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

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

September 19, 2025

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

In this week’s portion, Nitzavim (Hebrew for You Stand), Moses speaks to all who have and who will enter the covenant. He shares that the sacred obligations (more traditionally recognized as commandments) are practical, not distant.

For this commandment about which I am commanding you today, is not remote from you; it is not far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to “heaven” for us and fetch it for us, to expound it to us so that we can fulfill it?’ It is not beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and fetch it for us, to expound it to us so that we can fulfill it?’ Rather, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, so you can fulfill it. – Devarim, Chapter 30, 11-14

Jewish life is meant to be active process—close to us, in our mouths, and in our hearts. Our rituals, whether practiced at home or synagogue, help to animate central stories and teachings. We engage in conversation with one another—in-person, over the phone, and even across layers of Jewish text. We show up both in celebration and mourning.

As we approach the high holy days, marking a new Jewish year, what do you want your Jewish experience to look like? How will we carry our Judaism and our Jewishness with us in our mind, body, and soul? In what ways will our ancient tradition give meaning to our lives today? 5786 is a new opportunity. Lean in, explore, connect, find personal meaning, do Jewish your way. As we move into the last Shabbat of 5785, I want to wish you and your family shabbat shalom and shanah tovah u’metukah, may this be a good and sweet new year.

We “do Jewish” every day at the J and proudly welcome others in to share in the joy of Jewish values, tradition, and ritual. This week, we ushered in the High Holiday season with a fresh twist on our annual opening of the Jill Rosenzweig Memorial Sculpture Garden. The event, titled, SCULPT: an evening of art, intention, and renewal, is always a celebration of art, but this year was thoughtfully designed to foster reflection and connection. The over 200 community members who joined us were given notebooks to record their reflections on guided prompts and were encouraged to really pause to take in the art and engage with their own creativity. The evening opened with an address from Tucson J President + CEO, Todd Rockoff, sharing a message fit for the Rosh Hashanah, “Each piece here invites us to look again, to notice what might otherwise go unseen, and to see the world not only as it is but also as it might yet be.” You can read more about SCULPT here.

Rosh Hashanah learning and celebration continued in Early Childhood Education with more honey bowl making and of course, lots of holiday stories. Kids in the JCare afterschool program learned about the tradition of eating apples and honey and blowing the shofar! The fun continued on the northwest side of town where PJ Library families gathered together for Ice Cream Sundaes and Rosh Hashanah crafts for a sweet new year.

At our monthly leadership meeting, the team tasted a variety of foods traditional for Rosh Hashanah including apples and honey (for sweetness), dates (for the end of grievances), pumpkin seeds (for good deeds). And in the Fitness + Wellness Center, community members of all ages made the most of the last week of the Jewish year kicking off our Fall Men’s Basketball League and the beginning of a new season of Dance classes, recently restructured to include a recital!

Whether you practice every tradition or celebrate the holiday in your own special way, we hope you find meaning and joy in the new week and new year ahead. Shabbat Shalom.