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ADDRESSING ANTISEMITISM
‘THE OCTOBER 7 WAR’
Dr. Zuhdi Jasser shared how he plans to address the topic if elected to Congress
The East Valley JCC is selling the book by Israeli photojournalist Ziv Koren
OCTOBER 9, 2026 | TISHREI 28, 5787 | VOLUME 79, NUMBER 3
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JFNA study Project Heroes comes to Phoenix for finds American immersive Oct. 7 commemoration Jewish community T spent more than $1 billion on security last year JOSH BOOTZIN | STAFF WRITER
JOSH BOOTZIN | STAFF WRITER
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ccording to a Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) study published in early September, the American Jewish community spent a record $1.015 billion on community security in 2025, up 33% from $765 million in 2024. The 10-figure total is even more striking considering that the study included only Jewish nonprofits, excluding the more than 1,600 privately owned kosher restaurants, as well as hundreds of Jewish markets, Judaica shops and bookstores. JFNA estimated that the funds currently being used for security could alternatively send 44,000 children to Jewish day schools, cover the costs for every Jewish camp attendee or fund every Birthright trip for a decade. Instead, the data shows that each Jewish community center, synagogue, school, summer camp, nonprofit and other communal organization spends an average of about $225,000 a year to secure its daily operations from vandalism, harassment and other threats. “The fact that Jewish communal spending has shot up 33% is a measure of how much more dangerous life has become for Jewish Americans, and sadly we know that we need even more investment to protect ourselves against the rising level of threat,” said Eric D. Fingerhut, JFNA president and CEO, in a press release. SEE SECURITY, PAGE 2
he Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun J invite the Phoenix Jewish community to “Project Heroes: A Community Commemoration of Oct. 7,” led by Israeli singer-songwriter, author, documentarian and entrepreneur Gilad Segev. In addition to recording 10 songs that reached the top spot on Israel’s music popularity charts, including “Achshav Tov,” which was dedicated to his brother, who was killed while serving in the Israeli military, Segev sought ways to spread his music and storytelling methods around the world. This led him to found Passerby, a multicultural platform that incorporates music, visuals and other forms of media to tell some of the most meaningful stories of heroism found in the world today. Segev also published a book in 2020 called “Passerby: Quotes for the Traveler Singer-songwriter and entrepreneur Gilad Segev, CEO of Project Heroes. COURTESY OF GILAD SEGEV Through Life.” After Oct. 7, 2023, the platform evolved into Project Heroes, created to honor the many heroes, living or dead, who made a difference in the days following the Hamas terrorist attack. “We were very fortunate that the program got us to so many places that it developed into a much bigger initiative called Project Heroes, which is a large nonprofit project to change the narrative of the Jewish people from victimhood to heroism,” Segev said. “The idea was to share the stories of the incredible heroes we encountered that day, with the understanding that these amazing acts of heroism that we experienced were a microcosm SEE HEROES, PAGE 3
Valley optometrist says he can help with your golf game Dr. Jeffrey Eger says he has a method for lowering anyone’s golf score by three to 12 strokes. See page 14. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEWISH NEWS
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about her Judaism with her fellow council members and speaking out for her rights CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 and beliefs. about her Judaism with her fellow council SOPHIE said JonSTERN Meyers, director of ADDPC. She already has some practice at CONTINUED FROM 1 members and speaking out for her rights “Our hope is PAGE to create and promote advocating Congress is currently considering for herself. beliefs. opportunities for people to be embraced, and potential solutions to this issue, including “One time, I was in class and someone said Jon Meyers, director of ADDPC. She already has some practice at the bipartisan Jewish American Security become part of the community and find called me the R-word “Our hope is to create and promote advocating for herself.and I told him not Act, introduced in the Senate and House equitable opportunities wherever they to. The teacher was in the hallway and opportunities for people to be embraced, “One time, I was in class and someone in May and June, respectively, and supmight live,” he said. another student repeated the word,” she become part of the community and find called me the R-word and I told him not ported by national Jewish organizations Meyers first came to know Stern said. Rather than letting the situation go, equitable opportunities wherever they to. The teacher was in the hallway and such as the Anti-Defamation League through her mother, Amy Silverman, who she told her theater teacher, who was able might live,” he said. another student repeated the word,” she (ADL), the American Jewish Committee read her personal essays about raising a to intervene. Meyers first came to know Stern Rather than letting the situation go, (AJC) and the Jewish Council for Public daughter with Down syndrome on KJZZ, said. “If someone has a disability, saying through her mother, Amy Silverman, who she her theater teacher, who was able Affairs (JCPA). National Public Radio’s Phoenix affiliate the told R-word is like saying the F-word,” read her personal essays about raising a to intervene. In addition to requiring social media station. said. daughter with Down syndrome on KJZZ, Stern “If someone has a disability, saying platforms to submit biannual reports Meyers was so captivated by the essays While performing in the musical National Public Radio’s Phoenix affiliate the R-word is like saying the F-word,” on how they are moderating antisemitic that he reached out to Silverman, and the “Hairspray,” she had another occasion station. Stern said. content and directing the Department of two became friends. to tangle with the offensive word, which Meyers was so captivated by the essays While performing in the musical Education to designate an antisemitism That’s how Stern first learned of the appears in the script. in 2022 that he reached out to Silverman, and the she had another occasion Sophie Stern at her high school graduation coordinator, the Jewish American Security open council seat, but there’s no doubt “Hairspray,” COURTESY OF SOPHIE STERN “That’s really bad and my friend said two became friends. to tangle with the offensive word, which Act would also provide $1 billion annually she earned her position, Meyers said. on stage. I was not OK with that, so I Heart Can’t Even Believe It: A Story of That’s how Stern first learned of the itappears the script. Sophie Stern at her high school graduation in 2022 to the Federal Emergency Management To become a council member, Stern went to in the director and told her it was Science, open council seat, but there’s no doubt COURTESY OF SOPHIE STERN Love and Down Syndrome,” “That’s really bad and my friend said Agency’s (FEMA) Nonprofit Security had to apply and demonstrate that she had a bad word for people with disabilities, she earned her position, Meyers said. Silverman’s book about her daughter. it on stage. I was not OK with that, so I Heart Can’t Even Believe It: A Grant Program (NSGP) to help secure something valuable to contribute, he said. but Story of she wouldn’t take it out,” Stern said. To become a council member, Stern When Gesher’s speakers’ bureau, Damon to the director and told her it was Science, Love and Down Syndrome,” houses of worship, schools, community “She’s on the council because she went She let her mother know about the had to apply and demonstrate that she had Brooks & Associates, was asked to find a bad word for people with disabilities, Silverman’s book about her daughter. centers and religious nonprofits. deserves to be on the council,” he said. conflict and they were able to convince something valuable to contribute, he said. but she wouldn’t take it out,” Stern said. a speaker about Down syndrome for an “We are grateful for the partnership Stern is creating a life and career as a the director of the need to remove the When Gesher’s speakers’ bureau, Damon “She’s on the council because she She let her mother know about the event this spring, Hummell first asked of Congress and this administration, but Instances member of herorcommunity, which makes in word Brooks & Associates, was asked to find from the script. of vandalism hate crimes that have occurred Arizona, clockwise from upper left: Tucson deserves to be on the council,” he said. conflict and they were able to convince to speak, thinking Stern might the need has outpaced the resources,” police her investigate vandalism at Chabad Tucson–Young “My Israel synagogue on April 22,to 2025; awhen Silverman a greatthe addition. a speaker about Down syndrome for an friend Al was next me Stern is creating a alife and incareer as a inthe director of the need to remove the be too young. poster attached to window North Phoenix 2020; a Phoenix man was indicted after Fingerhut said. “Passing the Jewish threatening Stern graduated from McClintock I told the director and he gave me the event this spring, Hummell first asked at a Democratic National Committee in Tempe and placing kill Jews’ signs in member of her community, whichoffice makes word from the‘Dems script. They decided instead that Stern should American Security Act and fully fund- shooting High Schoolgraffiti in Tempe year and now hug everCOMPILATION and said Silverman to speak, thinking Stern might 2024; and antisemitic foundlast at the Anthem Park andbiggest Ride in 2026. COURTESYthat OF JEWISHhe NEWSloved her a great addition. “My friend Al was next to me when tell her own story; it’s a real bonus that ing the NSGP at $1 billion is the single attends Glendale Community College, me so much,” Stern said. Sadly, Al died be too young. Stern graduated from McClintock I told the director and he gave me the she is not afraid of public speaking. most important step lawmakers can take programming and helping families parThewith vast amajority securityShe funds focus onofdance. is ago regular in a car crash on Oct. 24, 2021. They decided instead that Stern should High School in Tempe last year and now biggest hug ever and said that he loved “It’s not same when someone to keep Jewish Americans and all faith to personnel, ticipate in Jewish life. they be security performerwhether at Detour Company Theatre, “That was hard; it’s very hard to get tell her own the story; it’s a real bonus that attends Glendale Community College,Over me so much,” Stern said. Sadly, Al died tries to tell a person’s story for them,” communities safe.” the years, TKA has made signifiguards or community security directors, a Scottsdale theatre company for adults emotions out and I was very, very upset,” she is not afraid of public speaking. with a focus on dance. She is a regular in a car crash on Oct. 24, 2021. The FBI has recorded more than but funds Hummell said. cant improvements to secure its property, also needed to reinforce and she said. with are intellectual, developmental “It’s not the same when someone performer at Detour Company Theatre, “That was hard; it’sshatter-resisvery hard to get 33,000 hate crimes committed in the windows Additionally, helping people with anddisabilities. doors and install and including physical Onupgraded the recentgates, anniversary of his death, tries to tell a person’s story for them,” a Scottsdale theatre company for adults emotions out and I was very, upset,” United States between the Hamas terror- maintain find jobs was one of the reasons tant window film and doubling thevery camsystems and Inelectronic fact, whensecurity Stern attended her first Stern made a cake and took it to the disabilities Hummell said. with intellectual, developmental and she said. ist attack in October 2023 and September cameras. for acquiring the bureau. Unemployment eras around the building, among other council meeting in January, she couldn’t crash site. Additionally, helping people with physical disabilities. On the recent anniversary of his death, 2026. Despite making up just 2% of the upgrades that the temple chose not to the disability community is upwards Rabbi Schneider of Temple Kol with waitJeremy to tell people of her involvement “I don’t know how I did it without in disabilities find jobs was one of the reasons In fact, when Stern attended her first Stern made a cake and took it to the country’s population, nearly 5,400 (16%) Ami (TKA) for safety 75% and of that percentage, 75% are Scottsdale shared thatabout his share Detourinand share information its crying. I’mreasons. so proud of myself,” she said. of for acquiring the bureau. Unemployment council meeting in January, she couldn’t of the hate crimes were characterized as temple TKAcrash alsosite. recently graduated thedirector first of ready, willing and able to work — but *Best of Magazine spends more than $200,000 per upcoming shows. Amy Hummell, executive in the disability community is upwards wait to tell people of her involvement with *AnnualtheDirectory “I know how I didteam, it without “Anti-Jewish” incidents, second only to year on “There’s cohort of don’t itsDisability volunteer security security, with professional armed been given opportunity, no question that she is going Gesher Resources, agreed that haven’t **Annual Directory of 75% and of that percentage, 75% are Detour and share information about its crying. I’m so proud of myself,”but she said. “Anti-Black or African American” (25%). security trained to respond making said. up both the very said. **Best of Magazine to personnel thrive,” Meyers “She’s Stern is a goodtofitemergencies for ADDPC because Hummell *Best of Magazine ready, willing and able to work — but upcoming shows. Amy replace Hummell, executive director of Anti-Jewish incidents made up 67% temple’s not meant security. most significant ongoing about need the “People have it in them to speak up but gregarious and passionate of hertoability toprofessional self-advocate. haven’t been given the opportunity, “There’s no question that she is going Gesher Disability Resources, agreed that **Annual over Directory of the more than 8,000 incidents Ongoing financial commitments largest security-related expense. that matter to her.” Hummell co-hosted a include book event don’t know how, and often they’re not WWW.JEWISHAZ.COMand itsthings to thrive,” Meyers said. “She’s very Stern is a good fit for ADDPC because Hummell said. that span that were deemed to be biased guards, training, maintenance, That Stern money could otherwise be used cheered on. Sophie has family support ago for “MyWWW.JEWISHAZ.COM looks forward to sharing insights with Meyers a few years technol“People have it in them to speak up but gregarious andJewish passionate about the of her ability to self-advocate. toward religion. ogy and continued improvements. to support teachers, education, don’t know how, and often they’re not things that matter to her.” Hummell co-hosted a book event WWW.JEWISHAZ.COM OFFICE HOURS has family support Stern looks forward to sharing insights with Meyers a few years ago for “My cheered on. Sophie HEADLINES ...........................................2 SOPHIE STERN
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of all Jewish heroism.” Unlike the violent “heroes” portrayed in modern movies, Project Heroes defines a Jewish hero as someone committed to freedom, equality, peace and morality. Its stated mission is “to construct a narrative of heroism, emphasizing the accounts of individuals who played pivotal roles throughout our history. From the days of Abraham, to our contemporary heroes, sacrificing their lives to save others on October 7th.” Project Heroes is not simply a concert or lecture. It is an immersive program that combines storytelling, music, videos, documentaries and AI animation. “It’s an experience, and the best way to know what it is, is to arrive and experience it,” Segev said. Project Heroes comes to Phoenix on its last stop in a North America tour that has them visiting Washington, D.C., New Jersey and Ohio in the preceding weeks. “We are blessed to have been invited throughout North America, from Central Park to wonderful stages in many small communities, to share the stories of these heroes,” Segev said. He said he’s very excited to be in Phoenix, as the only time he experienced it in the past was through a short flight connection at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. “I really wanted to go out of the airport and hang out in Phoenix, and now I’m so fortunate to be able to do it,” he said. “We were so happy to talk to the leaders of this community and be invited to share the light of heroism. We hope to create and continue a dialogue with the community about heroism that we can implement together.” Segev realized that Oct. 7 was an event
that opened the door for Jews and nonJews alike to witness acts of heroism in modern times. “Once things happened, I was in a deep state of shock from the atrocities, but I was also very much shocked by the acts of heroism,” he said. “I never believed that I would witness such heroic acts. This multisensory program was created because I felt so overwhelmed by this beauty and light, and I felt I needed to share it in every way possible.” Segev was not in Israel on Oct. 7 because he was filming a documentary about music in Mongolia. “It caught me off guard as I was in a very remote place,” he said. “Immediately, I started my journey back to Israel, which took five days. I experienced everything that happened through the media, like most Israelis who weren’t there. Every day, the data that arrived became so much more dramatic, to the horrific side and to the amazing, heroic side.” His cinematographer in Mongolia was even supposed to be filming at the Supernova music festival on that day before deciding to change his plans and help Segev in Mongolia. “He told me that he owes me his life,” Segev said. Like most Israelis, Segev knew people who attended the music festival. The event included people from all over Israel, not just the south, so the massacre there affected every corner of the country, connecting the entire population to the harrowing stories of sacrifice and survival. The heroic response from both military personnel and civilians inspired him to create social media posts, each dedicated to a single hero. Those posts went viral, and as a musician, Segev said, “The next natural step was to start to compose them into songs.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog has since endorsed Project Heroes, and 40 stories
“Security is never a finished project,” Schneider said. “Threats, technology and best practices change. Our responsibility is to continually evaluate our security posture and adapt accordingly.” While organizations find the need to allocate more and more of their budgets for self-preservation, Schneider said no specific amount of funding can make a synagogue feel completely safe. “There is always more we could do, and that itself is a tragedy.” “I am grateful for our security professionals, law enforcement partners, volunteers and everyone who helps protect our community,” Schneider said. “But I hope we never become so accustomed to armed guards outside our synagogues that we stop recognizing how profoundly sad it is that they need to be there.” Arizona has passed significant legislation over the past few years to protect places of worship and combat antisemitism. In May 2023, Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a budget that included $5 million to help
secure religious organizations deemed to be at high risk of terrorist attacks or targeted hate crimes. These funds helped small and medium-sized houses of worship and religious nonprofits install security cameras, gates and fences; fund security guards; and facilitate activeshooter training. In June 2026, Hobbs signed HB 4117 into law, which defines legal penalties for those impeding or obstructing people’s access to houses of worship. Under HB 4117, it is now a Class 1 misdemeanor to interfere with a religious service or activity in Arizona, which has the potential to escalate to a Class 6 felony for repeated violations or if force, threats of force or physical intimidation are involved. According to the ADL’s annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, released in May 2026, overall antisemitic incidents dropped from more than 9,300 in 2024 to nearly 6,300 in 2025, but more than 200 assaults and more than 30 assaults with a deadly weapon both represented increases from 2024.
HEROES
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of Oct. 7 heroes were published in a book. One story features Yonatan Elazari, who was 19 and had been in basic training and was off duty in Tofakim when the attacks occurred. Despite being unarmed, he attempted to fight off terrorists with some rocks and his bare hands, eventually finding a weapon and shooting at terrorists from a rooftop until he was shot dead. His body was found a day later surrounded by shell casings. Since Elazari attempted to fight terrorists at first with a pile of rocks, Segev told Elazari’s mother that he fought like King David. She responded that ever since Elazari was five years old, he had dressed as King David on Purim. To Segev, this was an example of modern heroism echoing Jewish heroism of the past, which is one of the pillars of the Project Heroes program. “It’s not only music; it’s not only the stories; it’s also a visual experience that includes videos created with the families of the heroes and combines new technologies that create a combination that allows us to connect to the story of those heroes, while helping us to connect to a bigger picture of their heroism and the values they stood for,” he said. The combination of music and dancing with the stories of heroism creates a sad but hopeful experience, according to Segev. He said the feedback he’s received is that the program is very emotional and moving. JN
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For more information, visit project-heroes.co.il/ en/. To register for the event taking place on Oct. 18 at 3 p.m., visit phoenixcjp.regfox.com/ projectheroes. Jewish News is published by the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix, a component of the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix.
While the total number of incidents decreased, the most threatening type of incident to personal and communal safety remains prevalent. “We see policies impacting incidents,” said Sarah Kader, deputy director of ADL’s Desert Region, after the audit was published. “There are things we can do while antisemitism continues to be of great concern. Particularly with this increase in violent incidents, there is always hope; there are always actions we can take.” “Ultimately, the goal cannot simply be to build higher walls around Jewish institutions,” Schneider said. “We also need a society that takes antisemitism seriously, confronts hatred rather than normalizing it and recognizes that Jews should be able to live openly and participate fully in Jewish life without wondering whether doing so makes them or their children a target.” JN
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Dr. Zuhdi Jasser addresses antisemitism during campaign to represent Arizona’s 4th Congressional District JOSH BOOTZIN | STAFF WRITER
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r. Zuhdi Jasser, a Republican candidate for Arizona’s 4th Congressional District, had a conversation on Aug. 27 with Seth Leibsohn, host of “The Seth Leibsohn Show,” and Rabbi Pinchas Allouche of Congregation Beth Tefillah in Scottsdale about his personal experiences with antisemitism and how he plans to address the topic in Congress during “What America Means to Me: The America at 250 Conversations.” Jasser was born in Ohio and raised in Wisconsin after his parents fled Syria in 1966. He attended medical school on a Navy scholarship and served as a Navy officer for 11 years before becoming a national voice for Islamic reform after 9/11, testifying before Congress and championing religious freedom. He has served Arizona patients for over two decades, and during COVID-19, he cleared his Friday afternoons to join Leibsohn’s podcast and answer audience questions on the confusing messages they were receiving at the time. Jasser is running for Congress on a platform that involves cutting wasteful spending, lowering costs and taxes, securing the border and funding better education systems and quality healthcare. When Jasser’s team was planning four or five speeches for him to make on the campaign trail, covering various topics related to what America means to him, Jasser requested that one focus be on antisemitism. “I said it’s not really part of the campaign and it’s not really a huge issue in his district,” Leibsohn said. “But (Jasser) said, ‘No, but it’s something I’ve been fighting all my life, and with what’s going on in America, I cannot hold my tongue.’” “This plague, this specter from the pit of hell, has been resurrected in America,”
Dr. Zuhdi Jasser hosts the second event of his series, “What America Means to Me: The America at 250 Conversations,” at Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale on Aug. 27. COURTESY OF JEWISH NEWS
Jasser said. “Its virulence has been shocking to many of us, but there’s no denying its pernicious rise, along with the cowardice of those who refuse to condemn it.” While “antisemitism” was the keyword of the event, Jasser said the word itself is too tame to describe its meaning. “We’re talking about Jew hatred,” he said. “Nothing more and nothing less than the unvarnished hatred of a people.” Jasser said this hatred, or “distilled essence of anti-Americans,” can be found both on the political right and the left, but he said the right poses only about 20% of the problem. He blamed inverted liberalism on college campuses for providing a new life to antisemitism that a generation thought to be buried with the Holocaust. On the left, Jasser said, the grievance culture of Marxism, merged with the fanatical intoler-
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Seth Leibsohn, left, interviews Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, center, and Rabbi Pinchas Allouche, right, at Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale on Aug. 27. COURTESY OF JEWISH NEWS
ance of Islamism, poses the real existential danger. “These joint toxic forces, the red and the green, have only one objective, which is to undermine and overthrow Western civilization, and to target America first,” Jasser said. Jasser’s life’s work has been to educate Americans on the stark distinction between Islam and Islamism. Islam is his faith, while he described Islamism as a supremacist political ideology. “I’ve dedicated my life to defeating the plague of Islamism — a quintessentially American fight, because it’s a fight against theocrats who reject man-made law and who would impose their interpretation of sharia by force.” Jasser said Islamists see themselves standing in the place of God, aiming to destroy the human rights and freedoms
that Americans hold dear. He explained how important it is to understand Americanism to fight back, embodying the lessons of the Declaration of Independence: that God created all men equally and that the purpose of government is to protect basic human rights, not instill a collective ideology. “While the rest of the world had relegated Jews to ghettos and daily humiliations, our founders went out of their way to express love for the children of Abraham,” he said. George Washington was the first leader of a nation to regard Jews as his equals in terms of natural rights, paving the way for all minorities in America to be treated as such. Jasser referred to the misconception that there is no difference between antiZionism and antisemitism as “one of the SEE JASSER, PAGE 8
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Unfiltered Oct. 7 photo book available at East Valley JCC JOSH BOOTZIN | STAFF WRITER
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ublished in September 2024 by world-renowned Israeli photojournalist Ziv Koren, “The October 7 War” is a powerful visual record offering an unfiltered window into the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israeli communities bordering the Gaza Strip and their overall effect on Israeli society. “On the anniversary of Oct. 7, the facts of that day are being distorted, denied and rewritten in classrooms, on campuses and across social media,” wrote Leisah Woldoff, director of communications at the East Valley Jewish Community Center (EVJCC). The EVJCC is offering a limitededition, English-language release of “The October 7 War,” which includes more than 350 photographs spanning 12 chapters and covers the war from the Israeli point of view. According to a message on the inside front cover, proceeds from the EVJCC’s English-language limited edition are promised to help Israeli soldiers and their families. Beginning immediately after the Oct. 7 attacks, Koren spent the following
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months on the front lines, documenting the direct aftermath, the hostage crisis, the home front and the Israeli military and civilian response. “On the morning of October 7, life turned into one long, single day,” wrote Koren in the book’s preface. “Since that dramatic Saturday, I have been in a race to document the war and to tell a bigger story than all of us. Because after such inconceivable events, I think that without authentic documentation, we could one day struggle to believe that this happened, that in 2023, the State of Israel experienced the most dramatic tales of horror and heroism since the Holocaust.” The book’s introduction states, “The photo book is not intended as political commentary or to force a particular narrative, but rather to provide direct, unfiltered and unedited evidence of the international tragedy for truth-based education.” “In an environment where the facts of Oct. 7 are actively contested, a documentary photo record is harder to argue with than a summary,” Woldoff wrote. “It gives educators, clergy and community leaders a primary source to put directly in front of students and congregants: not what someone said happened, but the evidence of what happened.” The book begins with more than 80 pages of photographs taken in the immediate aftermath of Oct. 7. The images are graphic — many photos depict demolished or burned vehicles, lifeless bodies, buildings splattered with bullet holes and debris-filled homes, some with blood on the floor and walls. Koren transports readers to the very center of the tragedy, telling the story through ash, tears and destruction. A large, multiple-page photograph tells the story of the Sderot police station in the wake of an hours-long siege. Woven through the photographs are
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The aftermath of the terrorist attack on Oct. 7 on Highway 34 at the Sha’ar HaNegev Junction shows abandoned and partially burned vehicles. ZIV KOREN/“THE OCTOBER 7 WAR,” COURTESY OF THE EAST VALLEY JCC
A rally in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on Jan. 13, 2024, for the return of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. ZIV KOREN/“THE OCTOBER 7 WAR,” COURTESY OF THE EAST VALLEY JCC
personal stories from those who were there and survived. Some successfully hid, others got out in time and still others found the bravery to fight back. Successive chapters depict Israel’s societal response while praying for the return of the more than 250 hostages taken into Gaza, as well as the Israel Defense Forces operations over the following months and the remarkable recovery journeys of the many wounded soldiers and civilians. The last chapter, “The Photos Not Taken,” honors the countless horrifying and heroic tales that went undocumented. These black squares in the place of photos serve as Koren’s personal tribute to those who were present but did not have the means or time to capture their experiences. “These pages are a symbolic reminder of the power of reality against the limitations of documentation. We will not
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forget, and we will not forgive — with and without photographic evidence,” he wrote. The EVJCC purchased a limited supply of the photo book to make copies available to synagogues, churches, day schools and households in the Greater Phoenix Jewish community and beyond. “This book is a way to make sure that record reaches the people who need it most: students, congregants and community members who deserve the truth of Oct. 7, in their hands, in a form that can’t be easily dismissed or rewritten,” Woldoff shared. JN Individual copies are available at the EVJCC for $25, less than half the list price ($70), and they can be picked up in person at the EVJCC front desk. Anyone interested can order online at evjcc.org/oct7book or contact info@evjcc.org for custom or bulk orders.
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Scottsdale gymnast excited about competing for the University of Arizona MICHAEL MURRA | CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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cottsdale native JJ Schibel, 18, a University of Arizona (U of A) freshman and a gymnast, loves spending time at Chabad House at the U of A in Tucson. “It creates a sense of community,” Schibel said. “I know the girls on the gymnastics team and the other athletes I’ve met, but I haven’t met many Jewish first-year students who are athletes. Going to Chabad makes the school seem a little smaller because you have a tight-knit group of people.” Although, she said she has connected with another first-year Jewish athlete at the U of A, freshman baseball player Ben Ball, from Chandler. Schibel grew up attending Congregation Beth Israel in Scottsdale. Her parents are Isaac and Dana Schibel, and her father was a college athlete who played tennis at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She started gymnastics when her mother took her to “Mommy & Me” classes as a toddler. She picked up dance along the way but later chose to focus
solely on gymnastics. In 2022, she became a bat mitzvah in Israel, and during that trip she also competed in the Maccabiah Games, winning a silver medal with her team. It was her second time in Israel, after visiting a couple of years earlier for the bat mitzvah of her older sister, Reese. “Having my bat mitzvah in Israel was one of the best experiences,” Schibel said. “I enjoyed competing in the Maccabiah Games and would have gone back last summer, but I had to prepare for college. We met Jewish athletes from all over the world and learned a lot about the culture.” While attending Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Schibel competed for Gold Medal Gymnastics in the East Valley, helping the club win a gold medal at the 2025 Arizona State Team Championships during her junior year. As a freshman, she competed in the 2023 Western Championships.
“We were all working together toward one goal,” Schibel said. She recently joined Tribe NIL, a name, image and likeness initiative and collective specifically for Jewish college athletes. She hopes to become more involved with the organization in the future. She’s one of nine new faces, including six first-year students, on the Arizona Wildcats gymnastics team, known as the GymCats. She hopes to lead Arizona back to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships for the first time since 2002 — five years before she was born. She said that she can see herself “competing in the floor exercise and, most likely, the beam.” She chose the U of A because she believes the coaches truly care about each gymnast as a person and an athlete, and the atmosphere is one where everyone can thrive. “The bond that we have within the
JASSER
don’t go to Israel to have fun,” Allouche said. “Israel is the motherland. And when your mother needs you, you go. Telling me as a Jew that you love Jews, but you don’t love Israel, is like telling me as a human being, ‘I love you, but I do not love your mother.’ To me, they are so inseparable that it’s the greatest insult.” “American Jews love their state, America, and there is nothing wrong with them also loving Israel,” Jasser said. “If we fail here, they will have nowhere else to go. This is why antisemitism, Jew hatred, is the test of our time, and those in power who say nothing, who hide from it, are cowards and the unwitting allies of hatred. They betray their office with their silence, they betray their power with their cowardice, and they betray America.”
Jasser traces his love for the Jewish people to his childhood, when his grandfather told him stories about how much more reliable and trustworthy the Jews were back in Syria than the “chronic tyrants” among the Islamists. “I filed away in my young mind that something might be wrong with some of the practitioners in my faith,” he said. “And at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee, that same phenomenon repeated itself. I could have profound discussions with the rabbis I encountered, but not with the imams. They seemed to have already established a narrative, and my job was simply to agree with it. But with the rabbis, and with most of my Jewish friends, there was a genuine give and take.” As a staff physician for members of Congress, Jasser found that he could relate to Jewish politicians philosophically and spiritually, even if they had no political common ground. In 2000, Jasser’s family was recruited to a group of 20 families — 10 Jewish and 10 Muslim — to learn about each other’s faiths. The bonds between the group deepened after 9/11, but a decade later, the group could not survive the mixture of hope, fear and anti-Israel sentiments, accentuated by social media, that came with the Arab Spring. “Muslims of every ethnicity heard these grand paranoid conspiracies from their media, and it flowed right into the collective bloodstream of their communities,” Jasser said. “That toxic brew destroyed our group and many of the friendships
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
greatest lies of our time.” He said this lie has been perpetuated by many within the Democratic Party, and it has become a much larger issue than the threat it poses to the Jewish people. To confirm this, Allouche told a story about when three teens went missing in Israel in 2014. Two of them were the students of one of Allouche’s mentors, and he was the one to tell his mentor that the teens were found dead three weeks after going missing. His mentor cried, canceled all of his upcoming appearances and promptly traveled to Israel. “He said Israel is not Disneyland; you
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JJ Schibel is starting her college gymnastics career at the University of Arizona. COURTESY OF JJ SCHIBEL
gymnastics team is truly special,” Schibel said. “The second you become a member of the team, it feels like they’re your second family. I’ll be friends with these girls even after our college days.” JN Michael Murra is a freelance writer based in Texas.
that we had.” Jasser said the same dynamic repeated itself after Oct. 7, but “amplified a million times.” He lost many friends because he chose to stand with Israel. Jasser firmly believes that the power of the ideals that America was built on is stronger than those of tribalism that seek to spread hate and tear people apart. He remembered his deployment as a medical department head on the USS El Paso during Operation Restore Hope in Somalia in the early 1990s. Barely a week into his deployment, he was mistakenly served a ham and cheese sandwich, so he noted to other officers that it may be educational to conduct a study circle for the ship to learn about each other’s faiths. “So came our Friday evening reflections on faith on the USS El Paso,” he said. “The commanding officer was Catholic, the executive officer was a Protestant, the supply officer was Mormon, the head of deck was a Jew, the crypto officer was a Buddhist immigrant from Vietnam and me, the Muslim doctor from Wisconsin, reading from our own scriptures in a way that came entirely naturally to us as Americans.” “The expulsion of Jews has predicated the fall of many empires,” Jasser concluded. “The fate of America and the fate of Jewish Americans are inextricably linked. Both must flourish or both will perish. That is why I’m running for Congress.” JN For more information, visit z4az.com. JEWISHAZ.COM
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RELIGIOUS LIFE TORAH STUDY
Finding order within the chaos RABBI NITZAN STEIN-KOKIN PARSHAH BEREISHIT: GENESIS 1:1-6:8
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n my childhood, when my room got messy, my mother would say, “What is this tohu va-vohu Rabbi Nitzan Stein-Kokin (chaos) in your COURTESY OF RABBI NITZAN STEIN-KOKIN room?” She would laugh, then start helping me create order out of the chaos. Sometimes, we would even take the time to recreate my room a little — changing a few things around or redoing the decor, and in the end, it felt nicer than before. Unfortunately, as chaos would spread again, this recreation had to happen every few weeks. As adults, we have learned from experience that life gets messy. Just about a month ago, on Rosh Hashanah, we tried to start anew, recreating ourselves and working to clean up the unhealthy chaos in our lives and relationships. And now that the holidays are over, will the messes of our daily routines come back and inevitably catch up to us? Will the chaos come back? The comforting revelation of this week’s Torah portion is that even God did not begin the work of Creation from a blank
orderly page or a clutter-free desk. Instead, the universe opened with primordial chaos: “and the earth was tohu va-vohu — an unformed place of chaos” (Genesis 1:2). The divine creative process began not by erasing this reality, but by introducing light. God separated light from darkness, recognized its inherent goodness and systematically divided the waters to let dry land emerge. Creation, in essence, is the divine act of sorting through clutter, establishing a functional order and revealing hidden beauty. In an article a few years ago, Rabbi Yitz Greenberg outlined distinct rhythms embedded in the narrative of Creation. The first is a cosmic movement from total chaos to absolute order, culminating in the peace of Shabbat where all clashing natural forces find their proper place. The second rhythm tracks the progression from “nonlife to life” and finally an evolutionary third rhythm from lower life forms to complex, highly capable organisms, ultimately climaxing in the creation of human beings “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27). Hence, the Creation account reminds us to view reality through the divine lens. Torah guides us to identify these divine rhythms and actively participate in them. As human beings, our mandate is to align
ourselves with life-sustaining order against the forces of chaos. Whatever mess we create or find ourselves in, we possess the agency to sort things out. The trajectory of the Genesis story is deeply encouraging; it reminds us that while darkness and voids will always exist, we hold the power to reshape them into something beautiful, allowing life to thrive. This partnership with the Divine is beautifully illustrated in the second Creation account, where God takes on the role of a master gardener in Eden. Our world behaves exactly like a garden. Without regular care, deliberate pruning and structural support, a garden rapidly reverts to wild chaos, allowing weeds to suffocate the most tender sprouts. As gardeners of our own reality, our primary job is to discern and cultivate the unique potential of every living thing. We can apply this framework of multiple dimensions to our contemporary lives. Here are a few suggestions: * Personal well-being: We can establish healthier individual choices, balancing the rhythm of productive work with restorative rest. * Relationships: We can actively clear out emotional upheaval and chaos by establishing deliberate routines, such
SHABBAT CANDLE LIGHTING OCTOBER 9 - 5:43 P.M. OCTOBER 16 - 5:35 P.M. SHABBAT ENDS OCTOBER 10 - 6:37 P.M. OCTOBER 17 - 6:29 P.M. Find area congregations at JewishAZ.com, where you can also find our 2026 Community Directory.
as a regular phone call, a visit or shared activities that foster deep healing. * Civic engagement: We can step in to fortify our local infrastructure where it is lacking. One example would be making conscious consumer choices, such as supporting Community Supported Agriculture to secure fresh food with a lower carbon footprint. Choosing organic options reduces pesticides that threaten our health and endanger the biodiversity needed to balance our ecosystems. Just as the cosmic architecture unfolded in Genesis, we are called to unlock the latent potential of the world around us. By actively working to elevate the quality of human life — which carries the divine image — we fulfill the ultimate lesson of the Torah: We become true partners in the ongoing work of Creation. Shabbat Shalom. JN Rabbi Nitzan Stein-Kokin is the spiritual leader of Beth El Congregation in Phoenix.
OPINION
Commentary
Yizkor is for mourners. But what if everyone attended the service? REBECCA MISSEL | JTA
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rowing up, Yizkor was the time during services when my mom would bustle us out of the sanctuary of our suburban Arizona synagogue, lest we tempt the evil eye by being present during this special memorial service for the congregation’s departed. It was understood that the only people who remained were those who say Mourner’s Kaddish (the Jewish prayer for the dead), because they had experienced the death of a parent, spouse, sibling or child. People uninitiated into the community of mourners would quietly shuffle out of the sanctuary and would often leave for home soon after. As a kid, this suited me fine. Five years ago, that all changed for me. My dad died in October 2021, and now, on four holidays (Yom Kippur, Passover,
Shavuot and Shemini Atzeret), I find myself in the sanctuary during Yizkor. What was once shrouded in mystery was now revealed as a relatively brief but nonetheless poignant service where many people weep openly as their loved ones’ names and photographs appear during an in-memoriam slideshow. What struck me, more than the music or any prayers, was the sense of being seen by a community of grievers. In our deathaverse American culture, grief is hidden away. We’re expected to “get over it” and never mention our beloved dead, let alone express our grief publicly. Yet here was my Jewish community, offering a place for grief to be witnessed and encouraged. This container doesn’t just exist for a death that happened years ago. Jewish wisdom offers a structure for grief at every
stage. Shiva is the tradition of taking a week at the height of our grief, to step away from our regular lives and let friends, family and neighbors take care of our basic needs and offer comfort. The Kaddish prayer and the annual yahrzeit memorial offer moments to express our personal grief through the first year and beyond. Yizkor is the part of that structure that invites us, four times a year, to stand in a community of mourners. Compare that with what many Americans experience. A few days of bereavement leave. A casserole or a card in the first week, if we’re lucky. And then an expectation that we’ll be back to normal, as friends and colleagues stop checking on us. Mourners learn to keep their grief to themselves, as they move through anniversaries, holidays and ordinary Tuesdays. That was the case when my dad died.
While I’m professionally Jewish and belong to a synagogue, many of my friends are Jew-ish and have never experienced Jewish grief customs firsthand. What I, and so many of us, need are spaces where grief can be expressed and even welcomed. Where someone can speak the name of a loved one out loud, cry without apologizing and be surrounded by others doing the same. Yizkor offers this container. Making it easier for more people to stay in the room creates a world where no one has to grieve alone. Death affects all of us, and Jewish wisdom and ritual can offer support, if we know where to find it. JN The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
A NOTE ON OPINION
We are a diverse community. The views expressed in these opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of the officers and boards of the Jewish Community Foundation, Center for Jewish Philanthropy, Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, Cleveland Jewish Publication Company or the staff of Jewish News. Letters must respond to content published by Jewish News and should be a maximum of 200 words. They may be edited for space and clarity. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters and op-ed submissions should be sent to editor@jewishaz.com. 10
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SPECIAL SECTION ELECTIONS
Lieberman seeks to represent District 4 for first term in Arizona Senate JOSH BOOTZIN | STAFF WRITER
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ollowing a four-year hiatus from political office, entrepreneur, business leader and former state representative Aaron Lieberman, a Democrat, is seeking to return to the Arizona Legislature with goals to cultivate cross-party unity, ensure public safety and strengthen Arizona’s workforce. Born and raised in Phoenix, Lieberman attended Yale University and went on to co-found Jumpstart, a nonprofit that works to improve early childhood literacy and school readiness, out of his dorm room. As an entrepreneur and business leader, Lieberman said he has created “several thousand great jobs.” Lieberman then founded Acelero Learning in 2002, which focused on closing the achievement gap for Head Start children and families, and he spent 22 years building and growing the company before selling it a few years ago. He is now the founder and CEO of Buzze, Inc., a company that helps devel-
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opers install electric vehicle chargers in apartment complexes across the country. “I love focusing on an idea that’s bigger than myself and then working my tail off to make something good happen for the world,” Lieberman said. “To me, that’s what politics should be. That’s what I’ve done in the private sector and that’s what we’ll do down at the Capitol.” Lieberman previously served District 28 in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2019 until he resigned in Sept. 2021 to focus on a campaign for Governor of Arizona, but he withdrew in May 2022, after trailing both Katie Hobbs and Marco Lopez in the polls. With Republican Carine Werner, whom Lieberman described as an “extreme person,” currently representing Legislative District 4 in the Senate, he said his overarching goal is to get back to working together to accomplish good things for the state. “We built this place by working together, not calling each other names.
That has always been my style,” he said. “It’s what I’ve done in the private sector my whole career and in the legislature; previously on the House side, and it’s what I’ll do on the Senate side as well.” In 2021, Lieberman worked with thenHouse Speaker Russell “Rusty” Bowers, a Republican, to pass legislation authorizing Arizona’s community colleges to offer lower-cost four-year bachelor’s degrees, ending a monopoly on four-year degrees controlled by Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University. “I really come from the pragmatic center,” Lieberman said. “My whole thing is to work together to get things accomplished. Don’t call people names, don’t curse people out.” While he was in office, Lieberman met with representatives from the Phoenix Holocaust Association and was told that 50% of public school students in Arizona didn’t know if Jews were the victims or the perpetrators of the Holocaust. “Honestly, one of my proudest accomplishments was helping navigate the bill that required that we teach about the Holocaust to every public school kid in the state,” he said. Lieberman recalled a recent time when he knocked on the door of a Jewish home and was told by a female resident that she moved her mezuzah to her back door because she was concerned about antisemitism. “That broke my heart,” he said. “I want to make sure we do everything in our power to make sure that all members of our community, especially all members of our Jewish community, feel safe.” Aside from public safety, other issues of personal importance include needing reasonable guardrails and basic accountability around the state’s voucher program — “those are our tax dollars, and I’m just completely opposed to waste, fraud and abuse in any area” — and growing the economy by prioritizing education and supporting community colleges and higher education institutions in their endeavors to strengthen the workforce. “We’ve got to get back to supporting the organizations and institutions that are educating the vast majority of Arizona kids and families,” Lieberman said. Lieberman raised his family in the Phoenix area and was a longtime member of Temple Solel in Paradise Valley, where both of his sons had their bar mitzvot. His mother was one of the founders of Temple Emanuel of Tempe, and Lieberman and his siblings recently
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Aaron Lieberman, candidate for Arizona Senate District 4. COURTESY OF AARON LIEBERMAN
attended the congregation’s 50th anniversary celebration. He has also been involved for many years in Jewish National Fund-USA events and dinners. “For me, there’s something extra special about being a Jew in Arizona, where it’s not the dominant culture like it is in some other places back East. It’s a very special connection that the Jews in Arizona share, that kind of makes us a little bit different,” he said. “I really feel that so much of Jewish life comes from your congregation life, so we need to make sure everyone in our synagogues feels safe while they pray.” Lieberman wants to return to a place where politicians work for their constituents instead of against each other. “One of the things that makes me different as a candidate is I go and meet voters right at their door,” he said. “I’ve knocked on 8,000 doors so far. I’ve talked personally to over 2,000 voters, just in this campaign cycle.” He added, “Frankly, I’m running to represent everybody in the district, whether they vote for me or not.” Lieberman also emphasized his accessibility to voters. “Unfortunately, we’re in this campaign season right now where there’s a lot of lies and misinformation out there,” he said. “I always encourage people to give me a call or reach out to me directly through my campaign website. I would love to talk and interact with anyone who’s an LD4 voter and explain what I’m about.” JN For more information, visit aaron4az.com. Jewish News does not endorse any political candidate and welcomes the opportunity to interview any Jewish candidate running for office.
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SPECIAL SECTION ELECTIONS
Small-business owner and former city council member hopes to bring diverse experience to state Legislature JOSH BOOTZIN | STAFF WRITER
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emocrat Tammy Caputi, president and owner of Yale Electric West, Inc. and former Scottsdale City Council member (2021-2025), is running to represent Legislative District 4 (LD4) in the Arizona House of Representatives for many reasons. First, Caputi feels compelled to work with legislators on both sides of the aisle to make the world a better place for her three children, whom she said inspires everything she does. She also chose to run because “I feel so strongly that we need people who have relevant experience and expertise in government.” Caputi is a longtime small-business owner, and her company supplies electrical materials for large commercial and infrastructure projects all over the Valley, including freeways, hospitals, hotels, wastewater treatment plants and airports. “I’m involved every day with the issues that come before us in the Legislature — job creation, supply chain issues, labor force issues, budgets — you name it, I’ve done it,” Caputi said. “I think it’s important to have boots on the ground and skin in the game when you’re making decisions for other people.” In her four years on the Scottsdale City Council, Caputi gained experience with issues similar to those brought before the Legislature, just at a local level, including public safety, transportation, development, streets and water security. “These are not partisan issues, and when you remove that lens and really force yourself to take one issue at a time, use the facts and the data and your best judgment to make good decisions for the
community, you end up with much better results,” Caputi said. As one of seven council members, Caputi said she needed at least three people to agree with her to get anything done, no matter their political affiliation, and she relished the collaborative atmosphere. Other benefits of serving on a city council included the experience gained from rotating daily challenges, which forced council members to become experts in a variety of fields, as well as how closely they work with the public. “On a council, you can make a decision on a Tuesday night that impacts people the next day, and that’s very powerful,” Caputi said. “You really feel like you’re making a difference, and that’s very important to me.” Almost immediately after taking office in April 2021, Caputi helped pass an antidiscrimination ordinance that prohibited discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations, which she said she was very proud of. She also took pride in fully funding public safety officers, returning tourism to pre-pandemic levels and improving transportation with 50-plus miles of new streets. “People ask me all the time, ‘Why are you running?’ I say I really don’t have time to run, and that’s exactly why I’m running, because we need people who are working, involved in the community and who understand the challenges that people experience,” Caputi said. If elected, one of Caputi’s priorities is to rid the government of toxicity and bickering between parties, finding areas of mutual benefit where legislators can
work together to move things forward. “I want to stay focused on the breadand-butter issues that matter to everyone — having a strong and growing economy, having great schools, bringing down the cost of living, particularly for housing and healthcare, and making sure our public safety officers have what they need to keep our community safe,” she said. “To make lasting, sustainable change, you need to concentrate on the areas where we have agreement and mutual benefit for everyone in the community.” Caputi is proud of her Jewish heritage, having been a member of Temple Chai in Scottsdale for nearly 25 years, and she’s been involved in temple outreach and social justice projects for many years. “I’m definitely a participator, not an observer,” she said. She wears a Star of David necklace every day, and she said she gets comments from politicians on both sides of the aisle thanking her for being unafraid to show her Judaism. “When you’re a leader, you have to model the behavior that you want other people to follow, so I wear my star loudly and proudly,” she said. “Because antisemitism has become something that’s almost normalized, which terrifies me, we need strong Jewish voices at all levels of government to continually remind people that it’s not OK, it’s not normal and it should never be accepted.” Having no tolerance for hate crimes, fully funding security at houses of worship and funding the Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center in Phoenix are also very important to her. “I’ve been knocking on doors all over the district for the last six months. I’ve
Tammy Caputi, candidate for Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative District 4. COURTESY OF TAMMY CAPUTI
spoken with so many Jewish residents on both sides of the aisle, and they all share the same concerns. People want to feel safe in the community, and they want to make sure that antisemitism is not tolerated,” she said. “I hear every day that most people in LD4 want someone who will get rid of the toxicity, concentrate on the issues that matter, not focus so much on the partisan issues and represent all of the residents of LD4 down at the Legislature, not just one side or the other,” Caputi concluded. “I have a demonstrated record of being bipartisan, of representing all of the residents and I’m so excited to do this on behalf of my district.” JN For more information, visit tammycaputi.com. Jewish News does not endorse any political candidate and welcomes the opportunity to interview any Jewish candidate running for office.
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SPECIAL SECTION SENIOR
Valley optometrist creates method for lowering your golf game by three to 12 strokes JOSH BOOTZIN | STAFF WRITER
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r. Jeffrey Eger, a Jewish optometrist and sports vision enhancement therapist based in Mesa, has developed a six-step method for reducing anyone’s golf score by three to 12 strokes. Eger said the eyes are overlooked in today’s sports psychology industry. While many experts focus on hand-eye coordination, Eger’s method develops the opposite — eye-hand coordination — by maximizing the “seven skills” of vision. Eger’s seven skills of vision are sight, peripheral vision, eye tracking (following objects up and down, left and right), efficient near-far focusing, depth perception, localization in space (knowing where you are in the field of play) and visualization of what is to be accomplished. When he became an optometrist, Eger worked with various patients who had been wrongfully diagnosed with a learning disability or attention deficit disorder when they had their vision tested in school. For many, learning was never the issue; they just struggled with one or
more of the seven skills of vision. “After I finished working with them, not only did they do better in school, but they also excelled in sports,” he said. Eger’s sports vision enhancement therapy was inspired by Dr. Jack Ramsay, coach of the 1977 NBA champion Portland Trail Blazers. Ramsay sustained a retinal detachment in his youth, limiting his peripheral vision in his left eye, and he was one of the first to recognize the value of strong peripheral vision for balance and game-speed decision-making in professional sports. “Peripheral vision increases balance — emotionally, physically, spatially and spiritually,” Eger said. “The more peripheral and global you see, the more you’re slowing down real time.” Eger considers his work to help people embrace a sense of spirituality, tuning in to a higher power that can slow down time and anticipate the future. In this way, he grooms instinctual athletes, guided by the feelings in the soul, gut and
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“THE MORE YOU FOCUS, THE MORE YOU TUNNEL IN, THE TIGHTER YOUR WHOLE BODY BECOMES, INCLUDING YOUR GRIP. YOU CAN HAVE THE PERFECT SWING, BUT IF YOUR GRIP IS TOO TIGHT, YOU’RE GOING TO PULL AND PUSH YOUR SHOT.” DR. JEFFREY EGER
heart, rather than intellectual athletes, minimizing mental processing in favor of efficiency, which he defined as “perfect performance with the least amount of time and energy.” Eger trains the subconscious, childlike self to rely on periphery to see the big picture. He expels the restrictions of thought, which often lead to overanalysis, stress, doubt and fear, while growing the self-trust required for intuitive play. Eger recalled what former professional golfer Nick Price once told him: “Feeling is just trusting what your eyes are telling you to do.” “What good is keeping your eye on the ball when you can’t trust what you see?” Eger said. “I don’t want intelligent players. I want intuitive, instinctual players that trust their soul over their mind, that trust feeling over thinking.” According to Eger, thinkers are more inclined to become frustrated with themselves, making it harder to reach their full potential. They lose trust in their instincts, limiting their highest potential to getting lucky, or “missing the ball in the hole.” “The more you focus, the more you tunnel in, the tighter your whole body becomes, including your grip,” he said. “You can have the perfect swing, but if your grip is too tight, you’re going to pull and push your shot.” Eger’s former classmate Gil Morgan consistently missed short putts before Eger fitted him for corrective contact lenses, and then Morgan placed second in the Los Angeles Open a month later. His first official assignment relating to sports was to work with Arizona State University’s (ASU) golf team in the early 1990s. Eger counted four of the top five players as his patients, including future three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson. Mickelson struggled with near-far focusing and couldn’t see the ball land when using anything longer than a lob wedge. Eger fitted him for contacts, and just over a month later, at 20 years old, Mickelson won the 1991 Northern Telecom Open in Tucson as an amateur. Another former patient of Eger’s,
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John Smith III, son of John Smith Jr., a longtime member of the Harlem Globetrotters, struggled to read from a young age because of poor eye-tracking skills and muscle spasms in his eyes. “I would scan something from side to side, and my eyes would start to shake when they got to the middle,” Smith said. Eger implemented a physically rigorous therapy methodology to help remove the shakiness, including using a tachistoscope, a specialized device used to display an image, text or object for a very brief, controlled period of time. “I had John bouncing on a large trampoline, and I would flash through these ultra-fast flashers. I was breaking the thinking reflex and making him rely on the feeling reflex until he got the right feedback that he was doing it correctly,” Eger said. Not only did Eger help Smith in sports, but “I was able to focus and see things a lot easier and faster, I had a better reaction time and I was also able to write and read a lot easier without using glasses,” Smith said. Smith used his improved eye-tracking and peripheral vision to help his high school basketball team win a state championship in 1997, and all these years later, he stares at complex digital code every day as an assistant engineer for the disaster recovery team at Charles Schwab. He hasn’t needed glasses since working with Eger in elementary school. Smith needed help with as many as four of the seven skills of vision, which should have taken six months to a year to suitably correct, but Eger credits Smith’s parents’ vigilance at home for helping him finish in just four months. “Without strict parental supervision, John wouldn’t be where he is, and I couldn’t have done the therapy in half the time without his parents being totally behind me,” he said. “I rarely see parents teaching their kids to deal with being out of their comfort zone in order to be the best.” Eger’s dream was to take his methods to the state level and implement drills in schools to diagnose kids with vision problems correctly, but he never secured JEWISHAZ.COM
SPECIAL SECTION SENIOR the funding or support from legislators. He has continued his efforts independently, and he credits three role models, who have all passed, for defining his personal and professional philosophy. The first was former Tempe Mayor William LoPiano, who was his racquetball partner for 15 years. The second, Tex Earnhardt, founder of Earnhardt Auto Centers based in Chandler, taught him “if it ain’t fun, you’re doing it wrong.” The third, Frank Kush, ASU football coach throughout most of the 1960s and 1970s, taught him to prioritize learning fundamentals and to push people out of their comfort zone to help them reach their full potential. Eger said Kush’s players “swore at him, then when they got out of school, they swore by him.” “A good teacher is someone you want to make proud because they’ll keep challenging you, not someone who’s warm and fuzzy and wants to be your friend,” he said. “I had patients that hated my guts, but they came back a year or two later and thanked me for being tough on them. So if you want a good teacher, don’t get a friend.” Eger’s methods contrast with the modern orthopedic surgeons and sports Dr. Jeffrey Eger is an optometrist based in Mesa.
psychologists employed by professional sports franchises to increase players’ processing speeds. He points to players like Roberto Clemente, Barry Bonds and Michael Jordan as examples of champions who could see the game slowly and peripherally. They could anticipate things before they happened, and they were rarely affected by overanalysis. Eger said that glasses distort your peripheral vision, creating tunnel vision. At the same time, a custom-fitted sports contact lens gives you a wider view and truer magnification so that you can trust your depth perception. Eger’s method works best with well-fitted contact lenses. Tested by 25 golfers, Eger implements his six-step procedure to help clients improve their short game (putting) on the golf course in less than six months. He first examines them in his office using various machines to see where they are on the seven skills, then he takes them out to the course. Eger does not set goals for his clients. “When they reach the goal, they stop. When you don’t set goals, the sky is the limit.” JN For more information, email drjeffeger@cox.net or visit allamericansportsvision.com.
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My most precious currency: time BOB ROTH | COLUMNIST
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few weeks ago, I turned 64, and almost immediately, that famous Beatles song came to mind: “When I’m Sixty-Four.” For most of my life, 64 sounded old. Now that I am here, it doesn’t feel old at all. But knowing that 65 — and Medicare — are just a year away has made me look at time differently. Recently, I saw a U.S. life expectancy table that put the average American male at about 76.5 years. Of course, life does not follow an actuarial table. G-d willing, I may have many more years. I could also have fewer. None of us knows. And that is precisely the point. I have become increasingly mindful of something I refer to as my “time capital.” We think about financial capital: how to earn it, save it, invest it and spend it wisely. But time is different. You can make more money. You cannot make more time. Once an hour is spent, it is gone. Several moments this year have brought that reality into sharper focus for me. A herniated disc and surgery reminded me that our health cannot be taken for granted. Susie and I became grandparents, and holding our grandson, Dylan, for the first time reminded me of how life moves forward, giving me a deeper understanding of l’dor v’dor — from
generation to generation. This month also marks 24 years since my mother passed away. Her yahrzeit reminds me not only how much I still miss her, but of how quickly 24 years can pass. All of it has led me to ask a question that I think is worth asking at any age: Am I spending my time on what matters most? For most of my life, I have been the guy who says yes. Yes, I’ll help. Yes, I’ll serve. Yes, I’ll make the introduction. Yes, I’ll take the meeting. Yes, I’ll show up. I still want to be that person. But I am learning that sometimes saying no is how we say yes to what matters most. I am becoming much more intentional about where I invest my time capital. Family comes first: Susie, our daughters, our sons-in-law and now Dylan. And I have finally understood that taking care of myself belongs in that same circle. If I want to be the husband, father, Zayde, friend and leader I hope to be, I need to care for the vessel that carries me there — physically, mentally and spiritually. My work at Cypress HomeCare Solutions remains deeply personal. Helping older adults remain safely and independently at home and supporting family caregivers
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gives me tremendous purpose. So does my broader work in aging services, healthcare and my commitment to the nonprofits that support our community. My Judaism is woven through all of it. My faith grounds me, and I feel a growing responsibility to pass forward what others invested in me. That is why mentoring young Jewish professionals through the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix NowGen’s Leadership and Advancement Series (LAS) means so much. One of the best investments of my time may be helping another generation find its voice and lead. Every “yes” has a cost. An hour spent in one place is an hour we cannot spend somewhere else. That does not mean we should stop showing up for others. It means we should be intentional about where we show up and why. The priorities will look different for each of us. The important part is deciding what they are before time decides for us. The sand in my hourglass has not run out; far from it, I hope. But for the first time in my life, I can see the sand. That does not frighten me. It clarifies me. I do not want to spend whatever years G-d gives me counting the grains that remain.
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I want to make them matter — investing in the people I love, the work and causes I believe in, my faith, my health and the next generation. At 64, I do not feel like I am winding down. I feel more awake to how precious our days really are. Time is our most valuable currency, and none of us knows the balance in our account. We only know that it is finite. The question for all of us is not how much time we have left, but how intentionally we are spending the time we have now. L’dor v’dor. From generation to generation. May we spend our time on the people, purposes and moments that matter most. JN
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Call to join us for an afternoon of delicious eats and live music as we celebrate the memorable history of Bud Brown’s Barn, cherished by many of our residents.
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Partners with PJ Wisdom wine Tashlich Workingtime together Rachel Rapoport,and director of community partnerships at PJ Serving up ofkindness BLT time Library, spoke at the PJ spoke Librarywith Partner Dayetrog at the Ina Levine Cohort kickoff the lulav and David Weiner, far left, Steven and Ellen Weiss Membersof ofthe Congregation Or Tzion in Scottsdale cast their sins away during tashlich at Scottsdale’s Chaparral Park. Members Board Rabbis of Greater Phoenix gathered to prepare for the High Holidays at Temple Chai in Scottsdale with visiting scholar, Shaking COURTESY OF CONGREGATION OR TZION
Rabbi DanLeadership Medwin, fourth from left.Justice COURTESY RABBIANDYGREEN On September 15, Arizona Jews for volunteers overnight oatsfull for of thelearning, unsheltered community. AJJOFmahjong. partnered Women’s Institute members of (AJJ) Cohort 11 kicked made off themore year than with 450 a weekend retreat connection, fun and with the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix, Uri L’Tzedek and Repair The World for this event. COURTESY OF ARIZONA JEWS FOR JUSTICE COURTESY OF WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Lunch and learning From left to right, Terri Rimer, Janet Lottman and Vicki Diamond connected over lunch and learned how to stay one step ahead of fraud at the recent Smile on Seniors event “It’s Not Just Lunch and Fraud Prevention” on Sept. 2 held at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus in COURTESY OF SMILE ON SENIORS Scottsdale.
Jewish Community Campus on Aug. The event gathered about their philanthropic endeavors at27. the Center Jewish Rob Goldman, left,Beth andShalom Rick Steiman enjoy afor morning Gloria Bold, Temple of thewho West Valley first vice Jewish professionals inPhoenix’s the community work with children. Philanthropy of Greater Ben-Gurion Society Wisdom & of connection, conversation and tefillin at Smile On Seniors president, holds the etrog, lulav, hadass and aravahCOURTESY during Sukkot OF JEWISH NEWS Wine Bagels, event onLox Sept. COURTESYevent OF THE CENTER FOR JEWISH “BLT: and1.Tefillin” on Sept. 6.PHILANTHROPY COURTESY OF OF GREATER SMILE ONPHOENIX SENIORS services. COURTESY OF TRACY TEITELBAUM/TEMPLE BETH SHALOM OF THE WEST VALLEY
Taking Secretsshape of the stage is underway as the Construction
Hilton Family Holocaust Education Participants in the Brandeis Phoenix Center moves closer to becoming a Adult Summer Camp were treated place where visitors can encounter to a behind-the-scenes tour at the Holocaust history through Peoria Center for the Performing Arts. testimony, artifacts and education. COURTESY OF BRANDEIS NATIONAL COMMITTEE PHOENIX CHAPTER COURTESY OF THE HILTON FAMILY HOLOCAUST EDUCATION CENTER
Fraud prevention Members of the Phoenix Police Department’s Financial Crimes Detail and the U.S. Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force discussed ways to avoid becoming a victim of fraud at a recent Smile On Seniors event. From left to right, Sergeant Sears, Rabbi Levi Levertov, Detective Minera and Detective Price. COURTESY OF SMILE ON SENIORS
Being better humans
Sept. 2, community members Susan and Steve Kaufman A new perspective Gesher gets a grantOn Nailed it! volunteered on Arizona Jews for Justice’s (AJJ) “Let’s Be
Five from artist’s Daniel 2024 show, “Went TheCommunities Flow” with Five15Arts Gesher Disability Resources received a Better grant from the Healthy Foundation to Rabbipieces Gavriel Goetz, far left, andFriedman’s Yeshiva High School ofSprouts Arizona students use extra materials fromarts the Humans” bus withWith Brandon Nahsonhoya, AJJ’s outreach collective aregoing now onatdisplay inschool thewhich “Desert Perspectives” exhibit at the Scottsdale Museum of support Cooking Smart with Gesher, will build onhouse. its Eating Healthy with Gesher program that construction on the high to build a tree COURTESY OFthan YESHIVA110 HIGH SCHOOL OF ARIZONA coordinator (not pictured). They served more people with Contemporary Art.cooking, “Desertkitchen Perspectives” will run until 5, Rosenthal, 2027. COURTESY OF DANIEL FRIEDMAN teaches hands-on and food safety skills. Stacy of programs, food, water andSept. essential resources.directorCOURTESY OF ARIZONA JEWScenter, FOR JUSTICE accepted the grant check. COURTESY OF GESHER DISABILITY RESOURCES
This COMMUNITY page features photos of of community members This photos members This COMMUNITY COMMUNITY page page features features photos of community community members around the Valley and the world. Submit around Submit photos and each around the the Valley Valley and and the the world. world. Submit and details details photos and photos details each week toeach Time to make the sandwiches Sukkah building Game night Preparing for the new year week by week to to editor@jewishaz.com editor@jewishaz.com by 10 10 a.m. a.m. Monday. On Sept. Cindy Kleiman, standing, center, inWest theEttie black shirt, and friends made more than 100 Members the Temple Beth Shalom of the Valley Brotherhood worked on the roof ofsandwiches the sukkah From left9,of to right, Helene Finke, David Finke, Zilber, Norm Karson and Marc Staman joined the editor@jewishaz.com byMonday. 10 a.m. Monday. TheArizona JewishJews Community of Sedona (JCSVV) held an Elul workshop forvolunteers members and guests on Sunday, Aug. 30, led by for for Justice (AJJ) to and passthe outVerde to theValley unsheltered community. Kleiman’s group before services on Friday, Sept. 25. in the photogame are Richard Bass, Max Allen and Michael Phoenix Holocaust Association forShown a members-only night in July.Eric Fisher, COURTESY OF PHOENIX HOLOCAUST ASSOCIATION Rabbi Not Alicia Magal, standing. monthly with AJJ. are OF SHALOM ARIZONAOFJEWS Zager. pictured Bob Koch and Dave Katz, who also assisted. COURTESY OF COURTESY TEMPLE BETH THE FOR WESTJUSTICE VALLEY 14 OCTOBER 2, 2026 JEWISHAZ.COM JEWISHAZ.COM
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Featured Event SUNDAY, OCT. 18 Project Heroes: A Community Commemoration of October 7: 3-5 p.m. Location provided upon registration. Join the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun J for a multimedia concert led by Israeli singer, songwriter and storyteller Gilad Segev. Cost: $18 general admission, $25 VIP, $50 family admission. For more information, visit phoenixcjp.regfox.com/projectheroes. Events SATURDAY, OCT. 10 Simchat Shabbat: 12-1 p,m, Congregation Beth Israel, 10460 N. 56th St., Phoenix. Join Gesher Disability Resources for a 45-minute service led by clergy using a siddur (prayer book) that is specially designed for these services with Hebrew, English and transliterations in enlarged type accompanied by illustrations. For more information, visit gesherdr.org. SUNDAY, OCT. 11 Pride Parade: 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Parade begins at Third and Portland Streets, Phoenix. Join AZ Jews For Pride as they participate in the Phoenix Pride Parade. For more information, visit phoenixcjp.org/pride26. Café Europa: 1 p.m. Beth El Phoenix, 1118 W. Glendale Ave., Phoenix. Join the Phoenix Holocaust Association for an afternoon of socializing for Holocaust survivors, their families and friends. For more information, visit phxha.com/ events-2. An Intimate Connection to the IDF: Dispelling Myths About the War in Gaza: 1-2:30 p.m. Location provided upon registration. Join Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation Friends of Israel for a presentation by Aaron Shuster, co-founder of the Make a Difference Foundation, which supports IDF soldiers and their families impacted by the conflict. For more information, contact israelsunlakes@gmail.com. West Valley Jewish Expo: 2-4 p.m. Location provided upon registration. Join Chabad of Surprise for a celebration of Jewish unity, identity and life featuring Miss Israel 2025, Melanie Shiraz, a deli, live music, vendors and more. For more information, visit jewishsurprise.com/ expo. Voices and Votes: Congressional District 1 Forum and Candidate Social: 2:30-5 p.m. Location provided upon registration. Join the Jewish Community Relations Council for interviews with Democrat Amish Shah and Republican Jay Feely and a reception with candidates for Maricopa County and statewide elections. For more information, contact brian.rothstein@ jcrcphoenix.org. Curious Conversations: Because We Were Strangers: 4:30-6:30 p.m. Oro Valley United Church of Christ, 1401 E. El Conquistador Way, Oro Valley. Join the Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center, host Oro Valley United Church of Christ and co-sponsors Arizona Faith Network, Secular Humanist Jewish Circle of Tucson, Kol Ami Synagogue and Mountain Vista Unitarian Universalist Congregation for a discussion on the history of U.S. immigration and the gap between common narratives about immigrants and the historical record. Cost: Free; registration required. For more information, visit tjmhc.org/programs-and-events/ curious-conversations-part-1. 18
OCTOBER 9, 2026
“For the Living”: 5 p.m. Foothills Christian Church, 3951 W. Happy Valley Road, Phoenix. Join Foothills Christian Church for a special screening of this documentary that chronicles 10-year-old Holocaust survivor Marcel Zielinski’s 1945 walk from Auschwitz-Birkenau to Krakow and 250 cyclists retracing his path in the JCC Krakow’s Ride for the Living. Q&A after the film with Timothy Langille, Arizona State University teaching professor, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies. Cost: Free. For more information, visit foothillsdisciples.com/calendar.
for three 45-minute self-care classes including chair yoga, sound meditation and mind reset. For more information, visit bethelphoenix.com/ event/wellness.
TUESDAY, OCT. 13 Know Before You Vote: 4-5 p.m. Location provided upon registration. Join Arizona Jews for Justice and attorney Paul Weich for a nonpartisan educational discussion about the upcoming election. Learn about what’s on the ballot, the key issues and candidates and what you need to know before filling out your ballot. For more information, email arizonajews4justice@ gmail.com.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 21 ASU Jewish Studies @ Temple Chai: 7 p.m. Online or in person at Temple Chai, 6025 E. Bell Road, Scottsdale. Join ASU Jewish Studies and Temple Chai for a presentation by Jenny Caplan on “Why Jewish Humor Counts: American Jews, Humor and Seeing the Bright Side in Statistics.” For more information, visit templechai.com/asu-chai.
THURSDAY, OCT. 15 Jewish DateNight: 6-7 p.m. Online. Join thousands of Jewish singles for a better way to meet — with up to seven matched introductions in one evening. Enjoy short, meaningful conversations in a private and respectful online environment, with matches tailored to your preferences. For more information, visit datenight.ai/jdn. SATURDAY, OCT. 17 Family Shabbat Service: 10 a.m. Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, 12202 N. 101st Ave., Sun City. Join TBSWV for a Shabbat service for children ages 7 and under and their families. For more information, visit tbsaz.org. SUNDAY, OCT. 18 Stop the Bleed+: 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Location provided upon registration. Join Temple Kol Ami for an intensive workshop including CPR, AED and an introduction to TECC: Tactical Emergency Casualty Care. For more information, visit templekolami.org. JWV Post 619 Speaker: 9:30 a.m. Oakwood Country Club Ballroom, 24218 S. Oakwood Blvd., Sun Lakes. Join Jewish War Veterans Copper State Post 619 for a presentation by Steve Weintraub, chief strategy officer at Veteran Tickets Foundation and member of the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame. For more information, contact Arthur Uram at 702-884-4175 or uramarthur@gmail.com. Inheriting History: Bearing Witness Across Three Generations: 1-2:30 p.m. Location provided upon registration. Join the Phoenix Holocaust Association for a presentation from three women whose lives are connected through Holocaust history, memory and legacy. Cost: Free. For more information, visit phxha.com/ events-2. Wellness Workshop: 1 p.m. Beth El Phoenix, 1118 W. Glendale Ave., Phoenix. Join Beth El
TUESDAY, OCT. 20 Travel & Pop Culture: 10 a.m. East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler. Join the EVJCC for a presentation on where some of your favorite movies and television shows were filmed with travel journalist Dan Fellner. For more information, visit evjcc.org/events.
Memory to Legacy: Building the Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center: 10:30 a.m. East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler. Join the EVJCC for a presentation by Talli Dippold, president and CEO of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society and the Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center, who will discuss the new Holocaust education center being developed in Phoenix. The program is in partnership with the Phoenix Holocaust Association. For more information, visit evjcc.org/events.
Meetings, Lectures & Classes SUNDAYS Chassidus Class: 9 a.m. Online. Learn about the Chasidic movement with Rabbi Yossi Friedman. Use this link: ChabadAZ.com/LiveClass. Cost: Free. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. Jewish War Veterans Post 210: 10 a.m. on the first Sunday of the month in Central Phoenix. Any veterans, friends of veterans or if you just want to meet a vet, all are welcome. For more information, contact Michael at c365michael@ yahoo.com. MONDAYS Online Weekly Parshah: Women’s Torah Study: 9-10 a.m. through Dec. 7. Online via Zoom. Join the Women’s Leadership Institute’s founder, Rabbi Elena Kanter, for an exploration of the weekly parshah. Participants will receive a commentary sheet for reference during class. For more information, visit womenlearning. org/courses. Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework, Desert Cactus Chapter: 10 a.m. The Oasis at Sagewood, 4555 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix. The guild meets on the third Monday of the month, adjusted when necessary to accommodate Jewish holidays. For more information, visit pomegranateguild.org.
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Mahjong: 1:30-3:30 p.m. East Valley Jewish Community Center, 908 N. Alma School Road, Chandler. Come play mahjong each week. For all levels. Cost: Free; registration required at evjcc.org/mahjong. Living Through Loss: 4:30-6 p.m. the first and third Monday of each month. Online via Zoom. Join the Deutsch Family Shalom Center at Temple Chai for a Jewish bereavement support group. For more information, contact shalomcenter@templechai.com or 602-9711234, ext. 253. Single Parent Zoom: 8 p.m. First and third Monday of every month. Join The Bureau of Jewish Education’s Family University single parents’ group for those looking to form friendships and build their support system with like-minded people. For more information or to register, visit bjephoenix.org/family-university. TUESDAYS Tuesday Morning Talmud: 10-11 a.m. through Dec. 8. Online via Zoom or in person. Location provided upon registration. Join the Women’s Leadership Institute’s Rabbi Emily Langowitz for a Talmud class for learners of all levels interested in seeing how these ancient texts continue to offer wisdom for our 21st-century lives. For more information, visit womenlearning.org/courses. Grief Support Group: 4 p.m. Beth Emeth Congregation of the West Valley, 13702 W. Meeker Blvd., Sun City West. All are welcome to this support group for anyone experiencing grief or any kind of loss. Cost: Free. For more information, call 623-584-7210 weekdays 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. WEDNESDAYS My Baby and Me: 9-10 a.m. Temple Chai Early Childhood Center, 6025 E. Bell Road, Scottsdale. Join Temple Chai ECC for a weekly gathering for families with babies up to 12 months. Cost: Free. For more information, visit tcaz. shulcloud.com/event/my-baby-and-me-playgroup.html. Torah Study with Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Online. Weekly study group explores that week’s portion and studies different perspectives and debates the merits of various arguments. Intended for adults, Torah study is open to students of all levels. For more information, contact the TBS office at 623-977-3240. Grief Support Group: 5-6 p.m. Online via Zoom. Therapist Susan Charney MSW, LCSW, leads a grief support group every first and third Wednesday of the month virtually for individuals experiencing the loss of an adult child or sibling. In lieu of any fees for these sessions, donations to Temple Solel are appreciated. For more information, contact susancharneycounseling@gmail.com. History of the Jews: 7 p.m. Online. Learn the Jewish journey from Genesis to Moshiach with Rabbi Ephraim Zimmerman. Use this link: JEWISHAZ.COM
CALENDAR zoom.us/j/736434666. Cost: Free. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. JACS: 7:30-8:30 p.m. Online. Zoom support group for Jewish alcoholics, addicts and their friends and family on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Cost: Free. For more information, email jacsarizona@gmail. com or call 602-692-1004. THURSDAYS Ladies Torah & Tea: 10:30 a.m. Online. Learn about the women of the Torah with Mrs. Leah Levertov. Use this link: ourjewishcenter.com/ virtual. Cost: Free. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. Talmud - Makkos: 11 a.m. Online. Learn with Rabbi Shlomy Levertov. Cost: Free. Use this link: JewishParadiseValley.com/YJPclass. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. The Science of Everything: 11 a.m. Online. Explore the most fundamental work of Chassidut: the Tanya, with Rabbi Boruch. Use this link: zoom.us/j/736434666. Cost: Free. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. Torah Study with Rabbi Lev Ettelson: 11 a.m. Beth Emeth Congregation of the West Valley, 13702 W. Meeker Blvd., Sun City West. Join Rabbi Ettelson for a discussion of the weekly Torah portion. For more information, call 623584-7210 weekdays 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Mindfulness Gatherings: 12 p.m. Online. Hosted by Hospice of the Valley via Zoom. Cost: Free. To join by phone, dial 1-253-2158782, meeting ID 486 920 2119#, to get the Zoom link or for further questions contact Gill Hamilton at ghamilton@hov.org or 602-748-3692. Weekly Mahjong: 1-3 p.m. Temple Solel, 6805 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley. Join Temple Solel each Thursday afternoon for mahjong. Lessons available for beginners. Cost: Free. RSVP via email to dottiebefore@gmail. com so they know how many tables to set up. Torah Portion Class: 7 p.m. Online or in person. Chabad Lubavitch of Fountain Hills, 16830 E. Avenue of the Fountains, Fountain Hills. Join Rabbi Mendy Lipskier for a discussion of the weekly parshah and gain new insights into the Torah. For more information, visit jewishfountainhills.com. SATURDAYS Saturday Mindfulness Gatherings: 9:30 a.m. Online. Hosted by Hospice of the Valley. To join by phone, dial 1-253-215-8782, meeting ID 486 920 2119#. To get the Zoom link or for more information, contact Gill Hamilton at ghamilton@hov.org or 602-748-3692. Book Discussion: 1:30-2:30 p.m. Online. Join Or Adam Congregation for Humanistic Judaism on the third Saturday of every month for a book discussion. For more information and to register, contact oradaminfo@gmail.com.
Shabbat
kiddush following service. Zoom available. For more information, visit cstaz.org or call 602-376-4392. Welcome Shabbat: 11-11:30 a.m. Online. Celebrate Shabbat with the JFCS Virtual Center for Senior Enrichment. Each week a different guest host will lead the program with song and celebration. Cost: Free. For more information, visit jfcsaz.org/cse. Shabbat at Beth El: 5:45 p.m. on Zoom; 9:30 a.m. at Beth El Phoenix, 1118 W. Glendale Ave., Phoenix or livestreaming at tinyurl.com/beclivestream. Celebrate Shabbat with songs, blessings and teachings with Rabbi Stein-Kokin and Cantor Sarah Bollt. For more information or to join, visit bethelphoenix.com. Erev Shabbat Service: 5:30 p.m. Online. Rabbi Alicia Magal will lead a service livestreamed for members of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley. Cost: Free. For more information and to obtain the Zoom link, visit jcsvv.org/contact. Shabbat Service: 5:30-6:30 p.m.; Oneg at 5 p.m. Temple B’rith Shalom, 2077 Brohner Way, Prescott. Join Temple B’rith Shalom for a musical and spiritual Shabbat service. For more information, visit brithshalom-az.org. Shabbat Services: 5:30 p.m. nosh, 6:15 p.m. service; morning service has varying dates and times. Temple Chai, 4645 E. Marilyn Road, Phoenix. For more information, contact Joan Neer at jneer@templechai.com. Pre-Shabbat Kiddush Club: 6 p.m. Online. Say Kiddush with Rabbi Mendy Levertov. Cost: Free. Use this link: ourjewishcenter.com/virtual. For more information, visit chabadaz.com. Shabbat Services: 6 p.m.; 9:30 a.m.; followed by a light Kiddush lunch. Beth Emeth Congregation of the West Valley, 13702 W. Meeker Blvd., Sun City West. For more information, call 623-584-7210 or visit bethemethaz.org. Shabbat Services: 6 p.m.; 9:30 a.m. Congregation Or Tzion, 16415 N. 90th St., Scottsdale. Services are also livestreamed at otaz.org/ livestream. For more information about services, events and membership, visit congregationortzion.org or call 480-342-8858. First Friday Shabbat Services: 6:15 p.m.; Oneg at 7:15 p.m. Valley Unitarian Universalist, 6400 W. Del Rio St., Chandler. Join Congregation NefeshSoul for Friday night services the first Friday of each month in the sanctuary building of Valley Unitarian Universalist. For more information, contact Jim Hoffman at 480-329-3316. Shabbat Services: 6:15 p.m.; 10 a.m. Congregation Beth Israel, 10460 N. 56th St., Scottsdale. Services held in the Goldsmith Sanctuary. Participants must pre-register by Thursday at 5 p.m. Priority will be given to members first and then guests. If there are more requests than available seats, a lottery system will be used. For more information or to make a reservation, visit cbiaz.org/shabbat-services.
FRIDAYS Tot Shabbat: 9:30 a.m. Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Join the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Phoenix monthly for music, parachute play, crafts and a family Shabbat experience. For more information, visit bjephoenix.org.
Kabbalat Shabbat and/or Shabbat morning service: 6:30 p.m.; 10 a.m.; dates vary. Congregation Kehillah, 5858 E. Dynamite Blvd., Cave Creek. Join Rabbi Bonnie Sharfman and cantorial soloists Erica Erman and Scott Leader either in person or via Zoom. For safety reasons, please register ahead of time. For dates, visit congregationkehillah.org/event/. Register by emailing info@congregationkehillah.org.
Shabbat Morning Service: 10 a.m. Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Join Congregation Shomrei Torah for a traditional/egalitarian service led by Hazzan Bernard Savitz with
Shabbat Services: 7 p.m. Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, 12202 N. 101st Ave., Sun City. Services are followed by an Oneg. Services are livestreamed on YouTube. For more
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information and to get the YouTube link, visit tbsaz.org or call 623-977-3240. Shabbat Services in Sun Lakes: 7-9 p.m. Sun Lakes Chapel, 9240 E. Sun Lakes Blvd. North, Sun Lakes. Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation conducts Reform Shabbat services on the second Friday of each month. New members welcome. For more information, call 480-612-4413 or 480-580-1592. Shabbat Services with Beth Ami Temple: 7 p.m. Services held at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix, 4027 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley. Join Beth Ami Temple Rabbi Alison Lawton and Cantorial Soloist Michael Robbins as they lead Shabbat services twice a month. For more information, visit bethamitemple.org. JN
Two Adjacent Plots in the Jewish Section at Green Acres.
Significantly discounted from current sales prices. Owner will share transfer costs with the buyer. Contact Glenn Lippman either at 602-885-2069 or lipberry2@gmail.com
Ira Samuel (Sam) Kaminsky Ira Samuel (Sam) Kaminsky was born Feb. 3, 1936, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to parents Louis J. Kaminsky and Gertrude Leff. He is survived by his spouse, Phyllis; children Sherry (Rader), Louis, Jay, Phillip and Glenn Kaminsky; stepson, David Hacin; nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren whom he loved greatly. Sam was a graduate of the University of Michigan and its law school and returned to Johnstown to build a meaningful career in law. Sam was the former president of the Cambria County Bar Association, a member of the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and senior partner in the Pennsylvania law firm of Kaminsky, Thomas, Wharton and Lovette and its prior entities. Sam was active in his community, including serving for more than 20 years as a director of the Lee Hospital Foundation Board. Sam had a lifelong commitment to the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Sam was the past president of Johnstown B’nai Brith, a key part of the Western Pennsylvania Council of B’nai Brith and a former member of National United Jewish Appeal Young Leadership Cabinet. Sam was also the past chairman of the board of Rodef Sholom Synagogue (now Beth Sholom), the Johnstown Jewish Federation and its Israel Bonds campaign. After more than 40 years of legal practice in Johnstown, Sam retired to Scottsdale and Chevy Chase, Maryland, with his wife of 55 years, Phyllis. May his memory be a blessing.
Sande Davidson Sande Davidson, beloved mother, passed away after years of dementia, at the age of 87. Her husband, Bud (deceased) said, “Getting old ain’t for sissies.” Sande was in that season of life. Sande, from the Chiate family, was a native-born Phoenician, living her whole life in Phoenix aside from her college years. She attended Kenilworth School, West High and obtained her degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley (for which we all forgave her). Sande was wife to Bud, who preceded her in death, for 57 years. More than anything, she wanted children and was overjoyed adopting sons Keith and Gary through Jewish Family & Children’s Service. She was devoted to the care of her family her whole life, often putting the needs of others before herself. Her claim to fame was becoming a travel agent with Atlas Travel, and subsequently owning and operating Davidson Travel starting in 1981, closing in 2001. In the travel business she made her mark, becoming a well sought out speaker to travel agent associations and groups, on how to charge customers when the internet started the demise of commissions from travel providers. She was a longtime travel agent educator and agency owner, joined the Institute of Certified Travel Agents (ICTA) as a consultant, with her main duties to oversee ICTA’s Executive Institute program. Sande was passionate about travel! She traveled to every continent in the world, Antarctica included, missing only a few countries. Her favorite places to travel was Israel and Africa. She was also a fan of cruises with Bud. Her passion did not end with her travel but was manifested by a joy she achieved helping others learn to travel and see the world. Some of Sande’s other passions were St. John Knits, J.McLaughlin, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. Wherever she went, she looked impeccable! In the latter part of her life, she spent as much time as possible doting on her grandchildren, Max (Maxiedoodle) and Lauren. She was never at a loss for things to do with her family. She was a planner of itineraries! Her last big trip was to Israel with her son Gary in 2019. Sande was preceded in death by her husband, Bud; mother, Gladys Green; and sisters Dee Lynn and Stacy Ann Strauss. She is survived by her sons Keith (Juli) and Gary; her grandchildren Lauren and Max; brother, Bart Chiate; and several nieces and nephews including Michael Strauss, Jonathon Lynn and Denise Chiate, who were particularly close. We love you, mom and already miss you tremendously. Sande (and Bud) served on the board of the Jewish National Fund-USA (JNF-USA) at the local level. The Davidson family are strong supporters of JNF-USA. Therefore, if desired, any honor to Sande could be shown with a donation sent to: Jewish National Fund-USA, 5010 E. Shea Blvd., Suite 230, Scottsdale, AZ 85254. Services were held at Sinai Mortuary on Monday, October 5. Burial was at Beth Israel Cemetery.
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OCTOBER 9, 2026
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“Best of ” magazine 2026
Honoring Jewish Women Who Inspire Our Community
C E L E B R AT E . R E C O G N I Z E . C ON N E C T.
The Jewish News is proud to present our annual “Best of ” magazine, a special edition dedicated to celebrating the remarkable Jewish women who strengthen, inspire, and lead our community. This highly anticipated publication will spotlight influential women making a difference in business, healthcare, education, philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, arts, community service, and beyond.
HONOR A REMARKABLE JEWISH WOMAN
Is there a Jewish woman who has made a difference in your family, business, organization, or community? Celebrate her achievements with a featured advertorial in our “Best of ” magazine. Contact us for advertising options and reserve your space now.
Jodi Lipson jlipson@jewishaz.com • 602-639-5866
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