Attendees enjoying lunch at American Eat Co. (photo by Pat Neel)
Jane Gold
On Oct. 28, for the first time, Pat Neel and Bonnie Hyra took a group of 14 members of The Women Of Quail Creek (TWOQC) to the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center located at 564 S. Stone Avenue. The day excursion began with a delightful lunch at American Eat Co. (not to be missed!).
The tour was expertly led by the docent, Eva, who interwove the history of the museum with her own story as the daughter of Holocaust survivors who came to the United States in 1947. Located in Barrio Viejo on the edge of Downtown Tucson, the museum features the first Jewish house of worship built in the Arizona Territory. The congregation was established by 200 Jewish families who built the stained glass-windowed building in 1910. This docent-led tour highlighted exhibits and explored the history and contemporary experience of Jewish people in Southern Arizona. It is a living museum where Jewish life and learning take place.
The Holocaust Center presents the Holocaust through the life experiences of many who survived the Nazi persecution and later made their home in Southern Arizona. There is a gallery highlighting present-day human rights violations and current issues of social justice. The building was acquired from a family in the 2000s and houses many actual photos of survivors and their descendants.