Levi Finkelstein will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, at Kol Ami Synagogue. He is the son of Adam and Nina. Levi attends Orange Grove Middle School. He is a fan of cats, sushi, video games, music, roller coasters, Anime, and Monopoly. His hobbies include… Read more »
*Grabbers … my absolutely favorite thing: I use them to pick up items from the floor or to take things down from a cabinet. I own four. CAUTION: Don’t use a grabber to pick up unfinished dog or cat food. I’ve dropped bowls twice. *Fly Swatters: Some months ago, I was inundated by flies. I have no idea where they came from. I killed 25 flies in two days (I counted them). So I ordered flyswatters online. Now I have them in every color … one for each room. *Jar and Bottle Openers: I… Read more »
Members of the Tucson Multifaith for Pride Coalition, Tucson City Council, and Mayor Regina Romero gather in the council chambers Nov. 18, 2025 to mark passage of a resolution affirming transgender rights. Lynn Davis, director of the Rabbi Joseph H. Gumbiner Community Action Project at Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center, is fourth from left. Members of Tucson’s Multifaith for Pride Coalition are celebrating the recent passage of a city council resolution that reaffirms the rights of transgender individuals in our community while, at the same time, recognizing the “disproportionate risks of harassment, violence, barriers to essential services, and legislative threats that undermine their human dignity.” Lynn Davis, director of the… 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 »
Eithan Samuel Moss will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at Kol Ami Synagogue. He is the son of Kol Ami Executive Director Sean Moss and Kerry Moss. Eithan attends Sonoran Science Academy. Whether he’s working toward his Eagle Scout rank, tending to his tomato… Read more »
Nathan Jacob Goldstein will celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah on November 15, 2025, at Kol Ami Synagogue. He is the son of Adam and Dana Goldstein. Nathan attends Orange Grove Middle School. His hobbies include baseball, football, golfing, skiing, and following his favorite teams. Nathan also likes spending time… Read more »
Donald S. Novitt, born on July 30, 1947, in New York City, passed away on November 5, 2025 in Tucson. He was a devoted husband to Morleen, a loving father to Lisa (Rick), and proud “Pa” of Mia and Ruby, who brought him endless joy. Don was a successful… Read more »
Kameron Norwood and Sara Cash Norwood with their daughters. (Photo: Kristin Bendigo Photography) Over the past two years, Kameron Norwood, 36, has woven himself into the fabric of Tucson’s Jewish community. He’s in his second year of Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona’s two-year Young Men’s Group leadership program, and he and his wife, Sara Cash Norwood, have hosted several YMG and JPSA events at… Read more »
Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona Director of Public Affairs Carina Bien-Willner, left, moderates a discussion with Israeli singer-songwriter Linor Ein Gedy (center) and antisemitism expert Rachel Fish, Ph.D., Oct. 26, 2025. For many weeks after Oct. 7, Israeli singer-songwriter Linor Ein Gedy could find no comfort in music. “Music has always been my source of strength, of solace, and my way to channel my emotions. It wasn’t only my livelihood. It was my way to turn pain into beauty, and I was scared that I lost that,”… Read more »
Jewish Family & Children's Services of Southern Arizona has launched a hygiene pantry to help those facing cuts in SNAP benefits. Last week, with cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits looming for one million Arizonans, Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Arizona opened a hygiene pantry. The pantry, located at the organization’s building at 4301 E. Fifth Street, aims to provide essential items such as toothpaste, diapers and feminine… Read more »
Sydney Viscusi will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at Kol Ami Synagogue. She is the daughter of Chad and Rebecca Viscusi. Sydney attends the Gregory School, where she is in seventh grade. She plays volleyball on her school team and is an avid dancer… Read more »
Chris Tanz passed away at her home on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. Chris was a Holocaust survivor and a past board member of Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center. Chris Tanz was born Krystyna Maria Szwienczicka on Sept. 27, 1944, in Warsaw, Poland. Her parents, Henryk and Regina, were… Read more »
For the ninth year, people of all ages and abilities are invited to hit the trail with the Tucson J, kicking off the season of light with movement and community for the annual Hanukkah Hot Cocoa Run on Sunday, Dec. 7. This year’s run features timed 5k and 1-mile… Read more »
Flags placed by University of Arizona Hillel staff and students represent the fallen victims and hostages of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in Israel. (Photo courtesy UA Hillel) On October 16 at the University of Arizona, students and staff from the Hillel Foundation joined to commemorate the brutal attack and massacre in Israel that occurred on October 7, 2023. Several Jewish organizations and student groups, including Students Supporting Israel, Homeland, Stand With Us, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Chabad,… Read more »
Anna Cohen will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, Oct. 25. 2025 at Kol Ami Synagogue. She is the daughter of Noah Cohen and Havah Haskell z”l. Anna attends Esperero Canyon Middle School. She loves music, animals, national parks, and Japanese anime. For her mitzvah project, Anna is… Read more »
Farfel One morning during COVID, I went for a morning walk with my dog, Farfel. I saw three dogs, five birds, two rabbits, eight snails, and two fish. I am not making this up! I live on a pond in the middle of Tucson. It was a relief and a… Read more »
Brian Alterowitz Tucson Hebrew Academy recently hired Brian Alterowitz as director of operations. Alterowitz is a dedicated and highly skilled organizer with a deep-rooted passion for community, education, and public service. With over 25 years of distinguished service in the United States Army, he retired at the rank of Chief Warrant… Read more »
Rachel Fish, Ph.D. Scholar/activist Dr. Rachel Fish is a renowned expert on antisemitism in America. She will be in Tucson on Sunday, October 26, to lead Southwest Institute 2025, a program from the Center for Jewish Resilience at Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona designed to help educators and administrators identify and address… Read more »
Liora Lee Abrams Dunn will celebrate becoming a Bat Mitzvah at Kol Ami Synagogue on Saturday, October 18, 2025. She is the daughter of Rina Abrams-Dunn and Christopher Dunn. Liora attends Desert Sky Middle School, and she is also enrolled in the Madrichim training program at the Kol Ami… Read more »
Jonathan Breakstone of Phoenix,, StandWithUs Regional Director Jake Bennett, Rabbi Benzion Shemtov of Chabad of Cochise County, and Doug Levy of Tucson (Photo courtesy CJR/JPSA) The Bisbee city council tabled a resolution Sept. 16 that called for a ceasefire in Gaza. The seven-member council agreed in an executive meeting to table the resolution indefinitely. The biased, anti-Israel resolution was authored by freshman councilmembers Pete Skinner and Trish Damon. Mayor Ken Budge and other council… Read more »
