Arizona Jewish Post 3.20.20 by Arizona Jewish Post

March 20, 2020 24 Adar 5780 Volume 76, Issue 6

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

Passover Plans...............5 Restaurant Resource.....18-20 Volunteer Salute & Arizona Gives Day...... 9-17 Arts & Culture..........................8 Classifieds................................7 Commentary.......................6, 7 Local............... 2, 3, 8, 9, 13, 15 National...........................18 Obituary.................................22 Our Town...............................23 Shlicha’s View....................... 21 Synagogue Directory............22 NOTE: There is no Community Calendar in this issue due to Coronavirus-related cancellation of events.

JFSA, others cancel events to curtail virus

n response to the growing global COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona have canceled all public events and activities until the end of Passover on April 16, as well as several major events anticipated for later this spring, including the Israel Festival and Men’s Poker Night. This is a “proactive and precautionary step,” Graham Hoffman, president and CEO of the Foundation and president and CEO-elect of the Federation, said in a March 13 community email announcing the cancellations. On Tuesday, in a further email entitled “Keeping Our Community Safe and Healthy,” Hoffman announced “a liberal telework policy for both Federation and Foundation offices in an effort to further reduce the opportunity for the virus to spread. Our policy will encourage anyone who can telework effectively to do so — and thereby dramatically reduce the number of professionals in our offices. This is in keeping with advice put forth by national, state, and local governmental leadership and the guidance of bodies such as the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. “The top priority now is the health and well-being of the donors, staff, agencies, and volunteers who we work with,” said See JFSA, page 2

Or Chadash, Temple Emanu-El explore merger PHYLLIS BRAUN AJP Executive Editor

n an era when non-Orthodox synagogues throughout the country have seen membership decline, two Reform synagogues in Tucson, Temple Emanu-El and Congregation Or Chadash, are considering joining forces. Temple Emanu-El, established in 1910, is the oldest synagogue in Arizona, while Or Chadash is celebrating its 25th year. After more than a year of exploration, last month both congregations approved a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding, signaling the willingness of the parties to move forward. Key elements of the MOU include that the combined congregation and religious school would be housed at 225 N. Country Club Road, Emanu-El’s location, and that clergy active as of July 1, 2020, including Or Chadash’s Rabbi Thomas Louchheim and Cantor Janece Cohen and Emanu-El’s Cantorial Soloist Marjorie Hochberg, would continue in their roles. Emanu El’s Rabbi Batsheva Appel has declined to seek renewal of her contract, which ends June 30. A target date of Dec. 31 for completing the legal consolidation of the two congregations was set, but it is subject to change based on the progress of various committees and the approval of the two synagogue boards, according to the MOU. “This is the second overture from Temple Emanu-El to us,” says Louchheim, explaining that the first was about two years after he started Or Chadash, but came to naught after Or Chadash members suggested, “Let’s date before we get married.”

Photo: Simon Rosenblatt (Facebook)

INSIDE

w w w. a z j e w i s h p o s t . c o m

A joint Congregation Or Chadash-Temple Emanu-El ‘100 Menorah Celebration’ Shabbat on Dec. 27 filled the sanctuary at Temple Emanu-El.

Emanu-El’s immediate past president, Mona Gibson, says conversations in the community in recent years about joining the congregations “for the greater good” prompted her to approach Ben Vogel, then-president of Or Chadash, in September or October 2018. The idea had become more feasible after Rabbi Samuel Cohon’s resignation from EmanuEl in 2017, says Gibson. Appel recalls “a groundswell” of Emanu-El congregants asking to meet with her, suggesting a merger. “I’d say, ‘I think that’s a great idea, why don’t you go forth and talk with people,’” she says, adding, “We’re in a period of major transition, so it’s a good time to take a look and see what the possibilities are.” By January 2019, a steering committee of ambassadors from each congregation was established. This group set out to explore two scenarios: continued or increased collaborations in targeted areas, such as religious school and Sisterhood, and a merger,

with analysis of potential positive outcomes, negative aspects, and strategies to address barriers to a successful merger. “The first step was to see if it was financially feasible, and it was,” says Elaine Jones, Ph.D., current president of Or Chadash. “We found there are lots of benefits and nothing that can’t be overcome with good advice. We are excited about how much more we can do together for our Jewish community and the community at large.” In August 2019, with guidance from the Union for Reform Judaism’s director of consulting and transition management, Rabbi David Fine, the congregations formed task forces with members from each synagogue to dive deeper into eight areas: finance, governance, facilities, religious school, worship, clergy, communications, and joint programming. The ambassadors’ and task force reports are available on both congregations’ websites.

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See Merger, page 4

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Handmaker temporarily limits outside visitors

s a precaution against the spread of COVID-19, aka the coronavirus, Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging has canceled all outside programs and events at least through the end of March. Handmaker is also limiting visitation, as per recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid. Visitors are asked not to enter the facility to reduce outside exposure to their family members and others in the community. Specific cases of need, such as a loved one receiving end of life services or someone who is extremely dependent on family visits, may be discussed with Vicki Hensley, RN, infection preventionist, or Becky Norsworthy, director of nursing, so that reasonable accommodations can be made. On March 11, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued a Dec-

laration of Emergency and an Executive Order to combat the continued spread of COVID-19, which requires symptom checks of healthcare workers and visitors at skilled nursing facilities, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities. Preserving the health and wellbeing of residents and patients is paramount, says Elie Pollak, Handmaker president and CEO. “Our protocol is strictly per the guidance of the CDC and CMS,” Pollak said in an email to residents, family members, and others. “We are currently on a ‘Limited Visitor Status,’ which can be upgraded to a ‘Restricted Visitor Status.’” Hensley can be reached at 209-2593. Pollak can be reached at 547-6006. To receive emails with up to date information, contact Teresa Forkum at 322-3622.

JFSA

can explore resources to help them keep active, sharp, and healthy while the building is closed during the COVID-19 outbreak. The page at www.bit.ly/tucsonjvirtual is a work in progress and will be continuously updated. At Jewish Family & Children’s Services, individual services such as counseling and case management are being provided remotely, through tele-conferencing or by phone. Group programs are suspended. With funding from JFSA, JFCS will provide additional financial assistance to the Jewish community, as well as information and referral services. Call JFCS at 795-0300. Hoffman’s message, which also was signed by Federation President and CEO Stuart Mellan, Federation Chair Deborah Oseran, and Foundation Chair Jeff Katz, said, “It is a time for solidarity and hope, kindness and caring for one another. We are working with our partner agencies and organizations to understand the scope of the needs of our community and assess the best way to move forward with a meaningful response. We hope that you will join us as we strive to uplift our world during this challenging time of uncertainty and turmoil.” For the latest information about COVID-19, visit www.azhealth.gov/COVID19, www.cdc.gov, or call the coronavirus hotline at 1-844-542-8201.

continued from page 1

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Hoffman, who noted that the decision “applies to the Federation and Foundation — all of our community organizations and synagogues will continue to make their own determinations based on the developing circumstances.” As many local organizations and synagogues already have announced that they have suspended all in-person meetings and services, this edition of the Arizona Jewish Post does not include the usual “Community Calendar” pages. Some synagogues are digitally streaming Shabbat services and many are providing students with distance learning opportunities; see the Area Congregations ad on page 22, for websites and phone numbers. On Monday, the Tucson Jewish Community Center sent an email announcing it would close for at least two weeks as a precautionary measure, with the intention of reopening Wednesday, April 1. The email from the J’s president and CEO, Todd Rockoff, noted that during the closure the J will thoroughly disinfect its building. The J has created a virtual community where people

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LOCAL Neo-Nazis target editor of Jewish publication ELLEN O’BRIEN Phoenix Jewish News

n Arizona man associated with a neo-Nazi group was among four arrested on Feb. 26 and charged with conspiracy to threaten and intimidate Mala Blomquist, the editor of Arizona Jewish Life, and an unnamed member of the Arizona Association of Black Journalists. All four charged are affiliated with Atomwaffen Division, a small neo-Nazi group that became active in 2016, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The group’s members “are preparing for a race war to combat what they consider the cultural and racial displacement of the white race,” reported the ADL. The group’s propaganda includes references to Charles Manson and Nazi iconography. Johnny Roman Garza, 20, of Queen Creek, Arizona, is accused of leaving threatening, anti-Semitic flyers at Blomquist’s home. The ADL praised law enforcement for taking swift action. “The incident, of course, is unfortunate, but it is an arrest that we are really applauding law enforcement for making,” said Keisha McKinnor, assistant regional director of the ADL of Arizona. “The central figure in the organization’s leadership was arrested and that was quite significant for us, given the background of the organization and their violent and criminal nature. We were really glad that this person was taken down immediately.” Law enforcement saw Garza and another individual drive to Blomquist’s residence, where they “were observed fleeing from the direction of the residence to the vehicle,” according to a complaint submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington by the FBI. The next morning, Blomquist, who is not Jewish, found a poster glued to her bedroom window. It read “Your Actions Have Consequences ... Our Patience Has Its Limits” and included her name and address. A copy of the poster, included in the complaint, shows a hooded skeleton standing outside a home and holding a Molotov cocktail. “It has death images, basically, and then on the bottom, in small print, it says, ‘You’ve been visited by your local Nazis,’” Blomquist told 12 News. “It’s terrifying to think that someone actually walked onto your property and the fact that it wasn’t just taped on my window, it was glued to my window.”

“I believe the co-conspirators intended for the posters to intimidate, threaten and cause substantial emotional distress to the group’s targets,” Special Agent Michael Stults stated in the complaint. In addition to Garza, the FBI and local law enforcement arrested Kaleb Cole of Montgomery, Texas; Cameron Brandon Shea of Redmond, Washington; and Taylor Ashley Parker-Dipeppe of Spring Hill, Florida. The complaint identifies Cole and Shea as the creators of the posters and the primary organizers of the threat campaign. Parker-Dipeppe is accused of placing a threatening poster at what he believed to be the home of a journalist in Florida. In the Seattle area, posters were mailed to a TV journalist who had reported on Atomwaffen and to two individuals associated with the ADL. “These defendants from across the country allegedly conspired on the internet to intimidate journalists and activists with whom they disagreed,” stated Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “This is not how America works. The Department of Justice will not tolerate this type of behavior.” McKinnor noted that in spite of these arrests, other anti-Semitic groups continue to pose a threat. “We see that anti-Semitism continues to be on the rise, across our country and across the world,” McKinnor said. “Even though this particular group is really a shadow of itself — it’s only got about 20 dedicated members — there are a slew of other organizations that are modeled after them, with the same ideological cores and violent and criminal natures that are just sprouting up. That is a contributor to the rise of anti-Semitism, so we are continuing to fight that fight and to partner with law enforcement to make sure that we are combating all of this hate that is especially violent in nature, in anti-Semitic forms and in other forms as well.” “I’m not Jewish,” Blomquist told 12 News. “It doesn’t matter who you are. They’re just hating to hate.” McKinnor also said that Blomquist’s safety is a top priority. “It is unfortunate, and we are thinking about the incident in Arizona and the editor here,” McKinnor said. “She is in our prayers, as her safety is our number one concern, but again, we’re commending law enforcement for the safeguard of her, of our community and of our nation.” Reprinted with permission of Phoenix Jewish News.

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MERGER continued from page 1

Scott Arden, president of Temple Emanu-El, notes that the ambassadors brought together even people who were “doubters” to work together on the task forces. As the process developed, there has been excitement and fear on both sides, says Gibson. “This is a human thing, not necessarily a Jewish thing, that people are resistant to change,” she says. One area of concern has been how worship will be conducted. “Stylistically, there are some differences,” says Appel. “I think it is closer than people realize.” But she understands that even a small change can be unsettling. Arden says that initially, diverse worship services can be offered, with room at Temple Emanu-El among the sanctuary, chapel, and religious school to conduct services simultaneously. “People will vote with their feet,” he says. Some Or Chadash members who had previously belonged to Temple EmanuEl expressed discomfort with the idea of “going back,” says Louchheim. It is important to listen to everyone, he says, and to have discussions with congregants to compare the cultures of both synagogues, an idea he’s discussed with Rabbi Scott Saulson, an expert on transitions who will serve as interim rabbi at Emanu-El for a year after Appel’s contract expires. With about 400 member families currently at Emanu-El and just over 370 at Or Chadash, a combined congregation, even with some attrition, would be large enough to warrant two rabbis under the guidelines of the URJ. “There is a sense of loss” in bringing two congregations together as one entity, Louchheim acknowledges, “and I’m sure there are people who are concerned at Temple about the tyrant Rabbi Louchheim coming in and telling everyone what to do once Batsheva leaves … [even though] it’s not how I’ve operated.” Indeed, Arden says, “I give Rabbi Louchheim a lot of credit for being very open to not having a hierarchical model of senior and assistant or associate rabbi, but having more of a partnership model.” Another area of concern has been maintenance of Emanu-El’s facility. Emanu-El’s first buildings at the Country Club road site were completed in 1949, with the religious school and sanctuary completed in 1962, and a preschool and offices added later. From 1910-1949, the congregation was housed at the Stone Avenue Temple, now the Jewish History Museum. The facilities task force identified $500,000 worth of repairs necessary for health and safety, as well as short-term

‘We’re in a period of major transition, so it’s a good time to take a look and see what the possibilities are.’ — Rabbi Batsheva Appel and longer term desired enhancements, while the finance task force notes, “We worked from an assumption that the costs of repairs/upgrades would be drawn from existing cash flow. Funds from the sale of the Or Chadash property were not included in these projections.” Gibson addressed rumors that “the roof is falling down around us.” “It’s not like that at all. We’ve put in what needed to be put in. We’ve maintained [the facility] within our means. When a roof patching is going to work over a roof overhaul, we’re going to go with the patching,” she says. Lynn Rae Lowe, head of Or Chadash’s caring committee, says that she didn’t start out with a strong opinion for or against the merger. “There were pros and cons, [but] I’m sticking with the congregation no matter what the decision was.” While she loves Or Chadash, Lowe, an internationally renowned artist, admits that Temple Emanu-El’s sanctuary is a draw for her, having grown up attending a “gorgeous” synagogue in Michigan, where if at times, “the liturgy didn’t support me, a beautiful environment did.” Attending services in the trailer that is Or Chadash’s multipurpose room has been “aesthetically challenging.” On the other hand, “Or Chadash was the first time in my life that I picked a place, and I was older, that resonated with me because it made me go inside, not satisfied my outside.” In her caring committee role, Lowe also looks forward to utilizing EmanuEl’s kitchen and community room, and to joining forces with her counterpart at Emanu-El, Liz Shallenberger. They recently met for the first time, and made “an instant connection,” says Lowe, discussing how to combine the two committees “into a community resource that was really viable and able to be reflective of what people needed.” Shallenberger, who has been a member of Or Chadash and Emanu-El, says she loves both rabbis, Louchheim and Appel, and that there are great people in both of the congregations. She has thought the merger a good idea from the start. “We have all this space we can’t use, it just makes perfect sense to me,” she says. Looking ahead, Arden says the first set of task forces tackled some big questions, but many nuts and bolts details remain, from personnel matters to the amalgamation of the congregations’ sacred objects. “There’s a lot of hard work ahead of us.”

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COMMENTARY Passover in a pandemic: Families on Zoom, solo seders, broken traditions BEN SALES JTA

Photo: Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images

ena Munster was looking forward to hosting a Passover seder for the first time. In past years, her parents or another relative hosted the meal. But this year she had invited her parents, siblings and other extended family to her Washington, D.C., home. Her husband, an amateur ceramics artist, was making a set of dishes for the holiday. And she was most excited for her family’s traditional day of cooking before the seder: making short-rib tzimmes, desserts that would pass muster year-round, and a series of harosets made by her uncle and tailored to each family member’s dietary restrictions (one with no cinnamon, another with no sugar, another without walnuts, and so on). Then came the new coronavirus. Now the family is preparing to scrap travel plans and hold the seder via video chat, like so much else in this new era. Munster expects to enjoy her family’s usual spirited discussions and singing. But she will miss the meal. “The hardest thing to translate into an online platform is going to be the food,” she said. “The family recipes and all the things that we’re used to probably won’t be possible. … We always get together to help with the preparations, and that’s just as much a part of the holiday as the holiday itself.” In a Jewish calendar packed with ritual observances and religious feasts, the Passover seder is the quintessential shared holiday experience. It is perhaps

A Jewish man reads the Passover Haggadah during a seder in Ontario, Canada, April 19, 2019.

the most widely observed Jewish holiday ritual in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center’s 2013 study of American Jewry. And the story of the journey from slavery to freedom, along with the songs, customs, and food, have become a core part of Jewish tradition. But all of that has been upended by COVID-19 and the restrictions necessary to contain its spread. Israel has limited gatherings to 10 people — smaller than many extended families — and President Donald Trump on Monday asked Americans to do the same. Countries are shutting their borders, making Passover travel near impossible. Hotels and summer camps that have held Passover programs, as well as synagogues that hold communal seders, are canceling. And families are scrapping traditions as Passover, like

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so much else in Jewish life, is remade for the current moment. “Something like a Pesach seder has a lot of people in a pretty close space,” said Mari Sartin-Tarm, who is immunocompromised due to medications she is taking following a January kidney transplant. “I’m concerned that if things are the way they are right now, if people are still kind of self-quarantined or schools are closed or businesses are closed, I don’t know that I could justify taking the risk of being at a Pesach seder. It’s really hard to say that as a Jew.” Kosher food professionals say shelves of kosher grocery stores will probably still be stocked with matzah and other Passover staples. Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of the Orthodox Union’s Kosher Division, said that due to social distancing, some kosher supervisors have been supervising food production plants via a livestreamed walk-through. But he said the food is still being produced. “Most of the kosher-for-Pesach production began a long time ago,” he said. “There’s not going to be any problem at all in terms of availability of products for Pesach.” On the other end of the supply chain, Alfredo Guzman, a manager at Kosher Marketplace in Manhattan, said two deliveries of Passover food that were slated to come Monday had canceled, though the suppliers hoped to arrive later in the week. Guzman was worried as well that because of social distancing measures, he would only be allowed to let in a limited number of customers at a time during one of the busiest times of the year. “I really don’t know what we’re going to have, what is coming, what is not coming, regarding products for Passover,” he said. “A lot of people are going to get ner-

vous. … It’s not good for business, this situation, and it’s not good, I believe, for the people.” Even if the food does make it to the shelves and into people’s kitchens, the limitations on large gatherings could be a problem for people like Alexander Rapaport, who runs the Masbia network of soup kitchens in New York City. Masbia hosts two seders every year for the needy, usually drawing around 40 people per night. Rapaport stressed that because many observant Jews having little trouble finding an invitation to a family or communal seder, those who come to a Masbia seder truly have nowhere else to go. “We are hoping for the best and we will definitely follow the Health Department guidelines on how to operate a seder — spread out the seating, limit capacity,” he said. “It depends how severe it will be three weeks from now. I hope we don’t have to cancel.” As Passover nears amid the coronavirus outbreak, some Jews would find any kosher grocery store a luxury. Rabbi Ariel Fisher, who is living in Dakar, Senegal, for the year while his wife conducts field research for her doctorate in anthropology, hopes to return to New York City to officiate at a wedding and spend the holiday with his parents. But if travel becomes impossible, he may be stuck in the West African city, where he estimates that the nearest kosher store is more than 1,000 miles away in Morocco. Now he is scrambling to make sure that they will have enough matzah and kosher wine for the holiday. He is hoping the local Israeli diplomats will be able to get a shipment of matzah, and also asked a good friend in the local U.S. embassy — which has access to Amazon Prime — to order some for him online. Barring that, he will try to import matzah all the way from South Africa. And if all of that fails, he plans to make matzah himself — starting with the actual wheat. In any case, if Fisher and his wife end up in Senegal for the holiday, they plan to host a seder for the tiny community of Jews there who also would be unable to travel. “If we are actually here for Pesach, it will be the first Pesach in my life that I won’t have a Pesach store to go to to buy my Pesach supplies,” Fisher said. “While it’s not an ideal situation, the prospect of sharing Pesach with the friends and Jewish community that we’ve built here over the past few months is exciting.” Others now face the unusual prospect of conducting the communal meal See Seders, page 8

COMMENTARY JHM vandalism symptom of rising anti-Semitism BRYAN DAVIS, PH.D. Jewish History Museum/Holocaust History Center

hese are troubling times. Anti-Semitic threats and messages are escalating all around us. Three weeks ago, the words “Hail Hitler” (sic) were found scrawled on an exhibit inside our Holocaust History Center. March 5, a man brazenly unfurled a Nazi flag as Senator Bernie Sanders took the stage at a campaign event at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. Regardless of one’s political persuasion, unleashing violent images of this kind cannot be tolerated or dismissed. We must raise our voices. In early February, the editor of Arizona Jewish Life magazine had a threatening poster glued to her bedroom window in Phoenix by members of a local neoNazi group (see story, page 3). Prior to that, a member of the Arizona Association of Black Journalists was targeted as well. Four people were arrested and charged with conspiracy to threaten and intimidate. This recent escalation is not isolated within Arizona. In late February, I attended the Council of American

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Jewish Museums conference in Dallas. Days before the conference was convened at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, members of a white supremacist group placed threatening stickers around the exterior of the museum. Symbolic violence sets the stage for physical violence. At the Jewish History Museum, we are responding to rising anti-Semitism through education, outreach and community building. Hundreds of students visited the Gould Family Holocaust History Center on our campus earlier this month. A graduating class of Tucson Police Department cadets spent an entire morning studying the roles law enforcement played during the Nazi era. They ended their day by meeting with a local survivor of Auschwitz. Four years ago, when the Gould Family Holocaust History Center opened, we did not imagine that the norms that mark anti-Semitism as beyond the bounds of acceptable public behavior would erode so dramatically within such a short period of time. This work is urgent. We will continue to deepen and expand our efforts in each of these areas.

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Bryan Davis is executive director of Tucson’s Jewish History Museum/Holocaust History Center, www.jewishhistorymuseum.org. The museum has suspended open hours through March 31.

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ARTS & CULTURE / LOCAL Local woman gives Montefiore’s ‘Der Rebbe’ painting to Oro Valley Chabad

— Der Rebbe,” who was the leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement for more than 40 years. Born in what is now Ukraine, Schneerson, known simply as “the Rebbe” to his followers, escaped war-torn Europe in 1941. From Chabad-Lubavitch’s new headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, he transformed the remnants of the once-insular Hasidic sect into one of the

most influential movements in religious world Jewry, with an international network of over 3,500 educational and social centers. Montefiore recalls going to Lubavitch headquarters as a boy to hear Schneerson speak. After evening prayers, he says, the Rebbe “took my hand, gently stroked my cheek and looked into my eyes and said, ‘Nu, yingele — tziz shpeit — nu nem deim dollar and gai ahaim — und zai a gut yingele!’” (Well, it’s late, take this dollar and go home [by subway] — and be a good boy.”) Schneider met Montefiore at services at Congregation Bet Shalom and quickly became enamored of his work. Together, they decided that Montefiore would reproduce “Der Rebbe” and Schneider would give the painting to Rabbi Ephraim Zimmerman of Chabad of Oro Valley, who Montefiore has known since the Zimmermans came to town in 2012. Schneider told the AJP that now she is semi-retired, she has more time “to meet people and go back to my Jewish roots. I feel I’m sort of, at retirement age, going back to being my father’s daughter. “I’ve met all kinds of interesting people” since joining Bet Shalom, she adds.

Having retired from direct patient care over 10 years ago, Schneider has been traveling the country for the past eight years teaching a course for a medical education company, “primarily to physicians who have been disciplined by their state medical licensing boards regarding their prescribing of opioids.” A year ago, deciding to take it easy, she trained four other pain specialists to teach her course, which she will continue to manage and update. Montefiore’s art, she says, can be “so valuable, especially for people in the Jewish community.” She acquired two of his paintings for her home, “9-11 Resurrection Alpha,” which has deep meaning for her, having grown up in New York, and “Psalm 23,” which has led her to read more about what is perhaps the most well known of the psalms. The portrait of “Der Rebbe,” she says, “shows such an insight into the person,” and has prompted her to learn more about Schneerson’s remarkable career. “Chabad just seemed to me a very good place for this work, where people would really enjoy it,” she adds, and being able donate it helped “make this a very happy time in my life.”

are going through some very challenging times,” Epstein said. “I’m an extrovert. I like being around people, but I also know that there are sources saying that if one is doing seder by themselves, they should ask the Mah Nishtana of themselves. If that’s what I have to do this year, I accept it.” If people are limited to small or virtual seders on the first nights of Passover, they might have a kind of second chance, said Uri Allen, associate rabbi of Temple Beth Sholom in Roslyn, New York. Allen is in a group of rabbis pon-

dering the renewed relevance of Pesach Sheni, literally “Second Passover,” a day that comes exactly a month after the first day of Passover. In ancient times, Pesach Sheni was a second chance to make the paschal sacrifice for those who had been unable to on the holiday itself. Allen said that in any event, Jews should have a seder on the first night of Passover. But if they are looking for a chance to make a communal seder with friends or family, then depending on the coronavirus’s spread, they might be able to do so on Pesach Sheni — without the

blessings or dietary restrictions. “I’m imagining both for my family and also probably many other families who are used to a certain kind of seder, larger gatherings and things like that, that probably won’t happen a lot this year,” Allen said. “I would definitely encourage and advocate, if your seder got interrupted or disrupted because of the coronavirus, why not have the seder that you wanted on Pesach Sheni — provided everything is clear and people can resume some sort of normal life.”

PHYLLIS BRAUN AJP Executive Editor

ongtime Tucson resident Jennifer Schneider donated “Der Rebbe,” a painting by local artist David Montefiore of the late Chabad-Lubavich leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to Chabad of Oro Valley on Monday, March 9, the eve of Purim. Schneider, who was born in Israel, is a physician certified in internal medicine, addiction medicine, and pain management, and the author of 15 books. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in the department of pharmacology. With her father, rabbinically trained cultural anthropologist Raphael Patai, she authored “The Myth of The Jewish Race” (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1975), which traces the historical, psychological and genetic footprints of the Jewish people. This background, plus her personal spirituality and professional understanding of our fragility as humans, says Montefiore, left Schneider “poised to understand the mysticism and allure of this great 20th century human being

SEDERS continued from page 6

alone. Efrem Epstein, who lives alone in Manhattan, planned to join with friends or family, or a synagogue, for the seders. Now he’s wondering whether he’ll end up hiding the afikomen and finding it himself. “Throughout the Haggadah, we read about many accounts of our ancestors, whether it be in Egypt or whether it be hiding in caves or any other times, that

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VOLUNTEER SALUTE & Arizona Gives Day Congregation Or Chadash Sisterhood shines a light on volunteer Sandock DEBE CAMPBELL AJP Assistant Editor

ommunity volunteer Beverly Sandock will be recognized in April by the Congregation Or Chadash Sisterhood with its second annual Eshet Or (Woman of Light) award. In addition to 20 years of volunteer service at the synagogue, Sandock contributes to the community through daily professional and personal outreach. “Bev’s name came up consistently as we discussed possible nominees at our Sisterhood board meetings and it was a unanimous ‘yes’ vote when discussed at our program committee meeting,” says Laurie Kassman, Sisterhood president. “She is a ‘true light’ of what it means to be a team player and a leader. She always is willing to give an opinion or a hand for any event or program that she is asked about. Bev is someone that we all know that we can count on; her word is golden.”

Beverly Sandock

Cantor Janece Cohen put Sandock’s name forward, she says, because “I’ve worked with her for so long, I knew all the things she has done” for Or Chadash, from heading the fundraising committee “forever” to serving as president to quietly filling in as administrator

for months. As president, Sandock made the staff feel appreciated in a way no other president had done, even giving gifts out of her own pocket, says Cohen. And she “is a board member who is always at services,” which Cohen says is a rarity. Sandock does everything with humility, Cohen emphasizes. “Beverly stays in the shadows. She’s not ever, ‘Look at me, I’m the president, look at me, I’m the bigshot.’” Indeed, when told of the honor, Cohen says, Sandock protested that there were others more deserving. As COC’s volunteer development director, Sandock had a hand in guiding recent synagogue fundraisers. The Passport to Paradise raffle project this winter raised about $15,000 for the congregation. Since as a committee member she wasn’t able to participate in the raffle, Sandock bought tickets to give away to others who could really appreciate a windfall. Sandock also was behind the Feb. 21 fund-raising dinner, “25 Years of Gratitude,” honoring retiring Jewish

Federation of Southern Arizona President and CEO Stuart Mellan, and Rabbi Thomas Louchheim on his 25th anniversary of service. “It was a great, ‘happy’ committee that did the work for this,” she says, and it raised about $10,000. Sandock started out as a volunteer on the synagogue’s previous Jewish Family and Fun Fest, the adult education committee, as an interim director for membership, and an office volunteer. She was ever looking to be more efficient in fundraising and in coordinating sponsor giving. She began serving on the board and became entrenched in the processes from the perspective of staff, board, and clergy. Perspective from the three groups that run a synagogue “has given me the best understanding that informs my decision-making,” Sandock says. “Foremost in mind is that the members of the congregation are the main reason we plan and lead. We truly represent them.” See Sandock, page 10

March 20, 2020, ARIZONA JEWISH POST

VOLUNTEER SALUTE & Arizona Gives Day SANDOCK continued from page 9

In 2008, she was approached by two congregation members and Louchheim. “To my surprise, they came to me and asked me to be president. It was out of the blue, I hadn’t even thought about it,” Sandock recalls. She agreed and calls the two-year term “an experience.” Although she was COC’s first woman president, she never thought of herself as a trailblazer. “It didn’t occur to me except when someone asked me, ‘How does it feel to be the synagogue’s first woman president?’ “I’ve watched the Sisterhood evolve through the years as they became involved with Women of Reform Judaism,” which is the women’s affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism, the umbrella group for almost 850 North American congregations. “It really has changed the roles of women involved in synagogue,” she says. “The organization has been involved in bringing new awareness to women’s issues with programming to reflect broader interests.” In her professional life of planning and communications for JFSA, Sandock is editor and publisher of the JewishTucson.com weekly events calendar. She has shared those talents with COC in taking its monthly newsletter to an online format with the addition of advertising as a new revenue stream. “This has been a huge cost saving,” Sandock says of going digital, adding that the boomerang effect of lost business to the printer is bothersome. One of her key underlying values is helping those in need financially or emotionally. Sandock has assisted Sisterhood with communications, collateral, and digitizing their newsletter. With a community focus, Sandock says she sees how the Sisterhood and synagogue fit into the community. “I comingle my experience and expertise in making both places richer, based on interconnection and collaboration that exists between them. It is beneficial to both organizations that I understand synagogue so well,” she says of blending her professional and synagogue roles. She brings this perspective to bear as a steering committee member of the

JFSA’s Jewish Community Round Table, which addresses the needs of the whole community. “I can reflect needs I hear of, the gaps in service, with my knowledge of synagogue, JFSA, and the broader Jewish community to benefit each other in a more informed way.” Sandock also oversees the JFSA’s concierge, which provides one-on-one information to community members, especially newcomers. Sandock is the Federation’s liaison to the Synagogue Federation Dialogue Group, which again is a crossover to her synagogue connection. A native of Cincinnati, Sandock married her husband, Ken, when she was in college and traveled with him as he trained as a radiologist — Washington, D.C.; Indianapolis; Chicago; Columbia, Missouri; and New Orleans — before landing in Tucson. She has a master’s degree in learning disabilities from American University in Washington, D.C., and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Arizona. The Sandocks raised two children — son David, a urologist, and daughter Hollie, a hospital director of outpatient account services — and have six grandchildren. Trained as an educational therapist and a learning strategies specialist with extensive knowledge of learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorder, for a decade, Sandock was associate director of the UArizona Strategic Alternative Learning Techniques Center, a private life coach at Sandock Education Services for college students with ADHD and learning disabilities, and lectured nationally as an expert in her field. The luncheon honoring Sandock is planned for Sunday, April 19, 12:30-2 p.m. at the synagogue, 3939 N. Alvernon Way, at 12:30-2 p.m., with a fee of $18 and tributes from $10 available. For information, meal choices, and to RSVP call Lee Golden by April 13 at 990-1710. Cohen notes that the event is contingent on the status of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic — on March 12, she says, administrators made the decision to close the Or Chadash campus to visitors. Shabbat services are being live-streamed at www.facebook. com/octucson. For more information, visit www.orchadash-tucson.org or call 512-8500.

ost.com and p h is w je z .a Visit www Facebook! n o P J A e follow th 10

ARIZONA JEWISH POST, March 20, 2020

. . . u o y k n a Th

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March 20, 2020, ARIZONA JEWISH POST

ARIZONA JEWISH POST, March 20, 2020

VOLUNTEER SALUTE & Arizona Gives Day Local woman sends Passover care packages to troops chance to celebrate holidays like Passover in years. It also allows them to keep their AJP Intern faith alive, considering only 1% of active ucsonan Alayne Greenberg is a milmilitary members are Jewish, Greenberg itary mom with a big vision. Since says. 2006, Greenberg has contributed to “It’s offering a service to those who the Matza & More program sponsored by need that spiritual connection because Jewish Family & Children’s Services, sendit’s a time where they’re away from home, ing care packages to military members in a war zone, and emotions run high,” serving abroad. It all began with her son says Greenberg. Isaac, who was deployed in Afghanistan. Greenberg has kept in contact with As a little girl, Greenberg had heard stosome of the service members she has sent ries from her father about celebrating Jewpackages to over the years. “Life is about ish holidays while he was in the service. relationships. We stay in touch with a lot When her son was deployed, she began of them.” Alayne Greenberg sending toiletries and the She has done other necessary ingredients for a volunteer work throughPassover seder not only to out her life. In the 1970s Isaac but to other soldiers through the 1980s, she was serving overseas. involved with the National Greenberg found Jewish Council of Jewish Women, military members with the until the Tucson chapter help of the Brave, a former closed. listserv through United She also is on the board Synagogue of Conservative for Beacon Group, which Judaism, which obtained helps developmentally disinformation through the abled individuals, taking Jewish War Veterans of the on a leadership role and United States. She believes participating with comshe couldn’t have achieved mittees for programming what she does without the and allocations. With the help of her friend and partboard, she lobbied the ner Josephine Harris, anstate legislature for fundother military mother with ing for disabled people. the same vision. Harris disGreenberg also was a Girl continued her work with Scout leader for disabled Letters of appreciation from military Matza and More recipients. the project after the death girls in Tucson, and still of her husband. keeps up with some of the past members. Greenberg’s project attracted the attention of JFCS “My youngest sister had Down syndrome, so I grew and they teamed to create an offshoot of Matza & More. up dealing with a person with special needs in the famEach year before Passover, with the help of 10 to 15 vol- ily,” says Greenberg. “It’s so rewarding knowing you can unteers, Greenberg sends $75 to $100 worth of toiletries help others.” and food for a seder to military members. Together the Greenberg will continue with her volunteer work, group sends care packages to 35 to 40 active military and this year like every year will be packaging goods members annually. with her grandchildren to send to the troops. “It gives them a chance to connect with their roots,” Editor’s note: This year, due to the spread of COVID-19 says Greenberg. Recipients have told her how excited (coronavirus), JFCS has suspended its traditional local they were when they received the packages. It would in- Matza & More deliveries. Call JFCS at 795-0300 for more spire them, some of them admitting they hadn’t had a information.

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March 20, 2020, ARIZONA JEWISH POST

Congregation Or Chadash salutes AJP VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

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VOLUNTEER SALUTE & Arizona Gives Day Active GV volunteer has passion for aiding migrants DEBE CAMPBELL AJP Assistant Editor

Photo: Debe Campbell/AJP

grey, three-footed Mexican rescue cat named Tiny bats innocently at the frayed end of a dirty white rope. At the other end of the rope is a noose. The rope is one of many artifacts Shura Wallin has recovered from the Sonoran Desert between Green Valley and the U.S. Border with Mexico during her forays there to deliver life-saving containers of water. With Randy Mayer, pastor at Good Shepherd United Church of Christ in Sahuarita, Wallin co-founded Green Valley-Sahuarita Samaritans. The group not only delivers water containers to the desert, but works to bring safe passage to border crossers seeking asylum north of the Mexico border. Wallin’s personal mission also is to educate others about the plight of migrants, and why they risk their lives crossing the desert. Wallin lived in Berkeley, California, for 28 years and was a co-founder of the nonprofit Dorothy Day House, a volunteer-based organization that provides food, shelter, and employment to those in need. In 1996, in recognition of 14 years of tireless dedication, the City of Berkeley chose her as one of its “Outstanding Women of the Year.” When she moved to Green Valley 20 years ago, she read an article about Humane Borders, a local organization that works to prevent human death from dehydration and exposure in the borderlands by operating a network of 55-gallon water stations across the desert. She began volunteering with them. Migrants from Mexico seeking employment and economic improvement have illegally crossed the border for decades. Increased dangers from drug cartels, gang activity, crop failure due to climate change leading to poverty, and political issues have led to a recent upswing

At her Green Valley home, Shura Wallin shows drawings created by migrant children sheltering in Nogales, Sonora.

in recent years of Central and South Americans fleeing to seek asylum or entry across the U.S. southern border. Hundreds never complete their journeys, dying in the desert from environmental dangers, or becoming lost or injured. Wallin has come upon more than one set of human remains. Frequently finding water tanks that have been riddled with gunshot or the spigots left open to drain the water disheartens Wallin. She’s found cases of water bottles left for travelers, where not one bottle was opened. But, the See Migrants, page 16

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VOLUNTEER SALUTE & Arizona Gives Day MIGRANTS continued from page 15

bottles were empty, having been slit on the bottom. Once, en route to Arivaca on the road to Sasabe, she stopped at a water tank and found the noose hanging in a nearby tree with a message, “Don’t Come Here.” Such messages and threats come from citizens who do not agree with providing humane assistance for migrants. “I don’t understand that mentality even for five seconds. The viciousness of that mentality, so many cruel things bother me. It’s mind-boggling,” says Wallin from her Green Valley home. Pint-sized and thin as a rail, at age 78 Wallin hardly appears able to lead the busy life of an activist. Yet she says she’s never experienced any fear in doing what she does. “You deal with it in yourself. You try to understand what is going on in their mind. Lots of times, that’s hard for people,” she says of those who fear or threaten migrants. “On the other hand, looking at the Holocaust, how many people do you know that want to leave their country, their family? Try to imagine yourself in that position. If you approach it like that, you begin to see other nuances and recognize the humanity in each person and in yourself. “If you were watching your child starve to death, you would do anything. I’ve met thousands of people like that. They are no different from us. It’s necessary to not start hating others. Hate agitates yourself and others around you. When people only look for difference, that’s when the blood bath starts.” Besides Humane Borders, Wallin has worked with Tucson Samaritans and No More Deaths. After a Border Issues Fair held in Green Valley in 2005, a sign-up sheet netted 350 interested area volunteers. That led to Green Valley-Sahuarita Samaritans formation. Its volunteers patrol the many migrant trails that criss-

ARIZONA JEWISH POST, March 20, 2020

cross the desert south of Green Valley on both sides of the Interstate 19 corridor. Wallin focuses her work these days on the Mexican side of the border, where the Samaritans assist migrants deported from the United States. They join Jesuit priests and the Sisters of the Eucharist who run a kitchen in Nogales called El Comedor, established by the Kino Border Initiative and operated daily to feed a daily average of 300 migrants waiting on that side of the border. There or at shelters located throughout the community she works with children to teach English, encouraging them to draw pictures and tell their stories, or just to giggle and laugh like children. “I have such love for these people and the children,” Wallin says. “When they see me coming, they come running to me and I pick them all up in my arms.” She compares the scores of drawings she has collected from migrant children with those in the book, “I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children’s Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942–1944,” compiled after World War II by Czech art historian Hana Volavková. “Those drawings are no different from what these children have drawn,” says Wallin. People from across the country come to Wallin’s Green Valley home to listen and learn about border issues. “My name is out there,” she admits. She shares some of the artifacts she has collected in the desert: the noose, a faded scarf trimmed in hand-crocheted lace, cloth tortilla wrappers embroidered with endearing phrases, a child’s backpack with an empty water bottle and roll of toilet paper, articles of clothing. “We talk about why they would leave these items behind.” She takes these groups to the comedor and cemeteries to show them what’s happening. She always ends the exchange by sharing a stanza from “The Cry of the Children” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. She says it evokes images of what she sees every day with the migrants. Do ye hear the children weeping, O my

VOLUNTEER SALUTE & Arizona Gives Day brothers, Ere the sorrow comes with years? They are leaning their young heads against their mothers, — And that cannot stop their tears. The young lambs are bleating in the meadows; The young birds are chirping in the nest; The young fawns are playing with the shadows; The young flowers are blowing toward the west — But the young, young children, O my brothers,

They are weeping bitterly! They are weeping in the playtime of the others, In the country of the free. Wallin remains deeply focused on the core mission of the Samaritans — saving lives in the desert, one at a time. “Nothing is more sacred. Moral laws have to take the high ground. “We do the best we can do, that’s all you can do. I know we’ve saved a lot of lives, by the fact we put out water. As long as I am able to do this, I will continue to do this work.”

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March 20, 2020, ARIZONA JEWISH POST

NATIONAL Jewish groups, clergy call on U.S. to expand food aid during COVID-19 crisis

n Tuesday, the National Council of Jewish Women (www.ncjw.org) and MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger (www.mazon.org) called on the U.S. government to increase and expand access to federal nutrition assistance for low-income families in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. The two organizations garnered more than 450 signatures from Jewish clergy and organizations at the national, state, and local level for their statement, which reads as follows: “The coronavirus crisis is not only a national health pandemic, but a time of urgent concern for those who are most vulnerable in our country; those at economic risk are facing dire consequences right now. On behalf of the undersigned Jewish clergy and organizations, we call on the President, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Congress to work together to increase and expand access to federal nutrition assistance for food insecure Americans in the wake of the coronavirus crisis (COVID-19). Our Jewish texts and traditions command us again and again to feed the hungry, care for the poor, and safeguard those who are most vulnerable — to not ‘harden [our] heart[s] or shut [our] hand[s] against [our] poor brethren’ in need (Deuteronomy 15:7). This has never been more important than now. “As the coronavirus forces school closures around the country, millions of children will not only lose vital instructional time; they will also lose critically needed food that they receive through school nutrition programs. Nearly 22 million students each day depend on free or reduced-price school lunch as a key source of their daily nutrition. We know that eating regularly and well is a vital prerequisite for keeping children healthy and during this national health crisis,support to make

this possible is critical. “We must make it easier to feed children during COVID-19-related school closures. “Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that all households stockpile two weeks of food, but families living in poverty, as well as those hardworking families living paycheck-to-paycheck, are unlikely to be able to afford to buy that much food. The federal government must take the initiative to adopt measures that prioritize the needs of low-income Americans to prevent further hunger and hardship. Additionally, older adults who are at an elevated risk of contracting the disease will no longer be able to participate in congregate meal programs, and must instead have access to home-delivered meals and other sources of nutrition. “We are pleased to see USDA approving state requests for flexibility to serve free meals to children affected by school closures. But this is not enough. We urge you to do everything in your power to increase and expand ac-

cess to nutrition assistance including: • create a nationwide waiver authority, which allows school officials to distribute food in various settings across all nutrition programs; • provide states the option to extend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to households with children affected by school closures; and • temporarily increase benefits and enable flexibility on alternative food delivery systems for federal nutrition assistance programs like SNAP and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and • enable meal providers to move funds allocated to support congregate nutrition sites to support expanded home-delivery meal programs. “We believe that a democratic society must provide for the needs of those unable to provide for themselves. And, while many of our organizations work directly with people who are struggling in our communities, we know that we cannot do this work alone. Nearly 40 million Americans struggle to put food on the table on a regular basis, and COVID-19 has real potential to exacerbate their struggles. While charitable organizations will continue to play a vital role in addressing hunger and poverty, we know that the overwhelming majority of food assistance in this country has historically come from — and must continue to come from — federal programs. “Jewish tradition is based in the understanding that each person is made in the image of God. Everyone has the right to live with dignity, provide for their family, and fully participate in society. And no matter a person’s circumstance, no one deserves to be hungry.”

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March 20, 2020, ARIZONA JEWISH POST

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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, March 20, 2020

SHLICHA’S VIEW Celebrating resilient Israeli women INBAL SHTIVI Weintraub Israel Center

s these w o r d s are being written, the entire world is looking anxiously toward the future, and the effects of the coronavirus. We can’t avoid it — people in supermarkets are stocking up, and news from all over the world arrives on our screens with alarming updates, political debates on public safety, and attempts to prevent hysteria. As these words are being written, the Tucson Jewish community is celebrating Purim. With or without coronavirus, the holiday of Purim tells a big story of community resilience, mutual responsibility, and the ability of individuals to speak up and push for a greater cause. Purim is also about the power of women and their political potential. We usually focus on the stories of Esther and Mordechai, but for me, the real story is of Vashti, which can be read as a story of resistance. The Megillah starts with her decision not to obey, not to serve as an ornament or decoration for the pleasure of the king and his friends. Reading the Megillah, we learn about the power of her refusal from the king’s reaction — Achashverosh was extremely concerned about the example her refusal might set. He decreed that he would marry another woman, and so our story begins. The International Women’s Day celebrated on March 8 brings to light all those actions of powerful women, daring to speak up and defy social and other norms. In Israel, there are many women who are actively participating in creating new types of discourse and challenging existing structures. Here is a short list of three very different examples: Lucy Aharish Born in 1981, Aharish is an IsraeliArab news presenter and journalist. She was one of the 12 people to light the torch in the traditional annual ceremony on Yom Haatzmaut, the 67th Independence Day of the State of Israel. The ceremony committee wrote: “Aharish was chosen because she represents and promotes social pluralism and calls for co-existence in our country.” Aharish proudly carries her Arab roots in one hand, and her love and affiliation with the State of Israel, in the other. She is the embodiment of coexistence; working to bring together all citizens of Israel, both Jewish and Arab. Because of her strong opinions, activism, colorful

personality, and charisma, Aharish has managed to position herself as a young Israeli who is willing to fight bravely for her values, and her desire to make Israeli society tolerant, enlightened, and more pluralistic. Adi Keisar Born in 1980, Keisar is a Mizrachi poet who has developed a unique genre of protest poetry. Mizrachi Jews are descended from mostly Muslim Middle Eastern or North African countries. Keisar deals with issues of oppression and liberation of women and the Mizrachi community, both as underrepresented communities. She was one of the founders of the “Ars Poetica” genre, which is one of the most interesting social and cultural phenomena in Israel in the recent years. The movement’s evenings include a “hafla” (big party), young Mizrachi poets reading their poems, and belly dancers. Being a young Mizrachi woman, Keisar writes about the discrimination against ethnic groups in Israel, and centers of power in Israeli society. She bravely examines sensitive issues in Israel’s culture with confidence, and sounds a voice that is loud and clear. Dr. Kira Radinski Born in 1986, Radinski is an expert in the field of computer science at the Technion. According to The Journal of Technology at MIT University, Radinski is one of 35 promising young innovators around the world. Radinski has developed a methodology using a computerized system to predict future events based on the analysis of old texts. She uses hundreds of years of text from sources such as The New York Times and online encyclopedias. The system detects patterns of events and patterns of cause, in which it can predict recurrent events such as natural disasters, epidemics, and waves of violence. According to Radinski, she has devoted herself to scientific research since age 15 at the Technion, with one dream in mind — to make the world a better place. All three women are internationally recognized for their achievements and activism. They are shedding light on different practices, putting forward their agendas in a brave way. All of them had to do something that is out of the ordinary. Reflecting on Purim, I wish us all, women and men, to be blessed with courage and motivation to change what we see fit, participate in the discussion, and be there for each other. Inbal Shtivi is the community shlicha (Israeli emissary) for Southern Arizona and director of the Weintraub Israel Center, a joint project of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and the Tucson Jewish Community Center.

March 20, 2020, ARIZONA JEWISH POST

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AREA CONGREGATIONS REFORM

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. and 5:30 p.m.; Fri., 7:30 a.m.; Sun. and 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.

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. and 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. and legal holidays, 8:30 a.m.; Mon. and Thurs., 6:30 p.m.; Tues., Wed., Fri., 6:45 a.m. / Mincha and 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, Tucson AZ 85716 • (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

1171 E. Rancho Vistoso #131, 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 2270 W. Ina Road, Suite 100, Tucson, AZ 85741 • (520) 276-5675 Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon • www.beitsimchatucson.org Shabbat services: Fri., 6:30 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m., with Torah study at 9 a.m; monthly Shabbat morning hikes.

Congregation Chaverim

3888 E. River Road, Tucson, AZ 85718 (Tucson Hebrew Academy) Mailing Address: P.O. Box 31806, Tucson, AZ 85751 • (520) 305-8208 Rabbi Helen Cohn • www.mkorhayim.org Shabbat services: 2nd and 4th Fri., 7 p.m. / Torah study, 2nd and 4th Sat. 10 - 11:30 a.m.

Congregation or ChadaSh 3939 N. Alvernon Way, 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.

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.

228 N. Canyon Drive, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 • (520) 458-8637 www.templekol.com Mailing address: P.O. Box 908, Sierra Vista, AZ 85636, Friday night Torah study group: 6 - 7:15 p.m. / Shabbat services: Fri., 7:30 p.m.

TRADITIONAL-EGALITARIAN

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.

OTHER

Beth Shalom temple Center

1751 N. Rio Mayo (P.O. Box 884), Green Valley, AZ 85622 • (520) 648-6690 Rabbi Norman Roman • www.bstc.us Shabbat services: 1st and 3rd Fri., 7 p.m. / Torah study: Sat., 9:30 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 various leaders, followed by Shabbat dinner; Sat., 9:30 a.m., led by Mel Cohen and Dan Asia, followed by light Kiddush lunch.

JewiSh arizonanS on CampuS 2146 E. 4th Street Tucson, AZ, 85719 • (520) 834-3424 • www.myjac.org Shabbat hospitality and social events for UA students with Yosef and Sara Lopez. Shabbat services on request.

Congregation Kol SimChah

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.

ARIZONA JEWISH POST, March 20, 2020

Yeta Bart Weston, 104, died March 4, 2020. Mrs. Weston was the oldest of three girls born in Brooklyn, New York to Ester and Laser Bart. She and her husband, Dr. Aaron S. Weston, who predeceased her in 2008, spent their first 80-plus years in New York. Aaron practiced family medicine and she ran the office while pursuing her work as an artist. They moved to Green Valley in 1998 and were founding members of Beth Shalom Temple Center. Survivors include their daughters, Pam (Sandy Ostroff) Weston of Green Valley, Wendy Weston (William) Fishkind of Tucson, and Dolly Weston (Ronald) Dribben of Heath, Texas; six grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. Services were held at Evergreen Cemetery with Rabbi Stephanie Aaron of Congregation Chaverim officiating. Memorial contributions may be made to Beth Shalom Temple Center, PO Box 884, Green Valley, AZ 85622-0884, Attention: Stacey. Obituaries printed free of charge may be edited for space and format. There is a nominal fee for photographs. Please inquire at 319-1112 for obituaries.

B’nai B’rith SAHUARO LODGE #763

SeCular humaniSt JewiSh CirCle

(Renewal)

Yeta Weston

temple Kol hamidBar

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.

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

OBITUARY

www.shjcaz.org Call Cathleen at (520) 730-0401 for meeting or other information.

univerSity of arizona hillel foundation

The B’nai B’rith Section at Evergreen Cemetery has affordable standard plots & cremation plots. Perpetual Care Included • Membership Required

For information call ... 520-615-1205

OUR TOWN In focus

Business briefs

Photo courtesy Lynn Rae Lowe

Connections postponement prompts impromptu brunch

(L-R) Lynn Rae Lowe, Fay Roos, Linda Wahl, Dana Adler, Laurie Kassman, and Lenore Ballen at Adler’s home on March 8.

Six members of Congregation Or Chadash who had planned to attend the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Women’s Philanthropy Connections brunch on March 8, which was postponed due to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), gathered that morning at the home of Dana Adler. They watched the Federation’s exclusive interview with Dr. Ruth Westheimer and enjoyed brunch and conversation. The Connections event with Dr. Ruth has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 14. It will be held in the evening, with both women and men welcome to attend.

“A Night on the Red Carpet,” the 11th annual Young Jewish Tucson Hava Tequila benefit party, was Feb. 29. Along with dancing and dining, the evening featured perfect weather and ample Tucson skyline vistas from the Westward Look Resort rooftop. Event co-chairs were Elyse Adams and Oren Riback. Young Jewish Tucson is a collaboration between the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and the Tucson Jewish Community Center. Evening proceeds benefited Jewish Family & Children’s Services Jewish Emergency Financial Assistance.

Photo: Martha Lochert

Young leadership dances under the stars at Hava Tequila 2020

(L-R): Sarah Haber, Elaine MacPherson, Rebecca Peters, and Andrew PawlickiSinclair, assistant director of leadership development and engagement at the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, share in the fun at the 11th annual Hava Tequila benefit at Westward Look Resort on Feb. 29.

Photo: Debe Campbell/AJP

Midbar chickens come home to roost at Congregation Bet Shalom

Youngsters rehome chicks they raised to the Midbar Farm chicken coop at Congregation Bet Shalom on March 5.

Furry friends – cute faces, heroic hearts

Want to see your pet’s adorable face in the AJP’s April 3 pet section? Send a photo to pbraun@azjewishpost.com by March 26, with your name and your pet’s.

Eighteen pullets — and perhaps the odd rooster — came home to roost in their new coop at the Congregation Bet Shalom Midbar (desert) Farm on March 5. The baby chicks were with four families until they were large enough to occupy the coop, which volunteers built from donated materials. The foster families, farmers, and volunteers were on hand to welcome the birds. Youngsters said their goodbyes as they introduced the chicks to their new home. For information, email lisa@cbsaz.org.

Alan’s Shoes has opened its fifth shop, a 4,400-squarefoot store at the Spectrum shopping center, near Interstate 19 and West Irvington Road. Alan’s Shoes was started in 1982 by Alan and Annette Miklofsky. For more information, visit www.alanshoes.com. Marsha Drozdoff, social worker, Reiki master teacher and group facilitator, received an award as a finalist in the category Healthcare Champion at the Women of Influence Awards 2020, presented by Tucson Local Media on March 4 at Desert Diamond Casino. Drozdoff ’s groups, classes, and programs can be found at www.desertreikiconnection.com. Arizona Theater Company Artistic Director Sean Daniels, whose personal battle with alcoholism was chronicled in his Off-Broadway autobiographical play, “The White Chip,” was scheduled to receive the 10,000 Beds Spirit of Gratitude Award at the 4th annual Gratitude Gala: Celebrating Recovery, which was to be held at the Pheonix Art Museum. The museum has closed through April 6 in response to COVID-19. The mission of 10,000 Beds is to connect individuals seeking help for addiction to vetted treatment programs; it partners with addiction-treatment programs nationwide and provides scholarships to applicants who want and need help but are without resources. “The White Chip” was ATC’s first Off-Broadway production in 20 years and was a New York Times Critic’s Choice.

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(520) 631-7222 www.tucsonhouse.com aronoff@longrealty.com March 20, 2020, ARIZONA JEWISH POST

ARIZONA JEWISH POST, March 20, 2020