August 20, 1999/8 Elul 5759, Vol. 51, No.46
Reach outEditorialNot long ago, Jewish News received an e-mail from a family inquiring about Jewish resources in the White Mountains of Arizona. A few days later, another family wrote for information about Jewish life in Flagstaff. Intermittently, we get letters asking why there are so few Jewish programs in the West Valley.These messages bring home the need to redouble community outreach and expansion efforts. As the Jewish population of the Phoenix metropolitan area and the state grows, so must the community extend itself to meet the diverse needs of its dispersed members. One welcome initiative is Congregation Beth Emeth's proposed plan to move beyond its established membership base of Sun Cities retirees and to target younger families (Jewish News, Aug. 6). The religious school it hopes to offer in Sun City West would provide a much needed service to families living on the burgeoning West Side. Further, as Beth Emeth's Rabbi Alan Bright observes, widening the synagogue's demographic reach would enrich the congregation spiritually as well as financially. The same argument can be made for virtually every communal organization. Some have taken the lead. The Bureau of Jewish Education offers classes at many widely dispersed Valley locations. The Jewish Federation's Commission on Jewish Community and Continuity has allotted programming seed money to distant areas, including the Jewish Community of Sedona and the day school at the Tri-City Jewish Community Center in Tempe. Still, thousands of Jewish families remain unserved or underserved. The evolution of the Prescott Jewish community (Jewish News, Aug. 6) from a handful of families to a vibrant congregation reflects compellingly the desire of Jews for meaningful spiritual, cultural and social connections. Building community means providing a multiplicity of opportunities for engagement, making possible for Jews wherever they live in the Valley and the state, the experience of coming home to community. |
