Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) was founded in 1973[1] by couples Bertie[2] and Jack Levkowitz, a native of Tucson, Arizona; Betejoy and Arthur Oleisky; and Judy and Dave Leonard. Oleisky, the Conservative rabbi of Congregation Anshei Israel, had decried the lack of a Jewish day school in Tucson during a 1971 Yom Kippur sermon. After the committee balked at the idea of setting up the school according to the tenets of Orthodox Judaism, THA was founded with the intention of accepting students from a wide swath of the local Jewish confessional community, along with setting high standards for general education. The Levkowitzs later served on the school's board of directors.[1][3] THA's new campus was funded by Payless Shoe Source founder Louis Pozez,[4] and the school is a beneficiary of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona.[5]
THA is a private school.[9] Student rolls had been in slow decline, with 199 enrolled in the 2001 school year, 196 in 2004[10] and 175 enrolled in 2011.[7]
As of July 2021[update], Johanna Shlomovich is THA's head of school.[15]
Community
THA opened its doors to the Tucson Jewish community for High Holy Days prayer services.[16] The school inaugurated its first Torah scroll on March 17, 1996. The scroll was written in Romania by a Polish-trained sofer (scribe; lit.'counter') around the time of the end of World War I.[17]
The THA choir was one of two Jewish choirs, along with the Tucson Jewish Youth Choir, which performed at the Tucson Meet Yourself festival.[18]
↑ (March 1, 2008) "Funeral Notices", ProQuest389078260Arizona Daily Star. Tucson. Retrieved May 4, 2025. "Louis retired to Tucson, AZ in 1983 to devote his time to his family and philanthropic activities ... From the new campuses for Tucson Hebrew Academy and the Jewish Community Center, the development of the Tucson Jewish Community Foundation, an executive committee member and life board member of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and several other organizations, Louis touched the lives of many people."
↑ Velez, Tiana (May 21, 2006) "Angels With Deep Pockets", ProQuest389085554Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved May 5, 2025. "The federation is the fund-raising, administrative and planning organization for a variety of social-service and education agencies within the local Jewish community. It serves five main agencies including the Tucson Hebrew Academy and the Tucson Jewish Community Center."
↑ Bustamante, Mary (June 24, 2004) "Demand Is Growing", ProQuest237130960Tucson Citizen. ISSN0888-5478 Retrieved May 5, 2025. "Tucson Hebrew Academy's enrollment has remained steady in the past three years with 199 students attending in 2001-02 and 196 expected in the fall."
↑ Huicochea, Alexis (March 28, 2016) "Tucson Hebrew Academy Hosts Science Fair", ProQuest1082430203Tribune Content Agency. Retrieved May 5, 2025. "Tucson Hebrew Academy will host a science, technology, engineering and math fair on April 3 ... Exhibitors include the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Pima Air & Space Museum, Southern Arizona Rocketry Association and the International Dark-Sky Association.
↑ Haussler, Alexa (March 18, 1996) "Academy Consecrates Its 1st Torah", ProQuest389364013Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved May 5, 2025. "The Tucson Hebrew Academy dedicated its first sacred biblical scroll yesterday ... The academy's new torah was written in Romania near the end of World War I by a scribe who was trained in Poland ..."
↑ Engelken, Claire (October 9, 2008) "Tucson, Meet (and Eat) Yourself!", ProQuest237214007Tucson Citizen. Retrieved May 4, 2025. "Expect traditional performances, plus a recently added 'Meet the Street and Youth Culture' series of events that includes hip-hop dance groups, a high school steel drum band, two Jewish choirs and a graffiti artist ... Tucson Hebrew Academy Choir ..."
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