01In brief
Congregation Beth Israel is a Jewish congregation in Scottsdale, Arizona, identified as Reform in a census covering 2006–2007. That census listed it at 10460 N. 56th Street and included it among Jewish supplementary schools. Later sources associate the congregation with Rabbi Stephen I. Kahn and list it as a signatory to a 2025 communal letter. Separate reference works use the name Temple Beth Israel for a Scottsdale synagogue with the Sylvia Plotkin Museum and a memorial cemetery, but they do not explicitly confirm that the two names denote the same institution.
02Overview
Congregation Beth Israel is documented as a Reform Jewish congregation in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Berman Jewish Policy Archive's census covering the 2006–2007 school year listed it at 10460 N. 56th Street, Scottsdale, Arizona 85253, and included it among participating Jewish supplementary schools.[1]
On July 14, 2025, the Anti-Defamation League listed “Congregation Beth Israel; Scottsdale, AZ” among the signatories to a communal letter addressed to National Education Association president Becky Pringle.[3]
03History
The available reference sources provide documentary snapshots rather than a continuous institutional history. JewishGen information dated August 2005 referred to a Temple Beth Israel website and cemetery in its Scottsdale entry.[5] The supplementary-school census, published in August 2008 and covering 2006–2007, listed Congregation Beth Israel at its North 56th Street address and classified it as Reform.[1]
Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion associated Rabbi Stephen I. Kahn with Congregation Beth Israel in its 2014–2015 President's Report.[2] The congregation was subsequently named as a signatory to the Anti-Defamation League's communal letter of July 14, 2025.[3]
04Culture and Notable Sites
Encyclopedia.com identifies the Sylvia Plotkin Museum as being at Temple Beth Israel in Scottsdale and includes it among museums established in synagogues and Jewish community centers. Its discussion places such institutions within a broader interest in preserving Jewish cultural heritage, including local and regional history.[4]
JewishGen's Scottsdale page records Temple Beth Israel Memorial Cemetery, located on 35th Avenue south of Van Buren, as a consecrated Jewish cemetery owned and operated by the Temple. It states that the Temple's rabbis and staff assisted congregants with funeral arrangements and support.[5] These sources use the name Temple Beth Israel but do not explicitly establish whether it is a variant name for Congregation Beth Israel.[4][5]
05Rabbinical Leadership
Rabbi Stephen I. Kahn was associated with Congregation Beth Israel in Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion's 2014–2015 President's Report, where his name carried the alumni notation “N ’95.”[2] The report listed him in its Wise Circle Honor Roll of Donors, a category for gifts and new pledges of $10,000 or more received between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015.[2]
Sources
- 1Berman Jewish Policy Archive, accessed on October 3, 2026.
- 2Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion, accessed on October 3, 2026.
- 3Anti-Defamation League, Communal Letter to National Education Association President Becky Pringle, accessed on October 3, 2026.
- 4Encyclopedia.com, Museums, accessed on October 3, 2026.
- 5JewishGen, SCOTTSDALE: Maricopa County | Arizona AZ | International Jewish Cemetery Project, accessed on October 3, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
What is Congregation Beth Israel in Scottsdale, Arizona?
Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation in Scottsdale, Arizona. A census covering the 2006–2007 school year placed it at 10460 N. 56th Street and included it among Jewish supplementary schools. Later sources associate the congregation with Rabbi Stephen I. Kahn and list it as a signatory to a 2025 communal letter addressed to the National Education Association president.
What is the Sylvia Plotkin Museum and how does it relate to a Scottsdale synagogue?
The Sylvia Plotkin Museum is identified by Encyclopedia.com as being located at Temple Beth Israel in Scottsdale, and is included among museums established in synagogues and Jewish community centers. Its existence is placed within a broader interest in preserving Jewish cultural heritage, including local and regional history. However, sources do not explicitly confirm whether Temple Beth Israel is a variant name for Congregation Beth Israel.
Does Congregation Beth Israel in Scottsdale have an associated cemetery?
JewishGen's Scottsdale page records a Temple Beth Israel Memorial Cemetery, located on 35th Avenue south of Van Buren, as a consecrated Jewish cemetery owned and operated by the Temple. According to the same source, the Temple's rabbis and staff assisted congregants with funeral arrangements and support. Sources use the name Temple Beth Israel for this cemetery but do not explicitly establish whether it refers to the same institution as Congregation Beth Israel.
Who is Rabbi Stephen I. Kahn and what is his connection to Congregation Beth Israel?
Rabbi Stephen I. Kahn was associated with Congregation Beth Israel in Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion's 2014–2015 President's Report, where his name carried the alumni notation "N '95." The report listed him in its Wise Circle Honor Roll of Donors, a category for gifts and new pledges of $10,000 or more received between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015.
What communal letter did Congregation Beth Israel sign in 2025?
On July 14, 2025, the Anti-Defamation League listed Congregation Beth Israel of Scottsdale, Arizona, among the signatories to a communal letter addressed to National Education Association president Becky Pringle.