Events

TE death penalty forum to probe shul shooting
November 22, 2019 /

On Oct. 27, 2018, a gunman killed 10 congregants and injured six more at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. The gunman himself was shot but survived. On Aug. 26, 2019, the U.S. Attorney in Pittsburgh announced that federal prosecutors would be seeking the death penalty in the… Read more »

CAI scholar-in-residence to animate Shabbat with song, story
November 22, 2019 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Executive Editor
Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny, left, and Cantorial Soloist Nichole Chorny

Update 11.22.19: This scholar-in-residence weekend is supported by The Rabbi Marcus Breger Fund at Congregation Anshei Israel. Rabbi Cantor Hillary Chorny of Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles will bring new music and innovative, interactive Shabbat services to Tucson as Congregation Anshei Israel’s scholar-in-residence, Dec. 13 and 14. Her… Read more »

BSTC star party to feature comet-finder Levy

Astronomer David Levy with Cupid, a Questar telescope that was a wedding gift from his wife, Wendee. Photo Wendee Levy)
November 22, 2019 / Debe Campbell, AJP Assistant Editor

Beth Shalom Temple Center in Green Valley will host a star-gazing evening with acclaimed astronomer and author David H. Levy, Ph.D., on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Levy is among the most successful comet discoverers in history, having discovered or co-discovered 23 comets, nine of them using his own backyard telescopes.… Read more »

Pozez lecture will tackle ‘Aliyah of the Mind’
November 22, 2019 /
David Hazony

David Hazony, Ph.D., will present “Aliyah of the Mind: Zionism as Jewish Emancipation” on Monday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, as part of the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies’ Shaol & Louis Pozez Memorial Lectureship Series. Most people think Zionism is about supporting… Read more »

Special needs group has new facilitator
November 22, 2019 / Debe Campbell, AJP Assistant Editor
Teresa Corbin

Women caring for children of all ages with disabilities can find support with the Jewish Mothers/Grandmothers Special Needs Support Group, which meets at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. “It really doesn’t matter what the special need or disability is, the feelings around it are very similar,” says Joyce Stuehringer,… Read more »

JFSA women open Zehngut nominations
November 21, 2019 /
Erika Spivack

The Women’s Philanthropy Advisory Council of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona is seeking nominations for the 14th annual Bryna Zehngut Mitzvot Award, recognizing an outstanding Jewish teenage girl. The award honors Zehn-gut, a community leader who died in 2005. Nominees should be high school juniors or seniors who… Read more »

Hadassah event to celebrate 2019 Woman of the Year
November 21, 2019 /

Hadassah Southern Arizona will announce its Woman of the Year for 2019 and install its 2020 officers at a wine and chocolate philanthropy event on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 1:30 p.m. at the Ruth and Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life, 180 W. Magee Road, Suite 140. The Enchanted… Read more »

JFSA’s new Olson Center open in Northwest

(L-R) Todd Rockoff, Tucson Jewish Community Center president and CEO; Fran Katz, Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona senior vice president; Phyllis Gold, director of the Ruth and Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life; Stuart Mellan, JFSA president and CEO; and Nancy Mellan at the Olson Center opening brunch, Oct. 27. (JFSA)
November 8, 2019 / Debe Campbell, AJP Assistant Editor

The Oct. 27 dedication for the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Ruth and Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life in the Northwest received high marks from approximately 100 attendees at the brunch and open house event, says Alan Kendal, Olson Center advisory committee chair. By that day, the center’s… Read more »

Stone Avenue Block Party to host four Arizona bands

Sonido Tambó is among the bands entertaining at the fifth annual Stone Avenue Block Party on Nov. 16. (Courtesy photo)
November 8, 2019 / Debe Campbell, AJP Assistant Editor

This year’s free Stone Avenue Block Party will be the best yet, says Bryan Davis, Jewish History Museum executive director and host of the fifth annual event. The event is set for Saturday, Nov. 16, in front of the Jewish History Museum/Holocaust History Center, 564 S. Stone Ave. The… Read more »

Tucson J seeks applications for pilot Women InPower leadership program

(L-R) Deb Krivoy, Springfield JCC (Massachusetts); Sarah Siegel, Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC (Milwaukee); Kendall Sisisky Valliere, Jewish Community Alliance of Jacksonville; Allison Wexler, Tucson Jewish Community Center; Leslie Sholl Jaffee, Leslie Jaffe Consulting; and Jessica Schneider, Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact at 92nd Street Y, at a Women InPower training session at the JCC Association in New York, Oct. 30. (Amy Wexler)
November 8, 2019 / Khylie Gardner and Allison Wexler, Tucson Jewish Community Center

In August, a coalition of women leaders in the Jewish community, including Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women; Idit Klein, CEO of Keshet; and Shifra Broznick, founder of Advancing Women Professionals and the Jewish Community, authored a piece for eJewishphilanthropy about their experiences as highly… Read more »

CHAI Circle retreat to focus on mindfulness
October 25, 2019 /
Dawn Messer

Dawn Messer, founder of Mindful Meanderings, will be the keynote speaker for the 15th annual CHAI Circle retreat on Sunday, Nov. 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort, 5501 N. Hacienda del Sol Road. CHAI Circle, a program of Jewish Family… Read more »

Acclaimed Israeli author to address innovation
October 25, 2019 / Debe Campbell, AJP Assistant Editor
Israeli author Avi Jorisch

Israeli author Avi Jorisch will discuss his best-selling book, “Thou Shalt Innovate: How Israeli Ingenuity Repairs the World,” on Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. The book was published by Gefen Publishing House in 2018. It is being translated into more than 30 languages. Jorisch, an… Read more »

Award-winner set for UA stage next month
October 25, 2019 /

The year is 1939 and while Hitler is invading Poland, Atlanta’s close-knit Jewish community is preparing for Ballyhoo, the social event of the year. The Arizona Repertory Theatre of the University of Arizona College of Fine Arts School of Theatre, Film & Television will present Alfred Uhry’s “The Last… Read more »

Launching Oct. 24: Annual campaign funds local, global needs

Melissa Goldfinger, Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona annual campaign chair for 2020, is surrounded by (L-R) Deborah Oseran, Ronnie Sebold, Andy Kunsberg, and Leslie Glaze. Photo: Debe Campbell/AJP
October 11, 2019 / Debe Campbell, AJP Assistant Editor

Educating the community — that’s our real campaign task,” says Melissa Goldfinger, chair of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s 2020 fundraising drive. “We kick off our 100 Days of Impact on Oct. 24, with our 2020 theme: Powered by You — Stronger Together. Our job is to help… Read more »

Migrant justice learning session to kick off initiative

A new mural by JJ Dardano, unveiled outside the Jewish History Museum Sept. 6, underscores the institution’s focus this year on humanitarian issues. Photo Debe Campbell
October 11, 2019 /

The Jewish History Museum and Jewish Community Relations Council will formally launch the Jewish Community Migrant Justice Initiative on Thursday, Oct. 24. The project will coordinate Jewish community efforts in response to the humanitarian needs of asylum seekers and refugees in Southern Arizona, says Bryan Davis, JHM executive director.… Read more »

105th birthday plans in works for local woman

Carolee Asia, left, visits with longtime friend Gertrude Shankman, a Handmaker resident. Photo: Nanci Levy/Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging
October 11, 2019 /

If you are a Tucson Hebrew Academy student, you have probably met, or at least heard of, Gertrude Shankman, a resident at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging. THA students have been celebrating Shankman’s birthday every year since she turned 100. On Oct. 26, Shankman will turn 105. “It… Read more »

At COC Sisterhood Girls’ Night Out, fitness coach to discuss healthy aging

Laurie Rein, right, works on balance practice with friend and client Jenny Fisk. (Debe Campbell/AJP)
October 11, 2019 / Debe Campbell, AJP Assistant Editor

Health and fitness coach and author Laurie Rein will present a Healthy Aging for Women program for a Congregation Or Chadash Sisterhood Girl’s Night Out on Nov. 13.  Rein brings 30 years of experience in health training and a career in professional dance to her talk. Growing up in… Read more »

Celebrate 50th anniversary of Woodstock with outdoor concert at the Tucson JCC

Wayback Machine with special guest Shanti Foster (far left) and core members Beverly Seckinger, Jim Lipson, and Tom Woolley — from their ‘Barrio Jam’ CD cover (2004). Photo: Deo Wright
October 11, 2019 /

This summer marked the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, the music festival that brought half a million people together in 1969 to celebrate peace, love, and music. In celebration of this anniversary, the Tucson J is putting on J-Stock: an outdoor community concert featuring Eric Schaffer & the Other Troublemakers,… Read more »