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 »
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 »
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 »
Dianne Feinstein WASHINGTON (JTA) — There are 56 candidates for Congress who identify as Jewish. Among them are 41 Democrats: five are running for the Senate — three incumbents and two challengers. Among the 36 in the U.S. House of Representatives, 18 are incumbents and 18 are challengers. (Three incumbent Jewish… Read more »
Shais Rishon's latest book, "Ariel Samson: Freelance Rabbi," tells the story of a 20-something black rabbi. (Courtesy of Rishon)
NEW YORK (JTA) — When Shais Rishon thinks of American Jewish literature, virtually no Jews of color come to mind — as characters or authors. “We’re invisible, pretty much,” he told JTA. As an African-American Orthodox rabbi, Rishon hopes to change that. He recently published a semi-autobiographical novel titled “Ariel Samson:… Read more »
Shefa classes have a high teacher-student ratio. (Ben Sales
NEW YORK (JTA) – Going to high school for the first time last month, Linda Shamah felt like many other incoming freshmen: really nervous and really excited. The large lecture-style classes seemed daunting. She’d be getting less personal attention from teachers. At the same time, she was looking forward… Read more »
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 24: United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley attends a media briefing during the United Nations General Assembly on September 24, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (JTA) — When Nikki Haley said on Tuesday that she would be stepping down as U.N. ambassador by the end of this year, the Israeli and pro-Israel laments poured out swiftly. Haley didn’t simply defend Israel and its government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as her predecessors… Read more »
Protesters outside the main gates of Columbia in New York City called on the university administration to do more to protect pro-Israel students, Oct. 4, 2018. (Ben Sales)
NEW YORK (JTA) – The organizers of a rally to support pro-Israel students at Columbia University didn’t want the Jewish Defense League to show up. And yet there they were, a few demonstrators wearing the extremist right-wing group’s insignia, a clenched fist punching into a yellow Jewish star. The… Read more »
Ann Toback demonstrates the "shpring" command with her dog, Jesse, while trainer Miguel Rodriguez, left, and Yiddishist Leyzer Burko can be seen looking on. (Josefin Dolsten)
NEW YORK (JTA) — Dogs and their owners are a common sight in Central Park on the weekend, but there was something different about the group gathered on the grass on a recent Sunday morning. The approximately 20 people could be seen and heard pointing at the ground while… Read more »
Oh, if I could count the many discussions my husband and I have had on this topic — multiple times a day on some days. Pros, cons; the list begins. Our house fit us well enough and served its purpose well enough when we bought it 12 years ago.… Read more »
A national expert in multigenerational fundraising will be on hand for the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona 2019 Campaign training next month, dubbed “Inspire and Inquire.” Dirk Bird is a former Wexner Graduate Fellow and a certified trainer at 21/64, a nonprofit practice providing advising, facilitation, and training for family… Read more »
Some people believe we live in a world where everything can be seen and touched. They buy into scientific explanations and find it hard to believe we live in a complex world where there’s much we can’t explain. Here is a true story of divine providence or in Hebrew,… Read more »
First, I want to thank Dov Marhoffer for his efforts to educate America’s youth on the Holocaust. May he live a long and healthy life and continue this vital work. May he be inscribed for blessing in the book of life and have a sweet new year. But I… Read more »
I feel uncomfortable writing this letter, but I feel that a response is needed to the recent article written by Dov Marhoffer, “‘Never Again’ belongs to the Holocaust, not the gun control movement,” (AJP 9/14/18). I cannot begin to imagine the horrors that he must have experienced as a… Read more »
It’s thrilling to be part of a historical moment when women are stepping into the political arena in record-breaking numbers. They’re tossing their hats into the ring — left, right and center — in national, statewide and local races. It’s an auspicious lead-in for next year’s 100th anniversary of… Read more »
Brandeis National Committee Tucson Chapter kicks off its new year with a fall luncheon and annual book sale in October. The lunch features speaker Billy Russo, managing director of the Arizona Theatre Company. The event, Sunday, Oct. 16 at 11:30 a.m. at the Lodge at Ventana Canyon, is $39… Read more »
Rabbi Israel Becker claps to the music as Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild carries Congregation Chofetz Chayim’s newly written Torah scroll on Sept. 14, 2014, at a celebration akin to those held on Simchat Torah. Rogelio Garcia)
I have long had a problem with the central rite of Simchat Torah: dancing. I have nothing against the kind of dancing that requires learning certain steps — I then enjoy the challenge of mastering the particular dance. The dancing on Simchat Torah, however, requires almost no skill and consists… Read more »
Noam Vazana wrote her upcoming album “Andalusian Brew” in Ladino. (Asaf Lewkowitz)
AMSTERDAM (JTA) — Wandering the ornate streets of the city of Fes in northern Morocco, Noam Vazana heard several men singing a tune so familiar that it made her stop in her tracks. Vazana, a successful 35-year-old Israeli musician living here, was visiting her ancestors’ country of birth for… Read more »
(Marco Verch/Flickr)
NEW YORK (JTA) — Diversity and inclusion have become watchwords in our Jewish community, and rightly so. In the past few decades, we have considered how our congregations and institutions can better serve the needs of various populations, among them women, LGBTQ people, Jews of color and interfaith couples. Now,… Read more »
Russian meatballs, or tefteli, can be prepared in many ways and are a meal by themselves. (Sonya Sanford)
(The Nosher via JTA) – For the first five years of my life, we lived in the apartment next door to my grandparents. I may have only been a toddler, but I still have vivid memories of being in that home with its many house plants overflowing in their… Read more »
