Senior Community Shlicha Yuval Malka opens the Z3@Tucson conference on Nov. 2, 2025. Tucson hosted its first Z3@ experience on November 2, bringing together community members to explore Israel, identity, and Jewish unity through a framework that emphasizes dialogue across religious and political lines. The half-day gathering at the Tucson Jewish Community Center was intentionally scheduled near the 30th Yahrzeit of Yitzhak Rabin, providing an opportunity to explore ideas of… 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, I was inundated by flies. I have no idea where they came from. I killed 25 flies in two days (I counted them). So I ordered flyswatters online. Now I have them in every color … one for each room. *Jar and Bottle Openers: I… Read more »
Guests enjoy a Hanukkah party at the home of Carina Bien-Willner and Matt Reichman in 2024. (Photo courtesy Carina Bien-Willner) Last year, Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona launched a new microgrant program, “Share the Light,” to help Jewish families invite their children’s friends, classmates, and neighbors to Hanukkah parties to celebrate Jewish joy. The program is back this year. Party hosts will receive a Hanukkah party pack from JPSA’s Center for Jewish Resilience to help their… Read more »
Maternal mental health matters. That’s the main message of “You’ve Got This: A Pocket Guide for Maternal Mental Health,” a slim, easy-to-read volume by two local Jewish health care professionals, Robin Giles, a nurse practitioner, and Joy Subrin, a doctor of behavioral health. “During your pregnancy so much attention is given… Read more »
Members of the Tucson Multifaith for Pride Coalition, Tucson City Council, and Mayor Regina Romero gather in the council chambers Nov. 18, 2025 to mark passage of a resolution affirming transgender rights. Lynn Davis, director of the Rabbi Joseph H. Gumbiner Community Action Project at Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center, is fourth from left. Members of Tucson’s Multifaith for Pride Coalition are celebrating the recent passage of a city council resolution that reaffirms the rights of transgender individuals in our community while, at the same time, recognizing the “disproportionate risks of harassment, violence, barriers to essential services, and legislative threats that undermine their human dignity.” Lynn Davis, director of the… 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 tomato… Read more »
Kerry Moss Kerry Moss, executive director of the Tucson Jewish Free Loan, wants to help more people. The Free Loan serves people of all faiths across Southern Arizona, as it has since its founding in 1947, providing interest-free loans of up to $7,500 for a variety of needs, such as home… Read more »
Donald S. Novitt, born on July 30, 1947, in New York City, passed away on November 5, 2025 in Tucson. He was a devoted husband to Morleen, a loving father to Lisa (Rick), and proud “Pa” of Mia and Ruby, who brought him endless joy. Don was a successful… Read more »
Kameron Norwood and Sara Cash Norwood with their daughters. (Photo: Kristin Bendigo Photography) Over the past two years, Kameron Norwood, 36, has woven himself into the fabric of Tucson’s Jewish community. He’s in his second year of Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona’s two-year Young Men’s Group leadership program, and he and his wife, Sara Cash Norwood, have hosted several YMG and JPSA events at… Read more »
Jewish Family & Children's Services of Southern Arizona has launched a hygiene pantry to help those facing cuts in SNAP benefits. Last week, with cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits looming for one million Arizonans, Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Arizona opened a hygiene pantry. The pantry, located at the organization’s building at 4301 E. Fifth Street, aims to provide essential items such as toothpaste, diapers and feminine… Read more »
Julian Schwarz Cellist Julian Schwarz made his performance debut at the age of nine, playing composer Max Bruch’s Kol Nidrei at the synagogue his family attended in Seattle, Washington. For the next 11 years, he played the Kol Nidrei on Yom Kippur at Temple De Hirsh Sinai. “The cantor at my… Read more »
Daniel Kraft Early next month, as part of our Kristallnacht programming, Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center welcomes poet, educator, and Yiddish translator, Danny Kraft. Kraft’s presentation, “Facing the Holocaust Through Yiddish Poetry,” will explore how Yiddish poets expressed their grief and anger through words, both during and after the Shoah.… Read more »
For the ninth year, people of all ages and abilities are invited to hit the trail with the Tucson J, kicking off the season of light with movement and community for the annual Hanukkah Hot Cocoa Run on Sunday, Dec. 7. This year’s run features timed 5k and 1-mile… Read more »
Sharon Glassberg has spent years bearing witness to history. As a Holocaust Survivor Services Coordinator at Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona (JFCS) and President of the Board at the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center, she has facilitated weekly support groups, creating sacred space for survivors… 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 »
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 »
Brian Alterowitz Tucson Hebrew Academy recently hired Brian Alterowitz as director of operations. Alterowitz is a dedicated and highly skilled organizer with a deep-rooted passion for community, education, and public service. With over 25 years of distinguished service in the United States Army, he retired at the rank of Chief Warrant… Read more »
Rachel Fish, Ph.D. Scholar/activist Dr. Rachel Fish is a renowned expert on antisemitism in America. She will be in Tucson on Sunday, October 26, to lead Southwest Institute 2025, a program from the Center for Jewish Resilience at Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona designed to help educators and administrators identify and address… Read more »
Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford in her Tucson home with her bilingual children’s books. (Courtesy Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford) Tucson resident and author Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford originally wrote “What Color is Your Hand?/ De qué color es tu mano?” 24 years ago, after a poignant moment with her 4-year-old grandson, Jordan. She and her husband, Daniel, had taken Jordan to Legoland in California on vacation. When Rivera-Ashford… Read more »
Dorron Blumberg Tucson Hebrew Academy recently hired Dorron Blumberg as its director of marketing, communications, and advancement. Blumberg brings over a decade of marketing expertise to THA to amplify the school’s mission and reach. He is dedicated to showcasing THA’s educational programs, rooted in traditional Jewish values, to more families across… Read more »
