Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford in her Tucson home with her bilingual children’s books. (Courtesy Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford) Tucson resident and author Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford originally wrote “What Color is Your Hand?/ De qué color es tu mano?” 24 years ago, after a poignant moment with her 4-year-old grandson, Jordan. She and her husband, Daniel, had taken Jordan to Legoland in California on vacation. When Rivera-Ashford… Read more »
London Ahava Emerson, daughter of Jordan Emerson and Dr. Miriam Geoffroy, will celebrate becoming a bat mitzvah at Congregation Anshei Israel on Nov. 22, 2025. She is the granddaughter of Randy Emerson and Bonnie Sedlmayr-Emerson of Tucson, and George and Irina Gurevich of Scottsdale. London is a seventh grader… Read more »
A son, Shalom Dovber Shanowitz, was born Sept. 9 to Sarah and Shmulie Shanowitz of Tucson. Shalom joins his siblings, Risha and Mushka. Grandparents are Rabbi David and Mrs. Chanie Kugel of Brooklyn, New York, and Rabbi Chaim and Mrs. Sterna Sanowicz of Los Angeles, California.… Read more »
Judith Manelis and Jerry Kaplan in the sukkah. (Photo courtesy Judith Manelis) Fifty-plus years ago, I wrote a story on Sukkot for The Jewish News of Metropolitan New Jersey. Although I complained a great deal about the small-town nature of my Jewish immigrant community, New Bedford, Massachusetts, where I was one of only 13 Jewish girls my age, I have learned… Read more »
Adelle Abrahams, age 102, passed away peacefully, surrounded by love on September 4, 2025. Born Adelle Bickart on October 17, 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio. Adelle lived a remarkable life filled with creativity, intelligence and an unwavering commitment to her family and to a large and diverse circle of friends.… Read more »
Sarah Tolar Acclaimed jazz singer Sarah Tolar will lend her signature smooth vocals and heartfelt style to Rhapsody in Hope, a special benefit concert for Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona (JFCS). The performance will be held Sunday, Nov. 9, at 4 p.m. at the Berger Theater. Joined by… Read more »
Klezmerkaba Following a successful 30th-anniversary gala last November, Beth Shalom Temple Center of Green Valley is planning a new event, “Uniting the Community Through Music.” “We are living in a time of terrible anger and a great divide of ideas that separate us from each other. Kindness seems to have… Read more »
The Center for Jewish Resilience (CJR) at Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona will host its inaugural Southwest Institute on Sunday, October 26, which seeks to bring together community stakeholders for educational programming about Jewish peoplehood, contemporary antisemitism, and pushing back against this and other forms of hatred. For its… Read more »
From left, Tucson Jewish Community Center President and CEO Todd Rockoff, Tucson J Senior Director of Marketing, Communications and Public Relations Rachael Mitchell, and Tucson J Board Member Tamar Kugler at the 2024 Z3 Conference in Palo Alto, California. The Z3 Conference, an initiative of the Oshman Family JCC, brings Jews from across the political and religious spectrum together to explore Israel, Zionism, identity, and the future of Jewish life. The conference will celebrate 10 years this fall. For several years, Todd Rockoff, Tucson J President and CEO,… Read more »
A son, Jake Madden Jesselson, was born Aug. 27 to Claire and Rob Jesselson of Tucson. Jake joins his two-year-old big brother, Ari. Maternal grandparents are Michael Graham and Terry Fortunato of Tucson. This is their second grandchild. Paternal grandparents are Mark and Sue Jesselson o Northbrook, Illinois. This… Read more »
Hiking throughout Israel helped Gabe Melson connect with the land. (Courtesy Gabe Melson) This summer, local teen Gabe Melson went on a meaningful and inspiring journey to Israel through the Ramah Israel Seminar, supported by the Shaol & Evelyn Pozez Endowment Fund held at the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona. Before his departure, Gabe met with Yuval Malka, Southern Arizona’s Senior… Read more »
Larry passed away peacefully in his home in Tucson, Arizona, looking out at the view of the mountains that he so cherished. He was 87 years old. He is survived by his wife of over 60 years Gail Leiken, daughters Karen Farley and Julie Leiken in Boulder, Colorado, son… Read more »
Project Isaiah, the Jewish community’s annual High Holidays food and fund drive benefiting the Community Food Bank, begins on Monday, Sept. 8, and will continue through Friday, Oct. 17. The project is named for the Prophet Isaiah, who, when asked why we fast on Yom Kippur, responded, “Is it… Read more »
Photo: Rabbi Avi Alpert officiates at the wedding of Neshama and Laif Madson on Nov. 17, 2024. (Photo courtesy Congregation Bet Shalom)
Tucson’s Congregation Bet Shalom has quadrupled in size since 2012. That’s when Avi Alpert came on board as its spiritual leader, first as a cantor and later as a full-fledged rabbi. Congregants attribute the change to Alpert, whom they describe as “incredibly approachable” and “very open-minded, but very strong… Read more »
Sam Horowitz (Photo courtesy Congegation B'nai Midbar) Samuel I. Horowitz, 79, died Aug. 18, 2025, in Rockville, Maryland, after a yearlong battle with leukemia. He was formerly a resident of SaddleBrooke, Arizona. Sam grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where he attended yeshiva day school and forged a deep passion for Judaism. He served in the… 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 »
The J is thrilled to be part of the rolling world premiere of theatre dybbuk’s “Dracula (Annotated).” This production, with its blend of artistry, history, and provocation, offers a rare opportunity to engage audiences on multiple levels. From the outset, our goal has been to create a month of… Read more »
Jewish Family & Children's Services of Southern Arizona President and CEO Carlos A. Hernández, center, with Step Up to Kindness supporters Eleanor and Don Jeck. As the new school year begins, Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona’s Step Up to Kindness program is preparing to launch its fourth year of transforming young lives through empathy, compassion, and emotional resilience. This evidence-based program continues to make a meaningful impact at both Homer Davis… Read more »
Judith Manelis On a recent episode of “Grantchester,” a long-running PBS mystery series, the plot included a storyline focusing on the dysfunctional parent/child relationships of two local detectives and the vicar. Three adult men, all with unresolved issues from complicated childhoods. In two cases, you witnessed grown men in acute distress. … Read more »
The role of a doula is traditionally associated with birth. Anita Kellman guides people at the other end of their journeys, as a certified end-of-life doula. Kellman provides physical, emotional and spiritual support to patients and their families, whether that means running errands, facilitating conversations or sitting vigil. Caring… Read more »
