Friends, indeed, at Chaverim

Hilary Lyons is leaving her job as a development coordinator at the Pima Air and Space Museum to work full time for the Chaverim Reform Jewish congregation, at 5901 E. Second St.

Lyons has been a member of Chaverim for 10 years and will follow the footsteps of her predecessors in trying to build a close-knit community.

The intergenerational Chavurah groups were formed for that reason. Chavurah means "fellowship" in Hebrew. The groups of the same eight families meet regularly, enabling close relationships to develop.

She would like to see more programs for the general population, especially ones led by families.

The congregation has a religious school and teaches Hebrew for children from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade, Lyons said.

They help people who are interested in the religion to learn more about it and families to pass along Jewish traditions to their children.

Kids love the "Tot Sabbath," where they can sing Hebrew songs and dance. Jewish New Year celebrations, usually held in September or October, take place on Mount Lemmon and are widely popular among old and young.

Every congregation has its own characteristics. Chaverim is known for being a liberal and open-minded Reform congregation, one of the two in Tucson that accepts same-sex unions. These marriages are not recognized by law. The group's spiritual leader, Stephanie Aaron, is the first female rabbi in Tucson.

"We also encourage interfaith marriages that many rabbis don't support," said Chaverim President Sheila Peress. The congregation was founded in the mid-1970s and currently has 200 families involved in its programs.

"People don't choose a congregation based on geography. They join the one that is a good fit for them, where they like the personality of the rabbi," said Paul Tumarkin, Chaverim's board secretary.

Tucson has more Jews than most cities, Tumarkin said, though 65 percent are not involved in any congregation.

"Around 5 percent of the population is Jewish. This is higher than the national average," Tumarkin said. It is the congregation's challenge to get nonparticipating Jews connected.

Even with the higher than average number of Jews here, observing the faith's holidays can be a bit of a challenge.

"You have to make a bigger effort than … you would have to make in New York or Los Angeles," Lyons said, explaining that it is hard to find decorations for Hanukkah, and the selection of kosher foods is not nearly as wide as in bigger cities across the country.

It is the congregation's main goal to help people find friends in the community.

"We don't discriminate. We accept everybody who would like to join us," Lyons said.

After all, Chaverim means "friend" in Hebrew.

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