October 26, 2018 17 Cheshvan 5779 Volume 74, Issue 20
w w w. a z j e w i s h p o s t . c o m
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
Restaurant Resource ....15-17 Senior Lifestyle ........18-26 Arts & Culture ....................... 13 Classifieds ............................. 12 Commentary ..........................6 Community Calendar...........28 Insider’s View.......................27 Israel ......................................11 Local .......3, 4, 5, 7, 18, 21, 22, 24 National .............................9, 11 Obituary................................30 Our Town .............................. 31 Synagogue Directory...........30
Winter Publication Schedule Nov. 9, Nov. 23 Dec. 7, Dec. 21 Jan. 11
Tucson to mark Kristallnacht anniversary
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ristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, refers to the windows broken at synagogues, homes, and Jewish-owned businesses that were plundered and destroyed during a wave of violent anti-Jewish pogroms on Nov. 9 and 10, 1938 throughout Germany, Austria, and the Czech Sudetenland. The event is commonly thought to be a turning point in Nazi Germany’s persecution of the Jews and other minorities. As Jews worldwide mark the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Tucson J in partnership with other local organizations and individuals will present opportunities to reflect on Kristallnacht and to celebrate the Jewish community’s resilience and the many small acts of heroism that have helped sustain us. On Friday, Nov. 9, Congregations Or Chadash, Chaverim, and Bet Shalom will hold a Shabbat program in partnership with the Tucson J. The evening will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the J with a pre-oneg and Shabbat candle lighting, followed by a choice of Shabbat services. A communal dinner will begin shortly after 7 p.m. Registration for the dinner is required by Friday, Nov. 2 at 299-3000 or www.tucsonjcc.org/ kristallnacht. On Sunday, Nov. 11, the J will host an afternoon of Kristallnacht programs, including the formal opening of the “New Works from Broken Glass” exhibit, which will be on display See Kristallnacht, page 5
Green Valley shul will host weekend with rabbi PHYLLIS BRAUN AJP Executive Editor
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eth Shalom Temple Center of Green Valley will host a weekend of events with Rabbi Norman T. Roman, Nov. 2-4. Roman has been the rabbi emeritus at Temple Kol Ami in West Bloomfield, Michigan, since 2016, after serving as senior rabbi for 30 years. The weekend marks a significant step for the Green Valley synagogue, where members recently voted to begin the search for a part-time rabbi. The lay-led, non-denominational congregation had its beginnings in 1981 as the Jewish Friendship Club of Green Valley, and has occupied the building at 1751 N. Rio Mayo since 1995. Ruthann Shapiro, chair of the search committee, explains that some BSTC members are seeking a rabbi for the pastoral duties clergy can provide, such as end-of-life
Rabbi Norman T. Roman
counseling and grief counseling. “Also a lot of our newer members want more services. They really want to expand what the temple is able to provide with strictly lay leadership,” she says. Currently, BSTC holds Shabbat services on the first and third Fridays each month, with Torah study every Saturday. It also offers other religious, social, cultural and educational programs.
BSTC has greatly expanded its membership over the last two years, says board president Merle Sobol. After a few years of declining numbers, “in the last two years we’ve picked up 60-plus members,” Sobol says. “On the High Holidays, we tripled our attendance from the year before. So we really have a growth pattern going now.” Current BSTC membership is around 160, Sobol says. Sobol, who has been president for the past two years and also served as president four years ago, says BSTC is flexible in its approach to seeking a spiritual leader, who could be a cantor or a rabbi. For now, the search process is by word-of-mouth, Shapiro says. Roman was recommended by two BSTC members who were part of his Michigan congregation. “We’re trying to find somebody See Rabbi, page 2
Jazz piano to open JFSA Northwest campaign PHYLLIS BRAUN AJP Executive Editor
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azz composer and performer Jon Simon will headline an evening of music and dining on Tuesday, Nov. 27 to launch the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Northwest Division’s annual campaign. Simon tours North America performing selections from his ninth and latest album, “SOAR,” as well as five highly successful recordings of jazz interpretations of Jewish music. The first of those albums, he told the AJP, was inspired by listening to holiday music on the
Photo courtesy Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona
INSIDE
Jon Simon
car radio. The DJ, he says, played Christmas songs in a variety of styles, “jazz versions, rock ver-
sions, all sorts of interesting treatments.” Then, in honor of it being the first night of Hanukkah, the DJ put on “a very traditional ‘Rock of Ages’ — very stiff.” Simon went home and “began noodling around on the piano,” coming up with his version of “Rock of Ages,” which became the first track on his “New Traditions” album. To his surprise, it struck a nerve, Simon says, leading to calls to perform and to record more albums. Simon grew up in Rochester, New York, where his family attended a Conservative synagogue, Temple Beth El. He credits both See Northwest, page 5
CANDLELIGHTING TIMES: October 26 ... 5:21 p.m. • November 2 ... 5:15 p.m. • November 9 ... 5:09 p.m.