Judith Manelis In February 1973, a Jewish Feminist Conference was held at the McAlpin Hotel in New York City with 500 women from around the country in attendance. The women represented the full spectrum of observance, including Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Orthodox Jewish women, as well as those who were unaffiliated.… Read more »
The dedication of Tifereth Israel in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on Sept. 14, 1924. Tifereth Israel continues to serve New Bedford’s Jewish community, albeit in a new location. In August, I received a phone call from Tucson friends who were visiting my hometown of New Bedford, Massachusetts, on their way to Cape Cod. They had just discovered an old synagogue on South Sixth Street not far from the harbor. It was a red brick building, they said,… Read more »
Marcia in the community garden on Manhattan’s West Side where she had a plot. (Photo: Judith Manelis)
Can sadness and relief coexist in mourning? I asked myself this question last month after receiving the following message from my friend Marcia’s husband. “Marcia left us this morning. She was not in pain.” My friend Marcia and I met over 30 years ago. At the time,… Read more »
Judith Manelis blesses the Shabbat candles at Kol Ami Synagogue on Friday, July 10, 2026. (Photo: Stephen Shawl)
On July 9, I turned 88 years old. I told friends that I felt like a girl in an old woman’s body. I have always been youthful, but the aches and pains that often accompany old age have begun to bother me … back, neck, knees. My eyes don’t… Read more »
Louis Manelis Dedicated to the Memory of my father, Louis Manelis My father was an emotional man who cried easily and was known in the family as a softy. He was exceptionally hard working and good hearted to a fault … attentive and solicitous of my grandmother who lived a few… Read more »
Local faith leaders gathered at TJMHC on April 24, 2026, to discuss immigration and border issues in Southern Arizona. Photo: Lynn Davis On April 24, the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center hosted a half-day convening on immigration and border issues for local congregational clergy.… Read more »
Judith Manelis Some years ago, while working in Jewish communal service, I decided to go back to school and get a social work degree. I had worked for many years as a journalist and public relations executive, and later, as the executive director of a national agency. Although I had reached… Read more »
Judith Manelis As many older adults know, it is often difficult to forge close personal relationships when you relocate to a new place. Most people already have an intimate circle of friends, a comfortable routine, regular work or leisure activities — organized lives. And suddenly, there you are, reaching out and… Read more »
Judith Manelis with, from left, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, and Menachem Begin (Photo courtesy of Judith Manelis) Downsizing is not simply a “rehoming” of old possessions: the shoes that are too tight … the extra set of silverware that has been packed away in the closet for 20 years … the scrapbook with pictures from 12 years at camp. To me, downsizing is a… Read more »
I can say without hesitation that my experience so far with Hillel at the University of Arizona has been nothing short of incredible. As I get ready to begin my second semester at college, I’ve been thinking a lot about those first few days on campus — and how… Read more »
Judith Manelis has held onto her Haftara booklet for 74 years.
When I was 13 years old, I asked the rabbi of my Conservative synagogue, Tifereth Israel in New Bedford, Massachusetts, for a Bat Mitzvah. Rabbi Bernard Ziskind, a very traditional and serious gentleman, was surprised, and perhaps even shocked. It was 1951 after all, and no girl in my… Read more »
*Grabbers … my absolutely favorite thing: I use them to pick up items from the floor or to take things down from a cabinet. I own four. CAUTION: Don’t use a grabber to pick up unfinished dog or cat food. I’ve dropped bowls twice. *Fly Swatters: Some months ago,… Read more »
Farfel One morning during COVID, I went for a morning walk with my dog, Farfel. I saw three dogs, five birds, two rabbits, eight snails, and two fish. I am not making this up! I live on a pond in the middle of Tucson. It was a relief and a… Read more »
Judith Manelis and Jerry Kaplan in the sukkah. (Photo courtesy Judith Manelis) Fifty-plus years ago, I wrote a story on Sukkot for The Jewish News of Metropolitan New Jersey. Although I complained a great deal about the small-town nature of my Jewish immigrant community, New Bedford, Massachusetts, where I was one of only 13 Jewish girls my age, I have learned… Read more »
Hiking throughout Israel helped Gabe Melson connect with the land. (Courtesy Gabe Melson) This summer, local teen Gabe Melson went on a meaningful and inspiring journey to Israel through the Ramah Israel Seminar, supported by the Shaol & Evelyn Pozez Endowment Fund held at the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona. Before his departure, Gabe met with Yuval Malka, Southern Arizona’s Senior… Read more »
Judith Manelis On a recent episode of “Grantchester,” a long-running PBS mystery series, the plot included a storyline focusing on the dysfunctional parent/child relationships of two local detectives and the vicar. Three adult men, all with unresolved issues from complicated childhoods. In two cases, you witnessed grown men in acute distress.… Read more »
Judith Manelis In a recent issue of the New York Times, a writer talked about how to prepare for retirement and aging with a focus on the various emotions one can experience late in life: depression, sadness, loneliness, alienation and a lack of purpose. Many of these are brought on… Read more »
Judith Manelis On a recent Friday night, I arrived at my synagogue to discover something had been added to its architectural design. There were large round cement balls in a line across the front of the building and doorway. So now, in addition to having a security guard at the building… Read more »
Last month, I went to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona on South Country Club Road to drop off several bags of food. When I arrived, I realized that I had entered the wrong parking lot; it was for those seeking food. But before turning around, I sat… Read more »
For as long as I can remember, the portrait of my mother hung on the living room wall. First, it graced our apartment on the top floor of a two-family house in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Then, in fifth grade, we upscaled and moved into a one-family house. The painting… Read more »
