Rabbi Richard Safran honored with ‘Love and Laughter’
Temple Emanu-El held a brunch with the theme “Love and Laughter” on Sunday, April 29 to honor its adjunct rabbi and Tucson’s longtime community chaplain, Rabbi Richard Safran. The event, held at Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort, included entertainment from comedian Avi Liberman.
Safran was ordained by the Hebrew Union College — Jewish Institute of Religion in 1960. He and his family settled in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Safran retired in 1995 as the rabbi of Congregation Achduth Vesholom. In addition to being a congregational rabbi, Safran was a chaplain at veterans’ hospitals for 20 years and has been a hospital chaplain for more than 40 years. He was first certified by the Association of Mental Health Chaplains and later by the National Association of Jewish Chaplains. Recently retired from his official Tucson duties, Safran was a chaplain in Tucson for more than 13 years, bringing comfort, inspiration, and his collection of jokes to thousands of patients, Jewish and non-Jewish alike.
Congregation Or Chadash youth philanthropy
Congregation Or Chadash’s seventh- grade class made a Noah Cohen Memorial Youth Philanthropy Program presentation at the COC annual meeting on Monday, May 7. The class chose helping refugees as its focus this year and presented a check for $1,500 to Literacy Connects for a program that trains tutors to teach English to refugees. The congregation also honored Brenda Landau, who is stepping down after being the adult advisor of the program for the last 13 years. In that time, COC youth philanthropy has contributed $75,000 to the community.
Temple Emanu-El celebrates adult b’nai mitzvah
Eleven adult students celebrated their b’nai mitzvah together at Temple Emanu-El’s Shabbat service on Saturday, May 5.
Back row (L-R): ElianaKeena Powers, Laura Kravec, Amy-Susan Young, Mellissa Davis, Jesse Davis, Cantorial Soloist Marjorie Hochberg; front row: Rabbi Batsheva Appel, Amy Ruskin, Kim Westenskow, Erika Mitnik, Ana Bynes, Nat Wisneski, Bette Sayre (Steve Shawl)
