Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona together with local families created a pandemic relief fund to provide resources to help the community during these challenging times. To date, more than $300,000 has been raised for pandemic relief efforts. The… Read more »
Local
Virtual Yom Hazikaron commemoration for Southern Arizona planned
The Weintraub Israel Center and the Tucson Jewish Community Center will host a virtual event for Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s memorial day, on Monday, April 27 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. All those in Tucson and beyond are invited to gather as a community to honor the memory of Israel’s fallen… Read more »
Tucson Festival of Books featuring talk with Jewish author Jennifer Rosner
The Tucson Festival of Books will hold a Facebook Live session with author Jennifer Rosner today, April 22 at 3 p.m.MST. Rosner will speak about her recently released novel “The Yellow Bird Sings,” To participate, follow Tucson Festival of Books on Facebook. Once you are on the page, make… Read more »
AJP delivery delay
Readers, there has been a delay in the transport of our April 17, 2020 issue. Carrier deliveries will be made tomorrow morning, Saturday, April 18. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Meanwhile, you can read the digital replica here. … Read more »
Jewish History Museum program enriches TPD officer training
“What You Do Matters: Lessons from the Holocaust” is an educational partnership initiated in early 2017 between the Jewish History Museum/Holocaust History Center and law enforcement in Arizona. The program parallels the “Law Enforcement and Society: The Lessons of the Holocaust” initiative launched by the Jewish Community Foundation of… Read more »
Video chats help local senior living facility residents stay connected during pandemic
Senior living facilities in Southern Arizona and all across the country have been on lockdown for several weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, with non-essential visitors not allowed. “This means no family and friends, and it also means no exercise teachers, musical performers, Shabbat service leaders, lecturers, Torah study… Read more »
B’nai B’rith homes seek DVDs, art supplies
B’nai B’rith Strauss Manor requests donations of DVDs/Blu-Rays and art supplies to occupy residents during the coronavirus pandemic. The Gerd and Inge Strauss Manor is a federally assisted multi-family senior housing project with 81 apartments. “I’ve started a library where residents can check out movies,” says Luz E. Gallego, Strauss… Read more »
Local scholar finds wisdom in Mi Shebeirach, the Jewish prayer for healing
The last few weeks have been difficult, as our entire world has changed in response to the coronavirus. There have been times recently when I have been overwhelmed by fear and sadness and grief. At other times, I have savored the quiet of a slowed-down life and been awed… Read more »
UArizona’s Slepian designs three low-cost ventilators — one using basketball
A renowned researcher at the University of Arizona Health Sciences has taken the university’s reputation as a basketball powerhouse to a new level — designing an easily manufactured and low-cost ventilator prototype that uses a basketball to respond to the fast-spreading COVID-19 pandemic. “We are in a period where ventilators… Read more »
New retail reality calls for creative solutions
Editor’s note (April 20): A fourth round of Downtown Tucson Partnership gift cards, worth $35 but costing $25, will go on sale here on Wednesday, April 22 at 6 a.m. HSL Properties helped fund the third round, which sold out in less than 15 minutes, and is also sponsoring… Read more »
Departure of Dean Emeritus Jeffrey Goldberg from University of Arizona will leave gap
The University of Arizona will lose one of its stars in May as Jeffrey Goldberg, Ph.D., dean emeritus of the College of Engineering, retires. Speaking prior to the coronavirus pandemic, he said he planned to travel, see his grandkids more often, and practice a healthier lifestyle in his golden… Read more »
For Tucson newcomer, literature, law, religion, and family are keys to life well lived
Bob Schwartz has been involved with the Jewish community since he was a child growing up in the suburbs of New Jersey. He has been a part of nine congregations in six states and has been active within the Jewish community in Tucson for two years. A former attorney,… Read more »
Tucsonan Lindsey Baker tapped as first COO for JFSA, JCF
Lindsey Baker returns to her hometown on May 1 to accept the inaugural chief operating officer position for the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and the Jewish Community Foundation. “Creating a sustainable, single-chief executive model is what we have been working toward,” says Graham Hoffman, JCF president and CEO,… Read more »
Jewish community responds to pandemic with relief fund
In response to the growing spread of COVID-19, the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and the Jewish Community Foundation have created a Jewish Community Pandemic Relief Fund to help meet the needs of the most vulnerable members in the Jewish and greater communities. “We have set it up to… Read more »
10 minutes sewing a face mask can save a life
The Ruth and Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life is encouraging community sewing groups and individual sewers to participate in the Mending Souls Project. All you need is a sewing machine and basic skills to prepare antibacterial face masks for local healthcare providers. By reviewing the website and calling… Read more »
What I want the greater Tucson community to know about anti-Semitism
I would like to tell you a story. It was the last day of seventh grade. As snacks were eaten and yearbooks were passed around the room, I was content. I was looking forward to my second year at a Jewish summer camp in California, where I had the opportunity… Read more »
Jewish Emergency Financial Assistance at JFCS expands in time of need
Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Southern Arizona assists Jewish individuals facing financial crises in this difficult time. Jewish Emergency Financial Assistance, sometimes referred to as LEAF (Local Emergency Assistance Fund), provides financial assistance, and case management plays a crucial role in ensuring the program effectively helps those in… Read more »
Southern Arizona Yom HaShoah observance to be held online
Editor’s note: To allow for the implementation of enhanced security protections, the registration links have been updated to. Visit https://www.jewishhistorymuseum.org/yomhashoah2020 In accordance with social distancing to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Southern Arizona’s community-wide Yom HaShoah commemoration this year will take place online at www.jewishhistorymuseum.org between the hours… Read more »
Jewish History Museum seeks entries for new pandemic-era archive
In 1910, a time capsule filled with ephemera was placed in the cornerstone of the historic temple that now serves as the flagship building of the Jewish History Museum. The capsule was buried in the building as part of the inaugural set of projects, services, and celebrations that surrounded… Read more »
Remembering Douglas’s forgotten pioneer Jews along the Mexican border
Time has been harsh to this graveyard. The Bisbee-Douglas Jewish Cemetery has been desecrated by vandals, student initiations, truck drivers busting through the barbed wire fence, party-goers, and more than a century of neglect. The scene is grim. Looming 100 yards to the south, the U.S.-Mexico border wall distracts.… Read more »