ARIZONA JEWISH POST · Visit jewishtucson.org for everything Jewish in Tucson and Southern Arizona...
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Visit jewishtucson.org for everything Jewish in Tucson and Southern Arizona ARIZONA JEWISH POST Volume 66, Issue 5 26 Adar 5770 March 12, 2010 JEWISH POST Candlelighting Times: March 12 ... 6:11 p.m. March 19 ... 6:16 p.m. March 26 ... 6:21 p.m. I N S I D E Arts & Culture .................................................7 Classifieds .....................................................19 Community calendar...................................26 Letter to the editor ........................................4 Local ....................................................2, 3, 6, 7 National .................................................. 10, 17 News briefs ....................................................9 Opinion .......................................................4, 5 Our town.......................................................25 Passover recipes ...........................................12 Pets ................................................................17 P.S...................................................................21 Religion .........................................................19 Restaurant guide .....................................10, 11 Synagogue directory ...................................18 World ............................................................24 URJ leader Rabbi Eric Yoffie to celebrate Temple Emanu-El’s 100th year Wildcat strays from objective reporting, say some community members I n our troubled economy, religious con- gregations of all stripes are struggling. Yet it is precisely these economic chal- lenges that make congregations even more important now, says Rabbi Eric Yoffie, pres- ident of the Union for Reform Judaism. “What we offer is support and community and refuge in difficult times, and those are especially essential at a point where people are feeling vulnerable and kind of battered by what’s happening in the world around us,” he says. Tucsonans will have an opportunity to share that sense of community with Yoffie when he joins Temple Emanu-El for its Cen- tennial Shabbat service on Friday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. to celebrate the congregations’ 100th anniversary and its vitality under the leadership of Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon, who has been senior rabbi for more than 10 years. “I’ll be focusing on the wonderful strengths of this congregation and how much it brings to the community. It’s a cause for celebration, not simply because it’s 100 years old ... but more because it’s just a won- derful example of a vibrant dynamic Reform community,” says Yoffie, president of the URJ since 1996. Temple Emanu-El is the oldest synagogue in the state, with adult ed- ucation and outreach programs that are among the largest in the Southwest. The URJ, which is the congregational arm of the Reform Jewish movement in North America, represents 1.5 million Jews in more than 900 synagogues across the United States and Canada. It is North America and Israel that hold the key to the future of the Reform move- ment, says Yoffie, although the movement is also working hard to build its presence in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Israel has or will soon have the largest Jewish population in the world, surpassing the United States, says Yoffie. “We think Israel will benefit from a strong Reform presence, progressive reli- gious values in the Jewish state,” he says. “We are a small movement now [in Israel], but that movement is growing and we’ve made some exciting progress. We’re also working for religious freedom in the Jewish state in a variety of forms.” Israel, says Yoffie, “belongs to Jews every- where and therefore has to be welcoming to Jews everywhere.” PHYLLIS BRAUN AJP Executive Editor Rabbi Eric Yoffie See Yoffie, page 2 E nough is enough, say some members of the Tucson Jewish community. The Arizona Daily Wildcat, the Uni- versity of Arizona’s student newspaper, has been presenting only one side of the story when it comes to Israel, they contend. The latest objection was prompted by a Feb. 15 front-page “opinion piece masquerading as news,” says Ken Miller, 61, UA Hillel Foun- dation board member specializing in Israel issues, Jewish Community Relations Coun- cil executive chair for Israel affairs, and a UA graduate student. The story in question, “Human rights vi- olations: UA group calls for President Shel- ton to sever UAPD-Motorola contract,” was written by Jennifer Koehmstedt. The article states that in 1999, the UA Police Depart- ment entered into a $203,000 contract with Motorola Corporation that still exists today. The article quotes Hali Nurnberg, a UA sen- ior majoring in sociology and a member of the Community for Human Rights, the group calling for divestment, as saying, “Mo- torola is very heavily invested in the Israeli occupation of Palestine. They have all sorts of technologies being used with large civilian deaths.” Koehmstedt’s story cites an article published in 2009 by Human Rights Watch, an independent human rights monitoring group, that ties Motorola to Israel’s produc- tion of drone aircraft. A letter accusing the Wildcat of “biased and unethical practices,” written by Hillel’s Israel Team of students and Lily Winchester, a member of the UA CUFI (Christians United for Israel on Campus) club and a senior majoring in journalism, was delivered to Wildcat Editor in Chief Lance Madden, a senior majoring in journalism, on Friday, March 5, by a group of Hillel students, along with Winchester and Hillel Executive Direc- tor Michelle Blumenberg and Director of Engagement Laura Wilson Etter. The letter was signed by more than 570 UA students, parents, faculty, staff and community mem- bers. One serious concern with the Feb. 15 “Human Rights Violations” article, which the students’ letter addressed, was that UA President Robert Shelton was misquoted, says Blumenberg. Shelton was quoted in the Wildcat as saying, “I certainly haven’t made up my mind. I’m gathering information ... In terms of divesting, I also need to get some advice from council [sic], and that’s always Robyn Schwager/UA Hillel Foundation Photo courtesy of Union for Reform Judaism pages 22-23 University of Arizona students Aaron Jacobs, left, and Joel Kanter look at the Feb. 15 edition of the Arizona Daily Wildcat, which featured controversial stories on Israel. SHEILA WILENSKY AJP Assistant Editor See Wildcat, page 6 Passover features ... pages 12, 14
Transcript of ARIZONA JEWISH POST · Visit jewishtucson.org for everything Jewish in Tucson and Southern Arizona...
Visit jewishtucson.org for everything Jewish in Tucson and Southern Arizona
A R I Z O N A
JEWISH POSTVolume 66, Issue 5 26 Adar 5770 March 12, 2010
JEWISH POST
Candlelighting Times: March 12 ... 6:11 p.m. March 19 ... 6:16 p.m. March 26 ... 6:21 p.m.
INSIDE
Arts & Culture .................................................7
Classifieds .....................................................19
Community calendar...................................26
Letter to the editor ........................................4
Local ....................................................2, 3, 6, 7
National .................................................. 10, 17
News briefs ....................................................9
Opinion.......................................................4, 5
Our town.......................................................25
Passover recipes...........................................12
Pets................................................................17
P.S...................................................................21
Religion.........................................................19
Restaurant guide.....................................10, 11
Synagogue directory ...................................18
World ............................................................24
URJ leader Rabbi Eric Yoffie to celebrate Temple Emanu-El’s 100th year
Wildcat strays from objective reporting, say some community members
In our troubled economy, religious con-gregations of all stripes are struggling.Yet it is precisely these economic chal-
lenges that make congregations even moreimportant now, says Rabbi Eric Yoffie, pres-ident of the Union for Reform Judaism.“What we offer is support and communityand refuge in difficult times, and those areespecially essential at a point where peopleare feeling vulnerable and kind of batteredby what’s happening in the world aroundus,” he says.
Tucsonans will have an opportunity toshare that sense of community with Yoffiewhen he joins Temple Emanu-El for its Cen-tennial Shabbat service on Friday, March 26at 7:30 p.m. to celebrate the congregations’
100th anniversary and its vitality under theleadership of Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon, whohas been senior rabbi for more than 10 years.
“I’ll be focusing on the wonderfulstrengths of this congregation and howmuch it brings to the community. It’s a causefor celebration, not simply because it’s 100years old ... but more because it’s just a won-derful example of a vibrant dynamic Reformcommunity,” says Yoffie, president of theURJ since 1996. Temple Emanu-El is theoldest synagogue in the state, with adult ed-ucation and outreach programs that areamong the largest in the Southwest.
The URJ, which is the congregationalarm of the Reform Jewish movement inNorth America, represents 1.5 million Jewsin more than 900 synagogues across theUnited States and Canada.
It is North America and Israel that hold
the key to the future of the Reform move-ment, says Yoffie, although the movement isalso working hard to build its presence inEastern Europe and the former SovietUnion.
Israel has or will soon have the largestJewish population in the world, surpassingthe United States, says Yoffie.
“We think Israel will benefit from astrong Reform presence, progressive reli-gious values in the Jewish state,” he says. “Weare a small movement now [in Israel], butthat movement is growing and we’ve madesome exciting progress. We’re also workingfor religious freedom in the Jewish state in avariety of forms.”
Israel, says Yoffie, “belongs to Jews every-where and therefore has to be welcoming toJews everywhere.”
PHYLLIS BRAUNAJP Executive Editor
Rabbi Eric Yoffie See Yoffie, page 2
Enough is enough, say some membersof the Tucson Jewish community.The Arizona Daily Wildcat, the Uni-
versity of Arizona’s student newspaper, hasbeen presenting only one side of the storywhen it comes to Israel, they contend. Thelatest objection was prompted by a Feb. 15front-page “opinion piece masquerading asnews,” says Ken Miller, 61, UA Hillel Foun-dation board member specializing in Israelissues, Jewish Community Relations Coun-cil executive chair for Israel affairs, and a UAgraduate student.
The story in question, “Human rights vi-olations: UA group calls for President Shel-ton to sever UAPD-Motorola contract,” waswritten by Jennifer Koehmstedt. The article
states that in 1999, the UA Police Depart-ment entered into a $203,000 contract withMotorola Corporation that still exists today.The article quotes Hali Nurnberg, a UA sen-ior majoring in sociology and a member ofthe Community for Human Rights, thegroup calling for divestment, as saying, “Mo-torola is very heavily invested in the Israelioccupation of Palestine. They have all sortsof technologies being used with large civiliandeaths.” Koehmstedt’s story cites an articlepublished in 2009 by Human Rights Watch,an independent human rights monitoringgroup, that ties Motorola to Israel’s produc-tion of drone aircraft.
A letter accusing the Wildcat of “biasedand unethical practices,” written by Hillel’sIsrael Team of students and Lily Winchester,a member of the UA CUFI (ChristiansUnited for Israel on Campus) club and a
senior majoring in journalism, was deliveredto Wildcat Editor in Chief Lance Madden, asenior majoring in journalism, on Friday,March 5, by a group of Hillel students, alongwith Winchester and Hillel Executive Direc-tor Michelle Blumenberg and Director ofEngagement Laura Wilson Etter. The letterwas signed by more than 570 UA students,parents, faculty, staff and community mem-bers.
One serious concern with the Feb. 15“Human Rights Violations” article, whichthe students’ letter addressed, was that UAPresident Robert Shelton was misquoted,says Blumenberg. Shelton was quoted in theWildcat as saying, “I certainly haven’t madeup my mind. I’m gathering information ...In terms of divesting, I also need to get someadvice from council [sic], and that’s always
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University of Arizona students Aaron Jacobs, left, and JoelKanter look at the Feb. 15 edition of the Arizona DailyWildcat, which featured controversial stories on Israel.
SHEILA WILENSKYAJP Assistant Editor
See Wildcat, page 6
Passover features ... pages 12, 14
