Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (JPSA) welcome Jennifer Lightman this week as Vice President of Marketing and Communications. Jenny and her husband Brett recently moved from Philadelphia where she served as the Director of Communications and Special Projects for Perelman Jewish Day School. “We are incredibly excited to have… Read more »
After three years of mostly virtual programming, there will be a relaunch event for PJ Library and PJ Our Way in Southern Arizona, Purim Palooza! on Sunday, February 19 from 10am to 2pm at the Children’s Museum of Tucson. The program is free and open to families currently enrolled… Read more »
I am currently in the last semester of the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation’s Springboard Social Justice Fellowship, and I am full of gratitude. Hillel calls it the Springboard Fellowship because it is built to give young Jewish professionals the tools to spring into their future careers. And, for… Read more »
At Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA), students are steeped in the Jewish experience, making them uniquely positioned to understand and find common ground with all groups of people that have been oppressed. Using the curriculum, “Facing History and Ourselves” in conjunction with hands-on projects, middle-school humanities students have focused on… Read more »
In the words of Abraham Joshua Heschel, “You have suspended the trivialities of thinking that stultify unique learning experiences. You have a passionate regard for the marvel that is everywhere!” So wrote Sue Cohen, president of the Beth Shalom Temple Center Sisterhood, in a thank you card presented to… Read more »
If I were to ask the Tucson International Jewish Film Festival committee members, whom I have the pleasure of working with to create this signature community-wide event, about the three films from this year’s line-up that they each found most meaningful, it’s unlikely I’d get any duplicate answers. That’s… Read more »
UArizona Hillel’s annual fundraiser is less than three weeks away–on February 11–and we are thrilled that Head Football Coach Jedd Fisch will be our special guest at the opening mini-plenary. Our signature event–Come Home to Hillel–is a truly unique and fun night out. Unlike any other fundraiser (or friendraiser) in… Read more »
Jewish Family & Children’s Services (JFCS) of Southern Arizona is proud to participate in the fifth annual International Refugee Shabbat, which takes place February 3-4, 2023. Founded by HIAS (originally the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), it is a moment for congregations, organizations, and individuals in the United States and… Read more »
Avey Marie Lopez-Hanshaw (Aviva Miryam bat Azriel) will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, January 28th, 2023 at Congregation Kol Ami on Country Club Rd. She is the daughter of Dr. Elise & Mr. Robert Lopez-Hanshaw, and the granddaughter of Donna Greenwood, Manuel Lopez, and Karen & Mark… Read more »
The idea for Handmaker to host Brandeis Lectures in their Great Room originated about five years ago when Brandeis Lecture Coordinator Ellie Eigen was visiting a friend of hers at Handmaker, Carol Zuckert. Eigen had been coordinating the Brandeis Tucson Museum of Art Docent Talks and was looking for… Read more »
Chesed in Judaism is kindness, but it is also much more. It means acts of freewill, generosity of spirit, and assisting people and the world in ways that create a positive, meaningful difference. We are taught as Jews that a foundational aspect of the entire world lies in such… Read more »
Tucson lost one of its most fervent community champions Dec. 25, 2022 when Don Luria, 87, passed away after a short illness, surrounded by family, at his Tucson home. He leaves a legacy of accomplishment in, business, government, education and nonprofit service across more than 50 organizations spanning 65… Read more »
As a result of strategic planning arising from community study data, and an education workgroup of rabbis and community leaders convened by the Jewish Philanthropies of Southern AZ (JPSA) in 2020, the Tucson J is intentionally enhancing Jewish learning opportunities for youth and teens through formal and informal channels… Read more »
Over 1,200 women philanthropists from 80 communities around the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and Israel came together at Jewish Federations of North America’s (JFNA’s) three-day International Lions of Judah Conference in Phoenix, where they raised a collective $24.2 million supporting Federations’ mission to build flourishing Jewish communities. The conference… Read more »
Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) is committed to the Jewish value of Gemilut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness). Every week, they recognize their student’s mitzvot (acts of kindness) by giving out the Honorable Menschen Awards at a school-wide gathering called Oneg Shabbat. It is there that two students from lower… Read more »
The centerpiece of formal learning opportunities at UArizona Hillel are our cohort-based learning fellowships, intensive opportunities that can have profound impacts on student lives. It’s a brilliant model because Hillel International provides a framework, curriculum, incredible resources, and some grant funds, but the program allows for customization by individual… Read more »
Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is always a welcome, bright spot as the days grow shorter and the nights chillier. Even here in Tucson, where the nights are not quite as chilly as elsewhere this time of year. The Hanukkah celebrations started early this year at Handmaker. Residents had… Read more »
Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center (TJMHC) has hired Ori Tsameret as Programming & Education Director. A recent Magna Cum Laude graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans, Ori comes to TJMHC with an impressive background in educational, cultural, and museum work. His focus areas in both his academic… Read more »
Jerrold M Lyons left us on November 24, 2022, after a brief struggle with cancer, followed by a private funeral. He was preceded in death by his dear wife, Joann, in 2010. He now rests beside her. Jerry, as we always called him, leaves behind three children; Ron … Read more »
Rabbi Richard B. Safran of Tucson, Ariz., (formerly of Fort Wayne, Ind.) passed away on December 2, 2022, at the age of 92. Rabbi Safran was the local Jewish Community Chaplain for many years. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he served his Jewish congregations, his communities, his friends and his… Read more »
