »

AJP 70th anniversary
February 18, 2016 /
Marcie Sutland drew this illustration in 1966, highlighting the Tucson Jewish community’s annual fundraising campaign and its volunteer leaders.

View the special 70th anniversary section here: Page 16  Page 17 Page 18  Page 19 Page 20  Page 21 Page 22  Page 23 Page 24  Page 25 Page 26  Page 27 Page 28  Page 29… Read more »

Eternal light not just symbol of God’s presence
February 18, 2016 / Rabbi Helen T. Cohn
Rabbi Helen T. Cohn

A key feature of a synagogue tour is the ner tamid, the eternal light. We explain to people unfamiliar with synagogue symbolism that the light represents God’s eternal presence. But is it that simple? The Torah describes in detail the menorah, the seven-branched lamp stand, which was one of… Read more »

OP-ED Crossing the line: When criticism of Israel becomes anti-Semitic
February 17, 2016 /

In the wake of a protest against a reception featuring an Israeli community group at a recent LGBTQ conference, there has been widespread controversy. We have read blog posts and articles, watched videos of the protest, and heard from friends and allies who were present at the demonstration. Yet, what was… Read more »

Nevada Jewish vote in question due to Shabbat date, caucus confusion

Volunteers working the phones at a suburban Las Vegas office of the Hillary Clinton campaign while watching a debate between Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, Feb. 11, 2016. (Ron Kampeas)
February 17, 2016 / Ron Kampeas, JTA

LAS VEGAS (JTA) – Jewish voters in Nevada suffer the same affliction as anyone else ahead of caucuses in the presidential race: No one is quite sure how the damn system works. “A big part of what we do is to educate people about what a caucus is,” said… Read more »

Jewish leaders remember the unforgettable Justice Antonin Scalia

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia speaks at Agudath Israel's annual dinner at the New York Hilton, June 1, 2008. (Menachem Adelman)
February 16, 2016 / Ron Kampeas, JTA

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Justice Antonin Scalia was a larger-than-life presence on the Supreme Court, where he championed a conservative judicial approach for three decades. He was found dead on Saturday at a resort in West Texas at the age of 79. Scalia‘s outsize personality left an impression off the bench,… Read more »

Here’s a look at Justice Scalia’s Jewy moments

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia addresses the Legal Services Corp.'s 40th anniversary conference luncheon in Washington, D.C., Sept. 15, 2014. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
February 16, 2016 / Ron Kampeas, JTA

WASHINGTON (JTA) — It’s a matter of dispute as to whether Antonin Scalia, who died Saturday, was the Supreme Court’s most conservative jurist. Some think Clarence Thomas deserves the title, while others say Samuel Alito may soon claim it. Scalia was, however, the conservative jurist likeliest to stir passions… Read more »

How Justice Scalia’s death impacts 6 cases that matter to Jews

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia waits to be introduced to speak at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., Oct. 2, 2012. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
February 16, 2016 / Ron Kampeas, JTA

(JTA) — With the sudden passing this weekend of Justice Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court is now split 4-4 between liberals and conservatives, throwing into doubt how the court will rule on a raft of cases — including several watched by Jewish organizations. Scalia, who was 79, is being… Read more »

At kosher ski restaurant in Park City, an avalanche of challenges

Park City Mountain in Utah, where America's only kosher slopeside restaurant is located, is also the nation's largest ski area, at 7,300 acres. (Uriel Heilman)
February 15, 2016 / Uriel Heilman, JTA

PARK CITY, Utah (JTA) – Laurent Masliah likes wine as much as the next Frenchman. But that’s not why he bought up every last bottle of kosher wine in the state of Utah and is desperately angling for more. Masliah is the general manager of Prime at Canyons, the… Read more »

Hummus in Hanoi: Israeli chef brings Middle Eastern cuisine to Vietnam

At Daluva, bún chả — a traditional Vietnamese dish of grilled pork and noodles — is made with falafel. (Courtesy of Daluva)
February 15, 2016 / Mike Ives, JTA

HANOI, Vietnam (JTA) — Shahar Lubin earned his culinary chops in Israel and, later the United States, cooking his way through more than 20 restaurants, starting at the age of 16. Still, it was a leap when he moved to Vietnam and opened a restaurant of his own. “I… Read more »

Kahane’s widow: Jewish extremists ‘have nothing to do with’ Kahane’s ideology

Libby Kahane, wife of the slain extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane, now has a grandson in prison for heading an extremist group. (Courtesy of Libby Kahane)
February 14, 2016 / Ben Sales, JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) – Her husband was assassinated and her grandson is in prison. But Libby Kahane, widow of the late far-right Rabbi Meir Kahane, has remained faithful to her husband’s ideology. She repeats his call for Israel to expel its Arab population. She believes the Israeli left, Jewish media… Read more »

At Utah’s on-slope Shabbat service, ski boots required

An Israeli flag is posted at Deer Valley's Sunset Cabin every Friday afternoon to alert skiers to the weekly Kabbalat Shabbat service. (Uriel Heilman)
February 12, 2016 / Uriel Heilman, JTA

PARK CITY, Utah (JTA) – It may be the most elevated Shabbat service in the country, and not just because of the spirited singing. Held in a rustic cabin in the woods off a ski slope at Deer Valley resort, the service is situated at about 8,800 feet above sea level,… Read more »

Op-Ed: I’m not your mitzvah project

Comedian and inclusion advocate Pamela Schuller (Courtesy of Pamela Schuller)
February 12, 2016 / Pamela Rae Schuller, JTA

(JTA) — I have Tourette syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary movements and noises called “tics.” My Tourette’s is relatively mild at this point, but I went through a turbulent adolescence when Tourette’s was the most defining thing about me. Between the constant movements and the loud, uncontrollable… Read more »

See how teen pals found each other some 50 years later

David Bak, alongside the 1932 Chevrolet Model A he restored, reconnected with a friend he worked with at a Haifa auto repair shop in the late 1960s. (Courtesy of David Bak)
February 10, 2016 / Hillel Kuttler, JTA

SEEKING KIN The “Seeking Kin” column aims to help reunite long-lost relatives and friends. (JTA) – As a librarian, Oren Kaplan researches obscure facts and utilizes databases to track down information. So when the Haifa resident read a recent “Seeking Kin” column about someone in his city, Menahem Orenstein,… Read more »

Op-Ed: Kotel compromise shows Israelis know they need American Jews

Jewish worshippers draped in prayer shawls performing the annual priestly blessing during Sukkot at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Sept. 30, 2015. (Gil Cohen/AFP/Getty Images)
February 5, 2016 / Jay Ruderman, JTA

(JTA) — The relationship between Israel and American Jews is a complicated mix of good news and bad news, and this week’s government compromise on the Western Wall, or Kotel, is a case in point: It’s a step forward in providing access for non-Orthodox Jews, but may also reinforce… Read more »

JFSA Young Leadership plans Party Royale
February 5, 2016 /

Young Leadership of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona will hold its fifth annual Hava Tequila event, “Party Royale,” on Saturday, Feb. 20 beginning at 8 p.m. at Playground, 278 E. Congress St. The James Bond-themed event for ages 21 and over will include hors d’ouevres, drinks, a DJ… Read more »