Jewish overnight camp offers children countless opportunities to find their roots and connect with other Jewish kids. But even though many in the Jewish community consider summer camp a rite of passage, the tuition costs can be a hurdle for some families. 

According to a 2014 poll conducted by the Washington Post, America’s No. 1 fear is public speaking.

Kosher food bank Ezras Cholim of Phoenix is working around the clock to provide enough food for the Passover season.

Benjamin Netanyahu won his fifth term as the prime minister of Israel last week, and reactions have been mixed, both locally and nationally. 

When Benjamin Gottlieb opened his own law firm a couple years ago, he was just 31. 

 Ever since launching in 2016, the local chapter of Shevet Shemesh, the Israeli Scouts youth group, has hosted a Holocaust remembrance ceremony featuring its scouts. In the past, it has been a private affair, but this year the organization has decided to make the event public. 

The Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix has awarded $225,136 in discretionary grants to new programs ranging from Holocaust education and interfaith outreach to senior enrichment and genetic testing.

Philanthropist and community stalwart Jean Grossman, who dedicated so much of her time and resources to the Phoenix Jewish community, died on Sunday, April 7. She was 91. 

Just months before its scheduled opening, the Molly Blank Jewish Community Center was vandalized. Two weeks ago, swastikas were painted on windows and carved into the walls. 

Eli Beer, the founder of the volunteer ambulance service United Hatzalah of Israel, spoke at a reception in Central Phoenix this week. He began by asking the audience a simple question: If someone were choking across the street, would anyone in the room try to save them?

On March 22, The Phoenix New Times published a series of private Facebook messages from members of Arizona State University’s College Republicans United (CRU), a student group founded in January 2018 after splitting off from the larger student Republican group, ASU College Republicans. The C…

Rabbi Bonnie Koppell made history by being the first female rabbi to serve in the military. 

Phoenix-based travel photographer Matt Cohen is not only working to make sure the Holocaust is not forgotten, but also that other genocides will be remembered as well. In his latest exhibit at Scottsdale Community College (SCC), Cohen showcases a series of photos in locations that are signif…

For the first time since freshmen Democratic legislators brought renewed scrutiny on the American-Israel relationship — and amidst a rocket attack from Gaza that cut short Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to the United States — AIPAC held its annual Policy Conference in Washi…

A Tempe woman has decided to move out of her apartment complex after the word “kike” was painted on the side of her car after a parking dispute.

Some kids spend their time playing the latest video games or signing up for sports, but 11-year-old Levi Don is using his time to raise money for the New York-based company Innovation: Africa.

Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss said she did not speak about her experiences enduring persecution of the Nazis until her stepfather, Otto Frank, passed away. She said that for 40 years, “I didn’t talk to my family — or to anybody for that matter.” 

Internationals, national and Valley Jewish leaders are condemning attacks on two New Zealand mosques today that killed 49 people and wounded dozens, including children.

This year, I had the honor of shepherding 12 Arizona members of Chabad’s CTeen of the East Valley to New York. There, they joined thousands of teens from around the world to celebrate Jewish unity and pride at the 11th annual CTeen International Shabbaton. 

Although Purim is on March 21, the days before and after the holiday will feature events for kids and adults across the Valley. 

In the wake of Airbnb’s policy to delist 200 Israeli-owned rental properties in the West Bank, Scottsdale resident Joel Taubman has joined a lawsuit against the company for what he describes as blatant anti-Israeli action. 

You can never be too careful. With that thought in mind, Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus Director of Security Jimmy Wasson is working with Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, other Jewish community organizations and local law enforcement to introduce a new community-wide initiative to a…

Comic books may be known for superheroes and genre fiction, but former DC Comics editor Jordan Gorfinkle is working to prove that the medium can also tell some of the most powerful stories in the Torah with his “The Passover Haggadah Graphic Novel.” 

Following a meeting in which domestic violence was the main topic of discussion, members of the Arizona section of the National Council of Jewish Women are mobilizing to volunteer for and be champions of the Sojourner Center.

Just a few years before World War II began, Hollywood Golden Age director George Stevens was helming fluffy fare such as “Swing Time” and “Vivacious Lady” starring Ginger Rogers.

A single violin displayed in a corner of the room was visible from the entrance to the Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center one Sunday in early February. The occasion was an exhibit by photographer Daniel Levin about Amnon Weinstein, the luthier behind the Violins of Hope project, which res…

Legendary pop artist Peter Max’s work became popular during the social tumult of the late 1960s and early 1970s with its bright colors and sense of optimism. In today’s polarized society, Max hopes his old and new work will continue to bring joy to a troubled world.

A personal quest led Judi Gyori Missel into the field of genealogy and now she is taking the skills she has learned to help others fill in their family trees.

J Teen Connect AZ’s website, JTeenConnectAZ.org, is up and running with the hopes that it will increase teens’ community engagement while deepening their Jewish roots during their high school years. 

A resolution supporting — but not mandating — education in the state’s schools about the Holocaust and other genocides was passed unanimously by members of the Arizona House of Representatives.

Jewish community leader Julee Landau Shahon will be presented with the Medal of Honor Award at Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix’s MEGA 2019 event next week, which features Emmy-winning actor Henry Winkler as its keynote speaker.

For Jennifer Kaplan, the owner and founder of Evolve PR and Marketing, the ability to network and build  relationships is paramount to her success.

Following a four-year effort by Rabbi Nate Crane, associate rabbi at Congregation Or Tzion in Scottsdale, there is now a Jewish ritual and accompanying documents to celebrate and mark the adoption of children of all ages by Conservative Jewish parents.

The national director of ORT Russia will present an update on World ORT’s recent work around the globe to representatives of Valley Jewish day schools.

Activist and former astronaut Mark Kelly is running to be the standard-bearer for the Democratic Party in the 2020 special election to fill the seat of the late U.S. Sen. John McCain.

Grand Canyon University (GCU) student Garrett Smith was not expecting that a presentation about the history of violins would help him better understand the human element of the Holocaust.

Construction is close to wrapping up on the 12,500-square-foot Molly Blank Jewish Community Center in Flagstaff — the first JCC in Northern Arizona’s largest city.

Ed Asner is known for such roles as Lou Grant on “The Mary Tyler-Moore Show” and Carl Fredrickson in the Pixar film “Up.” Lately, however, he’s been working to use his name and legacy to offer support for the families of differently abled individuals and help them develop their own self-conf…

A congregation can exist without a building and it can exist without a rabbi, but it cannot exist without a Torah, according to Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon of Congregation Beit Simcha in Tucson. 

The Jewish Genetic Diseases Center of Greater Phoenix has changed its name to the Minkoff Center for Jewish Genetics, while simultaneously introducing a new BRCA screening program for Arizona Jews to better understand potential hereditary cancer risks.  

Television legend and Emmy Award-winner Ed Asner will be the keynote speaker at Limmud AZ 2019, taking place on Sunday. Asner’s speech will be titled “Generation to Generation — Promoting Self-Confidence in Differently Abled Individuals.” 

Police continue to investigate who is behind the posting of anti-Semitic flyers near a high school in Mesa.

After much searching and interviewing, the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) has chosen Paul Rockower as its new executive director.

The Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival (GPJFF) starts this weekend and the standout feature is expected to be the filmed production of the long-running, one-woman Broadway play “Golda’s Balcony.” 

This year, Beth El Congregation’s older Talmud Torah students are learning about the Holocaust firsthand by interviewing our community’s survivors. This special program was created to enrich the curriculum of our Talmud Torah students, while increasing their awareness of the Holocaust and an…

Every day, from 5 to 7 a.m., Michael Epner wakes up and reads 25 newspapers. Ever since he was a child, the retired pediatrician has been obsessed with current events, and now he uses that obsession to teach other like-minded retirees about what is happening in America and around the world.