Shavua Tov
In just seven days, we will open our arms and our hearts as the Tucson J proudly welcomes the world to our community for the 2025 JCC Maccabi Games. The excitement is building with each passing hour, and it is with great pride and deep gratitude that I write to you today.
Together, we will fulfill the mitzvah of hachnassat orchim—welcoming guests—as we host over 1,000 Jewish teens, coaches, delegation heads, and families from across North America, Israel, Ukraine, and Moldova. Each person who steps onto our campus and the venues across the community will be treated as ushpizin—honored guests—just as our ancestors did in the tents of Abraham and Sarah.
But the JCC Maccabi Games are more than a week of athletic competition. They are a living expression of Amiut Yehudit—Jewish peoplehood. They reflect the unbreakable thread that connects our local community here in Tucson with Jews around the globe. This shared experience of celebration, pride, and connection helps build a stronger, more vibrant Jewish future for us all.
Throughout the week, our community will shine. Volunteers will step forward, families will open their homes, and young athletes will forge bonds of friendship that will last a lifetime. We will create something meaningful not just for our guests, but for ourselves—for our youth, for our families, and for our shared identity as part of K’lal Yisrael, the global Jewish family.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to our extraordinary steering committee, our dedicated staff, our committed board, and the many volunteers and donors who have worked tirelessly to bring this dream to life. Your passion, perseverance, and belief in our shared mission have made this moment possible.
As it says in Pirkei Avot:
“אם אין אני לי, מי לי? וכשאני לעצמי, מה אני? ואם לא עכשיו, אימתי?”
“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”
This is our moment—now is our time to welcome, connect, inspire, and uplift.
I invite your to listen to Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu this version by the Maccabeats, this is a song of peace and unity.
Together, we will create a week that reflects the very best of who we are—and the kind of Jewish future we dream of building.
Now is our time. Let us step forward together and make this week a celebration of all we are and all we can be.
Thank you for your continued partnership, your support, and your unwavering belief in the power of Jewish community. Let’s make history—together.
Cochenu b’Achduteynu | כחינו באחדותינו | Our strength is in our unity.
Am Yisrael Chai | עם ישראל חי
Bring them Home Now I מחזירים אותם הביתה עכשיו
Todd Rockoff
President + CEO, Tucson J
