By Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D. November is a marvelous month because of a magnificent American holiday called Thanksgiving. It is called Thanksgiving because it reminds us of all that we have to be thankful for. We get up each morning and are amazed at all that is in front of us. For example: How many…
By Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D. The history of hate extends beyond our understanding of time and space. From Cain killing Abel to the present day, we have learned nothing about controlling the impulses to destroy that which we hate. It is a disease that festers and grows because we allow it to flourish. Humankind was…
Wives frequently ask me, “How can my husband and I agree on decorating decisions and purchases for our home?” When decorating our homes, it is often a reminder that we are all different – and those differences may be what attracted us to each other. They can also cause the greatest conflicts. Not until we…
He still sleeps “with one eye and one ear open – always waiting for the pager to go off.”That’s not necessarily typical for a rabbi – but Robert (Bob) Kravitz isn’t a typical rabbi. Kravitz recently retired his Phoenix Police Department badge “with recognition and appreciation of faithful service and loyalty,” following 20 years as…
The Tucson International Jewish Film Festival is celebrating its 24th season this year from Jan. 15 to 24 at several locations around the Old Pueblo. The Tucson Festival is sponsored by the Tucson Jewish Community Center. “We proudly consider it a jewel in the mosaic of our arts and culture programming,” says Lynn Davis, director…
At age 88, Arizona author Sheldon Sid Brodkin has achieved longevity threefold: in marriage, in health and in business. Equally sharp and optimistic when envisioning the future as when recalling the past, Brodkin personifies the spirit that has propelled him through his World War II Navy service, his 60-year career in business sales and his…
Forty years after the Children of Israel left Egypt, God led them out of the desert into the Promised Land, redeeming them from slavery. In 1967, years after the horrors of the Holocaust, the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary came into the desert. They established a home here in Phoenix, dedicating their existence to seeking redemption…
As a native, I love all things Arizona – except for the politics. Newly opened Southern Rail Restaurant is steeped in Arizona history, as it takes over the former location of Jay Newton’s Beef Eaters restaurant. Built in 1961, Beef Eaters was a sprawling English-themed celebration of steak and prime rib. This special occasion restaurant…
Phyllis Novy has a long career of teaching and theater. She taught English to teenagers for 15 years at South Mountain High School in Phoenix and was also education director for Phoenix Children’s Theatre, which provided theater opportunities for young people for more than 50 years in the Valley. With her master’s in theater from…
Don’t you just love the media? If it’s not an impending hurricane in Florida, it’s Ebola coming across our shores, the next great economic depression, gangs, guns, rampant terrorists, etc. … There is always something perilous on our horizon, and the media seems to take great glee in over-reporting every potential threat, no matter how…
