Jewish History Museum

Wednesday, January 21, 2015
We walked through some neighbourhoods in downtown Tucson.

                                                         Saint Augustine Cathedral

After being closed for 30 years, this art deco movie theatre has recently been restored.

                                                                Visitor's Center
At the Visitor's Center, we purchased two booklets, $18. 00 each, that give us two for one admission at museums and parks, and discounts at stores. The booklet paid for itself the 2nd day of our visit to Tucson!

                               The metal spouts direct rainwater away from the adobe walls.

After a tour of the neighbourhood, we visited the Jewish History Museum. Built in 1910, the Jewish History Museum (Historic Stone Avenue Temple) was the first Jewish house of worship established in the Arizona Territory.  Tucson merchandising historian, Bettina Lyons, notes that in 1878, of the 10 general stores operating in downtown Tucson, "six were owned by first-generation German Jews, all related to one another by either blood or marriage." A number of men from the city's pioneer Jewish families held elected political positions on the school board, on the county Board of Supervisors and as mayor. 
http://www.jewishhistorymuseum.org/about/pioneers
http://tucson.com/news/local/northwest/jewish-influence-strong-in-tucson/article_f7c3806a-4c99-58cb-af89-efe06ad0c0c4.html

 The stained glass windows are based on a postcard depicting the early church from 1914. The S. S. Kress Company hired local artists to paint pictures of prominent buildings in American cities. These paintings were made into postcards to sell. 

Next to the Jewish History Museum is  the Holocaust History Center Museum. It tells the stories of 230 survivors from 18 nations who made Southern Arizona their home. 

                                         Sangria from the oranges behind Leo & Jonathan