Raise your hand if you’ve heard this one: A rescue ship stops at a nearly deserted island to find just one old Jewish man. They see three huts in the distance.
“What are those?” they ask. “Ah,” the man says, “those are the temples I built.” “But why three?” they query. “Oh, that’s easy” he
explains. “One temple I used to belong to, one I belong to now and one I wouldn’t belong to if you paid me!”
And so it is that synagogues come and go, merge or reinvent themselves, particularly in areas like the Sun Belt states.
But one little temple – Beth Ami Temple in Paradise Valley – has held strong since 1978 with a core group of members who consider themselves family.
Founded by Rabbi Fred Grosse, Beth Ami was formed as an alternative to some of the larger and more established Reform congregations. The congregation is very comfortable at its size of about 70 families, most of whom are 60+, but is always looking to reach out to the unaffiliated who would like to join their warm and haimish ranks.
“We consider ourselves a boutique temple,” says Board Treasurer Arnie Schwartz. “We’re small and we cater to a specific demographic … empty nesters and active adult singles who don’t want to pay high dues but do want to connect in a spiritual and social way.”
The temple holds its services at Palo Cristi Presbyterian Church, 3535 E Lincoln Dr. in Paradise Valley. “We have a wonderful relationship with the church,” Arnie says. “They built the sanctuary so their cross could easily be removed, and behind the wall panels are our ark and three Torahs.” The members of the church wanted to know more about Passover, so Beth Ami held a special service with church members in attendance
where they could explain the food, rituals and symbolism of the holiday. Church members also contribute whenever the temple has a food drive.
Calling itself a “small temple with a big heart,” Beth Ami brings in special speakers for some of their Friday night Shabbat services, which are held twice a month. Last year, for example, they had a speaker on children of Holocaust survivors and one on Jewish gangsters. And they’ve been having an annual concert
as well; in 2014 they hosted the Rural Street Klezmer Band. This year I will have the honor of speaking on Nov. 7 about the history of Jewish theater. Later in the year they will present a docent from the Phoenix Art Museum on the topic of Marc Chagall.
“We are so fortunate to have Rabbi Art Abrams and cantorial soloist Pam Beitman with us,” Arnie says. Rabbi Abrams had retired after many years as the spiritual head of Temple Beth Shalom in Sun City. Only he wasn’t quite ready to retire. The reduced hours and responsibilities of Beth Ami fit perfectly into his schedule, and he is still rabbi emeritus at Beth
Shalom. “Pam grew up in our congregation,” Arnie explains. Pam is
from the large Beitman family (10 children) who are long-time Valley residents. She is a professional actor who does a lot of voice-over work for commercials, and she has a day job in the administrative offices of Arizona Theatre Company. Many in the Beitman family are musical, and Pam is blessed with “the voice of an angel,” says Arnie. “Pam always sings a special solo in addition to the liturgy each service, and we all really look forward to that.”
This year Beth Ami was almost afraid it would run out of chairs for High Holy Day services, as nearly 130 people attended. They are, however, eager to welcome and make room for newcomers or old-timers looking for something new. They can always add more chairs.
bethamitemple.org
