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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 .

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

Chavurah Are you interested in joining a Chavurah? What is a chavaruh? Small groups with like interests. It is only open to Temple Beth Shalom members and their spouses or guests. Temple Beth Shalom is looking for help in creating Chavaruh groups. Here are some suggestions, but feel free to add to this list: * The Lunch Bunch * Let's Go to the Movies * Grandparents Bragging Rights * New Yorkers or Clevanders (or wherever else in the desert) * Travel Club * Let's Play Games: Poker Club, Mah Jongg Group, Bridge, Canasta, Pinochle, etc. * Knitting Group * Cooking Together * Let's Talk Yiddish * Let's Laugh If you're interested or have suggestions, please contact Ellyn Ventura at eventura@dreamvacations.com or 602.595.9303. Please leave a message if it goes to voice mail. Let's socialize!!! 

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. Kindergarten is free! 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.

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 .

Hy Mandell Biblical Garden Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley's Biblical Garden were created by member Hy Mandell. The Garden has trees and plants which are noted in the Bible. Trees include fig trees, a large carob, almond, citron, henna, acacia, olive trees, Aleppo pines, pomegranate and frankincense. Plants include a rose garden, myrtle bushes, cassia bushes, cedar, rosemary, agave and aloe. In addition, there is an arbor with rose bushes and a Jacob’s ladder. A slate path leads around the Garden with “stepping stones” covered with stain glass art work created by congregants. A highlight of the Garden is that each tree or plant also has a plaque labeling the plant plus the Biblical reference in English and Hebrew. A geniza vault was added by Hy to the Garden for the proper burial of older, unusable books and artifacts. Adjacent to the Garden is the Sukkah frame. Every Sukkot, the Brotherhood places palm fronds on the top of the Sukkah and the religious school students decorate it. The Garden was used by the religious school for gatherings. Their students added plants to the herb garden. Over the years, the Garden has been maintained by members of the congregation. Pam Katz is the Garden's “Guardian.” She helps with the tree trimming, raking and handiwork by fellow congregants.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah Confirmation About While providing a course of study for a child to become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah after age 13 is a basic religious education program at TBS, like many other Reform congregations we also recognize that many of our adult members never had the opportunity to become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah as a child. Our program for children is a multi-year program based on a commitment by the parents and the child to engage in worship and study that results in a public demonstration to the congregation of what the child has learned about Judaism, our prayers, and basic Hebrew in order to become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. However, the commitment does not end there: it extends for another two years of a different type of learning in order to prepare the youth for Confirmation. The adult B'nai Mitzvah program is a one-year program of concentrated study similar to that of the children, but with different texts and individual study. This one-year program culminates with a service at which time each adult who completes the program becomes a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.