In Focus

(L-R): Jim Whitehill, JCF board chair; Tom Warne, JFSA immediate past chair; Deanna Evenchik; Jonathan Rothschild, mayor of Tucson; Stuart Mellan, JFSA president and CEO; and Shelly Silverman, JFSA chair (Martha Lochert)

JFSA and JCF hold grand opening celebration The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and the Jewish Community Foundation held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house at their new home, the Harvey and Deanna Evenchik Center for Jewish Philanthropy, on Sunday, Oct. 15. More than 150 people attended the event.… Read more »

Guests arrive in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman Grand Foyer of the Harvey and Deanna Evenchik Center for Jewish Philanthropy for the Oct. 1 gala. Above them is a glass, aluminum, steel and acrylic art installation, “Infinite Possibilities” by Art Neptune and Zak Timan. On the balcony is a bronze sculpture by David Unger, “My Beloved,” donated by Kathy and David Unger. The wooden ceiling designed by CDG architect Frank Mascia, with its “welcoming tent” shape, was inspired by the documentary “Raise the Roof” about the reconstruction of the roof of a lost wooden synagogue in Poland. (Martha Lochert)

JFSA thanks building donors with gala Some 250 donors to the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s capital campaign attended a gala on Sunday, Oct. 1 at the Harvey and Deanna Evenchik Center for Jewish Philanthropy, the new home of the Federation and the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona.… Read more »

Carol Sack at her retirement party on Sept. 25 (Courtesy Tracy Salkowitz)

Celebrating a philanthropic career On Monday, Sept. 25, more than 70 people gathered for a party celebrating the retirement of Carol Sack, who spent more than 30 years working in the Tucson nonprofit community with the last 15 years in the Jewish community, most recently as a senior philanthropic… Read more »

Rabbi Robert Eisen presents Lynne Falkow-Strauss with a courtyard paver inscribed with her name.

Congregation Anshei Israel dedicated its Lynne Falkow-Strauss Courtyard and Foyer on Sunday, Sept. 10 in conjunction with its annual end of summer welcome back party. The renovated courtyard and foyer honor Falkow-Strauss, who has been the director of CAI’s Esther B. Feldman Preschool/Kindergarten for the past 45 years and… Read more »

Southern Arizona well represented at PJ Library conference in Aspen Several local PJ Library benefactors attended a PJ Library leadership gathering in Aspen, Colo., earlier this month. Front row (L-R): Marilyn Einstein, Jill Rosenzweig, Herschel Rosenzweig; back row: Steve Sim, Rosalie Eisen (PJ Library program officer), Harold Grinspoon (PJ… Read more »

Israeli scouts entertain More than 200 people enjoyed a performance by the Israel Scouts, part of the annual Tzofim Friendship Caravan U.S. tour, at the Tucson Jewish Community Center on Thursday, June 29. The scouts dance and sing songs in Hebrew and English. Founded in 1973, the first Caravan… Read more »

Rabbi Shemtov’s 60th birthday surprise On Monday, May 15, close to 60 men participated in Shacharit morning prayers at Congregation Young Israel as a surprise for Rabbi Yossie Shemtov in honor of his 60th birthday. Shemtov is executive director of Chabad Tucson and senior rabbi of Young Israel of… Read more »

  Congregation Anshei Israel confirmation Congregation Anshei Israel held its 2017 confirmation ceremony during Shabbat services on Saturday, May 6.                   Temple Emanu-El confirmation Temple Emanu-El held its 2017 confirmation ceremony during Shabbat services on Friday, May 19.     Congregation… Read more »

Tucson Hebrew Academy graduates at Reid Park. Back row (L-R): Elana Goldberg, Jonah Parnaby, Shira Dubin, Ryan Spitzer, Eliana Tolby, Daniella Lee, Eliana Siegel, Darian German, Ellah Ben-Asher, Samuel White, Breanna Yalen, Liliana Isaac, Eli Graizbord Michelson, Ava Leipsic; front row: Niles King, Rio Lederer, Samuel Goldfinger, Samuel Siegel, Aiden Glesinger, Joshua Quigley, Ryan Berkej, Gabriel Ruskin, Noah Fleisher (Interstate Studio)

Tucson Hebrew Academy graduation Tucson Hebrew Academy held its eighth grade graduation on Wednesday, May 10. With 23 graduates, the ceremony was held at the Tucson Jewish Community Center to accommodate the large crowd of family and friends. Tucson Hebrew High graduation Tucson Hebrew High held at its 39th… Read more »

Community commemorates Yom HaShoah Some 200 people attended the Jewish community’s 2017 Yom HaShoah commemoration on Sunday, April 23 at Temple Emanu-El. The event, organized by the Jewish History Museum, explored the theme of “Art and Totalitarianism: 80 Years After the ‘Degenerate Art’ Exhibition” and included a Holocaust survivor… Read more »

(Left) Kip Perkins from the Physics Factory (with their Physics Bus) lights propane-infused bubbles on the hand of a Tucson Hebrew Academy fifth grader.

THA converts STEM to STEAM Some 1,200 people visited Tucson Hebrew Academy’s third annual STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Festival on Sunday, March 26. Jennifer Lehrfeld, STEM coordinator and science department head at THA, included an art component this year, turning STEM to STEAM. The festival’s hands-on exhibits included… Read more »

Dining Out in the Northwest More than 30 people joined the Jewish Federation Northwest Division on Tuesday, March 21 at Guadalajra Grill at 7360 N. Oracle Road. “We crammed into a long table — split about evenly between young families and couples/seniors/individuals” for an evening of “good old fashioned… Read more »

Back row (L-R): Shira Barel; Weintraub Israel Center Director Oshrat Barel; Jim Liebeskind of Congregation Or Chadash, which had a separate tree planting project with THA; Tucson Fire Dept. Capt. Bruce Avram; Greater Tucson Fire Foundation volunteer Patty Vallance; Nogales Fire Dept. Capt. Pete Ashcraft; Mt. Lemmon Fire District Chief Randy Ogden (Ret.); Nogales Fire District firefighter Marcela Donavan Hammond; front row: Weintraub Israel Center Co-Chair Steve Weintraub; THA Director of Judaics Rabbi Billy Lewkowicz; THA Head of School Jon Ben-Asher

Trees for THA on Tu B’Shevat On Friday, Feb. 10, local firefighters who’d visited Israel joined Tucson Hebrew Academy for a Tu B’Shevat seder and tree planting. The firefighters gave a brief talk before joining the students and staff for Shabbat lunch.… Read more »

Tree of Life in Green Valley The gold leaves on the “Tree of Life” at Green Valley’s Beth Shalom Temple Center honor men and women whose efforts have been especially significant to the congregation. The temple added a leaf at its Feb. 3 Shabbat service in gratitude to Tamara… Read more »

Multigenerational mitzvah Fifth grade students from the Congregation Or Chadash religious school joined residents of Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging on Sunday, Jan. 29 to pack 70 snack bags with handmade note cards for the Sister Jose Women’s Center. Nanci Levy, community outreach coordinator at Handmaker, delivered the… Read more »

(L-R): Dana Goldstein, Olivia Hitchings and Sarah Hitchings (Sarah Chen/JFSA)

Northwest Challah Bake The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Northwest Division celebrated Rosh Chodesh on Tuesday, Jan. 24 with a challah-baking event led by Mushkie Zimmerman of Chabad Oro Valley. The attendees included several pairs of mothers and daughters.     Hava Tequila Masquerade  The Jewish Federation of Southern… Read more »

Long Realty helps Federation make a difference at Homer Davis Elementary School Long Realty Cares Foundation recently gave the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona a grant to acquire school spirit shirts for “Making A Difference Every Day: The Homer Davis Project,” a program of the JFSA Jewish Community Relations… Read more »

L-R: Or Chadash sixth graders David Berk, Gabby Marsh (visitor), Talya Fleisher, Emma Ruben, Lily Goldberg, Jessica Witchey, Ethan Silvyn, Riley Silvyn. Center: Ava Silverman

Or Chadash Mitzvah Fair  On Sunday, Dec. 11, the sixth grade students at Congregation Or Chadash held the 10th annual Mitzvah Fair, which allows students to learn about and in turn help teach the concept of tzedakah (charity) in our community, says Rina Liebeskind, Or Chadash education director. The… Read more »

(L-R): Lindsey Baker, Paul Baker, Alice Baker, Harvey Kivel, Jane Kivel, Deanna Evenchik, Nicole Zuckerman-Morris, Ken Morris, Michael Artzi, Scott Tobin, Adina Artzi and Helaine Levy (Martha Lochert)

Federation breaks ground The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona held a groundbreaking ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 4 for the Harvey and Deanna Evenchik Center for Jewish Philanthropy, the new building it will share with the Jewish Community Foundation. The site is on the northwest corner of the Tucson Jewish… Read more »

JNF welcomes IDF hero and humanitarian  Israel Defense Forces Major Gen. (Res.) Doron Almog spoke at a Jewish National Fund event in Tucson on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Almog, who was awarded a 2016 Israel Prize for lifetime achievement, led the operational task force in Tripoli against terrorists who killed… Read more »