Arizona's First Synagogue

 Still Beautiful In Tucson

After our really good lunch, we had one more stop before calling it a day. This stop was heart wrenching.

Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center

The JMHC has a multi-faceted mission of educating about the Holocaust and other genocides, exploring the legacy of Jewish experiences in Southern Arizona, preserving the first synagogue in the Arizona Territory, and collaborating with Tucson's diverse community to promote human rights.

The first synagogue built in the Arizona Territory (1910) located in Barrio Viejo. 

 

I really don't have much to say about this visit because it is such an emotional visit. One of my very best friends is a Jew whose mother was in a concentration camp. She has told me that her parents did not talk about the war and she doesn't either. I understand. 

We arrived in the middle of a tour so we joined them. The guide was giving a presentation on the reasons why the Jews moved from New York and Pennsylvania to southern Arizona. One of the reasons they moved here is the same as many of us live here especially in the winter. They came for the sunshine. 

 

My back was really complaining at this point (it is better now) so Marilyn went on to the Holocaust portion of the museum while Pat and I sat in the pews. She said it was quite dark but she took a few pictures for me.

 

After the huge lunch we had, none of us were hungry for dinner so we just munched on whatever we could find. Tomorrow we head back home with two more stops to make.