Dr. Eliezer Diamond Congregation Anshei Israel will host scholar-in-residence Dr. Eliezer Diamond on Friday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 12. Diamond is an associate professor of Talmud and rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He teaches courses in rabbinic literature and introductory, intermediate and advanced Talmud studies. He is the author of… Read more »
More than a dozen local rabbis and educators will present adult education classes on myriad topics at the Jewish Culture Shuk on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at Tucson Hebrew Academy. A shuk is an open marketplace; the Jewish Culture Shuk, presented by the Jewish Federation of Southern… Read more »
Adena Bank Lees (Jacquelynn Buck) Jewish Family & Children’s Services will present a Shalom in Every Home Healthy Family Lecture Series this month. The free, interactive two-part series will explore the important connection between healthy families and healthy relationships. The series will begin with “Put Your Listening Ears On: How to Create and Enhance… Read more »
Silvia Risser (center), 72, a resident at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging since January, enjoys a visit with her mother, Naomi Anderson (left), 90, and her granddaughter, Lauren Pernu (right), 22. Anderson currently lives in San Diego, Calif., and visits her daughter at Handmaker every few months. (David J. Del Grande/AJP)
Jill Rosenzweig, a local Jewish philanthropist and former board chair at Jewish Family & Children’s Services, enrolled in Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging’s post-hospital treatment program for physical therapy following back surgery last August. She recently returned to the care facility for further treatment. Rosenzweig initially chose Handmaker’s… Read more »
Two experts on end of life issues will help answer questions such as “How can I be sure my Jewish traditions will be respected? What if I want my family to celebrate me and not mourn me?” when Jewish Family & Children’s Services presents “Embracing Culture & Traditions at… Read more »
Bonnie Wasserman, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Africana studies at the University of Arizona, will present “The Jews of the Caribbean” at a Hadassah Southern Arizona lunch on Sunday, Nov. 13, at 11:30 a.m. at Skyline Country Club. Wasserman is currently writing a book on religions of the African… Read more »
(L-R) Fanny Bangoura, Kim Boling and Ellie Boling roll dough in preparation for braiding at the 2015 Mega Challah Bake at the Tucson Jewish Community Center.
Women and girls ages 9 and up will come together for the Mega Challah Bake on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. The event is a joint initiative of Chabad Tucson and the Tucson J with the participation of local congregations and organizations.… Read more »
Brian Puffer (left), a Chapel Haven West resident, and Hallah Karaman, store manager at 1st Rate 2nd Hand Thrift Store, share a laugh during a shift at the charitable secondhand shop. (David J. Del Grande/AJP)
Brian Puffer says his volunteer work has made Tucson feel more like home, and his new life here is starting to bloom. Puffer, 19, grew up in Tempe, Ariz., and moved to Tucson after enrolling in a two-year residential program at Chapel Haven West, a school and transitional home… Read more »
Mara Liasson
The Jewish Federation will launch its 2017 Community Campaign with a free event, “Together: A Post Election Conversation with Mara Liasson” on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at Congregation Anshei Israel. Liasson is the national political correspondent for NPR and a regular panelist on “Special Report with Bret… Read more »
Neshama Carlebach
Neshama Carlebach’s albums have sold 1 million-plus copies — but she views her success as a way to help others through the pain of life transitions toward inner strength and spiritual growth. “Music brings healing to our souls,” says Carlebach, who will perform at the Fox Tucson Theatre on… Read more »
Annie Schlesinger, project designer at Skinnytees, helps a ‘Pictures of Hope’ student snap some photographs at the Tucson Museum of Art on Saturday, Oct. 1. (David J. Del Grande/AJP)
Fourteen children enrolled in Our Family Services, a local program that provides support for homeless families and youth, pack a small conference room on a crisp Saturday morning, listing their future goals, decorating coloring sheets and snacking on cheese sticks. Linda Solomon, a Tucson native and founder of Pictures… Read more »
Jean Fedigan, executive director of the Sister Jose Women’s Center (left) and Lean Avuno, a Tucson shinshinim volunteer from Israel, spoke at the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Women’s Philanthropy annual welcome Sept. 28.
When we work together, when we reach out to the least among us, we improve the lives of others while enriching our own lives and our community, Jean Fedigan, executive director of the Sister Jose Women’s Center, told about 90 people attending the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Women’s… Read more »
Jonathan McMahan, Rural/Metro Fire Department chief in Pima County, was recently in Poland as one of seven U.S. fire chiefs invited to present a symposium on American firefighting expertise at the Main School of the Fire Service in Warsaw. This was the first delegation of U.S. fire chiefs invited… Read more »
Southern Arizona firefighters (from left) Marcela Donovan Hammond (Nogales Fire Department), Capt. Bruce Avram (Tucson Fire Department), Chief Randy Ogden (Mt. Lemmon Fire District), Jeremy Carillo (Rio Rico Fire and Medical District) and Captain Pete Ashcraft (Nogales Fire Department) tour a mobile command post in Haifa with Guy Caspi, chief mass casualty incident instructor of Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical services unit (seated). (Facebook)
Five Southern Arizona firefighters recently spent nine days in Israel training and battling blazes with fire crews in Jerusalem and Petach Tikvah. As the latest Firefighters Beyond Borders delegation, they were the first personnel from Arizona to participate in the Emergency Volunteer Project, a program that trains first-responders to… Read more »
Irving J. Olson, 102, entrepreneur, photographer and philanthropist, died at his home in Oro Valley on Oct. 1, 2016. Born on Nov. 26, 1913, in New Britain, Conn., he chalked up the first of many lifetime achievements: recognition by the governor as the heaviest newborn in Connecticut that year… Read more »
Illustration by Amy Leutenberg Brodsky, LISW-S, from “Nurturing Spiritual Development in Children by Understanding Our Own Spirituality’
Spirituality encompasses wonderment, awe, caring and kindness, yet many adults have a hard time finding a spiritual path. Ester Leutenberg and Deborah Schein, Ph.D. have written a book that gives adults a road map to finding their own spirituality and directions on teaching spirituality to children. The book, “Nurturing… Read more »
Israelpalooza, the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation’s annual event on the UA Mall, will be held Wednesday, Oct. 19, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. This year, Israelpalooza will be hosting Artists 4 Israel. Artists 4 Israel utilizes the power of art to beautify the land, uplift the people and enhance… Read more »
(Illustration from 'Shanghai Sukkah')
A family Sukkot celebration, “Shake It Up in Shanghai!,” sponsored by the Tucson Jewish Community Center and PJ Library, will be held in the sculpture garden at the J on Thursday, Oct. 20, from 5-6:30 p.m. The organizations invite families to be their ushpizin (Hebrew for “guests”) in the… Read more »
“Patagonia Moebius” by Merlin Cohen
Tucson Handweavers & Spinners Guild will present more than 60 juried fiber artists for its show, “A Palette of Fiber Arts” on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 1-6 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. The event will be a stop on the Heart of Tucson Arts Open Studios Tour.… Read more »
Don Baker (Martha Lochert)
Tucson Hebrew Academy’s “Developer of Dreams” Tikkun Olam Celebration honoring the late Donald Baker will be a promotion of visionary ideals, says Deborah Baker (no relation), alumni coordinator at THA. This year will be an intimate community event because of Baker’s untimely death, she says. “There are people who… Read more »
