Post-Its

Jennifer Tamara Mendelsohn, 39, died Dec. 4, 2019. Ms. Mendelsohn was born in Tucson. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Archie and Marjorie Mendelsohn of Tucson, Richard Temple of Kansas City, and Miriam Temple of Tucson. Survivors include her parents, Steven and Karen Mendelsohn; and brother, Jason… Read more »

Alvin Kivel, 93, died Nov. 30, 2019. Mr. Kivel was born in Loma Linda, California, and moved to Tucson when he was 2. He attended Mansfeld Jr. High and Tucson High School, graduating in 1944. After high school, he joined the Navy and then returned to Tucson to attend… Read more »

Hal Arkowitz, Ph.D., age 78, died Nov. 16, 2019. Dr. Arkowitz was an emeritus associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and his B.A. from New York University. His work was dedicated to understanding… Read more »

A son, Asher Jax Goldstein, was born Oct. 15, 2019 to Steffany and Joseph Goldstein of Scottsdale. Grandparents are Ellen and David Goldstein and Tess and Mark Holcomb, all of Tucson.… Read more »

Aaron Chase Handler, son of Marla and Steven Handler, celebrated becoming a bar mitzvah on Nov. 16, 2019, at Congregation Or Chadash. He attends Orange Grove Middle School and plays on the basketball team. Aaron enjoys baseball, basketball, football, and Camp Interlaken in Wisconsin. For his mitzvah project, he… Read more »

John W. Polacheck, M.D., 77, died Nov. 25, 2019, in Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Polacheck was born on April 10, 1942 in Milwaukee, where he grew up with his parents, Walter and Shirley Polacheck, and his younger siblings Linda, Mary, and Tom. After graduating as the valedictorian from Riverside High… Read more »

Abigail Rose Stadheim, daughter of Suzie and Chad Stadheim, will celebrate becoming a bat mitzvah on Dec. 7, 2019 at Congregation Or Chadash. She is the granddaughter of Leah and the late Frederick Richter of Tucson, and Myrna and Robert Stadheim of Sun Lakes, Arizona. Abigail attends Orange Grove… Read more »

Rabbi Stephanie Aaron

I was humbled and inspired to travel Nov. 3-6 with other rabbis and cantors to El Paso and Juarez, along with staff from HIAS (formerly the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) and T’ruah, a rabbinic organization for human rights, to visit detained immigrants near the U.S.-Mexico border. These are my… Read more »

Harry Victor Katz, 81, died Oct. 31, 2019, in Coral Gables, Florida. Mr. Katz was born on June 14, 1938, in Los Angeles, where he spent the first 26 years of his life with his parents, Alfred and Lillian Katz, and his brother, Roger Katz. He attended John Marshall… Read more »

Ryan Aaron Rudner, son of Eric and Monica Rudner, will celebrate becoming a bar mitzvah on Nov. 9 at Congregation Anshei Israel. He is the grandson of Calman and Gail Rudner and Alberto and Sara Mirta Bien-Willner, all of Tucson, and the great-grandson of Lidia Esses of Buenos Aires,… Read more »

Susan Marcia Broder, 72, died Oct. 24, 2019. Mrs. Broder was born in the Bronx, New York, to Minnie and Murray Cohen. At age 13, she was stricken with Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes. In 1967, after receiving her bachelor’s degree in romance languages from Queens College in New York… Read more »

Rabbi Robert Eisen

Finish the sentence: “If not now, _____” I would venture to guess that most of us would immediately call to mind the famous passage attributed to Hillel the Elder (Pirkei Avot 1:14): If I am not for myself, who is for me? When I am for myself, what am… Read more »

Judith Millstone, 69, died Sept. 28, 2019.  Ms. Millstone had been a resident of Tucson since 1968 when her family moved here from Rochester, N.Y., and she decided to attend the University of Arizona, graduating in 1972. She taught fifth grade for about seven years in Safford.  While she… Read more »

Betty Lou Rosenthal Light, 97, died Oct. 6, 2019. Mrs. Light was a matriarch in Gunnison, Colorado, for over seven decades before moving to Tucson in 2013. In Tucson, she lived at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging. Mrs. Light was preceded in death by her husband of almost… Read more »

Rayna Leah Gellman, 83, died peacefully in her sleep on Sept. 19, 2019, after a brief period of illness. Born in Chicago, Illinois, on April 21, 1936, Rayna was the middle of Sol and Julia Nathan’s three daughters. Julia moved Rayna and her sisters Esther (Capin) and Roberta (Bracker)… Read more »

Robert Michael Hersch, 69, died Oct. 3, 2019. Mr. Hersch was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Abington High School and went on to receive a B.A. in political science from American University in Washington D.C., a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Arizona, and… Read more »

Our beloved mother, Roslyn Girard Miller, was born in Brooklyn, New York, on Feb. 25, 1929 and passed peacefully on Sept. 29, Erev Rosh Hashanah, 2019. Along with occasional excursions to Coney Island with her younger brothers George and Ira, Roz’s Brooklyn childhood and early teen years revolved around… Read more »

Joy Often repeated during the High Holiday season: “What are you celebrating now?” “Who cares? We Jews always pray, eat, and are merry!” During prayers on every Jewish holiday, we mention “Mo’adim L’Simcha,” a holiday to rejoice. Yet, on Sukkot there is an extra emphasis on being happy and… Read more »

Thomas John Peters, 62, of Oro Valley, died Sept. 16, 2019. Mr. Peters was born in Chicago, Illinois. He studied music in college and eventually followed his brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Maureen, to Tucson, where he began a career in the health insurance industry. He was at UMC/Banner… Read more »

Eric H. Prosnitz, M.D., died Sept. 24, 2019. Dr. Prosnitz was preceded in death by his wife, Elaine Lois Prosnitz. Survivors include his daughters, Debra (Peter) and Beth; significant other, Kathi Willis; and brother, Ted (Karen). Memorial contributions may be made to the El Rio Foundation at www.elrio.org or… Read more »