Beth Shalom Temple Center (BSTC) in Green Valley, AZ, south of Tucson, will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a Gala event on November 9. This milestone marks three decades of fostering community and faith and highlights the remarkable contributions of its congregants and leaders. This year, BSTC will honor… Read more »
This story first appeared in Jewish News (greater Phoenix). Alex Shapero witnessed the emotional response of Jewish victims of domestic abuse to seeing a new mezuzah on their doorpost and immediately understood two things. The first is that a symbol as simple yet powerful as a mezuzah can demonstrate… Read more »
Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center announces the speakers and dates for the 2024 Lakin Lecture Series on Antisemitism. This four-part annual series continues to tackle the tough topics that permeate today’s headlines and weigh heavily on Jewish communities’ hearts and minds. This year’s lectures explore the throughline of… Read more »
Talya Simha Fanger-Vexler & Melech Mizrachi were married at Tucson Hebrew Academy on August 18th, 2024 (Tu B’Av 5784). Talya Simha is a local Tucsonan and Melech Mizrachi is from Phoenix. Rabbi Shmuli Bronstein of Chabad of Downtown-South Scottsdale officiated the wedding and several local Rabbis including Rabbi Avi… Read more »
Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) is excited to introduce Katie Rosen as the Interim Director of Admissions at THA. She and her husband, Karl, have been proud THA parents for three years and can be often found volunteering on campus or cheering at athletics games. Katie is currently serving as… Read more »
Capturing natural beauty with a camera brings peace to Howard Paley and joy to thousands who see the breathtaking images he posts daily on Facebook and Instagram. Along with landscapes, sunrises, and sunsets, the longtime Tucsonan’s favorite subjects include wildlife, from hummingbirds to bison; lightning storms and cloudscapes; ancient… Read more »
The Tucson J has always been a cornerstone of our local Jewish community, serving as a vibrant town square where individuals and families of all identities and backgrounds come together. The last 300+ days since October 7 have presented a stark reminder that the work of the JCC Movement… Read more »
Tucsonan Mo Goldman remembers his maternal grandmother, Esther Praw, a Holocaust survivor, as a frail and anxious woman, haunted by the losses and the atrocities she endured. Esther immigrated to the U.S. in 1949 with her first husband and their infant daughter, Gloria, Goldman’s mother. In 1969, widowed ten… Read more »
Karyl Cohn (nee Stein), age 95, passed away peacefully on July 21,2024, in Tucson. Born in 1929, in Dayton, Ohio, Karyl’s life was a testament to her passion for music and her enduring love for her family. Karyl’s musical journey began at the tender age of 8 with piano… Read more »
Johanna B. Stein (born April 26, 1938) beauty queen, Pima County Maid of Cotton, University of Arizona Registration Kitten and dark cloud to all of Daddy’s silver linings struck her last pose July 5, 2024. A beautiful and virtuous woman, what she lacked in patience she made up for… Read more »
“The challenge today is to be animated by both gratitude and unrest, by humility and audacity, and to feel the exodus from Egypt — our people’s journey from slavery to freedom, from degradation to dignity — in our guts. Our Jewish story calls us to become agents of social… Read more »
Recently, I joined Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) colleagues from around the country for a one-day summit in New York City. The event was hosted by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) and the topic was Coalition & Bridge Building, Post-October 7. The presenters – an outstanding group… Read more »
Three years ago this summer, I had just finished my 16th round of chemo and was preparing for my double mastectomy. Having been diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at 35 years old during the height of the pandemic, I experienced immense isolation and fear. But in The Breasties, a… Read more »
I found it, like many discoveries, accidentally. I was busy pursuing a pre-Internet interest of mine – poring through old newspapers – but now online. Having spent the first 76% of my life in Oklahoma City, I was interested in looking at The Southwest Jewish Chronicle, a regional Jewish… Read more »
New mothers may not know they can work with a lactation consultant even if they are not having problems with breastfeeding. What’s more, health insurance must cover those services, says Katie Cohen, BSN, RN, IBCLC, the founder of Thrive Theory Lactation & Infant Feeding in Tucson. Under the Affordable… Read more »
Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona (JFCS) through its Let’s End Abusive Households (LEAH) program has forged a powerful partnership with MyZuzah to uplift Jewish survivors of interpersonal violence. This collaboration focuses on providing kosher, fair-trade mezuzahs to individuals and families who have endured interpersonal abuse, offering… Read more »
Studying with Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin from Chabad Tucson is a great way to spend an hour at Handmaker. And if you add in a Reuben sandwich, you have an unbeatable combination. Handmaker residents have been enjoying learning from Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin over the past few months and, thanks to… Read more »
Proponents say Jewish overnight camps strengthen kids’ Jewish identity. This was certainly true for Tucsonan Nanci Ogur Levy, who spent four summers at Pine Forest Camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania, as a camper, plus a summer as a waitress and another as a counselor-in-training. “It actually was my first real… Read more »
As an Israeli Shlicha, it is so important for me to always build a bridge to Israel and bring the reality in Israel as it is. You may have seen some things on the news and wondered what is really going on. Since October 7th, there have been nonstop… Read more »
At a Jewish Agency for Israel training this April for American Jewish summer camp directors and prospective Israeli counselors, also known as summer shlichim (emissaries), the slogan was “Now More Than Ever.” JAFI staff joked that the catchphrase is used for everything, even insurance companies, says Robin Kelley, director… Read more »
