Liza Rosenberg (left) and Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona Young Women's Cabinet Co-Chair Melissa Landau at the YWC retreat held Aug. 21-22, 2026.

Young Leaders Find Community, Friendship, Purpose at JPSA Retreats

September 17, 2026 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Feature Writer

Liza Rosenberg, a new member of the Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona Young Women’s Cabinet, went to the YWC retreat Aug. 21-22 knowing only two of the other women.  She left, she said, feeling “like I’ve known all the women for years and years and years.”   Rosenberg, 40, started a business last year and admits she initially thought of YWC as a networking opportunity.   “It was really amazing how we bonded, and it just turned into so much more,” she says. “I feel like every single person went in very vulnerable and very willing to listen, and as… Read more »

TTC Plans “Pink & Purpose” Panel Discussion Highlighting Cancer Awareness
September 28, 2026 / Rochie Lieter, LCSW, Director of TTC Tribe
(L-R:) Lindsey Baker, Alexa Cook, and Rina Fox will be the panelists for TTC Tribe's "Pink and Purpose" event.

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month approaches, TTC Tribe — Tucson Torah Center’s community of Jewish women in Tucson — is hosting an evening centered on women’s health, solidarity, and action. On Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m., women from across the community will gather for “Pink & Purpose: Awareness,… Read more »

Of Blessed Memory: Dr. Barry A. Friedman
September 28, 2026 /
Barry Friedman 1Barry Friedman

Barry A. Friedman, M.D., 82, retired infectious disease specialist and former board president of the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center, died Sept. 25, 2026. Dr. Friedman was born Oct. 29, 1943, to Elizabeth and Sol Friedman in Dayton, Ohio. He received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University… Read more »

Tucson Hebrew Academy Begins 53rd School Year with Cognia Reaccreditation
September 23, 2026 / Allison Weiss, THA Director of Admissions and Advancement
Smiling kindergarten boys wearing kippahs and girls sit on steps.Kindergarten students gather in Tucson Hebrew Academy's outdoor learning space to celebrate Elul with the special tradition of shofar blowing. (Photo courtesy THA)

Tucson Hebrew Academy began its 53rd school year in August with another milestone already behind it: reaccreditation from Cognia, an independent organization that evaluates schools for educational quality. The review examined several areas of school life, including student engagement, academic growth and support, leadership, staff practices, and continuous… Read more »

Learn About Birds, Minerals, Judaica and Classical Music at Handmaker This Season
September 23, 2026 / Nanci Levy, Handmaker Community Outreach Coordinator

What started out with Handmaker hosting one series of art talks in the fall of 2018 for the Tucson Chapter of the Brandeis National Committee has blossomed into a truly special partnership. Beginning this fall, Handmaker will host five different lecture series for this group, to the delight of… Read more »

TJMHC Gallery Chat to Highlight Nazi Looting
September 23, 2026 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Feature Writer
Interior of a church piled high with crates and bundles of looted items, dwarfing a soldier standing in their midst.German loot stored in a church at Ellingen, Germany, found by troops of the U.S. Third Army, April 24, 1945. (Photo: National Archives RG 111-SC-204899)

Emily Hager, Director of Programming and Education at the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center, wrote her master’s thesis at the University of Arizona on Nazi looting and provenance. The enormity of the Nazis’ looting during World War II was staggering, says Hager, who learned that “a conservative… Read more »

AgeWell Day Returns Next Month With New Classes, Expanded Resource Fair
September 23, 2026 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Feature Writer
Older adults sit at tables working with art supplies.Participants enjoy an art class at the Fall 2024 AgeWell Day. (Photo: JPSA)

AgeWell Day, a morning of learning and camaraderie for Jewish community members age 60+, returns on Sunday, Oct. 25. First held in November 2023 and repeated every spring and fall since, AgeWell Day has become a popular tradition in the Southern Arizona Jewish community. More… Read more »

JFCS Kicks Off 5787 with Both Recurring and New Events
September 22, 2026 / Kelsey Avni, JFCS Development and Grants Coordinator

Jewish Family and Children’s Services is kicking off 5787 with exciting events throughout the fall. Coming first is AgeWell Day — a biannual event presented in partnership with Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona, Handmaker, and the Tucson JCC. AgeWell Day focuses on connecting older Jewish Tucsonans (60+) with resources,… Read more »

High Holiday Memories
September 16, 2026 / Judith Manelis, Special to the AJP
Men in suits and hats stand in front of a new synagogue building hung with bunting, in 1924.The dedication of Tifereth Israel in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on Sept. 14, 1924. Tifereth Israel continues to serve New Bedford’s Jewish community, albeit in a new location.

In August, I received a phone call from Tucson friends who were visiting my hometown of New Bedford, Massachusetts, on their way to Cape Cod. They had just discovered an old synagogue on South Sixth Street not far from the harbor. It was a red brick building, they said,… Read more »