Tagged HEADLINES

Marvin Glassberg dies of Covid pneumonia at 84

Marvin Glassberg, 84, died Dec. 31, 2020 at Peppi’s House Hospice in Tucson from Covid pneumonia, surrounded virtually by his loving family. Born in Spring Valley, New York, he moved to Tucson with his parents, and graduated from Tucson High School and the University of Arizona. He had a… Read more »

Retired shoe store owner Sid Hirsh, 90, dies

Sidney Hirsh, 90, died Dec. 9, 2020. Sid was born Aug. 22, 1930 in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, to Rose and David Hirsh. David owned a successful shoe store, The Bootery. For health reasons, the family moved to Tucson in 1944. After graduating from Tucson High, Sid attended the University of… Read more »

Dr. Lee Robinson Chutkow, 93, dies

Dr. Lee Robinson Chutkow, 93, died Nov. 30, 2020. In no specific order, Lee loved classical music, Shakespeare’s writings, Shabbat morning services, and chocolate ice cream. He was a lifelong learner and his desire for knowledge did not lessen with age. Barnes & Noble bookstore was his “Disneyland” and… Read more »

Amplifying Voices will continue with virtual civil rights tour

T. Marie King

Amplifying Voices, a six-part virtual series, provides an opportunity to explore the intersectional relationship between the Black and Jewish communities. Launched in October by the Tucson Jewish Community Center and a group of community partners, it will continue on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 4 p.m. with session five, “Learning the Land,… Read more »

Nominate a teen for a $36K leadership award

The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards are now accepting applications. Up to 15 Jewish teens will be awarded $36,000 each. The Diller Family Foundation, which presents the awards, seeks teens who show “significant initiative and leadership in creating and leading a new initiative – or have considerably deepened or… Read more »

Tucson J to hold Red Cross blood drives

The Red Cross is in critical need of blood donations. The Tucson Jewish Community Center will hold a blood drive in it is north parking lot (next to Tucson Hebrew Academy) on Wednesday, Dec. 30, from 8-2 p.m. Blood donations help patients of all ages: accident and burn victims,… Read more »

In 30th year, Tucson International Jewish Film Festival turns to streaming

Ben Schwartz (left) and Billy Crystal in a scene from 'Standing Up, Falling Down'

The Tucson International Jewish Film Festival is celebrating its 30th anniversary with an abundance of films to stream. “While many things have changed, the power of film to bring us together has not,” Film Festival Co-chairs Cookie Little and Donna Dennison write on the festival’s welcome page. Using the… Read more »

Jewish Federation, Foundation help address mounting problem of food insecurity in Southern Arizona

Community Food Bank team members provide food supplies in the drive-up emergency food distribution operation that runs Tuesdays and Thursdays at Kino Sports Complex. (Photo courtesy Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona)

It has been a long time since the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson has hosted more than a thousand cars on a regular basis. Yet that has been the scene many Tuesday and Thursday mornings in recent months as vehicles of all types, their occupants representing the diversity of… Read more »

Davis leaving Tucson’s Jewish History Museum to lead Baltimore museum

Sol Davis talks to middle school students from the Paulo Freire Freedom School at the Holocaust History Center in May 2018. (Photo courtesy Jewish History Museum)

As director of Tucson’s Jewish History Museum/Holocaust History Center for the past five years, Sol Davis, Ph.D., helped expand the possibilities for Jewish museums nationwide. “He took this idea and transformed it into a living testament of what a museum should be, which is not a place to store… Read more »

David Wolsky, 66, dies

David Irwin Wolsky, 66, died suddenly on Sunday, September 27, 2020. David was born July 13, 1954 in Chicago, where he lived until moving to Tucson with his family in 1994. He embraced life in Tucson and developed many close friendships as well as a love for bike riding… Read more »

Havah Haskell, DVM, dies at age 47

Havah Beth Haskell, DVM, 47, died Nov. 1, 2020 at age 47 after coping with breast cancer since early 2019. Havah was born on June 27, 1973 in Philadelphia to her parents, Andrea Haskell and Albert Roy Morgan. Havah was raised by her mother and stepfathers in Vista, California,… Read more »

Rabbi’s Corner: It is up to us to repair the earth

Rabbi Helen T. Cohn

I’ve been thinking about rain lately, and noticing the lack of it.  Tucson had a big monsoon several months ago which revealed a slight leak in our roof. We think the leak was fixed, and I’ve been waiting ever since for another big rain to confirm that, but a… Read more »

AJP wins two Arizona Newspapers Association Awards

ana-awards-2020The Arizona Jewish Post’s “Voices of hope: The ongoing legacy of the Holocaust” won a first place Arizona Newspapers Association Award for Best Sustained Coverage or Series.

The Arizona Jewish Post won two awards in the Arizona Newspapers Association’s 2020 competition. This year’s ANA awards were announced via Facebook Live on Oct. 15. The AJP received a first place award in the Best Sustained Coverage or Series category for “Voices of Hope: The ongoing legacy of… Read more »

Beth Shalom Temple Center holds outdoor Simchat Torah celebration

Cliff-S-and-Rabbi-Roman-Beth-ShalomCliff Shekter (left) assists Rabbi Norman T. Roman during Beth Shalom Temple Center of Green Valley’s Simchat Torah service on Oct. 11. (Photo courtesy Beth Shalom Temple Center)

Rabbi Norman T. Roman and about 30 congregants of Beth Shalom Temple Center of Green Valley gathered Sunday, Oct. 11, to celebrate Simchat Torah. For the sake of safety as the coronavirus pandemic continues, the service was held outside the synagogue. Everyone wore masks, kept a respectable distance, and… Read more »

Strategic planning moving forward for Southern Arizona Jewish community

stretigic-planning-oct2020The Jewish Federation and Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona strategic planning process has included interviews, surveys, and Zoom meetings with members of the local community to identify core values. One such value is ‘mobilizing loving-kindness,’ and one way to put this value into action is by caring for priority populations, such as seniors, says JFSA/JCF CEO Graham Hoffman. (AJP file photo)

Despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, the Jewish Federation and Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona have been moving ahead with the strategic planning process known as “2020 and Beyond: Reimagining Jewish Life in Southern Arizona” and will soon share a road map outlining the path ahead.… Read more »

Volunteers make a difference for local Jewish agencies

Suzanne Baron HelmingSuzanne Baron Helming

Jewish community agencies honored volunteers with special recognition awards as part of the Community Awards Celebration & Annual Meeting 2020 that the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona hosted last month on Zoom. Here, the agencies offer a closer look at these dedicated lay leaders. University of Arizona Hillel Foundation… Read more »

Amplifying Voices series to examine junction of Black and Jewish identity, community

(L-R) Professors Marc Dollinger, Jerome Dotson, and Gil Ribak will kick off the Amplifying Voices series with a Zoom discussion of Dollinger’s book, “Black Power, Jewish Politics” on Oct. 18.

This month, the Tucson Jewish Community Center will launch Amplifying Voices, a six-part virtual series designed to help explore the intersectional relationship between Black and Jewish identity and community. The series will begin Oct. 18 at 4 p.m. with Professors Marc Dollinger of San Francisco State University and Jerome… Read more »