(JTA) — The American Jewish Committee has elected its first female president. Harriet Schleifer, a longtime lay leader, was elected president of the New York-based advocacy group on Monday during its annual Global Forum conference in Washington. She succeeds John Shapiro. AJC was founded in 1906. Schleifer, who lives… Read more »
Tagged HEADLINES
German historian stripped of award for faking a family history of suffering in Holocaust
BERLIN (JTA) — German historian Marie Sophie Hingst has been stripped of a “Golden Blogger” award following revelations that she faked a family history of suffering in the Holocaust. According to Der Spiegel magazine, which broke the story this week, Hingst — who lives in Dublin and is in… Read more »
In Judaism, abortion is not a right – and pregnancy is a responsibility
NEW YORK (JTA) — As in all life matters, when it comes to abortion, Judaism doesn’t speak of rights but of responsibilities and obligations. Seeing things through that lens can be a real eye opener. The concept of “rights” is deeply ingrained in our Western minds. We rarely stop… Read more »
Mike Pompeo clarifies comments that peace plan could be biased toward Israel
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo walked back comments he shared with Jewish leaders saying that it was an “inaccurate” perception that the Trump administration’s peace proposal could be seen as one-sided toward Israel. The Washington Post reported Sunday on a recording obtained from an off-the-record meeting last… Read more »
Netanyahu: Sunni Arab states ‘moving faster’ than the Palestinians on peace
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunni Arab states are moving faster than the Palestinians toward recognition of Israel, another sign that the Trump administration’s yet to be released peace plan may be dead on arrival. “They don’t see Israel any longer as their enemy, but… Read more »
Bernie Sanders: Politico article on my wealth was anti-Semitic
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., among the leading candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination, said a Politico story on his wealth that called him “cheap” was anti-Semitic. “Call that what it is, an anti-Semitic article,” Sanders said Saturday in an interview with the progressive political online show,… Read more »
52% of Israelis want it to be easier to convert to Judaism, survey finds
(JTA) — A slight majority of Jewish Israelis want it to be easier for people to convert to Judaism, according to a new survey. Respondents were asked about whether they want conversions to be performed as leniently as possible according to Jewish law. Fifty-two percent of Jewish Israelis want… Read more »
Nechama Rivlin, wife of Israel’s president, dies at 73
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Nechama Rivlin, the wife of President Reuven Rivlin, has died at the age of 73. She died on Tuesday, a day before her 74th birthday, at Beillinson Hospital in Petah Tikvah, where she underwent a lung transplant three months ago. Rivlin, who had in recent years… Read more »
We Orthodox Jews desperately need gay rabbis
Israelis participate in the Gay Pride Parade on July 30, 2015 in Jerusalem, Israel. The Hebrew signs read, "Come out from the closet, the closet is death." (Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)
JERUSALEM (JTA) — On May 24, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that I would be ordaining a gay Orthodox rabbinical student who was denied the opportunity to receive smicha from his own Orthodox yeshiva. On May 26, I did so, ordaining Rabbi Daniel Atwood during a ceremony attended by more… Read more »
What Jewish law really says about abortion
Protesters on both sides of the abortion issue gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building during the Right To Life March in Washington, Jan. 18, 2019. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
(JTA) – Alabama and Georgia have passed laws recently that limit or forbid abortions in unprecedented ways, joining a growing number of states that are attempting to dramatically restrict abortion access. During these charged times, it is appropriate for the Jewish community to remind ourselves that halacha (Jewish law) has a… Read more »
Young leaders apply philanthropic savvy at JFSA annual meeting
JFSA Young Leadership Campaign volunteer Sarah Singer (left) presents a check to Tucson Hebrew Academy Head of School Laurence Kutler (center) and outgoing THA Board Chair Neil Kleinman. (Martha Lochert)
Two Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Young Leadership special teams received funds to disburse in the community, which they presented at the JFSA Annual Meeting and Community Awards Celebration on Thursday, May 9 at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. Recipient agencies included the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation, Jewish… Read more »
Israeli fallen soldiers mourned in song for Yom Hazikaron
Holocaust survivors lit memorial candles at the 2019 Yom Hazikaron event at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. (L-R): Dov Marhoffer, Wanda Wolosky, Walter Feiger, Pawel Lichter, and Wolfgang Hellpap. (Marty Johnston)
The Weintraub Israel Center organized a musical tribute to Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror for a local commemoration of Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, on Tuesday, May 7 at the Tucson Jewish Community Center.… Read more »
With just the right ‘Goldilocks situation,’ herbs can thrive indoors
Fresh herbs have more flavor than dried, and can be easy to keep once you find their “Goldilocks zone.”
Full disclosure: you can grow herbs indoors, but it is not easy. There are two “Goldilocks situations” that must be dealt with. These two situations are water and light. Too much or too little of either is bad — you need to get it just right. To add another… Read more »
5,000-year-old yeast used by Israeli scientists to brew a pretty good beer
Beer cruse from Tel Tzafit/Gath archaeological digs, from which Philistine beer was produced. (Yaniv Berman, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
Israeli scientists are using ancient yeast to brew a beer fit for a pharaoh. The researchers have isolated yeast from ancient pottery used to brew beer and used it to create the same libation that was presumably drunk by the Egyptian pharaohs, Iron Age rulers, and ancient Jewish leaders.… Read more »
Israeli racer makes Tucson stop on way to victory
Chanoch Redlich on the trail in Tucson on April 26. (Photo: Damion Alexander)
Israeli elite mountain bike racer Chanoch Redlich won the 750-mile Arizona Trail Race, a self-supported ride that stretches from Mexico to Utah. Redlich won this year’s ride in just over eight days, riding in 20-22 hour stretches with two to four hours of sleep before the next stretch. Redlich… Read more »
PJ Library kids learn value of helping others
Goldie Goldstein and her daughter share a loving moment while preparing a thank you letter to PJ Library founder Harold Grinspoon. (Photo: Mary Ellen Loebl/JFSA)
PJ Library hosted a “Kids Helping Kids” afternoon May 19 at Jewish Family & Children’s Services. Children and families gathered to learn about the mitzvah of helping others. Sharon Glassberg shared an educational presentation, reading from the book “Mitzvah Pizza.” Participants expressed their gratitude in drawings and letters to… Read more »
Seniors celebrate a century and intergenerational friendships
Ruth C. Goodman with her son, Roy Goodman Centenarians unite On Friday, May 3, the Pima Council on Aging and Tucson Medical Center sponsored the 32nd annual Salute to Centenarians event at TMC’s Marshall Conference Center. This gathering, the largest known convergence of centenarians in the United States, attracted close to 50 attendees, ages 99+, accompanied by… Read more »
Tucson J’s Elder Camp proves summer fun isn’t just for the grandkids anymore
Sylvia Levkovitz takes part in a cup stacking challenge at the Tucson Jewish Community Center’s Elder Camp 2018. {Courtesy Sharon Arkin)
Seniors who look back fondly on summer camp fun and frolic can now relive those golden days of yore. Following a banner first-year experiment, the Tucson Jewish Community Center is announcing open registration for its second season of Elder Camp. Camp will take place on four consecutive Sunday afternoons,… Read more »
Did an Israeli-Argentine businessman help Venezuela’s Maduro stash his fortune? The US is investigating.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) — The United States is investigating an Israeli-Argentine businessman for allegedly helping to hide the secret fortune of embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Diego Adolfo Marynberg, 44, also known as Zev Marynberg, based in New York and Buenos Aires, reportedly is under the spotlight of… Read more »
Robert Bernstein, Human Rights Watch founder who chided group for anti-Israel bias, dies at 96
(JTA) — Robert Bernstein, a founder of Human Rights Watch who later distanced himself from the group over its criticism of Israel, has died. Bernstein also headed Random House for nearly 25 years, emerging as a leading figure in the publishing world. Among many top authors of the day,… Read more »



