“Jewish mothers are the heart of the household. We are the connectors, the planners, the tradition-keepers. When moms return inspired, connected, and confident, the ripple effect touches their children, their schools, their synagogues, and their friends. It creates a stronger, more resilient community,” says Jennifer Bell, left, enjoying schwarma with Emily Richman on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem in November 2025.

JPSA Seeks Applicants for Third Cohort of ‘Life-Altering’ MOMentum Program

December 23, 2025 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Feature Writer

Emily Richman was thrilled when two local women, Emily Yasmer Lazarus and Shelley Kippur, approached her shortly after she moved to Tucson in 2022 about bringing the MOMentum Journey of Growth program to Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona.  Richman, JPSA’s chief development officer, had staffed the program in Pittsburgh and knew that in addition to a weeklong trip to Israel, it included pre- and post-trip meetings that give participants additional time to learn, bond, grow, and connect with the local Jewish community.  Yissel Salafsky, a member of Southern Arizona’s first MOMentum cohort, which visited Israel in May 2023, calls the program “a life-altering experience.”  “As a mom of three children,” Salafsky says, “I… Read more »

Bat Mitzvah: Blake Zoey Belen
January 8, 2026 /

Blake Zoey Belen, daughter of Megan and Cary Belen, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at Kol Ami Synagogue. Blake attends Orange Grove Middle School. She is an active member of National Charity League and a competitive swimmer for Tucson Ford Aquatics. She also… Read more »

Local Jewish Environmental Group to Present Series on Water Scarcity
December 30, 2025 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Feature Writer
Sharon Megdal, Ph.D.

In March, Kol Ami Synagogue started the first Arizona circle of Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, a movement of American Jews confronting the climate crisis. The national Dayenu organization has about 100 chapters in cities across the country and in Canada, says Catherine Rosenberg, who co-chairs the… Read more »

Tucson’s Holocaust Center Launches 3D Testimony Project
December 22, 2025 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Feature Writer

Last month, the Tucson Jewish History Museum & Holocaust Center unveiled a new way for visitors to hear from Holocaust survivors: “Intimate Histories in 3D.” The project uses volumetric capture technology to create three-dimensional recordings of survivors that can be viewed on tablets and personal devices.TJMHC created the project… Read more »

Rabbi to Explore Juncture of ‘Secular and Jewish’ in Tucson Talk
December 22, 2025 / Susan Rubin, President of the Secular Humanist Jewish Circle of Tucson
Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld

Many Jews consider themselves Jewish but not religious. How do these Jews find meaning in holiday celebrations, lifecycle events, and their approach to their shared heritage?   Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld, a past president of the Association of Humanistic Rabbis, will provide answers at a talk, “Secular and Jewish,” on Sunday, Jan. 4, at… Read more »

TJMHC announces 2026 Lakin Lecture Series
December 22, 2025 / Lori Shepherd, TJMHC Executive Director

Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center kicks off the 2026 Lakin Lecture Series on Antisemitism on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. The series, now in its third year, is dedicated to exploring the nature of antisemitism, fostering dialogue, and promoting social justice and human rights. The series educates both Jewish and non-Jewish communities about… Read more »

Project Isaiah Recap: The Jewish Community’s 2025 Food Drive
December 22, 2025 /
Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona Community staff with a Project Isaiah donation box. Standing, from left: Impact and Engagement Coordinator Randi Levin, Director of Impact and Engagement Robyn Schwager, Director of Public Affairs Carina Bien-Willner, and Jewish Community Relations Council Associate Antar Davidson; kneeling, Senior Community Shlicha Yuval Malka and Junior Commuity Shlicha Daniella Ironi. (Photo courtesy JPSA)

Project Isaiah is the Jewish community’s annual High Holidays food and fund drive benefiting the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. The project is named for the Prophet Isaiah, who, when asked why we fast on Yom Kippur, responded, “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry?”… Read more »

January 18 Will Always Be My Bat Mitzvah
December 22, 2025 / Judith Manelis, Special to the AJP
Judith Manelis has held onto her Haftara booklet for 74 years.

When I was 13 years old, I asked the rabbi of my Conservative synagogue, Tifereth Israel in New Bedford, Massachusetts, for a Bat Mitzvah. Rabbi Bernard Ziskind, a very traditional and serious gentleman, was surprised, and perhaps even shocked. It was 1951 after all, and no girl in my… Read more »

Eight Light-Filled Days and Nights of Hanukkah at Handmaker
December 18, 2025 / Nanci Levy, Handmaker Community Outreach Coordinator
Kol Ami Cantor Jen Benrey sings at Handmaker, Dec. 14, 2025. (Photo: Nanci Levy)

Beginning with a pre-Hanukkah warm-up of dreidel playing with BBYO teens at their Better Together meeting on Sunday, Dec. 14, Handmaker residents have had very full days and nights of Hanukkah.  The Young Explorers from Kol Ami Synagogue, which included several families with children aged 2-8, joined Kol Ami’s… Read more »