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Torah Discussion on Zoom Torah discussions are held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Wednesday on Zoom. Known as the "people of the book", Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish culture. New participants are always welcome to our free and lively study of the weekly portion of the Torah. Our discussions are led by Rabbi Kaplan as well as volunteers. Each week, we address essential questions from the Parsha and debate the opinions of Jewish interpreters throughout the ages. With each session we ask two basic questions: "What do es the Torah portion say about the controversial topic of the week?” and “What meaning can this portion have for us?” Please contact the TBS office to register for the discussions if you have not previously done so. Phone 623.977.3240 or email templebethshalomaz@gmail.com a nd a copy of the weekly text will be emailed to you.

About Us The mission of Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley is to fulfill and nurture the spiritual, social and educational needs of our diverse Jewish community. Since 1968, Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley has been a Reform congregation, committed to promoting Jewish values. We offer a flexible approach to nurturing the spiritual, educational, and social needs of a diverse community, and are committed to social justice, mitzvot and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world). Congregation Beth Shalom, predecessor to our Temple, started in 1968 with a handful of Sun City residents looking for a spiritual home. Dr. Aaron Papermaster, a dentist from North Dakota, led the effort. In 1969, the congregation began meeting at the Fairway Center in Sun City and moved to the Sun Dial Center in 1975. ​ The congregation began with a student rabbi, Bernard Beliak in 1970-71, and then Fred Greenspahn in 1971-72. In 1972, Rabbi Albert Michels became the first permanent rabbi of the congregation and was officially installed in 1972 with local church and religious dignitaries participating in the ceremony. The first Beth Shalom Bulletin appeared in 1971, followed by the Beth Shalom Newsletter in 1973. Dr. Aaron Papermaster and his wife presented the first Torah to the congregation. ​ In 1976, land was purchased at the site of the present Temple and the ground breaking ceremony was held January, 1977. As the congregation grew, there were additions to the Temple building. The Social Hall was added in 1983, the auditorium and adjacent rooms, the porte cochere, as well as the choir area were added in 1989, and the office addition was added in 1998. A religious school was formed in 2009 and continues for students K-8, including bar/bat mitzvah training. The rabbis who served Temple Beth Shalom following Rabbi Michels were Rabbi Bernard Kligfeld from 1982 to 1997 and Rabbi Arthur Abrams from 1997 to 2005. Rabbi Sheldon Moss served from 2005 to 2019. ​ ​ Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan has served Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley since 2019. Cantor Baruch Koritan has served at the Temple since 1992. Temple Beth Shalom is a member of the Union for Reform Judaism. ​ Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan tbsazrabbi@gmail.com Cantor Baruch Koritan baruchkoritan@gmail.com

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

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 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 this video of F riday Evening Shabbat s ervices. Join us via Zoom or in-person at the Temple.

Social Action ​ For over 150 years, Reform Judaism in America has placed emphasis on social justice, based on our ancient mandate of tzedek, tzedek tirdof - “justice, justice shall you pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20). ​ Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley's Social Action Committee provides us with a vehicle for working together as a community to try to help the lives of at least a few people. Therefore, it is a very important Mitzvah that we should all participate in. ​ We have been supporters of the Valley View Community Food Bank (VVCFB) in Sun City since it was founded in 2007. While donating food is always a necessity for the growing number of residents of the West Valley who are food insecure, we support the VVCFB in other ways as well. For a full year during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, in each week of the month, a quarter of our members pledged to financially support the VVCFB due to the exceptionally higher demand for services from this invaluable social service agency. ​ In 2022 and 2023, we have featured the “Item of the Month” program. Our members are asked to bring a specific item to Friday Shabbat services that changes every month. We bring canned fruit, pasta and rice, canned meats, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and – lest we forget that almost everyone needs a pet – we also bring pet food one month.

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.

A Scary Time: The Jewish State's Struggle to Survive ​ Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, 12202 N. 101st Ave., will present a four-week interfaith course in June open to anyone interested in the status of the State of Israel. Persons of all faiths are invited. Classes will be from 10-11 a.m. Mondays, June 3, 10, 17 and 24. Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan of Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley will lead the discussion. Through his contacts in Israel, he is able to provide participants with timely and informative information. “The State of Israel is facing extremely serious security threats from terrorist groups based in Gaza, the West Bank, South Lebanon, Syria and Yemen — all of them supported by Iran. The massacre in Israel perpetuated by Hamas on Oct. 7 continues to reverberate in Israel, throughout the region, and now in many other parts of the world. More recently, the Iranian government fired missiles and drones toward Israel in an attack that would have been seen as a declaration of war under normal circumstances,” Rabbi Kaplan said. Class participants will look at the current situation from different points of view and what the near future is likely to hold in the future for Israel. At the same time, they’ll look at the impact of the Israel-Gaza War on American Jews and on American society more broadly. “Blatant antisemitism, much of which is aggressive and advocating violence, has become overt, appearing in the newspapers every day in the form of reporting predominantly on pro-Palestinian protests in cities across the country. At the same time, there seems to be a growing aversion to this widespread social acceptance of antisemitism and a feeling that American society needs to finally grapple with the hatred of the Jews expressed as anti-Zionism,” Rabbi Kaplan said. Cost is $20 for Temple members and $35 for non-members. Registration deadline is noon May 29 by calling the Temple Beth Shalom office at 623.977.3240. More information is available at tbsaz.org .

Saturday Morning Shabbat Service Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley w ill present its first monthly informal Saturday Morning Shabbat service and discussion at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 23. It will be followed by a potluck Kiddush brunch. It is the first in a series of monthly Saturday Shabbat services, including April 13 and May 18. For more information, visit tbsaz.org.

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 .

Scholar-In-Residence Professor Rabbi David Frankel from the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem was Temple Beth Shalom's Scholar-in-Residence in November 2022. He spoke about "How Can We Cope with Evil and Suffering?" ​ He is an internationally known scholar, and teaches M.A. and rabbinical students at the Schechter Institute. He is the author of "The Murmuring Stories of the Priestly School" and "Land of Canaan and the Destiny of Israel." ​ ​ ​ ​ Helen Schwartz , who has lectured and written about stolen French art by the Nazis during World War II, spoke at Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley in April 2023. ​ Helen, a retired Indiana University English professor, has written several books, including her historical thriller, “Thieves of Paris.” She has lectured at universities, community centers, synagogues and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

Donations A donation to Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley is a wonderful way to celebrate a special event; to honor the life of a loved one; or simply to express appreciation for the benefits Temple Beth Shalom brings to your life. Temple Beth Shalom is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization and donations are 100% deductible. How to Donate Pay by check Donations can be made by mailing a check to Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, 12202 N. 101st Ave., Sun City, AZ 85351. ​ Pay online You can make donations to Temple Beth Shalom online by using the Temple's Zeffy account and fill out the online form . You can use your credit card or make a direct debit (ACH) from a bank account. The Temple receives 100% of the Zeffy donation transactions. Zeffy is free to nonprofit groups, thanks to voluntary donations. When you fill out a Zeffy form, you’ll see a suggested voluntary donation amount to Zeffy for the convenience of making donations online. You can change the amount by choosing "other" then type in an amount, including $0 if you'd rather not make a voluntary contribution. View this how-to video to learn more . Thank you for your support of Temple Beth Shalom.