From the Desk of Jennifer Lorch Selco | Sr. Director of Jewish Living + Engagement

Shabbat Shalom
Shabbat Shalom

From the Desk of Jennifer Lorch Selco | Sr. Director of Jewish Living + Engagement

The text of this week’s parsha, Vayera, Hebrew for “And God appeared,” opens,

 

The Eternal appeared to him [Abraham] by the terebinths of Mamre; he was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot. Looking up, he saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them, and, bowing to the ground, he said, “My lords, if it please you, do not go past your servant. (Beresheet 18:1-3)

 

Abraham then proceeds to offer them water and runs to tell Sarah to help prepare food.

 

Rashi, medieval French rabbi, commentator, and vintner, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, explains that God comes to Abraham to make a sick call (Rashi to Beresheet 18:1). Abraham, healing from his brit (circumcision), is approached by God, when the three visitors approach. Abraham pauses his interaction with God to attend to the visitors in front of him.

 

How does God feel to be temporarily moved aside? Rabbi Shai Held, in his book, The Heart of Torah: Volume 1 – Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion: Genesis and Exodus, teaches, “God asks us to honor our fellow human beings just as we would honor God, and to welcome them just as we would welcome God.” Held concludes, “God waits for Abraham because God understands that Abraham’s apparent turn away from God is in the deepest sense a profound turn to God.” In essence, we should aim to be present for the people in front of us.

 

How might this message help us think about the importance of our interpersonal relationships? Are there times, whether intentionally or unintentionally, we get distracted during our interactions? In what ways can we aim to be more present and attuned to those in front of us?

Just as Abraham and Sarah welcome guests into their tent in this week’s parsha and we learn about the value of being present to the needs of those around us, the Tucson J is a place where everyone belongs and where people of all backgrounds and stages of life come to be present—with the moment, with ourselves, and with our community. And it’s not hard to do when there is joy and connection all around us!

 

This week at the J began on Sunday with the inaugural Z3@Tucson conference, which brought together voices from across our community and around the world to explore what it means to build a shared Jewish future rooted in peoplehood, pluralism, and partnership. We are proud to be one of eight other JCC’s across the country bringing the Z3 Project model developed by the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto to their home community. Read more about Z3@Tucson here and check out video highlightsfeaturing some of our esteemed speakers and the nearly 100 guests who participated as thought-partners bringing their own stories and ideas to make for a truly enriching day of dialogue. 

Also on Sunday, our Fine Art Gallery was filled with people enjoying the opening of Renewal with PaperWorks, a vibrant collection of art by a variety of artists in the PaperWorks Collective. Our Fine Art Gallery and the Jill Rosenzweig Memorial Sculpture Garden are open to the public any time the J is open and offer space to get inspired, reflect, or simply take a moment to slow down and be present. 

 

Teens in BBYO continued their Better Together program, which builds intergenerational connection with residents at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging. The group welcomed speakers from local non-profit Humane Borders, and the IDF, to learn about volunteer opportunities here and abroad and later, wrote letters for the East Valley JCC’s Lone Soldier Project, helping bring comfort and camaraderie to soldiers who lack family in Israel. 

 

Each week at the J, we’re grateful for the community we cultivate in our “tent” and for the moments we share together working toward the same goal of individual and collective wellness. Thank you for being here. Shabbat Shalom. 

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. 

J Stories | Daniel Crumbo

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J Stories | Daniel Crumbo

When it came time to explore childcare options in Tucson, Daniel Crumbo’s decision was easy, “My son was pretty fussy, he only liked me. But I handed my son to Miss Stephanie, and he just melted into her.” 


From then, in 2016, to today, two more of Daniel’s children have gone through the Tucson J’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) program, all the way from infancy through pre-k. “It’s an excellent program,” said Daniel.  


While the ECE program may have originally brought the Crumbos to the J, it has become a “hub” for the family.  


Daniel and his wife Liz are regulars in the Fitness Center. “We’re very J-centric. I’ve got three kids on the swim team. I’m in the gym every day. I’m friends with everybody there,” said Daniel with a smile.  


But earlier this year, everything changed.  


“We were on a federally funded scholarship for the last two years. But a lot of federal funding is being pulled, and we were one of the families that lost it.  We have five kids, one in college, and my mom was just diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, so we’re taking care of her, too. And then it was just at the beginning of summer, just like that– you’ve lost all your funding, and we didn’t see it coming.” 


“I talked to Joline and Amy, and within a week, they said, ‘we’ve found something for you.’” That something was scholarship funds that would ease the financial burden Daniel and his family were facing and ensure they didn’t have to leave the community they call home.  


“It really touched me because we are a family that’s been here for ten years, and we’ve built personal relationships. I felt really taken care of and safe the whole time. I knew it was going to be hard, but I knew we’d figure out a way through.” 


“This is so rare. I knew that I could trust they weren’t going to tell me one thing and do something else. And I’m really, really appreciative of that,” said Daniel. 


Every year with generous support from donors, the Tucson J awards roughly $450,000 annually in scholarships to families and individuals in need. Donations received through the Arizona State Tax Credit program go to scholarships specifically for Early Childhood Education, JCare afterschool program, and Camp J, so children across Tucson and from all backgrounds can have access to the excellent childcare all kids deserve.  


“It’s been rough. It was just kind of one thing after another. But the J was something I could count on. Even through Covid, Miss Demaris drove by with signs, honking her car. It’s something I’ve always appreciated,” said Daniel.  


Daniel values the Jewish education his children have received through the ECE program, which reminds and connects him to his step-grandmother, but also enjoys the diversity of the J’s staff and members. “You meet people at the gym, people on the swim team that you would never have known before. You have people like me mingling with retirees in the gym.” 


At the end of the day, Daniel says it best: “Community is the connections.” Whether it’s poolside, in the parking lot, or enjoying a signature event, the Tucson J is where connections are made, people of all ages thrive, and everyone belongs. 

 

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