Tagged HEADLINES

THA Hands Out Honorable Menschen Awards to Community Friends

Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) is committed to the Jewish value of Gemilut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness). Every week, they recognize their student’s mitzvot (acts of kindness) by giving out the Honorable Menschen Awards at a school-wide gathering called Oneg Shabbat. It is there that two students from lower… Read more »

The Cohort Model: Jewish and Israel Learning Fellowships at Hillel

The centerpiece of formal learning opportunities at UArizona Hillel are our cohort-based learning fellowships, intensive opportunities that can have profound impacts on student lives. It’s a brilliant model because Hillel International provides a framework, curriculum, incredible resources, and some grant funds, but the program allows for customization by individual… Read more »

Warming Up for Hannukah at Handmaker

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is always a welcome, bright spot as the days grow shorter and the nights chillier. Even here in Tucson, where the nights are not quite as chilly as elsewhere this time of year. The Hanukkah celebrations started early this year at Handmaker. Residents had… Read more »

New Programming & Education Director Brings Diverse Experiences to TJMHC

Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center (TJMHC) has hired Ori Tsameret as Programming & Education Director. A recent Magna Cum Laude graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans, Ori comes to TJMHC with an impressive background in educational, cultural, and museum work. His focus areas in both his academic… Read more »

Of Blessed Memory: Jerrold Lyons

Jerrold M Lyons left us on November 24, 2022, after a brief struggle with cancer, followed by a private funeral. He was preceded in death by his dear wife, Joann, in 2010. He now rests beside her. Jerry, as we always called him, leaves behind three children; Ron … Read more »

Of Blessed Memory: Rabbi Richard Safran

Rabbi Richard B. Safran of Tucson, Ariz., (formerly of Fort Wayne, Ind.) passed away on December 2, 2022, at the age of 92. Rabbi Safran was the local Jewish Community Chaplain for many years. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he served his Jewish congregations, his communities, his friends and his… Read more »

Handmaker Residents Get to Know Local Teens from THA/BBYO

Thanks to Better Together, Handmaker is the beneficiary of two Intergenerational Programs that began this fall. Rabbi Cantor Emily Ellentuck from Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) applied for and received a Grant from Better Together to plan four, year-long Intergenerational programs with THA’s 7th and 8th Grade classes and Handmaker… Read more »

Of Blessed Memory: Betty Gould Garfield

Betty Gould Garfield, of Tucson, peacefully passed away October 19, 2022, in San Diego, Calif., with her daughter, Judith, by her side. Betty was born on Valentine’s Day in 1924 in New Haven, Conn., and lived there until 1936 when the Depression compelled her family to move to Los… Read more »

THA Honors Herschel and Jill (z”l) Rosenzweig at Fundraiser

Over 200 people attended Tucson Hebrew Academy’s annual Tikkun Olam fundraiser honoring Dr. Jill (z”l) and Dr. Herschel Rosenzweig and their many contributions to THA, the Jewish Community, and the greater Tucson area. Over the years, the Rosenzweigs have shown genuine acts of generosity, with a strong emphasis on… Read more »

Local Leaders Represent JPSA at General Assembly

Leaders from Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (JPSA) joined over 1,200 Jewish communal leaders in Chicago at Jewish Federations’ three-day General Assembly, where they set the shared Jewish communal agenda for the year ahead and heard from a diverse array of voices on critical issues facing the North American… Read more »

Jews For Fontes/Mayes Holds Event for the Candidates

Jews for Fontes/Mayes, a group formed for the 2022 election, hosted Adrian Fontes, candidate for Arizona Secretary of State, and Kris Mayes, candidate for Arizona Attorney General at an event on October 30. Approximately 50 people attended the event, and over $22,000 was raised for the candidates. Chabad Rabbi… Read more »

Of Blessed Memory: Marion Gendell

Marion Belvin Gendell, 91, passed away peacefully on October 15. Born in Berlin in 1931, she emigrated with her parents and younger brother to England in August 1939, just one week before the onset of World War II.  In 1940, her family emigrated to the United States settling in… Read more »

A Very Busy Autumn at Handmaker

This last month has been a whirlwind of activity at Handmaker. Beginning with the special festive meals and holiday services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, followed by the joyous celebrations of Sukkot and Simchat Torah during which residents experienced near perfect Sukkah dining weather. The holidays began a… Read more »

TJMHC Gallery Chat: Ethics Expert to Reflect on Auschwitz Visit and the Crisis of Current Political Narratives

Stuart Brody will present a Gallery Chat, “Reflections on a Recent Visit to Auschwitz: The Psychology of Collaboration and the Crisis of Current Political Narratives“ at the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center on Friday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. In his talk, which falls just after the anniversary of… Read more »

THA Students Spend Sukkot at Mt. Lemmon

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains, from whence cometh my help” -Psalms 121:1 Torah has several accounts of those who seek guidance, enlightenment, and inspiration from the divine by climbing hills, ascending mountains, or otherwise pursuing high, holy places. Similarly, the fifth – eighth grade students at… Read more »

Yuval Morad: New Israel Fellow Settles into the Old Pueblo

UArizona Hillel has a new Israel Fellow for the 2022-23 school year! Yuval Morad is originally from Kfar Saba, Israel, but for the next year will be in Tucson, exploring everything Arizona and America has to offer. Morad had never before visited America and he didn’t even know he’d… Read more »

Free Screening of “Where Is Anne Frank” Coming to Loft Cinema

The Arizona Center for Judaic Studies will present a free screening of Where Is Anne Frank with director Ari Folman, one of Israel’s most acclaimed filmmakers, on Sunday, Nov. 6. Where Is Anne Frank brings the famous diary of Anne Frank to the big screen from an unusual perspective,… Read more »

The Sharif Family Arrives in Tucson: A Refugee’s Story

The JFCS Refugee Resettlement Team

Note: The names in the story have been changed. The Sharif family arrived to Jewish Family & Children’s Services (JFCS) in early January of 2022 after months of upheaval and uncertainty. JFCS’s Reception & Placement Case Manager, Omed, met them at the airport upon their arrival. He helped the… Read more »