How sweet it is

Editorial

The extraordinarily generous gift to the community of a well-located large parcel of land in North Scottsdale for the future Jewish Community Campus is the talk of the Valley.

Until very recently, planners were working tirelessly to devise a plan to accommodate the multi-agency campus on just 10 acres at Shea Boulevard and 40th Street in Phoenix. Community members had responded enthusiastically, pledging to date nearly two-thirds of the estimated $25 million needed to make the campus a reality.

The announcement last week of the relocation of the campus to a 20-acre site at Scottsdale Road and Sweetwater Avenue, the gift of a far-sighted local philanthropist who has asked to remain anonymous at this time, makes a good thing even better.

The new location is in the heart of growth and development. The additional acreage will allow space for wonderful outdoor amenities, including softball and soccer fields, and an amphitheater for community gatherings.

Too, the larger space precludes the need for building expensive underground parking, which had been an integral part of the Shea Boulevard plan.

Campus agencies Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, Council for Jews with Special Needs, Bureau of Jewish Education, Jewish Community Foundation, and a satellite Phoenix Hebrew Academy remain the same.

An added enhancement is the option for future campus additions on an adjacent 10-acre tract of land, set aside by the donor for possible use by the King David School, an independent Jewish day school presently housed at Temple Beth Israel, and the proposed Jewish Community High School.

While proceeds from the sale of the Shea Boulevard property will bolster the campaign, significant individual and family contributions are needed now to put the campaign over the top. It's time for everyone who has dreamed of having a campus to step forward, so that the community can break ground and construction can begin.

Then we'll experience how really sweet it will be.

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