Hanukkah is a minor holiday on the religious calendar, but it has become an important time to celebrate Jewish joy and express Jewish pride. There are many Hanukkah happenings around Southern Arizona this year, with festivities starting several weeks before the first candle on Friday, Dec. 4. Many congregations… Read more »
Members of the Holocaust Survivors group that meets at Jewish Family & Children's Services of Southern Arizona got a preview of the new JFCS mural on Sept. 22. (L-R:) Severin Szperling, Theresa Dulgov, mural artist Pen Macias, Sara Lichter (wife of survivor Pawel Lichter, of blessed memory), Sidney Finkel and his partner, Barbara Agee. (Photo courtesy JFCS) Jewish Family & Children’s Services (JFCS) is commemorating its 85th year of delivering essential social services to individuals and families of all backgrounds with the gift of a large-scale mural to the Southern Arizona community. The artwork by local muralist Pen Macias, painted on an exterior wall of… Read more »
TTC's Oct. 6, 2026, 'Pink & Purpose' panel included, from left, Lindsey Baker, who navigated breast cancer in her mid-30s; genetic counselor Alexa Cook; and clinical psychologist Rina Fox. (Willo Art Photography by Christy Pickrell) At times, building community starts with a simple conversation. At Pink & Purpose, an event hosted by Tucson Torah Center (TTC) Tribe in Tucson on Oct. 6, more than 60 women came together to learn about breast and gynecological cancers, hear from local Jewish professionals working in the cancer… Read more »
Pima County Recorder Gabriela Cazares-Kelly speaks about mail-in ballots at the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center on Sept. 24. At right is Pima County Elections Director Constance Hargrove. (Photo courtesy TJMHC) Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center has been awarded an Ignition Grant from A More Perfect Union, making it one of only 50 Jewish organizations nationwide, and one of only two in Arizona, selected to lead nonpartisan work protecting the 2026 midterm election. The grant funds TJMHC’s Faith in… Read more »
The L'Dor V'Dor at the Shore group returns from a morning of fishing off Coronado Island. Yotam Shmargad, 42, is happy he joined the Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona L’Dor V’Dor at the Shore fishing trip — and not just because he caught an ocean whitefish. Coordinated by JPSA Young Leadership Manager Nate Weisband, the trip, which brought together 33 men from across generations… Read more »
A panel discusion at Z3@Tucson in 2025 featured, from left, Chloe Loos, director of Arts + Culture at the Tucson J, Dr. David Hazony, director of the Z3 Institute, and Dr. David Graizbord, Ph.D., director of the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Arizona On Sunday, November 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Tucson J will host the second annual Z3@Tucson, themed HaTikvah Shelanu, Our Shared Hope, one of several Z3@ gatherings taking place in communities across the country. It is presented in partnership with the Weintraub Israel Center, a program… Read more »
Erika Frost of Thema Hospice leads a Growth through Grief class at Handmaker on Oct. 6, 2026. (Photo: Nanci Levy/Handmaker)
“Grief is love with nowhere to go.” These poignant words were shared by Erika Frost, grief support specialist at Thema Hospice, during the first session of a four-week class series being offered at Handmaker this month. By the time people reach their 70s, many have experienced the loss… Read more »
For years, Evelyn Damashek Varady meticulously researched the lives of her parents, Hela and Janek Damashek, with particular emphasis on how they survived the Holocaust. She combed documents, letters, photos, and interviews with family members to fill in the gaps left by her parents’ reticence and their early deaths:… Read more »
Dr. Nathaniel Bloomfield passed away peacefully on Oct. 12, 2026 at age 95. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Joseph and Henrietta (Namen) Bloomfield, he was predeceased by older brothers Richard and Daniel and is survived by younger brother David (Chicago). Ned served in the U.S. Army and pursued a… Read more »
Uri Sharon speaks at the 'Kindling Hope' event hosted by the Weintraub Israel Center, a program of Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona and the Tucson Jewish Community Center, to mark the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. The third anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel is a memorial for those murdered and taken hostage, but it is also much more, Hava Leipzig Holzhauer, president and CEO of Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona, said at the start of “Kindling Hope,” the community’s commemorative event… Read more »
Remembering William J. Fishkind, MD, FACS, a physician, teacher and friend, who died October 1, surrounded by his family.… Read more »
Marsha Rosenblum, 83, born in Detroit and devoted to social justice and her family, died September 8, 2026, in Tucson.… Read more »
Myron B. "Buddy" Rosenbluth, 96, remembered for his kindness, generosity and humor, died July 26, 2026.… Read more »
Fred Teitelbaum, 94, beloved husband, father and friend, died peacefully on September 8, 2026.… Read more »
Boris Kozolchyk, an international law scholar, author and pillar of his community, died September 17 at age 91.… Read more »
(L-R:) Lindsey Baker, Alexa Cook, and Rina Fox will be the panelists for TTC Tribe's "Pink and Purpose" event. Tucson Torah Center's TTC Tribe hosts a Pink & Purpose panel on women's health and cancer awareness on Tuesday, October 6.… Read more »
Barry Friedman Dr. Barry A. Friedman, a retired infectious disease specialist and former board president of the Tucson Jewish Museum, died September 25.… Read more »
Kindergarten students gather in Tucson Hebrew Academy's outdoor learning space to celebrate Elul with the special tradition of shofar blowing. (Photo courtesy THA) Tucson Hebrew Academy begins its 53rd school year with Cognia reaccreditation and a celebration of Elul.… Read more »
Handmaker's season of lectures and talks covers birding, minerals, Judaica and classical music.… Read more »
German loot stored in a church at Ellingen, Germany, found by troops of the U.S. Third Army, April 24, 1945. (Photo: National Archives RG 111-SC-204899) Emily Hager of the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center leads a gallery chat on Nazi looting of art.… Read more »
