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J Stories | The Price Family

Arianna + Susan Price
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J Stories | The Price Family

“I like to tell people that I grew up in this parking lot,” Arianna Price said with a smile. Since she was just an infant, Arianna has been coming to the Tucson J, “and from then on, I think I spent every single year until I was 18 here in some capacity.” 

From winter breaks to spring breaks, summer camps to the JCC Maccabi Games, the Tucson J has been a constant presence, weaving through the many chapters of Arianna’s life. 

After high school, Arianna left Tucson, “I went off to college and grad school and eventually med school. But now it’s become our home again.” In 2020, Arianna’s mom, Susan, was diagnosed with dementia. Arianna found herself in Tucson again, trying to find fun and enriching activities to do with her mom.  

Eventually, Arianna said, “it was in one of those days where I just couldn’t think of any more activities for us to do at home, that I was like, ‘the J has to have something.’ I mean, they’ve had something for everything my whole life.” 

Arianna discovered the J’s Healthy Aging programs, and specifically the Movement/Arts Immersion Group, a program for older adults in the early or mild stages of dementia to socialize and find community. Susan, accompanied by Arianna, now comes to the group multiple times a week.  

“Social connection is one of the most important things for human health. And I can’t emphasize enough how much we went from being isolated during the pandemic and then us trying to figure out our new needs and our new activities and daily schedules to being at a place that provided that all for us. It’s given so much relief. It’s allowed us to know that I can go back to some of my commitments in life, and this will still be here. And my mom will still be getting the same level of care that we’ve been providing at home. It’s been like an exhale for our family.” 

Through the Movement/Arts Immersion Group, Arianna and Susan have not only found enrichment but true community. “Our family has gotten close with the other families. We had a Friendsgiving at our house for everybody in the group.” 

Arianna shared that her mom enjoys the water aerobics classes, which are offered in the same pool where she learned how to swim. “I think that the J has become a place that grows with you, and our family is very demonstrative of that. It’s met the needs of our family from 30 years ago when I was born to now.” 

“The J has always been my second home, and it continues to be,” said Arianna. “I can only imagine that whatever our next steps after this one, in 30 more years, we’ll be able to find a home for us here as well.” 

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J Stories | Jamie Kippur Yoder

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J Stories | Jamie Kippur yoder

“A distinct memory I have is of feeling safe here at the J,” said Jamie Kippur Yoder, while sitting in the J’s upstairs art studio, a place where her youngest daughter creates art alongside her Early Childhood Education (ECE) classmates.

 

Jamie has spent most of her life as a community member at the J, from preschool in the ECE program to summer Camp J to the Maccabi Games, when she was just 12 years old. “I think you had to be 13, but if it was in your hometown, you could be 12. I played basketball there that year, not for my athleticism,” Jamie jokes. “But because I was tall.” 

 

“We hosted kids from Israel that we actually still talk to. We’re still connected with them, via Facebook. But, for sure, Maccabi Games is one of my most distinct memories here.”
 

Even earlier than that, Jamie remembers hiding under the table of her ECE class, tears streaming down her face, as a clown was visiting her class. “I was terrified of clowns, and Jill [Rosenzweig], who ran early childhood back in the day, took me out of the room. She made me feel so safe and just so loved.”
 

The J’s ECE program has touched Jamie’s life in many ways. “My strongest relationships are with the families I met at the J growing up.” Jamie has been in the wedding parties of many of the friends she made through the J, and they were in hers. “Something really special to our family is that my kids have then been in the weddings of the other kids that I met when I was in preschool here. I think it’s unique.”
 

When it came to deciding where Jamie wanted to send her daughters to preschool, the J was an easy choice. “I chose to send my daughters to the J because I was super comfortable here. I was familiar with it, and I felt like my kids were first and foremost safe. I’ve also loved all the teachers where I feel like they’re more family than even sometimes our own family.”
 

While Jamie’s family is Jewish, she explained that “some of my closest friends that I’ve met through my kids being at school here are actually not Jewish at all. They’ve loved it and they love coming over for challah on Fridays! The J impacts the whole Tucson community by being somewhere that anyone can go.”
 

“I think another unique thing about the J is the leadership and how apparent they are and how accessible they are. It’s so cool that Todd [Tucson J President + CEO] is in the front, and my girls feel comfortable enough to go up to him and comment on his cool socks when they walk in,” said Jamie. “Having leaders from the community like Fran Katz [Chief Development Officer] in a position here is so nice to see because these people know this community inside and out.”
 

So, all of these years later, why has Jamie continued to make the J a part of her life? The J “has a little bit of everything,” Jamie said. Her daughters can attend preschool and summer camp, she can meet up with friends to exercise at the Fitness and Wellness Center, and the pool and splashpad make for family fun throughout the year. Her youngest daughter’s answer? “Playing with my friends,” and, of course, the challah.

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Southern Arizona’s Community Yom HaShoah Commemoration – Liberation: Life After Loss

Previously published in the Arizona Jewish Post

Southern Arizona’s Community Yom HaShoah Commemoration – Liberation: Life After Loss

Posted April 21, 2025 / Lori Shepherd, TJMHC Executive Director

On Sunday, April 27, at this year’s Southern Arizona Yom HaShoah Commemoration, we will come together as a community to commemorate 80 years since the end of the Holocaust. As in years past, we will gather to memorialize the more than six million Jews, including one and a half million children, who were murdered and lost during the Holocaust, and to honor the legacy of those who survived. 

For some, the passing of eight decades can seem unfathomable but for survivors, these many years have simply been their lives. From great suffering and devastation, they forged new lives after loss. They emigrated to new homes, built careers, fostered communities, and raised loving families. Their most enduring legacy, their embodied resilience, is the lives that they created. 

The theme of this year’s commemoration is Liberation: Life After Loss. During the program, six of Southern Arizona’s local survivors will share their personal stories of liberation and remember the first kindnesses they experienced after enduring such brutality and inhumanity. Each story offers a unique perspective on reclaiming their dignity and beginning to rebuild their lives. 

The program will also feature a public promise, where Jewish communal leaders will pledge to keep the legacy of the survivors and the memory of those who were murdered alive. Public commemorations like Yom HaShoah are only one of the many ways that we safeguard their memories, retell their stories, and encourage Holocaust remembrance for years to come.

This event will take place on Sunday, April 27, at 2:00 p.m. in the ballroom at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 East River Road, Tucson, AZ. 

Please note that Yom HaShoah is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Register here.

Tucson J International Film Festival Anniversary is Coming Up

Previously published in the Arizona Jewish Post

Tucson J International Film Festival Anniversary is Coming Up

Posted March 28, 2025 / Chloe Loos, Tucson Jewish Community Center Director of Arts and Culture

​People wearing coats stand at a film festival registration table.The Tucson J International Film Festival is rapidly approaching its 35th year! Established over three decades ago, the festival has become a cornerstone cultural event for Tucson’s Jewish community as well as for the community’s seasonal snowbird residents. This remarkable longevity is a testament to our commitment to presenting films that not only entertain but also educate, inspire, and offer fresh perspectives with an eye towards the beautiful diversity of the Jewish experience.

Each year, in addition to showcasing a diverse selection of films spanning genres, countries, languages, and narratives, the festival offers engaging programming that ensures the stories stay with you long after the credits roll. Beyond providing access to new and hard-to-find films, the festival enriches the experience with exciting events such as exclusive talkbacks with filmmakers, expert panel discussions, and even additional cultural performances. These activities provide audiences with deeper insights into the films, the creative processes behind them, and the worlds they inhabit, offering a truly immersive film experience that cannot be found anywhere else. In previous years, we’ve had the honor of hosting esteemed guests such as Billy Crystal (actor, Standing Up, Falling Down) and Isaac Artenstein (director, Challah Rising in the Desert), further elevating the festival’s impact. We have been proud to partner with various local, national, and international organizations that have served as experts on the multitude of topics our films have addressed – including addressing the history of antisemitism, Israeli life and culture, and lesser-known yet widely influential figures throughout Jewish history.

 

At the heart of the festival is a dedicated cohort of volunteer committee members who contribute to all aspects of the festival. These individuals help screen the hundreds of movies under consideration to determine what should be shown, help brainstorm and plan additional programming, recruit and train volunteers, establish partnerships around the Tucson community, and serve an important role in spreading the word about the festival. Without the hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm of these committee members, the festival would not be the dynamic, thought-provoking, and inspiring festival it is today. We are grateful to the committee members and leadership who have shepherded the festival in its first 34 years. This year, the Tucson J has revitalized the committee structure to encourage even greater community participation, ensuring that more voices help shape the festival’s vision and execution. We welcome those who are passionate about film, storytelling, and community-building to join us in making this year’s festival the best yet!

 

If you’re interested in playing a starring role in the 2026 festival, please reach out to Chloe Loos, Director of Arts and Culture, at cloos@tucsonjcc.org.

 

From thought-provoking documentaries to powerful feature films, the festival continues to reflect the dynamic mosaic of Jewish life and history, locally and globally. We hope you will join us as we celebrate 35 years of storytelling, conversation, and connection through the magic of film!

Daniella Ironi Will Amp Up Israeli Connection at Tucson’s Maccabi Games

Previously published in the Arizona Jewish Post

Daniella Ironi Will Amp Up Israeli Connection at Tucson’s Maccabi Games

Posted March 12, 2025 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Feature Writer
Daniella Ironi

Daniella Ironi is Tucson’s newest shlicha, or Israeli emissary, here to support this summer’s JCC Maccabi Games & Access® at the Tucson Jewish Community Center.

Ironi is helping design fun yet educational programs for the “Hang Time” space, where athletes will spend time socializing when they are not competing.

The idea, she says, is to impart Jewish and Israeli culture without making it feel like school.

“For many of the teens that are playing, [the JCC Maccabi] is their only Jewish activity for the year,” she emphasizes.

She will work with the teens alongside Tucson’s senior shlicha, Yuval Malka, and two additional Israeli shlichim who will come to Tucson for the JCC Maccabi. She is collaborating with Jennifer Selco, the J’s senior director of Jewish living and engagement, on Jewish cultural activities throughout the year.

Malka and Selco “are amazing,” says Ironi, who loves being part of a team.

She also loves sports, which will make it easy for her to connect with JCC Maccabi athletes.

“My family is very into sport, anything that has to do with running, swimming, riding bikes, skiing,” says Ironi, who grew up in Rosh HaAyin, about 20 minutes from Tel Aviv. She participated in ski races as a child and later ran 5K and 10K races.

“For me, doing that with my family and playing sports with friends, I realized there is strength in teams. Nothing was really hard in the army, because you had a team,” she says.

Ironi completed her Israeli Defense Forces service in 2022. As a machine gun specialist in the Israeli Navy, similar to the U.S. Coast Guard, she helped protect the Lebanon border. She was on her post-army gap year, traveling in Nepal, when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Since her unit does not use reservists, she went home to volunteer with farmers In Kibbutz Be’eri and Kfar Aza, two of the hardest hit communities.

When the farmers’ situation was more stable, she volunteered with the Home Front Project, a nonprofit that helps people redecorate homes damaged in the attacks. Residents who had been displaced or wounded, physically or mentally, could meet with therapists as well as interior designers, she says.

“They are really surrounded [with support]. And giving them the option to redecorate their home, giving them that control, is really amazing,” she says. “We had a lot of hostages who were released from Gaza come into Home Front and redecorate their homes. I think it is beautiful to watch, and it’s heartbreaking.”

She explains that the teams included “fairies,” who created interior designs, and “rhinos,” who carried the couches and tables. Ironi was a rhino.

After that, she volunteered at a summer camp in Brooklyn, New York, where she heard about the JCC Maccabi Games and applied to work in Tucson. She arrived in January.

“We are thrilled to have Daniella on the JCC Maccabi Team. Daniella has jumped right in,” says Todd Rockoff, president and CEO of the J. “Daniella has been a wonderful resource to our team and provided meaningful content and context as we participated in a Zoom about the series ‘Fighters’ in honor of Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month.”

Malka also hails Ironi’s contributions.

“Welcoming wonderful Daniella has been an incredible opportunity to bring the live energy and spirit of Israel into our community. Strengthening the bond between our community — especially our teens — and Israel through sports, culture, and meaningful programming is truly unique and impactful, helping to foster pride, unity, and a shared Jewish identity,” she says, adding that Ironi’s influence “goes far beyond the Maccabi Games, inspiring young leaders and building lasting connections.”

For Ironi, who used to spend days trekking with her family in the hills near her hometown, Tucson is idyllic.

“It’s so beautiful here,” she says. “It’s a perfect place to live.”