Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, once wrote, “I believe that the challenge for our time is to open a series of windows so that the world can illuminate our understanding of Torah, and so that the Torah may guide us as we seek to make our way through the world.” It is a powerful image: windows opening in both directions, light moving freely, wisdom flowing outward and inward at once.
At a moment when Jewish identity is being explored, debated, and redefined in communities across America, Rabbi Sacks’ vision feels less like poetry and more like a blueprint. Across generations and denominations, many Jews are asking similar questions: How do we remain rooted to our traditions in a way that feels personal and meaningful? How do we live in the modern world without losing ourselves? Where can we have honest, thoughtful conversations about what it means to live as Jews today?
Here in Tucson, those questions resonate deeply. Our Jewish community is vibrant and beautifully diverse. We gather in different synagogues, organizations, and social spaces. We span multiple generations, countries of origin, levels of observance, and political perspectives. Yet despite this richness, many of us share a quiet longing for deeper connection — not just social interaction, but meaningful engagement. We want space to think together — to wrestle, listen, and learn.
Partners Tucson was created to answer that longing.
Partners Tucson is part of Partners in Jewish Life (PJL), an international initiative founded to unite Jewish communities through shared learning and conversation. Rooted in Michigan and supported by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, PJL works in partnership with The Rabbi Sacks Legacy to bring Rabbi Sacks’ teachings into living dialogue. The program translates his profound ideas into accessible, peer-to-peer study experiences that invite participants not only to read Jewish wisdom, but to explore it together.
At its heart, Partners is built on a simple but transformative idea: Jewish learning is strongest when it is relational. For thousands of years, the Jewish tradition has flourished through chavruta (study in pairs), where two people sit across from one another, ask questions, challenge assumptions, and sharpen understanding together.
On Thursday, March 19 at 7 p.m., the Tucson J’s Alice + Paul Baker Ballroom will transform into a modern beit midrash — a house of learning — designed for dialogue and discovery. Participants may request to learn with a friend or partner, or they will be thoughtfully paired with another member of the community, creating opportunities for new connections to form naturally.
Each pair will receive a beautifully curated booklet of sources drawn from Rabbi Sacks’ writings, centered on themes of memory and history. These themes are especially meaningful as we approach Passover. The Passover Seder is perhaps the most widely observed Jewish ritual in the world, rooted in the commandment of zachor, to remember, and to retell our story as if we ourselves left Egypt. Memory in Judaism is never simply nostalgia. It is responsibility, identity, and a bridge between past and future.
Through guided questions and accessible texts, Partners Tucson invites participants to explore: What does it mean to remember collectively? How does our shared history shape our present? How do we transmit identity to the next generation? And how can the story of Exodus inform the challenges we face today? These are not abstract theological inquiries. They are deeply practical questions that influence how we parent, how we lead, how we celebrate, and how we respond to a changing world.
The benefit of the evening goes far beyond the booklet.
Participants can expect guided conversation grounded in timeless Jewish wisdom; meaningful one-on-one connection across generations and backgrounds; an opportunity to engage respectfully with perspectives that may differ from their own; a more thoughtful preparation for the Passover Seder; and a renewed sense of belonging within Tucson’s Jewish community. Many will leave not only with new insights, but with a new relationship — someone they can greet by name the next time they walk into a communal space.
Community leaders are enthusiastic about what this model brings to Tucson. Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin, Outreach Director of Chabad Tucson and a longtime instructor of education in Tucson, says, “I am excited that Partners in Jewish Life is coming to Tucson because it brings the chavrusa model of learning in partnership to life in a most practical way. It invites community members to sit across from one another, open a Jewish text, and discover the growth that happens best together.”
Rabbi Sam Cohon of Congregation Beit Simcha and The Too Jewish Radio Show + Podcast adds, “The word rabbi means teacher, and the essence of Judaism is studying our amazing tradition so that we can know how to live a moral and valuable life. I’m thrilled to be part of this upcoming event in which we’ll learn, discuss, and argue about significant Jewish texts, and seek greater meaning and purpose for our community and world.” His words remind us that vibrant Jewish learning has always included spirited conversation, respectful disagreement, and the shared pursuit of wisdom.
No prior knowledge is required. The only prerequisites are curiosity and openness. Whether you are deeply learned or newly exploring Jewish life, whether you attend synagogue weekly or rarely, Partners Tucson meets you where you are. The texts are designed to be accessible yet substantive, ensuring that every participant can contribute meaningfully to the conversation.
Partners Tucson is also a powerful example of collaboration across our local institutions. The program is presented in partnership with Chabad Tucson, Congregation Anshei Israel, Congregation Beit Simcha, Congregation Bet Shalom, Congregation Chaverim, Kol Ami Synagogue, and Tucson Torah Center. The Tucson J, a proud partner of Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona, is honored to serve as host. This broad coalition reflects something essential: the future of Jewish life in Tucson depends on working together. When we learn together, we strengthen the bonds that allow us to celebrate together, mourn together, advocate together, and dream together.
