Nina Grossman
Birthday: 1954
Nina Grossman was born in Long Branch, New Jersey in 1954. She is a 1976
graduate of Rutgers University with a BA in Studio Art. She was in the first class,
along with 450 other women, to be admitted to the formerly all male university.
Nina married her husband, Rich, in 1977. She has two daughters, Emily and Pam.
Nina has spent her entire adult life as an artist, educator, and volunteer doing
non-profit work whose theme has been helping others. It started in New Jersey in
the early 1980’s when she joined Women’s American ORT, a non-profit
organization, which helped finance education for Israeli children. Ultimately, she
became its President.
Nina and her family joined Temple Rodeph Torah in the early 1990’s. Her first project,
along with husband Rich, was fundraising, which enabled the Temple to construct its
own building. She, along with two other women, held their B’nai Mitzvahs there.
It was the first service in this new building. Nina was Secretary of the Temple’s
Board of Directors for seven years, and Chairperson of the fundraising committee.
She also taught Hebrew in their religious school to children, as well as to adults, and led
Saturday morning Shabbat services. Her signature achievements at the Temple
were redesigning the entire interior of its sanctuary and painting religious scenes on
two entire walls of its religious school wing.
Nina’s work life included being a Docent at the Monmouth County Museum, the
administrator of grants for a prestigious county arts organization, teaching K-12 art
at a private school, and teaching Hebrew in her Temple’s religious school.
Moving to Tucson, Arizona in 2017 created new opportunities for Nina. Donna
Rabuck’s 25+ year old women’s circle, The Center for the Sacred Feminine, served
as a wonderful transitional bridge for her, since she’d been attending Donna’s circles for
many years before moving here. Nina continued to make small art gifts for each
woman when they went on retreats.
Nina received two years of intensive training in order to become a Docent at the
Tucson Museum of Art. She also began painting outdoor murals for her home and
for other people, the largest of which is 80 feet wide by 6 feet high, which she
created for the Center for the Sacred feminine. She exhibited and sold paintings
at different art exhibitions, as well.
Nina joined Congregation M’Kor Hayim, where she became an active participant in
many social action projects and presented a lecture called “Jewish Artists through
History” for its Educational Initiative Series.
Having an active political life became important to Nina. She has been the Co-
chair and Secretary for the Marana Dems and Friends. In addition, she
participated in door-to-door canvassing for county, state, and national Democratic
candidates, and attended their fundraising and Meet the Candidates events.
Here’s the most important part of who Nina is: She helped her best friend and
another close friend navigate through serious illnesses, and continues to be the
most loving and caring person to her family and friends imaginable. Being of
service to her family and others has always been and remains Nina’s passion and
priority.