Rabbi Thomas A. Louchheim Background: I received both doses of the Moderna vaccine in March of this year. Just over two weeks ago I suffered a bad cold, and was asked to be tested. On the fourth day of my symptoms, I received a positive antigen test. Nine days into my quarantine, I… Read more »
Some may be surprised to learn that Jews have been active in Tucson’s political, commercial, and cultural life for nearly 200 years. Today, that heritage continues, and includes a contemporary group of local musicians that has been gathering weekly for more than a decade to play the unique Jewish… Read more »
A recent segment of NBC’s “Chicago Med” began with the story of a crowd watching a clearly disturbed young man in the midst of a psychiatric incident so severe that he was unable to recognize his own mother or his surroundings. The doctor (a former police officer) who arrived on… Read more »
Rabbi Arthur Oleisky It is with a heavy heart that we share that Rabbi Emeritus Arthur Oleisky passed away on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. Rabbi Sara Metz of Congregation Anshei Israel shared the following message with us: We are sad to inform you of the passing of Rabbi Arthur Oleisky this Shabbat… Read more »
Richard “Dick” Belkin Tucson Hebrew Academy will honor Richard “Dick” Belkin at its 2021 Tikkun Olam Celebration next month. The virtual celebration will be held Sunday, November 7, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. Dick and his wife, Sherry, moved to Tucson in 1989. They found a welcoming Jewish community in which they have… Read more »
Dr. Seneca Erman and Cantor Janece Cohen at Congregation Or Chadash in 2016 (Elliot Framan). Dr. Seneca Erman passed away on Sept. 29, 2021. Seneca was the husband of Dorothy Erman z”l; father of Cantor Janece Cohen, Dr. Spencer (Nancy) Erman, and Dr. Russ (Anat) Erman; grandfather of Brayton (Danielle), Derek, Lara, Zachary (Katie), Jared (Erica), and Ariel, great grandfather of Aivi, Cillian, Abigail,… Read more »
In their October issue, Forbes Magazine announced that Aaron Rottenstein has been named one of America’s top 500 Next-Gen Wealth Managers of 2021. Aaron is the only Tucsonan to make the list. Quoting from Forbes selection for the Top NextGen Advisors: “There’s a reason millions of families are entrusting… Read more »
The 3,100 employees of Cox Arizona today announce grant donations of $80K to 21 Southern Arizona nonprofit education, diversity and environment and sustainability programs during a difficult time. This marks the 25th year that Cox Arizona employees, through Cox Charities, have raised funds to help the communities in which they… Read more »
Sawyer Charles Lazarus Sawyer Charles Lazarus celebrated his Bar Mitzvah on August 7th, 2021 at Congregation Anshei Israel. He is the son of Emily and Adam Lazarus and the grandson of Ellen and Larry Z”L Yasmer and Sandy and Joel Lazarus of Davie, Florida. Sawyer is a rising seventh grade student at… Read more »
Jonathan Rothschild, left, and Pastor D. Grady Scott
Although the African American community faces many challenges, such as gaining better access to healthcare and education, for Pastor B. Grady Scott of Grace Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Tucson, the number one issue is overrepresentation in jails and prisons. Scott and former Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild presented “African… Read more »
A Congregation Bet Shalom member shows off eggs laid by the shul's chickens, in the short film 'Feeding Our Souls." (Courtesy Tucson International Jewish Film Festival)
Congregation Bet Shalom members young and old — but mostly young — are featured in a short film, “Feeding Our Souls,” that will debut as part of the Tucson International Jewish Film Festival. But the chickens are definitely the stars. Raising chickens has been a central part of the… Read more »
A travel group (minus leader and photographer Tom Price) on tour in Fez, Morocco, once a major center of Jewish life. (Photo courtesy Tom Price) International travelers seeking new and exciting experiences can depart today from Tucson, or anywhere, at no cost, with no passport, and with no travel restrictions. All that’s required is an Internet connection, a digital device, some curiosity, and one’s attention for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. “Around… Read more »
Gary Melton of the Beth Shalom Temple Center in Green Valley forms a bagel as part of a men's club fundraiser in November 2020. (Photo courtesy Mike Finkelstein)
Editor’s note: There’s no denying 2020 has been a tough year, and we’re sorry we missed this noteworthy story from last month. Enjoy! Over the Nov. 8 weekend, members of the men’s club at Beth Shalom Temple Center in Green Valley came together for a bagel making fundraiser for… Read more »
Amy Hirshberg Lederman If you had told me a year ago that I would change my life by selling my Tucson home to be closer to my Mom in New Jersey or that I would spend the winter bundled up in Boston rather than hiking in the sunshine, I would have responded:… Read more »
Insights that have emerged from the ongoing community planning process will help enrich Jewish life in Southern Arizona, with a focus on collaboration and inclusion.
How can the Southern Arizona Jewish community shape a future that engages, fulfills, and sustains more people than ever before, in this generation and the generations to come? A newly released 21-page document called “Southern Arizona Jewish Community: Pathways to Enriching Jewish Life” aims to answer this question. Developed… Read more »
From left, Rabbi Yossie Shemtov of Chabad Tucson with Handmaker Director of Food and Facility Services Mike Felde, Pastry Chef Julie Ogroski, and Executive Chef Claire Wilmouth (Photo: Faye Gandolfi)
Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging has announced a partnership with the ongoing Chabad of Tucson Kosher Meals on Wheels program. By providing affordable kosher meals to those in need, this collaboration helps tackle the issue of food insecurity in the local community. The program will provide glatt kosher… Read more »
Graham Hoffman
Social Venture Partners Tucson has selected 10 local nonprofits to participate in its sixth annual Fast Pitch program. These organizations will take part in an 18-week training program designed to help nonprofits build meaningful relationships, gain resources, and become more resilient. At the centerpiece event on March 11, 2021,… Read more »
Months ago, Ester Leutenberg told her husband, Jay, she was concerned about young children and teens’ reactions to the restrictions and uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. “Our twin grandsons could not have a high school graduation ceremony; young people of all ages were either struggling with virtual… Read more »
High school seniors Bella Wexler of Tucson and Amber Juang of Taiwan have been friends since they were fifth-grade students together at Ventana Vista Elementary School in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills School District. They’ve maintained that friendship across 7,000 miles since Amber’s family returned to Taiwan during the girls’ first… Read more »
I find it increasingly difficult to understand how any religion or spiritual tradition can put itself at the center of the world and claim it has the only truth about creation and the Divine. The internet offers windows into all corners of the world. Interfaith dialogue among open-hearted people… Read more »
