In the past seven years, the American Jewish population has grown 10 percent. It remains a population that is mostly liberal, college-educated, and overwhelmingly white. And it’s not getting any younger. This is all according to a new American Jewish population estimate of the 48 contiguous U.S. states put… Read more »
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Mayim Bialik: Everything I’ll never know because my father died
Abba, are you there? You died 4 1/2 years ago, but I still forget sometimes. I was driving in sixth gear the other day. I went to exit the freeway and, on the off-ramp, I downshifted enough that I was able to shift directly into fourth. You taught me… Read more »
Training for caregivers helps local clients keep kosher
As part of its balanced care method, Tucson’s Home Care Assistance caregivers offer adult clients care to help them live longer, happier, more balanced lives. That’s why the caregivers are trained in kosher care, to deliver a Jewish perspective to services and conform with Jewish laws and customs, according… Read more »
Rabbi’s Corner: Sukkot — A holiday of joy and unity
Joy Often repeated during the High Holiday season: “What are you celebrating now?” “Who cares? We Jews always pray, eat, and are merry!” During prayers on every Jewish holiday, we mention “Mo’adim L’Simcha,” a holiday to rejoice. Yet, on Sukkot there is an extra emphasis on being happy and… Read more »
Handmaker residents bake honey cakes for a sweet new year
Using a recipe Handmaker resident Betty Light shared, Bonnie Gottesman (left) and Rabbi Richard Safran were among a group of residents at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging who enjoyed making honey cakes Sept. 25 in preparation for Rosh Hashanah. Some added nuts and/or raisins, depending on their individual… Read more »
5,000-year-old metropolis discovered in northern Israel
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Archaeological excavations in northern Israel in preparation to build a highway off-ramp uncovered a 5,000-year-old city that was home to as many as 6,000 residents. It is one of the first and largest early Bronze Age settlements excavated in Israel, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority,… Read more »
University of Warsaw students remember pre-WWII segregation of Jews at the school
WARSAW, Poland (JTA) — Students at the University of Warsaw, one of the largest Polish universities, commemorated the victims of a segregation policy against Jews introduced there 82 years ago. The university’s rector did not participate in the commemoration on Sunday. Ghetto benches, as they were called, were an… Read more »
Sen. Lindsey Graham calls troop withdrawal from northern Syria a ‘nightmare for Israel’
(JTA) — Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria will “eventually become a nightmare for Israel.” Graham, one of the president’s staunchest supporters in the Senate, called the move “shortsighted and irresponsible” in a series of tweets. “The… Read more »
Girl with degenerative brain disease celebrates bat mitzvah at LA hospital
(JTA) — A 12-year-old girl with a degenerative brain malformation celebrated her bat mitzvah at the Los Angeles hospital where she has spent most of her life. Numa Beron was born with lissencephaly, which has left her unable to stand or speak. She was given three years to live,… Read more »
Who by fire: 38,000 pounds of bagels burnt in truck days before Yom Kippur
(JTA) — Midwest Jews may need to find something else to eat when Yom Kippur ends — tons of their bagels are now toast. Some 38,000 pounds of frozen bagels met an unhappy fate on Sunday, just a couple of days ahead of the Jewish Day of Atonement, when… Read more »
Anti-Semitic hate crimes in NYC have risen significantly in 2019
NEW YORK (JTA) — The number of hate crimes against Jews in New York City has risen significantly over the first nine months of this year, part of a citywide rise in such offenses. The New York Police Department has reported 311 total hate crimes through September, as opposed… Read more »
JTA launches Hebrew-language website and syndication service
NEW YORK (JTA) — The Jewish Telegraphic Agency has launched a Hebrew-language website and syndication service aimed at the Israeli public. The service features original Hebrew articles and videos with Hebrew translations of items published in English by JTA and adapted for Israeli audiences. JTA’s new Hebrew news site… Read more »
A teen allegedly attacked a Jewish woman in Brooklyn, pulling off her scarf and wig
NEW YORK (JTA) — Police said a Jewish woman reported being harassed in Brooklyn on Rosh Hashanah. The 22-year-old said that she was approached on Sunday evening by a female teenager who “pulled her scarf and wig from her head,” a New York Police detective, Annette Shelton, told the… Read more »
Eric Pleskow, Holocaust refugee and producer of Oscar-winning films, dies at 95
(JTA) — Eric Pleskow, who escaped the Nazis to become a film executive whose movies won the Academy Award for best picture seven times, has died. He was 95. Pleskow was the president of the United Artists studio when it took home the best picture Oscars for “One Flew… Read more »
Fox Sports reporter who complained about ‘stingy’ Jew hired by Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University
(JTA) — Emily Austen, a reporter who was fired by Fox Sports in Florida for derogatory comments about Jews and minorities, has been hired by the evangelical Christian Liberty University. Fox dismissed Austen in 2016 as a sideline reporter for the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team and the Orlando… Read more »
Jewish death row inmate who says his judge was anti-Semitic appeals to Supreme Court
(JTA) — A Jewish death row inmate in Texas who says his judge was anti-Semitic has appealed to the Supreme Court. Randy Halprin is set to be executed on Oct. 10. He was part of the “Texas 7” group of prisoners who escaped from a prison in the state… Read more »
Goat at Yom Kippur family service – no kidding!
Children will be able to release their sins the really old-fashioned way by sending them away with a goat at Temple Emanu-El’s Yom Kippur morning family service, Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 8:30 a.m. During Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, repentance is achieved by prayer, repentance, and fasting, but… Read more »
Netanyahu and Liberman will meet to discuss unity government
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Liberman, who prevented Netanyahu from forming a coalition government following elections in April, will meet to discuss a unity government. The meeting, confirmed by Liberman in a social media post, is scheduled for Thursday morning in Jerusalem. Liberman said even… Read more »
Netanyahu’s pre-indictment hearings start
(JTA) — The pre-indictment hearings in one of three separate corruption cases involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commenced on Wednesday. Lawyers for Netanyahu appeared at the hearings in Jerusalem without their client, who was scheduled to participate in talks in an effort to to build a governing coalition.… Read more »
Synagogues, Hillel will join multi-faith pack-a-thon
Congregation Or Chadash, Temple Emanu-El and the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation are participating in this year’s Pack-a-Thon on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2-4 p.m. at the Muslim Community Center, 5100 N. Kevy Place. This is a multi-faith program involving these Jewish organizations, churches and the Muslim community of Tucson… Read more »