Post-Its

Helping Families with their Divorce Transition Journey

With the divorce rate still lingering around 50%, divorce affects many local families in our community. The many emotional, financial, and overall changes divorce brings leaves many unscathed by this adjustment. For some, the support of friends, family, and hobbies are useful tools to get them through. For others,… Read more »

Rabbi’s Corner: Counting the Omer

We are currently in the liminal time between the two holidays of Passover and Shavuot.  During these seven weeks, we are counting the Omer.  This period between Passover and Shavuot is not merely a calendar countdown; it can be a spiritual pilgrimage, a path of self-discovery and growth.  The… Read more »

Bar Mitzvah: Miles Larcom

Miles Cooper Larcom will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on May 26, 2024. Miles is the son of Guy & Danielle Larcom, and brother of Jax. Miles’ grandparents are Shirley & Jerry (z”l) Strauss, Ruth & Donald Walker, and Richard Larcom. Miles attends Esperero Canyon Middle School where he… Read more »

For JFCS Clients, Abortion Restrictions Can Add to Trauma

Reproductive rights have been a key topic of discussion for clients of Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona (JFCS) since June 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion that had been law since the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, says Lily Hanscom,… Read more »

Fight Against Fascism, Imperialism at Heart of Local Author’s Novel

In his debut work of historical fiction, “The Half-Caste,” local author Jason Zeitler takes readers from the gritty streets of 1930s London, where a Fascist Party leader galvanizes an army of followers nicknamed the “Jackboots,” to the lush jungles of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where anti-imperialist sentiment is on… Read more »

TJMHC Looks Ahead to Jewish American Heritage Month

Instituted in 2006 by President George W. Bush, Jewish American Heritage Month, or JAHM, occurs every May, and aims to create real opportunities for engagement with many Jewish histories, cultures and cultural products, achievements, and of course, people and communities. Though typically organized by the Weitzman National Museum of… Read more »

Shlicha’s View: My Week in Israel

After October 7, we were all overwhelmed, in pain. It was a moment in time that changed everything that we knew, reminding us of the fragility of life and the importance of standing together in times of crisis. I was so moved by the solidarity, love and concern I… Read more »

Peer-to-Peer Hub Aims to ‘Connect Jewish Tucson’

Jews in Southern Arizona have a new way to connect, explore, and engage with others in the local Jewish community: Connect Jewish Tucson. The recently launched Connect Jewish Tucson website, connect.jewishtucson.org, lets individuals create and promote events, find events they want to attend, and even invite people to go… Read more »

Of Blessed Memory: Elliott Heiman

Dr. Elliott Heiman passed away April 7, 2024, after a valiant battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was 85. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sandy; his daughters Pamela Heiman (children Rebecca and Shira), and Andrea (Adam) Kahn (children Tzivia, Yaakov Meir (Nechama) Kahn, and Basya (Shmaryahu)… Read more »

Second AgeWell Day Will Offer Fun and Fellowship

The Jewish community of Southern Arizona will host its second AgeWell Day on Tuesday, May 7. The event brings together community members aged 60 and above for activities and camaraderie. Positive relationships and social connections are the keys to happier, healthier, longer lives, according to a multi-decade Harvard study.… Read more »

Rabbi’s Corner: One Of the Greatest Moments in TV History

There he is, totally oblivious to what is about to happen. He is caught in the spotlight, bewildered, in his own world. The whole studio audience stands. Nicholas Winton, on the front row, has no idea until someone taps him on the shoulder and asks him to turn. Only… Read more »

Tucson City Council to Discuss Ceasefire Resolution

Rabbi Malcolm Cohen speaks during the “call to the audience” at the March 19 Tucson City Council meeting. (Photo courtesy Hava Leipzig Holzhauer)

The Tucson City Council will discuss a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza at its Tuesday, April 9 study session. Study sessions precede the council’s formal meetings. At the March 19 study session, council member Lane Santa Cruz requested a 20-minute discussion of the topic be added to… Read more »

Yom HaShoah Community Commemoration to Take Place May 5

Please join local Holocaust survivors and their families as we come together in community to memorialize the tragedy and loss of the Holocaust and to pay tribute to those who survived and the generations that have followed after them. This special observance will take place at 2:00 p.m. on… Read more »

Passover Seders and Catering at Handmaker

Handmaker has been providing kosher meals to its residents and the community for 60 years, and Passover-time is no exception. At Handmaker, Passover is observed to the full extent. This huge endeavor requires the cooperation of staff, residents, and family members. The days and weeks leading up to Passover… Read more »

A Look at Arts + Culture this Spring at the Tucson J

From the Song of Songs, we find a beautiful text elaborating on the beauty of spring. “For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers are seen in the land. The time of the nightingale is come, and the voice of the turtle dove… Read more »

Hillel is Home for UArizona Student

Hey everyone! My name is Zach “Schwally” Schawelson and I have been a Jewish student at the University of Arizona for the past FIVE years! I study engineering and when I’m not stressing about homework, projects, or finals, I spend my time at the Hillel building. During my 5… Read more »

Rabbi’s Corner: Our Social Compass

Our time in this world is replete with activity, full of action, and fraught with responsibilities. Yet, there are not many things we do more in life than interact with those around us.  As the day and age in which we live gets progressively more distant, those constant interactions… Read more »