Each spring, Tucson’s Jewish Latino Teen Coalition heads to Washington, D.C., to lobby lawmakers on a topic they’ve chosen and spent months researching. JLTC convenes 10 to 12 high school sophomores and juniors annually to foster multicultural understanding and political advocacy. Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona and U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva started the program, which remains unique to Tucson, in 2004. Last year’s cohort researched 10 to 15 topics, honing in on three or four of the most impactful, says… Read more »
Bat Mitzvah: Livia Aronson
Livia Aronson will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on October 26th at Kol Ami Synagogue on Country Club Rd. She is the daughter of Randy Aronson & Geren Thurston. She attends Cross Middle School, where she is a member of the National Junior High School Honor Society, a clarinet… Read more »
New TJMHC Exhibit Explores the Complexities of Witnessing Violence
On Wednesday, October 23, Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center (TJMHC) hosted an opening reception of the Allen & Marianne Langer Contemporary Human Rights Exhibit. The new exhibit is titled Witnessing Violence: Help or Harm? Witnessing Violence examines the uses and abuses of images from violent atrocities, particularly as… Read more »
Art as Healing: Afghan Refugees Find Solace Through Creative Expression
For the Afghan survivors impacted by combat that Jewish Family & Childrens Services (JFCS) serves, art is a powerful tool for healing—helping express through creativity what cannot be said with words. Annie Kunz, program supervisor, explains, “The mental and physical tolls of combat are complex and are compounded by… Read more »
Tucson Jewish Community Center Presents the Exhibition Au Naturel by the Sonoran Plein Air Painters
The Tucson Jewish Community Center (Tucson J) presents the exhibition Au Naturel by the Sonoran Plein Air Painters, on exhibition from October 31 to December 1, 2024. As part of its Fine Art Gallery Season, the Tucson J is hosting an opening art reception on Sunday, November 3 from… Read more »
Bar Mitzvah: Michael Green
Michael Green celebrated becoming a Bar Mitzvah on October 19, 2024, at Kol Ami. He is the son of Robin and Dale Green. Michael has been a dynamo since the day he was born when the pediatrician stated that Michael was the most active newborn he had ever seen.… Read more »
Inside Project Isaiah and the Community Food Bank’s Impact
Each fall, the Southern Arizona Jewish community comes together to donate non-perishable food items, filling bins across local synagogues and Jewish agencies for the Project Isaiah High Holiday food drive. These contributions are then delivered to the Community Food Bank (CFB), where they are distributed throughout Southern Arizona to… Read more »
Rabbi’s Corner: Let the New Year and Its Blessings Begin!
Do you know the difference between a Jewish pessimist and a Jewish optimist? The Jewish pessimist says, “Things can’t possibly get any worse.” The Jewish optimist says, “Sure they can!” The 5784 year often felt that way to Jews everywhere. Last year is gone, and as a Sephardic prayer-poem… Read more »
Songs, Prayers, and Solidarity Mark Tucson Commemoration of Oct. 7
Locked in a safe room for 13 hours, singer-songwriter Micha Biton and his family barely survived the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks on Israel. More than 20 of their friends in Moshav Netiv Ha’asara, the Israeli community closest to the Gaza border, were killed. Along with his songs, Biton… Read more »