A group of teens poses before a painted wall in the courtyard of a museum.

BBYO held a “Global Shabbat” event at the Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center in December 2025, its third annual event at the museum. (Photo courtesy Davis Hubbell)

Youth Group Scene Thriving in Tucson

August 20, 2026 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Feature Writer

Jewish youth groups foster a sense of belonging, giving teens a safe place to explore their identity through shared cultural traditions, social activities, and leadership opportunities. Teens in the Tucson area have several youth group options. Long-established groups such as BBYO and USY have local roots going back to the 1950s, while new groups such as Chabad’s CTeen have been added to the mix in the last few years. BBYO is the largest pluralistic Jewish youth group in the United States. Tucson’s BBYO chapters, Abba Gadol AZA for boys and Kadimah BBG for girls, meet Monday evenings… Read more »

Jewish Early Childhood Centers as a Gateway into Jewish Life

August 26, 2026 / Jennifer Lorch Selco, Tucson J Senior Director of Jewish Life + Engagement

Early Childhood Education students at the Tucson Jewish Community Center learn about Hanukkah

This article is part of a series around Jewish early childhood education at the Tucson J. It has been over 30 years, and my parents still recall meeting the parents of a child in my brother’s class, who ultimately became dear friends. Their shared experience as… Read more »

UA Hillel Kicks Off Fall Semester

August 26, 2026 /

Students are back on campus, and there is an incredible energy at UA Hillel. The start of a new academic year always brings a sense of possibility, but this year feels especially exciting as we welcome new students, reconnect with returning students, and begin a new chapter for Hillel.… Read more »

Annual Project Isaiah Food and Fund Drive Begins on Sept. 4

August 25, 2026 /

The Southern Arizona Jewish community’s annual High Holidays food and fund drive benefiting the Community Food Bank, Project Isaiah, will run from Sept. 4 through Oct. 17. The need is great, with a 22 percent increase in the number of people seeking food assistance compared with last year.… Read more »

Handmaker and Congregation Eshel Avraham – a Timeless Collaboration

August 25, 2026 / Nanci Levy, Handmaker Community Outreach Coordinator

If you go to the website for Congregation Eshel Avraham in Tucson, you will find a slightly outdated High Holiday calendar along with a slightly outdated description of the congregation as “a tiny, egalitarian, Conservative congregation. A synagogue-without-walls serving Tucson, Arizona and other nearby communities.” This tiny… Read more »

Of Blessed Memory: Carla Hinton

August 24, 2026 /

Carla (Weitzman) Hinton, 74, passed away peacefully at her home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on July 20, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. Carla’s life was defined by her strong belief in social justice, commitment to community as well as artistic talent, demonstrated through creating beautiful art and wearing… Read more »

Remembering Marcia*

August 20, 2026 / Judith Manelis, Special to the AJP

A woman dressed in jeans and a light blue top stands next to green plants in a garden plot.

Marcia in the community garden on Manhattan’s West Side where she had a plot. (Photo: Judith Manelis)

Can sadness and relief coexist in mourning? I asked myself this question last month after receiving the following message from my friend Marcia’s husband. “Marcia left us this morning. She was not in pain.” My friend Marcia and I met over 30 years ago. At the time,… Read more »

Local Eighth Grader Shines at Invention Convention

August 11, 2026 /

Mazel tov to Eithan Moss, who recently took third place in the eighth-grade category at the RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals for his invention, The Cooling Box, a device that cools rooms and runs on sunlight alone. Eithan’s invention was inspired by termite mounds in Central Africa and solar… Read more »

Bar Mitzvah: Amrit Levi Gibbons