For a second year, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix (JCRC) put out a call to collect winter coats for newly arrived refugees in Arizona. And just as they did last year, Jewish communities in the state and across the country stepped up to answer that call by deliverin…

JFCS raises over $300,000 at annual Brighter Tomorrow Luncheon

Every Monday, Pnina Levine wakes up early to volunteer for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Phoenix, helping refugees who have newly arrived in the country and are hoping to be granted asylum. She loves her time there so much she calls Monday her “fun day.”

One hundred and forty Jews, Christians and Muslims will sit down together next month to discuss human dignity and how it is exemplified in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran for “Peoples of the Book,” the third in a series of interfaith events. This will be the first time Jews…

There’s a poster that hangs in Camp Swift’s office that reads:

Joining their counterparts across the globe, more than 200 women and girls gathered in Scottsdale to make challah at the Great AZ Challah Bake on Nov. 10 at Menachem Mendel Academy. The event preceded the “One Shabbat Together” weekend on Nov. 11-12, presented by the Shabbat Project.

One very big, red and yellow bus, emblazoned with the words “Let’s Be Better Humans,” is parked outside of Arizona Jews for Justice’s (AJJ) Phoenix office, and it might be just the thing to help the organization get to the next level of its humanitarian work.

On the evening of Oct. 26, 150 women gathered for the “Power of the Purse” at a sprawling estate at the base of Camelback Mountain. They came together to celebrate the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix’s Women IN Philanthropy’s first event in more than three years.

We live our respective faiths most deeply by being in covenantal relationships with one another, bound by our shared humanity. For me, this was never validated more powerfully than during a recent, unexpected trip to Rome. I was invited to join a delegation of 20 interfaith leaders and organ…

Thursdays at the Arizona Kosher Pantry (AKP) are always bustling.

On Sept. 13, the U.S. Census Bureau held a press briefing to spotlight some good news amid an otherwise uneasy economic climate. One of our nation’s stubbornly bad indicators just got a little better.

MyZuzah describes the mezuzah as “a touchpoint that unites all Jews.” A national nonprofit, MyZuzah, was recently chosen by the SRE (Safety, Respect, Equity) Network to receive funding for projects focused on intersectional gender justice and victim-survivor support. Utilizing this funding, …

Rabbi Mendel Slonim is now making his second journey through rural Arizona and its small towns in order to make connections with fellow Jews, some of whom haven’t talked to a rabbi, or even another Jew, for years.

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Hebrew High’s CAREaVAN embarked on its 18th trip in 20 years, helping communities in need. Hebrew High is a program of the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Phoenix (BJE). This year CAREaVAN, which is unique to Arizona, took 12 teens to Nevada…

A Scottsdale family is bringing a personal tragedy to the forefront in a public awareness campaign to keep pets safe during home construction.

A video of a United Parcel Service driver collapsing from heat exhaustion on a Scottsdale porch went viral last week, perfectly illustrating how dangerous spending prolonged periods of time outdoors during an Arizona summer can be.

Before Corbin Leafman’s family moved to Arizona, she lived in the Chicago suburbs. Her family attended Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, Ill., where she became a bat mitzvah and graduated from Hebrew school. Every year, her family would adopt six or seven needy Jewish families and they…

A flame burns in the Hall of Remembrance of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The pandemic has been a challenging time, but for Jeffrey Schesnol, ordained madrikh and rabbinic candidate, it expedited the completion of his goal to become a rabbi. “I couldn’t have proceeded with the ordination until I got my master’s degree,” he said. “It’s part of what’s required, and …

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine persists into its fourth week, many Americans are searching for ways to help refugees. One local realtor has tapped into his international network to help find housing and other assistance for those fleeing the country.

Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS), an organization that provides behavioral health, healthcare and social services to all ages, faiths and backgrounds, is hosting its annual Backpack & School Supply Drive to support parents and teachers in the Greater Phoenix area who are str…

Carolyn Leff was 13 years old when she first met Gennadiy Kats. Kats and his family arrived in Arizona in 1991 from Kyiv, Ukraine. Leff’s mom, Barbara, was in charge of the Russian Resettlement Program at Tempe Chai in Phoenix and worked with a group of about 90 volunteers to help several fa…

When Michelle Schwartz was 10 years old, her mother asked her if she had given any thought to her bat mitzvah project. Michelle remembered her exact reply, “Yes, I want to volunteer and help kids in a theater program for special needs.”

Hundreds of asylum seekers arrive daily at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) Welcome Center in Phoenix wearing only hoodies and sweatshirts to stay warm.

John Pregulman was in Phoenix the weekend of Dec. 11 to see some old friends from BBYO. While in town, he sought out Holocaust survivors living in the area.

‘Tis the season to ask for tax credits. Every eligible organization is making their plea. I know most of the Jewish organizations and their leadership, and they all do avodat kodesh, holy work. I encourage you to support them.

Eleven months into 2021, the words COVID and coronavirus have assumed a dominant place in the international vernacular.

Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, famously said, “We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make, which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”

Roberta Harmon has always been drawn to working with people with special needs.

Twins Eli and Brian Hemmert of North Scottsdale weren’t sure what they wanted to do for their b’nai mitzvah project — until Aug. 27.

Emery Kutz knows all too well how food can bring people together---and keep them apart.

A group of 12 Jewish tweens are fundraising to ensure a jolly Christmas for two local kindergartners.

The East Valley Jewish Community Center recently opened a kosher food pantry with a big assist from a Catholic organization.

Adina Anhalt didn’t hesitate to offer her help when she learned of an opportunity to support Afghan refugees resettling in Arizona.

Paul Rockower, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix, was caught by surprise at Tuesday’s annual meeting of the Arizona Faith Network, “Hope, Healing and Humanity.”

Rabbi Moshe and Sashie Levertov were directing the Aleph-Bet Preschool & Kindergarten in Phoenix and raising their four kids, all between age 8 months and 6 years, when Sashie was diagnosed with leukemia at age 27 in January 2012.

Owen Fabert served in England for 16 months during the Korean War in an anti-aircraft intelligence unit.

Books line the dining room table and even the floor at Ettie Zilber’s house, and more are on the way. All the books are about the Holocaust. Zilber will soon deliver them to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry.

There’s no good time during Phoenix’s hot summer to train for a cycling event.

Bob Braudy wasn’t yet 10 years old when somebody painted a swastika on the steps leading up to his family’s house in Yonkers, New York.

Jewish Family & Children’s Service provides support and counseling to more than 40,000 people in Maricopa County each year, largely enabled by financial support from individuals and corporate entities.

On Sunday, Sept. 26, Jay Jacobs, CEO of Martin Pear Jewish Community Center in Scottsdale, will spend 12 hours, albeit with some breaks, on a treadmill. His day-long physical feat is the highlight of the eponymous “See Jay Run” fundraiser for MPJCC’s SMILE Campaign.

Rabbi Dean Shapiro has always been interested in justice and making the world a better place. That’s why he became a rabbi in 2008.

Jewish Family & Children’s Service is in need of food donations and volunteers. Its Just 3 Things food pantry in Phoenix needs non-perishable and non-expired foods, including soup, rice, pasta, canned fruit and vegetables, as well as cleaning supplies and personal care items, such as soa…

Hanna Haimov will be making soup for the High Holidays — a lot of soup.

Steve Goode doesn’t usually visit Arizona in the summer.

Emily Schwartz, a Temple Emanuel of Tempe board member, recently found herself on the verge of complaining about the customer service of a local eatery. Her “hangry, frustrated self” got online to issue a complaint on a restaurant’s website.