Adar was a busy month at Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA)! THA, together with the JCC and Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (JPSA) collected food for the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona in the Chai (18) days leading to Purim! Mishloach Manot : משלוח מנות , also called a… Read more »
Purim is a Jewish holiday that is all about fun, celebration, a good story and of course, hamantashen! Handmaker residents got plenty of all of that this year. The celebrations began the Tuesday before Purim, when a bus loaded with the Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) 8th grade class arrived… Read more »
Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona (JFCS) will present a free Zoom workshop, “Love Should Not Hurt: Teen Dating Abuse 101,” On Tuesday, March 29th, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Teen dating violence can be physical, emotional, or sexual. Teens often think some behaviors, like teasing, possessiveness,… Read more »
The Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (JPSA) is pleased to announce Together in Jewish Learning on Tuesday, April 5th at the J and via Zoom, with keynote speaker Aaron Henne. Henne is the Artistic Director of theater dybbuk, an arts and education organization whose work illuminates universal human experience… Read more »
After more than two years of planning and collaboration, the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona (JFSA) and the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona (JCF) have integrated into a single operating entity. The new organization shall be known as the Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (JPSA). … Read more »
Lori Shepherd After an extensive and rigorous search, the Board of Directors of the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center is pleased to announce that Lori Shepherd has accepted the position of Executive Director, effective March 16, 2022. Lori is the former Executive Director of the El Paso Holocaust Museum &… Read more »
Angela Salmon has been leading seniors on adventures in the Tucson community for more than ten years with the Handmaker Adventure Bus program. This innovative program is designed for people experiencing the early stages of diminished memory capacity, and as a respite option for caregivers. Bi-weekly social and cultural… Read more »
The Rabbi Samuel S. and A. Irma Cohon Memorial Foundation is pleased to announce its 2021 Award Presentation evening on Friday March 4th, 2022, at Congregation Beit Simcha in Tucson, Arizona. Award winners Joshua M. Greene and Matthew Lazar will each receive their 2021 award for outstanding service to… Read more »
Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) launched a schoolwide “Stop and Read” or STAR program on February 14th, which will allow the entire school to read together once a week. Students are reading a book of their choice in their homeroom classrooms for 15 minutes on Fridays before heading to Kabbalat… Read more »
When I arrived at UArizona Hillel in July, I knew that the students, staff, board, and community were excited to meet me. Part of welcoming any new leader is understanding her vision. But at the same time that folks are excited for change, pace-of-change is a critical consideration and… Read more »
The Tucson chapter of the Brandeis National Committee is celebrating their 25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee Book & Author Event on March 3. The festivities begin at 9:30 am at Skyline Country Club. The program will feature four best-selling authors: Frank Figliuzzi served with the FBI for 25 years, rising… Read more »
In honor of Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month this February, the Tucson Jewish Community Center (JCC) will introduce the Eight Guiding Principles of Inclusion through an interactive exhibit housed throughout the J. The exhibit begins Feb. 20 and is on display through the end of the month.… Read more »
On Friday, January 14, Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) students celebrated both MLK Day and Tu B’Shvat (which were both on Monday, January 17th this year) with a morning of volunteering and celebrating at Felicia’s Farm. Students started the day with prayer and learned about Felicia’s Farm. Upon arrival, each… Read more »
My birthday this year came and went with no bouquet of roses gifted to me by a special man and nary a sweet nothing whispered in my ear. It’s just not fair, I silently reproached the universe. Why are there so many more women than men over 60… Read more »
The recent commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day gave us the opportunity to remember the 6 million Jews and millions of others murdered by the Nazis and to reaffirm our commitment to education, community building, and advocacy. Once again, we declared, “Never again!” What You Do Matters: Lessons from… Read more »
Sure, it’s UA Hillel’s mission to help students create a vibrant, diverse, meaningful and empowered Jewish community on campus, but how does that really work? How does our mission come to life? Typically, student-directed ideas surface, and staff helps to curate experiences that meet their needs. A few examples:… Read more »
The first volume of “To Tell Our Stories: Holocaust Survivors of Southern Arizona,” published in 2015 by Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Southern Arizona (JFCS), is now available in a free e-book format on Smashwords. A free e-book version of volume two, which was first published in 2018,… Read more »
Last month, Handmaker was honored to be one of the organizations included in a philanthropic event called Mitzvah Fair. The Fair was put together by students from the Kol Ami Religious School (Legacy Synagogues, Or Chadash, and Temple Emanu-el of Tucson), and Congregation Anshei Israel’s Religious School before Winter… Read more »
The Jewish Community Foundation (JCF) and Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona (JFSA) are excited to welcome Emily Richman as our new Chief Development Officer and Amy Glass, PhD, as our new Vice President of Strategy & Community Impact. They are both great additions to the organizations as well as… Read more »
Ruthann Kornbleet Pozez passed away with her family by her side on Friday, Jan. 14, 2022. Ruthann was born July 13, 1926 in Kansas City, Kansas. She was predeceased by her loving husband of 61 years, Louis Pozez, her brothers, Seymour and Lawrence Kornbleet, and her parents, Hy and… Read more »
