Arizona Jewish Post 12.1.2017

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December 1, 2017 13 Kislev 5778 Volume 73, Issue 23

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

HANUKKAH GIFT GUIDE and HOME & GARDEN... S1-8 Arts & Culture ................. 17, 20 Classifieds ............................. 21 Commentary ..........................6 Community Calendar...........24 First Person........................... 14 Local .......... 3, 9, 13, 14, 17, 20 News Briefs ..........................22 Obituary................................26 Our Town ..............................27 P.S. ........................................23 Synagogue Directory...........26 World ...............................18, 21

AJP WINTER SCHEDULE December 15 January 12 January 26

Artful touches in new building express Federation mission DAVID J. DEL GRANDE AJP Staff Writer

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hen the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona began designing its new building, not only did Federation leaders want to modernize their workspace, they wanted to create a sacred landmark, says President and CEO Stuart Mellan. “We really wanted the building to be a place of meaning,” says Mellan. “We understood that we’re creating an office building, but we wanted some of the architectural elements and the art to reinforce the sacred and inspirational aspects of our work.” The Harvey and Deanna Evenchik Center for Jewish Philanthropy, which houses the Federation and the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, officially opened its doors on Oct. 15. The planners designed the new building with four symbolic and

functional factors in mind: unity, keeping the Federation and Foundation centralized in one, large space; visibility, having the building act as a landmark that signifies the vitality of the Federation and Foundation; security, providing an adequately secured office; and professionalism, creating an upgraded facility that will provide a modern and comfortable setting to host community events. Various artistic touches are still being installed and acquired. Within the next month, the far end of Lee and Jane Kivel Promenade — a walkway that now connects the Tucson Jewish Community Center and the Federation building — will feature a metal and glass sculpture by an Israeli-born metal artist Tidhar “Tidi” Ozeri. During the planning stages of the Federation’s new center, Frank Mascia, owner of CDG Architects and chief planner of See Artful, page 4

Happy Hanukkah

Illustration by Anne Lowe

INSIDE

azjewishpost.com

Local expert: mitigating climate change is form of tikkun olam KORENE CHARNOFSKY COHEN Special to the AJP

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limate change is happening in the Southwestern United States and across the globe, and Judaism gives us an incentive to address environmental problems, says Gregg Garfin, Ph.D., university director of the Southwest Climate Science Center at the University of Arizona. Garfin presented “The Changing Climate of Arizona and the Southwest: What’s Coming? What Can We Do?” to a group of 42 people at the Jewish Federation-Northwest on Nov. 14. “We should use our brains

CANDLELIGHTING TIMES:

Gregg Garfin, Ph.D.

and our hearts when dealing with these issues,” says Garfin. “Achieving environmental justice is to create tikkun olam [re-

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pair of the world] by taking opportunities for action, and there is guidance from the Torah and daily prayers.” He cites Leviticus 25:4 — “But in the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath of complete rest, a sabbath of the Lord: you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.” He interprets this as a guideline for how we should think about our relationship to all of creation, and how we manage our natural resources. “Multiple times a day we recite the Shema which gives us the opportunity to think about the Oneness and how everything is interconnected,” Garfin

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says. “When you study ecology and climatology you learn that we can’t think of our actions in isolation. If you tug on a string at one end of the system, it rattles things somewhere else.” Garfin is an associate professor and associate extension specialist at the UA School of Natural Resources and the Environment, and deputy director for science translation and outreach at the university’s Institute of the Environment. The World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2016, covering 10 years of the most significant risks worldwide, shows that environmental worries have See Climate, page 8

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