Rabbi’s Corner: Counting the Omer

May 13, 2024 / Rabbi Sara Metz, Congregation Anshei Israel

We are currently in the liminal time between the two holidays of Passover and Shavuot.  During these seven weeks, we are counting the Omer.  This period between Passover and Shavuot is not merely a calendar countdown; it can be a spiritual pilgrimage, a path of self-discovery and growth.  The practice of pausing every evening to review the previous day gives us the opportunity to reflect back, and then to look forward to the next day as we come closer and… Read more »

Bar Mitzvah: Miles Larcom
May 7, 2024 /

Miles Cooper Larcom will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on May 26, 2024. Miles is the son of Guy & Danielle Larcom, and brother of Jax. Miles’ grandparents are Shirley & Jerry (z”l) Strauss, Ruth & Donald Walker, and Richard Larcom. Miles attends Esperero Canyon Middle School where he… Read more »

For JFCS Clients, Abortion Restrictions Can Add to Trauma
May 2, 2024 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Feature Writer

Reproductive rights have been a key topic of discussion for clients of Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona since June 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion that had been law since the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, says Lily Hanscom, director… Read more »

Fight Against Fascism, Imperialism at Heart of Local Author’s Novel
May 1, 2024 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Feature Writer

In his debut work of historical fiction, “The Half-Caste,” local author Jason Zeitler takes readers from the gritty streets of 1930s London, where a Fascist Party leader galvanizes an army of followers nicknamed the “Jackboots,” to the lush jungles of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where anti-imperialist sentiment is on… Read more »

University of Arizona Hillel Statement on Campus Activities During the Week of Passover
April 25, 2024 / UArizona Hillel Staff

It is imperative that the University of Arizona remains a place where Jewish – including Israeli — students, faculty, and staff can express their religious, ethnic, national, and cultural identities in an environment of open inquiry, respectful dialogue, and civility. We extend this imperative to all students, faculty, and… Read more »

TJMHC Looks Ahead to Jewish American Heritage Month
April 25, 2024 / Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center

Instituted in 2006 by President George W. Bush, Jewish American Heritage Month, or JAHM, occurs every May, and aims to create real opportunities for engagement with many Jewish histories, cultures and cultural products, achievements, and of course, people and communities. Though typically organized by the Weitzman National Museum of… Read more »

My Week in Israel
April 18, 2024 / Yuval Malka, Senior Community Shalicha

After October 7, we were all overwhelmed, in pain. It was a moment in time that changed everything that we knew, reminding us of the fragility of life and the importance of standing together in times of crisis. I was so moved by the solidarity, love and concern I… Read more »

Peer-to-Peer Hub Aims to ‘Connect Jewish Tucson’
April 17, 2024 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Feature Writer

Jews in Southern Arizona have a new way to connect, explore, and engage with others in the local Jewish community: Connect Jewish Tucson. The recently launched Connect Jewish Tucson website, connect.jewishtucson.org, lets individuals create and promote events, find events they want to attend, and even invite people to go… Read more »

Of Blessed Memory: Elliott Heiman
April 16, 2024 /

Dr. Elliott Heiman passed away April 7, 2024, after a valiant battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was 85. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sandy; his daughters Pamela Heiman (children Rebecca and Shira), and Andrea (Adam) Kahn (children Tzivia, Yaakov Meir (Nechama) Kahn, and Basya (Shmaryahu)… Read more »