Posts By Maya Horowitz

Beyond the Tzedek Project: Continuing to seek justice as we move forward

In March of this year, researchers in Israel revealed newly discovered 2000-year-old Dead Sea Scroll fragments including the following lines from the prophet Zechariah: “These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to one another, render true and perfect justice in your gates…” A member of… Read more »

Tucson J to participate in sixth annual Z3 Conference

The Z3 Project is a signature program of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto. Since 2015, the program has been providing the Jewish community with a unique opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions about the Diaspora and Israel. Now in its sixth year, Z3 has become a global… Read more »

Seeking justice for the enslaved

Next April when we sit down at our Seder tables, many of us will participate in the familiar responsive reading: Reader: Avadim Hayinu – We were slaves in Egypt. All: We remember our histories; we acknowledge our pasts. Reader: Ata b’nei horin – Now we are free people. All:… Read more »

Jewish Museum announces new name

The Jewish History Museum & Holocaust History Center in downtown Tucson has a streamlined new name: Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center. The name, approved by the Museum’s Board of Directors in October, is the result of months of deliberations and conversations with stakeholders, says Board President Eric Schindler.… Read more »

Claims Conference negotiates pensions for 6,500 additional Holocaust Survivors worldwide, including several in Arizona

In early October, the Claims Conference announced pensions for certain groups of Holocaust Survivors who previously did not receive funding. These include Survivors of the Leningrad Siege, those hiding in France, and those persecuted in Romania. These funds will support 6,500 survivors worldwide, recognizing the trauma and terror that… Read more »

Mitchell Scott Pozner, M.D. dies

Dr. Mitchell Scott Pozner

My loving son, Mitchell, a pediatrician, died suddenly in his sleep on Thursday, October 21, 2021 in Sharon, Massachusetts. He was born on July 22, 1960 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to me, his mom, and his dad, the late Dr. Samuel Pozner. He will be dearly missed by his… Read more »

Help needed at Handmaker to deliver kosher meals to those in need

Members of our community who have been ordering Kosher Mobile Meals delivered to their home for the last six months have not only received a delicious kosher meal prepared in Handmaker’s kitchen, but some have had their meal delivered by none other than Rabbi Shemtov of Chabad Tucson! Rabbi… Read more »

Community award winners to be honored at Welcome Back Event on Nov. 1

2021 Jewish Community Award Winners

The Jewish Community Awards and Welcome Back Celebration will be held on Nov. 1 at 5:15 pm at the Tucson Jewish Community Center Sculpture Garden. The event will honor those working to enhance Jewish life in Southern Arizona and celebrate the opportunity to come together as a community once… Read more »

Vaccination and Jewish values

Rabbi Thomas A. Louchheim

Background: I received both doses of the Moderna vaccine in March of this year. Just over two weeks ago I suffered a bad cold, and was asked to be tested. On the fourth day of my symptoms, I received a positive antigen test. Nine days into my quarantine, I… Read more »

Tucson: the land of cactus, cowboys and… Klezmer?

Some may be surprised to learn that Jews have been active in Tucson’s political, commercial, and cultural life for nearly 200 years. Today, that heritage continues, and includes a contemporary group of local musicians that has been gathering weekly for more than a decade to play the unique Jewish… Read more »

Addressing community justice

A recent segment of NBC’s “Chicago Med” began with the story of a crowd watching a clearly disturbed young man in the midst of a psychiatric incident so severe that he was unable to recognize his own mother or his surroundings. The doctor (a former police officer) who arrived on… Read more »

Of Blessed Memory: Rabbi Arthur Oleisky

Rabbi Arthur Oleisky

It is with a heavy heart that we share that Rabbi Emeritus Arthur Oleisky passed away on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. Rabbi Sara Metz of Congregation Anshei Israel shared the following message with us: We are sad to inform you of the passing of Rabbi Arthur Oleisky this Shabbat… Read more »

THA to honor Dick Belkin at 2021 Tikkun Olam Celebration

Richard “Dick” Belkin

Tucson Hebrew Academy will honor Richard “Dick” Belkin at its 2021 Tikkun Olam Celebration next month. The virtual celebration will be held Sunday, November 7, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. Dick and his wife, Sherry, moved to Tucson in 1989. They found a welcoming Jewish community in which they have… Read more »

Dr. Seneca Erman dies

Dr. Seneca Erman and Cantor Janece Cohen at Congregation Or Chadash in 2016 (Elliot Framan).

Dr. Seneca Erman passed away on Sept. 29, 2021. Seneca was the husband of Dorothy Erman z”l; father of Cantor Janece Cohen, Dr. Spencer (Nancy) Erman, and Dr. Russ (Anat) Erman; grandfather of Brayton (Danielle), Derek, Lara, Zachary (Katie), Jared (Erica), and Ariel, great grandfather of Aivi, Cillian, Abigail,… Read more »