When Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona announced its inaugural Jewish heritage event, “Jews at the Zoo,” they hoped for a good turnout. What they got was a community affirming that connection, pride, and coming together matter. “First latke of the season!” exclaimed one of the almost 400 guests at the Hanukkah-themed party at the Reid Park Zoo on Sunday, Dec. 7, as they bit into a morsel of fried-potato bliss. Children rode the carousel or visited the face-painting station. Guests of all ages mingled, sipped, and nibbled, with hot chocolate, fruit… Read more »
Children catch LED glowsticks for a dance party at the Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona ‘Jews at the Zoo’ event held at the Reid Park Zoo, Dec. 7, 2025. (Willo Art Photography by Christy Pickrell)
An Exceptional Friendship: Azerbaijan and Israel
The Six Dome Synagogue in Quba, Azerbaijan (Photo: Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon) I returned Nov. 20 from a whirlwind 10-day rabbinic visit to Azerbaijan and Israel with the Zionist Rabbinical Coalition. Discounting the two days it took to travel to Baku, and one day flying home from Tel Aviv, we had four incredible days in Azerbaijan, followed by two spectacularly full days in… Read more »
Molly Dunn and Andrew Brown Are Wed
Dr. Molly Dunn and Dr. Andrew Brown announce their marriage on Dec. 7, 2025, in Newport, Kentucky. The ceremony, officiated by Rabbi Ari Jun of Temple Sholom in Cincinnati, brought together family and friends for a celebration rooted in Jewish tradition and community. Dr. Dunn serves as the education… Read more »
Rabbi’s Corner: Hanukkah Joy Is Deeper than Latkes and Dreidels
I once heard a speech quoting a conversation someone had with Albert Einstein. The questioner asked him, “If you could meet a person from a previous generation, who would it be?” Einstein, who was Jewish though not religious, answered, “I would like to meet Moses.” He then added, “I… Read more »
Z3@Tucson Brings Community Together to Talk about Israel, Jewish Life, and Jewish Peoplehood
Senior Community Shlicha Yuval Malka opens the Z3@Tucson conference on Nov. 2, 2025. Tucson hosted its first Z3@ experience on November 2, bringing together community members to explore Israel, identity, and Jewish unity through a framework that emphasizes dialogue across religious and political lines. The half-day gathering at the Tucson Jewish Community Center was intentionally scheduled near the 30th Yahrzeit of Yitzhak Rabin, providing an opportunity to explore ideas of… Read more »
JPSA Microgrants Will Fund New Round of Hanukkah ‘Share the Light’ Parties
Guests enjoy a Hanukkah party at the home of Carina Bien-Willner and Matt Reichman in 2024. (Photo courtesy Carina Bien-Willner) Last year, Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona launched a new microgrant program, “Share the Light,” to help Jewish families invite their children’s friends, classmates, and neighbors to Hanukkah parties to celebrate Jewish joy. The program is back this year. Party hosts will receive a Hanukkah party pack from JPSA’s Center for Jewish Resilience to help their… Read more »
Tucson Health Professionals Pen Maternal Mental Health Guide
Maternal mental health matters. That’s the main message of “You’ve Got This: A Pocket Guide for Maternal Mental Health,” a slim, easy-to-read volume by two local Jewish health care professionals, Robin Giles, a nurse practitioner, and Joy Subrin, a doctor of behavioral health. “During your pregnancy so much attention is given… Read more »
Arizona Tax Credits Help Community Support Public Schools, Jewish Day Schools
Shelley Pozez looks on as Brenda Landau uses an oversized dreidel to teach the traditional Hanukkah game to Homer Davis Elementary School students in 2023. Landau is director of legacy development at the Jewish Community Foundation at Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona. (Photo: JPSA) Eighty children at Homer Davis Elementary School currently receive snack packs of food to supplement their nutrition each weekend. “They rely on it,” says MaryCarmen Salazar Rubio, a reading instruction assistant and snack pack coordinator at Homer Davis, which is in the Flowing Wells School District. There’s always a waiting… Read more »
New Tucson Jewish Free Loan Director Aims to ‘Get More Loans Onto the Streets’
Kerry Moss Kerry Moss, executive director of the Tucson Jewish Free Loan, wants to help more people. The Free Loan serves people of all faiths across Southern Arizona, as it has since its founding in 1947, providing interest-free loans of up to $7,500 for a variety of needs, such as home… Read more »
MORE HEADLINES
- Bar Mitzvah: Levi Finkelstein
- My Favorite Things: Suggestions for Old Folks Like Me (P.S. Hanukkah is Coming)
- Prompted by Multifaith Coalition, City Council Passes Resolution Reaffirming Transgender Rights
- Handmaker Plays Host to Community Events
- Bar Mitzvah: Eithan Moss
- Bar Mitzvah: Nathan Jacob Goldstein
- Of Blessed Memory: Donald Novitt
- Oct. 7 Spurred Tucson Volunteer’s Urge to Support, Protect Jewish Community
- JPSA Dinner on Antisemitism Informative and Emotional for Community
