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TBS Brotherhood The Temple Shalom of the West Valley Brotherhood was established in 1979 with 42 members starting out with the first meeting. Our Brotherhood's mission is to promote fellowship and service to the Temple. Toward that goal, the Brotherhood sponsors fundraisers and social events such as various entertainment functions, Movie and Breakfast Speaker Series, Mother's Day celebration, monthly potlucks before Shabbat services, picnics, Jewish Chautauqua Society and the Israeli Scouts. With the Sisterhood, we contribute funds and provide many unseen activities that foster a smooth Temple operation. Our "Movers and Shakers" do the annual Succah erection and all chair moving needed for the holidays. We are proud to serve the Temple. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley Has Something for Everyone! Come join in the fun! Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley's Chanukah celebrations go on for several nights at the Temple and into the communities. Our special events like the Klezmer Band Jewish Folk Music concert draw visitors and annual Golf Tournament from all over the Phoenix area. These are a few examples of the Temple's joyous events. ​ For everyone’s safety, PLEASE, no backpacks or purses will be allowed at events at Temple Beth Shalom. You can utilize a clear purse or clear plastic bag. Otherwise, please leave your items in your car. There will be a security guard onsite. Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley presents a four-part interfaith series in September looking at some of the more important prayers of the High Holy Days. MORE DETAILS Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan will be leading a four-part interfaith class, “Why did the Bible begin?” in September. Classes will be from 10-11 a.m. Thursdays, Sept. 5, 12, 19 and 26. MORE DETAILS Join Us for Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley's Welcome Back Open House and Ice Cream Social from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22. We hope to see you there! MORE DETAILS Sign up for the interfaith adult education course: "Middle East Update What is Happening Now & Why in Israel." Classes will be from 10-11 a.m. Mondays, Oct. 7, 14, 21 and 28. MORE DETAILS The Temple Beth Shalom Sisterhood is hosting a Break the Fast dinner at about 6:30 p.m. Oct. 12. Call the Temple office at 623.977.3240 to make reservations by Oct. 8. Cost is $20 per person with no charge for children 12 and younger. MORE DETAILS Join us for our Second Annual Western BBQ and Hoedown Fundraiser on Oct. 20 from 3-5:30 p.m. Festivities, open to all ages, will include a barbeque be catered by Rudy’s, a cake walk, face painting, corn hole throw and a piñata filled with lots of goodies! Cost is $20 for adults, $10 for kids under 13 and free for kids under 5. MORE DETAILS

Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan Leadership Te mple Beth Shalom of the West Valley's leadership members for 2024-25 are: ​ President: Steve Bold 1st Vice President: Warren Bentkover Vice President: Mariane Anderson Vice President: Carmen Berkowitz Vice President: Sara Jane Feldman Recording Secretary: Nan Rubin-Lieber Treasurer: Jonathan Green Financial Secretary: Rich Lieber ​ Board Members: Bernie Arum Gloria Bold Bea Eisenberg Steve Hechler Pam Katz Russ Robbins Ellyn Ventura ​ Sisterhood President: Roz Goldstein

Welcome to Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley Come as you are. Discover who you are. We are a caring and compassionate Reform Jewish congregation. We connect to people in a meaningful, generous and mature manner with as much warmth and kindness as possible. We serve the entire West Valley, including all the Sun Cities, Avondale, Buckeye, El Mirage, Glendale, Peoria, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Surprise, Tolleson, Tonopah, Youngtown and Waddell. Watch Friday Sept. 13th Shabbat Service on YouTube High Holy Days 5785 Information Register for High Holy Day Prayers classes in September Sign up for Why Did the Bible Begin? classes in September Join Us for Our Open House Ice Cream Social on Sept. 22! Sign up: What is Happening Now and Why in Israel classes in October Register for Sisterhood's Break the Fast on Oct. 12 Join us for our 2nd Annual Western BBQ & Hoedown Fundaiser on Oct. 20 Stand in Solidarity with Israel: How you can help PRAY WITH US Join us for Friday evening Shabbat services and monthly Saturday morning services. Read More EVENTS Come celebrate Jewish holidays with us and join the fun with special events like hoedowns. Read More EDUCATION Learn with us through our adult education, religious school and scholar-in-residence programs. Read More About Become a Member Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley invites EVERYONE — Individuals, couples, and families — to be a part of our congregation. Fill Out TBS New Member Application Learn More Donations Through our portal, you can make a donation in honor of a Yahrzeit, an anniversary, birthday or another special occasion. Your support is greatly appreciated. Donate Now

Western BBQ and Hoedown Fundraiser Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley hosts Western BBQ and Hoedown Come join in the fun at Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley’s Second Annual Western Barbeque and Hoedown fundraiser from 3-5:30 p.m.Sunday, Oct. 20, at the Temple, 12202 N. 101st Ave. in Sun City. Festivities, open to all ages, will be in the social hall, chapel and outside in the Sukkah. The barbeque will be catered by Rudy’s, and activities will include a cake walk, face painting, corn hole throw and a piñata filled with lots of goodies! There will be awards for the Best Dressed Cowboy and Best Dressed Cowgirl. Arrest “Wanted Posters” will be available for sale and you can pay the sheriff to bail your friends out of jail. Cost is $20 per adult, $10 for kids under 13 and free for kids under 5. Call the Temple office at 623.977.3240 for reservations by 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17.Credit card payments are accepted on Zeffy: https://shorturl.at/cMRGh ​ For everyone’s safety, PLEASE, no backpacks or purses will be allowed at events at Temple Beth Shalom. You can utilize a clear purse or clear plastic bag. Otherwise, please leave your items in your car. There will be a security guard onsite.

Middle East Update: What is Happening Now and Why in Israel Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley presents interfaith course, “Middle East Update: What is Happening Now and Why in Israel?” The existential conflict in Iran and its proxies against Israel is the focus of a four-part interfaith adult education course in October led by Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan at Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley. ​ The course will be from 10-11 a.m. Mondays, Oct. 7, 14, 21 and 28 at the Temple, 12202 N. 101st Ave. in Sun City. ​ “The State of Israel is facing an extremely serious security threat from terrorist groups based in Gaza, the West Bank, South Lebanon, Syria and Yemen — all of them supported by Iran. While this situation is extremely serious, it is also fascinating and will provide us with a great deal of information to discuss, analyze and debate,” Rabbi Kaplan said. During the course, Rabbi Kaplan will discuss what is happening right now in Israel politically and militarily. By the time this course starts, events may have changed just as they may change during the four weeks of the course. “We will see what happens in real time as we meet together to discuss the continuing tumultuous events,” Rabbi Kaplan said. “We will look at the geo-strategic situation in the broader Middle East and particularly Iran’s long term intention to destroy the State of Israel and become the dominant Islamic power in the world.” Rabbi Kaplan has been traveling annually to Israel the last 3 years — recently returning in late July — where he had earlier studied for this rabbinic ordination as well as for his PhD in history. Deadline for registration and to pay the fee is noon Oct. 1 by contacting the TBS office at 623.977.3240. (The office will be closed from noon on Oct. 2-5 for Rosh Hashanah Holy Days.) ​ Cost for the series is $20 for members and $35 for non-members. ​ Temple Beth Shalom has coupon books for its adult education courses that can be used for any four courses through June 2025. Cost is $65 for TBS members and $120 for non-members. Coupon books are available at the Temple office. More information: tbsaz.org .

Friday Night Shabbat Services Watch Friday Spt. 13th Shabbat Service Watch previous Friday Evening Shabbat services on Temple Beth Shalom's YouTube channel. Join us via Zoom or sign up to attend services at the Temple by calling 623.977.3240. We celebrate Shabbat every Friday night with a joyous service at about 7 p.m. which runs to about 8:15 p.m., followed by an Oneg. Our Shabbat services are led by Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan and Cantor Baruch Koritan. Most of the prayers we read are in English so a worshiper with minimal Hebrew should be able to participate actively. Many of the prayers that are sung are in Hebrew and our prayer book provides transliterations of 100% of them. The services are snappy and upbeat. We want to pray to God with reverence and sincerity but we also want to mix in a little bit of levity and humor. ​ We read the Torah every Friday night. Sometimes the rabbi reads a short excerpt and simultaneously translates it into English, while at other times he attempts to chant and summarizes the biblical story after finishing. We have a Torah processional preceding the reading and the rabbi likes to give one of our two smaller Torahs to children to carry around the sanctuary. The rabbi speaks extemporaneously from notes rather than reading from a prepared text. He likes to come down from the bimah to better communicate and interact with all of us in the pews. Sometimes he engages us extensively in discussion and other times he delivers remarks stressing a particular point about Judaism and connecting it to the contemporary world. We sing Debbie Friedman’s Misheberach song every Friday night as part of our regular prayers for healing. Some of us may believe God can heal us and others may believe that marshaling the combined spiritual power of many people can create miracles. Either way, we want to focus our thoughts and bring forth our emotions in a determined effort to bring healing and wholeness to our friends and family, our community and nation, and ourselves as well.

Prayer ​ Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley's weekly Friday Shabbat service using the Reform Mishkan T’filah prayer book provides our worshipers with an opportunity to set aside sacred time for engaging with God through prayer and reflection – spoken and sung – and the reading of the Torah. Led by Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan and Cantor Baruch Koritan, our members are afforded the opportunity to participate in the service through reading prayers, blessing the lighting of the Shabbat candles, reciting the blessings before and after the reading of the Torah, or carrying the Torah during the Torah service. Services begin at 7 p.m. throughout the year. One Saturday morning a month, a small group meets at a member’s home for an informal participatory Shabbat service lead by Rabbi Kaplan. A guitarist sometimes accompanies Rabbi Kaplan during services. The service includes an abbreviated Shabbat liturgy, readings, and singing, followed by a potluck brunch and socializing. Watch Sept. 13th Shabbat Service

Join Us! Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley hosts Sept. 22 Open House Ice Cream Social Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, 12202 N. 101st Ave., is hosting its Welcome Back Open House Ice Cream Social from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22 at the Temple, 12202 N. 101st Ave. in Sun City. Guests will have a chance to meet Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan and Temple leadership to learn about the Temple's High Holy Days services and many activities, including adult education, religious school, events, programs, social action, caring, religious practices and Chavurah. Tour the building and learn about Sisterhood and Brotherhood activities. For more information, call the Temple office, 623.977.3240, or email templebethshalomaz@gmail.com or visit the Temple’s website at tbsaz.org . ​ For everyone’s safety, PLEASE, no backpacks or purses will be allowed at events at Temple Beth Shalom. You can utilize a clear purse or clear plastic bag. Otherwise, please leave your items in your car. There will be a security guard onsite. ​ ​ ​ ​

Adult Education Lifelong learning is a cornerstone of Reform Judaism. At Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, we provide a variety of opportunities to assist our members in finding educational offerings that meet the varying needs of our members. Whether it be the weekly study of Torah with Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan, a four-week class on Kabbalah, a participative program to enable learners to identify the meaning of God on a personal level, or an interfaith study of “Rabbi Jesus” open to Jewish and non-Jewish members of the West Valley, or a scholar-in-residence who spoke on the theft of art from the Jews of France during the Holocaust, we offer something for everyone. The Adult Education Committee and Rabbi Kaplan develop course offerings For most months, there will be two courses on Monday mornings and Thursday afternoons, and there will be a few "extras" added here and there. We will also be introducing a new weekly study group for the serious learner which will focus on God. All our courses are open to TBS members and non-members, whether the non-member is Jewish or a member of another religion.

Shofar Monthly Newsletters The Shofar is our monthly newsletter detailing important information on Temple events. Check out TBS happenings. Read archived Shofar issues . ​ ​ ​ ​ July 2024 Aug. 2024 Sept. 2024

Archived Shofar Monthly Newsletters Here are archived issues of Shofar, Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley's monthly newsletter. Sept. 2024 Aug. 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 J anuary 2024 ​ ​​ 2023 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 ​ 2022 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022