Shout out

For Tucson teen, March of the Living trip is heartwrenching, empowering

Michaela Davenport at the Birkenau concentration camp in Poland. (Courtesy Michaela Davenport)

                      Walking through the famous gate “arbeit macht frei” at Auschwitz, I felt sick to my stomach. I’d seen that gate, with its infamous Nazi inscription, “work makes you free,” in history textbooks, photos and movies, but seeing it… Read more »

Alternative winter break on Navajo Nation blends social action, adventure

Aodhan Lyons volunteers at a food bank on the Navajo Nation

I went to the Navajo Nation on Young Judaea’s alternative winter break program with few expectations except that it would be a fun time. It ended up being that and more. We did a lot of local volunteer work for the Navajo Nation, in Tuba City mostly, but also… Read more »

Care-A-Van takes social action on the road

Hebrew High Care-A-Van participants (L-R) Michelle Jafee, Hila Lamdan, Emma Goldblatt and Sarah Robins in downtown Denver.

This summer I took part in the 10th annual Care-A-Van trip organized by Hebrew High in Phoenix. I heard about the Care-A-Van opportunity from Sharon Glassberg, director of Tucson’s Hebrew High. From June 13 to 29, we visited 18 different cities in seven different states: Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado,… Read more »

Talking trash: leadership camp is ecological eye-opener

When presented with the opportunity to A) go on a summer trip to Europe, or B) go to a Jewish leadership camp, you could only imagine the look on my parents’ faces when I chose option B! Priceless! This summer I ventured across the country to upstate New York… Read more »

Teen philanthropists discover power of simple bagged lunch

The philosophy of Casa Maria, as described by one volunteer, is to treat everyone kindly and with respect, and as you would like to be treated. The goal of this nonprofit organization that aids impoverished and homeless Tucsonans is most certainly a concept B’nai Tzedek teens learn through their… Read more »

Darfur Tucson working to make ‘Never again’ more than words

ERICA BEE, Special to the AJP When will the phrase, “Never Again” actually represent the truth? In 1945, the Holocaust ended and after the death of approximately six million Jews, we vowed, “Never Again.” We vowed we would never again stand idly by and watch human beings be treated so… Read more »