From the Desk of Rachael Mitchell | Sr. Director of Marketing, Communications + PR

Shabbat Shalom
Shabbat Shalom

From the Desk of Rachael Mitchell | Sr. Director of Marketing, Communications + PR

Each week when I reflect on the parsha, I find myself in awe of the way the message always seems to align with my own experience in the world. It doesn’t take much to make meaning and draw parallels between my life and these ancient lessons—what a gift from our ancestors. 

 

This week’s parsha is Devarim, Hebrew for “words”. At its core, Devarim is Moses’ recount of the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert before they entered into the Promised Land. Many themes arise, but what sticks out to me is the power of the words themselves; through them, Moses reminds the people of who they are and of their divine connection to their creator. Drawing from the past, he sets a framework for the future.  As the Tucson J winds down from well over a year of careful planning that culminated in the hosting of the 2025 JCC Maccabi Games and Access this week, I think of our journey to this moment, what we learned along the way, and the powerful words that shape the JCC Maccabi experience. 

 

The premise of the Games is for Jewish teens, and everyone involved, to experience the strength of the global Jewish community and the power of standing together in unity. Every aspect of the experience is guided by the Maccabi Midot, or values, which include: Lev Tov (big hearted), Ga’Ava (pride), Rina (joy), Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), Amit Yehudit (Jewish peoplehood), and Kavod (respect). It was an honor to be part of the process of bringing JCC Maccabi to Tucson and pure magic to see these values come to life all week here at the J exemplified by the nearly 900 teens, hundreds of volunteers and host families, and hundreds more who contributed in many other ways, to the success of the Games. Our local, national, and global community came together in spirit and heart and represented the values that make me so proud to be Jewish. It is not hyperbole to say that this week was historic—I know for me, and I hope for you too, that the feeling of JCC Maccabi will be carried with me far into the future. 

Shabbat Shalom! What an exciting and memorable week! While the Tucson J was closed for business, we opened our doors to thousands of people here to participate in the 2025 JCC Maccabi Games and Access. In the coming days and weeks, we will be sharing more about the whole experience—you can read about it from the press here, here, and here. But for now, we’re taking a moment to shine a spotlight on Team Tucson, our local delegation of teen athletes. 

 

This year’s delegation was the largest from Tucson ever, with 70 Jewish teens representing our community in Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Dance, Flag Football, Tennis, Golf, Swimming, Volleyball, Star Reporter, and Access. 

 

In total, Team Tucson brought home 20 medals; 6 gold, 4 silver, and 10 bronze with golds in 15U soccer, 15U dance, and Access—but what was most impressive was the rachmanus(sportsmanship) our team brought to the Games, leading by example as hosts. Mazel tov to our medal winners and the entire delegation for their outstanding performance!

We also want to shoutout some noteworthy standouts who may not have medaled, but shined brightly anyway; Gabby Rottenberg from Team Tucson was the only girl competing in Golf in a field of 29 and our Boys 5v5 Basketball team (the first time we’ve ever had enough players for this event!) was made up of athletes who had never played together but held their own against a bracket made up almost entirely of year-round club teams. 

 

Thank you to all of the families of Tucson athletes who opened their homes to host teens from other delegations, and to our volunteer coaches who stepped up in a big way; notably, Ava Pritz who led her Volleyball team to a Silver medal, and David Hunter and Gabe Green who coached our 15U Boys Soccer team to Gold. 

 

As we move into Shabbat after an action-packed week (and many, many months of preparation preceding it), we are wishing you a weekend of rest and joyful reflection. 

Reminders, Resources + Learning

Each week we share resources for more learning:

 

This week’s resources: 

Last week’s resources:

Is there a topic you’d like to learn more about? Email Jenn Selco with requests.