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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 celebrating Jewish culture like the Klezmer Band Jewish Folk Music concert draw visitors from all over the Phoenix area. 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 Classic from all over the Phoenix area. These are a few examples of the Temple's joyous events. Ongoing: Join Our Ancient Biblical Interpretations Study Group Nov. 3, 10 and 17: "Archeological Journey through Middle East" course Dec. 1, 8 and 15: Jewish humor course Dec. 4, 11 and 18: Jews in Morroco course Join Rebecca Bookman-Zander as she uses archeology to dive into the lives of ancient Israelites from 10-11:30 a.m. Nov. 3, 10 and 17. Registration deadline is Oct. 27. MORE DETAILS We invite all who are interested in good Jewish humor to join Rabbi Kaplan from 10-11:30 a.m. Mondays, Dec. 1, 8 and 15, for this entertaining series including a popular Jewish comedian, MODI. MORE DETAILS Learn about Jews and Judaism in Morocco" in this course led by Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan, who recently returned from an educational trip to Morocco sponsored by the Central Conference of American Rabbis. The course will be from 10-11:30 a.m. Thursdays, Dec. 4, 11 and 18. MORE DETAILS

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, 12201 N. 101st Ave. in Sun City, Arizona is a caring Jewish Reform Synagogue led by Rabbi Dana Kaplan. We connect to people in a meaningful, generous and mature manner with as much warmth and kindness as possible. Welcome to Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley Come as you are. Discover who you are. We are a caring and compassionate, multi-generational 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. RSVP for our Interfaith Thanksgiving Service on Nov. 21 Read Rabbi Kaplan's Blog about Thanksgiving Watch Friday Nov. 7th Shabbat Service on YouTube Take an archeological journey through Middle East in November course Sisterhood Luncheon: Protecting Yourself Against Scams Nov. 17 Check out our Shofar November newsletter Sign up for our December course about Jewish humor Learn about Jews and Judaism in Morocco in December course Register for "God, Spirituality & Prayer" course in January Participate in our Weekly Torah Discussion on Zoom Join Our Ancient Biblical Interpretations Study Group Religious School registration is now open See how you can help with our Community campaigns 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

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley's service guide provides access to the music and teachings of our service. Our prayer book, Mishkan T’filah, can also be accessed by clicking the button on the web page. Sisterhood Break the Fast The Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley Sisterhood is hosting the Break the Fast meal following Yom Kippur Day services on Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Temple, 12202 N. 101st Ave, Sun City. The menu includes noodle kugel, egg salad, tuna salad, bagels and cream cheese, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, pastries, coffee, juice and tea. Cost is $20 per person, and there is no charge for children 12 or younger. The deadline to make reservations is 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25 . Send checks to the Temple made out to TBS Sisterhood, or call the Temple office at 623.977.3240 or templebethshalomaz@gmail.com . Online reservations and payment can be made on the Temple’s Zeffy form . More information about Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley’s High Holy Days services is available at tbsaz.org . 2025/5786 High Holy Day Services Schedule Join us for the uplifting and beautiful High Holy Days services conducted by Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan and Cantor Baruch Koritan at Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, 12202 N. 101st Ave., Sun City. Tickets are required for all events. Available for Non-Member Guests Tickets for 2025 High Holy Day Services are available to non-members. Contact the Temple office at 623.977.3240 from 9:30 a.m.– 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday to arrange to purchase non-member tickets, which cost $250 per person. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets will not be sold at the door. Questions? Email the Temple office at templebethshalomaz@gmail.com . 2025 High Holy Days Services Schedule * Ending times are approximate Saturday, Sept. 13 Pre-Selichot Oneg and Discussion: 5 p.m. Service: 6-7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22 Erev Rosh Hashanah: 7-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23 Rosh Hashanah Morning Service: 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26 Tashlich service in the TBS Biblical Gardens: 5 p.m. Potluck dinner: 5:30 p.m (Call the Temple at 623.977.3240 to register.) Shabbat service: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1 Kol Nidre: 7-9:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2 Yom Kippur Morning Service: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Yizkor Service: 3:30-4:15 p.m. Yom Kippur Afternoon Service and Neilah (Concluding) Service: 4:30-6:15 p.m. Sisterhood Break the Fast meal: Immediately following services. (Call the Temple office to purchase tickets by Thursday, Sept. 25.) For security reasons, tickets must be presented for admittance to all services and are non-transferrable. Doors will be locked 15 minutes after services begin.

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley is a Reform Jewish congregation serving the West Valley, all the Sun Cities, and Avondale, Buckeye, El Mirage, Glendale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, Peoria, Surprise and Tolleson, Tonopah, Waddell and Youngtown. Everyone is invited to join our congregation. Stand in Solidarity with Israel How You Can Help Israel Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley is taking donations in support of Israel. Please make checks payable to Temple Beth Shalom. You can drop off your donation or mail it to Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, 12202 N. 101st Ave., Sun City, AZ 85351. Your donation is tax-deductible and 100% of your donation will be sent to the Magen David Adom Emergency Medical Fund. Religious leaders lead interfaith service to show solidarity with Israel Rabbis, pastors, ministers, priests and preachers joined Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan and Cantor Baruch Koritan in leading an interfaith service with about 200 congregants to show solidarity with Israel on Oct. 7, 2024. At Temple Beth Shalom, they prayed and sang in unity with congregants in memory of those murdered on Oct. 7, 2023, and prayed for Israel and her people, the safe return of the hostages, safety of the Israel Defense Forces, healing of those innocent Israelis and tourists wounded in body and soul, and the comfort of grieving loved ones. Rabbi Kaplan shared his experiences during this past summer having visited several of the sites of massacres of innocent civilians that had taken place in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. “Our Temple felt it was important to bring together congregations from as many different backgrounds as possible in solidarity with Israel. On the first anniversary of the terrible atrocities committed by Hamas and other groups and individuals from Gaza, it was gratifying to see and feel how so many people in the West Valley want to share their support for the State of Israel and the local Jewish community. I think it is important to bring together people of different faiths to support the right of Jewish people to live in our ancestral homeland without fear of being butchered in our homes or blown up by missiles,” Rabbi Kaplan said. Clergy from neighboring communities shared prayers and statements, including First Presbyterian Church in Sun City, Living Word Pentecostal Church in Sun City, First Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Saint Haven Ministry in Surprise, Shepherd of the Desert Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sun City, Grace Bible Church in Sun City, First Baptist Church in Sun City West, St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Goodyear, Embassy Church, Faith Presbyterian Church in Sun City, Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Soka Gakkai International Nichiren Buddhist Community in Phoenix, and Avista Hospice and at the Palazzo Senior Living Center.

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 . 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 offers something for everyone, including the weekly study of Torah with Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan, a four-week class on Kabbalah, or an interfaith study open to Jewish and non-Jewish members of the West Valley, or a Scholar-in-residence speaker on the Holocaust. Temple Beth Shalom hosts “History of Antisemitism” course in October “History of Antisemitism,” a three-part course led by Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan, will look at the phenomenon of antisemitism. The course will be from 10-11:30 a.m. Mondays, Oct. 6, 13 and 20 at the Temple, 12202 N. 101st Ave. in Sun City. Antisemitism is the prejudice against or hatred of Jewish people and was the foundation of the Holocaust. But it did not begin or end with the Holocaust. Antisemitism has existed for thousands of years. It has often taken the form of systemic discrimination and persecution of Jews. It has repeatedly led to serious and deadly violence against Jewish people. “We had all hoped that antisemitism had declined to negligible levels only to find in the last few years that it has revived itself with a vengeance. Much, if not most antisemitism today expresses itself as hostility towards the existence of the State of Israel. Nevertheless, there is considerable and growing hostility toward Jewish people living throughout the United States – including all parts of Arizona,” Rabbi Kaplan said. The spiritual leader of TBSWV, Rabbi Kaplan has lived in Israel, has studied thererecently, and has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia. People of all backgrounds are invited to learn with us about this pernicious hatred. Registration deadline is noon Oct. 1. Cost is $20 for TBS members; $35 non-membersor one coupon. Call the Temple Office at 623-977-3240 (Monday through Thursday; 9 am-3 p.m. to register for this course or buy coupon books. More information: templebethshalomaz@gmail.com or tbsaz.org .

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley offers chavurah groups of like-minded Jews who assemble for the purposes of sharing communal activities, experiences such as lifecycle events, or Jewish learning. Call the Temple office at 623.977.3240 for more information. 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!!! 

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley's service guide provides access to the music and teachings of our service. Our prayer book, Mishkan T’filah, can also be accessed by clicking the button on the web page. Service Guide Our service guide provides constant access to the music and teachings of our service. Our prayer book, Mishkan T’filah, can also be accessed by clicking the button. Follow the entire service or select individual parts of service by clicking on the links. View Our Shabbat Prayer Book Here Watch a Recent Shabbat Service

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley offers something for everyone, including the weekly study of Torah with Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan, a four-week class on Kabbalah, or an interfaith study open to Jewish and non-Jewish members of the West Valley, or a Scholar-in-residence speaker on the Holocaust. Archeological journey through Middle East course Have you wondered what it was like to live in ancient Israel? Or daydreamed about standing in the Second Temple? If so, Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley’s interfaith course, “An Archeological Journey through the Middle East” is for you! The course will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 3, 10 and 17 at the Temple, 12202 N. 101st Ave. in Sun City. Join Rebecca Bookman-Zander as she uses archeology to dive into the lives of ancient Israelites and answer these questions: Is there any evidence for an exodus from Egypt? Were David and Soloman real? What was life like in Roman-occupied Judea? Questions like these have been at the heart of rigorous debate for decades. We will explore the evidence, interpret ancient inscriptions and discover the lessons that lay beneath the ruins willing to speak with us today. Rebecca, who is a TBS member, has studied archeological sites in the Mediterranean, North Africa and was part of an excavation at Tel Gezer in Israel. She holds a master’s degree in archeology from Arizona State University. The registration deadline is Oct. 29. Course fee is $20 for members and $35 for nonmembers, or one course coupon. Books of four coupons are $65 for members and $120 for nonmembers. Contact the Temple office at 623.977.3240 or templebethshalomaz@gmail.com to register. More information is available at tbsaz.org .

The TBS Book Club meets by Zoom once a month. Most books are Jewish-related fiction and non-fiction. ​ 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 .

Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley offers something for everyone, including the weekly study of Torah with Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan, a four-week class on Kabbalah, or an interfaith study open to Jewish and non-Jewish members of the West Valley, or a Scholar-in-residence speaker on the Holocaust. Temple Beth Shalom hosts “Jews and Judaism in Morocco" course in December A unique three-part series featuring a slideshow of “Jews and Judaism in Morocco” today is being presented to all interested persons in December at Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley. Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan recently returned from an educational trip to Morocco sponsored by the Central Conference of American Rabbis. The group of rabbis met with members of the Jewish community in Casablanca, Marrakech, Fez and elsewhere. They visited all sorts of different historical sites dealing with the history of the Jews in Morocco. Morocco historically hosted the largest Jewish population in the Arab world, with a presence for over 2,000 years, but the community has significantly dwindled from a peak of over 250,000 in the 1940s to about 2,000 today, largely due to emigration following the establishment of Israel and other factors. Rabbi Kaplan extended his stay in the country, which enabled him to visit Berbers in desert areas and other fascinating sites which he will discuss and also show photos of and place into context. The course will be offered from 10-11:30 a.m. Thursdays, Dec. 4, 11 and 18 at the Temple, 12202 N. 101st Ave. in Sun City. The cost is $20 for TBS members and $35 for non-members. Registration deadline is at noon Dec. 1. Contact the Temple office at 623.977.3240 or templebethshalomaz@gmail.com to register and pay the course fee.

At Temple Beth Shalom, we celebrate Jewish religious holidays like Passover with meaningful rituals. We also commemorate national holidays like Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Thanksgiving. On Christmas Eve, we sometimes go out to a Chinese restaurant in Jewish fashion. 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 .