The Pulse survey revealed that a majority of Jewish individuals in Soutthern Arizona are engaging with the Jewish community in some capacity, but there is opportunity to deepen engagement.

Southern Arizona ‘Pulse’ Survey Reveals Gaps in Jewish Connections

May 13, 2026 /

Most Jews in Southern Arizona say their Jewishness is meaningful to them. They have Jewish friends. They know where to find Jewish life if they look for it. Nearly half say they want to be more involved than they currently are.   And only one in three says they feel connected to the local Jewish community.  That is the picture that emerges from a 2025 community “pulse” study Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona presented on April 16 to about 30 professional… Read more »

Bat Mitzvah: Zaida Olive Phelps
May 18, 2026 /

Zaida Olive Phelps celebrated becoming a Bat Mitzvah on May 16, 2026, at Congregation Anshei Israel. She is the daughter of Scott and Kala Weinstein-Phelps. Zaida attends Rincon Vista Middle School, where she is an active member of the band and on the principal’s honor roll. She enjoys spending… Read more »

Life Review
May 13, 2026 / Judith Manelis, Special to the AJP
Judith Manelis

Some years ago, while working in Jewish communal service, I decided to go back to school and get a social work degree. I had worked for many years as a journalist and public relations executive, and later, as the executive director of a national agency. Although I… Read more »

Farewell from Southern Arizona’s Senior Community Shlicha
May 11, 2026 / Yuval Malka, Weintraub Israel Center
Nitay Bar, left, and Yuval Malka listen to speakers at their lehitraot party on May 6, 2026. (Photo: Phyllis Braun/AJP)

I’m sitting down to write my final communication as Southern Arizona’s senior community shlicha, and I honestly can’t believe the time has come. It feels like only yesterday that Nitay and I arrived here, but looking back at everything we’ve been through together, it also feels like a whole… Read more »

High School Baseball Star Looking Forward to Future at UA
May 7, 2026 / Michael Murra, Special to the AJP

Benjamin Ball, an 18-year-old senior outfielder at Hamilton High School in Chandler, starts each day by wrapping tefillin with his father. He wears his Star of David necklace on and off the baseball diamond and says the Shema before each game. Ball, the fifth-rated Arizona high school senior baseball… Read more »

Bat Mitzvah: Rosalind Kose
April 30, 2026 /

Rosalind Kose will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on May 2, 2026, at Kol Ami Synagogue. She is the daughter of Frank Kose and Dara Oseran. Rosalind attends Emily Gray Middle School. Her hobbies include dancing, cooking, artistic design, and creating art projects. She also likes to explore nature… Read more »

Bat Mitzvah: Vivian Hanley
April 30, 2026 /

Vivian Hanley will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on May 2, 2026, at Kol Ami Synagogue. She is the daughter of Todd and Rebecca Hanley. Vivian attends Dodge Middle School. She is an athlete who plays soccer year-round and recently helped her Dodge Middle School team win the… Read more »

Southern Arizona’s Yom HaShoah Commemoration Focuses on Survivors’ Legacies
April 21, 2026 / Sharon Glassberg, JFCS Coordinator of Holocaust Survivor Services & Jewish Inclusion
An older woman lights a candle on a candelabra. To her left and right are a teenage girl and boy. A woman stands at a podium behind the candlelighting scene.Theresa Dulgov, a Holocaust survivor from Hungary, lights a candle with her great-grandchildren Fabian Ybarra (left) and Adacelia Figueroa at the Southern Arizona community Yom HaShoah commemoration on April 12, 2026. Raisa Moroz, JFCS director for Holocaust services, looks on from the podium. (Photo: Tucson J)

Community members, clergy, and other local leaders came together with Holocaust survivors and members of the second and third generations on Sunday, April 12, in the Paul and Alice Baker Ballroom at the Tucson Jewish Community Center to honor the survivors, the flickers of light that came out of… Read more »

TJMHC’s Lakin Lecture Series Will Present ‘Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom’
April 20, 2026 / Lori Shepherd, TJMHC Executive Director
A headshot of a man with a book cover inset.Ariel Burger with his book, "Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel's Classroom"

Every student who tours Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center will hear the words of Elie Wiesel, “When you listen to a witness, you become a witness.” On Thursday, May 7 at 6:00 p.m. in the Paul & Alice Baker Ballroom at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, the Lakin… Read more »