Handmaker: Tucson's Non-Profit Continuing Care Retirement Community

04/14/2026

Save the date for a Healthcare Fair at Handmaker!
Tuesday, May 12 from 10am-2pm.
Learn about local community healthcare services while enjoying refreshments and entertainment!

04/14/2026

Have you registered for AgeWell Day Tucson Northwest yet?

For those of you on the Northwest side, we are bringing AgeWell Day to you on Sunday, May 3! And for those of you who live elsewhere in town, it is really not THAT far away!

Register today for a morning of fun and learning for community members aged 60 and over at https://jfsa.ticketspice.com/agewell-northwest

This event is brought to you by a collaboration between Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona, Tucson JCC, JFCS of Southern Arizona, and Handmaker: Tucson's Non-Profit Continuing Care Retirement Community. Hope to see you there!

04/13/2026

How quickly four years go by! On Friday we celebrated the end of four wonderful years of Better Together Intergenerational programming with Tucson Hebrew Academy and BBYO Mountain Region, Tucson JCC .

Over the last four years we have had some amazing experiences together, built beautiful friendships, and learned so much with and from one another.

Many thanks to partners Rabbi Jesse Davis from THA and Davis Hubbell from BBYO. We are truly Better Together because of this partnership, and we look forward to planning more intergenerational programs in the future!

04/09/2026

Congratulations to our March Handmaker Heroes, Elvira Reyes and Justin Parker.

Elvira has been keeping Handmaker clean for more than 21 years! You can often see her in the Rich Neighborhood, busy cleaning but also taking the time to connect with the residents. What a gem!

Justin has been working in the Handmaker kitchen for less than a year, but his can-do attitude and friendly demeaner are truly appreciated.

These two hard workers earned themselves a generous gift card for Frys, a certificate, and their name and image on the Handmaker Heroes wall. Congrats to them both!

Handmaker is a great place to work! We are hiring too. If you want to join our team, check out the opportunities on our website at https://www.handmaker.org/contact/careers-at-handmaker

04/07/2026

On Arizona Gives Day, please consider supporting Handmaker's Life Stations program for our memory care residents.

Donate some gently used items, or make a monetary donation at https://www.handmaker.org/donations/friends-of-handmaker.

04/07/2026

Handmaker residents gathered in the Great Room last week to celebrate two beautiful and meaningful Passover Seders together.

A heartfelt thank you to Rabbi Dr. Howard Schwartz and Doug Levy for leading the Seders, with support from several wonderful guests. Residents fully embraced the experience—joining in the songs, retelling the Passover story, and enjoying the delicious holiday meals thoughtfully prepared by Chef Claire.

It was especially meaningful to welcome back former staff members—Monica, Nahid, and Angela—who returned to volunteer and spend time with residents. Many were also delighted to share the evening with visiting family and friends around their Seder tables.

We hope your Passover celebrations were just as warm and meaningful as ours.

Chag Sameach!

04/01/2026

Part of our preparation for Passover at Handmaker includes learning about the upcoming holiday. Staff had their training earlier this month, and in Around the World class today in Rubin AL, the residents had their turn!

Residents had way more than four questions about the holiday, especially about the foods that we can and cannot eat. And everyone enjoyed hearing the Passover story, especially since it was read by Rabbi Baruch Cohon!

We also learned about the upcoming Easter holiday, which is always celebrated around Passover. We talked about Holy Week, which began on Sunday with Palm Sunday, and read about the importance of each of the different days of Holy Week. Charla told us that she is going to her church for Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday.

It is so interesting to learn about different holidays and customs, and we all agreed that there are many more similarities than differences between the religions that we practice!

Whatever you celebrate, we wish you a happy holiday season!

03/31/2026

03/27/2026

Have you ever heard of “wet matzah”? Neither had we—until Rabbi Jesse and Rabbi Yosef introduced the idea at this month’s Better Together gathering, just in time for Passover!

Curious and ready to try something new, our residents teamed up with the wonderful students from Tucson Hebrew Academy for a hands-on afternoon of baking and connection. With just flour, water, and a pinch of salt, we mixed, rolled, and poked our dough before sending it off to the kitchen for a quick, high-heat bake. In just minutes—voilà! Soft matzah was born. Some pieces turned out thin and crispy, while others were more like warm, fluffy pita.

No matter the texture, much laughter and joy filled the room.

A heartfelt thank you to Irene for gathering all the supplies, to Rabbi Jesse for organizing such a meaningful experience, and to the students for bringing their boundless energy and enthusiasm to Handmaker. What a special way to welcome the season!

03/26/2026

The Great Room at Handmaker was full of activity today!

This morning, our CEO, Elie Pollak, spent time connecting with a large group of staff members. It was a wonderful opportunity for newer team members to meet him, while giving everyone a chance to ask questions and share in meaningful conversation.

In the afternoon, longtime favorite Ron Wagner delighted our residents with his signature saxophone sounds and familiar songs—always a highlight!

And as we look ahead to next week, the Great Room is already filling up with Passover foods, in preparation for the holiday, which begins next Wednesday evening!

03/25/2026

https://azjewishpost.com/2026/at-handmaker-passover-prep-begins-early/

Local | Passover At Handmaker, Passover Prep Begins Early Posted March 23, 2026 / Nanci Levy, Handmaker Community Outreach Coordinator Share via Twitter: At Handmaker, Passover Prep Begins Early Share via Facebook: At Handmaker, Passover Prep Begins Early Share via Email: At Handmaker, Passover Prep...

03/24/2026

Handmaker is hiring, come join our team!

We are hiring CNAs, LPNs, and RNs. Flexible schedules are available, as well as excellent benefits for our full-time staff.

Handmaker is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

For more information about job opportunities or to apply, go to our website: https://www.handmaker.org/contact/careers-at-handmaker