Yearly Archives 2020

It has been a long time since the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson has hosted more than a thousand cars on a regular basis. Yet that has been the scene many Tuesday and Thursday mornings in recent months as vehicles of all types, their occupants representing the diversity of… Read more »

As director of Tucson’s Jewish History Museum/Holocaust History Center for the past five years, Sol Davis, Ph.D., helped expand the possibilities for Jewish museums nationwide. “He took this idea and transformed it into a living testament of what a museum should be, which is not a place to store… Read more »

PJ Library and The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre will present a special livestream showing of the play “Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins,” based on the book by PJ Library author Eric A. Kimmel, on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. The event will include a live conversation with Kimmel,… Read more »

Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging was recently awarded funding from the We Are One/Somos Uno CARES Nonprofit Continuity Grant Program. This program was created by the Mayor and Council of Tucson to support local nonprofits by addressing necessary expenditures due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency. The… Read more »

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic headlines and post-election analyses, it’s easy to lose sight of just about everything else. But the Jewish world keeps turning. Here are recent Jewish stories from around the globe, selected by the AJP editorial team. Jonathan Sacks, former UK chief rabbi and Jewish intellectual giant… Read more »

Many times we rely on life’s happenings to determine our mood and productivity rate. Life often throws us unexpected curved balls and it dampens our spirit. The truth is, negative does not always mean bad. The implications of implementing discipline can come across as negative, yet its core values… Read more »

The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona will hold a drive-in event, “Celebrating Our Past — Creating Our Future,” on Tuesday, Nov. 17 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. to celebrate community, launch the 2021 annual campaign, and honor recently retired president and CEO Stuart Mellan and his wife, Nancy. “Twenty-five years ago,… Read more »

For the last month or so, residents of Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging have been enjoying visits with friends and family outside in one of the courtyards, 6 feet apart, and masked, per COVID-19 safety precautions. “We even have a hugging booth, so residents can hug their visitors… Read more »

Ilana Kaufman

Ilana Kaufman, the executive director of the Jews of Color Field Building Initiative, will hold a lunch and learn discussion on Jews of Color and Jewish community diversity on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at noon via Zoom, as part  of the Amplifying Voices series presented by the Tucson Jewish Community… Read more »

Emily Jones Simon, daughter of Paul (Marcia) Simon and Elaine Jones, and Brandon Rosenbloom, son of Steven Rosenbloom and Karen Blume, were married at Chicago Sinai Congregation on Oct. 23. Brandon grew up in Los Angeles and Chicago and works as a capacity planner for freight exchange (think “logistics”) in… Read more »

CHAI Circle held its 16th annual retreat, “A Day of Connecting and Self-Care,” on Sunday, Nov. 8 through Zoom, with 33 participants.  With CHAI  standing for “Cancer, Healing, and Inspiration,” the circle is a support group for women with cancer in the Jewish community, whether they are newly diagnosed… Read more »

Thelma Nathanson, 83, died Nov. 3, 2020, surrounded by family. Born in Midland, Michigan, Thelma was happily married for over 60 years to her late husband, Gerald Nathanson. She was a worldwide traveler and had an uncanny ability to make lifelong friends wherever she went. She had a keen… Read more »

Several Jewish community members will be among those honored Nov. 13 at the National Philanthropy Day virtual celebration hosted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Southern Arizona Chapter. Acclaimed restaurateur Janos Wilder will receive the award for Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser, one of the association’s major annual awards. Wilder was nominated by the Community Food Bank of Southern… Read more »

When my dad attended college, there were still Jewish quotas, meaning that only so many Jewish students would be admitted to a particular college in any given year. When my big sister was in middle school, a foulmouthed classmate called her kike. I couldn’t have been more than 9,… Read more »

Eloise Henry, daughter of Mindy and Steve Henry, will celebrate become a bat mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Temple Emanu-El. She is the granddaughter of Lyn and Ralph Henry of Tucson and Susan and Stuart Padove of Birmingham, Alabama. Eloise attends Esmond Station K-8 School, where she is… Read more »

On Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11,  at 11:11 a.m. Pacific Time (12:11 p.m. Mountain Standard Time), JWB Jewish Chaplains Council®, a signature program of JCC Association of North America, will host the Facebook Live premier of “The National Jewish Community Celebration of Veterans Day.”  The event will honor Jewish veterans,… Read more »

Amanda Leigh Cohn, 44, died Oct. 18, 2020. Amanda was born in Nashville, Tennessee. She moved to Tucson as an infant, and lived in California since she was 19. Amanda loved being with her family and friends. She had an adventurous spirit, adored children and animals, was a talented… Read more »

David Irwin Wolsky, 66, died suddenly on Sunday, September 27, 2020. David was born July 13, 1954 in Chicago, where he lived until moving to Tucson with his family in 1994. He embraced life in Tucson and developed many close friendships as well as a love for bike riding… Read more »

Havah Beth Haskell, DVM, 47, died Nov. 1, 2020 at age 47 after coping with breast cancer since early 2019. Havah was born on June 27, 1973 in Philadelphia to her parents, Andrea Haskell and Albert Roy Morgan. Havah was raised by her mother and stepfathers in Vista, California,… Read more »

Armed with knitting needles and crochet hooks, the Northwest Needlers are women of valor, says founder Judith Feldman. For the past five years, the Northwest Needlers, who currently meet Tuesday afternoons via Zoom under the auspices of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Ruth and Irving Olson Center for… Read more »