“This Hanukkah, let’s celebrate the power of light to overcome darkness,” says Jeff Janezcko, Ph.D., curator of the Milken Archive of Jewish Music. “Let’s celebrate the resilience of the human spirit. Let’s celebrate the power of a gift, given with intention to inspire hope.” As he wrote, there were… Read more »
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New books for kids include a fresh take on trailblazing ‘All-of-a-Kind Family’
Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte and Gertie. The names of the five fictional sisters bring a smile to generations of Jewish Americans who grew up reading “All-of-a-Kind Family,” the classic mid-century chapter book series by Sydney Taylor that followed the day-to-day doings and adventures of a Jewish-American immigrant family on… Read more »
Jewish thrift store plans ‘Best Of’ sales event
The 1st Rate 2nd Hand Thrift Store, Southern Arizona’s only Jewish thrift store, will hold its “Best Of” event on Thursday, Nov. 29, 6-8 p.m. The event will feature select merchandise, snacks and wine, and music by Birks Works. Held twice a year, the “Best Of” events are a… Read more »
When chocolate babka meets doughnuts, the result is doubly delicious
Chocolate Babka Doughnuts
Babka is nearly a weekly occurrence in my house, and I can think of few things better. But it’s not just me: Babka has really been getting the recognition it deserves all over the country, making appearances everywhere from artisanal bakeries to Jewish delis and even high-end restaurants. My… Read more »
Hadassah to host regional speaker at installation lunch
Ian Merles
Hadassah Southern Arizona will honor its 2018 Woman of the Year, install officers for 2019 and recognize its annual supporters at a luncheon on Dec. 9. Ian Merles, the annual giving officer for Hadassah West Coast Region, will be the guest speaker. Honey Manson will install the new slate… Read more »
Za’atar and Olive Focaccia Recipe
Za’atar and Olive Focaccia (Sonya Sanford)
(The Nosher via JTA) — Focaccia is made with a very soft dough, slightly rich from generous amounts of added oil that helps it become crisp-edged as it bakes. As I was working on this recipe, Netflix’s “Salt Fat Acid Heat” premiered, and suddenly making focaccia felt particularly timely.… Read more »
In Israel, missile alert apps save lives — and spread anxiety
Israeli apps alert users whenever a missile is headed into the country. (Sam Sokol)
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Four years ago, on the eve of the Israeli military’s Gaza operation known as Protective Edge, a private developer created the Red Alert app providing real-time notification when missiles or rockets were fired into Israel. Since then, Red Alert and smartphone apps like it have become tools for… Read more »
I could give my baby a cushy life in Canada. Instead I chose Israel.
(Kveller via JTA) – I was deep in my third trimester and sweating through the Tel Aviv heat when I thought to myself “Never again.” Seven years into my life in Israel, I just couldn’t spend another hot, intense and chaotic summer there. It’s not just the blistering… Read more »
Exploring the bialy challah and Polish-Jewish cuisine at a unique Shabbat dinner
The Shabbat dinner was meant to reflect the life and customs of Jewish and Polish communities, and honor the ways the cultures have coexisted. (Meg Jones)
NEW YORK — The bialy challah practically glowed, swirls of caramelized onion peeking out between its braided, poppy-dusted strands. In a charming red-and-white tiled kitchen at the back of a Brooklyn bookstore, some 50 people gathered around a long table to watch a trio of chefs prepare an unusual… Read more »
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK Israelis are blunt and rude. You got a problem with that?
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A couple of months ago I was waiting to use an ATM near my house, flicking through Twitter as the line inched its way forward. Finally, after about 10 minutes and several tweets, I reached the machine and was getting ready to insert my card when… Read more »
No one happy after Shabbat diverts El Al flight to Athens
An El Al plane at Ben Gurion International Airport, Aug. 5, 2013. (Moshe Shai/Flash90)
JERUSALEM (JTA) — An El Al plane bound for Israel that was delayed from taking off in New York was diverted to Athens on Friday to allow Sabbath-observant passengers to disembark. That’s what we know for sure. What happened on the plane? That’s another story. The flight, which had… Read more »
Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin mine aging for laughs in Chuck Lorre’s latest, ‘The Kominsky Method’
Alan Arkin, left, and Michael Douglas star in "The Kominsky Method," the latest from "Big Bang Theory" creator Chuck Lorre. (Mike Yarish/Netflix)
(JTA) — “The Kominsky Method” is the wisest and saddest new comedy on television. That might be its biggest problem. The protagonist of the eight-episode Netflix series that debuts Friday is Sandy Kominsky (played by Michael Douglas), a Jewish Tony Award-winning actor who landed with a thud in Hollywood.… Read more »
Palestinian terror groups say they will observe cease-fire
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Palestinian terror groups in Gaza reportedly have agreed to commit to a cease-fire of hostilities that have seen more than 400 rockets bombard southern Israel and Israeli retaliation in a 25-hour period. Four mediators — Egypt, the United Nations, Norway and Switzerland — helped achieve the… Read more »
Kristallnacht/Crystal Night/ Night of Broken Glass
From Wikipedia, eyewitness accounts and reports from Holocaust survivors While the initial purpose of Kristallnacht was the need of financing for the Nazi Party, there were underlying racial and social hatred. That hatred was expanded to include Gypsies, homosexuals and members/leaders of other religions. The international Evian Conference on… Read more »
Beauty of Shabbat transcends fear
On Friday night, Nov. 2, I entered a local synagogue with a feeling of trepidation. Could a copycat of the recent tragedy in Pittsburgh take place in Tucson? I wondered what I would do if the unthinkable happened again. Remembering how we were taught in elementary school to crouch… Read more »
Anti-Semites a dying breed in U.S.
The vast majority of Americans are not anti-Semites, nor anti-black, or anti-gay, etc. This may not have been the case when I was born in Chicago 80-plus years ago. At that time the gays hid in the closet, black people were seen and not heard, and we Jews could… Read more »
At the Vigil for Tree of Life Temple (Tucson JCC)
We sang Shalom and we almost believed it We proclaimed Love stronger than Hate and we tried to believe it We stressed Solidarity and we thought we believed it We shouted Never Again but we could not believe it. — Joy Nelson… Read more »
Hadassah brunch to focus on nursing history
Hadassah Southern Arizona will present “Glimpses from 100 years of the Henrietta Szold – Hadassah School of Nursing Through the Eyes of Nursing Graduates” at a brunch on Sunday, Nov. 11. Gilat Yihye, a graduate of the Henrietta Szold Hadassah Hebrew University School of Nursing, will speak and screen… Read more »
Autumn menus at local restaurants emphasize fresh flavors, local sources
From Italian to Greek, bars to bakeries, here’s a look at what’s on the menu across the area this fall. Braised lamb at Athens on 4th Avenue is the house special, browned with extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, caramelized onions, and special herbs and spices. Jeannie Delfakis-Benavente, daughter of… Read more »
#WeAreAllJews: The American Jewish media stand with Pittsburgh
Earlier this year, our colleagues at the three leading Jewish newspapers in the United Kingdom published the same front-page headline and joint editorial voicing concern over rising anti-Semitism in Britain’s Labour Party. Today we have found a mournful occasion to follow in their footsteps. For many Jews, the United States… Read more »




