HEADLINES | 6
SPECIAL SECTION | 13
RABBI ROSEN RETURNS
SENIORS
Rabbi Tracee Rosen comes out of retirement to lead Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley
‘Better Together’ pairs Jewish seniors and Gesher members for intergenerational exchange
1948
YEARS
2023
$1.50
AUGUST 4, 2023 | AV 17, 5783 | VOLUME 75, NUMBER 21
JewishPhoenix.com celebrates first anniversary SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER
J
ewishPhoenix.com, an initiative of the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix, celebrated its one-year anniversary on Tuesday, July 25. The website, which was created in hopes of connecting the community, began with fewer than 100 “microsites,” or pages belonging to local Jewish organizations, that list events, blog posts and provide details for anyone interested in learning more about them, as well as hosting an interactive calendar. Since the launch, more than 50 organizations joined JewishPhoenix, for a total of 158 currently. As community leaders have increased their use of the site, many say they have seen its advantages. Temple Solel’s Purim Carnival garnered “quite the buzz” this spring, thanks in part to people discovering it through JewishPhoenix, according to Mason Marks, Temple Solel’s engagement communications specialist. Marks has also posted on the site for Moishe House, which has increased event attendance. At a Hillel at Arizona State University happy hour, he met Sophie Rubin and told her of an upcoming event, but she already knew about it from browsing JewishPhoenix. “I typically check the site once a month to plan out what events I want to attend,” Rubin said. “Any time one of my friends mentions they are looking to meet new people or get more involved in the community, my first reaction is to send them to the JewishPhoenix website.” She credits the site with helping her meet some “amazing friends” at events she found there. “JewishPhoenix helps a lot as we try to get a few new faces to each event to keep it fresh, and it helps new members of the community make friends,” Marks agreed before adding that he has also used it to find out what’s going on in the community.
Celebrating Shabbat on the south rim of the Grand Canyon SHANNON LEVITT | STAFF WRITER
A
small group of Arizona Jews gathered on the south rim of the Grand Canyon one Shabbat morning in early July to reignite a unique pre-pandemic tradition. Before COVID-19 shut her down, Rabbi Nina Perlmutter, a canyon devotee, celebrated Shabbat once every spring at Shoshone Point, one of the South Rim’s most spectacular and least visited lookout spots. After a three-year pause, she and her traveling ark and Torah were back on July 8. Perlmutter is the rabbi emerita of Congregation Lev Shalom in Flagstaff and the designated Jewish contact for the Grand Canyon’s south rim. The day warmed up quickly but worshippers sat at open picnic tables sheltered from the direct sun by a small roof. A gentle breeze ruffled a few pages of the Reform Siddurim, but otherwise, the morning was peaceful and calm, just what the participants were hoping for. “As my Hopi friends often observe, both of our traditions value how we come from dry, open, wilderness places and need to respect the earth and the places where our ancestors found connection with the Source,” Perlmutter said. In years past, attendees were almost exclusively from Lev Shalom, but this year they were joined by people from Chino Valley, Prescott, Sedona, Valle and the Grand Canyon itself. In a bit of kismet, Lev Shalom had set up its first table at Flagstaff’s Pride in the Pines parade a couple of weeks earlier. That’s where Perlmutter and others met Samantha Troi, who is an interpretive trainer for Xanterra,
A group of Jews gathered for Shabbat at Shoshone Point.
SEE SHABBAT, PAGE 3
COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER OLSON
Catering tips and trends Local professionals share what’s happening in the catering industry. See page 17. COURTESY OF EVENTS 13/CANDY ROCKS
SEE ANNIVERSARY, PAGE 2
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