HEADLINES | 8
SPECIAL SECTION | 18
TRAVEL PLANS
SENIOR LIFESTYLE
Locals make plans for the summer
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JUNE 4, 2021 | SIVAN 24, 5781 | VOLUME 73, NUMBER 20
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Talking about Local synagogues introduce new rabbis Israel, even among this summer Jews, isn’t easy NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER
NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER
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andice Gimbel has a lot to say about Israel, but she isn’t offering many thoughts on social media or in large gatherings these days. “Everything I say can and will be used against me,” she said. There was a time when she could talk to her neighbors, her friends and even her brothers about Israel. But not anymore. “It wasn’t long ago when we would talk about the vibe of the country, and we were talking about Washington. And then the conversation expanded,” she said. “There’s a very cynical assumption that everybody assumes somebody else is biased.” Gimbel’s struggle reflects a lot of what local Jewish leaders feel when speaking about Israel to their congregations and in other Jewish spaces. For them, too, addressing the topic in a time of intense polarization is tricky. Rabbi John A. Linder, Temple Solel’s senior rabbi, said he feels like he is walking a tightrope whenever he talks about Israel — that he has to preface whatever he says with an explicit caveat: “Rabbi John Linder, lover of Israel.” “The tightrope is where I want to listen to Arabs that are being discriminated against,” he said. “Although I am conscious of walking a tightrope, I will not, for the sake of fear of ruffling feathers, remove myself from the arena.” Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley Rabbi Herschel “Brodie” Aberson said, he too, is keenly aware of the parameters of what is, and what is not, considered “safe” to say. It’s disturbing that expressing concern for others — without saying any one is particularly evil or SEE ISRAEL, PAGE 2
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everal synagogues across Greater Phoenix are ready to introduce new clergy to their congregations this summer. After a year in transition, Congregation Or Tzion will welcome its new spiritual leader, Rabbi Andy Green, in July. “I’m excited to be joining such a robust and powerful and meaning-seeking community,” said Green. The most important thing a rabbi can be is “present and listening,” he said, so he plans to spend his early months in Scottsdale getting to know the community and Or Tzion members. “I love sharing Torah but I also realize that every person connects and relates to Judaism in different ways,” he said. “I’m not interested in imposing myself as much as being in relationship with the members — and future members — of our community.” As a college freshman, Green became aware of how many Jewish learning opportunities he had compared to his peers and was “somewhat thrust into Jewish communal leadership.” He was president of the Jewish Student Union and later became president of the campus Hillel. But it wasn’t until long after he graduated from UCLA that he realized he wanted to be a rabbi. “I worked in different contexts — I was in management in an industrial supply company and was involved in public policy and doing different things — but in my heart and in the back of my mind, Judaism SEE RABBIS, PAGE 3
Clockwise from top left: Rabbi Andy Green and family, Rabbi Cookie Lea Olshein, Rabbi James Simon and Rabbi Jeffrey Lipschultz PHOTOS COURTESY OF RABBI ANDY GREEN, RABBI COOKIE LEA OLSHEIN, RABBI JAMES SIMON AND RABBI JEFFREY LIPSCHULTZ
A fond farewell Temple Chai held a drive-thru goodbye for Rabbi Mari Chernow before she moves to Los Angeles next month. To see more community photos, go to p. 26. PHOTO BY JOEL ZOLONDEK
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