January 25, 2019 19 Shevat 5779 Volume 75, Issue 2
S O U T H E R N A R I Z O N A ’ S A WA R D - W I N N I N G J E W I S H N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 4 6
AJP Assistant Editor
Classifieds ...............................8 Commentary ..........................6 Community Calendar.......... 20 In Focus.................................22 Israel ......................................11 Local .......... 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11 National ................................10 News Briefs .......................... 15 Obituary................................ 18 Our Town ..............................23 P.S. ........................................ 16 Rabbi’s Corner ...................... 19 Synagogue Directory............17 World ......................................9
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emple Emanu-El’s 35th annual Bilgray Lectureship will center on language and names, with Sarah Bunin Benor, Ph.D., as the scholar in residence. The free series features three lectures, Feb. 7-9. Benor is a professor of contemporary Jewish studies at Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. Her research interests include American Jewish language and identity; sociology and anthropology of American Jews; Jewish languages; Yiddish; Orthodox Jews; sociolinguistic variation; language socialization; and ethnography. “Learning about languages and names is a wonderful way to learn about Jewish history,” says Benor. “We use language and names as a lens to understand the diversity of the Jewish world.” The Thursday presentation at the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation at 7 p.m. will be “Jewish Languages Today: Endangered, Surviving, and Thriving.” Over the past two centuries, migrations and other historical events led to major changes in the linguistic profile of Jewish communities around the world. “I’ll focus on how these languages are endangered and how people still engage in them in new ways,” such as through See Bilgray, page 4
DEBE CAMPBELL AJP Assistant Editor
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sraeli violin maker Amnon Weinstein and his son Avshi have spent the last two decades locating and restoring violins from the Holocaust as a tribute to those who were lost, including 400 of their own relatives. Amnon calls these the Violins of Hope. Violins of Hope will be at the University of Arizona on Sunday, Feb. 17 for the Jewish History Museum’s third annual Elizabeth Leibson Holocaust Remembrance lecture. The program will be a multi-media presentation of live music, artifacts, and storytelling. “We are very lucky to get this moment to be in contact with the violins and with the Weinsteins, who made this possible by their work,” says Bryan Davis, JHM executive director.
Israeli Amnon Weinstein, who has restored more than 60 violins that survived the Holocaust, will be in Tucson for Violins of Hope Feb. 17.
The restored violins are played in concert halls and exhibited in museums around the world. They are featured in books, print, film, and television. They are used in lectures and educational programs. Their stories and messages have impacted hundreds of
thousands of individuals. Amnon restored more than 60 violins as a way to reclaim his lost heritage, give a voice to the millions who were silenced in the Holocaust, and reinforce positive messages of hope and harmony. See Violins, page 2
CAI gala to celebrate 50 years on 5th Street PHYLLIS BRAUN AJP Executive Editor
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ongregation Anshei Israel will hold a “L’Door V’Dor: 50 years on 5th Street” gala next month. Organizers dubbed the event the “L’Door V’Dor,” a play on l’dor v’dor, the Hebrew phrase for “from generation to generation,” because it is a chance to honor those who helped open the doors to the building in 1969, explains CAI Board President Stephanie Roberts. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate and bring people together,” says Roberts, “and there are a lot of members who were here when we moved.” Founded in 1930, Anshei
Photo courtesy Congregation Anshei Israel
DEBE CAMPBELL
Violins of Hope resonate with stories of Shoah
Photo: Daniel Levin
Arts Alive ............... S-1 - 10 Restaurant Resource ... 11 - 14 Style & Fashion .......S-11 - 12
Bilgray scholar will speak on language, names
Photo courtesy Congregation Anshei Israel
INSIDE
w w w. a z j e w i s h p o s t . c o m
Rabbi Marcus Breger (left) and Morris ‘Mac’ Benisch at Anshei Israel’s 1968 groundbreaking
Israel was originally located downtown on Stone Avenue. The con-
Congregation Anshei Israel will honor Susan and the late Saul Tobin, pictured circa 1985, Feb. 17.
gregation moved in 1946 to Sixth Street and Martin Avenue, near the See CAI, page 4
CANDLELIGHTING TIMES: January 25 ... 5:33 p.m. • February 1 ... 5:39 p.m. • February 8 ... 5:46 p.m.
LOCAL JFSA young leaders plan 1920s-themed party
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he Hava Tequila speakeasy opens Saturday, Feb. 2 for the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s annual Young Leadership gala. “This year we are having live music, which I think people will be really excited about,” says co-chair Samantha Minkus. The 1920s-theme and the Jewish History Museum venue bring sophistication to the event, creating a formal vibe with a party undertone, Minkus adds. The evening includes dessert, drinks, raffle prizes, a silent auction, and a pho-
to booth. Cocktail attire is suggested. Open to young adults, attendees must be age 21 or over. Joining Minkus as co-chairs this year are Joey De La Rosa and Kevin De La Rosa. Funds raised will benefit the museum and Young Jewish Tucson, a collaboration between JFSA and the Tucson Jewish Community Center to engage young Jewish adults. Tickets are $36. RSVP at www.jfsa. org/havatequila, call 647-8467 or email mlandau@jfsa.org.
VIOLINS “Violin is talking, violin is singing,” he says. “And if you have a good way to listen, you can listen to all the stories.” “The program will tell stories in various ways,” says Davis. “The materials carry a testimonial charge, and the music that’s played through them provides another layer or representation and memory.” UA faculty and student musicians will play the violins in the three-movement “Semazen Duo” for violins, composed by UA Fred Fox School of Music Professor Daniel Asia. UA Assistant Professor of Music Jackie Glazier will play clarinet in the “Sonata for Clarinet and Piano” by Hans Winterberg, a Czech Jew who survived the Terezin concentration camp. The Nazis banned Winterberg’s music and his works were embargoed and locked in a vault. Asia worked with Winterberg’s grandson Peter Kreitmeir to unlock the music in 2015. “We were the first to bring it to life in contemporary times,” Asia told the AJP. Recorded at the UA, Winterberg’s music was released in November 2018 by Toccata Classics as “Hans Winterberg: Chamber Music, Volume One.” The CD will be available at the Violins of Hope performance. Violins of Hope in Arizona is a collaborative effort with programs throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area and Flagstaff, Tucson and Sedona. “We expect to reach upward of 50,000 people of all ages and religious beliefs throughout the state during the twomonth-long event,” says Marty Haberer, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, a co-sponsor for the Tucson
Photo courtesy University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music
continued from page 1
Jackie Glazier will play clarinet in a long-lost sonata by a concentration camp survivor at the Violins of Hope event.
event. “This is a large-scale collaborative project bringing together nonprofit arts groups and other agencies for a multicultural, multi-city event.” Violins of Hope educational presentations will be held at Valencia Middle School and Pistor Middle School in the Tucson Unified School District. Ron and Kathy Margolis established the Jewish History Museum’s Leibson lectureship in memory of Ron’s mother. Violins of Hope will take place at 11:30 a.m. at Crowder Hall in the UA School of Music building, 1017 N. Olive Road. Reserved seating and a pre-program reception to meet the Weinsteins at 10:30 a.m. is $54. General admission is $18. For tickets, visit www.jewishhistory museum.org/events. Free tickets are available for Holocaust survivors and students. For more information, contact the museum at 670-9073.
Remember to recycle this paper when you finish enjoying it. 2
ARIZONA JEWISH POST, January 25, 2019
LOCAL Day school expert Kutler selected to lead THA
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Laurence Kutler talks with Tucson Hebrew Academy first graders, Jan. 8.
DEBE CAMPBELL AJP Assistant Editor
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aurence Kutler, Ph.D., left Florida’s beaches and retirement to join Tucson Hebrew Academy as the head of school on Jan. 8. “Highly regarded in the Jewish day school movement, he has earned a reputation for working closely with students, faculty, parents and the community as a collaborative team builder with a passion for mentoring staff and educators,” says Neil Kleinman, THA’s board chair. “In addition to his strong background in school management and administration, he is committed to seeing students become confident, critical thinkers and ethical decision makers. He agreed to come out of retirement and assume the leadership of THA for the next 18 months.” During Kutler’s 35-year career, he headed David Posnack Hebrew Day School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Hebrew Academy of Tidewater, Virginia Beach, Virginia; and the High School of Jewish Studies, San Diego, California. In the mid-’80s he founded Akiva Academy Jewish Day School in Youngstown, Ohio, serving as principal for 12 years. Under his direction, the school grew from 29 kindergartners and first graders to its population today of 150, including 70 percent of all eligible Jewish community children. He most recently headed Herzliah High School in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, until 2017, where he led a $50 million capital campaign to build a high school. Raising structures was a legacy he left at each school he ran. “I used to say, you don’t want to get an ‘edifice complex.’ It’s not the building that’s important,” says Kutler. “What’s important is what goes on inside that building to create critical thinkers that can handle both the West-
ern canon and Jewish canon.” Kutler also was an adjunct professor at Virginia Wesleyan College and Old Dominion University in Virginia for four years and an associate professor of Hebrew at Kent State University, Ohio, for 10 years. Kutler’s wife, Caren, a kindergarten teacher, taught alongside him throughout their shared career while raising two sons — Noam and Yoni — and moving on to accommodate the boys’ next education level. This time, she stayed on in Florida, and the couple will reunite monthly — on the beach or in the desert — for the duration of his contract. “Over the next 18 months, he will be working to advance the school’s position and implement new programs and curriculum enhancements,” said Kleinman. “With his insight and vast relations in the Jewish day school community throughout the country he will also help guide THA through the search for the next head of school.” Kutler says his agenda is to set priorities for the school over the coming months and to train or mentor his successor so that new leader “has smooth sailing.” “I came here for the children,” Kutler says, explaining his exit from retirement. “I will do whatever is needed to promote the education of kids; however I can help as a partner with the board, faculty, parents, students, and stakeholders. I’m happy to be here.” Kutler earned his bachelor’s in Judaica and education from Hofstra University, Long Island, New York, in 1975. He obtained his master’s degree in Hebrew language and literature in 1976 and doctorate in ancient Near East languages in 1980, both from New York University, attending Hebrew University in Jerusalem See Kutler, page 5
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January 25, 2019, ARIZONA JEWISH POST
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LOCAL Three Cohon awards on tap
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he Rabbi Samuel S. and A. Irma Cohon Memorial Foundation will present three awards at its 2018 award ceremony, which will take place at Congregation Beit Simcha’s Shabbat service on Friday, Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. The award recipients, who will describe their work at the ceremony, are Phyllis Folb, founder of the American Israel Gap Year Association; Joseph Gitler, founder of Leket Israel, which rescues wasted food and gives it to the needy in Israel; and Amy and John Pregulman, founders of Kavod, which provides support to needy Holocaust survivors in the United States. This is the first year that the foundation is honoring three winners. At Beit Simcha’s Shabbat service on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 9 a.m., the foundation will dedicate a rescued Czech Holocaust Torah scroll in honor of the Cohons, whose children and grandchildren established the foundation. For more information, visit www.cohonaward. com or call (520) 490-0986.
CAI continued from page 1
University of Arizona, before building the present location on Fifth Street and Craycroft Road. The Feb. 17 event will include dinner, dancing, and the dedication of the Susan and Saul Tobin History Hall. The late Saul Tobin was instrumental in securing the land and raising the funds for the building, Roberts explains. Others who will be honored include the late Morris “Mac” Benisch, who was president of the congregation from 1963-1969, and was followed in that role by Tobin, from 1969-1971. “L’Door V’Dor” is also a play on the idea that Anshei Israel has many points of entry, says Roberts, whether it is the preschool, religious school, United Synagogue Youth group, Shabbat services, adult education, or affiliate groups such as the Men’s Club and the Women’s League/Sisterhood. To build a synagogue or any religious institution is fairly simple, says Rabbi Robert Eisen. “All one needs is a checkbook. To transform the brick and mortar into a congregation, a place where people’s lives are intertwined toward a greater good, is something else alto-
Furry friends – cute faces, heroic hearts Want to see your pet’s adorable face in the AJP’s March 8 pet section? Send a photo to pbraun@azjewishpost.com by Feb. 26, with your name and your pet’s. And, if you have a story of an animal doing something heroic, contact Debe Campbell at 647-8474 or dcampbell@azjewishpost.com.
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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, January 25, 2019
BILGRAY continued from page 1
song and food, and new Jewish language varieties, Benor adds. Newly developing languages include Jewish English, Jewish Latin American Spanish, and Jewish Russian. On Friday at Temple EmanuEl’s 7:30 p.m. Shabbat service, Benor will present on the popuSarah Bunin Benor, Ph.D. lar topic of origins and types of Jewish family names around the world. “Cohen, Levi, Yisrael: Jewish Names Around the World” will dispel the myth about immigrants changing their names at Ellis Island. Benor encourages audience engagement with questions and comments. The Rabbi’s Tish at noon Saturday at Temple Emanu-El will be a text-based discussion on “Becoming Frum: How Newcomers Learn the Language and Culture of Orthodox Judaism.” Newly Orthodox Jews or ba’alei teshuva (those who return) encounter a very different culture from what they have previously experienced, including new ways of talking, dressing, and
gether. Our celebration of this, the 50th anniversary of our building, is an acknowledgment of the effort those builders put into ensuring that this edifice would be more than a synagogue, it would be a place that would transform us into a congregation. We remember what they have given us so we can strengthen our commitment to preserving that mission, vison and values into the future.”
“I grew up feeling that Anshei Israel was an extension of our family.” — Sarah Artzi Sarah Artzi, daughter of Sue and Saul Tobin and a member of the gala committee, is touched by the naming of the hallway for her parents. “I grew up feeling that Anshei Israel was an extension of our family,” says Artzi. “It was — and still is — a second home. We’ve celebrated literally every family milestone within the synagogue’s walls: brises, baby namings, preschool graduations, consecrations, seven b’nai mitzvah, Hebrew High graduations, aufrufs (grooms’ pre-wedding Torah honors), a wedding,
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acting. “They don’t just take on the observance, they take on a whole system of culture,” Benor says. This talk is appropriate for all audiences, regardless of prior exposure to Orthodox Judaism. Benor is the author of “Becoming Frum: How Newcomers Learn the Language and Culture of Orthodox Judaism,” which won the Sami Rohr Choice Award for Jewish Literature. She is founding co-editor of the Journal of Jewish Languages and founder and editor of the Jewish Language Research Website and the Jewish English Lexicon. The Albert T. Bilgray Lecture program is co-sponsored by Temple Emanu-El, UA Hillel Foundation, UA Center for Judaic Studies, UA Department of Linguistics, and the Institute for the Study of Religion and Culture. The Bilgray Lectureship, created in 1985, honors the senior rabbi at Temple Emanu-El from 1947 to 1972, who was the guiding force behind the formation of the UA’s Judaic Studies Program. A catered, kosher Mediterranean dinner with chicken precedes the Friday evening presentation for $40 per person. RSVP to Temple Emanu-El at 327-4501 by Friday, Feb. 1. Participants should bring a vegetarian dish for the potluck following Saturday’s discussion. The Hillel center is located at 1245 E. 2nd St. Temple Emanu-El is at 225 N. Country Club Road.
and a funeral. Our milestones have spanned all three of our congregation’s rabbis and countless others who have shaped and nurtured our family. What an honor to have our parents’ names celebrated in such a meaningful way.” The history hall, which is being endowed by the Tobin family and Mel and Enid Zuckerman, already has several large panels that display the congregation’s history from its founding to the present day, says Roberts, but there is room for future generations to add their own. The hallway also holds pictures of past presidents, and rabbis and cantors past and present, she says, adding that it has been spruced up with new carpet and bright new paint to replace dark wood paneling. The evening will begin with a cocktail hour, giving people a time to see and appreciate the renovation, she says. The dinner will be accompanied by music from the band Split Decision, and Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild will issue a proclamation in honor of the occasion, says Roberts. The congregation has been gathering old photos and reminiscences from members. Instead of a printed tribute journal, there will be a digital version that will play on a screen during the event, and attendees will receive a copy on a flash drive. Tickets are $69 through Feb. 4 and $79 thereafter. To RSVP, visit www.caiaz.org or call 745-5550.
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JHM fellow to speak on social justice for COC ALEXANDRA SHARON PERE AJP INTERN
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riel Goldberg, Zuckerman Fellow and curator of community engagement at the Jewish History Museum, will present “Social Justice Through Writing and Curating” at Congregation Or Chadash on Thursday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. Goldberg, 36, will talk about how the JHM seeks to relate current and historical social justice events in the context of a museum setting. “I’m going to start my presentation and structure it around how the people in the room think about the words, ‘social justice,’” Goldberg says. They plan on engaging audience members in an open-minded discussion of what they believe social justice means while also presenting how social justice is intertwined with their own life. Goldberg also is an author whose published works include “The Photographer,” a poetry collection, and “The Estrangement Principle,” a book of essays. Their work at the Jewish History Museum has been an ongoing process of challenging audiences to see the parallels between the past and present, but Goldberg doesn’t stop there. Goldberg will extend the presentation past the Jewish History Museum’s role in the social justice community and describe their experiences as an activist at the Eloy detention center. Eloy is a private prison in Arizona that is under contract with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and houses upward of 2,000 immigrants. By discussing how they have facilitated frontlines activist work in their own personal life, Goldberg hopes to show audience members how they can also join a social justice movement. “My hope is that everyone in the room will engage in that level of reflection so that they can go back out and, if they aren’t already active in an organization, they can
KUTLER continued from page 3
for two years in between the two degrees. He had planned an academic career but fell in love with Jewish education, he says. Kutler is skilled in Hebrew, Arabic and French, as well as the ancient Akkadian, Ugaritic, Phoenician and Aramaic languages. He plays classical piano and has published, lectured and led workshops throughout his career. He has engaged in 15 Ironman triathlons and looks forward
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become active in an organization in a realistic way that is doing frontlines work,” Goldberg says. Among other events, Goldberg curated a gallery chat with Karolina Lopez for the end of the Jewish History Museum’s exhibition “Invisibility and Resistance: Violence Against LGBTQIA+ People” that was on display September 2017-May 2018 in the Allen and Marianne Langer Contemporary Human Rights Gallery in the Holocaust History Center. Lopez is an activist for the transgender community and suffered three years of immigration incarceration at an all-male detention center in Arizona. Marc Sbar, chairman of Or Chadash’s social justice and action committee, which is sponsoring the event, says, “The Jewish History Museum in the last couple of years has really stepped up in taking on the stronger position in our society by [creating] the Holocaust museum and by thinking about social justice.” Goldberg’s presentation, Sbar hopes, will create small waves of social justice change in the Tucson community. “They are not dryly presenting history, they are talking about what’s going on today, what was going on before and how we support people,” says Sbar.
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to pursuing this passion in Southern Arizona. THA Judaic studies administrator Rabbi Billy Lewkowicz, who has known Kutler for 15 years, says “He has a track record beyond any scope we could have expected to have at THA. We welcome him with open arms.” Kutler says he finds the THA faculty compelling, dedicated and pleasant. “I’m impressed with their capacity and love for the children.” He looks forward to sitting with the board and faculty to make a to-do list for the school’s future sustainability. January 25, 2019, ARIZONA JEWISH POST
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COMMENTARY The Forward’s latest woes deal the Jewish world a blow to the kishkes ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL JTA NEW YORK
Photo: Lewis Hine/Wikimedia Commons
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y dad, who grew up in a time and place where his Judaism only marked him as an outsider, never really got my professional fascination with all things Jewish. That all changed when nearly 20 years ago I got a job with the Forward, the English-language offspring of the venerable Yiddish daily, the Forverts. He recalled how the Forverts would arrive at his family’s home in New York state’s rural Orange County, one of his parents’ few links to the bustling Jewish community downstate and a window into a wider world. “My father learned to be American from reading the Forverts,” Dad told me. I came to the Forward in its second generation as a revived weekly dedicated to treating its subject matter — the Jews — with the seriousness and curiosity they deserved. Seth Lipsky had reimagined the paper as a quality Jewish journalistic
Newsboys for the Forward wait for their copies in the early morning hours, March 1913.
enterprise a decade earlier. His successor, J.J. Goldberg, kept that spirit of inquiry alive, and as his managing editor I managed to work with an array of people far more talented than I — I am lucky to call more than a few of them my colleagues to this day. Under Jane Eisner, the Forward re-
mained an incubator and farm team for excellence in writing about North American Jewry in the post-immigrant, postmodern and, as some warn ominously, post-Zionist era. Some of the top Jewish media organizations — including the online magazine Tablet and 70 Faces Media, JTA’s parent organization — and
at least one national magazine are led by its alumni. The news Jan. 16 that the Forward, already reduced to a monthly magazine, is stopping its print operations altogether, and that key senior staffers, including Eisner, are being laid off, hit all of us in the industry hard. Personally, many of those let go are my friends. Professionally, it is an ominous sign of the state of Jewish journalism. But you don’t have to be a Jewish journalist to bemoan the diminution of a storied news enterprise. Love it or hate it (and many people do), the Forward represents the kind of serious conversation that Jews need to be having in turbulent times. Its reporters have held Jewish organizations and leaders accountable to the people they serve. Its opinion pages raise important questions that we might otherwise be reluctant to discuss in public, and give voice to those — Jews of color, Mizrachim (Jews from the Middle East and North Africa), women, Jewish “renegades” — who too often are left out See Forward, page 8
Despite tumult, there’s wisdom behind Israel’s crazy multi-party system ARIEL PICARD JTA JERUSALEM sraeli politics looks like a big mess right now. In late December and earlier this month, three new parties have been launched and one party has kicked out a former partner. More changes are likely, too. It probably will get messier still
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if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted before national elections are held on April 9. The latest polls show 12 to 14 parties entering the new Knesset, many with the bare minimum of four seats. (The Knesset has 120 seats.) That would be up from 10 in the recently dissolved parliament. But expect those early tallies to change. The polls diverge widely in their counts,
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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, January 25, 2019
and more political surprises are surely in store. For Brits and especially Americans, who are used to two-party politics, this fluid situation may seem like a weakness of Israeli democracy, but it is actually a sign of its strength. As they say in the tech world, Israel’s political condition is a feature not a bug. Why is that? The games of musical chairs, with parties breaking away and others being fired, are not only being driven by political egos. That’s not to say no egos are in play. But the emergence of new parties and the shrinking of older ones are based on the notion that the Israeli voter is “woke” and caring. Voters have demands, opinions and desires, and the country’s politicians are trying to find out what they want. Hardly any voters are in the back pockets of politicos, who cannot take anyone for granted. Most Israelis no longer vote based on family traditions, ethnic loyalty or rabbinic directives. They change their minds every campaign. Old and influential Zionist movements like Labor and the National Religious Party are losing ground politically, even though people still believe in the ideologies. Voters are making specific demands of their leaders and will not be loyal to a politician just because he or she heads a particular party. These continuing splits have also shat-
tered the traditional support networks of the old-line parties. Labor cannot count on the support that its “ground troops” from the Histadrut labor unions and kibbutzim used to provide. The religious parties used to be able to count on their B’nei Akiva youth groups and yeshiva students. Such networks are less important in an era of internet campaigning, and that traditional support is certainly not showing up on Election Day. Not even the haredi Orthodox vote en bloc anymore. You would have thought that in a right-wing government they would get what they want. But they didn’t and in the end, there will be army conscription of young haredi men, even in a right-wing coalition. Overall, the haredim hold fewer seats than their demographics would suggest. It is even possible that the Sephardic haredi party Shas won’t receive enough votes to gain Knesset seats. With rightwingers Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked exiting the Jewish Home party, its remnants, primarily the old National Religious Party, also may not exceed the electoral threshold of four seats. Other examples of such fracturing abound. Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party doesn’t represent Russian Israelis anymore. The Arab political parties are a more complicated matter, but on See Wisdom, page 8
LOCAL Women to join for evening of creativity, giving
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illing Empty Bowls is a new interactive event for Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Women’s Philanthropy, hosted by its Pomegranate Division. The event on Wednesday, Feb. 13 promises opportunities for creative fun, food, drinks, and a chance to enjoy connecting with women of all ages. The evening kicks off at the Tucson Jewish Community Center Art Gallery with wine and hors d’oeuvres, while the Art Studio will be set up for participants to add their artistic touch to clay bowls, along with a note or signature from each creator. After firing, the bowls will be auctioned at the Women’s Philanthropy Connections event, March 10, at La Paloma. Proceeds from the silent auction will benefit “Making a Difference Every Day: The Homer Davis Project,” a JFSA community engagement program. “We have such a phenomenal Jewish community in Tucson, filled with extraordinary women,” says Sarah Singer, one of the originators of the event idea. “We want to create more opportunities for us to come together and socialize, while engaging in tikkun olam (healing the world) — we hope the Pomegranate Division will help us accomplish this goal. We also hope to re-engage the women who, for whatever reason, are not currently active in our community.”
Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Women’s Philanthropy will host Filling Empty Bowls Feb. 13.
“We are very excited about creating a new energy within Women’s Philanthropy to continue the momentum fostered in Young Women’s Cabinet,” adds co-creator Amy Pozez. “We have noticed a desire among our peers to stay engaged, but they are unsure of their place in the Women’s Philanthropy umbrella. We have amazing bonding and leadership experiences within our cohorts in young leadership and look to keep that intimacy and connectedness without the pressure of increased giving. The goal is to keep these strong amazing women together, because together we do extraordinary things.” Filling Empty Bowls will be Feb. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. The cost is $18. RSVP at www.jfsa.org/fillabowl2019 or contact Jane Scott at jscott@jfsa.org.
Environmentalist to discuss Tu B’Shevat link
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n honor of Tu B’Shevat, factory farm emissions, and the Secular Humanist Jewair pollutants, and protecting ish Circle will host Lori imperiled pollinators. She’ll Ann Burd, environmental be speaking about our moral health program director and obligation to protect the envistaff attorney at the Center for ronment, new threats to fruit Biological Diversity, a Tucsontrees, and actions we can take. based national conservation “Tu B’Shevat is an opporgroup focused on endangered tunity to reflect on what we’re Lori Ann Burd species protection. Her talk doing to protect our environwill take place Saturday, Jan. 26, at 1:30 ment, and what more we can do,” says p.m. at the Murphy-Wilmot Library, 530 Burd. “When we allow our soils, waters N. Wilmot Road. and foods to be poisoned, we imperil all Burd is the daughter of refuseniks who life. We can, and we must, do better.” made it out of the Soviet Union in the Burd earned her bachelor’s degree at 1970s, putting down roots and flourish- Colorado College and her law degree at ing in Chicago. She will share thoughts Lewis and Clark. Before joining the Cenon how the welfare of human beings is ter for Biological Diversity, she worked as deeply linked to nature — to the exis- a staff attorney and campaign manager tence in our world of a vast diversity of for Bark, defenders of Mt. Hood National wild animals and plants. Forest in Oregon, for the National WildTu B’Shevat is the Jewish new year of life Federation, focusing on mountainthe trees. In modern times, it has become top-removal coal mining and tar sands a celebration of trees, fruit and the envi- pipelines, and at the Center for Food ronment. Recognizing that the health of Safety, focusing on pesticides and indushumans and all other species are inextri- trial agriculture. cably intertwined, Burd focuses her work For more information, visit www. on combatting toxins such as pesticides, shjcaz.org.
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FORWARD continued from page 6
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of the communal conversation. Most of all, it reminds us to think like adults, and put aside the kitsch and pablum that sometimes defines the Jewish discourse. This week I took part in a Muslim-Jewish dialogue sponsored by the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. The focus was the media’s treatment of our respective groups. I was reminded how lucky we are as Jews to have a mature and robust tradition of communal self-scrutiny. The Muslims in the room represented their communities’ critical thinkers, in all senses of that term, and more than a few quietly bemoaned the lack of outlets for an honest and often uncomfortable discussion of the challenges facing them and their coreligionists. Although the Jewish discourse can often be coarse, and the intramural fighting ugly, I am always proud as a Jewish journalist to be in the thick of it. As an industry, Jewish journalism is on the ropes — weekly newspapers have been shrinking, many dying, for more than a decade, the result of the double jeopardy of economic and ethnic upheaval. Readers don’t expect to pay for the news they consume, and advertisers have fled to a cheaper online space where size is often all that matters. Jewish ethnic ties are famously frayed. The Forward hopes its new digital strategy will help
WISDOM continued from page 6
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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, January 25, 2019
numbers alone, one would think they could hold more than 20 seats in the 120-member Knesset, as Arab Israelis represent 20 percent of the country’s population. But they are stuck in the low double digits. By my estimates, only 20-25 percent of voters cast their ballots according to tradition, and they are clustered in the Likud and haredi parties. That is not a large enough percentage to be a game changer. The game changer is the other 75 percent. The Israeli political map in the 2019 election is different from 2015’s, which was different from those in 2012 and 2009. This is not a sign of chaos. Rather it is a sign of a mature democracy and shows voters’ critical thinking about politics. They say, “I won’t vote for you just because I voted for you last time or because I was raised in your educational system.” There are no loyalties. This direct influence of the individual citizen on politics is the real check and balance in our political system, especially as we don’t have a constitution and the courts are under attack. Even Benjamin Netanyahu, a great politician, has to seesaw back and forth among differing ideas. You cannot fool Israelis, and he knows it. The argument that most of Israel’s Jewish population is right wing is a fact, but it’s a result of the current situation. It wasn’t like that always, and it won’t always be like that. Bibi won’t be here forever. Even though Likud looks as if it is the last of the oldline parties to retain its deep core intact, the day that Netanyahu goes — and that day will come — Likud will implode as its historic rivals and partners have. He’s the only one holding the Likud together. A governing coalition with many small parties is a problem. But I prefer a fragile system that is sensitive to the different opinions in society than strong leadership like a presidential system.
it survive these changes, but ultimately a journalistic enterprise is only as good, and as healthy, as its people. I wish the Forward, its staff and its alumni only good things. The Jewish world needs them. And if you doubt that, or are gloating over the Forward’s financial woes, you are arguing for a community that cannot discuss its most pressing issues honestly. You are trusting professional and volunteer stewards of multimillion-dollar nonprofits — your money, in other words — to police themselves. You are okay with tuning out political and ideological views with which you don’t agree. You are trusting the Jewish story to outsiders, and will not have the answers when others confront us with their versions of the truth. The Forverts taught my Jewish immigrant grandparents how to be American. The revived Forward taught all of us how to think Jewishly in an era of assimilation and acculturation. I hope a new Forward, and all of Jewish journalism, can rebound to teach us how to argue with one another, learn from one another and love one another.
Andrew Silow-Carroll is JTA’s Editor in Chief. Previously he served as editor in chief and CEO of the New Jersey Jewish News and wrote an award-winning weekly column in the Times of Israel. He was also the managing editor of the Forward newspaper, editor of the Washington Jewish Week, senior editor of Moment magazine, and a reporter for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the AJP or its publisher, the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona.
Israel’s politics may seem chaotic, but it gets things done. Innovative legislation of cannabis exports, child vaccinations and cigarette labeling made it through the system before the Knesset dissolved. The two-party, presidential system in the U.S. has ground to a halt, the result of a polarized electorate and differing parties running the two houses of the Congress. America’s founders wanted governing to be difficult, but they also wanted consensus of a sort — seemingly impossible in a system that demands a stark choice between two sides of a divide. Unlike Donald Trump, Netanyahu cannot just play to his “base.” The forming and reforming of factions means he is always in danger. You can argue that danger paralyzes him from acting, but it also demands more caution. In a society with a lot of friction, it gives more representative power to different parts of society, which is what democracy is about. I prefer that to some kind of political tyranny or a democracy that grinds to a halt. A democracy is not tested by the power of a ruler but by the constraints it imposes on power. A prime minister in a parliamentary system must be open and listen. He or she has to make concessions, even to small parties. There will always be people who are unhappy, and here, virtually every political group is both happy and unhappy, depending on the moment. One of the proofs of this is our high voter turnout. Nearly 72 percent of Israel’s eligible voters cast their ballots in the 2015 election, compared to 58 percent in the United States in 2016, a presidential year, and less than 50 percent in 2018 — itself the highest midterms turnout since 1914. Either Israelis are naive — they are not — or they think the system is working. Elections in Israel are an example of the trust people have in the political system, and the greater the noise and chaos, the greater the involvement and engagement. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the AJP or its publisher, the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona.
WORLD Miniseries that opened Pandora’s box in Germany will be reprised Jan. 27 TOBY AXELROD JTA
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or Sigmount Koenigsberg, the most searing scene in the U.S.-made “Holocaust” miniseries broadcast here 40 years ago was when a German child throws photos of a Jewish family into a fireplace. The pictures curl up and melt in the flames. The moment “somehow burned into me,” recalls Koenigsberg, 58, a Jew who lives in Berlin. In fact, the four-part series starring a young Meryl Streep and James Woods — first shown in the United States in 1978 — burned itself into the consciences of many Germans at the time, helping bring about a shift in the country’s approach to its history. This month, ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27, WDR (West German Broadcasting) is marking the 40th anniversary of that groundbreaking broadcast by bringing Streep, Woods, Tovah Feldshuh, Michael Moriarty and the program’s other stars back into German living rooms. Journalist Jorg Schonenborn, the head of TV programming for WDR, said the rebroadcast was triggered by a new documentary by writer Alice Agneskircher about the 1979 screening. “I realized right away that this would not be enough,” he recently told the educational Gerda Henkel Foundation. “We have to show the entire series again,” even if reactions today might not be the same. “After all, ‘Holocaust’ is not only contemporary history, but an important part of German television history,” said Schönenborn, who saw the series as a youngster. “And unfortunately, anti-Semitism is not only an historical phenomenon but very much present today.” Directed by Marvin Chomsky and written by Gerald Green, “Holocaust” recounts the Nazi genocide of European Jewry through two fictional families in Berlin: the Weisses, who are Jewish, and the Dorfs, who are Christian. In the end,
Photo: Screenshot from ‘Holocaust’ from Imdb
BERLIN
Meryl Streep played the Christian daughter-in-law in a Jewish family in ‘Holocaust.’
both the victims and perpetrators are nearly destroyed. The series, which aired on NBC over four nights in April 1978, won several Emmy and Golden Globe awards and a large audience, although many critics were underwhelmed. Elie Wiesel famously objected to the series, saying it “trivialized” the Shoah and worrying that “the Holocaust will be measured and judged in part by the TV production bearing its name.” In particular, the film seems to buy the cliché of Jews “going like lambs to the slaughter” in depictions of mass shootings or the herding of Jews into gas chambers. And many felt the kick-your-heels happy ending should have ended up on the cutting-room floor. But the film also portrayed Jewish resistance, and the agonizing position of Jews who collaborated in hopes of saving themselves. It shows how the murder of the disabled paved the way for the genocide of European Jewry, step by step, from mass shootings to gassings. It also portrayed the descent of average non-Jewish Germans into murderous criminality and the determination of many to deny what had happened, even to themselves. In 1979, an estimated 36 percent of
West Germans with TVs — some 20 million people, according to a contemporary article in Der Spiegel magazine — viewed at least one part of the series, which was dubbed into German. The effect was immediate. Later that year, the West German parliament expunged the statute of limitations on war crimes. The term “Holocaust” entered the lexicon (somewhat replaced by “Shoah” after the release of Claude Lanzmann’s documentary in 1985). Within a few years, tens of thousands of German youth were looking into what had happened in their own hometowns and their own families under the Nazis as part of a nationwide grassroots history movement. Almost reluctantly, Der Spiegel admired this “trivial” American series, saying it had “managed to do what hundreds of books, plays, films and TV broadcasts, thousands of documents and all concentration camp trials in three decades of postwar history had failed to do: to inform Germans about the crimes committed against the Jews in their name in such a way that millions were shaken.” In a 2005 interview with this reporter, Chomsky recalled the immediate impact of the German broadcast.
“There were all kinds of [news] stories and people started asking, ‘Daddy, what did you do during the war?’ It was quite a revelation for the generation,” said Chomsky, now 89. The dropping of the statute of limitations on war crimes was likely the first time “where a nation has … enacted a law directly affected by the viewing and the response to a television show,” he said. But it also helped change the focus from those who pulled the strings, like the Nazi leaders convicted at Nuremberg and in other high-profile trials, to the perpetrators who could be one’s nextdoor neighbors. “The point I wanted to show with all of this … was that people who seem perfectly normal are … capable of [committing] hideous atrocities,” said Chomsky, who also co-directed the 1977 “Roots” miniseries, whose impact on American historical consciousness was similarly profound. Efraim Zuroff, head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Jerusalem office, said there is no question that the “Holocaust” story had the most powerful impact in West Germany. Zuroff has pushed Germany to investigate and prosecute Nazi war criminals. “The story of the Weiss family personalized the Shoah in a way that touched the average viewer,” he said, “and helped Germans internalize the scope and horror of the tragedy that took place in their country, launched by a movement elected democratically.” Deidre Berger, head of the Berlin office of the American Jewish Committee, agreed. “This one TV series opened the virtual Pandora’s box on confronting the Holocaust,” she said. “Sometimes a fictional account that opens people’s hearts can have more impact than a library of books.” So much has changed in the interim: East and West Germany united in 1990, and Germany’s postwar Jewish community has grown nearly tenfold with the influx of former Soviet Jews. Holocaust education here has evolved: The See Miniseries, page 10
January 25, 2019, ARIZONA JEWISH POST
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NATIONAL / LOCAL Free loans available to furloughed federal workers in Tucson, other cities JOSEFIN DOLSTEN JTA
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ewish federal employees who are struggling with expenses due to the government shutdown can now find some relief. The Hebrew Free Loan Association of Greater Washington approved an emergency program in early January to provide loans of up to $2,000 per household to affected Jews living in the Washington, D.C., area. Several people have applied and two have been approved, the organization’s president, David Farber, told JTA on Jan. 9. The association has allocated some $30,000 to the program, and it is reaching out to local synagogues and Jewish organizations to help in case the demand extends beyond that threshold. Some 800,000 federal employees are not being paid
MINISERIES continued from page 9
generation of survivors, perpetrators and eyewitnesses is dying out, and the historical record has been refined through additional facts and interpretations. But the impact of this series on German non-Jews and Jews, however dated and sanitized some parts of the film may appear today, is beyond a doubt. Historian Edith Raim, born in 1965, recalls watching the series with her family in Landsberg, a town outside Munich. It was one of the first programs they saw together because her parents, both teachers, thought TV had “no pedagogic value.” “We were glued to the film, even my reluctant father,” said Raim, who is not Jewish. Later that year, “the youth organization of the trade unions started commemorations on the [local] concentration camp cemeteries.” Raim soon joined with high school classmates to research the history of those camps. “In the case of Landsberg, in fact, the series helped locals to confront the Nazi past,” she said. In West Germany, teachers incorporated the series into their classes. It also sparked public discussions. But on the other side of the so-called Iron Curtain, in East Germany, discussions were more private, Jalda Rebling says. Rebling, today a cantor with the Jewish Renewal movement, watched the program with her parents in their home near East Berlin. She recalls that her mother, the singer Lin Jaldati, a Dutch survivor of Auschwitz and
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respond to what we see as an emerging need and hopefully one that will end soon to fill the gap.” Founded in 1909, the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Greater Washington provides interest-free loans to members of the Jewish community to help with needs such as medical and emergency bills, credit card debts and student loans. Hebrew Free Loan organizations in San Francisco and Austin, Texas, also are providing loans to those affected by the shutdown, the Forward and J. Weekly reported. As of Jan. 23, the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Tucson had not received any applications from those affected by the shutdown. Unlike many other Hebrew Free Loan Associations around the world that make loans only to Jewish applicants, Tucson’s program is non-sectarian. To contact the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Tucson, visit www.tucsonfreeloan.org, or call Yana Krone at 297-5360.
Bergen-Belsen, “was very angry about this kitschy story” saying, “Nobody looked that nice in the camps.” “She didn’t like the Hollywood part of it,” Rebling said. “But today I would say if it hadn’t been for that, people wouldn’t have watched.” The focus of East German education and memorials was on anti-Nazi resistance. They did not officially hold up any mirrors to themselves, instead shoving the perpetrator legacy to West Germany.
But the program had an important impact, Koenigsberg said. In school, “before they always talked about 6 million Jews. And Jewish narratives were not presented in history classes. But now they had the story of one family. And they could feel with them.” “Textbooks were changed and adjusted, and it was a big event for Germany,” recalled actor Tovah Feldshuh, who played the role of Helena Slomova, a Jewish resistance fighter from then-Czechoslovakia. “I was wearing fatigues in the woods. It was my first death on film,” she said in a telephone interview from New York. Feldshuh said she felt privileged to play the role of “a freedom fighter, to be brave, rather than” someone who appeared to give up. She “went through the Holocaust miniseries angry, not upset. “[I] didn’t shed a tear,” she said. “But for the [actors] who were newly exposed to the Holocaust, who were not Jewish, they were beside themselves: Rosemary Harris and Meryl Streep were beside themselves.” Harris played Mrs. Weiss, and Streep played her Christian daughterin-law. After the premiere in 1978, Wiesel confronted Feldshuh. “Tovah, how could you, how could you, how could you! Reduce the Holocaust to a soap opera?” he demanded. “I told him, ‘Elie, I understand that the experience of the Holocaust is unspeakable. I understand there is no language for what you went through. We did not make the Holocaust series for you. We did it for people … who think Holocaust means ‘hora.’ For people who think the Holocaust did not happen.”
“Sometimes a fictional account that opens people’s hearts can have more impact than a library of books.” But there were ways to learn about this history, says Rebling, who recalled her anger when a friend said it was “so wonderful we have now this film, we never knew about this entire Holocaust.” Rebling “took him into a bookshop and put him in front of Holocaust-related books that were published in East Germany. I said, ‘You just didn’t look for it earlier.’” Like Rebling, Koenigsberg knew the history from his own parents, survivors from Poland. He was an 18-yearold high school student in Saarbrucken, former West Germany, when the family watched the series. “Especially the episodes that take place in Poland or in the concentration camps, my parents said, ‘That is only part of what happened. It can’t be reproduced,’” he recalled.
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due to the government shutdown that started on Dec. 22 after President Donald Trump and the Democrats failed to reach a deal on whether to fund a wall along the U.S.Mexico border. In an effort to aid the struggling workers, the organization has expedited the approval process and relaxed some of its requirements for those seeking loans. Workers will have to pay back the loans when the shutdown ends; they are expected to receive their back pay. “There are many federal employees both in the Greater Washington area and across the country who are not making that much money and unfortunately live paycheck to paycheck,” Farber said. “For those people in our Jewish community, they will be very much affected by this shutdown as it continues on and their cash flow may be seriously disrupted.” Farber said his organization “was happy to step up and
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iniculture isn’t new; it’s perhaps as old as history itself. The first winery discovered dates back to 4100 BCE in Armenia. Some wine historians date the origins of winemaking back as early as 8000 BCE. Grapes are one of the seven biblical species (Deuteronomy 8:8). With 221 mentions in the Old Testament, wine always has played a role as a pillar of Judaism and its rituals, but perhaps never as profitably as today. Quality wines have replaced sweet red wines once produced for religious rituals. While 95 percent of wine produced in Israel is kosher, only 55 percent of wineries are kosher and less than 15 percent of Israeli wine is produced for sacramental purposes. Israeli viniculture was improved as vineyards began to move inland from the humid coast to chillier, drier hills on the Golan Heights and Galilee, Judean Hills, and Negev highlands. Vineyards have transformed the countryside with green rows across the dusty hillsides. With more than 70 commercial companies and 250 boutique wineries, wine trails are easily intertwined with history and archeology for tourism today. That’s how travelers on the mid-October Weintraub Israel Center Israel Experience 2018 wound up at the Golan Heights Winery, one of the top three wineries in the country. Hosted for a tour, wine tasting and lunch, the Tucson visitors got a quick education in the industry, the winery, and the internationally acclaimed tastes of some of the 20 wines produced there. “I knew we were in for something special when I noticed that half of their winemakers graduated from the UC Davis viticulture and enology program, considered by many to be the world’s best enology program,” says
Photo courtesy Weintraub Israel Center
AJP Assistant Editor
Tucson travelers enjoy a wine-pairing luncheon at Israel’s Golan Heights Winery, Oct. 17, 2018. Visible from left, front: Jil Feldhausen, Edward Feldhausen, Lawrence Kinet, Michelle Kinet, Wendy Weinberg, Jeff Weinberg. From front right: Janice Brundage, Dawn Gunter, Steve Wool, Debe Campbell.
Harry Crane, a trip participant. “The food was exceptionally good, as is generally the case at wineries who hire topnotch chefs to make sure the food and wine pair beautifully together.” Crane, a former French fine dining chef, recently retired as an executive chef from Kraft/Heinz Company. “The winery presented an array of salads that were exceedingly well executed and accompanied by a complex gewürztraminer that allowed the dishes to really shine,” Crane says. “Their lightly oaked chardonnay paired perfectly with the dill-scented salmon. I particularly liked the sauvignon blanc, which had tropical fruit and citrus notes that reminded me of the New Zealand wines that I enjoy so much.” Winner of numerous international awards, Golan Heights produces 5.5 million bottles of wine annually, labeled as Yarden, Gamla (Gilgal in the United States), Mount Hermon and Galil Mountain. The winery’s 28 vineyards cover more than 1,500 acres at 3,900 feet elevation, with 22 grape varieties. The bulk of production, 75
percent, is sold in Israel, with about 15 percent of the balance exported to North America (1.5 million bottles) and the rest to 32 countries, says Ruven Fiverock, wine tours public relations guide. In fact, $50 million of Israeli wines are exported annually, largely to Jewish communities including the United States. Two-thirds of Golan Heights’ production is young wine, bottled after a short fermentation. It must be sold in one or two years, or it loses its flavor, according to Fiverock. Aged wines are stored in French oak barrels for maturation then bottled for the process to continue. The content is 100 percent grapes, with nothing more than yeast added. While some wineries add gelatin or milk to clear the wine faster and more cheaply, all workers in Golan Heights’ winery fermentation area are observant, and all ingredients are kosher, with no food allowed into the fermentation area. A rabbi supervises the high tech process. Golan Heights wines are sometimes available in Tucson at Total Wines or online from various vendors, primarily under the Mount Hermon label.
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NEWS BRIEFS Jews have a bleak present — and future — in Europe
The longtime editor in chief of Belgium’s largest Jewish newspaper has announced he is resigning and running for parliament, partly in a bid to reverse recent bans in the country on the slaughter of conscious animals for meat. Michael Freilich, 38, who has edited the Antwerpbased Joods Actueel monthly for 12 years, said prior to his announcement Monday that he was joining the New Flemish Alliance center-right party, the largest in the federal parliament. The party has placed Freilich in the fifth slot of its ticket for the May 26 regional elections, all but ensuring that Freilich will become a lawmaker in the Chamber of Representatives, the lower house. A victory would make him the first Orthodox Jew to serve there. Referring to the ban, which went into effect on Jan. 1 in his Flemish Region, Freilich told JTA, “That was indeed one of the reasons I decided to take the plunge” and enter politics. Both the Jewish and Muslim faiths require animals be conscious when they are killed for meat. The ban has put several abattoirs out of business. The Belgian Walloon region’s identical ban will go into
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because of anti-Semitism. That was the unusually pessimistic view outlined by the continent’s Jewish community leaders at the European Parliament’s annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day event. European Jewish Congress President Moshe Kantor in a speech read for him raised the possibility of Jews leaving Europe amid rising extremism. And it wasn’t just European Jewish leaders: Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog called the reality for European Jews “a raging crisis” and said that despite efforts to curb the anti-Semitism, one “can no longer ignore that Jews are unsafe walking the streets of Europe.” Herzog cited a recent assault in Paris on the Jewish Agency’s top envoy there, Daniel Ben-Haim. A security guard tackled the attacker, who targeted Ben-Haim because he wears a kippah, Herzog said. Kantor’s speech noted a recent poll among Jews in the European Union in which 38 percent said they had considered emigrating because they did not feel safe as Jews. “If Jews leave Europe, the question is not what will be of Jews,” Kantor said, noting that Israel’s existence assures their survival, “but what will be of Europe.” He called for “urgent action” against anti-Semitism by authorities. Kantor unexpectedly was prevented from attending the event. Among the 200 on hand for Wednesday’s ceremony in Brussels ahead of the Jan. 27 commemorative day were European Parliament President Antonio Tajani and Susan Pollack, a survivor from Hungary living in the United Kingdom.
Keret said he was “very surprised,” according to a statement from Ben-Gurion University, where he is a lecturer. “It’s the happiest thing in the world, but like love or gifts, it’s not something you can strive for. It just happens,” he also said, according to the statement. The prize includes a more than $40,000 cash and support for the book’s translation into two languages: Arabic and a language of the author’s choice. Keret, who won the 2016 Charles Bronfman Prize for humanitarians under 50, has written several collections of short stories, as well as movie scripts, poetry, plays and comics. His work has been translated into English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, Norwegian and Swedish. Jason Spindler
Jason Spindler, a Jewish American whose life was changed when he survived the 9/11 attack in New York, was killed in a terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya. The shooting attack Jan. 15 on a business complex, claimed by the Somali Islamist terrorist group Shabab, claimed at least 21 lives. Shabab said it was motivated in part to commit the attack by President Donald Trump’s recognition in 2017 of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Spindler, a young investment banker in 2001, helped save lives in New York on 9/11, friends told The Washington Post. The experience led Spindler to leave investment banking, earn a law degree from New York University and join the Peace Corps. He was in Kenya as a social entrepreneur, helping others start small businesses as a means of alleviating poverty. An avid climber, he maintained a goofy sense of humor: In November, on Facebook, he posted a picture of the Finger Board Room in his Houston hometown synagogue, Beth Israel, and captioned it “Synagogue or climbing gym #badclimbingjokes.” Spindler’s Houston-based family flew to Kenya to retrieve his body. A funeral service was planned for Thursday. effect later this year. One of the reasons the ban passed, Freilich said, was because “proper follow-up by the Jewish community of the process of legislation was mismanaged.” He said following the process “from the seat of power means far fewer surprises and more opportunities to intervene before doing so becomes too late.”
Etgar Keret is the winner of the Sapir Prize, Israel’s most prestigious literary award. The award for 2018, presented on Tuesday, is for Keret’s collection of 24 short stories titled “A Glitch at the Edge of the Galaxy.”
RON WEST
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Reports of rollbacks in Palestinian aid projects are
emerging as massive cuts in U.S. aid to the Palestinians kick in. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that up to 90,000 Palestinians will not get food aid in programs that are administered by nongovernmental organizations funded by U.S. assistance. NPR reported last week that a major sewage project in Jericho, near completion, will be discarded, and that a school planned for the Bethlehem area also will be abandoned. The U.S. Agency for International Development will sack most of its staff in the region, NPR said. Legislation that passed last year mandates massive cuts — estimated at more than $200 million — to the Palestinians until they stop recompensing the families of Palestinians who have attacked Israelis. President Donald Trump has authorized additional cuts, including to UNRWA, the United Nations agency that administers to Palestinians and their descendants. In addition, according to separate legislation passed, the Palestinian Authority accepting U.S. assistance would trigger liability for hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. court decisions in favor of families of victims of terrorist acts. As a result, the Palestinian Authority recently declined the aid, NPR reported, in order not to be liable for the money the courts awarded against the Palestinians. The Daily Beast reported Tuesday that the legislation triggering liability inadvertently affects U.S. funding for Palestinian security forces, which Israel considers critical in keeping the peace in the West Bank. Lawmakers are scrambling to amend the legislation to allow a cutout for assistance to the Palestinian security force, the report said, but have been stymied by the monthlong U.S. government shutdown. Separately, the Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering suspending the transfer of $15 million in Qatari funds for humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip as clashes are heating up on the Israel-Gaza border. Courtesy JTA
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January 25, 2019, ARIZONA JEWISH POST
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P.S. Three crack, eight bam, seven dot … mah jongg! SHARON KLEIN Special to the AJP
M
ah jongg, the centuriesold tile game of Chinese origin, is a favorite pastime for American Jewish women. A fad in the United States in the 1920s, it regained popularity in 1937 when a group of Jewish women formed the National Mah Jongg League based in New York City. Each year, the league issues the much-anticipated new card listing the different winning combinations of tiles. The game has been passed down from mother to daughter, friend to friend. Jewish organizations, from synagogue sisterhoods to Hadassah chapters, use the game as a fundraising tool, selling the cards and receiving donations from the league. The Tucson International Jewish Film Festival has shown the movie, “Mah Jongg: The Tiles That Bind,” followed by game play. This inexpensive form of communal entertainment involves both strategy and luck and appeals to youth and seniors alike. On Jan. 9, the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Young Women’s Cabinet hosted “Mahj, Mojitos & Mitzvahs” at the Harvey and Deanna Evenchik Center for Jewish Philanthropy. Seventy-five attendees nibbled on hors d’oeuvres, sipped, schmoozed, and played the game. They also donated grocery gift cards and toiletries for Jewish Family & Children’s Services. Tables were labelled for “beginners,” “social players,” or “serious players,” with teachers on hand for instruction.
On the second night of Hanukkah (seated, L-R) Sara Borin, Ellen Kier; (standing, L-R) Lois Jacowsky, Hedy Feuer, Rosie Eilat-Kahn, Shelley Heyman, Judy Schultz, Robin Pozez
a tournament that benefits Congregation Anshei Israel’s United Synagogue Youth, honoring the memory of Linda Roy who served as CAI youth director and was part of their mahj circle. According to Judy, this tightknit group has become best friends, present for each other’s simchas, sorrows and everything in between. (And their husbands get along, too!)
...
Mahj at Ruthann Pozez’s home, (standing, L-R) Bev Fine, Naomi Spitzer, Joan Bykoff, Janet Seltzer; (seated, L-R) Ruthann Pozez, Marilynn Prensky, Sally Duchin
form a mah jongg group. The initial circle of a dozen women included many who served on the Anne Frank committee. For years, they met weekly at Skyline Country Club before transferring to Ruthann’s home. The current players include Joan Bykoff (a Tucson newcomer), Sally Duchin, Bev Fine, Ruth Kolker, Ruthann, Marilyn Prensky, Janet Seltzer, and Naomi Spitzer. Birthdays are a highlight, especially Ruthann’s milestone 90th birthday celebration.
...
Temple Emanu-El mahj ladies (back table, L-R) Ku Istan Fraine, Harriet Dworkin; (front table, L-R) Barbara Brumer, Ruth Reiter, Bobbie Lanuez
A mojito toast from Young Women’s Cabinet members (L-R) Simone Krame, Jennifer Selco, Kathy Gerst, Jenny Rothschild, Katie StellitanoRosen, Rachel Jarrett
... Here is a sampling of some long-running mahj groups in town:
In March 1983, Shelley Fleischman (now Shelley Heyman), Lois Jacowsky, Hannah Meyerson (now of Scottsdale), and Judy Schultz began their mahj journey at Shelley’s house. Over 35 years later, current players include Shelley, Lois, and Judy plus Sara Borin, Rosie Eilat-Kahn, Hedy Feuer, Ellen Kier, and Robin Pozez. These gals have a weekly dinner game, rotating homes or using the party room at Risky Business. Members have traveled together — to Israel, to Robin’s home in Rhode Island, and to Rosie’s home in San Diego for a yearly weekend of day-and-night mahj, laughter and fun. Birthdays are celebrated, with a milestone-year special dinner and tiara. Each year, the group organizes
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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, January 25, 2019
Temple Emanu-El hosts a “drop in” mah jongg group on Monday mornings from 10 a.m. until noon (except when the Temple office is closed). It was started by Women of Reform Judaism in 2005. In the beginning, Shelley Kirchner mentored those new to the game and she has been followed by one of their seasoned players, Emlee Silverman. Ruth Reiter describes their members as a friendly, casual, ecumenical group that enjoys kibbitzing and having fun. Harriett Cowhey, a former Temple choir director, learned the game at the synagogue and then formed a mahj group at her church, Mount Zion Lutheran, where she is organist and choir director. The Temple players welcome winter visitors and Tucson regulars alike. They play for the amount of money dictated on the card. When a wall game (no winner) occurs, everyone at that table puts 25 cents into the tzedakah (charity) box, with the money given to Temple’s Mitzvah Corps.
...
In 1995, Essie Nadler convinced Ruthann Pozez to co-chair the Anne Frank exhibit at the Tucson Jewish Community Center in return for helping Ruthann
“Mah jongettes” (L-R) Ruth Solomon, Debbie Rosenberg, Marlene Sandler, Bette Cooper, Janet Seltzer, Lee Cohen
In 1994, core group Nancy Drapkin, Cathy Olswing, Emlee Silverman, Lisa Sternberg, and Ginger Waldstein began mahj play. Others have come and gone with current regulars including Sherrie McConaughey, Adria Rosen, Irene Saffer, and Natalie Sharka. They usually play two tables at various homes one night a week and everyone brings something to add to the snack bar. Cupcakes, treats, or an at-home or restaurant dinner make birthdays special. Over the years, girls’ trips have included Las Vegas, a Mexican Riviera cruise, Sante Fe, and the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, with game play always part of the journey. In 2012, Cathy began the Hadassah Southern Arizona Mah Jongg Tournament, held at Skyline Country Club the Sunday of President’s weekend in February. She notes that with her encouragement, her mahj group members all join Hadassah if they are not members already.
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Phyllis Broad and her daughter Amy Direnfeld are a mother-daughter mahj duo. As a little girl, Amy would build the walls prior to her mother’s group’s arrival, getting to sit quietly and watch “just Phyllis Broad kisses her daughter Amy one hand” in her Direnfeld, who is holding her tournament pajamas before go- trophy and prize check from March 2005. ing to bed and falling asleep to the tiles being called. Phyllis taught Amy and her sisters, Sherri and Judy, to play and instructed mahj classes with Hannah Meyerson for the CAI Women’s League, among others. Amy is still part of her core mahj group of 25 years. She and her mother have recently discovered how to play Siamese (two-handed mahj) and have had a running game for the last year. Family and friends have met in Las Vegas for mah jongg madness national tournaments. Phyllis won a few rounds, but Amy’s best finish — a tournament second place — had Phyllis kvelling at her daughter’s success. Phyllis has made mahj a part of the next generation, as four of her great-grandchildren in St. Louis also play. When the family convenes there for Passover, hours in the afternoon are spent over the game. Phyllis is definitely the star and resident expert. Truly “the tiles that bind.”
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As a mahj player trained by Phyllis, I enjoyed writing this column. Now, it’s back to covering your recent activities – I’m all ears. Keep me posted at the Post – 3191112. L’shalom.
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According to Joan Cole, her mah jongg group began about 24 years ago, and although players have come, gone, and changed, the game goes on! Current “mah jongettes,” as the late, beloved Lolita Grabb called them, consist of Lee Cohen, Joan, Bette Cooper, Ruth Kolker, Caren Newman, Debbie Rosenberg, Marlene Sandler, Joyce Sattinger, Janet Seltzer, and Ruth Solomon. The women use a variety of sets, from ones with large tiles to ancient ones inherited from members’ mothers. They began playing at Ventana Country Club and re-located three years ago to Piazza Gavi. Amidst the sound of pots banging and the smell of garlic, one or two tables meet weekly. The group convenes at 10 a.m., spending the first 15 minutes discussing movies, politics, or grandchildren’s latest activities. They then begin play, stopping for lunch before concluding at 2:30 p.m.
City
CONSERVATIVE Congregation anshei israel
5550 E. Fifth St., Tucson, AZ 85711 • (520) 745-5550 Rabbi Robert Eisen, Cantorial Soloist Nichole Chorny • www.caiaz.org Daily minyan: Mon.-Thurs., 7:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.; Fri., 7:30 a.m.; Sun. & legal holidays, 8 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. / Mincha: Fri., 5:45 p.m. / Shabbat services: Sat., 9 a.m., followed by Kiddush; Tot Shabbat, 1st Fri., 5:45 p.m.; Family Service, 3rd Friday, 5:45 p.m.; Holiday services may differ, call or visit website. / Torah study: every Shabbat one hour before Mincha (call or visit website for times) / Talmud on Tuesday, 6 p.m. / Weekday Torah study group, Wed., 11 a.m. beverages and dessert provided.
Congregation Bet shalom 3881 E. River Road, Tucson, AZ 85718 • (520) 577-1171 Rabbi Hazzan Avraham Alpert • www.cbsaz.org Shabbat services: Fri., 5:30 p.m. (followed by monthly dinners — call for info); Sat. 9:30 a.m., Camp Shabbat (ages 6-10) 10 a.m.-noon, followed by Kiddush lunch; 12:30-2 p.m. CBS Think Tank discussion led by Rabbi Dr. Howard Schwartz and Prof. David Graizbord; monthly Tot Shabbat (call for dates) / Weekday services: Wed. 8:15 a.m. / Hagim 9:30 a.m.
ORTHODOX Congregation ChoFetz Chayim/southwest torah institute 5150 E. Fifth St., Tucson, AZ 85711 • (520) 747-7780 Rabbi Israel Becker • www.tucsontorah.org Shabbat services: Fri., Kabbalat Shabbat 15 minutes before sunset; Sat. 9 a.m. followed by Kiddush. / Mincha: Fri., 1 p.m.; Sat., 25 minutes before sunset, followed by Shalosh Seudas, Maariv and Havdallah. Services: Sun., 8 a.m.; Mon. & Thurs., 6:50 a.m.; Tues., Wed., Fri., 7 a.m.; daily, 15 minutes before sunset. / Weekday Rosh Chodesh services: 6:45 a.m.
Congregation young israel/ChaBad oF tuCson 2443 E. Fourth St., Tucson, AZ 85719 • (520) 881-7956 Rabbi Yossie Shemtov, Rabbi Yudi Ceitlin • www.chabadoftucson.com Daily minyan: Sun. & legal holidays, 8:30 a.m.; Mon. & Thurs., 6:30 p.m.; Tues., Wed., Fri., 6:45 a.m. / Mincha & Maariv, 5:15 p.m. / Shabbat services: Fri. at candlelighting; Sat. 9:30 a.m. followed by Kiddush. Mincha, Maariv and Havdallah TBA.
ChaBad on river 3916 E. Ft. Lowell Road • (520) 661-9350 Rabbi Ram Bigelman • www.chabadonriver.com Shabbat services: Fri., Mincha at candlelighting time, followed by Maariv. / Sat., Shacharit service, 9:30 a.m. / Torah study: women, Wed., 2 p.m.; men, Tues. and Thurs., 7 p.m. Call to confirm.
ChaBad oro valley 1217 W. Faldo Drive, Oro Valley, AZ 85755 • (520) 477-8672 Rabbi Ephraim Zimmerman • www.jewishorovalley.com Shabbat services: 3rd Fri., 5 p.m. Oct.-Feb., 6 p.m. March-Sept., all followed by dinner / Sat., 10 a.m. study session followed by service.
ChaBad sierra vista 401 Suffolk Drive, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 • (520) 820-6256 Rabbi Benzion Shemtov • www.jewishsierravista.com Shabbat services: Sat., 10:30 a.m., bimonthly, followed by class explaining prayers. Visit website or call for dates.
REFORM Congregation Beit simCha
3001 E. Skyline Drive, Suite 117, Tucson, AZ 85718 • (520) 276-5675 Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon • www.beitsimchatucson.org Shabbat services: Fri., 6:30 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m., with Torah study twice per month; monthly Shabbat morning hikes.
REFORM
Congregation Chaverim 5901 E. Second St., Tucson, AZ 85711 • (520) 320-1015 Rabbi Stephanie Aaron • www.chaverim.net Shabbat services: Fri., 7 p.m. (no service on 5th Fri.); Family Shabbat, 1st Fri., 6 p.m. / Torah study: 2nd Sat., 9 a.m., followed by contemplative service,10 a.m.
Congregation Kol simChah
(Renewal) 4625 E. River Road, Tucson, AZ 85718 • (520) 296-0818 Mailing Address: 6628 E. Calle Dened, Tucson, AZ 85710 Shabbat services: 1st and 3rd Fri., 7:15 p.m.
Congregation m’Kor hayim 3888 E. River Road, Tucson, AZ 85718 (Tucson Hebrew Academy) Mailing Address: P.O. Box 31806, Tucson, AZ 85751 • (520) 904-1881 Rabbi Helen Cohn • www.mkorhayim.org Shabbat services: 2nd and 4th Fri., 7 p.m. / Torah study, 2nd and 4th Sat., 9:30 a.m.
Congregation or Chadash 3939 N. Alvernon, Tucson, AZ 85718 • (520) 512-8500 Rabbi Thomas Louchheim, Cantor Janece Cohen www.orchadash-tucson.org Shabbat services: Fri., 6:30 p.m.; 1st Fri., Friday Night LIVE (Sept.-May); 2nd Friday, Tot Shabbat (Sept.-May), 6 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m. / Torah study: Sat., 8:30 a.m.
the institute For JudaiC serviCes and studies Mailing Address: 36789 S. Golf Course Drive, Saddlebrooke, AZ 85739 Rabbi Sanford Seltzer • (520) 825-8175 Shabbat services: Oct.-April, third Friday of the month at 7 p.m. — call for details.
temple emanu-el 225 N. Country Club Road, Tucson, AZ 85716 • (520) 327-4501 Rabbi Batsheva Appel • www.tetucson.org Shabbat services: Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m./ Torah study: Sat., 8:30 a.m. except when there is a Rabbi’s Tish.
temple Kol hamidBar 228 N. Canyon Drive, Sierra Vista • (520) 458-8637 kolhamidbar.tripod.com Mailing address: P.O. Box 908, Sierra Vista, AZ 85636 Shabbat services: Fri., 7:30 p.m.
OTHER
Beth shalom temple Center
1751 N. Rio Mayo (P.O. Box 884), Green Valley, AZ 85622 (520) 648-6690 • www.bstc.us Shabbat services: 1st and 3rd Fri., 7 p.m. / Torah study: Sat., 10 a.m.
handmaKer resident synagogue
2221 N. Rosemont Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85712 • (520) 881-2323 www.handmaker.com Shabbat services: Fri., 4:30 p.m., led by Lindsey O’Shea, followed by Shabbat dinner; Sat., 9:30 a.m., led by Mel Cohen and Dan Asia, followed by light Kiddush lunch.
seCular humanist Jewish CirCle www.secularhumanistjewishcircle.org Call Cathleen at (520) 730-0401 for meeting or other information.
university oF arizona hillel Foundation 1245 E. 2nd St. Tucson, AZ 85719 • (520) 624-6561 • www.arizona.hillel.org Shabbat services: Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and alternative services two Fridays each month when school is in session. Dinner follows (guests, $8; RSVP by preceding Thurs.). Call for dates/times.
January 25, 2019, ARIZONA JEWISH POST
17
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OBITUARY Ruth Berman, longtime Tucson entrepreneur, dies at 92 PHYLLIS BRAUN AJP Executive Editor
The Only Name for Real Estate
R
uth Berman, a co-owner of Tucson’s Benjamin Supply Company for more than six decades, died Jan. 3, 2019. She was 92. Born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Mrs. Berman grew up in Brooklyn. Her mother died when she was 18 and she left school to take care of her brother while working for a hat manufacturer in Manhattan. In 1950, she met Martin Berman. Married on July 1, 1951, they spent their honeymoon driving to Tucson, where, with her brother-in-law Sidney, they bought Benjamin Supply Company, a plumbing supply store, from Benjamin Anton. After Sidney retired, she and her husband ran the business until Martin’s death from early onset Alzheimer’s in 1986. Mrs. Berman and her son, Mark, grew the business, buying the historic Tucson Warehouse and Transfer Building. Mrs. Berman continued working fulltime into her late 80s, even after moving into Villa Hermosa, a senior living community, said her daughter, Joan. Mrs. Berman’s first job in Tucson was bookkeeping at Congregation Anshei Israel. “I always saw Ruth as a ‘Brooklyn Girl’… tough on the outside in order to survive, but caring and committed to making each of us the best we could be,” said CAI’s Rabbi Robert Eisen. Her son also described her as “a very tough, very big-
hearted woman, always there when people needed help,” and her daughter called her “a force of nature.” “She was a survivor of three cancers, multiple hospitalizations, and lost her husband, my dad Marty, at too early an age. I learned a lot from her strength and ability to live her life independently, and how to be a part of a large community,” Joan, a physician in Manhattan, said in her eulogy. Mrs. Berman was involved in politics and, as a woman in a male-dominated field, always fought for equal rights, Mark said. “She cared deeply about social justice and spoke up whenever someone said anything prejudicial in her presence,” said Joan, who remembers her mother “dressed in a suit, going door to door in our neighborhood, campaigning for John Kennedy.” Joan also recalled that when her elementary school planned a holiday concert of Christmas carols, Mrs. Berman went to the principal to insist that Hanukkah songs be included. Along with her devotion to CAI, Mrs. Berman was a longtime member and supporter of Hadassah and BBYO, and a supporter of the many local arts organizations, Mark said. Other charities she gave to include Habitat for Humanity, the Community Food Bank, the Gregory School and the Alzheimer’s Association. Mrs. Berman was preceded in death by her sister, Thelma, and husband, Marty. Survivors include her brother, Marty (Eileen Mislove) Greenbaum of Brooklyn; children, Joan Berman of Manhattan and Mark (Judith Riley) Berman of Tucson; and three grandchildren. Services were held at Evergreen Mortuary with Rabbi Robert Eisen officiating. Memorial contributions may be made to the Community Food Bank.
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RABBI’S CORNER Mount Sinai: revelation or inspiration? RABBI SAMUEL M. COHON CONGREGATION BEIT SIMCHA
I
t was the greatest moment in our people’s entire history. But what the heck actually happened? This week we read the Torah portion of Yitro, including the revelation at Mount Sinai. This climactic section includes the enormous experience of receiving the Ten Commandments through the theophany at Sinai, the most direct revelation of all in our tradition. The text is incorporated into just a couple of paragraphs that formed the core of Western ethical and religious thought and experience ever since. Clearly our tradition teaches that the greatest moment of connection to God was the ma’amad har Sinai, the event of standing at Sinai, which, if it is a historical event, took place over 3,200 years ago. Our ancestors certainly believed that God communicated directly with them, and that a specific covenant, a moral contract, was created at that spectacular moment. But in today’s world the very concept of revelation is a challenging one for most of us. Do you personally believe in revelation at all — that is, that God reveals a plan to human beings directly? Skeptics — which include most Jews — can highlight a series of improbabilities in the central tale of this epochal Jewish narrative of revelation. First, are we to actually believe that at Mount Sinai God revealed God’s own essence to us directly? That in some supernatural way, a group of Israelite freed slaves communicated directly with a being much greater than themselves, and that this only happened once, more than 3,000 years ago? And are we also to believe that not only did the Israelites think God connected with them, but also that God spoke actual words, and our ancestors understood them and committed them to memory? I personally stood on what many believe to be Mount Sinai four years ago on this Shabbat. Whether or not this was really the place where God was revealed to us so long ago? It is a dramatic, powerful, amazing
place, and in the growing light of dawn I quietly chanted the Ten Commandments in Hebrew. It was an extraordinary experience of feeling God’s presence in a magnificent place and moment in time. There are many other ways to view revelation, however. While the Torah sees Sinai as a unique experience, filled with dramatic pronouncements, lightning, thunder, earthquakes and shofars, Jewish tradition has always taught that “each of us stood at Sinai, including all the generations of Jews not yet born.” In other words, we are all participants in revelation in our own way. Just as we all must see ourselves as having come out of Egypt as freed slaves, so we all must come to understand our relationship with God directly. Any direct revelation, God’s will revealed to us for our own lives, must be given to us, and accepted by each of us, directly. My grandfather, Rabbi and Professor Samuel S. Cohon, had a concept of progressive revelation — that each of us, in every generation, has the ability to conceive of and perceive God in his or her own way. Moses’ generation called it the revelation at Sinai. Our generation might call it divine inspiration, or even creativity, a way to channel the divine energy that flows through our world always, and sometimes gifts us with a spark of greatness or genius. Is this revelation today, for us? It may be. When we feel the remarkable connection to the universe that allows us to create — to write, to sing, to play music, to dance, to love freely, when we help another person in need — we are experiencing a kind of revelation. In those moments God is revealed to us in a form of holiness we can touch and experience in our own lives. Revelation may simply mean knowing God’s presence, through beauty, inspiration, and caring. And this essential understanding brings special meaning to everything we do. Isn’t that the purest form of revelation?
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January 25, 2019, ARIZONA JEWISH POST
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR The calendar deadline is Tuesday, 10 days before the issue date. Our next issue will be published Feb. 8, 2019. Events may be emailed to office@azjewishpost.com, faxed to 319-1118, or mailed to the AJP at 3718 E. River Road, #272, Tucson, AZ 85718. For more information, call 319-1112. See Area Congregations on page 17 for additional synagogue events. Men’s Mishnah club with Rabbi Israel Becker at Cong. Chofetz Chayim. Sundays, 7:15 a.m.; Monday-Friday, 6:15 a.m.; Saturdays, 8:15 a.m. 747-7780 or yzbecker@me.com. Chabad of Sierra Vista men’s tefillin club with Rabbi Benzion Shemtov, first Sundays, 9 a.m., at 401 Suffolk Drive. 820-6256 or www.jewish sierravista.com. “Too Jewish” radio show with Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon on KVOI 1030 AM (also KAPR and KJAA), Sundays at 9 a.m. Jan. 27, Rabbi Daniel Freelander, President, World Union for Progressive Judaism. Feb. 3, Joseph Gitler, founder of Leket Israel and co-winner of the 2018 Cohon Memorial Foundation Award for his work rescuing food and feeding the hungry in Israel. Feb. 10, Matt Green, subject of the documentary film, “The World Before Your Feet,” who has walked every street in New York City over the past eight years. Beth Shalom Temple Center of Green Valley bagel breakfast and Yiddish club, first Sundays, 9:30 a.m. Members, $7; nonmembers, $10. 648-6690 or 399-3474. Temple Emanu-El adult class, “Faces of Torah,” facilitated by Jesse Davis, most Sundays, 10:15-11:30 a.m., through April 28. See schedule on www.jewishtucson.org. 327-4501. Southern Arizona Jewish Genealogy Society, second Sundays, 1-3 p.m. at the Tucson J. Contact Barbara Stern Mannlein at 731-0300 or the J at 299-3000. Tucson J Israeli Dance, taught by Brandi
Friday / January 25
10:30 AM: JHM presents “To Tell Our Stories,” local Holocaust survivors reading from their book, in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27. 670-9073 or www.jewishhistorymuseum.org. 5:30 PM: Temple Emanu-El Shabbat Rocks! dinner followed by service at 6:30 p.m., with fourth grade class, Rabbi Batsheva Appel, Avanim Rock Band and youth choir. Dinner $12 for adults, $3 ages 4-12, free for kids under 4. RSVP for dinner at 327-4501. 6 PM: JFSA Maimonides & Cardozo Societies Family Shabbat at the Tucson J. Dinner, wine, family service, supervised playtime following service. Adults, $18; children, $12. RSVP at jfsa.org/familyshabbat2019 or geri@jfsa.org.
Saturday / January 26
8 AM: Temple Emanu-El Wandering Jews Shabbat hike. Join Rabbi Batsheva Appel at Bridal Wreath Falls. 327-4501. NOON: Cong. Anshei Israel Targum Shlishi, with six Southern Arizona firefighters recently returned from Israel. Free. Contact Rabbi Robert Eisen at 745-5550, ext. 230. 1:30 PM: Secular Humanist Jewish Circle Tu B'Shevat presentation, “Our Moral Obligation to Protect Our Environment,” with Lori Ann Burd, environmental health program director and staff attorney at Center for Biological Diver-
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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, January 25, 2019
ONGOING Hawkins, 2nd and 4th Sundays, partners, 4:456 p.m., open circle, 6-7 p.m. Members, $8; nonmembers, $10. 299-3000. Cong. Anshei Israel parent-tot class, led by Lindsey Embree. Mondays, 9-11 a.m. Children up to 24 months and their parent(s). Free. Mandatory vaccination policy. Call Nancy Auslander at 7455550 or visit www.caiaz.org. Temple Emanu-El mah jongg, Mondays, 10 a.m. 327-4501. Cong. Anshei Israel mah jongg, Mondays, 10 a.m.-noon. All levels, men and women. Contact Evelyn at 885-4102 or esigafus@aol.com. Tucson J current events discussion, Mondays, noon-1:30 p.m. Members, $1; nonmembers, $2. Bring or buy lunch, 11:30 a.m. 299-3000, ext. 147. Cong. Bet Shalom yoga. Mondays, 4:30-5:30 p.m. $5. 577-1171. Jewish 12-step sobriety support group meets Mondays, 6:30-8 p.m. at Cong. Bet Shalom. dcmack1952@gmail.com. Spouse Bereavement Group, cosponsored by Widowed to Widowed, Inc. at the Tucson J, Tuesdays, 10 a.m. Contact Marvin at 885-2005 or Tanya at 299-3000, ext. 147. JFCS Holocaust Survivors group meets Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-noon. Contact Raisa Moroz sity. Wilmot Library, 530 N. Wilmot Rd. RSVP to Pat at ptdmnd@gmail.com or 481-5324. Bring snack to share.
Sunday / January 27 9-2 PM: JFSA Super Sunday phone-a-thon at the Tucson J. Volunteers wanted for three shifts: 9-11 a.m., 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., or noon-2 p.m. RSVP at www.jfsa.org/supersunday2019. 9:15 AM: CAI Prayerbook Boot Camp. Learn about the Shabbat morning service. Call Rabbi Robert Eisen, 745-5550, ext. 230. NOON: Jewish History Museum and Holocaust History Center film screening, “Who Will Write Our History.” At The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. Free. 670-9073. 2-4 PM: Temple Emanu-El class, Abraham Joshua Heschel: An Introduction with Bob Schwartz. Free. Register at 327-4501. 2-4 PM: Spiritual Awakening through Jewish Meditation workshop for newcomers, with Reb Brian Yosef, at the Tucson J. Free. www.torahofawakening.com. 4-7 PM: Cong. Bet Shalom 36th anniversary Double Chai Party and Celebration. $18 adults; free 18 and under, includes dinner. RSVP for availability at www.cbsaz.org or 577-1171. 7:30 PM: Daniel Asia presents “Breath In a Ram’s Horn — To Open in Praise CD Celebration” featuring Jeremy Huw Williams,
at 795-0300. Awakening Through Jewish Meditation — Discover Freedom, with Reb Brian Yosef, Tuesdays/Sundays at 10:30 a.m., at Cong. Bet Shalom. Free. www.torahofawakening.com. Temple Emanu-El “Stitch and Kvetch.” Third Tuesdays, 6-7:30 p.m. 327-4501. Tucson J social bridge. Tuesdays and Thursdays, noon-3 p.m., year round. Drop-ins welcome. Meets in library on second floor. 299-3000. Tucson J canasta group. Tuesdays and Thursdays, noon. Instruction available and a beginners’ table every week. Call or text Lisa at 977-4054. Cong. Anshei Israel Talmud on Tuesday with Rabbi Robert Eisen. Meets 6 p.m. 745-5550. Weintraub Israel Center Shirat HaShirim Hebrew choir. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. Learn to sing in Hebrew. Contact Rina Paz at 304-7943 or ericashem@cox.net.
885-4102 or esigafus@aol.com. Temple Emanu-El Talmud study, Wednesdays, 10 -11:30 a.m. Text required, call 327-4501. Chabad of Sierra Vista women’s class with Rabbi Benzion Shemtov, last Wednesdays, 2 p.m., 401 Suffolk Drive. 820-6256 or www.jewishsierravista.com. Chabad Tucson lunch and learn with Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin, Wednesdays, 12:15 p.m. at 5th Street Kitchen and Deli, 5071 E. Fifth St. www.chabadtucson.com. Jewish mothers/grandmothers special needs support group for those with children/ grandchildren, youth or adult, with special needs, third Wednesdays, 7-8:30 p.m. at Tucson J. Contact Joyce Stuehringer at 299-5920. Temple Emanu-El Jewish novels club with Linda Levine. Third Thursdays, 2-4 p.m. 327-4501. “Biblical Breakthroughs with Rabbi Becker” at the Southwest Torah Institute. Fridays, noon, for men and women. 747-7780 or yzbecker@me.com.
Tucson J Israeli dance classes. Tuesdays. Beginners, 7:30 p.m.; intermediate, 8:15 p.m.; advanced, 9 p.m. Taught by Lisa Goldberg. Members, $8; nonmembers, $10. 299-3000.
Jewish History Museum core exhibition, “Meanings Not Yet Imagined.” Holocaust History Center, “Call Me Rohingya,” photographs by Andrew Stanbridge. 564 S. Stone Ave. 670-9073.
Cong. Anshei Israel gentle chair yoga with Lois Graham, Wednesdays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Members of Women’s League, $6 per class; nonmembers, $8 per class. Contact Evelyn at
Beth Shalom Temple Center of Green Valley fine art gallery presents “Sacred Intention” by Marlene Burns, Feb. 1 through April 1. 648-6690.
baritone; Ellen Chamberlain, violin; Paula Fan, piano; at Crowder Hall, 1017 N. Olive Road. $10; $7 UA employees and seniors 55+, $5 students. Call 621-1162 or visit www.tickets.arizona.edu. Cosponsored by UA Fred Fox School of Music, Arizona Center for Judaic Studies Pozez Lecture Series, Tucson J and American Culture and Ideas Initiative.
Tuesday Tours. At THA. Contact Gabby Erbst at 529-3888.
Monday / January 28
1:30 PM: Hadassah Southern Arizona Book Club East discusses “The Last Ballad” by Wiley Cash, Dusenberry-River Library, 5605 E. River Road. Contact Maxine Murray at 885-5800. 7-8:30 PM: Tucson J presents panel discussion, “What Is Latin Style.” In partnership with Tucson Desert Song Festival, George Hanson will lead a discussion with TSO Music Director Jose Luis Gomez, composer Dan Asia, and Israeli guitarist and composer Adam del Monte. Performances include Marana High School choir. Members, free; nonmembers, $5. 299-3000 or www.tucsonjcc.org. 7-9 PM: Tucson Tikkun Community presents “Poland: Jewish Roots, Jewish Revival,” a discussion of steering committee members Marcia and Michael Zaccaria’s trip in April/May 2018. Tucson City Council Ward 6 office, 3202 E. First St. zaccarim@comcast.net.
Tuesday / January 29
8:30-10 AM: Tucson Hebrew Academy
Wednesday / January 30
7 PM: Daniel Asia presents “Music of Israeli Composer Andre Hadju” featuring Ricardo Hegman, piano. Holsclaw Hall, 1017 N. Olive Road. Cosponsored by UA Fred Fox School of Music, Arizona Center for Judaic Studies Pozez Lecture Series, Tucson J and American Culture and Ideas Initiative. Free. www.music.arizona.edu.
Thursday / January 31
7-8:30 PM: Cong. Or Chadash Social Justice Committee presents Social Justice Through Writing & Curating, with Ariel Goldberg, Zuckerman Fellow and curator of community engagement of Jewish History Museum. 512-8500 or www.octucson.org.
Friday / February 1
1 PM: Handmaker presents lecture, “Stably Unstable? Lesser-Known Facts about the Israeli-Arab Conflict,” with Gil Ribak, Ph.D., assistant professor of Judaic Studies at UA. Free. At Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging, 2221 N. Rosemont Blvd. Contact Nanci Levy at 322-3632 or nlevy@handmaker.org. 5:30 PM: Temple Emanu-El Tot Kabbalat Rodeo Shabbat Service followed by cookout at 6 p.m. Dinner, $12 for adults, free for kids under 12.
RSVP for dinner at 327-4501.
E. 2nd St. 626-5758 or www.judaic.arizona.edu.
9:30 PM: Temple Emanu-El Downtown Shabbat at Jewish History Museum, 564 S. Stone Ave., with Rabbi Batsheva Appel and Armon Bizman band. 327-4501.
7 PM: Cong. Anshei Israel “The Trial of Abraham,” Mock trial with attendees as jury. Continues Feb. 13. $18. Portion of proceeds benefit Southern Arizona Legal Aid Inc. RSVP at 7455550, or www.caiaz.org.
SATURDAY / FEBRUARY 2
NOON: Cong. Anshei Israel “Read It & Meet” book discussion on “The Golem and the Jinni,” by Helene Wecker. Contact Helen Rib at 299-0340 or helenrib@yahoo.com. 8 PM: JFSA Young Leadership Hava Tequila Speakeasy at the Jewish History Museum. Dessert and drinks, live music, raffle prizes, silent auction. Must be 21+. $36. RSVP at www.jfsa. org/havatequila.
SUNDAY / FEBRUARY 3
8 AM: Hadassah Southern Arizona Hike For Your Heart! At Sabino Canyon. $10. Proceeds benefit the Hadassah Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Institute. Register by mailing check made out to Hadassah to Cathy Olswing, 3748 N. Sabino Ridge Pl., Tucson, AZ, 85750. Contact Cathy at 886-6246 or colswing@hadassah.org. 9 AM: Cong. Anshei Israel Men's Club breakfast, “World Wide Wrap.” Wrap tefillin with fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. Men’s Club members free; guests $4. Contact Cary Fishman at 730-5282. 11 AM: Cong. Or Chadash Adult Beginning Hebrew Part 1, with Cantor Janece Cohen. Continues Sundays through Apr. 7. Members, $36; nonmembers, $50. 512-8500 or www.octucson.org. NOON: Cong. Anshei Israel Mishpacha (family) program, “Mitzvah Mania.” Free; includes lunch. RSVP by Jan. 29 required at 745-5550, or www.caiaz.org.
MONDAY / FEBRUARY 4
7 PM: Chabad on River Jewish Women’s Circle Rosh Chodesh spa night. Experience how little luxuries bring big results. $10 suggested donation. Must RSVP by phone or text to Chani Bigelman at 661-1071.
THURSDAY / FEBRUARY 7
7 PM: Temple Emanu-El Bilgray Memorial Lectureship. Sarah Bunin Benor, Ph.D., will present “Jewish Languages Today: Endangered, Surviving, and Thriving.” At UA Hillel Foundation center, 1245 E. Second Street. Free. 327-4501 or tetucson.org.
FRIDAY / FEBRUARY 8
11 AM: Jewish History Museum gallery chat, “Youth Resistance & the History of Kibbutz Shomrat” with Amichai Geva. 564 S. Stone Ave. www.jewish historymuseum.org or 670-9073. 5:45 PM: Temple Emanu-El Shabbat dinner with Bilgray Memorial Lectureship scholarin-residence Sarah Bunin Benor, Ph.D. Followed by service at 7:30 p.m., with sermon, “Cohen, Levi, Yisrael: Jewish Names Around the World.” Dinner, $40. RSVP required by Feb. 1 at 327-4501. 6:30 PM: Cohon Memorial Foundation 2018 Award Ceremony at Cong. Beit Simcha Shabbat service, with honorees Phyllis Folb of American Israel Gap Year Association, Joseph Gitler of Leket Israel food rescue, and Amy and John Pregulman of Kavod emergency aid program for Holocaust survivors. www.cohonaward.com.
SATURDAY / FEBRUARY 9
NOON: Temple Emanu-El Bilgray Memorial Lectureship Rabbi’s Tish with Sarah Bunin Benor, Ph.D., “Becoming Frum: How Newcomers Learn the Language and Culture of Orthodox Judaism.” Bring dairy or vegetarian dish for potluck. 327-4501.
SUNDAY / FEBRUARY 10
7-8:15 PM: Temple Emanu-El class, Eight Questions of Faith, Part II with Rabbi Batsheva Appel. Continues through Feb. 26. Register at 327-4501.
10-11:30 AM: Southwest Torah Institute class for women, 40 Days to Become a Better You!, “The Power of Humility,” with Esther Becker. Continues Sundays through Mar. 10. At Cong. Chofetz Chayim. $90. Register at www. tucsontorah.org/40-day-challenge-course-forwomen.html or call 747-7780.
7-8:30 PM: Chabad Tucson presents sixweek class, “Crime and Consequence.” At Tucson J. $99. Contact info@chabadtucson.com or call the J at 299-3000.
10:30 AM: Desert Caucus brunch with Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). Guests should be prospective members. Contact desertcaucus@ gmail.com or 299-2410.
TUESDAY / FEBRUARY 5
WEDNESDAY / FEBRUARY 6
4 PM: Arizona Center for Judaic Studies Sally & Ralph Duchin Campus Lecture Series presents “Invisible Borders in Israel: How are State & City Authorities Using Migrants to Gentrify South Tel Aviv?” with Prof. Hani Zubida, Max Stern Yezreel Valley College. Free. 1245
MONDAY / FEBRUARY 11
2 PM: Brandeis Art Talks at Handmaker presents “John Singer Sargent: Portraits and More” with Ellie Eigen, Tucson Museum of Art docent. Free. At Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging, 2221 N. Rosemont Blvd. Contact Nanci Levy at 322-3632 or nlevy@handmaker.org.
Remember to recycle this paper when you finish enjoying it.
WEDNESDAY / FEBRUARY 13
UPCOMING
6-8 PM: JFSA Women’s Philanthropy Pomegranate Division presents “Filling Empty Bowls” art project. Add your design to a bowl to be auctioned at Connections 2019 (no special skills required), with wine and hors d’oeuvres. Auction proceeds will be donated to charity. $18. RSVP at www.jfsa.org/ fillabowl2019 or jscott@jfsa.org.
SATURDAY / FEBRUARY 16
7:30 PM: UA Hillel Foundation benefit, “Fried Chicken & Latkes,” one-woman show by Rain Pryor about growing up black and Jewish in a politically incorrect era. Leo Rich Theater at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. General admission tickets are $47; call the box office at 791-4101. For special event packages, call Hillel at 624-6561 or visit www.uahillel.org.
SUNDAY / FEBRUARY 17
9:15 AM-3 PM: Hadassah Southern Arizo-
na Mah Jongg Tournament. $40. No walkins. Proceeds benefit Hadassah. Register by Feb. 8. Mail check made out to Hadassah to Cathy Olswing, 3748 N. Sabino Ridge Pl., Tucson, AZ, 85750. Contact Cathy at 886-6246 or colswing@hadassah.org. 11:30 AM: JHM Third Annual Elizabeth Leibson Holocaust Remembrance Lecture presents, “Violins of Hope” multimedia presentation of live music, artifacts and storytelling. At Crowder Hall in the UA Fred Fox School of Music, 1017 N. Olive Road. $18 general admission, $54 reserved seating and pre-program reception at 10:30 a.m. Tickets at www.jewish historymuseum.org/events or 670-9073. 6 PM: Cong. Anshei Israel “L’Door V’Dor”* 50 Years on 5th Street Come Together Gala, featuring dedication of the Susan & Saul Tobin History Hall, dinner and dancing. (*A play on “L’Dor V’Dor.”) $69 with RSVP at 745-5550 or www.caiaz.org by Feb. 4 ($79 thereafter).
NORTHWEST TUCSON
ONGOING
JFSA Ruth and Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life in the Northwest chair yoga with a Jewish flair taught by Bonnie Golden. 190 N. Magee Road, #162. Mondays, 10-11 a.m. $7 per class or $25 for four. 505-4161 or northwest jewish@jfsa.org. Northwest Needlers create hand-stitched items for donation in the Jewish community. Meets at Olson Center for Jewish Life, Tuesdays, 1-3 p.m. RSVP to judithgfeldman@gmail. com or 505-4161. JFSA Ruth and Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life in the Northwest mah jongg, meets Wednesdays, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., 505-4161. Chabad of Oro Valley adult education class, Jewish learning with Rabbi Ephraim Zimmerman. Wednesdays at 7 p.m., at 1217 W. Faldo Drive. 477-8672 or www.jewishoro valley.com.
MONDAY / JANUARY 28
5-6:30 PM: Hadassah Southern Arizona/ Olson Center for Jewish Life book club discusses “Beneath a Scarlet Sky” by Mark Sullivan. At Olson Center, 190 W. Magee Road, #162. Contact Jennifer Rubin at 773-636-2366 or jenrubin11@gmail.com.
THURSDAY / JANUARY 31
11 AM: Olson Center for Jewish Life Northwest Men’s Group lunch followed
by 1 p.m. tour of the UA Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab. No-host lunch at Truland Burgers & Greens, 7332 N. Oracle Road; lab at 527 National Championship Drive. $18 for the tour. RSVP and pre-pay for tour at www.jfsa.org/mirror labtour or 505-4161. 2 PM: Chabad of Oro Valley “Torah and Tea” six-week free program for women, with Mushkie Zimmerman. At 1217 W. Faldo Drive. 477-8672 or mushkie@jewishorovalley.com.
SUNDAY / FEBRUARY 3
10-11:30 AM: JFSA Olson Center for Jewish Life presents “Meet the Author Brunch,” with Jillian Cantor, author of “The Lost Letter.” Pre-order her newest book, “In Another Time.” At JFSA, 3718 E. River Road. $18. RSVP at www.jfsa.org/meettheauthor or 505-4161.
SATURDAY / FEBRUARY 9
6:30-8 PM: Olson Center for Jewish Life in the Northwest presents Meet the Shinshiniyot Havdalah with Israeli teen volunteers Rotem Rappaport and Ron Benacot, and Weintraub Israel Center Director Amir Eden. RSVP at www. jfsa.org/nwhavdalah or 505-4161.
UPCOMING TUESDAY / FEBRUARY 12
10-11:30 AM: Chabad Oro Valley presents six-week class, “Crime and Consequence.” At Golder Ranch Fire House, 1175 W Magee Road. $99. Register at www.jewishorovalley. com or 477-8672.
GOING AWAY?
Don’t forget to stop delivery of the AJP at least a week before you leave town! Fill out the “delivery stops” form online at: www.azjewishpost.com/print-subscription or call 647-8441 to leave a message with your name, address, zip code, telephone number and the dates you will be away. January 25, 2019, ARIZONA JEWISH POST
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Photo: Debe Campbell/AJP
IN FOCUS
(L-R): Marlyne Freedman, chair of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona planning and allocation national and overseas committee; Jerry Silverman, president and CEO of Jewish Federations of North America; and Stuart Mellan, JFSA president and CEO talk at the JFSA office Jan. 9.
across the United States and Canada. He discussed ways that federations and their partners through JFNA support organizations in Israel and more than 70 countries around the world, including disaster relief efforts for Jews and non-Jews alike. Silverman noted that one of the most critical things on the horizon is engaging the next generation of Jewish leadership.
Kids decorate a Tu B’Shevat banner at Tucson Hebrew Academy, Jan. 13.
THA and PJ celebrate birthday of the trees Some 80 people, children and adults, attended “Rockin’ with the Trees,” a Tu B’Shevat celebration at Tucson Hebrew Academy on Sunday, Jan. 13, co-sponsored by PJ Library and PJ Our Way. Carol Sack, the Jewish Tucson concierge, read PJ Library books and Jordan Wiley-Hill was the guest storyteller. The
children wrote messages of tikkun olam (repair of the world), such as “recycle” or “peace, love and unity” on rocks to hide around Tucson. They also decorated paper plates made of recycled materials, and they walked on the THA grounds to find leaves, flowers and sticks to decorate a Tu B’Shevat banner.
Photo courtesy Fran Katz
Jewish Federations of North America President and Chief Executive Officer Jerry Silverman briefed the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s national and overseas planning and allocation committee at a working lunch Wednesday, Jan. 9. Silverman highlighted JFNA’s activities as a convener and supporter of 147 federations and more than 300 communities
Photo: courtesy Gabby Erbst
JFNA chief updates JFSA leaders
Front row (L-R): Melissa Goldfinger, Fran Katz (Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona senior vice president), Deborah Oseran, Shelley Pozez. Back row: Leslie Glaze, Liz Weiner Schulman, Judy Berman, Karen Katz, Ellen Goldstein, Shelly Silverman, Angie Goorman, Deanna Evenchik-Brav, Jody Gross
Thirteen members of the Tucson community attended the International Lion of Judah Conference in Hollywood, Florida, Jan. 13-15. Representing the Women’s Philanthropy division of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, the Tucson delegates joined more than 1,400 philanthropic women from all around the world including Israel. They participated in forums on myriad topics such as security in the wake of the Pittsburgh shooting; the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement on college campuses; Jewish innovation; social impact investing; engaging millennials; and grandparents as a Jewish resource. Tucsonan Deanna Evenchik-Brav was honored with a Kipnis-Wilson/ Friedland Award at the conference. The award recognizes women who have set a high standard for philanthropy and
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volunteerism. Winners are chosen by their peers. Evenchik-Brav is the current ILOJC co-chair for Southern Arizona and represents JFSA on the Jewish Federations of North America National Women’s Philanthropy Board. She has been a Lion of Judah since 2004 and established a Lion of Judah endowment in 2008. Her past leadership positions for JFSA include Women’s Philanthropy chair, Women’s Philanthropy Campaign chair, board vice chair, and Campaign chair. JFSA named her Woman of the Year in 2010. She has served on many other local boards, including University of Arizona Judaic Studies, UA Hillel Foundation, Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging Foundation, Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.
Photo: Alan Kendal
Local Lions attend international conference
Dagmar and Peter Schroeder present “The Driver Is Red” to upper school students at Tucson Hebrew Academy, Jan. 8. Following the screening, they spent an hour talking with students and THA Judaics Director Rabbi Billy Lewkowicz.
Schroeders of ‘Paper Clips’ fame make most of Tucson visit International journalists Dagmar and Peter Schroeder were the keynote speakers at a two-day symposium on anti-Semitism Jan. 6-7, sponsored by the Ruth and Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life in the Northwest, a division of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona. The Schroeders, German nationals who are now Canadian citizens, collaborated on the award-winning documentary “Paper Clips,” about a Tennessee middle school’s project to memorialize the Holocaust. They co-founded
the Children’s Holocaust Memorial in Tennessee. The pair also spoke at a private screening Jan. 8 of “The Driver is Red,” an animated documentary about the 1960 capture of Adolf Eichmann in Brazil. Cosponsors of the screening were the Olson Center, the Tucson International Jewish Film Festival, Tucson Jewish Community Center, Tucson Hebrew High and Tucson Hebrew Academy. On Jan. 8, the Schroeders also visited THA, the Jewish History Museum, and the Tucson J.
OUR TOWN Bar mitzvah
Business briefs
Alex Stephen Rosenblum, son of Lenny Rosenblum and Elka Eisen, will celebrate becoming a bar mitzvah on Jan. 26 at Congregation Or Chadash. He is the grandson of Judy Rosenblum of Long Island, New York, and the late Stephen and Marcelle Eisen of Toronto and Stanley Rosenblum of East Meadow, New York. Alex attends Orange Grove Middle School where he plays clarinet. He plays baseball and basketball, and enjoys math, bowling, and reading sports novels. For his mitzvah project, Alex volunteers at Handmaker, helping with Friday night services.
Friendly Pines Camp will hold a free sleepaway camp information night on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 7-8:30 p.m., at Homewood Suites by Hilton, 4250 N. Campbell Ave. For more information, call 928-445-2128 or visit www.friendlypines.com.
People in the news Tedd Goldfinger, D.O., founder of Desert Cardiology of Tucson, has received the title of Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology. He is one of only two Tucson-area physicians to receive this distinction. In addition to his practice at Desert Cardiology of Tucson and Northwest Medical Center for more than three decades, Goldfinger has been recognized as an authority on cardiovascular disease and alcohol, having worked with Serge Renaud, Ph.D., father of the “French Paradox,” and various European centers researching the effects of alcohol on blood vessel physiology. He chairs the International Wine & Heart Health Research Initiative.
The Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block was awarded a $100,000 technology grant from the Flinn Foundation. TMA will use the grant to purchase a new customer relations management system to help TMA engage and connect with visitors, members, volunteers and supporters. The award is part of the Flinn Foundation’s Initiative for Financial and Creative Health to help organizations strengthen their programmatic core. Dr. Robert S. and Irene Flinn established the Flinn Foundation in 1965 as a privately endowed grant-making organization for the improvement of the quality of life in Arizona. For more information, visit www.tucsonmuseumofart.org. Youth On Their Own, a dropout prevention program, was awarded a $25,000 grant from Family Housing Resources to support YOTO’s accountability-based stipends, emergency financial assistance, and purchase of basic-needs items for 233 homeless youth excelling academically in Tucson schools. Last year YOTO helped a record 1,741 homeless students stay in school and produced 327 graduates. For more information, visit www.yoto.org. Saffron Indian Bistro is one of many local businesses that have helped federal employees during the government shutdown. Saffron, located at 7607 N. Oracle Road, has offered furloughed federal employees free access to the lunch buffet. For more information, call 742-9100.
January 25, 2019, ARIZONA JEWISH POST
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Green Valley synagogue gallery to display Tucson artist’s ‘Sacred Intention’
Photo courtesy Marlene Burns
T
he Beth Shalom Temple Center Art Gallery will present “Sacred Intention” by Tucson artist and educator Marlene Burns, Feb. 1-April 1. A reception with the artist will be held at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 3, following the temple’s monthly bagel breakfast. Burns has been a professional artist for more than 50 years. She apprenticed in Cleveland, Ohio, in sanctuary art while earning two fine art degrees from the University of Cincinnati School of Design, Architecture and Art. Her career in art has included consultation, teaching, gallery affiliation, and a successful business creating custom art for clients and working in the design community. Her accomplishments include feature articles, cover art for many journals and the book “Sacred Intention.” She has exhibited at many galleries on the East Coast, Arizona and Israel. The show at BSTC will be her first exhibit at a synagogue. “Two of my greatest passions in life are painting and Jewish education; both involve study, practice, devotion, and communication. For most of my life, I have pursued each passion separately. In 2009, I set out on a journey with sacred intention to blend the two together. Twentyfive paintings later, I have visually expressed some of our most cherished prayers and written accompanying texts to
‘Mazal Tov’ by Marlene Burns. ‘Most often used when offering congratulations or wishing good luck, Mazal Tov has a deeper message. Mazal means an alignment of the stars. Our tradition sees our mazal as the influence of the stars trickling down on us,’ says Burns.
explain them,” says Burns. The inspiration for Burns’ Judaic series of paintings includes Hebrew prayers, psalms, proverbs and holidays. She prepares for each painting with study, then chants or sings the prayer while her abstract expressionist process unfolds. Most of her symbols are hidden. Translations and explanations of the prayers and her artistic process accompany each painting. “The sacred intention with which one prays is kavanah,” she says. “The kavanah with which I approach each prayer matches the intention used to create. This series is a marriage of my passion for painting and Judaism, producing the most inspiring work of my career.” There will be original paintings, embellished giclées on stretched canvas, fine art cards and limited availability framed reproductions for sale through the artist. Her book, “Sacred Intention,” also will be available for sale. Burns’ exhibit may be viewed at Beth Shalom Temple Center, 1751 N. Rio Mayo in Green Valley, on Mondays and Fridays, 10 a.m-2 p.m., and Wednesdays, noon-4 p.m. For questions, call the temple at 648-6690. For more information about the artist, visit www.art-marleneburns.com.
January 25, 2019, ARIZONA JEWISH POST
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Photo: Anna Wloch
Local film screening part of global event
Julia Lewenfisz-Gorka, Wojciech Zielinski, and Marta Ormaniec portray Ora, Abraham and Luba Lewin in ‘Who Will Write Our History.’
The Unexpected in Tombstone since 1978
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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, January 25, 2019
Courtesy Jewish History Museum
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he Jewish History Museum and Holocaust History Center will join hundreds of partners on Sunday, Jan. 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, for a global screening event of “Who Will Write Our History.” The film will be shown at 200 venues in 40 countries; U.S. locations include the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. The Tucson screening will be held at The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd, at noon. “Who Will Write Our History” is a 90-minute documentary film about historian Emanuel Ringelblum and the Oyneg Shabes (joy of Sabbath) Archive, the secret archive he and other Jews compiled in the Warsaw Ghetto as a means of defeating the Nazis not with guns or fists but with pen and paper. The archive they compiled chronicled life in the ghetto — disease, starvation and deportation by the Nazis, but also Jewish culture and the beginnings of the resistance movement. On the eve of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Oyneg Shabes
The first part of the Oyneg Shabes Archive is unearthed in Warsaw in 1946. Pictured are Michal Borwicz (right) and Hersz Wasser.
members buried 60,000 pages of documentation in the ground in the hopes See Screening, page S-3
Miller’s ‘Blues’ coming to Invisible Theatre
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nvisible Theatre will IT Managing Artistic Direcbring Jewish playwright tor Susan Claassen, who will diSusan Miller’s latest offrect “20th Century Blues,” says Broadway play, “20th Century “Susan Miller prizes what JudaBlues,” to Tucson to round out ism has meant to her as a lesbian its 48th anniversary season, writer and performer: ‘JudaApril 23-May 5. Miller has ism offers a sense of charity, of won two Obies, a Guggenopening doors within yourself heim Fellowship, and countto truths and knowledge, to an Susan Miller less other awards. understanding of the complex The play, which debuted off-Broad- relationships between people.’” way in November 2017, centers on four Miller is best known for her Obie women, Danny, Sil, Mac, and Gabby, who Award-winning one-woman show, “My share 40 years of friendship. They met Left Breast,” which has been performed in a lockup — as Danny says, “It was the across the United States, Canada and ‘70s. You were no one if you didn’t spend France. Her first Obie was for “Nasty Rua night in jail.” They have convened each mors and Final Remarks.” Her other plays year to have their pictures taken in a ritual include “A Map of Doubt and Rescue,” “Avthat chronicles their changing (and ag- erage American,” and “The Grand Design.” ing) selves as they navigate through love, She won The Writer’s Guild of America careers, children, and the complications Award for her web series “Anyone But Me,” of history. Now Danny, the photographer, about teenagers coming of age. wants to make these photos public in a For more information, visit www.in museum retrospective. visibletheatre.com.
Tucson J to co-sponsor ‘What Is Latin Style?’
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he Tucson Jewish Comand Israeli guitarist and community Center, in partposer Adam del Monte. Tango, nership with Tucson Zarzuela and the Jewish Latino Desert Song Festival, will presexperience will be part of the ent a panel discussion, “What conversation. Performances of Is Latin Style?” on Monday, various Latin songs will round Jan. 28, 7-8:30 p.m. Desert out the event, with Sarah Ross Song Festival Director George leading the Marana High Hanson will lead a discussion School Choir. George Hanson with guests including Tucson Tickets are free for J memSymphony Orchestra Music Director Jose bers; $5 for nonmembers. For more inforLuis Gomez, local composer Dan Asia, mation, call 299-3000.
SCREENING continued from page S-2
that the archive would survive, even if they did not, to “scream the truth to the world.” Part of the archive survived, buried in milk cans and tin boxes, with caches discovered under rubble in 1946 and 1950. The film is based on the book of the same name by William Kassow, who spoke at a Jewish History Museum event in October. “The moment I found out about this secret band of journalists, scholars, and historians, I knew I had to make a film about them. Their story, captured in “Who Will Write Our History,” is, in my opinion, the most important unknown
story of the Holocaust,” says Roberta Grossman, who wrote, produced, and directed the film. Rachel Auerbach’s words are among those that narrate the film from beyond the grave. She was one of more than 60 people who worked on the archive and was among the one percent of Polish Jews that survived between 1939 and 1945. She returned to Warsaw in 1946. Joan Allen reads Auerbach’s words, while Adrien Brody reads those of archive organizer Ringelblum. Interspersed with archival footage are reenactments, including Jowita Budnick as Auerbach and Piotr Glowacki as Ringelblum. The Tucson screening is free thanks to the support of Stanley and Norma Feldman, Barry Kirschner, and Leslie Nixon. January 25, 2019, ARIZONA JEWISH POST
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UA creates vp for the arts, sees Tucson’s future as international arts destination
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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, January 25, 2019
Photo courtesy of University of Arizona
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n concert with the University of Arizona strategic plan, Andrew Schulz, dean of the College of Fine Arts, last week was named the inaugural vice president for the arts to carry out a re-imagined vision of the UA and Tucson as an international destination for fine arts. “Arts, culture and humanities are central to the development of creativity and they are key to our success in achieving the bold goals outlined in our strategic plan,” said UA President Robert C. Robbins. “The UA is uniquely positioned to leverage the arts to advance creativity-based education, innovative research and community engagement. Ultimately, our goal is to celebrate the diverse richness of our region and share it with the world, and the University of Arizona is incredibly fortunate to have a leader like Andrew Schulz working to advance UA fine arts to a new level.” In this new role, Schulz will work to further integrate the arts into the university curriculum while also designing and implementing strategies to raise the profile of the arts within the campus community
Andrew Schulz
as well as regionally, nationally and internationally. He also has been charged with creating a coherent vision for the arts for the main campus and medical campuses in Tucson and Phoenix. In addition, he is tasked with working more closely with Arizona’s other two state universities, and local and regional arts and philanthropic partners. He will lead efforts to re-envision
the “arts district” that occupies the northwest corner of campus. “The fine arts programs at the UA are already well-recognized as among the best in the country,” said Schulz, who will continue to serve as dean of the College of Fine Arts. The UA Bachelor of Fine Arts programs in dance, musical theater, and theater design and technology each placed in the top 10 among public universities in the latest rankings from OnStage. “This new role provides the opportunity to substantially improve cultural development and social and economic impact,” Schulz said. “We are primed, and now is the time to truly set ourselves apart.” In this new position, Schulz will oversee the College of Fine Arts academic units: the schools of dance, art, music, and theatre, film and television. He also will oversee museums and arts presenting units, including the Center for Creative Photography, the UA Museum of Art, UA Presents, the Hanson Film Institute
and the College of Fine Arts in Schools program. In addition, he will manage administrative units within the College of Fine Arts that include marketing, communications and philanthropy. A key new initiative will be the creation of an office for arts engagement and partnerships that will foster collaboration and integration on and off campus. Schulz is an internationally renowned scholar who joined the UA as dean of the College of Fine Arts in July, coming to Tucson from Penn State. He has received numerous awards and fellowships, including a 12-month fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities and a Getty Scholar residency at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. “Before I even arrived here, I knew there was an opportunity to make the arts one of the signature elements of the university’s identity,” Schulz said. “My goal is to make the arts at the University of Arizona a transformative experience for UA students, southern Arizona and beyond.”
January 25, 2019, ARIZONA JEWISH POST
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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, January 25, 2019
Trilingual reading to feature award-winning Mexican poet
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he Jewish History Museum will coHofer is a translator, poet, social justice insponsor a poetry reading on Wednesterpreter, and teacher. She has published 10 day, Feb. 27 in Spanish, English and books in translation and three books of poetLadino with acclaimed Mexican poet Myrry. Pluecker is a language worker who writes, iam Moscona. Joining her on stage will be translates, organizes, interprets and creates. the translators of her book, “Tela de Sevoya” His book of poetry and image, “Ford Over,” (“Onioncloth”), Jen Hofer and John Pluecker. was released in 2016 from Noemi Press. They are co-founders of Antena, a collective “Tela de Sevoya” was awarded one of dedicated to language justice and language Mexico’s most prestigious literary prizes, the Myriam Moscona experimentation. Premio Xavier Villaurrutia, whose previous Born in Mexico City, Moscona is a poet and journal- winners include Octavio Paz, Carlos Fuentes, and Maist of Bulgarian-Sephardic descent. She has authored rio Bellatin. nine books. “Tela de Sevoya,” published by Les Figues The poetry reading, which is free, is at 7 p.m. at the Press, features a narrator who travels from Mexico to museum, 564 S. Stone Ave., followed by discussion. It is Bulgaria, searching for traces of her Sephardic heritage. co-sponsored by the Consulado de Mexico and the UniHer journey becomes an autobiographical and imag- versity of Arizona Poetry Center. For more information, ined exploration of childhood, diaspora, and her family contact the museum at 670-9073. language, Ladino or Judeo-Spanish, the language spoThe Poetry Center will also host a reading the followken by the descendants of Jews expelled from Spain in ing evening, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. For more information, the Inquisition. visit www.poetry.arizona.edu.
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January 25, 2019, ARIZONA JEWISH POST
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Photo courtesy Greenwich Entertainment
‘Invisibles’ tells of Jews who hid in Nazi Berlin
Aaron Altaras plays Eugen Friede in the film ‘The Invisibles.’
CURT SCHLEIER JTA
I ARTS Give Your MUSIC Regards To HUMANITIES Broadway In 2019! Travel with The Learning Curve LITERATURE to New York City HISTORY Join Richard Hanson, UA Professor Emeritus and creator of the UA Musical Theatre Program, for a New York City tour full of theatre performances, museums and unique dining with visits to New York treasures new and old. Spring Tour: May 21 – 27 Fall Tours: October 8 – 14 and Oct 15 – 21 $4175 per person. Early registration discount available before Jan 31 Space is limited. Reserve your place today! For more information. Call 520-777-5817 or email info@thelearningcurvetucson.com
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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, January 25, 2019
n May 1943, after years of killings and deportations, the Nazis declared Berlin judenfrei, or free of Jews. What they didn’t know was that approximately 7,000 Jews remained in hiding in the city, and not only in attics and basements — often in plain sight. “The Invisibles,” a German film, tells the story of four of these real-life Jews who hid from their oppressors in everyday Berlin society. It’s a story that has been told before — in 1982, Leonard Gross published “The Last Jews of Berlin,” a critically acclaimed best-seller that covered similar ground — but never in such a unique way. Part documentary, part cinematic re-creation, the movie weaves together footage of interviews with four of these survivors into a slightly fictionalized docudrama. For co-screenwriter and director Claus Rafle, the project started in an unlikely place: a bordello. He was shooting a documentary in 2004 about the legendary Salon Kitty, a brothel that German intelligence bugged to get dirt on high rollers, both Germans and visiting dignitaries. In the research phase, an old man told him that he had information about a young Jewish woman who was hidden by the establishment’s owner and immigrated to America after the war. Supposedly, Rafle was told, she was a subject of the popular mid-1950s Ralph Edwards documentary show “This is Your Life.” That a Jew managed to survive in Berlin during the war amazed and fascinated Rafle, and his mind filled with cinematic possibilities. With the help of historians, he tracked down and interviewed 20 or so of these
survivors who stayed in Berlin. He ultimately decided to concentrate the film on two women and two men: Hanni Levy, Ruth Gumpel, Cioma Schonhaus and Eugen Friede. They hid in abandoned buildings or were hidden by righteous Germans, and all had epic stories. Schonhaus, for instance, forged hundreds of passports and used one of them to cross the border into Switzerland just prior to his imminent capture. Friede joined the Jewish resistance, spending much of his time handing out leaflets and hunting Jewish traitors and informants cooperating with the Nazis. “The Invisibles” is Rafle’s first theatrical film; his previous documentaries aired on German television. In part because of the bigger canvas, he decided to forego the traditional mix of head-and-shoulder interviews combined with archival footage. Instead he chose to add re-creations of actual events, believing it would provide audiences a “deeper understanding” of the events. The approach has resonated. Only 55 prints of the film were made for German distribution — a comparatively small number, even for the small German film market — but over 100,000 Germans saw it. That led to an international release: It will open today in New York and Los Angeles, followed by a national rollout. Rafle, 57, has a dark connection to the subject matter: His grandfather was a Nazi. “He was one of those Germans who thought the Nazi movement was one of the best things to happen to Germany,” Rafle said. “I remember when I was 13 or 14 years old, I asked him if he was in the
army. He just didn’t want to talk about it.” In part because of this, Rafle was uncertain how the film would be received when it was shown in Israel in April. “I was a little bit nervous about how the people would feel about it. I’m not Jewish. The movie touches a very sensitive point of [Jewish] history,” he said. But crowds in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv liked it very much. “The people of Israel liked it because it showed some [German] people with a heart, who wanted to do something to help,” Rafle said. “There weren’t many, but there were some. And there were people in this terrible dark age who survived in Berlin because of them.” While in Israel, he visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum in Jerusalem and was happy to find that the people who aided the four survivors in his film were all honored as Righteous Among the Nations. Feedback wasn’t all positive though: Following the film’s successful release in Germany, neo-Nazis responded on social media.
“I didn’t get emails or anything like that because I’m not really on social media,” Rafle said. “I heard about those negative comments, but I didn’t read them.” After Levy appeared on a French television show with Rafle, she was subject to threats so potentially serious that the matter was turned over to the police. But aside from that, reaction to the film has been positive and emotional. “The Invisibles” debuted last year at the New York Jewish Film Festival, and Rafle remembers watching one of the last climactic scenes, when Russian troops capture two young men they assume are Nazis. They say they are actually Jewish, but the Russians can’t imagine Jews surviving the war in Berlin and don’t believe them. One of the Russians is Jewish, and he insists his prisoners say a Jewish prayer. So they recite the Shema. “My wife and I were standing at the side [of the auditorium] and we were watching the people, many of whom were Jewish, and some of them were moving their lips,” Rafle said. “They were saying the prayer as well.”
don’t miss this special event and reserve your seats today!
January 25, 2019, ARIZONA JEWISH POST
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Please thank our advertisers for supporting our Jewish community
Arts Alive Advertiser Directory All addresses in Tucson unless otherwise indicated
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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, January 25, 2019
TUCSON DESERT SONG FESTIVAL Various locations www.tucsondesertsongfestival.org (888)546-3305 TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART AND HISTORIC BLOCK 140 N. Main Ave. www.tucsonmuseumofart.org • 624-2433 UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA FRED FOX SCHOOL OF MUSIC 1017 N. Olive Road www.music.arizona.edu • 621-1655 UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA SCHOOL OF THEATRE, FILM & TELEVISION 1025 N. Olive Road, #239 www.tftv.arizona.edu • 621-7008 WINDING ROAD THEATER ENSEMBLE Various locations www.windingroadtheater.org • 401-3626
Style & Fashion
These fashionistas help Tucsonans stay in style
Uptown Cheapskate owner Heather Martinez’ love for resale fashion started as a hobby. Now, five years later, her dream became a reality. “I always had an interest in fashion and wanted somewhere to express it. I now run Uptown Cheapskate. It’s been such an exciting journey so far,” says Martinez, who aims to inspire men and women to embrace themselves through fashion with affordable, accessible items. Spring 2019 fashion trends available at Uptown CheapHeather Martinez skate include coral colors, sequins, and neon. Follow the store on Instagram @Uptown_Tucson and like them on Facebook to stay updated on current trends. Durre Mubin Raina was 16 when her family moved from Pakistan to Tucson to be near her newly married sister. She attended Canyon Del Oro High School and was pre-med at the University of Arizona, but a yearning for business led her to open Trendz and Traditionz in 2011, after her children were grown. The boutique offers items for a diverse clientele, including bridal wear, prom purses, and silver and gemstone jewelry from India and Nepal. Handmade items include hand-carved wood Durre Mubin Raina from Kashmir, hand-painted glass candleholders, and handwoven bed covers and tablecloths of pure Turkish cotton. The store also offers custom alterations for women and men.
Kara Moeller
Kara Moeller and her father, Bob Couchman, own La Contessa, located in Plaza Palomino, where they have offered a diverse selection of women’s casual and formal wear since 1985. Clientele include not only loyal Tucsonans but out-of-towners who stop by the boutique every time they visit, says Mueller. Current trends she is seeing include ankle-length wide-leg pants, complemented by shorter tops. “The suit look is getting stronger, with matching tops and bottoms,” she says. In addition, different shades of yellow will be popular for spring 2019.
Arlene Antzis
Arlene Antzis started The Bag Company in 1985 after a career as a real estate broker. She began with a concession in a clothing store but soon moved to her own store, specializing in handbags, belts and jewelry. Located in Ventana Plaza for the past 17 years, The Bag Company has evolved into a boutique with clothing and gift items as well as a large selection of handbags, small leather goods, jewelry and other accessories. Customer service is key, says Antzis, who adds that the boutique always offers a sale section. To receive special sale notices, join the store’s email list.
COMING UP IN THE AJP
A Celebrations special section on February 8 It’s the perfect place to advertise Bridal and B’nai Mitzvah fashions, photographers, bands, caterers, florists, venues and more. To advertise with us, contact Bertí: 520-647-8461 • berti@azjewishpost.com Marla: 520-647-8450 • marla@azjewishpost.com Román: 520-647-8460 • roman@azjewishpost.com
TrendZ&TraditionZ BOUTIQUE
Casual & Bridal Wear Fashion & Silver Jewelry Home Decor & Rugs 4757 E 5th St. (520) 548-6723 Monday-Friday: 10a-6p Saturday: 12p-4p Closed Sunday
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Maya Palace celebrated its 41st anniversary in November 2018. Maya Palace owners John and Susy Kopplin met and married in Santa Cruz, Costa Rica, where John was a Peace Corps volunteer and Susy was owner of a trendy boutique. In their first meeting, Susy sold John a pair of Costa Rican jeans that were six inches too long, saying cuffs were in. John already had six brand new Susy Kopplin John Kopplin pairs of Levis, but, somehow, could not resist the purchase. Known for vibrant fabrics and luxurious colors, Maya Palace also carries an array of jewelry, handbags, shoes, scarves, and other accessories. January 25, 2019, ARIZONA JEWISH POST
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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, January 25, 2019