Rafael Valdez Salomon will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on June 13, 2026, at Kol Ami Synagogue. He is the son of Shay and Nigel. Rafael is an avid reader, left wing on his soccer team, and green belt black stripe in Aikido. He enjoys acting in community… Read more »
Addison Richman celebrated becoming a Bat Mitzvah on March 21, 2026, in a ceremony officiated by Congregation Chaverim’s Rabbi Stephanie Aaron. Addison is the daughter of Emily and Rob Richman. Grandparents are Charlese and Joel Farkas of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Harriet and Dr. Lawrence Richman of Akron, Ohio. Addison… Read more »
Zaida Olive Phelps celebrated becoming a Bat Mitzvah on May 16, 2026, at Congregation Anshei Israel. She is the daughter of Scott and Kala Weinstein-Phelps. Zaida attends Rincon Vista Middle School, where she is an active member of the band and on the principal’s honor roll. She enjoys spending… Read more »
Rosalind Kose will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on May 2, 2026, at Kol Ami Synagogue. She is the daughter of Frank Kose and Dara Oseran. Rosalind attends Emily Gray Middle School. Her hobbies include dancing, cooking, artistic design, and creating art projects. She also likes to explore nature… Read more »
Vivian Hanley will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on May 2, 2026, at Kol Ami Synagogue. She is the daughter of Todd and Rebecca Hanley. Vivian attends Dodge Middle School. She is an athlete who plays soccer year-round and recently helped her Dodge Middle School team win the… Read more »
Cyrus Cohen will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, April 18, at Kol Ami Synagogue. He is the son of Margaret Cohen and Matthew Adams. Cyrus attends The Gregory School, where he is in the seventh grade. In addition to his regular classes, he plays in the orchestra… Read more »
Julian Moses Saletan Hall, the son of Jordana Saletan and Robert Hall, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on April 11, 2026, at Kol Ami Synagogue. Julian attends Tucson High Magnet School and is a whiz at word games and math. His hobbies include video games and Jojo’s Bizarre… Read more »
Gabriel Levin, son of David Levin, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on March 28 at Kol Ami Synagogue. Gabe attends Orange Grove Middle School. He is a Dungeons and Dragons enthusiast and movie lover. His hobbies include Legos, tennis, art, cooking, and gardening. For his mitzvah project, he… Read more »
Ivan Arthur Moravec, son of Bryan Moravec and Meg Knight, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Feb. 14, 2026 at Kol Ami Synagogue. Ivan attends The Gregory School. He is passionate about sports and plays both baseball and tennis. He also has a strong love for music; he… Read more »
Isaac (Ike) Berkman, son of Matthew and Lindsay Berkman, will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Feb. 7 at Kol Ami Synagogue. Ike attends Basis Tucson North, where he is in 7th grade. Ike loves music and is an avid piano player. He also enjoys traveling, playing baseball, and… Read more »
Blake Zoey Belen, daughter of Megan and Cary Belen, will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at Kol Ami Synagogue. Blake attends Orange Grove Middle School. She is an active member of National Charity League and a competitive swimmer for Tucson Ford Aquatics. She also… 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 »
Levi Finkelstein will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, at Kol Ami Synagogue. He is the son of Adam and Nina. Levi attends Orange Grove Middle School. He is a fan of cats, sushi, video games, music, roller coasters, Anime, and Monopoly. His hobbies include… Read more »
Eithan Samuel Moss will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at Kol Ami Synagogue. He is the son of Kol Ami Executive Director Sean Moss and Kerry Moss. Eithan attends Sonoran Science Academy. Whether he’s working toward his Eagle Scout rank, tending to his… Read more »
Nathan Jacob Goldstein will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on November 15, 2025, at Kol Ami Synagogue. He is the son of Adam and Dana Goldstein. Nathan attends Orange Grove Middle School. His hobbies include baseball, football, golfing, skiing, and following his favorite teams. Nathan also likes spending time… Read more »
Anna Cohen will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 25. 2025 at Kol Ami Synagogue. She is the daughter of Noah Cohen and Havah Haskell z”l. Anna attends Esperero Canyon Middle School. She loves music, animals, national parks, and Japanese anime. For her mitzvah project, Anna is… Read more »
Liora Lee Abrams Dunn will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah at Kol Ami Synagogue on Saturday, October 18, 2025. She is the daughter of Rina Abrams-Dunn and Christopher Dunn. Liora attends Desert Sky Middle School, and she is also enrolled in the Madrichim training program at the Kol Ami… Read more »
London Ahava Emerson, daughter of Jordan Emerson and Dr. Miriam Geoffroy, will celebrate becoming a bat mitzvah at Congregation Anshei Israel on Nov. 22, 2025. She is the granddaughter of Randy Emerson and Bonnie Sedlmayr-Emerson of Tucson, and George and Irina Gurevich of Scottsdale. London is a seventh grader… Read more »
Parker Bennett Ingvoldstad, son of Nils and Hadyn Ingvoldstad, and grandson of Sheldon Stone will become a Bar Mitzvah on 11/23/24 at Chabad of Oro Valley. Parker attends Dove Mountain CSTEM school and is in the 8th grade. He is a member of the National Junior Honor Society. He… Read more »
Alyssa Engler celebrated becoming a Bat Mitzvah on November 9 at Congregation Bet Shalom. She is the daughter of Elizabeth Engler. Alyssa attends Tucson Hebrew Academy, where she is student council vice president. She is a competitive gymnast and hopes to continue this path all the way through college.… Read more »
