Tagged HEADLINES

We’ve seen this before: Public charge rules used to disguise xenophobia

The Trump Administration recently proposed an unprecedented expansion in our country’s public charge rules for applicants for citizenship. For the first time, a legal immigrant to the United States can be considered ineligible for citizenship simply because they utilize SNAP — our nation’s food stamp program. These new public… Read more »

New delegation of local firefighters heading to Israel

An Israeli firefighter views a wildfire that broke out near Jerusalem, Nov. 25, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Six firefighters from Tucson will head to Israel next month to share their expertise in handling wildland fires. Since spring, incendiary kites and balloons launched from Gaza have burned thousands of acres of Israeli land. The trip is part of the Greater Tucson Fire Foundation’s Firefighters Beyond Borders program.… Read more »

JFSA women seek teen nominees for Zehngut award

The Women’s Philanthropy Advisory Council of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona is seeking nominations for the 12th annual Bryna Zehngut Mitzvot Award, recognizing an outstanding Jewish teenage girl. The award honors Zehngut, a community leader who died in 2005. Nominees should be high school juniors or seniors who… Read more »

A guide to the Jewish Republican House candidates in the 2018 midterm elections

Rep. Lee Zeldin speaks at an event hosted by the Zionist Organization of America on Capitol Hill, May 9, 2018. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

By Ron Kampeas WASHINGTON (JTA) —  There are 16 Jewish Republican candidates running in U.S. House of Representatives races this fall. Two are incumbents and 14 are challengers. JTA is breaking down the races, assessing where the candidates stand on the political spectrum, noting their Jewish involvement and reporting what… Read more »

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen honored in Israel for her record on eve of her retirement

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Oct. 22, 2018. (Amos Ben-Gershom/Israeli Government Press Office)

  WASHINGTON (JTA) — Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, touring Israel on one of her final overseas trips as a congresswoman, is being feted as one of the Jewish state’s best friends in Congress. Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1989, met Monday… Read more »

Cleveland Browns kicker Greg Joseph’s long journey from Jewish day school to the NFL

CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 07: Greg Joseph #17 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates defeating the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns won 12 to 9. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

CLEVELAND (Cleveland Jewish News via JTA) — Browns rookie kicker Greg Joseph said it’s been a “wild ride” for him since being cut at the end of preseason by the Miami Dolphins, signing with Cleveland in Week 3 of the regular season, and just days later, playing an integral role in… Read more »

OP-ED Why Roseanne Barr and Shmuley Boteach need each other

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, left, and Roseanne Barr in conversation at Stand Up NY in Manhattan, July 26, 2018. (James Devaney/Getty Images)

  NEW YORK (JTA) — Rabbi Shmuley Boteach may or may not be America’s most famous rabbi. But among Jews, at least, he may be it’s most polarizing rabbi. Boteach has built his career on those twin tent poles of American fame: sex and celebrity. In books like “Kosher… Read more »

A Venezuelan-American chef wants to show the rich culinary tradition of Latino Jews

Deborah Benaim is creating a cookbook to showcase her family's food, which has influences from Morocco, Spain, Moldova and Venezuela. (Courtesy of Benaim)

  (JTA) — Food has always been a way for Deborah Benaim’s family to connect to its roots. A typical Shabbat dinner featured dishes such as traditional Ashkenazi braided challah bread, Moroccan-style whitefish with red pepper paste and a Venezuelan hearts of palm salad. “I think it’s in my… Read more »

Chelsea soccer club has a plan to combat anti-Semitism by fans: Send them to tour Auschwitz

Chelsea squares off against Southampton in a soccer match at St. Mary's Stadium in Southampton, England, Oct. 7, 2018. (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

(JTA) — The British soccer club Chelsea is planning to send fans who are caught chanting anti-Semitic songs on a tour of the former death camp Auschwitz rather than punishing them. The team’s owner, Roman Abramovich, who is Jewish, has spearheaded the initiative to combat anti-Semitism, according to a… Read more »

Democrats push back after NY Times says the party is drifting on Israel

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appears on "Meet the Press," July 1, 2018. (William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC NewsWire via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Sen. Robert Menendez hardly needs to establish his pro-Israel bona fides: He is guaranteed a standing ovation every time he appears at the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and pro-Israel political donors are lining up to back him in an unexpectedly close… Read more »

Some traditions are waiting to be broken

Ellie Chestnut and David Abram take a stroll during their wedding in Brooklyn, New York. (Lorie Kleiner Eckert)

At the end of a Jewish wedding ceremony, there is the dramatic moment in which a wine glass (wrapped in a napkin) is placed on the ground. The groom stomps on and shatters the wine glass as the assembled guests shout their congratulations, “Mazel tov!” There are many interpretations… Read more »

JFCS will host dialogue on domestic violence

Joan-e Rapine, MS, LAC, NCC, a clinical therapist at Jewish Family & Children’s Services, will lead an interactive discussion, “Domestic Violence and the Impact on Our Community: Let’s Work Together to End the Problem and Become Part of the Solution” on Sunday, Oct. 28, 10 a.m. to noon at… Read more »

On Sunday, the rabbi moved to Florida’s Panhandle. On Wednesday, Hurricane Michael hit.

Hurricane Michael hits land in Panama City, Fla., Oct. 10, 2018. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

(JTA) — When he and his wife moved to Pensacola, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, Rabbi Mendel Danow expected to spend the following couple of weeks settling in and buying supplies for their new home. Instead, two days after getting off the plane, Danow found himself driving to a Walmart… Read more »