HEADLINES | 6
SPECIAL PULLOUT | B1
KOSHER KITCHEN
SENIOR LIFESTYLE
Taking ownership of kosher restaurant
Seniors protest with art, ride motorcycles and come together in person
AUGUST 6, 2021 | AV 28, 5781 | VOLUME 73, NUMBER 22
$1.50
‘Prepared for Synagogues know they’re in trouble. anything,’ teachers Here’s what Greater Phoenix rabbis are doing about it. and parents gear up for fall NICOLE RAZ | STAFF WRITER
SHANNON LEVITT | MANAGING EDITOR
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hloe Breger, a seventh-grade science and social studies teacher in the Glendale Elementary District, is eager to get back to the classroom this month. She’s planning a variety of hands-on science experiments: extracting DNA from strawberries, building a roller coaster to teach force, building a satellite to teach weather and climate and even an experiment involving dancing raisins to teach the difference between living and non-living things. Teachers arrived on Aug. 2, and the students follow soon after on Aug. 9. Breger’s excited to see her students in person, especially after spending so much time teaching virtually last year. Still, she’s acutely aware that given a recent uptick in COVID cases and the prevalence of the highly contagious delta variant, plans could change. On Tuesday, July 27, the Centers for Disease Control issued guidelines advising all school staff and students to wear masks inside, regardless of vaccination status. Arizona’s Department of Health Services seconded that advice. However, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey affirmed that the state’s prohibition on mask and vaccine mandates will stand. Parents and schools are left struggling to figure out how to keep students both safe and in classrooms. Breger ended last year teaching classes online and in person since several of her students had to quarantine. She hopes things don’t get that bad again, but if a hybrid system becomes necessary, she knows she can handle it. “Everything we learned last year prepared us for anything,” she said. “It’s just important to try to give the best education we can.” Parents, too, are watching SEE SCHOOL, PAGE 2 the data to see if they need to
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achell Krell feels connected to Judaism and to God. But she hasn’t been to services in years and isn’t part of a synagogue. “I would love to eventually go back to services if I found a temple that was a good fit for me,” she said. Krell, a senior at Northern Arizona University, said the focus of the synagogues she has attended has been about “keeping the temple going,” instead of “what is the value of this place?” Krell is among the half of American Jews who attend religious services a few times a year or less, according to a 2020 survey by Pew Research Center published in May. Of 11 possible reasons for not attending religious services, the top choice was “I’m not religious.” Other common explanations were “I’m just not interested” (57%) and “I express my Jewishness in other ways” (55%). Several local synagogue leaders say they aren’t surprised, but few have answers for how to engage more people. “Synagogues need to rethink how and what we mean to American Jews,” said NefeshSoul Rabbi Susan Schanerman. “I think those of us who are lay and professional leaders are well aware of these challenges,” said Temple Solel Associate Rabbi Debbie Stiel. “The Pew report supports what we’ve already found,” said Marvin Berris, former president of Temple Beth
Temple B’rith Shalom Rabbi Julie Kozlow with congregants Leslie and Rich Adler at the Phippen Museum in Prescott on July 25. PHOTO COURTESY OF RABBI JULIE KOZLOW
Shalom of the West Valley. “We have to change the entire structure of how synagogues are run,” said Temple B’rith Shalom Rabbi Julie Kozlow. “We have to make synagogues feel more like home, and less like corporations.” “People don’t know the possibilities, the richness that Judaic studies and worship can bring to their everyday SEE SYNAGOGUES, PAGE 3
The Great American Deli Schlep Steve Goode is riding his motorcycle across the country to highlight the issue of hunger and stopped in Scottsdale. To read more, go to p. B4. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE GOODE
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