“The challenge today is to be animated by both gratitude and unrest, by humility and audacity, and to feel the exodus from Egypt — our people’s journey from slavery to freedom, from degradation to dignity — in our guts. Our Jewish story calls us to become agents of social change whose fiercest weapons are love, faith and holy hutzpah.” — Rabbi Sharon Brous Jewish Family & Children’s Services and Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center are proud to present a very special event, Community in Unity featuring Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder and senior rabbi of IKAR in Los Angeles and author of ..read more

Recently, I joined Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) colleagues from around the country for a one-day summit in New York City. The event was hosted by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) and the topic was Coalition & Bridge Building, Post-October 7. The presenters – an outstanding group of civic and community leaders, rabbis, organizers, labor leaders, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists – all spoke of the importance of building and maintaining connections with other communities in this post-October 7 world. Coalitions are the foundation of JCPA and JCRC work. Especial ..read more

Lindsey Baker (fourth from left) at Camp Breastie 2023 Three years ago this summer, I had just finished my 16th round of chemo and was preparing for my double mastectomy. Having been diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at 35 years old during the height of the pandemic, I experienced immense isolation and fear. But in The Breasties, a nonprofit organization supporting survivors, previvors, stage 4 thrivers, and caregivers impacted by breast and gynecologic cancers, I discovered much-needed community. While separated by quarantine and distance, I was able to connect virtually with indiv ..read more

I found it, like many discoveries, accidentally. I was busy pursuing a pre-Internet interest of mine – poring through old newspapers – but now online. Having spent the first 76% of my life in Oklahoma City, I was interested in looking at The Southwest Jewish Chronicle, a regional Jewish newspaper published from 1932 – 1986 there. While looking for and finding some familiar names and faces from my childhood, one small article tucked away on Page 74 of the Saturday, September 1, 1951, issue quietly grabbed me. I had earlier been checking issues of the Chronicle to see what information about Hitl ..read more

Katie Cohen [headshot]New mothers may not know they can work with a lactation consultant even if they are not having problems with breastfeeding. What’s more, health insurance must cover those services, says Katie Cohen, BSN, RN, IBCLC, the founder of Thrive Theory Lactation & Infant Feeding in Tucson. Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans (except “grandfathered” plans) must cover lactation support services in full as a preventive service, says Cohen, who adds that most plans will cover at least six appointments, which ideally start before the baby is born. “When we take a prevent ..read more

Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona (JFCS) through its Let’s End Abusive Households (LEAH) program has forged a powerful partnership with MyZuzah to uplift Jewish survivors of interpersonal violence. This collaboration focuses on providing kosher, fair-trade mezuzahs to individuals and families who have endured interpersonal abuse, offering them both a symbolic and practical source of comfort and protection as they rebuild their lives. MyZuzah, renowned for ensuring every Jewish home is adorned with a mezuzah, extends its mission to include victims and survivors of inte ..read more

Studying with Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin from Chabad Tucson is a great way to spend an hour at Handmaker. And if you add in a Reuben sandwich, you have an unbeatable combination. Handmaker residents have been enjoying learning from Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin over the past few months and, thanks to a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation (JCF), Handmaker has opened up these study sessions to the community for the summer, most Thursdays at noon. To make it even tastier, attendees can order lunch from Mae’s Kosher Kitchen for just $5. So far, the visitors who have joined Handmaker residents at the Torah ..read more

Tucson Jewish Community Center Director of Camping Services Robin Kelley, center, with Israeli camp counselors Liron Levy, left, and Hadar Sheffer, at a Jewish Agency for Israel conference in Israel, April 2024. At a Jewish Agency for Israel training this April for American Jewish summer camp directors and prospective Israeli counselors, also known as summer shlichim (emissaries), the slogan was “Now More Than Ever.” JAFI staff joked that the catchphrase is used for everything, even insurance companies, says Robin Kelley, director of camping services at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, who ..read more

William Becker was born in Milwaukee to Helen and Morris Becker on June 2, 1936. He grew up in Tucson, graduated from Tucson High in 1954, attended Marquette in Milwaukee and graduated from Marquette Dental School in 1961. As he used to say, “he married up” to Joyce Goldwyn in 1959. They moved to New York where he took a dental internship at Beth Israel Hospital; then to Misawa, Japan where he was a dentist and Captain in the United States Air Force and where their daughter Karen was born; then to Dallas where he did research for Squibb and received a Master’s in Dentistry. He and Joyce retur ..read more

Jim Stuehringer passed away on June 29, 2024, surrounded by loving family and friends after a battle with dementia. He was born in Akron, Ohio on August 19,1948 to Flo and Chuck Stuehringer. After graduating from law school at the University of Cincinnati, Jim relocated to Tucson with his dear friend Marv Schotland and their young families where they practiced law together for several years. He then joined Waterfall Economidis for the rest of his 40-year career as a civil and criminal defense attorney. He was a hardworking, fierce and committed advocate for his clients and devoted father to hi ..read more