Jewish Life in the Valley
This tour consists of well known locations known throughout the Salt River Valley, Jewish community. There are two well known department stores that were part of downtown Phoenix and the owners were prominent members of the Jewish community. The beloved Kosher bakery, that was forced to close after fifty years of business. There is the first Jewish congregation and the first conservative Jewish congregation in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The first Jewish day school in the Phoenix region. There is the local Jewish Community Center in Scottsdale and the Historical Society of Phoenix.
Congregation Beth Israel
Temple Beth Israel
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 modification in their practices to fit their new…
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The New York Store
Korrick's Department Store
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 the chance that he could make it big in the city. First,…
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Beth El Congregation
Part of Phoenix Since 1930
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 traditional Jewish members left to form Beth El…
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Goldwater's Department Store
Goldwater's was a fine department store with several locations throughout the Phoenix Valley area from the mid-1890s to the mid-1960s when it was sold to Associated Dry Goods.
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Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center
Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus
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 different clubs, programs, and educational opportunities.…
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Phoenix Hebrew Academy
Beth Joseph Congregation
The Phoenix Hebrew Academy is an Orthodox Jewish day school 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 day school in the region and one of the first outside of…
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Karsh's Bakery
Serving Phoenix from 1965-2014
Karsh's Bakery opened in 1965 and then relocated to its last location in downtown Phoenix in 1980. The final location for the bakery was at Seventh Street near Missouri Avenue. Karsh's Bakery was one of only a handful of bakeries supervised by the Phoenix Vaad Hakashruth. The Phoenix Vaad…
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Arizona Jewish Historical Society
Cutler Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center
The Arizona Jewish Historical Society was founded to preserve the history of Arizona's Jewish communities and to educate the public.
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