(l/r) Amy Glass, JPSA VP of Strategy & Community Impact, and Jacob Meyer, former JPSA Community Impact Manager at the “Great Cookbook Swap” held April 7, 2024. Jews in Southern Arizona have a new way to connect, explore, and engage with others in the local Jewish community: Connect Jewish Tucson. The recently launched Connect Jewish Tucson website, connect.jewishtucson.org, lets individuals create and promote events, find events they want to attend, and even invite people to go with them to an event. As a peer-to-peer hub, CJT is different from but complementary to the Community Calendar ..read more

Dr. Elliott Heiman passed away April 7, 2024, after a valiant battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was 85. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sandy; his daughters Pamela Heiman (children Rebecca and Shira), and Andrea (Adam) Kahn (children Tzivia, Yaakov Meir (Nechama) Kahn, and Basya (Shmaryahu) Collins, one great grandchild (Miriam) and sister, Barbara Steiner. Dr. Heiman’s life epitomized a life well-lived. He was beloved by his family, admired as a psychiatrist and esteemed as an artist. Elliott was born in 1938 in Philadelphia to Frances and Meyer Heiman. He attended Central High Scho ..read more

The Jewish community of Southern Arizona will host its second AgeWell Day on Tuesday, May 7. The event brings together community members aged 60 and above for activities and camaraderie. Positive relationships and social connections are the keys to happier, healthier, longer lives, according to a multi-decade Harvard study. But social isolation has been an ongoing problem for older adults, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Years after mandatory COVID-19 lockdowns ended, many struggle to re-engage. With all of this in mind, the Jewish Community Ecosystem Caring for Others Workgroup created ..read more

There he is, totally oblivious to what is about to happen. He is caught in the spotlight, bewildered, in his own world. The whole studio audience stands. Nicholas Winton, on the front row, has no idea until someone taps him on the shoulder and asks him to turn. Only then does it sink in what he has done.  For those of you unfamiliar with the story of Sir Nicholas Winton, let me enlighten you. Sir Nicholas was known for organizing the rescue of 669 Czech children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia during the nine months before war broke out in 1939. He was a stockbroker living a relatively ..read more

Arizona legislators are pictured in Israel in March. Photo courtesy of House of Representatives via Bernadett Rochman This story first appeared in Jewish News (greater Phoenix). Last month, 17 Arizona state representatives, seven Democrats and 10 Republicans, went to Israel to meet with Israeli business, military and political leaders; learn about Israeli society; and speak with witnesses of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, including family members of hostages still in Gaza. Rep. Alma Hernandez (D-20), Tucson’s outspoken Jewish Latina legislator and trip leader, saw the journey as a unique a ..read more

Rabbi Malcolm Cohen speaks during the “call to the audience” at the March 19 Tucson City Council meeting. (Photo courtesy Hava Leipzig Holzhauer) The Tucson City Council will discuss a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza at its Tuesday, April 9 study session. Study sessions precede the council’s formal meetings. At the March 19 study session, council member Lane Santa Cruz requested a 20-minute discussion of the topic be added to the agenda of the April 9 study session. Ceasefire resolutions have become a pervasive national issue, says Hava Leipzig Holzhauer, CEO of Jewish Philanthropie ..read more

Please join local Holocaust survivors and their families as we come together in community to memorialize the tragedy and loss of the Holocaust and to pay tribute to those who survived and the generations that have followed after them. This special observance will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 5, 2024, at The Tucson J in the Ballroom. Each year on Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) it is imperative that we set aside this time to remember the more than six million Jews murdered during the Nazi Holocaust and that we continue to raise our collective voices to reaffirm the promise of ..read more

Handmaker has been providing kosher meals to its residents and the community for 60 years, and Passover-time is no exception. At Handmaker, Passover is observed to the full extent. This huge endeavor requires the cooperation of staff, residents, and family members. The days and weeks leading up to Passover are full of preparation for the holiday, keeping Claire Ferguson – Handmaker Executive Chef, and Mike Felde – Director of Food and Facility Services, very busy. Tons of Passover foods are ordered, received, and sorted through, and non-Passover food items are cleared out as the kitchen is pre ..read more

The BBYO International Convention’s Centennial Celebration held last month at the Rosen Shingle Creek Golf Resort in Orlando, Florida, epitomized the vibrancy and spirit of Jewish youth. Ten teens from the Kadimah BBG and Abba Gadol AZA BBYO Chapters housed here at the Tucson J proudly joined nearly 4,000 Jewish peers from across the globe to commemorate 100 years of BBYO’s influence, partake in elections, celebrate milestones, and stand united in celebration of Jewish identity. The convention was an inspiring microcosm of Jewish teen life and a beacon of teen leadership and Jewish communal pr ..read more

From the Song of Songs, we find a beautiful text elaborating on the beauty of spring. “For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers are seen in the land. The time of the nightingale is come, and the voice of the turtle dove is heard in our land. The fig tree brings forth perfume in its green figs. And the vines with young grapes are fragrant (From the Song of Songs).” Even in Israel, where the war against Hamas is ongoing, there are signs of spring across the country. Spring is an opportunity to celebrate growth and renewal. At the J, our arts, culture and community progr ..read more