Our Congregation

The heart of Conservative Judaism in Tucson since 1930, CAI is an egalitarian congregation dedicated to sustaining Jewish traditions while adapting to the modern world.

At CAI, we believe that living Jewishly means being in community with our people. Families gather here to pray together, study sacred texts, share lifecycle events, pursue social action, and find companionship. Active involvement in Jewish life brings understanding, compassion, courage, and strength.

You’ll find everything you need for every stage of a meaningful Jewish life: preschool, B’Yahad religious school, USY, adult education, chavurot, social action, family programs, Judaica gift shop, and so much more.

Mission Statement

Congregation Anshei Israel shall serve as a source of spiritual, educational and social enrichment in order to encourage and ensure Judaic values in accordance with the Principles of Conservative Judaism.

Core Values

Promoting Jewish continuity

Educating children and adults

Spiritual renewal and egalitarianism

Building community through social action

Our History

Congregation Anshei Israel was founded in 1930 on Stone Avenue in downtown Tucson. Under the spiritual leadership of Rabbi Marcus Breger and Cantor Maurice Falkow (both of blessed memory), the synagogue relocated in 1946 to 6th Street/Martin. As the community continued to grow, in 1969 the congregation moved to its present location on the corner of 5th Street/Craycroft.

Rabbi Arthur Oleisky z"l began a 29-year tenure as spiritual leader in 1970. Cantor Ivor Lichterman joined us from 1991-2011. In 1999, we welcomed Rabbi Robert Eisen who led our congregation for 21 years until his retirement in 2020. In 2014, Nichole Chorny was appointed Cantorial Soloist and in 2020 she assumed leadership of our B’Yahad Youth Programming. Rabbi Sara Metz was hired as our spiritual leader in 2020.

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