Our Town

Pinchas Zohav, community chaplain for the Ruth & Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life (Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Northwest Division); his wife, Rita Zohav; Northwest Director Phyllis Gold; and Northwest staff member Carol Nudelman celebrated Shabbat on Friday, Oct. 4, with residents at Sunrise Senior Living. Zohav celebrates… Read more »

Jonathan Mosher, the chief criminal deputy at the Pima County Attorney’s Office, will run for Pima County Attorney in 2020. Mosher has been a lawyer for 25 years and an Arizona prosecutor for 15 years, serving more than a decade under Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall. For more information,… Read more »

Andrew Gale

The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona has hired Andrew Gale as campaign manager. Gale grew up in Southern Arizona and attended Northern Arizona University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management.  Most recently, he was the donor relations manager at Habitat for Humanity Tucson, where… Read more »

Former Catalina Foothills High School swimmer Hannah Orbach-Mandel is one of nine finalists chosen from a field of 585 nominees for the National Collegiate Athletic Association Woman of the Year Award, which will be announced Oct. 20 at a ceremony in Indianapolis. The finalists demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics,… Read more »

The Arizona Jewish Post won two awards at the Arizona Newspapers Association convention, held Sept. 28 in Phoenix. Executive Editor Phyllis Braun and staff won a third-place award for “Fall Arts Preview” in the Special Section category, Division 2 (non-daily circulation 3,500-10,000). Michelle Shapiro, AJP graphic designer, won a… Read more »

Using a recipe Handmaker resident Betty Light shared, Bonnie Gottesman (left) and Rabbi Richard Safran were among a group of residents at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging who enjoyed making honey cakes Sept. 25 in preparation for Rosh Hashanah. Some added nuts and/or raisins, depending on their individual… Read more »

The Ruth & Irving Olson Center for Jewish Life in the Northwest opened its new facility at 180 W. Magee Road, Suite 140, on Sept. 24. About 40 people gathered as Rabbi Avraham Alpert (above) hung a mezuzah on the outer door and another on the interior office door.… Read more »

More than 100 colleagues and friends turned out Sept. 12 to say thank you and l’hitraot (until we meet again) to Oshrat Barel at a party in her honor at the Harvey and Deanna Evenchik Center for Jewish Philanthropy. Barel returned to Israel after six years in Tucson, four… Read more »

Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Young Women’s Cabinet members visited Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging on Wednesday, Sept. 11 for a brief tour of the building, and the opportunity to get to know some Handmaker residents during a Rosh Hashanah card-making activity. Their visit was part of their… Read more »

The annual community-wide Project Isaiah High Holy Days hunger project kicked off Sept. 15. It is coordinated by the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Jewish Community Relations Council, with monetary and food donations benefiting the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. Synagogues and Jewish agencies will collect donations. The… Read more »

Jill Rich, social action chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, presented Federation CEO & President Stuart Mellan with a token of appreciation from Catholic Community Services Casa Alitas program on Sept. 13. JFSA has supported Casa Alitas over the past six… Read more »

Hon. John Peck

At its annual conference and meeting of 130 judges, magistrates, and court officers earlier this month in Prescott, the Arizona Justice of the Peace Association elected the Hon. John Peck president. Peck is the presiding judge of the Ajo Justice Court, elected to a second term in 2018, and… Read more »

The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Young Men’s group held its annual leadership development retreat Aug. 23-25 on Mt. Lemmon, facilitated by Jewish Federations of North America National Young Leadership Cabinet co-chair Adam Miller, from Orange County, California. The 13 young men participated in leadership development programming including community… Read more »

The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Young Women’s Cabinet held its annual retreat Aug. 17-18, themed “Be the Change.” The Cabinet spent 24 hours celebrating Shabbat, getting to know each other, learning about the Tucson Jewish Community, and the mission of the Federation.… Read more »

The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona ChaiLife members gathered Saturday, Aug. 24 to reconnect. ChaiLife was created for those men who have graduated from the Young Men’s Group and want to remain connected to the Federation and their chevra (group).… Read more »

Participants at the Tucson Jewish Community Center weekly Goat Yoga class get a workout and then some. They are joined by miniature kids from Goats of Tucson Yoga. At the hour-long evening program, the yogis usually are more interested in the costumed creatures than yoga poses, especially when plank,… Read more »

Harold Grinspoon, the founder of PJ Library, celebrated his 90th birthday July 27. Members of Southern Arizona’s PJ Library prepared a gift for Grinspoon, thanking him for making free Jewish-themed books available every month for children across the world, ages 6 months-8 years. The colorful birthday-thank you book, created… Read more »

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Keith Marcum joins the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona as communications and marketing manager. Most recently, he managed marketing and sales for Kuumba Made Inc., in Tucson. Before that, he was marketing manager at IMPACT of Southern Arizona, a Tucson non-profit. He is a graduate of James Madison… Read more »

“Pick Up the Beat,” an exhibit of paintings, prints and drawings by artist Howard Kline, is on display through Oct. 26 at Gallery2Sun, 100 E. Sixth Street. For more information, visit www.howardkline.com.… Read more »

Molly Sheehy joins the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona as a project manager in the campaign department after six years in national service, most recently managing an AmeriCorps VISTA Grant with Arizona Serve. After receiving a degree in human development from Prescott College and serving a term as an… Read more »