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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 began its 53rd school year in August with another milestone already behind it: reaccreditation from Cognia, an independent organization that evaluates schools for educational quality. The review examined several areas of school life, including student engagement, academic growth and support, leadership, staff practices, and continuous… Read more »

What started out with Handmaker hosting one series of art talks in the fall of 2018 for the Tucson Chapter of the Brandeis National Committee has blossomed into a truly special partnership. Beginning this fall, Handmaker will host five different lecture series for this group, to the delight of… 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, Director of Programming and Education at the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center, wrote her master’s thesis at the University of Arizona on Nazi looting and provenance. The enormity of the Nazis’ looting during World War II was staggering, says Hager, who learned that “a conservative… Read more »

Participants enjoy an art class at the Fall 2024 AgeWell Day. (Photo: JPSA)

AgeWell Day, a morning of learning and camaraderie for Jewish community members age 60+, returns on Sunday, Oct. 25. First held in November 2023 and repeated every spring and fall since, AgeWell Day has become a popular tradition in the Southern Arizona Jewish community. More… Read more »

Jewish Family and Children’s Services is kicking off 5787 with exciting events throughout the fall. Coming first is AgeWell Day — a biannual event presented in partnership with Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona, Handmaker, and the Tucson JCC. AgeWell Day focuses on connecting older Jewish Tucsonans (60+) with resources,… Read more »

Liza Rosenberg (left) and Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona Young Women's Cabinet Co-Chair Melissa Landau at the YWC retreat held Aug. 21-22, 2026.

Liza Rosenberg, a new member of the Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona Young Women’s Cabinet, went to the YWC retreat Aug. 21-22 knowing only two of the other women. She left, she said, feeling “like I’ve known all the women for years and years and years.” … 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 »

Copy of Sukkot FB - 1

Sukkot, the Jewish harvest festival, also known as the Festival of Booths, takes place this year from sundown on Friday, Sept. 25, until nightfall on Friday, Oct. 2. Sukkot is a holiday of joy and thanksgiving. It commemorates both the autumn harvest and the memory of the… Read more »

Felice Lehr Capin passed away on August 27, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. Felice was born in New York, New York, on October 27, 1933. She met her late husband Harlan Capin while working as a bookkeeper in the garment district and raising her two daughters. After she… Read more »

Early Childhood Education students at the Tucson Jewish Community Center learn about Hanukkah

This article is part of a series around Jewish early childhood education at the Tucson J. It has been over 30 years, and my parents still recall meeting the parents of a child in my brother’s class, who ultimately became dear friends. Their shared experience as… Read more »

Students are back on campus, and there is an incredible energy at UA Hillel. The start of a new academic year always brings a sense of possibility, but this year feels especially exciting as we welcome new students, reconnect with returning students, and begin a new chapter for Hillel.… Read more »

The Southern Arizona Jewish community’s annual High Holidays food and fund drive benefiting the Community Food Bank, Project Isaiah, will run from Sept. 4 through Oct. 17. The need is great, with a 22 percent increase in the number of people seeking food assistance compared with last year.… Read more »

If you go to the website for Congregation Eshel Avraham in Tucson, you will find a slightly outdated High Holiday calendar along with a slightly outdated description of the congregation as “a tiny, egalitarian, Conservative congregation. A synagogue-without-walls serving Tucson, Arizona and other nearby communities.” This tiny… Read more »

Carla (Weitzman) Hinton, 74, passed away peacefully at her home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on July 20, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. Carla’s life was defined by her strong belief in social justice, commitment to community as well as artistic talent, demonstrated through creating beautiful art and wearing… Read more »

BBYO held a “Global Shabbat” event at the Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center in December 2025, its third annual event at the museum. (Photo courtesy Davis Hubbell)

Jewish youth groups foster a sense of belonging, giving teens a safe place to explore their identity through shared cultural traditions, social activities, and leadership opportunities. Teens in the Tucson area have several youth group options. Long-established groups such as BBYO and USY have local roots going back to… 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 »

Mazel tov to Eithan Moss, who recently took third place in the eighth-grade category at the RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals for his invention, The Cooling Box, a device that cools rooms and runs on sunlight alone. Eithan’s invention was inspired by termite mounds in Central Africa and solar… Read more »

Amrit Levi Gibbons will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Aug. 22, 2026, at Kol Ami. He is the son of Gabriel and Rakhi Gibbons and a big brother to Avi Gibbons. He’s the grandson of Michael and Glenna Gibbons of Tucson and Kanwal and Amartjeet Juneja of Santa… Read more »

Kim Klett speaks at the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center educators’ conference on July 21, 2026. Klett was TJMHC’s 2021 Educator of the Year.

The way a teacher introduces the Holocaust can stay with students long after the unit ends, shaping how they understand prejudice and hatred for years to come. That responsibility, and the skill it takes to carry it into a classroom, brought educators, TJMHC board members, docents, and staff to… Read more »

Tucson J Early Childhood Education students plant seeds in the Shay-Shay Community Garden with teacher Demaris Weitzel (Photo: Tucson J)

This article is part of a series around Jewish early childhood education at the Tucson J. Throughout each day, babies, toddlers, and preschoolers in the Tucson Jewish Community Center’s Early Childhood Education program discover the world around them through play, curiosity, and connection — studying a painting in… Read more »