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September 3, 2004/Elul 17 5763, Vol. 55, No. 50
Anthem Jews gather for High Holidays
LEISAH NAMM
Managing Editor
Anthem, a master-planned community north of Phoenix, will be the site of High Holiday services for the first time this month.
Anthem is located off Interstate 17 about 35 miles north of downtown Phoenix and is far from the center of Jewish life in the Valley. However, a meeting in May between Rabbi Zalman Levertov of Chabad of Arizona and 35 Jewish residents of Anthem has led to scheduling Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services in the Del Webb community.
Rabbi Yossi Friedman, Levertov's son-in-law, will lead the services.
"There's absolutely nothing" Jewish happening in Anthem, said Arline Picart, a resident who initially contacted Levertov about starting a congregation in the area. She estimates that about 150 Jewish people live in Anthem and that most are not affiliated with the Jewish community. "There probably are a lot more Jews than we know, but a lot of them choose not to be known," she said. "Anybody who moved to Anthem cannot be really, really religious because there's just no place to go here."
In late May, 35 people gathered at the Big Apple Bagels Cafe in Anthem, owned by Phyllis Berger, to gauge the interest residents had in organizing a Jewish community in the area.
"I'm thrilled that (Levertov) was persistent in trying to do something here," Picart said. "I really appreciate that."
She said it's difficult to estimate the number of people who will attend the High Holiday services, since some may join family members at other Valley congregations. Although she has previously attended services at Chabad of the West Valley, she's also unsure how well others will respond to an Orthodox service.
"(A Jewish congregation) is a definite need here," she said. "Once it begins, I think people will follow, but it will take time." She hopes the services also will attract Jews who live in nearby New River, Carefree and Black Canyon City.
After the initial meeting, the group met again for a class led by Levertov's son, Rabbi Mendy Levertov, who will lead services at Desert Ridge this year as part of the newly formed Chabad of North Phoenix.
The average age of participants at both meetings was 60, Picart said. Although there are a lot of young families in the area, "the majority of people who are interested are the older people."
The nearest synagogue to Anthem is Temple Gan Elohim, which meets at a church in Glendale. Gan Elohim, a Reform congre-gation founded in 2001, has 84 membership units, including two families who live in Anthem, according to Marcey Strick, president. The only other Reform congregation west of 44th Street in Phoenix is Temple Beth Shalom in Sun City, "which is geared more toward the older adults," she said.
Gan Elohim has a multi-generational membership and a religious school for children.
"We are starting to focus more on Anthem ... because there are more families moving there," Strick said.
According to the 2002 Greater Phoenix Jewish Community Study, the Northwest Valley houses 13 percent of Valley Jewish households - 5,500 Jewish households with 10,900 Jewish people. The area includes Glendale, Peoria, Sun City and Sun City West. Nearly half of the residents have moved to the area within the past 10 years.
Other congregations serving the Northwest Valley Jewish population are Beth Emeth Congregation in Sun City West and Chabad of the West Valley in Glendale.
Anthem was founded in 1999 and its two main resort-style developments - Anthem Parkside and Anthem Country Club, with amenities such as golf courses, pools, a water park and a community center - are ultimately scheduled to have 15,000 homes. More than 6,500 homes had been completed as of this past spring, according to the Del Webb Web site.
"It's definitely is a growing area," Strick said.
Rosh Hashana services will be held at the Hampton Inn, 42415 N. 41st Drive, Anthem. Service times are 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15 and Thursday, Sept. 16, and 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 16 and Friday, Sept 17. Call for Yom Kippur service location.
Chabad will also hold services in Central Phoenix, Chandler, Glendale, Scotts-dale, at Arizona State University in Tempe, and two locations in Tucson. Chabad services are free and do not require membership.
Call 602-944-2753.
Contact the writer here
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