Reproductive rights have been a key topic of discussion for clients of Jewish Family & Children’s Services of Southern Arizona since June 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion that had been law since the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, says Lily Hanscom, director of clinical services at JFCS. “We’ve heard numerous clients talk about feeling a loss of autonomy over their bodies, a loss of power,” she says, explaining that this is particularly significant because the majority of JFCS counseling clients have already experienced some kind of trauma in their ..read more

In his debut work of historical fiction, “The Half-Caste,” local author Jason Zeitler takes readers from the gritty streets of 1930s London, where a Fascist Party leader galvanizes an army of followers nicknamed the “Jackboots,” to the lush jungles of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where anti-imperialist sentiment is on the rise. A vivid depiction of the period, with insights into art and music, the book is also an ode to friendship. The novel’s half-caste is Vernon Price, a half-Dutch, half-Ceylonese postgraduate student at the London School of Economics. Posing as a member of the Jackboots, he must ..read more

It is imperative that the University of Arizona remains a place where Jewish – including Israeli — students, faculty, and staff can express their religious, ethnic, national, and cultural identities in an environment of open inquiry, respectful dialogue, and civility. We extend this imperative to all students, faculty, and staff regardless of affiliation. Over the past week, many worried parents, students, and community members have reached out to Hillel with concern due to the University of Arizona Students for Justice in Palestine’s (SJP) planned Israeli Apartheid Week. This is a week where ..read more

Instituted in 2006 by President George W. Bush, Jewish American Heritage Month, or JAHM, occurs every May, and aims to create real opportunities for engagement with many Jewish histories, cultures and cultural products, achievements, and of course, people and communities. Though typically organized by the Weitzman National Museum of Jewish History, this is a national undertaking that many Jewish history museums, cultural organizations, community centers, and more take on. At Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center (TJMHC), we strive to be a local node for individuals to engage with Tucson ..read more

(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