The Pulse survey revealed that a majority of Jewish individuals in Soutthern Arizona are engaging with the Jewish community in some capacity, but there is opportunity to deepen engagement. Most Jews in Southern Arizona say their Jewishness is meaningful to them. They have Jewish friends. They know where to find Jewish life if they look for it. Nearly half say they want to be more involved than they currently are. And only one in three says… Read more »
Benjamin Ball, an 18-year-old senior outfielder at Hamilton High School in Chandler, starts each day by wrapping tefillin with his father. He wears his Star of David necklace on and off the baseball diamond and says the Shema before each game. Ball, the fifth-rated Arizona high school senior baseball… Read more »
Theresa Dulgov, a Holocaust survivor from Hungary, lights a candle with her great-grandchildren Fabian Ybarra (left) and Adacelia Figueroa at the Southern Arizona community Yom HaShoah commemoration on April 12, 2026. Raisa Moroz, JFCS director for Holocaust services, looks on from the podium. (Photo: Tucson J) Community members, clergy, and other local leaders came together with Holocaust survivors and members of the second and third generations on Sunday, April 12, in the Paul and Alice Baker Ballroom at the Tucson Jewish Community Center to honor the survivors, the flickers of light that came out of… Read more »
James Heuser and Carol Mintz Heuser display their mezuzah case collection at the Center for Jewish Philanthropy on March 9, 2026. (Photo courtesy JPSA) On March 9, Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona received a special donation from Carol Mintz Heuser and James Heuser. The gift was a collection of 52 mezuzah cases and scrolls James had saved from demolition over decades of working at a retirement community in New Jersey. … Read more »
Amb. Yechiel Leiter, left, completes letters of the Torah dedicated to the memory of his son with the scribe, Rabbi Tzvi Bider, as Dudi Berkowitz, right, looks on, Feb. 1, 2026 (Photo courtesy TTC) More than 600 people turned out to hear H.E. Dr. Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, speak in Tucson on Sunday, Feb. 1. The ambassador was in town to dedicate a Torah in memory of his son, Maj. Moshe Yedidya Leiter, an Israeli physician and soldier… Read more »
Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld Many Jews consider themselves Jewish but not religious. How do these Jews find meaning in holiday celebrations, lifecycle events, and their approach to their shared heritage? Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld, a past president of the Association of Humanistic Rabbis, will provide answers at a talk, “Secular and Jewish,”… Read more »
Judith Manelis has held onto her Haftara booklet for 74 years.
When I was 13 years old, I asked the rabbi of my Conservative synagogue, Tifereth Israel in New Bedford, Massachusetts, for a Bat Mitzvah. Rabbi Bernard Ziskind, a very traditional and serious gentleman, was surprised, and perhaps even shocked. It was 1951 after all, and no girl in my… Read more »
Children catch LED glowsticks for a dance party at the Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona ‘Jews at the Zoo’ event held at the Reid Park Zoo, Dec. 7, 2025. (Willo Art Photography by Christy Pickrell)
When Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona announced its inaugural Jewish heritage event, “Jews at the Zoo,” they hoped for a good turnout. What they got was a community affirming that connection, pride, and coming together matter. “First latke of the season!” exclaimed one of the almost 400 guests at… Read more »
Judith Manelis and Jerry Kaplan in the sukkah. (Photo courtesy Judith Manelis) Fifty-plus years ago, I wrote a story on Sukkot for The Jewish News of Metropolitan New Jersey. Although I complained a great deal about the small-town nature of my Jewish immigrant community, New Bedford, Massachusetts, where I was one of only 13 Jewish girls my age, I have learned… Read more »
Residents and guests enjoy a holiday meal at Handmaker. For over 60 years, Handmaker has made it possible for residents, along with family and friends, to enjoy kosher holiday meals and holiday services at Handmaker. For more than half of that time, Mel Cohen has been leading the Shabbat and holiday services, with help from Dan Asia, Mike… Read more »
From left, Tucson Jewish Community Center President and CEO Todd Rockoff, Tucson J Senior Director of Marketing, Communications and Public Relations Rachael Mitchell, and Tucson J Board Member Tamar Kugler at the 2024 Z3 Conference in Palo Alto, California. The Z3 Conference, an initiative of the Oshman Family JCC, brings Jews from across the political and religious spectrum together to explore Israel, Zionism, identity, and the future of Jewish life. The conference will celebrate 10 years this fall. For several years, Todd Rockoff, Tucson J President and CEO,… Read more »
Yael Shapiro On July 27, close to 1000 teenagers arrived in Tucson, Arizona, for a week of sports. The JCC Maccabi Games, an annual sports competition for young Jews, attracts teens from around the world. While the experience focuses on athletics, the sense of Jewish community that can be found here… Read more »
Dancer Beth Geschuit of Memphis pauses during a Tucson JCC Maccabi Games and Access "JCC Cares" project at the Tucson Jewish Community Center to display her dazzling collection of Maccabi Games trading pins, July 30, 2025. (Photo: Phyllis Braun) “JCC Cares” service projects have long been a cornerstone of the JCC Maccabi Games, reinforcing the value of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), one of the six core Maccabi values. For the games in Tucson this year, the Tucson Jewish Community Center partnered with two other local nonprofits,… Read more »
Maria E., a swimmer with Team Ukraine at the Tucson JCC Maccabi Games, cruised into first place in the girls 16-18 200-meter freestyle heat on Tuesday. Maria, 16, is competing in her third Maccabi Games and was unfazed by Tucson’s desert heat, having participated in Houston in 2024 and… Read more »
Teens dance to music from Artifex at the Tucson JCC Maccabi Games & Access Opening Ceremony, July 28, 2025. (Photo: Tom Spitz) Mariachis played in the lobby of the Tucson Convention Center arena Monday night, welcoming participants and spectators to the Opening Ceremony of the Tucson JCC Maccabi Games® & Access. The Maccabi Games are a weeklong Olympic-style athletic competition for teens, celebrating Jewish identity and connection. Tucson last hosted the… Read more »
Helmut Etzel holds his certificate of conversion to Judaism on May 15, the day of his Beit Din at Kol Ami Synagogue. (Photo courtesy of Rabbi Malcolm Cohen)
“That’s the most off-the-wall thing I’ve ever heard.” That was Helmut Etzel’s initial reaction 25 years ago, when his mother, Marina, a devout Catholic from the mountainous Antioquia region of Colombia, told him, “Mijo, I believe strongly we are from Jewish heritage.” “I also thought this would not be… Read more »
The Tucson Jewish Community Center is proud to host former UA Women’s Basketball & Phoenix Mercury star, Sam Thomas, for the 4th Annual Sam Thomas Hoop Group basketball clinic for children and teenagers on Sunday, August 10. This year, the clinic will be co-led by Dominique McBryde, a… Read more »
University of Arizona senior left-handed pitcher Eric Orloff, shown pitching against Cincinnati in March, helped lead the Wildcats to their 19th College World Series appearance this month. (Photo by Carson Mayeux / Arizona Athletics)
Eric Orloff looks to his Jewish faith to carry him through challenging and uncertain times. “When times are tough, I know it’s all going to work out in the end,” said Orloff, who completed his time as a University of Arizona left-handed relief pitcher on June 15. “You have… Read more »
The Greens — from left, Gabe, Ryan, Rachel, Jonathan, and Aaron — were hosts for the 2000 JCC Maccabi Games in Tucson, sparking a love of the Games that continues to this day, with Jonathan and Rachel co-chairing the 2025 athletics committee. (Photo courtesy Tucson J) In a little over two months, more than 1,500 Jewish teen athletes, coaches, and delegation heads will visit Tucson for the 2025 JCC Maccabi Games® & Access, which will be held July 27-Aug. 1. Many community members have answered the call to serve as hosts for the athletes, but… Read more »
{L-R): Seton, Torin, Amity, and Debbie Claggett For the Claggett family, the Tucson J has always felt like home. Amity Claggett, a former ECE student and J-Care participant, represented Team Tucson at the 2024 JCC Maccabi Games® in Detroit. Her mother, Debbie, previously worked on staff. This year, in addition to Amity’s return as an athlete… Read more »
