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 »
Thanks to Better Together, Handmaker is the beneficiary of two Intergenerational Programs that began this fall. Rabbi Cantor Emily Ellentuck from Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) applied for and received a Grant from Better Together to plan four, year-long Intergenerational programs with THA’s 7th and 8th Grade classes and Handmaker… Read more »
Betty Gould Garfield, of Tucson, peacefully passed away October 19, 2022, in San Diego, Calif., with her daughter, Judith, by her side. Betty was born on Valentine’s Day in 1924 in New Haven, Conn., and lived there until 1936 when the Depression compelled her family to move to Los… Read more »
Over 200 people attended Tucson Hebrew Academy’s annual Tikkun Olam fundraiser honoring Dr. Jill (z”l) and Dr. Herschel Rosenzweig and their many contributions to THA, the Jewish Community, and the greater Tucson area. Over the years, the Rosenzweigs have shown genuine acts of generosity, with a strong emphasis on… Read more »
Community leaders from 16 different Jewish community agencies across Southern Arizona met Thursday, October 27, at the second Jewish Ecosystem of Southern Arizona meeting in an effort to “build an infrastructure to promote collective decision making and learning,” according to Todd Rockoff, Tucson J. President and CEO. The Ecosystem… Read more »
The University of Arizona administration and I have worked closely in the past weeks to begin to address critical issues in the wake of recent tragedy, when Professor Thomas Meixner was shot in the building across the street from Hillel on Yom Kippur by a known antisemite. May Dr.… Read more »
Leaders from Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (JPSA) joined over 1,200 Jewish communal leaders in Chicago at Jewish Federations’ three-day General Assembly, where they set the shared Jewish communal agenda for the year ahead and heard from a diverse array of voices on critical issues facing the North American… Read more »
Jews for Fontes/Mayes, a group formed for the 2022 election, hosted Adrian Fontes, candidate for Arizona Secretary of State, and Kris Mayes, candidate for Arizona Attorney General at an event on October 30. Approximately 50 people attended the event, and over $22,000 was raised for the candidates. Chabad Rabbi… Read more »
Marion Belvin Gendell, 91, passed away peacefully on October 15. Born in Berlin in 1931, she emigrated with her parents and younger brother to England in August 1939, just one week before the onset of World War II. In 1940, her family emigrated to the United States settling in… Read more »
This last month has been a whirlwind of activity at Handmaker. Beginning with the special festive meals and holiday services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, followed by the joyous celebrations of Sukkot and Simchat Torah during which residents experienced near perfect Sukkah dining weather. The holidays began a… Read more »
Stuart Brody will present a Gallery Chat, “Reflections on a Recent Visit to Auschwitz: The Psychology of Collaboration and the Crisis of Current Political Narratives“ at the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center on Friday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. In his talk, which falls just after the anniversary of… Read more »
“I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains, from whence cometh my help” -Psalms 121:1 Torah has several accounts of those who seek guidance, enlightenment, and inspiration from the divine by climbing hills, ascending mountains, or otherwise pursuing high, holy places. Similarly, the fifth – eighth grade students at… Read more »
