Tagged HEADLINES

Concierge seeks to rekindle Jewish artists group

Southern Arizona’s Jewish Artist Group seeks new members for its monthly meetings, says group coordinator Carol Sack, the Jewish Tucson concierge. The informal meetings offer an opportunity for artists who often work alone to network and connect with other area artists. The free meetings include coffee and noshes. The… Read more »

Kindness, generosity, and caring: Celebrating our past in pursuit of our future

Graham Hoffman

Traditionally, Rosh Hashanah is viewed as the birthday of the world. We find ourselves now, in the days beforehand, at the culmination of the month of Elul, a time when we, both individually and collectively, take account of the year that has passed and look ahead, celebrating the opportunity… Read more »

Unveiling reveals more than a headstone

Harold Hirshberg’s great-grandsons painted rocks for friends and family to leave on his headstone. (Photo courtesy AMY HIRSHBERG Lederman)

We gathered together in the warm September sun at my father’s gravesite, just 10 days shy of a year since he died. It was the coming together of the family clan, the manifestation of four generations of the legacy that this almost 100-year-old man had inspired. But the unveiling… Read more »

Easy or not, it’s all about participation

Inbal Shtivi, Tucson’s shlicha, votes in the Israeli election at the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles, Sept. 5. (Courtesy Inbal Shtivi)

The dark I-10 road of the Arizona desert was never-ending. Hours and hours of driving, passing dozens of trailer trucks, with both kids sleeping in their seats. Me and my husband, Eran, perfectly awake, fully aware to the dangers of this night ride. We were listening to music downloaded… Read more »

Wandering from the path: A law of return

Rabbi Israel Becker

As Rosh Hashanah approaches and we take stock of our own spiritual lives, it certainly behooves us to dedicate ourselves to expend every effort in reaching out to our fellow Jews, and especially to our own children and grandchildren. In fact, extending ourselves to help inspire our fellow Jews… Read more »

Memorials, music and service: Locals make the most of summer

(L-R): Jane Ash, Gary Kippur, Tandy Kippur, and Bruce Ash at the American cemetery in Normandy on the anniversary of D-Day.

D-Day commemoration cruise Bruce and Jane Ash and Gary and Tandy Kippur traveled together on the National WWII Museum 75th anniversary of D-Day cruise. They were part of a University of Arizona Alumni Association contingent, with other schools also represented. Before boarding the ship in Amsterdam, they visited the… Read more »

Four gorgeous Rosh Hashanah recipes from some of Israel’s top chefs

Sea Bass with Roasted Peppers and Herb Crème Filling. (Photo: The Edge Partners PR/JTA Photo Service)

Rosh Hashanah menus, while traditional and delicious, can also get a little stale year after year. With Israeli food trending across the globe, now is a perfect time to add some authentic Israeli flavors to your holiday. We have gathered four exclusive recipes from some of Israel’s top chefs:… Read more »

Alex Borstein’s speech at the Emmys was a perfect display of Jewish pride

Alex Borstein accepts the outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series award for ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ at the 71st Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, Sept. 22, 2019. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images/JTA Photo Service)

Whether you watched the Emmys on Sunday night or not, chances are you’ve been privy since the broadcast to what was likely the Jewiest moment of the show: Alex Borstein’s acceptance speech for her award as best supporting actress in a comedy. Borstein, who won for the second straight… Read more »

Homeless man pleads guilty to burning down Minnesota synagogue

A homeless man pleaded guilty to burning down a historic Minnesota synagogue earlier this month. Prosecutors have indicated that they intend to ask for probation for Matthew James Amiot, 36, The Associated Press reported. He could have faced a maximum of three years in prison. Amiot pleaded guilty to… Read more »

Jewish and Arab astronauts head to space together

The first Arab to visit the International Space Station launched there on Wednesday with the daughter of an Israeli father. Hazzaa al-Mansoori, 35, of the United Arab Emirates and Jessica Meir, an American, took off on the historic trip from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on a Soyuz rocket. They will remain… Read more »

What we can still learn from the Lubavitcher Rebbe about climate change

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson lectured frequently on the intersection of climate, politics and the divine. (Getty Images/JTA Montage)

PENN YAN, N.Y. (JTA) – With refineries recently ablaze in Saudi Arabia, you might be forgiven if you forget that in the Amazon and Indonesia, forests are ablaze as well. Yet these two conflagrations are not unconnected. As ever, ecological crises and geopolitical crises are deeply intertwined – and… Read more »

Israel’s national baseball team is going to the 2020 Olympics

(JTA) — In a first, Israel’s national baseball team has qualified for a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The squad of mostly Jewish-American college players and some pros team defeated South Africa on Sunday in the Europe/Africa Qualifier tournament in Italy and finished the tournament with a record… Read more »

Woman injured by Gaza rocket fire nearly one year ago dies

JERUSALEM (JTA) — A woman has died nearly a year after suffering injuries in a rocket attack into southern Israel from Gaza. Nina Gisdenanova, 74, died last week at the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, The Times of Israel reported Sunday. She was in an apartment building in… Read more »

Bulgaria opens 1st Jewish school in over 20 years

(JTA) — Bulgaria’s Jewish community opened its first Jewish school in over 20 years. The opening last week of the Ronald S. Lauder Day School in Sofia is a significant development for the some 6,000 members of the Jewish minority in Bulgaria. Lauder, the president of the World Jewish… Read more »

‘Fiddler on the Roof’ in Yiddish makes a match

(JTA) — It’s life imitating art over at New York City’s Off-Broadway production of “Fiddler on the Roof” in Yiddish. Stephanie Lynne Mason and Drew Seigla, who play the young couple Hodl and Perchik in the production, are engaged, the show announced Sunday on its Twitter feed. “We’re KVELLING!… Read more »