Four Southern Arizona synagogues have recently joined the Jewish Community Roundtable and the Synagogue-Federation Dialogue: Beth Shalom Temple Center in Green Valley, Congregation Beit Simcha, Chabad of Oro Valley, and Chabad of Sierra Vista. The Jewish Community Roundtable and the Syn-Fed Dialogue facilitate unified action, coordinate scheduling and calendar… Read more »
What a blessing it was to welcome back Mel Cohen and Dan Asia to the Great Room at Handmaker Jewish Services for Aging for Shabbat this past month! After over 15 months of Virtual Shabbat Services over Zoom, everyone was thrilled to once again have Shabbat Morning services in… Read more »
On May 12th, 2021, Tucson Hebrew Academy’s (THA) eighth grade class celebrated their graduation after a year unlike any other. The ceremony took place from 7 to 9 pm at the Park Place Event Space adjacent to the Park Place Mall. Around 120 attendees gathered to celebrate the twelve… Read more »
The following statement was signed on June 17, 2021 by community faith, racial, and ethnic leaders at a convening called the “Coalition Against Hate” held at the Tucson Jewish Community Center. We, the undersigned religious and ethnic leaders of Tucson and the Southern Arizona community, come together today… Read more »
Whenever he called me from the United States, my uncle asked the same question, “Do you think you’re going to stay in Israel?” As the decades passed, the question turned more and more into a jest. And now that I’ve lived in Israel for almost forty years, including marrying… Read more »
“I’m too busy.” “I don’t know enough about the candidates.” “My vote won’t count.” We’ve all heard these excuses for failing to vote, some from family, some from friends or acquaintances. The quasi-reasons annoy me or infuriate me, depending on the context. Voting has been around for centuries. Why… Read more »
Harriet Fruchtman Feldman Harriet Fruchtman Feldman was born on February 7th, 1931, in Brooklyn, New York and was preceded in death by her husband Elliott Ivan Feldman in 1989. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.A. in Physical Education. In 1996, Harriet was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. This marked… Read more »
Yesterday a devastating act of antisemitism was discovered at the Chabad on River. An entry door was defaced with a swastika and an antisemitic slur. This comes just weeks after vandalism against Congregation Chaverim where a rock was thrown through a window in the front door of the synagogue. These horrendous antisemitic acts… Read more »
Mara Aspinall With the increased availability of COVID-19 vaccinations and updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, many in the Southern Arizona Jewish community are feeling cautiously optimistic about a summer that looks very different from years past. The Maimonides Society, a fellowship of healthcare professionals who are dedicated to… Read more »
Stacey Tarquinio, LPC After more than a year providing Chaplaincy services by phone as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ability to be at the bedside of a patient in the hospital, or sit and visit with a Handmaker resident is such a blessing! Since March 16, 2020, the Jewish Federation… Read more »
Marcia Zaccaria accepts the Maricopa County Chapter of the NAACP Freedom Fund Community Award for Civic Engagement on behalf of Congregation M’Kor Hayim Racial Justice Task Force Congregation M’kor Hayim is a 90-member synagogue located in Tucson, Arizona. One week after the killing of George Floyd, M’kor Hayim member Jane Levin proposed a Racial Justice Task Force to Rabbi Helen Cohn. This proposal was met with enthusiasm by both the Rabbi and the M’kor Hayim President… Read more »
Adventure Bus participants returned to the campus of Handmaker Jewish Services for Aging after 14 months on May 11, 2021. Handmaker residents rejoiced in the reunion with past participants, welcomed new friends, and greeted volunteer coordinator Bruce Pitz. Beginnings Tucson winter visitor Adrienne Drell originated the idea for Adventure… Read more »
Divorce Recovery, Inc. and Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Southern Arizona (JFCS) have announced their merger to offer individuals and families of Southern Arizona the support, guidance, and resources needed while going through a divorce or separation. JFCS has acquired Divorce Recovery’s assets, resources, and curriculum, and the… Read more »
The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona strongly condemns the vandalism against Congregation Chaverim. A rock was thrown through a window in the front door of the synagogue earlier this week and left the Jewish community shaken by this terrible act of violence. There… Read more »
Watching a TV drama unfold as a crime is committed, the suspect is apprehended, tried, and convicted in one hour (including commercials) has always been unrealistic to those of us who have been participants in both sides of “law and order.” The juxtaposition of watching the entire trial seeking… Read more »
Carol Stern with Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir Carol Stern passed away on Friday, May 14, 2021. She and her husband, Al, of blessed memory, provided invaluable leadership to the Tucson Jewish community for decades, serving as moving forces behind the establishment of our vital institutions. Among her other key contributions, Carol was instrumental in creating Women’s… Read more »
Josh Hurand Z''L Beloved husband, father, friend, teacher, writer, gardener, advocate, connector, Tucson enthusiast, and grateful human, Joshua Mark Hurand, age 48, died peacefully at his home in Tucson, AZ on May 6, 2021 surrounded by loved ones. Born in Lansing, MI on April 15, 1973 to Gary and Carol Hurand, he… Read more »
Registration for the 2021 JFSA/JCF Joint Annual Meeting is now closed. We will post a video online after the meeting has taken place. We hope to see you at future events. The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona (JFSA) and Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona (JCF) will hold… Read more »
Sage Elise Wexler Sage Elise Wexler was called to the Torah as a Bat Mitzvah on April 24, 2021 at Congregation Or Chadash. She is the daughter of Allison and Michael Wexler, of Tucson, and granddaughter of Charlene and Sam Wexler of Chicago, and Jerry and Sue Zandman of Lido Beach, NY.… Read more »
Gabrielle “Gabi” Mintz Second-year University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson student Gabrielle “Gabi” Mintz has been awarded the Shirley D. Curson Medical Student Scholarship from the UArizona Hillel Foundation. Second-year medical student, Gabrielle “Gabi” Mintz, in the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, has been awarded the Shirley D. Curson… Read more »
