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Grief Group Are you experiencing grief or depression? The grief group meets at 1:30 p.m. every Tuesday (except during the summer) at the Temple for all members and non-members. A suggested donation to Temple Beth Shalom of $20 per month would be appreciated to offset expenses. The facilitators are Joyce Gold, Ph . D. and Marygill Savoren, BSN. Call the Temple office at 623.977.3240 for more information.

Celebrating Jewish and National Holidays at Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley At Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, we celebrate Jewish religious holidays like Passover with meaningful rituals, usually on the nearest Friday night. We also celebrate or commemorate national holidays such as Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Thanksgiving. This past year, we decided to mark Christmas Eve in traditional Jewish fashion by going out to a Chinese restaurant! Tickets are available for non-members for our High Holy Days 5785 services .

Become a Member Fill Out TBS New Member Application We invite EVERYONE – Individuals, couples, and families – to be a part of our congregation. At Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, we celebrate Shabbat together, study Torah together, volunteer for social action projects together, and connect to Israel through food, wine, and folklore. We are a Reform Jewish congregation serving the entire West Valley, all the Sun Cities, and Avondale, Buckeye, El Mirage, Glendale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Peoria, Surprise and Tolleson, Tonopah, Waddell and Youngtown. Whether you are single or partnered, were born Jewish, are a Jew-by-Choice, in an interfaith family or are thinking about or interested in Judaism … there is a place for you to join our temple family. Worship with our rabbi and our cantor as we celebrate Shabbat with inspiring Friday night services at 7 p.m. Following services, we flock to the social hall for an Oneg. Join us for our monthly Saturday morning informal Shabbat with guitar service and a potluck brunch in a member’s home. With great joy we celebrate the holidays of the Jewish calendar from Sukkot to Chanukah and Purim to Passover. Come and visit … and stay! We’d love to hear from you! There’s a place here that only you can fill. Join Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan and Temple volunteers for the weekly Torah Study on Zoom. Contact the Temple office at 623.977.3240 for more information. Watch videos of F riday Evening Shabbat s ervices on Temple Beth Shalom's YouTube channel .

Shofar Monthly Newsletters The Shofar is our monthly newsletter detailing important information on Temple events. Check out TBS happenings. Read archived Shofar issues . Nov. 2024 Dec. 2024 Jan. 2025

Caring Committee Dr. Jack Pearlman and Phyllis Jacobs started our Caring Committee over 20 years ago. The Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley Caring Committee specializes in building connections with our congregants and their immediate family members during times of health crisis and beyond. Our congregants live in Arizona while most of our family members are scattered around the world. We do not wish any member to feel alone or afraid during any time of stress. Our professional Caring Committee Team is personal, physical, spiritual and loving. We have been dedicated for many, many years to our congregation. We reach out via telephone calls, visits and prayers. We are available to all at-risk congregants at any time of the day or night. Our Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan is also on OUR team. Prayers have marvelous healing powers. The close contact and gentle embraces we provide will help on your road to recovery.

Become a Member Fill Out TBS New Member Application We invite EVERYONE – Individuals, couples, and families – to be a part of our congregation. At Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, we celebrate Shabbat together, study Torah together, volunteer for social action projects together, and connect to Israel through food, wine, and folklore. We are a Reform Jewish congregation serving the entire West Valley, all the Sun Cities, and Avondale, Buckeye, El Mirage, Glendale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Peoria, Surprise and Tolleson, Tonopah, Waddell and Youngtown. Whether you are single or partnered, were born Jewish, are a Jew-by-Choice, in an interfaith family or are thinking about or interested in Judaism … there is a place for you to join our temple family. Worship with our rabbi and our cantor as we celebrate Shabbat with inspiring Friday night services at 7 p.m. Following services, we flock to the social hall for an Oneg. Join us for our monthly Saturday morning informal Shabbat with guitar service and a potluck brunch in a member’s home. With great joy we celebrate the holidays of the Jewish calendar from Sukkot to Chanukah and Purim to Passover. Come and visit … and stay! We’d love to hear from you! There’s a place here that only you can fill. Join Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan and Temple volunteers for the weekly Torah Study on Zoom. Contact the Temple office at 623.977.3240 for more information. Watch videos of F riday Evening Shabbat s ervices on Temple Beth Shalom's YouTube channel .

America's Four Gods Temple Beth Shalom hosts interfaith "America's Four Gods" course Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley will present “America’s Four Gods”, an interactive, interfaith three-week program led by Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan and past TBS President Fay Henning-Bryant, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays, Feb. 3, 10 and 17 at the Temple, 12202 N. 101st Ave. in Sun City. The course is based on the book, “America’s Four Gods: What We Say About God — And What That Says About Us,” written by Paul Froese and Christopher Bader. The authors developed a self-administered survey enabling each participant to answer questions to provide them feedback about how they conceive of God and the role God plays in their daily lives. Individual survey results are private. Through discussion led by Rabbi Kaplan and Henning-Bryant, participants will address why knowing what an individual believes about God is important, and an explanation of the four Gods. Americans worship one of four distinct types of God: benevolent, authoritative, distant or critical. Participants will discuss the impact that their personal beliefs in one of the four Gods may have on the world today. Advance registration and payment is required by noon Jan. 29. Cost is $20 for Temple Beth Shalom members and $35 for non-members. Contact the Temple Beth Shalom office at 623-977-3240 to register.

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley Mem ber Testimonials Marlene and Jonathan Green We recently moved to Arizona, and knew we wanted to sink new roots into the Jewish community in the West Valley. We visited Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, met the Rabbi, attended services, and immediately felt the warmth and welcoming of the congregation. We were impressed that Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan came over to our home to welcome us and ask about our history and interests. We joined, and found the congregation very inviting. We have enjoyed some of the adult education programs. I've gotten involved in the treasury function, the Outreach Committee, and Marlene is co-chairing the Social Action Committee. We are very happy with our decision to join, and feel our efforts to contribute to the congregation are well-received and appreciated. Gloria and Steve Bold Steve and I were snowbirds for 3 years, until our daughter told us she was expecting our first grandchild. So we bought a place in Sun City and quit the back & forth to the East Coast. We were sad to leave our temple in Rehoboth, Delaware! We had gone with our daughter to their synagogue in Scottsdale. It was too big for us & a long drive. We decided to try Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley since it was nearby. We felt welcomed and liked those we met. The next week, several people recognized us and we told them we were looking for a synagogue! After attending services several times, we knew we had found our new home. Friendships have grown & both of us are getting involved. We are a close community of committed Jews. It has made a huge difference in our life. We love Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan and look forward to many more years at Temple Beth Shalom. Julie Ponce I’m originally from Puebla, Mexico. I started attending my very much beloved Temple Beth Shalom in 2019. Since then, I have always felt welcomed by every member. Temple Beth Shalom has a profound meaning for me; it means family, friends, wonderful Shabbat celebrations, happy Onegs, and a marvelous Rabbi who is always there to offer emotional support when I need it. I have found my home at Temple Beth Shalom! Steve Siegel and Robert Koch Before we joined Temple Beth Shalom we started Shul shopping around the Phoenix area. There were so many choices to choose from. It became overwhelming. None of the other congregations felt right to us. Plus most were on the other side of town and as many of you know it’s a schlep. After talking with then president Jan Sodos and the temple educator, Elissa Rose, they gave us the highlights of the temple and this wonderful community. So we began attending services and we decided to join. We then joined the Brotherhood and started attend Torah study with Rabbi Sheldon Moss. This was the community we needed and wanted to be a part of. Then something struck us. We were reading a message from Mary Gill Savoren in the Shofar that said: “We (TBS) have always welcomed individuals and families of varying Jewish lifestyles. We are particularly sensitive to the need for inclusion of both traditional and non-traditional family structures.” The message rang home to us. We want to thank the members of Temple Beth Shalom for opening their arms and welcoming Bob and I into your family.

TBS Book Club The TBS Book Club meets by Zoom the third Wednesday of the month at 2 p.m. Most books are Jewish-related fiction and non-fiction, but not always. As a special project in October 2022, the TBS Book Club had a “Golda-thon” where everyone participating discussed a book about or by Golda Meir. To join the book club, contact Pam Katz at pam@katzct.com .

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 Holocaust Torah This Czech Memorla Sifre Torah is on loan to Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley. Describe your image Holocaust Torah This Czech Memorla Sifre Torah is on loan to Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley. 1/14 Our Holocaust Torah Scroll Our Holocaust Torah is a “saved scroll”, recovered after World War II from a destroyed community in Europe. We have become shomrim (guardians) of this Torah and we are honored to have it in our congregation. It is housed inside our ark and is used during services and special celebrations. Our scroll comes from the Memorial Scrolls Trust, MST #1234, (the repository for saved scrolls) at the Westminster Synagogue in London, England. It was recorded by the Jewish Museum in Prague as having been collected from Caslav-Kolin. It is an Orphan scroll form an unknown town in Bhoemia and Moravia. For more information see “The Jewish Sights of Bohemia and Moravia” by Jiri Fiedler, published in 1991. The author notes the following: Caslav is a town in Bohemia, 70km ESE of Prague. Up to the mid-19th century only one Jewish family was allowed to reside in Caslav. When the Jews were granted civic equality under law in the mid-19th century, Jews from the neighboring villages started to move to Caslav. Temple Beth Shalom member Lee Shedroff visited the Synagogue in Caslav when it was restored in 2012. Lee was the caretaker of a small scroll, which he returned to the Memorial Scrolls Trust in London in 2024. The small scroll had been used during Temple Beth Shalom special events over the years. Czech Holocaust Celebratory 60-Year Commemoration Describe your image Describe your image Describe your image Describe your image 1/3 Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley members participated in the Czech Holocaust Torah Celebratory Commemoration in 2024 at the Culver Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center in downtown Phoenix. Temple Beth Shalom's Czech torah was part of the commemoration along with members of other synagogues and their Czech torahs. The Czech scrolls are survivors and silent witnesses. They represent not only the lost communities of Bohemia and Moravia but all those who perished in the Shoah. The commemoration marked 60 years since the torahs were rescued from a warehouse in Prague and sent to London's Westminster Synagogue. About the Memorial Scrolls Trust The Memorial Scrolls Trust is responsible for 1,564 Czech Torah scrolls worldwide. These torahs were gathered from synagogues throughout the region by Nazi officials. The scrolls were rescued from the Holocaust by the Prague Jewish community and were brought to Westminster Synagogue, London, in 1964. Today, thanks to the work of the Memorial Scrolls Trust, these scrolls have been allocated on permanent or long term loan to synagogues, and take a message of hope, continuity and resilience to every corner of the globe.The Trust is a global center for learning, remembrance, and community. For more information, visit www.memorialscrollstrust.org . View the Nazi Transport List of the Caslav Jewish population to Terezin. Click on the image below to view a slideshow with four pages of names. Caslav Transport List Pg. 1 This is a list of people who were transported from Kolin during the Holocaust. Caslav Transport List Page 2 This is a list of people who were transported from Kolin during the Holocaust. Caslav Transport List Pg. 4 This is a list of people who were transported from Kolin during the Holocaust. Caslav Transport List Pg. 1 This is a list of people who were transported from Kolin during the Holocaust. 1/4