If you go to the website for Congregation Eshel Avraham in Tucson, you will find a slightly outdated High Holiday calendar along with a slightly outdated description of the congregation as “a tiny, egalitarian, Conservative congregation.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 group is still quite egalitarian, but it has been within walls for many years. It has been serving Tucson and the Handmaker community within the walls of the Handmaker Great Room for decades. Singing is an important part of every Shabbat morning service, and uniquely, rather than having a drash or sermon each week, the congregation discusses the Torah portion as it is read. Everyone is welcome to participate.
One of the founding members of the group, Michael Rosensweig, is an emeritus professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona since 1975, who put together the Siddur the group uses on Saturday mornings and the Mahzor they use for the High Holidays. When Michael can, he leads much of the High Holiday services with Mel Cohen and Dan Asia, longtime members of Eshel Avraham and service leaders at Handmaker.
This year’s High Holiday services will have a few special twists. Mel and Dan will be leading a large portion of the services, as usual, with Michael leading when he can. But this year, Mel and Dan have gathered a wonderful group who will be helping as well, including Marlene Burns, Kenny Melman, Dyana and Burt Furmansky, Alan Herman, and Vicki Greiff. On top of that, two rabbis who live at Handmaker also will be helping. If you come to Handmaker for the second day Rosh Hashanah morning services on Sept. 13, Rabbi Cantor Baruch Cohon will be chanting Torah. As he says, he will have just chanted it the morning before at his son’s congregation, Congregation Beit Simcha, so it will be fresh in his mind. And if you attend Handmaker’s Kol Nidrei servicer on Sept. 20, you will have a chance to see Rabbi Dr. Howard Schwartz at the bima.
Handmaker is fortunate that Congregation Eshel Avraham became a synagogue within the walls of the Great Room, and that there are so many giving and talented people willing and able to lead services again this holiday season at Handmaker.
To view an up-to-date High Holiday schedule, go to the Handmaker website at https://www.handmaker.org/living-at-handmaker/spiritual-life. Guests are welcome to attend any of the holiday services held in the Great Room, as well as any of the High Holiday meals. There is no charge for residents to attend these meals, but there is a cost of $35 per guest. RSVPs are required for all attendees.
Guests who are interested in attending services or holiday meals should contact Nanci Levy at 520-322-3632 or [email protected] to make a reservation for meals (at least three days prior to each meal) or for information on Zooming into the services, for those who prefer to attend virtually.
