Judith Manelis danced ballet as a child. I was never much of an athlete. Whether it was softball, basketball, volleyball, or swimming, the situation was the same. I played every activity, but nothing well. In volleyball, I couldn’t serve; in basketball, I couldn’t make a basket; in softball, I couldn’t get a hit or catch a… Read more »
Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona Deputy Security Director Paul Patterson describes the OODA Loop decision-making tool at a July 17 community security briefing. (Photo: Phyllis Braun) “One of our main goals is to always make sure that nobody’s afraid to be Jewish,” Paul Patterson, Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona deputy community security director, told the audience at a JPSA security briefing, “Situational Awareness: See Something, Say Something,” on July 17. “Our security initiatives do everything… Read more »
Jane Levine Myerson, 77, of Oro Valley, AZ, formerly of Kingston, NY, passed away at home after a long and courageous battle with cancer. She leaves behind her beloved husband of 56 years, Randolph Myerson, and four children — Ilana (Brett), Ethan, Jeremy (Noel), and Ben (Kelly) — and… Read more »
Mazel tov to OOROO founder and CEO Jeff Artzi on the opening of a new OOROO Auto location at Wetmore and 1st (behind Starbucks, at 765 E. Wetmore Road) on Aug. 1. Award-winning OOROO provides complete car care services at their shops and with their mobile services. For more… Read more »
Carlos A. Hernández As President Trump signed the Budget Reconciliation Bill into law on July 4, Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona is preparing for what could be significant changes to how the organization serves those most in need in the community. The legislation will cut federal Medicaid spending by… Read more »
"Bat Yam: Daughter of the Sea" by Lyubov Muravyeva, at the Tucson Jewish Community Center Sculpture Garden
To kick off the 2025-2026 Fine Art Gallery Season and celebrate the introduction of new works to the Jill Rosenzweig Memorial Sculpture Garden, the Tucson J proudly presents Sculpt: Sculpting the Season, An Evening of Art, Intention & Renewal on Sunday, Sept. 14 from 4-6pm. This event serves as the closing… Read more »
From left, Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona Deputy Community Security Director Paul Patterson, JPSA Director for Public Affairs Carina Bien-Willner, and lay leader Kent Blumenthal were on Capitol Hill June 25-26 to advocate for Jewish community security funding. (Courtesy JPSA) Carina Bien-Willner, Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona director for public affairs at the Center for Jewish Resilience; Paul Patterson, JPSA deputy community security director; and Kent Blumenthal, a member of the CJR steering committee, joined almost 400 Jewish leaders in Washington, D.C., last month to lobby lawmakers for increased… Read more »
Tucson-area Jewish facilities have received 75% of the current Nonprofit Security Grant Program National Security Supplement (NSGP-NSS) funding awarded to the state of Arizona for the 2025 grant cycle, for a total of $477,417. Tucson Torah Center will receive a $200,000 grant allocation, the Tucson Torah Day School will… Read more »
From left, Tucsonans Jessica E. Mattix, Sophie German, Ital Ironstone, and Nate Weisband in Tel Aviv during a Jewish Federations of North America LGBTQ+ Pride Mission, June 12, 2025. (Photo courtesy Nate Weisband/JPSA)
Four Tucson Jewish community professionals, Ital Ironstone and Nate Weisband of Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona, and Sophie German and Jessica E. Mattix of Jewish Family & Children’s Services, traveled to Israel for a Jewish Federations of North America LGBTQ+ Pride Mission June 8-12, joining almost 100 leaders from… Read more »
Olivia Mitchel The University of Arizona Hillel Foundation awarded Olivia Mitchel, a third-year medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, the Shirley D. Curson Medical Student Scholarship, a two-year award that provides $17,500 a year for a student’s third and fourth years of medical school. The… Read more »
Judith Manelis In a recent issue of the New York Times, a writer talked about how to prepare for retirement and aging with a focus on the various emotions one can experience late in life: depression, sadness, loneliness, alienation and a lack of purpose. Many of these are brought on by… Read more »
Helmut Etzel holds his certificate of conversion to Judaism on May 15, the day of his Beit Din at Kol Ami Synagogue. (Photo courtesy of Rabbi Malcolm Cohen)
“That’s the most off-the-wall thing I’ve ever heard.” That was Helmut Etzel’s initial reaction 25 years ago, when his mother, Marina, a devout Catholic from the mountainous Antioquia region of Colombia, told him, “Mijo, I believe strongly we are from Jewish heritage.” “I also thought this would not be… Read more »
The Tucson Jewish Community Center is proud to host former UA Women’s Basketball & Phoenix Mercury star, Sam Thomas, for the 4th Annual Sam Thomas Hoop Group basketball clinic for children and teenagers on Sunday, August 10. This year, the clinic will be co-led by Dominique McBryde, a former… Read more »
University of Arizona senior left-handed pitcher Eric Orloff, shown pitching against Cincinnati in March, helped lead the Wildcats to their 19th College World Series appearance this month. (Photo by Carson Mayeux / Arizona Athletics)
Eric Orloff looks to his Jewish faith to carry him through challenging and uncertain times. “When times are tough, I know it’s all going to work out in the end,” said Orloff, who completed his time as a University of Arizona left-handed relief pitcher on June 15. “You have… Read more »
Judith Manelis On a recent Friday night, I arrived at my synagogue to discover something had been added to its architectural design. There were large round cement balls in a line across the front of the building and doorway. So now, in addition to having a security guard at the building… Read more »
Jean Helene Glassberg died May 29, 2025, three weeks after her 88th birthday. She was born in the Bronx, New York. Her family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, for a healthier life for her brother, who suffered from asthma. She arrived in Phoenix in time to begin high school, but… Read more »
Rabbi Helen Cohn, spiritual leader of Tucson’s Congregation M’kor Hayim, speaks at her retirement party on May 4, 2025. Cohn will officially retire at the end of June. (Courtesy Congregation M'kor Hayim)
One of Rabbi Helen Cohn’s goals when she started Congregation M’kor Hayim in 2008 was to have a personal relationship with every member. On the cusp of her retirement from the pulpit at the end of June, it’s a goal she can say she’s met. Her congregants and friends… 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 »
Students attend the April 15, 2025, Jewish Student Union meeting at University High School. (Photo: Joseph Goodman)
You don’t have to be Jewish to attend Jewish Student Union meetings at University High School. JSU board members offer snacks to entice Jewish and non-Jewish classmates to their Tuesday lunchtime gatherings, held in the AP U.S. history classroom. “The vast majority of people at our meetings aren’t Jewish,… Read more »
This past week, a colleague and I shared these thoughts about the tragic and senseless murders of two Israeli Embassy Staff members in Washington. We are heartbroken by the tragic murders of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky in Washington, D.C., outside the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday, May 22.… Read more »
