Amb. Yechiel Leiter, left, completes letters of the Torah dedicated to the memory of his son with the scribe, Rabbi Tzvi Bider, as Dudi Berkowitz, right, looks on, Feb. 1, 2026 (Photo courtesy TTC)

Israeli Ambassador Visits Tucson, Drawing Huge Crowd for Torah Completion Ceremony

February 13, 2026 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Feature Writer

More than 600 people turned out to hear H.E. Dr. Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, speak in Tucson on Sunday, Feb.1. The ambassador was in town to dedicate a Torah in memory of his son, Maj. Moshe Yedidya Leiter, an Israeli physician and soldier who was killed while leading IDF forces into battle in Gaza in November 2023. The new scroll will belong to the Tucson Torah Center, which two of the ambassador’s nephews, Rabbi Yehuda… Read more »

JFCS SASIC Program Successfully Concludes
February 23, 2026 / Viviane Lovato, JFCS Development Associate
Members of the Services to Afghan Survivors Impacted by Combat team at Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona (L-R:) Arif Muhammad, Ahmad Omid Rahimi, Anna-Lise "Annie" Kunz, Joelle Zuberi, Neda Ardebili, and Molly Bryan. (Photo courtesy JFCS)

Celebrating the Impact of the JFCS SASIC Program  The Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Southern Arizona (JFCS) Services to Afghan Survivors Impacted by Combat (SASIC) program is a mental health initiative designed to support Afghan individuals and families who arrived in the United States after 2021 and have been affected… Read more »

Downsizing: What to Keep and What to Leave Behind
February 23, 2026 / Judith Manelis, Special to the AJP
Judith Manelis with, from left, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, and Menachem Begin (Photo courtesy of Judith Manelis)

Downsizing is not simply a “rehoming” of old possessions: the shoes that are too tight … the extra set of silverware that has been packed away in the closet for 20 years … the scrapbook with pictures from 12 years at camp.   To me, downsizing is a metaphor for aging. … Read more »

UA to Present An Evening of Jewish Chamber Music: Mahler and Bloch
February 20, 2026 /
Gustav Mahler, left, and Ernest Bloch

The Arizona Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Arizona will present “An Evening of Jewish Chamber Music: Mahler and Bloch” as part of the Shaol & Louis Pozez Memorial Lectureship Lecture Series.   The concert will be held on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. in the… Read more »

Birth: Chaim Asher Zimmerman
February 20, 2026 /

A son, Chaim Asher Zimmerman, was born Jan. 28, 2026 to Mushkie and Rabbi Ephraim Zimmerman of Oro Valley. Chaim joins his siblings, Devora, Chana, Leah, Risa, Zev, Bayla, Menachem, and Levi.… Read more »

Bar Mitzvah: Ivan Arthur Moravec
February 13, 2026 /

Ivan Arthur Moravec, son of Bryan Moravec and Meg Knight, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Feb. 14, 2026 at Kol Ami Synagogue. Ivan attends The Gregory School. He is passionate about sports and plays both baseball and tennis. He also has a strong love for music; he… Read more »

New Programs Enhance Handmaker Activities
February 13, 2026 / Nanci Levy, Handmaker Community Outreach Coordinator
Art teacher Martha Rast, left, with Handmaker resident Grace Efaw (Photo: Nanci Levy)

Handmaker residents have been thrilled with the recent enhancements to their activity programs. New art classes and music therapy sessions are furthering the goal of enriching the lives of the older adults Handmaker serves.  Handmaker recently introduced dementia-friendly, accessible art classes in the Tynan Advanced Assisted Living, Kalmanovitz Memory Care, and Rich Long Term Care Skilled Nursing Neighborhoods, which include residents… Read more »

Of Blessed Memory: Elissa Toni “Lisa” Tempkin
February 11, 2026 /

Elissa Toni (Shavin) Tempkin, 77, passed away on October 26, 2025 in Tucson, Arizona. Elissa was born on January 17, 1948 in Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of Ruth (Piassick) Shavin and Samuel Joseph Shavin. Elissa graduated from Grady High School in Atlanta in 1965, where she was the class… Read more »

Of Blessed Memory: Howard Polster
February 5, 2026 /

Howard Polster passed away on Nov. 26, 2025, in Phoenix. Howard was born exactly two years before D-Day to Jerome I. and Margie Polster in Cleveland. He was the oldest of five siblings – Richard (Fran), Marilyn Katzel (James), Carolyn Bayer (Todd) and David (deceased). After graduating from Cleveland… Read more »