News

	Alumn Becomes Certified Cantor Emily Ellentuck who received her Minor in Judaic Studies and her Major in Elementary Education from The University of Arizona just recently became a certified Cantor through the Cantors Assembly internship program. Emily has worked for M’Kor Hayim since 2009- first as a cantorial soloist, then as cantorial intern (after joining the Cantorial Intern of the Cantors Assembly “CICA”... Read more Fri, 07/23/2021 - 13:09
	New book by Prof. Daniel Asia, "Observations on Music, Culture, and Politics" Daniel Asia Professor, Music Fred Fox School of Music, University of Arizona Observations on Music, Culture, and Politics is a bit of a surprise, or at least it is to me. It came about in a rather unintended fashion. I had been giving a talk around the country, “Breath in a Ram’s... Read more Mon, 05/10/2021 - 15:26
	Digging Abel Beth Maacah Digging Abel Beth Maacah 5 Questions for the Dig Directors of Abel Beth Maacah Megan Sauter April 12, 2021 https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/digging-abel-beth-maacah/?mqsc... Nava Panitz-... Read more Thu, 04/15/2021 - 08:18
	Arizona’s long-awaited Holocaust education bill finally gets its moment Arizona’s long-awaited Holocaust education bill finally gets its moment By Matthew Kassel https://jewishinsider.com/2021/01/alma-hernandez-arizona-holocaust-educa... Last week, Alma Hernandez, a Democratic state legislator from Tucson, introduced her long-awaited Holocaust education bill to the Arizona House of Representatives. The bill, which is likely to... Read more Tue, 01/19/2021 - 09:51
	Remembering Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020) Remembering Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020) by Dr. Deborah Kaye The concept of doing justice, troubling over justice, over right and wrong is part of the human experience. Doing justice is also one of the fundamental tenets of Judaism echoed in the declaration--Justice, justice, thou shalt pursue (Deut. 16:20). As a Judaic Studies professor, whether teaching about biblical Sinai or the Civil Rights era, students learn that doing justice lies at the very heart... Read more Thu, 11/05/2020 - 08:08
	Retired doctor turned Rabbi shares joy of Jewish knowledge with Tucson Judaism has always been a large part of Howard Schwartz’s life, but only after moving to Tucson did he truly fall into his role as a teacher of Jewish beliefs. The doctor turned rabbi uses his time post-retirement volunteering at different synagogues to give lectures on Judaism, and has become an integral part of the local Jewish community. Schwartz, 83, was raised in the Bronx, New York, and didn’t follow the path to the rabbinate that his father and uncles,... Read more Mon, 07/20/2020 - 15:36
	New Book by Professor David Graizbord The New Zionists: Young Americans Jews, Jewish... Read more Wed, 05/13/2020 - 16:36
	Local scholar finds wisdom in Mi Shebeirach, the Jewish prayer for healing The last few weeks have been difficult, as our entire world has changed in response to the coronavirus. There have been times recently when I have been overwhelmed by fear and sadness and grief. At other times, I have savored the quiet of a slowed-down life and been awed by the generosity and compassion of people stepping up to take care of each other in so many different ways.... Read more Tue, 04/21/2020 - 15:46
	We Remember Professor Shlomo Aronson (z”l) Shlomo Aronson (z”l) was The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Visiting Professor in Israel Studies in The Arizona Center for Judaic Studies from 2007-2009. Born in Tel Aviv in 1936, Aronson was Professor of Political Science at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He had a diverse and successful professional life. His book Hitler the Allies and the Jews (Cambridge University Press, 2004) received the Israeli Political Science Association Award for outstanding book in English, as well as... Read more Tue, 04/21/2020 - 12:32
	Reflections: Being on Sabbatical During the COVID-19 Pandemic This is the second Reflections on my Spring Semester sabbatical activities. While a sabbatical is intended as a time away from some routine faculty activities, it is not meant to be time off from professional endeavors. Faculty members must receive approval of their planned sabbatical program. My... Read more Fri, 03/27/2020 - 12:31