Collaboration with Temple Emanu-El

We’ve been busy since the 2^nd meeting with the Finance Task Force on January 6! The Ambassadors met to review our status, the current draft of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between our congregations, and the process necessary to continue toward a potential merger. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) is an agreement between two or more parties outlined in a formal document. It is not legally binding but signals the willingness of the parties to move forward with a common line of action.

Click here to view the PowerPoint from our January 12^th Town Hall Meeting. 

The MOU has eight essential elements, including the following:

• Combined congregations at 225 N. Country Club
• Religious schools will be combined
• Worship service styles decided by clergy and Ritual Committee
• Clergy continue. Their roles/responsibilities negotiated with the new board
• Administrative functions/financial operations merged
• Governance merged, with equal representation of former congregations
• New committees e.g. mission/vision, naming, governance, yahrzeit board, and Imagination Committee
• Target date: On or before December 31, 2020. The timeline is subject to change based on the progress of the various committees and the approval of the two boards.

The detailed MOU with its introduction will be distributed to all congregants of each congregation. The two synagogues will conduct a vote of their members. Or Chadash has established a mail-in ballot voting process which will culminate with counting votes publicly on Sunday, February 9^th.  Temple will have a Special Congregational Meeting on the same day, February 9^th, where attendees will vote during the meeting.  Details of these processes will be forthcoming to each congregation by your leadership.

If the MOU is approved by both congregations:

• Boards of Directors vote to authorize expenditures related to preparations for merger.
• Apply for funding for expenses related to merger (IMPACT)
• Hire a consultant to help with the steps in a merger
• Create new committees to assist in development of the details in the Plan of Merger
• Retain legal counsel to draft final documents in accordance with current Arizona Law, including Articles of Incorporation and Plan for Merger
• Congregational vote on Plan of Merger

If the MOU is not approved by both congregations:

• Work toward a merger will be suspended
• Usual annual financial planning process will continue for each synagogue
• Each Board will review their financial situation and work to mitigate losses for the current and upcoming fiscal year
• Fundraising efforts through dues and donations will be redoubled, and expenses associated with programming, services, and administration will likely be cut
• Boards of Directors will consider merging Religious Schools while remaining as independent congregations

Please stay connected to find out more about the next steps in our ongoing conversation.

And please feel free to share your thoughts and comments by writing to our shared email account at JewishTucson@gmail.com.

Members of both congregations attended the Finance Task Force open meeting on Monday, January 6, 2020 at 6:30 pm in the Temple Emanu-El Schlanger Chapel. Approximately 90 people were present to ask financial questions relating to the talks between Temple Emanu-El and Congregation Or Chadash. Elaine Jones and Scott Arden, Presidents of Or Chadash and Temple Emanu-El, respectively, moderated the meeting. Mark Ross and Jeffrey Rein, Treasurers of each congregation, responded to questions and comments for about two hours. 

There were many questions regarding the Financial Task Force report, as well as specific line items in the sample combined budget for the current and future fiscal years. Concerns were raised about cash flow issues, proposed savings, and future expenses. Several members, representative of both congregations, expressed their appreciation of the efforts to bring these talks to fruition and of their interest in seeking a combined congregation.

Please stay connected to find out more about the next steps in our ongoing conversation. And please feel free to share your thoughts and comments by writing to our shared email account at JewishTucson@gmail.com.

The calendar year of 2019 was significant for our synagogues and a pivotal time for our collective future.  During this season of reflection and celebration, we hope you had a Happy Chanukah and a safe secular New Year celebration.

During January, the Ambassadors will prepare a memorandum of understanding between our two congregations that will outline the elements of a merged congregation and the steps to be taken to move us to this new entity after approval by both congregations. After seeking advice from our respective legal counsel, we will present the document to our Boards and our congregations. 

To ensure our congregants are fully informed, all of the Ambassadors’ weekly and monthly reports, and every task force’s findings and presentation, are posted on our websites for your review and re-reading. Prior to casting your ballot to decide if we proceed with merging our congregations, you will be alerted to the voting process by several methods. Please make sure to contact your synagogue’s administration to confirm that you are a member in good standing in order to be able to vote. And look for further information and voting process announcements in your email and online.

Thank you for the commitment and passion that you bring to this conversation. And please feel free to share your thoughts and comments by writing to our shared email account at JewishTucson@gmail.com.

The Ambassadors created eight task forces to actively envision what a merger of our congregations would look like, identify any hurdles that would conflict with this future, and provide possible solutions to these issues. Six of these task forces will be reporting to our congregations during November and early December in order for the members of both congregations to hear first-hand their findings from these groups. The Communications and Collaborative Efforts task forces will not be reporting as they are already actively working to ensure that our congregants are aware of our processes and have opportunities to meet/work with each other during this time period.

Our third Town Hall meeting to roll out two of our Task Force reports was held on Sunday, December 8, 2019.  As promised, these reports from the Worship and Clergy Task Forces are being emailed to congregants and posted to our synagogue websites. The meetings at each synagogue were well attended, and we thank you all for your continued interest and fabulous questions.

The representatives presenting from the Worship Task Force were Kathylynn Saboda of Or Chadash and Amy Ruskin of Temple Emanu-El. They both presented portions of the presentation with outstanding content and a deep understanding of each of our congregation’s worship activities. The task force reviewed recent and upcoming collaborative efforts between our congregations and the great many types of services in common that are currently offered. Though the services are in large part similar, there are many substantive differences in the approaches taken by the clergy. The task force believed that each congregation’s ritual committee would continue to abide by the traditions of each shul and continue during a transition period that would overlay the actual legal merger into a new entity. During this transition period, there would be parallel services with a multitude of opportunities for all congregants to enjoy a great variety of observances under one roof and to become familiar with different ritual styles. The length of the transition period is not defined by any given date, but rather by the clergy and congregation at large. And, at every opportunity, we will eat, study, and pray together to create a joint sacred community.

The representatives presenting the Clergy Task Force included Rabbi Thomas Louchheim and Emily Joseph of Or Chadash in the morning presentation, and Emily again with Scott Arden of Temple Emanu-El for the afternoon presentation. They reviewed the process the task force took, including extensive research of successful congregational mergers as well as review of different models of clergy leadership. A combined congregation would include two rabbis with both cantor and cantorial soloist and will accommodate a diversity of worship experiences. A clergy integration committee will continuously evaluate the success of the division of responsibilities among the clergy, and how they are working together and with the congregants. The spiritual future of our congregation will be through collaborative problem-solving – working together to understand and change conditions that involves congregants to raise their own consciousness to the fundamental issues that face our Jewish community.

In the morning Town Hall at Or Chadash, Dave Flyer reported on a very detailed and professional process for congregants to vote via a mail-in ballot. At the afternoon session at Temple Emanu-El, Mona Gibson explained that Temple will use the same process as developed by Dave and have requested his guidance on this most important administrative matter. 

Our next step is to prepare an outline of the elements of a merged congregation and the steps to be taken to move us to this new entity. Our congregants will be fully informed before any vote is taken. All of our weekly and monthly reports, task force findings and presentations, and general information will be posted to our websites for your review.

Thank you for the commitment and passion that you bring to this conversation.  And please feel free to share your thoughts and comments by writing to our shared email account at JewishTucson@gmail.com. 

The Ambassadors will be meeting this week to review our last Town Hall meetings where the Religious School and Facilities Task Forces reported their findings. Last week’s communication reviewed the information for you and remember, the final reports and presentations are posted to our synagogue websites.
As we all begin our travels and preparations for Thanksgiving, we want to take a moment to acknowledge all of you for your commitment and passion to our congregations. Both Or Chadash and Temple Emanu-El have an incredible sacred community where warmth, care and concern are in abundance. We are thankful for all of your contributions to these conversations between our synagogues.

Our next Town Hall meetings will be on 12/08/2019 – Worship and Clergy, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Or Chadash and 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El. Members of each task force will present their findings, and our goal continues to be to review and discuss each new report openly and honestly. Our congregants will have opportunities to learn more about each topic and to be fully informed before any vote is taken. We will publish meeting reminders via our weekly email communications, and we’ve posted the schedule on our websites.

Thank you for the commitment and passion that you bring to this conversation. And please feel free to share your thoughts and comments by writing to our shared email account at JewishTucson@gmail.com.

May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving week, where you experience the joy of family, companionship of good friends, and gratitude of the rich land in which we live.

The Ambassadors created eight task forces to actively envision what a merger of our congregations would look like, identify any hurdles that would conflict with this future, and provide possible solutions to these issues. Six of these task forces are reporting to our congregations during November and early December in order for the members of both congregations to hear first-hand their findings from these groups. The Communications and Collaborative Efforts task forces will not be reporting as they are working to ensure that our congregants are aware of our processes and have opportunities to meet/work with each other during this time period.

Our second Town Hall meeting to roll out two of our Task Force reports was held on Sunday, November 17, 2019. As promised, these reports from the Religious School and Facilities Task Forces were emailed to congregants and posted to our synagogue websites (see above). The meetings at each synagogue were well attended and we thank you all for your continued interest and fabulous questions.

The representatives presenting from the Religious School Task Force were Rina Liebeskind of Or Chadash and Dr. Abby Limmer of Temple Emanu-El. They both presented portions of the presentation with incredible content, graphics, and wonderful transitions between the slides. They began by reviewing the current collaborative efforts that have been ongoing for quite some time. Though our Sunday school programs have significant overlap, the Hebrew school offered during the week has more differences in date/time but similarities in curriculum. Combining students of the schools would mean full classes in each grade. The task force members advised that the biggest hurdles to overcome are location, loss of accreditation of the OC school, and our students/families no longer feeling connected. Many suggestions were proposed for further review to mitigate these issues such as providing transportation, applying immediately for accreditation, having opportunities for students to enjoy social events together, and strengthening Temple’s Hebrew@Home program. Overall, the task force believed that a merger of our religious schools could be successful.

The representatives presenting the Facilities Task Force included Steve Tofel of Temple, Ron Schneider of Temple, and Mo Riback of Or Chadash. Steve started them off and each one took turns presenting their findings. With the possibility of a merger, the task force looked at three alternatives: A) Build a new facility at a new site; estimating this would cost a total of $8.5M to $9.5M. B) Expand the Or Chadash campus to accommodate an enlarged congregation and education base; estimating this would cost $1.9M to $2.8M. C) Improve the Temple Emanu-El campus to correct for deferred maintenance and general facilities issues; estimating this would cost $500,000 to $1.2M depending on what items were improved. The task force prioritized the construction items to make Temple more accommodating and aesthetically pleasing to all congregants of both synagogues. An initial loan may be used to make the repairs and remodeling quickly; and payment of the loan would be from cash reserves as a result of the lowered costs and greater efficiencies of having both congregations working out of one facility. Overall, the task force concluded that moving to Temple Emanu-El is the option that appears most financially feasible.

Our next Town Hall meetings will be on 12/08/2019 – Worship and Clergy, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Or Chadash and 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El. Members of each task force will present their findings, and our goal continues to be to review and discuss each new report openly and honestly. Our congregants will have opportunities to learn more about each topic and to be fully informed before any vote is taken. We will publish meeting reminders via our weekly email communications, and we’ve posted the schedule on our websites.

Thank you for the commitment and passion that you bring to this conversation. And please feel free to share your thoughts and comments by writing to our shared email account at JewishTucson@gmail.com.

The Ambassadors met a couple of weeks ago to discuss the recent Town Hall meetings at both congregations on the same day (Sunday, November 3rd). Each synagogue met at a separate time to review the reports submitted by the Finance and Governance Task Forces. The Ambassadors were pleased with the presentations and lively conversation that took place at the meetings. A couple of weeks ago this report reviewed the recommendations of each task force. You can find last week’s reports from the Ambassadors and the task forces posted on our websites.

This week we want to report to you highlights of our conversation about these town hall meetings and task force recommendations.

At both congregational meetings there were nearly identical questions, specifically how much is the other congregation contributing to the budget and/or deficit. The financial reason for merger is compelling because both synagogues are facing stagnant membership growth, limited or decreasing donations/dues, and steadily increasing costs. It is clear that the significant assets for each congregation are the people and the sacred community that has developed. Stating the existence of Reform Judaism in Tucson does not appear to be a compelling reason to merge; however, the future of our Jewish community does resonate. The future is personal; it’s for our kids and to preserve what we love. Change is definitely happening, and the merger allows us to take control of the situation.

The schedule of remaining Town Hall meetings is provided below. At these meetings our goal is to continue to review and discuss each new report. Our congregants will have opportunities to learn more about each topic and to be fully informed before any vote is taken. The task force reports will be posted on our websites.

11/17/2019 – Religious School and Facilities
12/08/2019 – Worship and Clergy

These Town Hall meetings will be from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Or Chadash and 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El. Members of each task force will attend the meetings to review and discuss their findings. You can view reports from the Religious School and Facilities Task Forces above.

Thank you for the commitment and passion that you bring to this conversation. And please feel free to share your thoughts and comments by writing to our shared email account at jewishtucson@gmail.com.

The Ambassadors created eight task forces to actively envision what a merger of our congregations would look like, identify any hurdles that would conflict with this future, and provide possible solutions to these issues. Six of these task forces will be reporting to our congregations during November and early December in order for the members of both congregations to hear first-hand their findings from these groups. The Communications and Collaborative Efforts task forces will not be reporting as they are already actively working to ensure that our congregants are aware of our processes and have opportunities to meet/work with each other during this time period.

Our first Town Hall meeting to roll out two of our Task Force reports was held on Sunday, November 3, 2019. As promised, these first reports from the Finance and Governance Task Forces were emailed to our members and are available above. The meetings at each synagogue were well attended, and we thank you all for your continued interest and fabulous questions.

The representatives of our Finance Task Force, Gary Kippur at Or Chadash, and Jeff Rein at Temple Emanu-El reviewed a spreadsheet of our congregations’ combined budgets and projections for the future. Our current budgets demonstrate the financial difficulties that we both have in having enough revenue from dues, fees, and donations to support our personnel, facilities, administration, and operations. Continuation on our current paths will ensure decreased programming, pay cuts, and loss of membership. A future together enhances our combined efforts to offer Reform Judaism in southern Arizona in a fiscally responsible manner. The projected budget supports the belief that together we can ensure that our mission continues beyond our generation.

Harriet Kronman of Or Chadash represented the Governance Task Force and used a PowerPoint presentation to review the issues addressed by this group. A careful review of the bylaws of each congregation showed some differences, but enough similarities to make a combined document easily attainable. The greatest issue to be handled is the creation of a new Board of Directors to be effective at the time of the new merged congregation. A proposed timeline was created in order for the task force participants to figure out a process by which to create the new Board. To resolve this issue, the task force proposed each congregation’s Nominating Committee as developed by their usual process to combine forces in the transition period and work out the slate of Officers and Directors to present for a vote to our congregants. New task forces would need to be created to address the new congregation’s name, Articles of Incorporation, and Bylaws.

The schedule of upcoming Town Hall meetings is provided below. At these meetings, our goal is to continue to review and discuss each new report. Our congregants will have opportunities to learn more about each topic and to be fully informed before any vote is taken. We will publish meeting reminders via our weekly email communications, and we’ll post the schedule on our websites.

11/17/2019 – Religious School and Facilities
12/08/2019 – Worship and Clergy

These Town Hall meetings will be from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Or Chadash and 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El. Members of each task force will attend the meetings to review and discuss their findings.

Thank you for the commitment and passion that you bring to this conversation. And please feel free to share your thoughts and comments by writing to our shared email account at JewishTucson@gmail.com.

The Ambassadors’ Reports earlier this month explored the national and local trends that spurred Congregation Or Chadash and Temple Emanu-El to begin a conversation about strengthening Reform Judaism in the Tucson community by considering a path toward a merger.

Before anything is decided or any vote is cast by our congregants, we will be distributing information so everyone involved can make an informed decision whether to continue along this path or not.

In this coming month of November, the Reports from the Task Forces will be distributed to the congregations. The schedule of town hall meetings throughout this month are listed below. At these meetings our goal is to review and discuss each report. Our congregants will have opportunities to learn more about each area of concern and to be fully informed before any vote is made to decide if we continue toward a merger. We will provide the reports and have meeting reminders via our weekly email communications, and the schedule will be posted on our websites.

Sunday, November 3rd, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Reports from the Finance & Governance Task Force
Sunday, November 17th, 11:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. Reports from the Facilities and Religious School Task Forces
Sunday, December 8th, 11:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. Reports from the Worship and Clergy Task Forces

The above Town Hall meetings will also be held at Temple Emanu-El from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Members of each task force from both synagogues, will attend the above town hall meetings to review and discuss their findings.

As always, we appreciate your concern, commitment, and passion that you bring to this conversation. Please send your thoughts and comments to our shared email account at JewishTucson@gmail.com. We look forward to our continued conversations and everything you bring to our congregation.

**Three documents are available above:

1. Introduction/Background for the Task Force reports,
2. Report from the Finance Task Force, and
3. Report from the Governance Task Force

In last week’s report, the Ambassadors explained the national and local trends weakening synagogue affiliation. This resulting decrease in membership places a financial burden on our congregations and limits the services and programming we are able to provide.

However, Or Chadash and Temple have a history of sharing core values, sharing in the vision of Reform Judaism and sharing a love of worship, music, youth engagement and social action. The Ambassadors’ conversations have brought to light many similarities and successful collaborations. Our initial Task Forces have been asked to explore specific areas to identify the shared vision, cultural similarities, as well as any significant hurdles to the possibility of a joint partnership.

The initial Task Forces created were designed to explore the following: 1) Facilities, 2) Governance, 3) Worship, 4) Finance, 5) Clergy, 6) Communications, 7) Joint Programming, and 8) Religious Schools. Each task force is comprised of individuals from each congregation (see participants below); and their charge is to envision the benefits and issues that could occur by joining together. We will communicate their findings by the end of 2019, and provide you with this information by email and in Town Hall meetings. Our small focus group meetings are to listen to you and hear your observations.

Join us for any and all of the following meetings to discuss the findings of the various Task Forces that were charged with envisioning the benefits and issues that could occur by joining together:

• Sunday, Nov 3: 11-12N- Reports from the Finance & Governance Task Forces
• Sunday, Nov 17: 11-12N- Reports from the Facilities and Religious School Task Forces
• Sunday, Dec 8: 11-12N- Reports from the Worship and Clergy Task Forces

  NOTE: Voting will be in January 2020

As always, we appreciate your concern, commitment and passion that you bring to this conversation. Please send your thoughts and comments to our shared email account at JewishTucson@gmail.com (Please note: our shared email address ends with .com and it was identified incorrectly as ending in .org in the last weekly update.). We look forward to our continued conversations and everything you bring to our congregation.

At our last Ambassadors meeting, held on the evening after Yom Kippur, we discussed some of the common questions raised by our congregants both in group meetings and on an individual basis. One such theme was the concern regarding whether it was necessary for our congregations to begin this conversation in the first place. When we began down this road, we researched both national and local trends. We also spoke to lay leaders of congregations around the country for their reasons to join with another synagogue. And, we contacted the URJ for their take on national trends.

After a brief period of time, we learned about national trends of decreasing membership and increasing financial hardships. As our society at large becomes more secular, there is a diminishing desire for Jewish people to be affiliated with any synagogue. A recent study indicated more Americans are identifying as being Jewish, but belonging to a local shul is not a top priority. And finally, charitable donations to non-religious institutions compete vigorously for the limited funds available in a family’s budget.

There is a clear advantage to staying ahead of these national trends. Though Tucson has experienced a slow return from the recession and overall limited rates of affiliation with religious institutions, neither of us are at the point of shutting our doors. Both congregations have been experiencing financial difficulties, but not so much as to warrant a complete shutdown. If we do nothing, both of our groups will see changes in programming, services, and operations.

As always, we appreciate your concern, commitment, and the passion that you bring to this conversation. Please send your thoughts and comments to our shared email account at JewishTucson@gmail.com

We look forward to our continued conversations and everything you bring to our congregation.

One of our efforts to offer joint programming for Congregation Or Chadash and Temple Emanu-El was the Second Day Rosh Hashanah services. Rabbi Louchheim and Rabbi Appel led services together. Many congregants from Or Chadash joined Temple in services on Tuesday, and all together we were nearly 100 individuals sharing in a wonderful experience. Several of the Ambassadors were able to attend services, and we enjoyed being a part of the collaboration, joyfulness, and overall hamish feel that our Rabbis exuded. Thank you to everyone who attended and we look forward to several other events where we can join together in expressing our joy of Reform Judaism in Tucson.

The Ambassadors are on a brief hiatus and will be meeting again after Yom Kippur. At that time we’ll review the reasons that have brought us to this point and juncture in our congregations. Until then, we wish each and every one of you a joyous and meaningful High Holy Days.

As always, please send your comments and suggestions to JewishTucson@gmail.org.
L’Shanah Tovah!
The Ambassadors

The Ambassadors are leaders from Temple Emanu-El Tucson and Congregation Or Chadash charged with exploring the possibilities of greater collaboration. This team is looking at how we may benefit and what would be involved if we were to join our two synagogues. Representatives from Temple Emanu-El are Scott Arden, Mona Gibson, Steve Tofel, Joe Millstone, and Brie Finegold. Or Chadash representatives are Elaine Jones, Ben Vogel, Dana Adler, and Gary Kippur. We’ve been meeting each month, most recently on September 5th. Our next meeting will be shortly after Yom Kippur.

The Ambassadors are committed to ongoing communication with our boards and congregants about our activities.

To date, we’ve created 8 task forces with representative members from both congregations. Each one addresses a topic of mutual interest: 1) Facilities, 2) Governance, 3) Worship, 4) Finance, 5) Rabbinic, 6) Communications, 7) Joint Programming, and 8) Religious School. Their first objective is to envision a future
in which our congregations may be joined. They are not detailing exactly how our future might unfold. Each task force is charged with issuing a report in the fall. These reports are intended to provide our congregations with sufficient information to vote on next steps. Each synagogue plans to present task-force findings by the end of 2019 in preparation for decision making in January 2020. We aim for congregants to make the important decision using all available information.

In the meantime, we are continuing with joint programming to get better acquainted. Temple Emanu-El is extending an invitation to Congregation Or Chadash for Second Day Rosh Hashanah on Tuesday, October 1 at 10 a.m. at Temple Emanu-El. Rabbi Appel and Rabbi Louchheim will conduct those services together. Other joint programming is planned between our Sisterhoods, Social Justice Committees, and Religious Schools.

We created an email specifically for congregants questions or comments; JewishTucson@gmail.com.

Dear Congregants,

Congregation Or Chadash and Temple Emanu-El have realized over the past few years that we have an opportunity to explore combined strengths. Recently, we have begun to consider how each congregation may benefit from collaborative efforts in providing education and spiritual programs.

In recent years, synagogues in the Tucson area (and nationwide) have experienced decreasing membership and slowing donations and dues. This has placed a financial burden on our shuls, making it difficult to serve our congregants and the greater Jewish community, let alone reach out to the unaffiliated in our area.

A growing nationwide trend is for congregations to share facilities or to collaborate on programs and services. Generally, two or three synagogues will have cooperative ventures while discussion takes place regarding further collaboration.

Our two congregations have worked together to pool resources and collaborate on serving our congregants, especially our Religious School students. One such example is the 7th and 8th Grade trip to Jewish Los Angeles, where the students from both of our schools, as well as other schools in Tucson, explore the museums and have a uniquely Jewish experience.

The presidents from each congregation have assembled a small group of lay leaders, and we have already had two meetings. Our respective clergy and administrative staff are aware of these discussions.

Many leaders of synagogues who have undergone such a process liken this stage to a courtship. And though we have met for dinner a couple of times, we’re still just getting to know one another. We are currently exploring additional opportunities for collaboration and are only beginning to look at the myriad of issues as we continue in building this relationship.

As we continue this process, we want to hear from you. Our lay leadership group includes: Dana Adler, Scott Arden, Brie Finegold, Elaine Jones, Gary Kippur, Joe Millstone, Steve Tofel, Mona Gibson, and Ben Vogel. We have created a single email address that will be monitored by each congregation’s delegation: JewishTucson@gmail.com. This email is the preferred method of communication so that your comments and suggestions can be logged in a single location and viewed by all delegates.

We look forward to communicating with you regularly as we continue to explore this unique time in the history of our synagogues and in the greater Tucson Jewish community.

Sincerely,

Mona L. Gibson                     Benjamin Vogel
Temple Emanu-El                 Congregation Or Chadash