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 »
At a Jewish Agency for Israel training this April for American Jewish summer camp directors and prospective Israeli counselors, also known as summer shlichim (emissaries), the slogan was “Now More Than Ever.” JAFI staff joked that the catchphrase is used for everything, even insurance companies, says Robin Kelley, director… Read more »
William Becker was born in Milwaukee to Helen and Morris Becker on June 2, 1936. He grew up in Tucson, graduated from Tucson High in 1954, attended Marquette in Milwaukee and graduated from Marquette Dental School in 1961. As he used to say, “he married up” to Joyce Goldwyn… Read more »
Jim Stuehringer passed away on June 29, 2024, surrounded by loving family and friends after a battle with dementia. He was born in Akron, Ohio on August 19,1948 to Flo and Chuck Stuehringer. After graduating from law school at the University of Cincinnati, Jim relocated to Tucson with his… Read more »
Jessica Elisheva Emerson is happy her smart, steamy first novel, “Olive Days,” made the Los Angeles Daily News and Jewish Book Council summer reading lists, even though the book won’t be published until Sept. 10. When pitching it to agents, Emerson described “Olive Days” as “Unorthodox” meets “The End… Read more »
Sophia Rein and Akiva Solomon have announced their engagement. Sophia is the daughter of Diane and David Rein of Great Neck, N.Y., and the granddaughter of Helene (z”l) and David Fink and Corinne and Howard (z”l) Rein. She is a senior at Columbia University. Akiva is the son of… Read more »
If you experience or witness antisemitism or an incident that might be a hate crime, don’t hesitate to report it. That message was repeated over and over at a United Against Hate event that drew about 150 people to the Tucson Jewish Community Center on June 18. United States… Read more »
The Tucson Jewish Community Center was abuzz with learning and conversation into the early hours of the morning during the recent Meeting at the Mountain, a special Shavuot event that brought the Southern Arizona Jewish community in celebration and study. The annual tikkun leil was proudly put on in… 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 »
