Handmaker activity assistant Shania Sponaas, left, and former activity assistant Gracie Soto participate in a Red Cross Blood Drive at Handmaker in June 2025. A single blood donation can save up to three lives by providing red blood cells, platelets, and plasma to trauma victims, surgery patients, and individuals battling chronic illnesses such as cancer and sickle cell disease. According to the Red Cross, someone in the U.S. needs blood every two… Read more »
(L-R): Renee Pourrier, Diana Coleman, and Keri Gall at Handmaker’s Rubin Assisted Living (Photo courtesy Nanci Levy) For years, Handmaker has been fortunate to have an extensive roster of dedicated volunteers. They come to spend time with residents, play games, assist attendees during Shabbat services, and most importantly, build meaningful connections and friendships. Following the pandemic, Handmaker was grateful to welcome back many familiar faces, including… Read more »
Handmaker resident Karen Green and Activity Assistant Ariana Canez visit vendor booths at the Handmaker Healthcare Fair on May 12, 2026. (Photo: Nanci Levy)
On Tuesday, May 12, Handmaker welcomed healthcare professionals, community partners, residents, families, and guests to a successful and informative Healthcare Fair held on campus — the first event of its kind at Handmaker in recent memory. The fair brought together a wide variety of healthcare providers and organizations, offering… Read more »
Handmaker resident Karen Green with Better Together participants Avey Hanshaw and Oliver Sheinbein (Photo: Nanci Levy/Handmaker)
On Friday, April 10, Handmaker residents gathered in the Great Room alongside BBYO teens, Tucson Hebrew Academy students, and family members for a truly special evening — celebrating Shabbat, marking the conclusion of Passover, and honoring four remarkable years of the Better Together intergenerational program. More than four… Read more »
Handmaker has been providing kosher meals to its residents and the community for over 60 years, and the Passover holiday is no exception. At Handmaker, observing Passover is a huge endeavor that requires the cooperation of staff, residents, and family members. The days and weeks leading up to Passover… Read more »
Art teacher Martha Rast, left, with Handmaker resident Grace Efaw (Photo: Nanci Levy) Handmaker residents have been thrilled with the recent enhancements to their activity programs. New art classes and music therapy sessions are furthering the goal of enriching the lives of the older adults Handmaker serves. Handmaker recently introduced dementia-friendly, accessible art classes in the Tynan Advanced Assisted Living, Kalmanovitz… Read more »
Kol Ami Cantor Jen Benrey sings at Handmaker, Dec. 14, 2025. (Photo: Nanci Levy) Beginning with a pre-Hanukkah warm-up of dreidel playing with BBYO teens at their Better Together meeting on Sunday, Dec. 14, Handmaker residents have had very full days and nights of Hanukkah. The Young Explorers from Kol Ami Synagogue, which included several families with children aged 2-8, joined Kol… Read more »
Women prepare care packages for the wives of IDF soldiers at Tucson Torah Center's Oct. 20 event at Handmaker. (Photo: Nanci Levy) “I haven’t been here since my grandmother lived here” is a comment frequently shared by visitors attending Handmaker’s recent community events. When they look around, they are usually amazed at how much Handmaker has changed since their last visit. What began as a 40-bed non-profit nursing home over 60… 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 »
SandRuby Community Programs has been providing care for adults and respite for their caregivers for many years. Part of the Handmaker Family of Services, SandRuby provides a safe, social environment for older adults, where they are surrounded by friends and trained and loving staff, and have the opportunity to… Read more »
Did you know that every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood? It’s vital for surgeries, cancer treatments, chronic conditions, and emergency care. Whether it’s whole blood, red cells, platelets, or plasma, each lifesaving donation begins with one generous donor. Because blood and platelets cannot be manufactured, volunteer… Read more »
JPSA young leadership volunteers and Handmaker residents with the boxes of school supplies they packed for Homer Davis Elementary School, June 1, 2025 (Photo courtesy JPSA)
Volunteering is rejuvenating and “good for the soul,” said David DiCosola, one of 18 volunteers from Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona’s Young Leadership Division who joined Handmaker residents on Sunday, June 1, for a service and learning program. Nate Weisband, JPSA Young Leadership Manager, created the pre-Shavuot program to… Read more »
In the spirit of honoring their elders, engaging in hiddur p’nai zaken, teens from Tucson Hebrew Academy and BBYO have been meeting monthly with Handmaker residents since September as part of the Better Together intergenerational program. One Wednesday morning each month, residents eagerly waited in the Grand Foyer or… Read more »
Handmaker has hosted countless events and programs in the Great Room. For the last several years, attendees of programs held there have frequently commented that the program was good, but the speaker was difficult to hear or the image on the screen was hard to see. This was… Read more »
Nanci Levy, Handmaker community outreach coordinator, with Hanukkah latkes she made for residents and staff on Dec. 11. (Photo: Angela Salmon/Handmaker)
Despite the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, residents and staff at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging celebrated Hanukkah last month. Rabbi Richard Safran led a nightly menorah lighting for fellow residents in the Rubin Assisted Living Neighborhood. Nanci Levy, community outreach coordinator, cooked up potato latkes for… 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 »
Still making Thanksgiving plans? Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging, in partnership with Chabad Tucson, is offering glatt kosher Thanksgiving meals prepared by Handmaker chefs. To order, call 881-2323 by Nov. 20. Chabad Tucson and Handmaker note that Meals on Wheels is a subsidized kosher meal option, and various… Read more »
Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging reisdent Sophia Bowman hugs daughter Gretchen through the "hugging booth" plastic divider, with son Kevin looking on. (Photo courtesy Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging)
For the last month or so, residents of Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging have been enjoying visits with friends and family outside in one of the courtyards, 6 feet apart, and masked, per COVID-19 safety precautions. “We even have a hugging booth, so residents can hug their visitors… Read more »
Gianna Lampert, left, and Ruth Cooper
Gianna Lampert, a teen participant in the Tracing Roots program that brings together students from the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Hebrew High and residents at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging, is the 2020 winner of the Better 2 Write contest sponsored by the Legacy Heritage Better Together… Read more »
Marcia Silberman Light, 71, died June 13, 2020 after a short battle with acute myeloid leukemia, just two days shy of her 51st wedding anniversary. Mrs. Light was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, the oldest daughter of Arthur and Shirley Silberman. She attended Belleville Township High School and… Read more »
