This interactive and upbeat Shabbat celebration for families incorporates fun-spirited melodies and family-themed activities. We’ll share Shabbat dinner, followed by Open Lounge in the Youth Center with games and fun. Come celebrate Shabbat with ruach (spirit) and your congregational family! RSVP needed by Aug. 17.
The Second Annual “Get Art AZ” Event will take place Aug. 22, at Phoenix Theatre, 100 E McDowell Road in Phoenix. Last year’s inaugural event, held at the Musical Instrument Museum, drew hundreds of fans of live theatre who were eager to get a glimpse of upcoming offerings from theatre companies around the Valley. In addition to day-long performances, there were also booths with information about each theatre’s upcoming season, auditions and offerings of classes, camps and workshops.
This year’s event will follow in the same format with performances running 10 am-4 pm. The event is free. There will be silent and live auction items, including tickets to performances from the represented theatres.
Get Art AZ is a celebration of all aspects of live theatre arts, bringing together the community to support the non-profit Audrey Johnson Theatre Foundation, which provides reduced-price theatre tickets and discounted or free camp/classes to children in Arizona who would otherwise be unable to attend or participate in live theatre.
Audrey was a member of Congregation Beth Israel and an integral part of Desert Stages Theatre in Scottsdale, serving as the Parent Coordinator. She passed away in 2012. Her friend and fellow “theatre-mom” Allyson Primack started the foundation in Audrey’s honor with a kickoff event held at the Valley of the Sun JCC in 2013.
Get Art AZ will also offer a reading and book signing by Allyson, who has authored three very popular books: You’ll Be Swell: What To Expect When You Expect Your Child Will Be A Star (a realistic guide to the world of show business today based on the author’s experience with her actor son); Mom On The Road, a fictionalized version of the author’s blog, “Mom On Tour” which chronicled 6 months on the road with her son in a National Broadway Tour; and Moving On From The Middle: To _______ On Your Graduation from Junior High School, an advice book for kids about to enter into high school. Books will be for sale with proceeds to the Audrey Johnson Theatre Foundation.
www.audreyjohnsonfoundation.com
Calling all young families! Join JNFuture for a playdate! Enjoy a snack, meet new friends, create a special art project for children in Israel, and learn how you can support JNF’s important work.
All proceeds benefit JNF’s Sderot Indoor Recreation Center
Playtime Oasis
Indoor Playground
Children 0-8
Socks Required
Self-sufficiency is key to a sustainable yoga practice. In this workshop, we discuss the barriers to cultivating a home practice and ways to overcome those barriers. Write your own sequence and practice it in the studio. Members: $25; Non-members: $35. For more information, contact 480.483.7121 ext. 1281 or denisek@vosjcc.org.
Presented by Phoenix Community Kollel
Envisioning the New Year Ahead!
Create a vision Board for the New Year
Hosted by Brooke Foster
Suggested donation $8.
RSVP to Dina Bacharach 602-374-7448 or tlc@aztorah.com
Participants come together to give mutual support and explore issues regarding caring for our loved ones, drawing from the Jewish tradition and from psychosocial research on aging. The group is facilitated by Gary Goodman, Ph.D., and Rabbi Marty Scharf.
All Jewish women 18+ (Sassy Women Eating Elegantly Together) are invited to share lunch (“Dutch treat) with us. Trattoria Pina has excellent Italian fare with several vegetarian options. Join us there and enjoy fabulous food and the pleasure of each other’s company! Please RSVP by Aug. 24 to Evelyn.
This class is open to the general public in addition to our members. It is offered free of charge as a community service to promote good health. The class will be held in the Social Hall of Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley.
Class repeats Wednesdays
Adult Education Kollel (Class) – The High Holy Days: “Are You Ready?”
To help us each answer the question: “Are you?” we have invited some congregants to share with us something of importance to them; something that helps them with their preparation for this season, so that it can become that much more for us as well.
August 19: Rabbi Dr. Bennett Blum presents “Forgiveness: The Law and The Lore”
August 26: Rabbi Dr. Howard Schwartz presents “T’SHUVAH (Repentance): Up Close & Personal: What Does/Can it Mean in Today’s World?”
September 2: Scott Lewis presents “Learning to Learn from Each Other: A Collaborative Exploration of our Jewish Ethics through PIRKE AVOT”
Admission is free to members of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society and $5.00 for non-members. Email lbell@azjhs.org or call 602-241-7870 to purchase a ticket or to RSVP.
Presentation synopsis: European Jews have mainly married within their group. The pool of mates was limited. As a result, Jewish people today are all related to one another, multiple times. This phenomenon, known as endogamy, makes Jewish genetic genealogy very difficult, often impossible. Members of endogamous groups, such as Jewish people, who have tested their autosomal DNA find they match (are related) to a much larger number of people than those who are not associated with endogamous groups. In conducting his genealogy research, Pickholtz was convinced that this brick wall was not as impenetrable as it seemed, at least in some circumstances. Using his own family as an example, Pickholtz was able to utilize DNA to clarify multiple family relationships. In his talk he will step through his research and analysis process in hopes that it will encourage and inspire European Jewish family researchers and those studying other endogamous populations to say, “I can do this!”
The speaker: Israel Pickholtz is a Pittsburgh native who has lived in Israel since 1973. He began working seriously on his family’s genealogy in 1994 after many years of talking about it. His flagship work is the “Pikholz Project,” a one-name study project that aims to identify and reconnect all Pikholz descendants. Israel’s new book, Endogamy: One Family, One People, will be published in August (and will be available for purchase). It describes his research, techniques of analysis and findings. He has been blogging since 2012 on matters genealogical at http://allmyforeparents.blogspot.com/