Rabbi David and Odette Rebibo to Be Honored ADL Arizona Director
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LIFESTYLE | 19 SPECIAL SECTION | 13 FILM SENIOR LIFESTYLE West Valley Film Should seniors Festival celebrates get vaccinated? 15th anniversary Plus: the aging crisis JANUARY 10, 2020 | TEVET 13, 5780 | VOLUME 72, NUMBER 8 $1.50 Rabbi David and ADL Arizona Director Carlos Odette Rebibo to Galindo-ElviraRICH SOLOMON | MANAGING EDITOR coming movesout before the end of January.on arlos Galindo-Elvira, the An Arizona State University gradu- now-former regional director of the ate, Galindo-Elvira was formerly chief LEISAHbe WOLDOFF honored | CONTRIBUTING WRITER C Anti-Defamation League of Arizona, development officer at Valle del Sol, a efore Rabbi David Rebibo arrived in Phoenix in 1965, the city’s announced his departure on Jan. 2 after nonprofit agency providing healthcare, BJewish population numbered about 10,000. There was no Jewish day three years with the organization. social service and leadership development school, those who kept kosher had to go out of town for kosher cheese “Seasons change. And I’m pursuing programs. and meat products, and Phoenix’s only Orthodox congregation, located a new opportunity that will bring me Galindo-Elvira took his position with downtown, had difficulty finding a minyan. new learnings, challenges and meaningful ADL in 2016, and he said he was the first During his first year in his new home, Rebibo founded Greater Phoenix’s experiences to galvanize our Arizona Latino regional director in the entirety of first Jewish day school, the Phoenix Hebrew Academy, and started a kosher community,” Galindo-Elvira said. “My the organization. supervising agency, the Greater Phoenix Vaad Hakashruth. Soon after, he departure from ADL is a pathway toward “I have a high regard for Jonathan founded Beth Joseph Congregation, an Orthodox synagogue. continuing to be an advocate within Greenblat, CEO and national director of Today, the Valley’s Jewish community has grown to more than 100,000 the community and to work on and ADL; his vision is forward thinking and his and all three institutions remain vital. PHA has about 150 students and is build on stronger ties between different protection of the Jewish community and marginalized communities is unmatched,” one of eight Jewish day schools in the Phoenix metro area; Beth Joseph communities.” Carlos Galindo-Elvira has about 80 members and is one of nearly 40 local congregations; and Galindo-Elvira did not disclose Galindo-Elvira said. “Because of the announced his departure excitement that I feel, it overshadows any as regional director of ADL the Vaad supervises more than 35 kosher establishments. where he was transitioning to, but said Arizona on Jan. 2. As Rebibo prepares to retire and make aliyah to Israel, PHA and Beth that more information would be SEE ADL, PAGE 3 PHOTO COURTESY OF CARLOS GALINDO-ELVIRA Joseph will honor him and his wife, Odette, at a Jan. 19 open house. David Rebibo, who was born in Morocco, was studying in Paris as a young man when he met Rabbi Avraham Kalmanowitz, the head of the Mirrer Yeshiva in Brooklyn, New York, who invited Rebibo to study at his yeshiva and helped him obtain a teaching position at Yeshivah Magen March against hate David in Brooklyn. Rebibo next moved to Memphis to teach and lead Over 25,000 people marched in Brooklyn on Jan. 5 while a small congregation before moving to Phoenix with his family in 1965. chanting, “No hate, no fear.” Read about the people and organizations who participated on Page 4. Irwin Sheinbein, the current president of the board that serves both PHOTO BY KAREN SCHWARTZ VIA JNS.ORG the synagogue and the school, was 14 when the Rebibos first arrived. SEE REBIBO, PAGE 2 KEEP YOUR EYE ON jewishaz.com NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL ISRAEL US investigating anti-Semitism at UCLA Jerusalem sends aid to Australia Netanyahu's ministerial appointments HEADLINES REBIBO Community Campus in Scottsdale CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 was dedicated in 2002, named in memory of Levine’s first wife, it was Sheinbein’s father was involved Rebibo who affixed the mezuzah on with a community group that the facility’s doorpost. approached Torah Umesorah, the Rebibo has always been National Society for Hebrew Day community oriented, Sheinbein said. Schools, to talk about opening a day “Rabbi Rebibo is a unicorn — a school in Phoenix. Rebibo was sent unique individual with a rare combi- from the organization to investigate. nation of qualities,” said Rabbi Yisroel After initially meeting some resis- Isaacs, director of the Vaad and rabbi 2020 Phoenix tance from those worried about at Beth Joseph. “He grew up in an Orthodox-run day school in a Jewish News Morocco at a time that its ancient community with little Orthodox Jewish community was economically life, Rebibo led the efforts to estab- Print Dates lish the Phoenix Hebrew Academy, and technologically impoverished but which opened in 1965 with about spiritually wealthy. In spite of com- January 10 August 7 40 students. ing from a very simple background January 24 August 28** Rabbi Harris Cooperman, PHA’s and his immigration as an adult to February 7 September 4 Rabbi David Rebibo, right, pictured with wife Odette. a country where he did not know head of school, describes Rebibo February 21 September 11 as a “pioneer.” Rebibo was sent to PHOTO BY GARY STEINER the language, he was able, with March 6 September 18 Phoenix “to try to create and develop Beth Joseph’s original mission was to his unique combination of talent, and lay the foundation for a Jewish day school,” provide a place for daily minyan for rabbis people skills, optimism, Jewish pride, tenacity, March 20 September 25 Cooperman said. “That’s exactly what he did.” teaching at the school, Sheinbein said, and it charisma and sense of humor, to firmly estab- March 27 October 2 lish the infrastructure of an observant Jewish However, it wasn’t just about starting a soon developed into a synagogue. Beth Joseph April 3 October 16 school, Cooperman said. Rebibo “wanted to member William Levine remembers when community in Phoenix against all odds. April 17 November 6 start a community.” For more than 30 years, Rebibo arrived. “As a community rabbi and educator, the Beth Joseph campus housed a mikvah and “I can’t speak highly enough about him,” Rabbi Rebibo inspired, educated and con- May 1 November 20 in 2010, launched the Jewish Enrichment Levine said. “He’s done an enormous number nected to thousands of people of all ages and May 15 December 4 backgrounds throughout his career.” Center. Rebibo also established the Greater of things for the community.” June 5 December 18 Phoenix Community Kollel and the Orthodox Levine remains grateful for Rebibo’s assis- Rebibo and his wife plan to move to June 5* Rabbinical Council. tance after his parents’ deaths and recalls that Israel, where many of their children and Both the rabbi and his wife “brought a real after his first wife, Ina, died in 1999, Rebibo grandchildren live. June 19 *Best of Magazine love for Israel and for Judaism,” Sheinbein brought a Torah to his house every morning “They’ve done what they had to do here,” July 3 **Annual Directory said. “The rabbi always tried to bring in Israeli and afternoon during the week of shivah. “He’s Cooperman said. “They set a strong founda- shlichim who would teach at the school but had an incredible impact on me and my family.” tion and it’s our obligation to make sure their WWW.JEWISHAZ.COM also instill in the children the love of Israel.” Years later, when the Ina Levine Jewish legacy continues.”JN OFFICE HOURS HEADLINES .................................... 2 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday Local 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Friday National 12701 N. 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Scottsdale Road., Suite 206, Scottsdale, AZ 85254. VOL.72, NO. 8 | JANUARY 10, 2020 2 JANUARY 10, 2020 JEWISH NEWS JEWISHAZ.COM HEADLINES ADL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Mazel Tov on your retirement Rabbi Rebibo May you go from strength to strength. From Your Friends at Temple Solel. The No Place for Hate student committee at Hayden High School receive their first-ever banner from ADL Arizona. The banner was presented by Carlos Galindo-Elvira, who graduated from HHS in 1985. PHOTO COURTESY OF CARLOS GALINDO-ELVIRA level of sadness about leaving, but working for “There is an active search going on for the ADL has been an experience of a lifetime in the next regional director,” Rosenthal confirmed.