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Community Projects From canned goods to cereal, Temple members make donations as part of the "Can Do" monthly campaign to benefit the Valley View Community Food Bank. Drop off your donations in the Temple lobby.

TBS Sisterhood All women Temple members are invited to join the Sisterhood. First-year Temple members receive a complimentary membership to Sisterhood. ​ WE:  Are a group of Jewish women supporting our Temple.  Are an active, friendly group offering many opportunities for women.  Share our many talents and interests.  Provide activities that enable caring and bonding experiences.  Maintain the Judaica Boutique .  Send Yahrzeit reminders.  Provide Bereavement “Meal of Consolation.”  Raise funds all year to benefit Temple Beth Shalom through our many activities.  Meet the third Monday of each month from October through May.  Sponsor the Oneg Shabbat after the Friday night service. ​ Dues are $25 per year. For more information, contact the Temple at 623.977.3240 or email the Sisterhood at tbssisterhoodconnection@gmail.com .

Temple Beth Shalom is planning a group Jewish Heritage trip to Israel. The Israel visit will be led by our Rabbi Dana Kaplan, who was in Israel in 2022 and who had studied for the rabbinate at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem. ​ For more information, contact the Temple at 623.977.3240. Group Trip to Israel

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

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley's History Arizona Jewish Historical Society photos A handful of Sun City residents looking for a spiritual home started Temple Beth Shalom in 1968 . In the beginning, the congregation would meet at the Fairway Center in Sun City before moving to the Sun Dial Center in 1975. Rabbi Albert Michels became the first permanent rabbi for the congregation, and was officially installed in 1972. In 1976, the congregation purchased land and began construction a year later. At the groundbreaking ceremony, Rabbi Michels said, “At last, we have a home. We no longer have to wander in the desert.” The congregation has seen tremendous growth in the West Valley and is still located on North 101st Avenue in Sun City. Since 1972, Temple Beth Shalom has had only five rabbis serving the congregation. ​ ​ Temple Beth Shalom Rabbis Rabbi Albert A Michels 1972-1982 Rabbi Bernard Kligfeld 1982-1997 Rabbi Arthur J Abrams 1997-2005 Rabbi Sheldon Moss 2005-2019 Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan 2019-Present

"The Ten Commandments: Do They Really Say What We Think They Say" to be discussed during interfaith adult education classes in December ​ Jews, Christians, people of other faiths, and non-believers alike have heard of The Ten Commandments and probably most of us tell people that we try to follow them. But,do we really know what they say? Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley is presenting an interfaith adult education series, “The Ten Commandments: Do they really say what we think they say?” on Dec. 4, 11 and 18. Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan will lead the course. Participants will look at the Ten Commandments and explore some startling discoveries about the actual nature of the text. They will analyze what the biblical verses may have meant then discuss what they might mean today. Cost is $15 for Temple members and $25 for non-members. Register and pay your fee by contacting the Temple Beth Shalom office at 623.977.3240 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Deadline to register is noon Nov. 30. Rabbi Kaplan completed his rabbinic studies and was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religious Jerusalem campus, and received a PhD in Jewish history from Tel Aviv University. He has published many articles and books, including The New Reform Judaism: Challenges and Reflections (2013) and A Life of Meaning: Embracing Reform Judaism’s Sacred Path (ed; 2018). Prior to becoming Rabbi at Temple Beth Shalom in 2019, he held pulpits in South Africa, Georgia, Jamaica and Alabama. He has held adjunct faculty positions at various colleges and has served as a weekend Scholar-in-Residence for numerous congregations.

Religious School Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley reopened its religious school in 2023, as part of the congregation's wish to create a multi-generational community. We welcome students from the entire West Valley. Our small school allows us to provide individual attention. We have a team of volunteer teachers from our community who work with students under the guidance of the rabbi. Families of our religious school students are actively involved in the religious and social life of the Temple, including attending services on Friday nights. Our Temple is committed to providing a warm and caring environment for all students to explore their spirituality. We aspire to inspire each student to develop a love of Jewish learning and provide the opportunity for them to participate actively in Jewish ritual and holiday observances. Learning is both individualized and personalized. We also want to help each student to feel emotions related to the biblical stories and ritual acts they are learning about. Our educational experience is not just about learning facts but is centered on what those facts can and do mean for us as human beings. We also engage them with a series of values based on Professor Martin Seligman’s positive psychology. ​ Temple Beth Shalom offers study opportunities leading to confirmation at a minimum age of 15, and bar and bat mitzvah at a minimum age of 13. As part of the confirmation process, the older kids will study advanced material dealing with various themes across Jewish studies. We're trying to build a distinctly Reform approach to Judaism that emphasizes personal religious autonomy while at the same time emphasizing the vibrancy and seriousness of religious commitment. With the limited hours available, American religious schools cannot teach students as much as they would really need to become highly educated Jews. What we do hope to do is to inspire them to want to continue their education into their college years and far beyond. Please contact the TBS office at 623.977.3240 for further information.

"Israel on the Edge" focus of interfaith adult education classes in December ​ Temple Beth Shalom of th e West Valley is presenting an interfaith adul t education course focusing on “Israel on the Edge'' from 10-11 a.m. Thursdays, Dec. 7, 14 and 21. It is open to people of all faiths. ​ Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan will analyze Israel’s security crisis. Participants will look at the ideology of the terrorist groups that are seeking to destroy the state of Israel, and try to explain why Israel was caught so unprepared for the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. Discussion also will be about what may happen in the future. Rabbi Kaplan has lived in Israel, spent time there in 2022 and 2023, and is in regular contact with numerous friends who currently live in Israel. He speaks Hebrew fluently and follows live-streaming Israeli television broadcasts. Cost is $15 for Temple members and $25 for non-members. Register and pay your fee by contacting the Temple Beth Shalom office at 623.977.3240 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Deadline to register is noon Dec. 5. ​ Dana Evan Kaplan has been Rabbi of Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley since 2019. He is the author and editor of several books, including most recently, " A Life of Meaning: Embracing Reform Judaism’s Sacred Path." Before arriving at Temple Beth Shalom, Rabbi Kaplan was the interim rabbi of the Springhill Avenue Temple in Mobile, Alabama, and a teacher in the Department of Theology at Spring Hill College. He has led congregations in Kingston, Jamaica, as well as in Albany, Georgia, and Cape Town, South Africa. ​

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley offers many educational opportunities for all ages, including: ​ Adult Education : We offer a variety of educational opportunities, such as a series about Judaism and humor. ​ Torah Studies : During weekly Torah study sessions on Zoom, participants have a lively study of the weekly portion of the Torah. ​ Religious School: We have a very small school which allows us to provide individual attention. ​ ​ Bar or Bat Mitzvah and Confirmation : We have a multi-year program for children to learn about Judaism, our prayers and basic Hebrew. ​ ​ Scholar-in Residence : Our Scholar-in-Residence have included Rabbi David Frankel from the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem. ​ Jewish education is the teaching and transmission of the knowledge, ideas, practices, and character traits of the Jewish religion and has been valued since the birth of Judaism. In the Hebrew Bible, Abraham is lauded for instructing his offspring in God's ways. The act of study can serve as a transformative experience for us, changing the ways that we understand and interact with the world. ​ On the third day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt, God descended in a cloud upon Mount Sinai in view of the entire Children of Israel. According to The Book of Exodus chapter 19, God began speaking directly to the people, uttering the first two of the Ten Commandments. This marked the beginning of God’s giving of the Torah to the Jewish people. ​ The word “Torah” means the Five Books of Moses but in a broader sense it symbolizes all of the efforts of Jewish education. Torah is a framework and tradition that helps us make sense of our lives and build our own individual system of faith that can make our lives laden with spiritual significance. ​ But for any of this to make sense and therefore provide personal as well as communal meaning, we need to study it in order to understand Torah and then be able to integrate it into our lives and absorb it into our very essence — our souls. ​ Education

Havdalah Evening Get Togethers In the fall 2023, we started marking the end of Shabbat on Saturday evenings with a Havdalah service. We bless the multiwick candle, exotic spices and kosher French wine and then have a conversation and potluck dinner. Like the Saturday morning service, webring together people who can bond over their shared interest in Judaism, food, music and convivial friends. Children of all ages are welcome.

Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan Leadership Te mple Beth Shalom of the West Valley's leadership members for 2023-24 are: ​ President: Steve Bold Immediate Past President: Fay Henning-Bryant Treasurer: Jonathan Green 1st Vice President: Warren Bentkover Vice President: Bea Eisenberg Vice President: Carmen Berkowitz Recording Secretary: Sara Jane Feldman Financial Secretary: Rich Lieber Trustee: Nan Rubin-Lieber Trustee: Pam Katz Trustee: Bernie Arum Trustee: Ellyn Ventura Trustee: Russ Robbins Trustee: Gloria Bold Sisterhood President: Roz Goldstein Brotherhood President: Pending