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 »
It is imperative that the University of Arizona remains a place where Jewish – including Israeli — students, faculty, and staff can express their religious, ethnic, national, and cultural identities in an environment of open inquiry, respectful dialogue, and civility. We extend this imperative to all students, faculty, and… Read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
This story first appeared in Jewish News (greater Phoenix). Last month, 17 Arizona state representatives, seven Democrats and 10 Republicans, went to Israel to meet with Israeli business, military and political leaders; learn about Israeli society; and speak with witnesses of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, including… Read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »
The BBYO International Convention’s Centennial Celebration held last month at the Rosen Shingle Creek Golf Resort in Orlando, Florida, epitomized the vibrancy and spirit of Jewish youth. Ten teens from the Kadimah BBG and Abba Gadol AZA BBYO Chapters housed here at the Tucson J proudly joined nearly 4,000… Read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Tucson’s Jewish community has long been deemed “mid-sized” by Jewish Federations of North America, the umbrella group for almost 150 Jewish Federations. That designation is borne out by the divergent perspectives of two winter residents. For Larry Selig of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (JPSA) is… Read more »
“Resilience” is the word Dr. David Siegel, a Tucson neurologist, heard most often from Israelis during a solidarity mission last month with the American Healthcare Professionals and Friends for Medicine in Israel, or APF. “The absolute resilience of the many Israelis I had the privilege to talk and interact… Read more »
A commemorative service in Phoenix on Sunday, Feb. 25, included Torah scrolls from two Tucson congregations. Both are Czech Memorial Scrolls that were collected by the Nazis during the Holocaust, warehoused in a ruined synagogue in Prague following the 1948 Communist coup, and finally rescued and brought to the… Read more »
In August 2023, six young rabbis, recent graduates of the Rabbinical Seminary of America in Queens, New York, moved to Tucson with their wives and children to start the Tucson Torah Center (TTC). The TTC offers one-on-one and group Torah study for men and daily minyanim, plus classes and… Read more »
