Karsh's Bakery opened in 1965 and would then relocate to its last location in downtown Phoenix in 1980. The last location for the bakery was at Seventh Street near Missouri Avenue. Karsh's Bakery was one of only a handful of bakeries that…

Michael Goldwater, his original name was Michael Goldvasser, was born in Poland. He married Sarah Nathan in 1850 and they had eight children together. In 1852, Michael's family and his brother, Joseph "Little Joe" Goldwater moved to…

The Phoenix Hebrew Academy is an Orthodox Jewish day school located in north central Phoenix, Arizona. The academy was founded in 1965 by Rabbi David Rebibo. Rabbi Rebibo has served as the Dean of Students since its inception. It is the first Jewish…

In almost every major city in the United States there is a Jewish Community Center. It serves as a general recreational, social, and fraternal organization for the local Jewish community. The JCC promotes Jewish culture and heritage through…

Beth El Congregation was formed because members of Temple Beth Israel were having a disagreement. The members of the congregation could not decide on the hiring of a Shochet (Kosher butcher) and the hiring of a Reform or Conservative rabbi. The…

The Polish-Jewish Korrick family opened up their store in the late 1890s. This was one of the first department stores in the Phoenix area along with the Goldwater and Diamond department stores. Sam Korrick arrived in Phoenix in 1895 on a chance…

From 1860 to 1920, Jewish settlers were finding opportunities in mining, farming, banking, and politics in the Phoenix area. At this time synagogues, trained rabbis and Kosher foods were hard to find in Arizona. For many Jewish families this meant a…

The Arizona Jewish Historical Society occupies the original building of the first permanent Jewish congregation in Phoenix. On April 8, 1920, 38 Jewish residents came together to form Congregation Beth Israel. The architecture of the synagogue…