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Tucson Hebrew Academy makes fast switch to online learning PHYLLIS BRAUN AJP Executive Editor

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ov. Doug Ducey announced the closure of Arizona schools on Sunday, March 15 to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. On March 16, Tucson Hebrew Academy was ready with online learning, says Head of School Laurence Kutler, Ph.D. ”We were prepared two weeks before it happened,” Kutler says, explaining that THA students already used technology such as Google Classroom and Zoom meetings.

On March 15, parents of students who did not have a computer available at home came to THA to pick up Chromebooks that had been used in classrooms.

Kutler was concerned there might be students without Wi-Fi access, but that didn’t prove to be an issue.

Parents of lower school students also picked up workbooks so kids could follow along with teachers’ online lessons. The upper school already used online textbooks.

Photo courtesy Stephanie Buchler/Tucson Hebrew Academy

INSIDE

A fourth-grade student at Tucson Hebrew Academy displays a Lego® tower he created after the school switched to remote learning in mid-March. The structure, which demonstrates engineering principles, can hold a ball for longer than two minutes.

“I have to commend our staff and our parents for seamlessly going into this scenario, which was full of possible potholes,” Kutler says, noting that parents with full-time jobs faced the challenge of suddenly working from home and supervising their kids’ online learning. “Doing multiple jobs in

a social and emotional environment like a pandemic, it’s a lot of pressure.”

Jeff Jacobson, a THA board member who has a fourth-grade daughter, Shoshana, and a son, Sam, in seventh grade, says “THA stepped up to the plate enormously quickly.”

“On the morning of March 16, they were on their laptops, working away, full day of school. It was a seamless transition,” he says, adding that there was some adjustment at the beginning, making sure kids understood where to submit their assignments. “The communication from [Principal] Gabby Erbst and her team, from Shoshana’s teachers, from Sam’s teachers, has been fantastic.”

Jennifer Lehrfeld, THA’s STEM coordinator and science department head, says the transition “has been a learning process for sure, with a lot of trials and thankfully not too much error.”

THA started out keeping kids on their normal class schedules, requiring students to sign in to Zoom classes each period, she says.

“There were obviously many issues with that. Some students had technology issues and it was difficult to hear or see what was going on in the class. Many students have challenges at home due to brothers and sisters, working parents, slow internet connections, stress, etc.”

See THA, page 2

Retiring soon, CAI’s Rabbi Eisen lauded as humble, effective PHYLLIS BRAUN AJP Executive Editor

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abbi Robert Eisen, who will retire at the end of June after 21 years as Congregation Anshei Israel’s spiritual leader, “doesn’t like to toot his own horn,” says Dan Jurkowitz, president of the CAI board of trustees and a lifelong member of the congregation. Quietly, however, the rabbi does much, not only for the synagogue and its members but for the entire community, he says.

In the March/April issue of

Kolenu, CAI’s member newsletter, Jurkowitz wrote about some of the rabbi’s recent “background activities.” These included: “chairing the Tucson Board of Rabbis, co-chairing the Jewish Community Roundtable, serving on the Tucson Hebrew High board, giving such a moving invocation at a Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting that he was asked for a copy of his address, participating in interfaith dialogue, answering questions for AP human geography students at University High School, and writing an op-

Rabbi Robert Eisen

ed piece for the Arizona Daily Star.”

Anshei Israel had planned to recognize Eisen last week at an event that was to include the dedication of a new beit midrash (house of study) area in his honor.

Postponed due to social distancing measures needed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the event also would have included formally extending the title of rabbi emeritus to Eisen, a move approved by CAI board of trustees, says Jurkowitz.

The circus theme of the planned party was typical of

CANDLELIGHTING TIMES: May 1 ... 6:47 p.m. • May 8 ... 6:52 p.m. • May 15 ... 6:57 p.m.

See Rabbi, page 4

THA After the first week, teachers met to discuss changes.

“We felt that the rigid structure was too much for many kids and tying them to their screens from 8 in the morning to 3:30 just was not reasonable. We changed to a more flexible schedule. The new schedule asks students to check in with teachers every day but they can do so on their own time unless a teacher has a scheduled meeting.

“For me, checking in means that students send me a private message via Google Chat to tell me what they are working on,” Lehrfeld says. She describes an array of tech tools her students are using: work-at-your-own-pace modules made up of online videos with digital assessments; online tutorials and simulations; slide shows she creates with fill-in-the-blank notes; PDF worksheets kids color and fill in via the school’s subscription to Kami, a student PDF editor; student-led home labs; and Google Forms digital quizzes and assignments.

As a science teacher, Lehrfeld says her biggest challenge with remote learning is hands-on experiments. For the most part, she has filled in with simulations students watch online.

“I can’t have them experimenting on their own at home because their supplies are limited and I can’t ask parents to head to the store in these trying times,” she says. “My physics class is doing an energy unit though, so they had to design a toy that used potential and kinetic energy, then use that toy to do an experiment and collect data about the relationship. I’m just getting those assignments in now and kids have made everything from paper roller coasters to spoon slingshots. I think they are still having fun.”

Anisa Rutherford, an eighth-grade student, says the adjustment to remote learning was a little difficult at first, “but I’m used to it now. I just make sure that I stay organized and write down everything that I need to do.”

Her teachers take different approaches. In history, for example, the students get an assignment due at the end of the week, while in other subjects she’ll have one or two days to work on projects. At least once a week each class has a Zoom discussion for no longer than 15 or 20 minutes, she says.

Although Anisa and her friends miss being together at school, they have been talking using FaceTime or chatting via text. “We’re making sure that we’re staying in touch,” she says.

“The transition for [the kids] has been easier than for us,” says Jacobson. He is a lawyer with his own practice, while his wife, Rachel, a pharmacist at Bashas’, is an essential worker who cannot work remotely. It is a challenge, he says, just keeping their business lives afloat, but he’s grateful for how well THA has managed the school transition.

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(just south of River)

Photo courtesy Stephanie Buchler/Tucson Hebrew Academy

continued from page 1

A scoreboard on the game-based learning platform Kahoot shows Tucson Hebrew Academy eighth-grader Anisa Rutherford tied for first place on a history quiz.

“We’re very sensitive to the needs of the kids and the parents,” says Kutler. Through Jewish Family & Children’s Services, THA employs a counselor, Felicia Cohen, “who has been on top of this and done some interventions where necessary.”

Cohen says she organized a parent Zoom group meeting as a source of support, particularly for those with younger kids, who need more assistance with online learning.

One familiar challenge parents face, she says, is managing school time versus video game time. But, she hasn’t heard much about kids voicing fears about the coronavirus. “We did send out information on helping children cope with COVID-19,” with recommendations for different age groups.

A parent herself, with two kids in high school and one in middle school, she advises parents to be flexible and perhaps relax some of the rules they had pre-pandemic.

“I think we need to communicate more openly with our children. Check in with them frequently, ‘How are you doing, how are you feeling, is there anything that’s upsetting you,” she advises, noting that children often need prompting to talk about their emotions.

It is important to observe kids’ behaviors, and to make sure they are getting enough sleep, eating normally, getting exercise, and getting some sunshine, Cohen says.

She suggests that parents “try to stay calm, listen to your children, and try to offer reassurance,” adding “I am available for Zoom calls or telephone support. Everybody has my email.”

Stephanie Buchler, the mother of Anisa, teaches fourth grade in THA’s lower school. “It’s was astonishing how well the fourth-graders adapted,” she says, but notes that these students are ready to join THA’s upper school as fifthgraders next year. Just as they did when school was meeting at the River Road campus, she says, some students

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need more one-on-one instruction, but that has been easy to schedule with the Google Classroom system.

Buchler’s students also have a Google chat group they use to stay in touch. And parents have been good about sending her photos of kids with their science experiments.

Adina Karp is a first-grade homeroom teacher. She also provides math enrichment for small groups of thirdgraders and teaches fifth- and sixth-grade math. With her first-graders now, she says, she is providing an optional, informal hang out time daily. One day last week, she says, “I had all of them showing me their stuffed animals and artwork they created over the past few weeks.”

Both educators and students have learned to be more flexible as they adjust to remote learning, Karp says. “I think everyone has really come together as a community.”

For her third-graders, she set long division problems for the kids to solve over a week or so, to be followed by a bingo game using the answers.

A student Karp is working with one-on-one is creating her own board game using concepts she has learned in the past year, such as decimals, fractions, and conversions.

Overall, students have adapted well, Karp says. “Older kids have learned to advocate for themselves more. It’s a valuable skill.” She also has seen that students have a new appreciation for being able to attend school in person.

They miss both academic and social aspects of traditional schooling, she says.

Lehrfeld, who also is THA’s student council advisor, helped with plans for a spirit week with celebrations of Earth Day and Israel Independence Day, as well as a digital yearbook signing party at the end of the year. “We’re trying to keep as many fun traditions as possible,” she says.

For eighth-graders, the stay-at-home rules have forced postponement of the long-awaited year-end trip to Israel.

Anisa spoke matter-of-factly about options she heard are being discussed, such as joining with next year’s class in May 2021 or having the trip during 2021 spring break.

Kutler hopes it can be sooner. THA needs to touch base with its Israeli partners, he says, but one possibility might be a trip for this year’s eighth-graders in late fall.

Another idea would be a winter break trip combining this year’s class with next year’s eighth-graders, if there is a mutual vacation time, although he notes the weather in parts of Israel is not ideal in December. Any plans, of course, are contingent upon the lifting of travel restrictions and social isolation.

As an educator for more than 35 years, Kutler predicts the remote work and school experiences the pandemic created will alter society forever. “The online learning that we’re doing now isn’t going to disappear,” he says. “How school looks is going to be different than the way it was in the past, and we as administrators in THA and in other schools are going to have to adapt to new scenarios.”

LOCAL Tucson J plans virtual day of learning

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he Tucson Jewish Comof doing Torah in the here and munity Center will now or, focusing on what is yet present a virtual Yom to come.

Limmud, a day that celebrates Cohn’s session is “In the Jewish learning, on Sunday, Valley of the Shadow.”

May 17.

“Psalm 23 is traditionally “While we cannot be torecited during times of grief, gether in person due to the fear, or emotional turmoil,” current health crisis, we must Cohn explains. “We will conJennifer Selco create opportunities to gather sider how the themes and imvirtually as a Jewish community,” says ages of the Psalm can offer comfort durJennifer Selco, the J’s director of Jewish ing these unsettling times.” life and learning.

Silverman will present “The Torah of Yom Limmud will take place from Grief.” Jewish tradition prescribes a de9 a.m.-2:45 p.m., with all sessions, pre- tailed set of mourning rituals to guide us sented via Zoom meetings, free of charge. after a death. She will discuss where these The event is a preparation for Shavuot, rituals come from, and how they are dethe holiday that celebrates the receiving signed to help us grieve. of the Torah, which begins on May 28.

Tumarkin will present “Music and “Just as the Jewish people stood togeth- Memories: A Virtual Campfire.” er at Sinai and each heard the words of ToHandlarski, the Toronto-based rabbi rah as they needed to hear them, we have of SecularSynagogue.com, originally an opportunity to learn and embrace these planned to visit Tucson to present a proancient messages that can add meaning to gram to the Secular Humanist Circle as our lives today,” says Selco. Rabbis and lay- well as at Yom Limmud. She will present people will present sessions.

“Flip the Script: Intermarriage and Joy.” Most sessions are geared toward Registration is required for all sessions. adults, but there will be a 30-minute con- The full schedule and links to register are cert at 11 a.m. for families with children at https://tucsonjcc.org/yom-limmud-aages 1 through 7 with musician Jason day-of-learning/. “Recognizing that there Mesches (www.jasonmeschesmusic.com) have been challenges with the Zoom platand a session later in the day for PJ Our form, we are taking precautions such as Way participants (ages 8.5 through 12). requiring registration and meeting passTeachers for the adult sessions include words so that Yom Limmud is a safe and Rabbis Robert Eisen, Helen Cohn, Avi enjoyable experience,” says Selco.

Alpert, Yehuda Ceitlin, Batsheva Appel, Yom Limmud is supported by the EliSamuel Cohon, and Denise Handlarski; nor and Yale Palchick Family FoundaGila Silverman, Ph.D.; and Paul Tumar- tion Fund held at the Jewish Community kin. Other presenters are being con- Foundation of Southern Arizona, the firmed.

Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, Eisen will present “If It Is ‘Down Here,’ and Marilyn Einstein and Steve Sim. How Do I Get ‘Up There’?” He will ex- For more information, contact Selco at plore the sometimes contradictory ideas jselco@tucsonjcc.org.

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May 1, 2020, ARIZONA JEWISH POST

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AJP file photo

Purim has always been one of Rabbi Robert Eisen’s favorite celebrations because of his focus on children and families, says Congregation Anshei Israel Immediate Past President Stephanie Roberts. Here, Cantorial Soloist Nichole Chorny (left), Eisen (center), and Education and Youth Director Rabbi Ruven Barkan read from the Megillah at CAI’s Purim Palooza Party, March 23, 2016.

RABBI continued from page 1

Eisen, says Stephanie Roberts, CAI’s immediate past president, who explains the rabbi insisted on a family-friendly event.

“He wouldn’t let us do a dinner dance.”

Roberts says CAI’s reputation as a welcoming, inclusive synagogue was enhanced by small but meaningful changes Eisen made. One example early on, she says, was a change in membership categories, from one previously described as “married couples” or “husbands and wives” to “couple and/or family.” For someone who is LGBTQ or an ally/advocate, “maybe it feels more inclusive,” she says.

“It’s typical of him in that it’s very subtle,” Roberts says. “It’s how he interacts with people. It doesn’t come across as a big to-do but it makes a difference to the people it needs to make a difference to.

“That’s kind of the genius of him,” she adds. “He’s really comfortable to have those things happen in the background.”

Indeed, the rabbi is so self-effacing he declined to be interviewed for this article, citing a schedule made unexpectedly busy by the coronavirus, and the demands of learning to do his job in a new way to accommodate social distancing. He had planned to take a long-deferred vacation in June, after celebrating Shavuot with the congregation, says Cantorial Soloist Nichole Chorny.

“Rabbi Eisen was actually my rabbi growing up. He did my bat mitzvah,” says Chorny, who has worked full time at CAI since 2014, but began working with the congregation in various part-time roles in 2006.

“His knowledge and care for the Anshei community have created a legacy of continued strength as a Conservative

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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, May 1, 2020

synagogue. He maintains the Jewish values of the Conservative movement, but he also really meets people where they are, with a warm embrace,” Chorny says.

“He has always been wonderful with children and families,” she says, adding that through his pastoral care, “he’s touched so many lives with compassion and caring. Now is such a difficult time for everyone that he’s there for people, in some ways in the same way that he’s always been there for people, but also in a new way” as the pandemic has created issues people never have dealt with before.

Eisen came to Anshei Israel in 1999, after 10 years as the spiritual leader of Temple Beth El near Buffalo, New York.

In retirement, he and his wife, Debby, will be moving to Scottsdale to be near their son.

Rabbi Emeritus Arthur Oleisky says his successor has been very devoted and will be greatly missed.

“He loves to teach Talmud, which is interesting — Talmud is not an easy thing to teach,” Oleisky says, noting that Eisen was a good teacher for a variety of adult education classes.

“He enjoyed going to the hospital to comfort patients,” he says, “and I know it meant a great deal to the patients.”

Oleisky also praised Eisen’s sonorous voice in leading services, something he could not boast, he says.

Eisen was only the third rabbi in Anshei Israel’s 90-year history, with Oleisky, who served for 29 years, following founding Rabbi Marcus Breger.

“That shows the strength of the community,” says Oleisky.

Eisen will be succeeded July 1 by Rabbi Sara Metz, and Roberts says she is sure Eisen will let the new rabbi guide the kind of relationship and interaction she has with him. “She needs to be able to come in and make her way,” says Roberts.

LOCAL UArizona students find strength in virtual community LAUREN BOOKBINDER AJP Intern

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or students, the University of Arizona experience has been turned upside down during this COVID-19 era. The university has switched to online classes and all in-person activities have been canceled or postponed until further notice. Many students have felt the impact of social distancing and have been struggling with school and everyday life.

“I think I’ve been handling [social distancing] pretty well.

What I have been doing is setting a new routine and making sure I do positive things in my day like catching up with friends and being as normal as possible,” says UArizona student Lisa Friedman. She makes sure that when Lisa Friedman she gets up in the morning she puts on fresh clothes, goes for a walk, and then does her schoolwork. She attends Zoom class meetings and has Zoom meetings with friends, so she does not feel completely isolated.

Friedman is a junior pursuing a bachelor of science degree in literacy, learning, and leadership at the UArizona College of Education. She is involved in the UA Hillel Foundation, Jewish Arizonans on Campus, and takes a heavy load of classes each semester. She moved home with her parents in Los Angeles after Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order on March 30 for everyone except essential workers to stay home to slow the spread of the coronavirus. To fill all the empty time in her schedule, she has been trying out new hobbies such as writing music.

Lauren Bander, a freshman in the Honors College majoring in global studies and political science, moved back in with her parents in Tempe. She has spent time redecorating her room to keep busy.

“I was very used to a schedule and having a lot of awfully speLauren Bander cific times and meetings with my classes and my job, and working with different clubs and organizations on campus. Now that has all been moved to online and there are fewer specific times for things, it is more doing things on my own time, which can be very difficult to keep a schedule,” Bander says. “I am also an extremely outgoing and socially motivated individual so having that intrinsic motivation instead of that social motivation is an adjustment.”

Bander was accustomed to living in the dorms with lots of people to talk to. She was involved in Hillel, CATPAC, and the freshman class council. Now she must find other ways to refuel as an extrovert.

“It is difficult for me because the Jewish community is really what drives me. Obviously, it is a difficult time, and everyone is struggling with their faith, but I am a big believer in the concept that this, too, is for the best,” Bander says. “I think we will all learn a lot from this experience.”

Bander says social distancing has provided opportunities to learn new things. She has been learning

embroidery and art. She also has reconnected with old friends through Facebook groups — and met some new people. She joined a Facebook group called “Zoom University Hillel” that connects Jewish students from universities across the U.S. So far, more than 14,000 people have joined, and Bander has connected with several new people she otherwise would not have met.

“I think people need to stay connected. Humans are social creatures and we really need to rely on each other. If we cannot do that in person than we need to find different ways to fulfill that need. We are lucky that if such an event were to happen it must happen in the digital age where we can have conversations over the phone or type out a message and post it online. Things like Facebook groups are keeping people’s morale up and are making the best of a difficult situation,” Bander says.

Zachary Schawelson is a freshman studying optical engineering with a minor in astronomy, who also has relocated to his parents’ house in Phoenix.

“Self-isolating for me has been a change from what I’m used to.

I’m sure it’s been a change for everyone. For me, I have my entire Zachary Schawelson family now at home, which is a blessing and it’s a curse,” he says. Schawelson hadn’t seen his sister since she left for college in the fall. Despite this happy addition, it has been hard to do schoolwork with a ton of distractions.

“It’s been fun but being productive while being unproductive,” Schawelson says. By that, he means that he has been meeting deadlines for his assignments and attending his Zoom classes, but he has been procrastinating a lot due to all the distractions at home with his family and Netflix shows that he has been bingewatching.

“I think the fact that we have to be adjusting to athome life has made it a lot harder. I feel like when I was at school we were finally getting to the scheme of things and things had a good flow,” he says. Schawelson misses being able to interact freely with his friends, walking around campus, and visiting Hillel.

Bander, Schawelson, and Friedman have leaned on the UA Hillel Foundation for support during this time.

Hillel has held Shabbat services via Facebook Live, and broadcast some events such as the annual Holocaust vigil so students could participate. Schawelson led Hillel’s April 17 virtual Shabbat service.

Berkley Selvin, a junior studying political science with an emphasis in law and public policy, is president of UArizona Hillel. She also has moved back in with her parents in the Phoenix area. Selvin says Hillel has been reaching out to students via the internet to help keep the Jewish Berkley Selvin community strong. In addition to weekly Shabbat services online, Hillel has been hosting Zoom hangouts for students. Hillel’s goal, she says, is to make sure Jewish students do not feel alone now when isolation can be so detrimental to one’s mental

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May 1, 2020, ARIZONA JEWISH POST

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COMMENTARY Since when did elderly people such as me become disposable?

PAUL SOCKEN JTA TORONTO

Photo: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)

T

he coronavirus pandemic of 2020 is shaking the world in disturbing ways.

As someone who is no longer young, I find one aspect of the crisis to be particularly unnerving: the attitude toward the elderly.

The media is filled with stories about the problem represented by the elderly.

What will happen if there aren’t enough respirators for everyone? Should the elderly, who have lived their lives long enough, have the same right to medical care as young people who have their whole lives ahead of them?

There are cold, calculating cost-benefit analyses associated with this grim reaper scenario. One columnist came down on the side of “saving Grandma” only after weighing the pros and cons as if it were an accounting problem. Others have said that the elderly should sacrifice themselves for the good of the country.

But this is not the Jewish attitude.

Psalm 92 proclaims that “in old age [the

An elderly man leaves a metro station in Rome during a test scenario amid the coronavirus pandemic, April 27, 2020.

righteous] still produce fruit, they are full of sap and freshness.” In his Mishneh Torah, the great philosopher and doctor Maimonides states that “even a young scholar should rise before an old man distinguished in age.” In Guide for the Perplexed, he writes that “with the ancient is wisdom.”

I always thought that the psalmist’s plea “Do not cast me off in old age; when

my strength fails, do not forsake me” was addressed to God. Now I understand that it is an appeal to our fellow men and women as well not to abandon the elderly when their “use” is no longer manifest.

It is heartbreaking to see so many deaths due to the virus and the personal stories associated with those losses. In many countries, a large proportion of the dead are in nursing homes where the

elderly are warehoused with inadequate staffing and medical care. In Canada, otherwise a deeply caring society, over half the deaths have been in nursing homes where revelations of what goes on behind the doors of those institutions have shocked the nation. We can and we must do better than this for the elderly and for everyone.

When this crisis is finally over, and a semblance of normalcy resumes, we will need to answer many questions about the economy, health care, the appropriate political response to an extreme emergency and the nature of our global world.

But no less important is the question of the very nature of our society and its values. What lack within us gave rise to the discussion of the disposability of the elderly? This crisis has exposed a materialistic calculus, a coarsening of society’s discourse since the dismissal of the religious sensibility that built our system of values and ethics over millennia of civilization.

If we have, indeed, entered a postChristian, post-religious society, a trauma such as the current one reveals its consequences. I would argue that we have See Elderly, page 9

Pandemic exposes U.S. food insecurity crisis nonprofits alone cannot fix LIZ KANTER GROSKIND Special to the AJP

A

s Jews, we are commanded to be just, to aid and care for those most vulnerable among us. The word “tzedakah” itself translates to “justice,” not simply “charity,” as many be-

lieve. This is a value Jews have internalized and acted upon over the centuries.

Social justice is not merely a concept but work that we must do to repair our imperfect world.

Right now, people across America are waiting in lines thousands of cars deep to get food from food banks, farmers are

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dumping unsellable produce and dairy products, and national leaders are unable or unwilling to provide the leadership to do what is necessary to get our country through this unprecedented situation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has spawned a number of crises, each of which requires bold actions by our government. Each day, more people around the country are facing “food insecurity,” which means they do not know where they will get food for their next meal, or for their family’s next meal. Charities cannot fix this growing problem alone, nor should they be relied upon to do so. Food banks and pantries simply do not have the capacity or infrastructure to meet the growing need.

As the national board chair of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, I am keenly aware that only our federal government has the resources needed to address the growing hunger crisis in the wake of COVID-19. Congress and federal officials must act immediately to improve the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to promote the health, safety, wellbeing, and dignity of all. Arizona’s congressional delegation must immediately prioritize boosting SNAP, which is the cornerstone of our country’s nutrition safety net. SNAP is one of

the most effective federal assistance programs, but the current benefit level is insufficient to fully meet the growing needs resulting from the pandemic. Our leaders must ensure that the next COVID-19 Response bill provides the following improvements: • Increase the maximum SNAP benefit by 15%; • Raise the minimum SNAP benefit from $16 per month to $30 per month to ensure that low-income seniors and others who receive it can afford put food on the table; • Enable and implement SNAP online shopping so nobody is forced to take the unnecessary risk of leaving their home just to buy food; • Suspend the misguided and harmful SNAP regulatory changes that the current administration has proposed; • Remove an unintended barrier that prevents struggling military families — including some right here in our backyard at Davis Monthan Air Force Base and the U.S. Army Fort Huachuca — from qualifying for SNAP. Strengthening SNAP will not only help millions of Americans who are struggling to put food on the table — it will also stimulate the economy and contribute to See Food, page 9

LOCAL Tucsonan Zucker brings business savvy to new White Mountains venture DEBE CAMPBELL AJP Assistant Editor

Photos: Debe Campbell/AJP

I

magine you are planning to open a wine bar in Arizona on April 1 and the day before, the government shut down all of the state’s bars and restaurants, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It sounds like a really bad April Fool’s Day joke. But it was no joke for Tucson native Jay Zucker and his wife, Debra. They literally were ready to open the doors on Wine Mountains, the first wine bar and tasting room in downtown Pinetop, the White Mountains resort community, 180 miles northeast of Tucson.

Zucker usually has pretty good business luck. A 1975 graduate of the University of Arizona’s broadcasting program, he owned Tucson’s landmark Maverick Country Night Club on Tanque Verde Road for 13 years, through 2019. He owned the Tucson Sidewinders triple-A minor league baseball team from 1999 to 2001, and made his fortune in the desert’s Spanish-language television business with Telemundo.

The Zuckers had all their ducks in a row for this new business, even though it wasn’t in their plans when they retired to the White Mountains two years ago. “We were just going to enjoy life in Pinetop,” says Zucker. “If there’s one thing owning the Maverick taught us it’s that if we were going to be in this industry, it would need to be a boutique operation with small volume, something we could manage as a couple.” The wine-loving pair began looking at Wine Mountains as a hobby business.

They took their planning seriously and did the right market research. They found the perfect location on White Mountain Boulevard, the main drag through town, in a high-end business area near three popular historic landmarks — Charlie Clark’s Steakhouse, Eddie Basha’s Country Store, and the Lion’s Den bar and restaurant.

“Once I walked in there ... I just knew if it came together, if the owner would lease us this vacant space, this is the spot for a wine tasting and wine bar,” Zucker says.

As it started coming together in December, they refitted the 1,600-square-foot location, customizing high-top wine barrel tables and décor bathed in mood-setting lighting for a true wine cellar feel. Rolling doors expand the interior to the outside during fine weather, with a spacious patio and seating, overseen by the house greeter, a fluffy Husky named Luna.

The Zuckers researched the mountain community’s favorite wines and compiled a list of the top dozen for the wine bar, including Kendall-Jackson chardonnay and Frances Ford Coppola claret. Light and local brews will be on tap along with popular import and domestic

Former Tucsonans Debra and Jay Zucker were set to open their new Wine Mountains Wine Bar and Tasting Room in downtown Pinetop, Arizona, just as restaurants and bars were closed by the state government due to the coronavirus pandemic.

beers by the bottle.

In the tasting room, and during the take-out-only period, Wine Mountains offers three flights of four wines — two reds and two whites: a California tour focusing on the best California wines, an exclusive sampling of Arizona-made wines, and West Coast reserves that Zucker describes as the very best of domestic wines.

Current to-go orders feature four bottles of wine, two signature wine glasses, 10 plastic wine glasses, tasting notes, and a signature house split bottle, nicely packaged into a sterilized container for easy takeaway or delivery The Zuckers worked with Arizona vintners to perfect a weekly rotating range of the state’s best wines for the Arizona Exclusive tour. This weekend, Flying Leap Vineyard is featured. The Southern Arizona winery blends grapes from Elgin and Wilcox for its vintages, which Jay calls excellent. When the tasting room is fully open, the featured winemaker will be on hand for the weekend to talk about the vintages and to sign bottles.

When the bar and tasting room are open, light bites will be available along with the 24 wines and multiple beers. A unique concierge wine cellar houses wines on request. “If you’re coming up for the weekend, call ahead and ask for your favorite,” Zucker explains. The bottle(s) will be waiting in the concierge cellar.

Zucker remains the managing partner with Security Services, an alarm monitoring station with 13 employees in Tucson, and Broadcast Intelligence, his overarching media consultancy since 1987, which now is the corporate umbrella organization for the couple’s businesses.

The Zuckers continue bouncing between the mountains and Tucson, where his parents, daughters, and grandchildren live. “We still have many friends in the Jewish community. Although we haven’t really been involved to a major extent, we’ve always been supportive,” he says.

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Jay Zucker is ready to serve guests in the new wine tasting room.

The White Mountains have numerous Jewish summer homeowners/residents from Tucson and Phoenix and a few that reside year-round, but there is not a defined community, says Zucker. “It’s like the part-time Jews that come out for the High Holidays, but here there is no place to come out to! Since that’s a time for family, you go back to Tucson and assimilate to the community in a larger center.”

The White Mountains resort area normally has a very busy May to October visitor season and a quieter winter, bolstered by snow skiing on the slopes just 30 minutes away. When times allow for Wine Mountain’s opening, the proprietors plan on seasonal hours that will be adjusted based on customer demand. “We will definitely be open on Saturdays,” says Zucker.

If you’re wondering what wine pairs well with social distancing, check out Wine Mountains’ Facebook page.

For more information on Wine Mountains, go to www. winemountains.com or contact the Zuckers at (928) 4141188 or visit them at 1746 E. White Mountain Blvd. on your next trip to Pinetop.

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May 1, 2020, ARIZONA JEWISH POST

7

LOCAL Synagogues offer plethora of online worship, study, connection opportunities

T

he state of Arizona has suspended all in-person worship services, classes, and other programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with many local synagogues halting live events in advance of the governor’s March 30 stay-at-home order. Local congregations have migrated programs to digital spaces, including Shabbat services for non-Orthodox congregations. Many also have created new virtual programs to help congregants feel connected and to reach out to the wider community.

Some of these online offerings are detailed below.

This is not a comprehensive list; we encourage readers to visit synagogue websites (see the Area Congregations listing on page 17) to discover additional programs.

Temple Emanu-El presents TETucson CommuniTea, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3-4 p.m. Join Rabbi Batsheva Appel and Cantorial Soloist Marjorie Hochberg via Zoom for a virtual afternoon tea party, a forum to schmooze, connect and converse, pray, and sing. Registration is required; email dlopez@tetucson.org.

Temple Emanu-El also hosts virtual gatherings Fridays at 5:30 p.m. (formerly known as a pre-oneg), before the 6 p.m. Shabbat services. Services also are held Saturdays at 10 a.m. Registration for Friday and/or Saturday services is requested by Friday at 3 p.m. Register for the Friday evening gathering and service at www.tetucson.org/event/ shabbat-gathering-and-service, and Saturday morning at www.tetucson.org/event/zoom-only-shabbat-morningservice.html. Services also can be viewed live on the Temple Emanu-El Facebook page. Temple Emanu-El also has lay-led Torah study sessions most Saturday mornings starting at 8:30 a.m. via Zoom. Contact kilianmetcalf@ gmail.com or dlopez@tetucson.org to register.

For men, Congregation Chofetz Chayim’s Southwest Torah Institute offers Power Talmud at Sunset

STUDENTS continued from page 5

health.

“I think it’s more important now than ever to be involved because ultimately us sticking together and being able to cope with this whole thing is going to get us through it,” Selvin says.

She has enjoyed having time with her family, but like the others, she misses campus and longs for everything to go back to normal.

All four students say they have struggled with staying focused when classes and campus-related activities

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on Zoom, Sunday-Thursday, 6:45 p.m.-7:30 p.m., and Men’s Daily Mishna Plus, prerecorded audio sent by email daily except Saturday. Registration is required for either program; contact Rabbi Israel Becker at 591-5292 or yzbecker@me.com.

Becker holds his Biblical Breakthroughs class for men and women via Zoom, Fridays at noon. “Each week, participants together plunge into the sacred texts leading to challenging questions and healthy debate. In our pursuit of truth, our thoughts crystallize and we emerge with ‘breakthrough’ lessons that reshape our values, enhance our character and bring refreshing new meaning to our lives,” Becker explains. No registration is required; follow the link on www.tucsontorah.org. In addition, for years the rabbi has been sending his email list short weekly “Torah Energizer” videos. The current weeks’ video and an archive of past videos are available by following the “Energizer” link at www.tucsontorah.org.

Congregation Anshei Israel presents a number of events on Facebook Live (no account needed — go to www.facebook.com/congregationansheiisrael. Join Rabbi Robert Eisen and Cantorial Soloist Nichole Chorny for Mincha Moment, Mondays-Thursdays at 5:30 p.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, Fridays at 5:45 p.m.; and Havdallah, Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.

Anshei Israel will hold a Tot Shabbat May 1 at 5 p.m. via Zoom; see www.caiaz.org/resources for Tot Shabbat materials. Torah Study with Eisen is held Wednesdays at 11 a.m. via Zoom (bring your Bible).

The next monthly Women’s League Torah Study will be Monday, May 4, at noon via Zoom. “A Casual Conversation” is set for Sunday, May 3, at 7 p.m. via Zoom.

And a Shavuot Yizkor service via Zoom will be Saturday, May 30 at 8 p.m.

Join Chorny for “Challah and Schmooze” on Thurs-

day mornings at 10:30 a.m., starting May 7. Get your baking supplies ready or just show up for relaxed conversation and a quick check-in. Join on Zoom to be part of the conversation or tune in on the CAI Facebook page to simply watch. Visit www.caiaz.org for links and more information on all programs.

Chabad Oro Valley has started a Women’s Circle Social Hour via Zoom on Tuesdays at 12:30 p.m. Each week there will be a specific topic; May 5 will be how to stay active and fit at home, and May 12 will feature “Let’s Bake! Scones with Maple Glaze.” To join, visit www. jewishorovalley.com/onlineclasses or contact Mushkie Zimmerman at mushkie@jewishorovalleycom for more information.

Congregation Beit Simcha is holding Shabbat services on Facebook Live. See the Beit Simcha Tucson Facebook page for more information.

Congregation Bet Shalom holds classes and daily virtual prayer gatherings via Zoom. A weekly password is provided by email; see www.cbsaz.org.

Beth Shalom Temple Center (Green Valley) is holding Zoom discussions and posting YouTube videos of services. For more information, email mfinkel2@cox. net and visit www.bstc.us.

Congregation Chaverim is holding Zoom Shabbat services. For information, contact admin@chaverim.net.

Congregation M’kor Hayim is holding Torah Study and adult education via Zoom. For information, email congregationmkorhayim@gmail.com, Congregation Or Chadash is holding Shabbat services on Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/octucson/ live), Fridays at 6:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 10 a.m.

The COC prayer book is available on the website, www.orchadash-tucson.org, with tips for following along with online services.

Students have leaned on the UA Hillel Foundation for support during this time.

Hillel has held Shabbat services via Facebook Live, and broadcast some events such as the annual Holocaust vigil so students could participate.

Bander says she has been signing up for classes next semester that are more suited to the virtual environment, in case classes remain online. Schawelson says that he is taking labs that are difficult to do online. However, if classes are online next semester, he will attend because he wants to delve more into his major, and the classes he would be taking in the fall would allow him to do so.

“I think this is going to impact me in the future,” Friedman says. “I will think more clearly about how important community is; I think that is something I take for granted. After this, I am sure once we are all together again and I can hang out with my friends at Hillel and lead services. I am going to take that and be very grateful for it.”

are online. Friedman says Zoom meetings are good for the circumstances but there can be issues during class due to Wi-Fi shortages or other computer problems.

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR Knitting teaches good lessons for pandemic Recently I’ve been reading articles by clergy, including several rabbis, that reassure us of life beyond coronavirus.

One way practically anybody can reinforce this hope in tomorrow is to work on a long-term craft project today. Great talent is not a requirement — I have been an intermediate knitter for years and am presently knitting a shawl to wear next winter.

Knitting has many lessons to teach us during this period of social isolation.

Most knitting projects take time. Like Rome, they will not be completed in a day.

Trying to beat the clock usually results in my resorting to the old knitting adage: first you knit and then you rip. In like manner,

our country will not recover from this physical, financial, and emotional crisis in a heartbeat. Time will be our best ally.

Sometimes a knitting project turns out different from how I imagined it and will have to be modified to fit me. Dr. Anthony Fauci frequently reminds us that in this war against the virus, we are dealing with many unknowns. If one mode of attack doesn’t work, it will have to be re-calibrated or scrapped for another.

But the most important lesson I’ve absorbed from knitting this shawl for the upcoming year is that however it unfolds, there will be a next year. And that belief is enough to sustain me.

— Barbara Russek

ELDERLY

abandon their more sophisticated search for truth and meaning in life.

What will it profit us to reestablish our economy, restructure our health care, and solve our global problems if we ignore the human issues that underpin it all? What is the purpose of life if we fail to see the humanity in everyone around us?

continued from page 6

seen the underbelly of a society that has forgotten its roots, no longer has a strong set of values and does not understand the importance of honoring all life. If ever there was a time to rethink the journey we have taken as a society and recalculate our direction, it is now.

What an irony it would be if we learned to preserve physical life infinitely better than previous generations only to

FOOD continued from page 6

a faster national recovery.

People are hurting right now. There will be even more suffering from food insecurity in the weeks and months to come.

The inequalities laid bare by this pandemic must be acknowledged and addressed immediately. Our legislators must work to alleviate them with these suggested changes to our existing system. This is the work of

CONGRATULATE YOUR GRADUATE! Honor your grad with an ad in the May 29 edition of the Arizona Jewish Post.

Includes graduate’s photo, name, high school or college/university.

For college/university students, you may include graduate’s major and any honors, such as summa cum laude.

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The cost is $54. For questions and payment arrangements, leave a message for Executive Editor Phyllis Braun at 647-8480.

Paul Socken is a distinguished professor emeritus and founder of Jewish studies at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.

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.

the federal government.

It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it. —Pirke Avot 2:21 Please join in this urgent effort at www.mazon.org/take-action/covid — together we will get through this.

Liz Kanter Groskind lives in Tucson. She is the national board chair of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger.

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.

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LOCAL JFSA and JCF pandemic relief continues community focus via Free Loan, TIHAN

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esponding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona together with local families created a pandemic relief fund to provide resources to help the community during these challenging times. To date, more than $300,000 has been raised for pandemic relief efforts.

The fund’s first disbursements were $20,000 each to Jewish Family & Children’s Services, for its Jewish Emergency Relief Fund and Jewish Elder Access program, and Interfaith Community Services, whose services to the greater Tucson community include two food banks currently operating on a drive-through basis, senior services, and an emergency relief fund.

The fund enabled JFCS to use HandiCar for its Mitzvah Magic and Matza & More deliveries to Jewish families in need.

Last week, the Jewish Community Pandemic Relief Fund awarded a $2,075 grant to Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network. The grant to TIHAN will enable more than 50 households with members who have pre-existing medical conditions and are at high-risk of contracting COVID-19 to engage in lifesaving telemedicine Also last week, the board of the Free Loan designated $20,000 for interest-free loans to people directly affected by COVID-19. Those in need can apply for up to $750 without a guarantor or up to $5,000 with guarantors. For more information, contact yana@thefreeloan.org.

On April 20, 49 community stakeholders attended a Zoom panel discussion

hosted by JFSA and JCF, “Philanthropic Leadership in Times of Crisis: Preparing Ourselves and the Nonprofit Community for What’s to Come.” Graham Hoffman, JCF president and CEO and JFSA president and CEO-elect, moderated the discussion with panelists Helaine Levy, John C. Amoroso, and Jody Maizlish Gross.

Levy is the executive director of the Diamond Family Philanthropies and a principal of Diamond Ventures, a privately held company specializing in real estate and private equity investment.

She currently serves on the JFSA board of directors. Levy co-founded two nonprofits, Nonprofit Loan Fund of Tucson (now Growth Partners Arizona) and Social Venture Partners Greater Tucson.

Amoroso is the executive director of The David and Lura Lovell Foundation, which focuses on mental health, integrative health and wellness, youth access to the arts, and gender parity. Amoroso has a Master of Nonprofit Management degree from Regis University and currently serves as chair of the board of directors of the Arizona Grantmakers Forum. Gross is the director of the Maizlish Family Foundation, established by her parents, Irvin and Phyllis Maizlish. She divides her time between Tucson and Park City, Utah. She has served on the national board of Jewish Federations of North America and as vice chair of the Park City Community Foundation.

For more information about community resources, including opportunities to volunteer, visit www.jfsa.org/pandemic.

To donate, go to www.jfsa.org/ pandemicrelief.

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Money Matters, May 15 Home & Garden, May 29 Beat the Heat, June 2 Shop Local, June 26 Senior Lifestyle, July 10 To advertise with us, contact Bertí 520-647-8461 berti@azjewishpost.com

TAKE-OUT EDITION

DEBE CAMPBELL AJP Assistant Editor

O

ur Tucson restaurant partners are operating during the mandatory restaurant shut-down, keeping hungry folks fed. We encourage readers to patronize local restaurants to keep businesses afloat and staff employed during this difficult time. Here’s a sampling of innovative and tasty options and specials that are available for takeout and delivery orders. ...

Agustin Kitchen is open daily for takeout and delivery. Order online and save 20% on takeout and curbside orders with coupon code AK20 at www. agustinkitchen.com/order/online or call 398-5382. For a limited time, for each $100 gift card purchase, receive a free $20 gift card, which has no expiry date.

Special takeout is available at the walk-up window or by phone. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

BOGO happy hours, 2-4 p.m., offer

two-for-one handheld sandwiches. Sunday brunch specials, with cocktails and bottled wines, are available to go. Try the $30 takeout menu for two, with starters and choice of entrees. There are even grocery items to go, such as eggs, milk, pasta, cheese, and deli meats. Purchase batch cocktails or newly-launched adult “juice boxes” cocktails and lemonade drinks in a bag with a straw. Watch for new menus and promotions on the Agustin Kitchen Facebook Page. Delivery partners are Grubhub, Uber Eats, Yelp Food, and DoorDash. ...

Blue Ice Gelato takes orders by phone for pick up at the front door (447-5672) or orders through Grubhub for gelato or sorbet deliveries, 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Blue Ice is the only gelato establishment in Arizona certified by the state to pasteurize its gelato and sorbetto. “Stock up on treats in these difficult times by purchasing by the pint or quart,” says Rebecca Mann, “and get 20% off the second, same size

Photo: SHutterstock

Local restaurateurs meet their customers at the door with takeout, delivery

purchase.” Find their daily flavors on the Blue Ice Gelato Facebook page where you can take a screenshot of the menu flavors and check off the ones you’ve tried.

Can you get BINGO? Post your bingo card on the Facebook page. Mann says a lot of loyal customers have reached out

to be helpful. She expects the approaching warm weather will help business pick up further. See www.blueicegelato.com/ gelato-flavors. ...

BrushFire BBQ Co. works with DoorDash, Postmates, and Grubhub for deliveries from its two locations — central at Campbell Avenue and Glenn Street and Eastside at Kolb Road and 22nd Street.

The full menu of slow-smoked meats (brisket, chicken, pork, salmon, turkey) by the meal or by the pound, fresh-baked bread, six scratch sauces, and 13 side dishes is available 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Takeout orders, including beer, can be picked up inside the restaurant or patrons can call upon arrival for curbside delivery. Catering services for more than 10 are available, as are Family Feast orders that will feed four to six hungry barbecue lovers, says Peter Wagle, BrushFire owner. The central location accepts CATCash and all Brushfire BBQ coupons are accepted at See Restaurateurs, page 12

May 1, 2020, ARIZONA JEWISH POST

11

TAKE-OUT EDITION

RESTAURATEURS continued from page 11

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...

BZ’s Pizza and Italian Kitchen offers walk-up, call in, takeout, and free staff delivery from Catalina Village Shopping Center, 7856 E. Wrightstown Road, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.

First responders, military, and social workers receive 10% off all orders. Coowner Mike Sorell hopes the restaurant will be fully open for Mother’s Day, May 10, and is planning specials that will be introduced on the BZ’s Pizza Company Facebook page or call 546-1402.

Looking toward the future, “there is no reason to put yourself in a packed dining room, and you’ve learned over the past few weeks that your favorite places do takeout really well,” Sorell says. “Patios and open-air dining situations will be the best. We have a really nice patio, as do many of our contemporaries in town.” ...

Claire’s Café in Catalina is open daily except for Monday, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., for takeout, home delivery by staff, to go, and curbside orders. Claire Johnson, the co-owner, says almost everything on the enormous menu is available. She pledges to fulfill whatever customers ask for, within reason. Find the menu at www. clairescafe.net or call 825-2525. Look for Friday and Sunday specials. Caring for the community, the café prepares and feeds the homeless in collaboration with an Oro Valley church. ...

Eclectic Café is open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. weekdays, and 8 a.m.-8 p.m. weekends.

Weekends continue to be busy, says Jason McCarty, general manager. “We have a lot of loyal customers who are generous in tipping the staff.” He encourages delivery orders through Grubhub DoorDash.

Make gift card purchases or order online at www.eclecticcafetuson.com. Use the code “online20” for a 20% discount on the full menu.

The café is testing all staff temperatures each shift, sanitizing computer tablets before and after use and “just trying to keep staff and guests healthy,” McCarty says. “We encourage people to stay home when they can and when they are hungry, support their favorite restaurants.” ...

Fronimo’s Greek Café continues to prepare takeout orders for curbside pickup or delivery through DoorDash. A new selection of four set menus makes it easy

to feed a family of four for $44, says the café’s front of the house manager, Sarah Steele. “As an added bonus, we are now able to sell your favorite beers and wines to go,” says George Fronimakis, proprietor with his wife, Tracy. All bottles of wine are $5 off and all beer is $1 off, with many that cannot be found in local stores. The full menu of home-style Greek cuisine is available 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily with all menu items made in-house from the freshest ingredients. ...

Gourmet Girls Gluten Free Bakery Bistro takes its responsibility to the gluten-free community seriously, says co-owner Susan Fulton. The full-service bakery is operational, along with most regular menu items to go curbside and for delivery by staff or DoorDash. Options for a family of four include fish and chips and chicken Alfredo calzones.

Mother’s Day specials will include signature blueberry bourbon cupcakes and whole quiche for takeout. “We appreciate the continued support and patronage of our customers. It is particularly important to avoid gluten contamination at this difficult time, doubling the importance for those with allergens that we cater to,” Fulton says. Find the menu on Facebook at Gourmet Girls Gluten Free Bakery Bistro or call 408-9000, open 8 a.m.-2 p.m. daily. ...

Greek House Authentic Greek Fast Food is open for takeout with contactfree curbside pick up for 10% discount, and delivery with GrubHub, Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Postmates. All medical and emergency personnel receive 20% off by showing a badge. Family meal plan information is available on the Greek House Facebook page. Open MondayThursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays until 9 p.m. ...

Saffron Indian Bistro offers takeout, in-house delivery, or orders through ChowNow on its website, www.tucson indianrestaurant.com, and in partnership with Uber Eats, Postmates, Grub Hub, and DoorDash. The full menu is available, including beer, wine, and cocktails with free mango pudding and reusable carryout bags with each order. Bottles of wine are half off and a 10% discount is available upon request. 742-9100. ...

Tucson restaurateurs ask residents to order takeout at least once a week to help sustain business, employees, and the local economy during this unprecedented time. Bon appetite.

Life at home is a little sweeter with TAKE-OUT EDITION

FRONIMO’S GREEK CAFÉ GEORGE and TRACY FRONIMAKIS, co-owners George was born in Crete, Greece. In 1974 he immigrated to America and settled in Salt Lake City, Utah.

There he managed and then owned three American restaurants. He also met his future wife, Tracy, who was raised in Salt Lake City and trained as a cook in the army. They married in George’s village and eventually returned to Crete to live for four years. There, Tracy was also trained in the villages to cook the delicious foods of Greece.

CLAIRE’S CAFÉ CLAIRE JOHNSON, co-owner Claire Johnson, an Illinois native born into a family of creative cooks, began her culinary career as a produce buyer and founded an organic food co-op on Chicago’s north side. She relocated to Arizona in 1980 and became the head chef at the Blue Willow, followed by cooking stints at Oro Valley Country Club, Loews Ventana, and C.B. Rye. In 1986, Claire bought Dyna Café and transformed it into the present-day Claire’s Café and Art Gallery.

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MARY STEIGER and SUSAN FULTON, chef/owners Mary Steiger started cooking as a child and by the time she was 7, knew she wanted to be a baker when she grew up. Susan Fulton came from a family with a passion for food and always fantasized about owning a restaurant. The two traveled different roads until their paths met some years ago in Tucson, where they discovered a mutual desire to promote wellness through food choices. The dedicated, gluten-free bakery/bistro is the result of their collaboration.

AGUSTIN KITCHEN KATIE NABOURS, event coordinator Katie Nabours joined Agustín Kitchen in October 2019. Previously she was restaurant supervisor at the Westin La Paloma Resort and the La Paloma Country Club in Tucson. Agustin Kitchen’s event spaces include a private dining room called the Cabinet Room, a courtyard, and a rooftop patio. A native Tucsonan, Katie graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2018 with dual degrees in international hospitality management and Spanish. Her passion for the hospitality industry began with a love of food, wine, and travel, and her goal is to create a memorable event experience for every guest.

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TAKE-OUT EDITION

BLUE ICE GELATO RONALD and REBECCA MANN, owners Ronald Mann, M.D., of Catalina Dermatology, and his wife, Rebecca, opened Blue Ice Gelato in 2017. Growing up on the East Coast they had both loved Italian ices. While learning the technique to make ices, they were introduced to the production of gelato and sorbet and decided to focus on these ice cream alternatives. Blue Ice offers a wide range of flavors, from gelato classics such as chocolate and pistachio to exotic combinations such as fig mascarpone with pecans and vegan coconut sweet potato. Sorbets include strawberry, pineapple, and hisbiscus lemon. Blue Ice is Tucson’s only gelato shop licensed by the Arizona Department of Agriculture to pasteurize on site.

BZ’s Pizza and Italian Kitchen CARL SORELL, MIKE SORELL, and chef BRIAN SORELL, co-owners

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Brian Sorell (BZ) has been a chef for more than 20 years, with more than 12 years as chef and co-owner, with his father, Carl, and brother, Mike, of BZ’s Pizza and Italian Kitchen. Growing up with parents in the military, Brian was able to sample many different types of food from around the world. He attended Scottsdale Culinary Institute and started his career working at hotels and resorts across the country, including, in Tucson, at the Westin La Paloma Resort and Spa’s Desert Garden Bistro and the Westward Look’s Gold Room.

BRUSHFIRE BBQ AND CREAMERY PETER WAGLE, owner BrushFire BBQ and Creamery is owned and operated by Tucson native Peter Wagle. Peter began his restaurant career working at local restaurant mainstays such as Cliff Manor Inn, Solarium Restaurant, Tucson Country Club, Katherine and Company, and Old Pueblo Club. He was food and beverage manager for the Ramada downtown before extending his career three years on the East Coast, then to California with Carlos Murphy’s for five years, followed by 19 years with Landry’s Inc, the last nine as regional vice president overseeing the Chart House concept. Wagle returned to Tucson in 2016.

ECLECTIC CAFÉ CHEF FRANCISCO ‘KIKO’ CERVANTES, REGINA and JASON MCCARTY, and MARK SMITH, co-owners

Born and raised in Tucson, Mark Smith is a Catalina High School graduate. He started working in restaurants as a teenager and took that training to open the Eclectic Café in October 1980 when he was 24. Smith brings a variety of flavors to Eclectic Café’s menu to satisfy the whole family. He says the secret to the restaurant business is fresh ingredients, consistency, and fast, friendly service. His goal is to make every guest feel special when they walk through the doors.

Smith has enjoyed seeing the generations of families come through the café doors and watching the staff go from high school graduates to college graduates to professionals in the work force. Chef Francisco “Kiko” Cervantes has been with Eclectic Café for 26 years. In 2015 Jason and Regina McCarty joined as partners.

14

ARIZONA JEWISH POST, May 1, 2020

TAKE-OUT EDITION

GREEK HOUSE JOHN KATERELOS, chef/owner John Katerelos opened Greek House in June 2013 to share his passion for Greek cuisine with the Tucson community. He was raised in the restaurant industry and learned to cook from his parents, who have owned Tucson’s Dolce Vita Italian Bistro for many years. Greek House offers traditional Greek dishes and some with a modern twist, all made from the freshest ingredients. It is a joy, Katerelos says, to see customers who have been dining at Greek House since its opening return again and again.

SAFFRON INDIAN BISTRO SAURABH (MINTU) SAREEN, owner Saurabh (Mintu) Sareen came to this country in 2001 to visit his cousin and ended up staying and working in the restaurant she and her husband owned, Cuisine of India. After four years, he saw a need for a casual Indian fast food restaurant near the university. He opened Kababeque in 2004 on University Boulevard.

Seeing that the higher end needs of Indian dining were not being met, he opened Saffron in 2008, with a modern, contemporary setting but still serving traditional Indian cuisine. He is very happy to be living in the USA, the “Land of Opportunity.” He has experienced great success and Saffron is celebrating its 12th anniversary this month.

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15

Mother’s Day

History of Mother’s Day in Israel almost as old, complex as the Jewish state RACHEL NEIMAN Israel21c

N

othing in Israel is simple. Even a secular holiday like Mother’s Day is seeded with conflict, starting with the fact that there used to be two Mother’s Days celebrated in Israel: one in Haifa and one in the rest of the country.

Although in the 1990s the day’s purview was expanded to “Family Day” in recognition of social and cultural changes in Israel, there are sectors within the educational system that still opt for the traditional “Mother’s Day.” Even the date — the 30th of Shevat — was disputed and had to be changed.

The first Mother’s Day celebration in Israel was initiated by the Ezra society, a women’s health organization headed by Sarah Herzog, mother of President Chaim Herzog, and Mariana (Miriam) Hoofien, wife of the general manager of the AngloPalestine Bank (later renamed Bank Leumi). Their Mother’s Day was celebrated April 6, 1947 in Jerusalem; Ha’aretz reported that the holiday’s spirit was “similar to [such] days in other countries.”

In 1951, Haifa, the Worker’s City, established its own version of Mother’s Day, initiated by Hannah Hushi, wife of

the city’s legendary mayor, to suggest a date. ElevenAbba Hushi. The mayor year-old Nehama Frankel proposed to the city council suggested a date to honor that on Mother’s Day, “boys the memory of Henrietta and men will participate in Szold, founder of Hadashousehold chores and will sah. Szold had run Youth present gifts to the mothAliyah, an organization ers … a public park with be that rescued 30,000 Jewish inaugurated on Mount Carchildren from Nazi Europe. mel, to be called Gan HaEm For several years, two (Mother’s Garden). MothMother’s Days were celeers will plant trees on that brated in Israel: one in HaiHenrietta Szold day, and parties and balls fa during Hanukkah and will be held throughout the city.” the other in February on the anniversary The park Hushi had in mind had of Szold’s death. already been planted in 1913 and was In the 1990s, Mother’s Day was reconappropriated by the British during the figured as “Family Day.” As a 2011 ChanMandate Period. It was later taken over nel 2 News report put it, “In recent years, by the Haifa municipality. there has been a serious attempt to deal Hushi further proposed that the date with the variety of configurations of the of Haifa Mother’s Day be linked to Mac- nuclear family and all combinations are cabean matriarch Hannah and for many welcomed with love: children with two years, the city celebrated Mother’s Day mothers, or two fathers, or single-parent during Hanukkah. Other cities that ad- families — all are part of the celebration, opted the holiday decided to couple the so as not to repeat the errors of the past.” celebration with tree-planting on Tu According to a 2006 Ministry of EduB’Shevat. cation document outlining preschool Toward the end of 1951, the newly activities for the day, “The division of launched children’s newspaper Ha’aretz roles in the family has changed and has Shelanu declared its own Mother’s Day become more egalitarian. Mothers are a initiative, and asked its young readers significant economic factor in the family,

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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, May 1, 2020

and fathers share the relationship with the children from the stage of pregnancy and take a large part in their education and growth. These changes led to a change in the essence of the special day and its transformation from Mother’s Day to Family Day.” Today’s Family Day customs are fairly similar to those of its predecessor: children prepare cards and gifts for parents and siblings. The holiday is considered more of an educational tool than an actual celebration, although in recent years, some enterprises — flower delivery services, ice cream parlors and the like — have tried commercial tie-ins.

As for Haifa’s Gan HaEm — the park that Abba Hushi named — it was expanded to its current size of 100 acres, today serving as a gathering place for families of every kind, and hosting events ranging from the International Film Festival to the Haifa Pride Parade.

A longer version of this article originally appeared on www.israel21c.org.

Rachel Neiman’s journalism credits include ISRAEL21c, Globes Online, The Jerusalem Post and LINK magazine. She has served as marketing communications director at several Israeli innovationbased startups. Neiman attributes her vast knowledge of Israeli nostalgia to her Palmach-generation folksinger mother and Jewish historian father, as well as her own lifelong obsession with all things pop culture.

RABBI’S CORNER

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RABBI ISRAEL BECKER CONGREGATION CHOFETZ CHAYIM

A

s I was praying alone in my study this Passover, words I had been saying my entire life suddenly popped out of the siddur: “We have been exiled from our land. We are unable to serve you in your Holy House.”

We also are experiencing an exile, from our synagogues and our Torah study centers.

Our Holy Temple is not rebuilt, so we cannot serve G-d there. Although our synagogues and Jewish schools stand, we are restricted from serving G-d in those places. The bottom line is the same. We are in a state of exile. What are we to do about it? What is G-d asking of us?

In writing these words my intention is not to preach, but to share that which I believe in my heart of hearts. I have been taught that history does not just unfold randomly. History is directed by G-d.

G-d’s involvement in the intricate details of the world at large and in our own individual lives is encapsulated in the very first of Maimonides’ 13 Principles of Faith: “I believe with complete faith that the Creator, Blessed is His Name, creates and guides all creatures and that He alone made, makes, and will make everything.”

G-d’s love is expressed repeatedly in our prayers: “He chooses his nation Israel with love” (from our daily prayers), and “You gave us Hashem our G-d with love, Sabbaths for rest, appointed festivals for gladness.” Our reciprocal love relationship with G-d is the core of our most important prayer, “Shema Yisroel,” and is passionately described in “Shir Hashirim,” King Solomon’s Song of Songs.

Yet oftentimes G-d camouflages His involvement and conceals it from our eyes so that events of small or worldwide significance appear to be generated by nature (Sefer Hachinuch #132), by decisions of world or local leaders (Talmud Brachos 55a) and even by the direction of media (Medrash Rabba Genesis 88:1).

This is because G-d’s modus operandi is for man to grow closer to Him by seeking Him. If G-d would remove the veil of camouflage covering our eyes we would be denied the freedom and joy of choice and discovery. Man is the sole creation of G-d formed “in His image” and gifted with the challenge of free will (Deuteronomy 30:19: “And you shall choose life”).

The Jew who believes in the presence of G-d in every detail of our lives and the world around us can use his G-d endowed gift of free will and make the choice to recognize G-d’s hand in the current “stopping of the world.”

We Jews have a popular expression: “gam ze yaavor,” meaning “this too shall pass.” This phrase is actually the theme of many posters and songs in Israel today, optimistically looking forward to the end of the fear and restrictions brought to us by the coronavirus. “Gam ze yaavor” is a great and comforting saying. Yes, the virus and these tough times will pass, but only with G-d’s help.

Take this opportunity to recognize G-d’s involvement in our lives and strive to decipher His message to each one of us. Replace our fears with faith and turn our physical “social distancing” into a glorious doorway to spiritually connect with G-d and to one another on a level that would have forever remained untapped without the ramifications of the coronavirus.

Every other Friday, 24 times a year!

AREA CONGREGATIONS Many congregational events described below have been suspended or are being conducted virtually. Contact congregations for more information.

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

Congregation m’Kor hayim 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.

temple Kol hamidBar 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.

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.

SeCular humaniSt JewiSh CirCle

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.

(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.

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

univerSity of arizona hillel foundation

May 1, 2020, ARIZONA JEWISH POST

17

OBITUARIES Manya Tepelboym

Marcia Edberg

Manya Tepelboym, 91, died April 6, 2020.

Mrs. Tepelboym, a Holocaust survivor, was born in Proskurov, Ukraine, on Dec. 31, 1928. She was 12 years old when World War II started. After the war, she went on to become an accountant for the City of Starokonstantinov, where she met her husband, Grisha. In 1992 she moved with her family to Tucson as a refugee. Her life story was documented in the book “To Tell Our Stories: Holocaust Survivors of Southern Arizona.”

Survivors include her son, Ilya; daughter-in-law, Luda; her daughter-in-law’s mother, Mariya Rytslina; and one granddaughter.

Marcia Sue Edberg, 83, of Henderson, Nevada, died April 7, 2020.

Mrs. Edberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, on April 1, 1937 to Shirley and Irv Ostroy.

She moved with her family to Tucson at the age of 9. She lived in Tucson for 45 years, then moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and was a resident there for 18 years. She graduated from Tucson High School (Class of 1955) and began her undergraduate studies at the University of Arizona until a suitor, Mort Edberg, lured her away to marry and start a family. After raising her three children, Mrs. Edberg worked in several upscale department stores as a sales associate over many years. Her interests included chronicling social gatherings with her camera and traveling to Israel every year to visit her brother and sister-in-law and their five children. Although her quality of life was affected due to a stroke she suffered in Florida nine years ago, she moved to Henderson and lived a full life there.

Survivors include her children, Beth (Fiona) Edberg), Janet (Kent) Wellish, and Steven (Amy) Edberg; brother, Pesach, and sister-in-law, Esther, of Jerusalem; and five grandchildren.

Interment took place at Evergreen Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Jewish National Fund and the American Diabetes Association.

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18

ARIZONA JEWISH POST, May 1, 2020

William Louchheim William S. “Sandy” Louchheim, Jr. of Los Angeles, 89, died April 14, 2020.

After graduating from Yale University, Mr. Louchheim joined the Navy in 1952. He and his wife, Marlene, married in October of that year. He spent 16 years in the Navy, commanding two ships and retiring as lieutenant commander in 1968 to join his father’s company, Bobrick, in North Hollywood. He became president in December 1985 and served as chair of the board since 1993. Mr. Louchheim brought Bobrick into the computer age and built it into a leading company in the global washroom equipment industry through organic growth and six acquisitions. He and his family supported Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among other organizations. He and his wife enjoyed a second home in Hawaii.

Survivors include his wife of 68 years, Marlene; children, Terry (Todd) Gilman of Manhattan Beach, California, Mark (Cathy) Louchheim of Los Angeles, Tom (Marcia) Louchheim and Deborah (Craig) Watson, all of Tucson; 17 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

A private family burial ceremony was held in Los Angeles with Rabbi Ken Chasen of Leo Baeck Temple officiating.

Memorial contributions may be made to KIPP SoCal (A to K program), Our House Grief Support Center in Los Angeles, and the Skirball Cultural Center.

Birth

OUR TOWN

A daughter, Stav Adar Singer Hurvitz, was born Feb. 21, 2020, to Emily Singer Hurvitz and Yaron Hurvitz in Irvine, California. Grandparents are Shelley and Steve Singer of Tucson and Mickey and the late Udi Hurvitz of Ramat HaSharon, Israel. Stav is also welcomed by her big brother, Aviv.

People in the news Amir Eden has started teaching “Israeli Spirit” classes for middle school students from all over the U.S. through the Israeli-American Council’s new Ofek Learning Hub — Looking Beyond the Horizon.

For more information, visit www. ofekhub.org. Eden holds a B.A in political science and international relations from Florida Atlantic University and an M.A in educational administration from San Francisco State University. He taught Hebrew for 11 years in Las Vegas and has served as a sixth to 12th grade Hebrew department chair, a middle and high school principal, and a K-12 head of Judaic studies, Hebrew, Jewish life, and Israel connections.

He is currently a second- through fourth-grade teacher of Judaics and Hebrew at Tucson Hebrew Academy.

Tucsonan Lori Riegel has completed a doctoral degree in educational leadership at Lesley University, with a certificate in Jewish education at Hebrew College. She is graduating in the first cohort of the joint Lesley and Hebrew College doctoral program. Riegel’s dissertation, “Parental Choice in Jewish Education,” explored the factors contributing to how parents decide on Jewish educational enrollment for their children. She recruited study subjects at day schools and supplementary schools in Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Houston. She previously completed a master’s in Jewish education at Hebrew College.

Riegel is development director for Southern Arizona at Arizona’s Children Association.

Bryce Megdal, a Tucson native, has accepted a position as cantor for the Congregation of Reform Judaism in Orlando, Florida. Megdal was ordained as a cantor at the Academy for Jewish Religion California in May 2019 and also received a master of Jewish sacred music. Previously, she received a master of Jewish studies with an emphasis in music in Jewish life from AJRCA in May 2015. Her undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Arizona are in Judaic studies and studio art. Currently she is a b’nai mitzvah teacher and cantorial singer at Valley Beth Shalom Synagogue in Encino, California.

She also remains involved in several synagogues at which she has led services throughout the years, including Temple Akiba in Culver City and Temple Emanu-El in Tucson. See www.brycemegdal.com.

Business briefs

The Jewish History Museum will receive a CORE grant of $15,000 from the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, which has granted over $2.1 million to nonprofit organizations providing immediate relief during the coronavirus crisis. The most recent round of grants includes $120,000 from CFSA’s COVID-19 Response Funds, $720,000 in general operating grants through its 2020 CORE Grants, $5,500 to support members of the LGBTQ+ community, $25,000 to provide grocery gift cards for employees of local restaurants and bars, and $18,000 to support arts organizations in rural Arizona communities. Among dozens of awardees, other grant recipients include Primavera Foundation and Southern Arizona Law Enforcement Foundation (Covid-19 Response Funds), and Integrative Touch for Kids, Sister Jose Women’s Center, and True Concord Voices and Orchestra (Core Funds). For more information visit www.cfsaz.org.

A grassroots, local movement, Tucson Helping Tucson (www.tucsonhelpingtucson.com), is teaming up with local nonprofit lender Community Investment Corporation (www.cictucson.org) to raise emergency loan and grant funds to support Tucson’s small business and creative communities during the coronavirus pandemic. THT created a weekly variety show fundraiser, THT TV, that streams live on Facebook every Saturday night from 7-8:30 p.m. It features local musicians, artists, and other creatives, as well as local business owners. The partnership has helped six small businesses to date. THT partners include Brink Media, Local First Arizona, Tucson Metro Chamber, Hotel Congress, Roux Events, Keri Silvyn, and the Comic Bookmobile, among others.

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May 1, 2020, ARIZONA JEWISH POST

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NATIONAL Some states are letting houses of worship reopen. Synagogues say not yet JOSEFIN DOLSTEN JTA

Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

T

he road to reopening for houses of worship has been paved in a handful of states, even as the coronavirus pandemic continues to kill more than 1,500 Americans a day.

But synagogues in the Republican-led states that are relaxing some restrictions — including Georgia, Texas and South Carolina — appear unlikely to take advantage of their governors’ permission to open anytime soon.

“We are very sensitive to the fact that people are being economically impacted by the closures, but we’re more concerned about the possible loss of life if there’s a second wave so soon,” said Rabbi Joshua Heller of Congregation B’nai Torah in Sandy Springs, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.

Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp, announced last week that some businesses could begin reopening, and houses of worship could resume services last weekend. He said he had come to the conclusion that the pandemic’s toll on employment outweighed the public health benefits of keeping businesses closed.

But medical experts — including the country’s top doctor, Anthony Fauci — say the reopenings are inadvisable right now, just as social distancing appears to be cutting down on new infections in many places.

“That could be setting us back,” Fauci told The New York Times last week.

Even President Donald Trump, who himself has called for the economy to reopen in short order, criticized Kemp’s decision on April 22.

Most synagogues appear to be declining the invitation to reopen, saying they believe that staying closed is necessary for the health of their congregants and communities.

A man taking part in a protest to reopen Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, April 20, 2020.

In Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott has announced plans to roll back restrictions in early May, 11 Orthodox rabbis in Dallas issued a collective letter April 21 explaining their decision to keep their synagogues closed.

“Religious communities, with their heavily social communal lives, are at greater risk for reinfection during this pandemic, and its members are most likely to represent vectors for the spread of the disease once again to the general population,” the letter says. “As such, it is premature to reopen shuls at this time.”

One of the signatories, Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky, said the rabbis had consulted with medical experts in their communities before issuing the letter.

“It was a clear decision that we arrived at unanimously,” said Rackovsky, who works at Congregation Shaare Tefila, a Modern Orthodox synagogue.

Even as the response in the community has been “overwhelmingly positive,” Rackovsky said some community members initially questioned whether the decision to remain closed was a political one targeting the state’s Republican governor.

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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, May 1, 2020

“Once we explained ourselves in writing and in conversations I’ve had with people privately, they not only understand but they support the decision,” he said.

For Orthodox Jews, the question of when in-person activity can resume comes with higher religious stakes: Due to prohibitions on using electricity on Shabbat, their synagogues are not livestreaming services on the Sabbath. And while some rabbis in other denominations have begun allowing prayer quorums to be formed virtually, Orthodox rabbis have not, meaning that Orthodox Jews have been unable to hear the Torah read or say the Mourner’s Kaddish prayer.

But at Congregation Ohr HaTorah, an Orthodox synagogue in Atlanta, rather than embracing the opportunity to reopen, many members are unhappy with Kemp’s move to reopen the state, according to Rabbi Adam Starr.

“It seems to be the overwhelming perspective that people are really disappointed and upset at this decision to reopen at this time,” he said.

The response was the same at Congre-

gation Or Hadash, a Conservative synagogue in Sandy Springs.

“So far everybody is taking it in a very, very positive way, actually praising our decision” to remain closed, said Rabbi Analia Bortz, who is also a medical doctor.

Jewish communities are not unique in responding skeptically to the reopen plans. Polls have shown that the vast majority of Americans favor continued distancing. That is especially true for people who identify as Democrats, as is the case for about two-thirds of American Jews.

That doesn’t mean that feelings about the prospect of reopening are straightforward in Jewish communities.

At Heller’s synagogue outside Atlanta, deaths among congregants more than doubled over the usual rate in recent weeks due to the coronavirus. At the same time, some congregants are also struggling financially and have received assistance from the synagogue.

“I have not had a lot of voices within my congregation calling in favor of reopening in-person worship,” the rabbi said. “I think by and large the people who I am talking to, even some of those who are in favor of the reopening on principle, are not actually themselves leaving their homes.”

And Rabbi Adam Rosenbaum of Synagogue Emanu-El in Charleston, South Carolina, said members had been supportive until now of the decision to remain closed, but that he wasn’t sure if that support could wane over time.

“I’m not sure what necessarily will happen if we start getting pressure from people to gather,” he said. “Because, please know, I’d like to be able to gather again. I miss shaking hands and embracing friends and being able to really enjoy everybody’s company. I wish we could all go back to normal. I am very reluctant to say that I’m ready, though.”