“The challenge today is to be animated by both gratitude and unrest, by humility and audacity, and to feel the exodus from Egypt — our people’s journey from slavery to freedom, from degradation to dignity — in our guts. Our Jewish story calls us to become agents of social… Read more »
Recently, I joined Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) colleagues from around the country for a one-day summit in New York City. The event was hosted by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) and the topic was Coalition & Bridge Building, Post-October 7. The presenters – an outstanding group… Read more »
Three years ago this summer, I had just finished my 16th round of chemo and was preparing for my double mastectomy. Having been diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at 35 years old during the height of the pandemic, I experienced immense isolation and fear. But in The Breasties, a… Read more »
I found it, like many discoveries, accidentally. I was busy pursuing a pre-Internet interest of mine – poring through old newspapers – but now online. Having spent the first 76% of my life in Oklahoma City, I was interested in looking at The Southwest Jewish Chronicle, a regional Jewish… Read more »
New mothers may not know they can work with a lactation consultant even if they are not having problems with breastfeeding. What’s more, health insurance must cover those services, says Katie Cohen, BSN, RN, IBCLC, the founder of Thrive Theory Lactation & Infant Feeding in Tucson. Under the Affordable… Read more »
Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona (JFCS) through its Let’s End Abusive Households (LEAH) program has forged a powerful partnership with MyZuzah to uplift Jewish survivors of interpersonal violence. This collaboration focuses on providing kosher, fair-trade mezuzahs to individuals and families who have endured interpersonal abuse, offering… Read more »
Studying with Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin from Chabad Tucson is a great way to spend an hour at Handmaker. And if you add in a Reuben sandwich, you have an unbeatable combination. Handmaker residents have been enjoying learning from Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin over the past few months and, thanks to… Read more »
Proponents say Jewish overnight camps strengthen kids’ Jewish identity. This was certainly true for Tucsonan Nanci Ogur Levy, who spent four summers at Pine Forest Camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania, as a camper, plus a summer as a waitress and another as a counselor-in-training. “It actually was my first real… Read more »
The Jewish History Museum & Holocaust History Center in downtown Tucson has a streamlined new name: Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center. The name, approved by the Museum’s Board of Directors in October, is the result of months of deliberations and conversations with stakeholders, says Board President Eric Schindler.… Read more »
In early October, the Claims Conference announced pensions for certain groups of Holocaust Survivors who previously did not receive funding. These include Survivors of the Leningrad Siege, those hiding in France, and those persecuted in Romania. These funds will support 6,500 survivors worldwide, recognizing the trauma and terror that… 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 »
