This month, as I am finishing my tenth year as CEO + President of the Tucson J – what I know to be one of the pre-eminent JCC’s in North America – I’d be remiss not to take a moment to honor all we have built and accomplished together.… Read more »
Post-Its
THA Announces Four Events and Commemorative Logo for 50th Anniversary
As Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) prepares for a year filled with celebration, they reflect on the expansive network of parents, grandparents, alumni families, and friends that make up fifty years of a global school-community. The 2023-24 school year will bring the THA community together like never before with four… Read more »
Annual Dr. Sam Goldfein Memorial Scholarship Awarded to Med Student Alvarez
Alexander Alvarez is the 2023 recipient of the Dr. Sam Goldfein Memorial Scholarship, an annual award given to a University of Arizona medical student who exhibits the compassion, commitment to patient care, humility, desire to learn and leadership qualities exemplified by Goldfein during his lifetime. Goldfein was a founding… Read more »
UArizona Hillel Preps for Exciting School Year
Around the country, many Hillel staffers are emerging from the relatively calm month of June, going to conferences, scheduling out High Holidays, and ordering supplies. In the midst of all the activity, I would love to highlight some of the awesome programming that we will be running this year… Read more »
Mae’s Kosher Kitchen Now Open at Handmaker
Handmaker has been providing kosher meals to its residents and the community for 60 years. With the limited options for kosher dining in Tucson, Handmaker has also long provided kosher catering and meals to Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona, as well as to local hotels and hospitals. This summer,… Read more »
Groundbreaking Sundance Documentary Coming to Tucson for One Screening Only
On Saturday, June 24th, Arizona List will be hosting a one-time-only screening and Arizona theatrical premier of Under G-d, a groundbreaking new film by Peabody-Award-winning Jewish filmmaker Paula Eiselt (Aftershock, 93Queen). The film won rave reviews at its Sundance premier a few months ago, and this will be the… Read more »
OP-ED: Say “No” to the Nazi Salute, Pima County. Just Say “No.”
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Arizona Jewish Post or its publisher, Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona. At a Pima County (Arizona) Board of Supervisors meeting in early June, an attendee made a straight-arm… Read more »
THA to Celebrate 50th Anniversary This School Year
The 2023-24 school year will be a celebratory marker for Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA): its 50th year as Southern Arizona’s foremost center for Jewish education. The school will unveil a commemorative motto and logo later this summer as it prepares for a year of community events and a 50th… Read more »
JCF Funded Shabbat Lunch & Learn Program – Masks are Now Optional at Handmaker!
Thanks to a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation, Handmaker will be hosting a monthly Shabbat Lunch & Learn program for older adults in our community. This year-long outreach program begins this fall, on the second Friday of each month. This program is part of an effort by the… Read more »
Tobin Board Leadership Completes First Year; Graduates Inaugural Class
After six months working together to develop and enhance skills designed to help lead and further the Jewish community, the inaugural class of the Tobin Board Leadership Program graduated 19 participants this May. The Program, funded by The Saul Tobin Fund for Jewish Continuity, honors the legacy of the… Read more »
Of Blessed Memory: Shelby Silverman
Shelby David Silverman (Shel), שלמה דוד בן חיה ומשה אהרן 77, of Tucson, AZ passed away on June 9, 2023, the 20th of Sivan 5783. Funeral service is at the Evergreen chapel, followed by burial on Sunday, June 11, at 10am, officiated by Rabbi Ruven Barkan and Cantorial Soloist… Read more »
THA Awards Teacher Excellence Award to Hayley Lionheart
As the entire student body enthusiastically cheered, Tucson Hebrew Academy’s (THA’s) Teacher Excellence award was presented by Head of School, Johanna Shlomovich, to Hayley Lionheart, Middle School Humanities Teacher on Friday, May 19. Ms. Lionheart is concluding her second year at THA. This award was established at the Jewish… Read more »
Of Blessed Memory: Betty Orman
Born Nov. 24, 1928, to Robert and Lillian Fleiss in Detroit, Betty graduated from Central High School there. She met the love of her life, Bernie Orman at the Jewish Community Center in Detroit. They were married October 22, 1950. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a… Read more »
Of Blessed Memory: Melanie Pozez
Melanie Pozez, beloved wife, sister, mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, philanthropist, activist and friend died May 27, 2023 at her home in Los Angeles. Melanie was born August 4, 1950, in Topeka, Kansas, the daughter of Shaol and Evie Pozez. A veritable Jewish Francis of Assisi, Melanie rescued thousands of… Read more »
JPSA Announces New Board Leadership for 2023-24
Following its annual Board of Trustees meeting earlier this month, Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (JPSA) announced a new Executive Committee for 2023-24 and introduced six new Board members. Liz Kanter Groskind was elected as the new Board Chair, replacing outgoing Chair Bruce Ash, who will remain on the… Read more »
Israel at 75 Fuels Momentum Around Israel Engagement
As I have referred to in a variety of different circles, the Weintraub Israel Center, a partnership between the Tucson J and Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (JPSA), has developed a generative mission statement that invites each of us to go on a self-propelled journey to individually connect in… Read more »
New State Budget to Greatly Aid Non-Profits, TJMHC
Since 2004, nonprofit organizations around the country, including many in our local Jewish community, have benefited from the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program. This initiative, spearheaded by Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), provides support for physical security enhancements and activities, including planning and training, to nonprofit organizations that… Read more »
Jewish Ecosystem of Southern Arizona Holds Third Meeting; Embraces Relationship Building
The Jewish Ecosystem of Southern Arizona held its third meeting, May 2 at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging. The meeting, attended by 37 representatives from various local Jewish organizations, furthered the mission and agenda of the Ecosystem’s first two meetings (here and here) in 2022. The goal of… Read more »
Project Shalom to Bring Joy and Community to Local Older Adults
Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona (JFCS) is partnering with Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona on a new endeavor—Project Shalom. Project Shalom is a volunteer-based holiday program for Jewish older adults and adults with disabilities. “We came up with the idea for Project Shalom as a result… Read more »
Hebrew High in Tucson Celebrates 45 Years
The Hebrew High program at Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) is designed to provide continued education in Hebrew language studies and to promote an immersion in Israeli culture. The curriculum offers high school students in 9th through 12th grades a path in which they can further explore and expand upon… Read more »