Capt. Jeff Hamblen of Northwest Fire recently signed up to train with Israel’s Emergency Volunteer Project. He expected to help his Israeli counterparts put out fires. He didn’t expect to be flying into a country at war. Hamblen’s travel date was Oct. 7, 2023, the day Hamas launched a… Read more »
Lights… camera… action! The Tucson J International Film Festival opens January 11, with in-person and virtual screenings and post-film programs for select films through January 21, and virtual screenings of most films continuing through January 31. The 2024 Tucson J International Film Festival is multi-access, running from January 11… Read more »
The eight days and nights of Hanukkah were filled with much light, song and dreidel playing at Handmaker. Even before Hanukkah began, residents were treated to a pre-Hanukkah Concert by David Wien and Rabbi Avi Alpert of Congregation Bet Shalom in the Grand Foyer. Hanukkiah were lit in every… Read more »
Over the past 50 years, Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) has been at the forefront of fostering community action among its students. Through initiatives like annual volunteerism fairs, service-oriented field trips, and the impactful Passport to Peace program, five generations of students have been encouraged to learn to embody mitzvot,… Read more »
Gabriel Ivker of StandWithUs Many Jewish teens are experiencing antisemitism linked to the Israel-Hamas war. In the coming months, Congregation Anshei Israel will present two free workshops about antisemitism that are open to high school students community-wide. The second workshop also will include a session for parents or guardians of teens. Gabriel Ivker,… Read more »
Riffing off the South Park song “The Lonely Jew on Christmas,” Jordan Wiley-Hill recently told a story about raising a Jewish family in Tucson’s Winterhaven neighborhood, renowned for lavish Christmas displays during its annual Festival of Lights. Hill is outreach and education manager at the Fox Tucson Theater and previously… Read more »
Tucsonan Lindsey Baker wasn’t sure of the exact term for her family relationship with Rose Lubin, a 20-year-old Israel Defense Forces soldier who was killed by a knife-wielding terrorist in Jerusalem on Nov. 6, one month into Israel’s war against Hamas. Lubin was the granddaughter of Baker’s father’s first… Read more »
Thanks to Sandy and Maureen Salz of Oro Valley, a new MICU (mobile intensive care unit) for Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical service, has arrived in Israel to help care for those dealing with increased violence, in response to Hamas attacks. Two events marking the sponsorship took place… Read more »
Some 200 people gathered at Congregation Anshei Israel at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3, for Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona’s “A Light in the Darkness” Israel solidarity event, which provided an update on the situation in Israel since the horrific Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks and the subsequent… Read more »
Tucson J President and CEO, Todd Rockoff will serve on the inaugural advisory board for a new organization called Global Jewry, joining a coalition of 225 prominent Jewish thought leaders from all over the world. Global Jewry is a grassroots effort to broaden and strengthen the ties that bind… Read more »
Participants gather Oct. 10 for a vigil organized by University of Arizona Jewish groups in response to Hamas attacks on Israel. (Courtesy University of Arizona Hillel) Tensions have been high on the University of Arizona campus in response to the war that began with the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. UArizona Jewish groups including Hillel, Chabad, Olami, and Mishelanu organized a vigil on Oct. 10. That event, which drew more than 300 attendees, was… Read more »
Hanukkah, Chanukah, Hanuka, Channukah, Hannukah — there are many ways to spell it and even more ways to celebrate the Festival of Lights in Tucson and Southern Arizona this year. The holiday begins with the first candle on the evening of Dec. 7. PJ Library will provide Hanukkah: It’s… Read more »
I was heartbroken when my son, a tech sergeant and Jewish lay leader in the Air Force, informed me that he and his family would be moving to London from Charleston, S.C., where they were stationed at the time. It was Thanksgiving of 2021, and everyone was excited except… Read more »
Several years ago, a coworker who knew I was a Christian, told me that I was more Jewish than she was. Coming from a “sabra” (native born Israeli), sealed the deal for me and I’ve never looked back. Since then, I have told some that I am a Christian,… Read more »
Hava Leipzig Holzhauer’s official start date as president and CEO of Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona is Dec. 4, but she will be joining the community on Dec. 3 for a solidarity gathering for Israel called “A Light in the Darkness” because of its proximity to Hanukkah. The event… Read more »
Cantorial Soloist Nichole Chorny has had a love for Judaism and Jewish music for almost as long as she can remember. “I always had a sense of belonging and connection to the Jewish community,” Chorny says. “From a young age I knew I wanted to do something related to… Read more »
It’s there. It has to be. According to Anti-Defamation League Director and CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, antisemitism has increased 388% since October 7 over the same time period last year. Christopher Wray, FBI Director calls it at a historic level and points out that Jews are the target of international… Read more »
Kol Ami Synagogue invites you to attend a series of events on December 15 and 16, featuring Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz, two of the co-hosts of Unorthodox,” the universe’s premier Jewish podcast.” The events are part of the Rabbi Albert T. Bilgray Memorial Lectureship and are free and… Read more »
The Tucson Jewish Community Center (the J or the Tucson J) welcomes people of all ages, abilities, and faiths to share in the warmth and joy of Hanukkah Sunday, December 17 from 7:30am-11am with the 7th Annual Hanukkah Hot Cocoa Run sponsored by Tucson Medical Center (TMC) and in… Read more »
On the eve of Veteran’s Day, U.S. Senator from Arizona Mark Kelly visited the Tucson J campus for a meaningful and intimate conversation with J leaders and Board Members, Todd Rockoff, President + CEO; Fran Katz, Chief Development Officer; Mike Gadarian, Chief Financial Officer; Josh Shenker, Chief Program Officer;… Read more »
