Har Zion Congregation 6140 E. Thunderbird Road Scottsdale, AZ 85254 Visit Har Zion Congregation's website [55K] Congregation Har Zion's Tree of Life Har Zion Congregation dates back to the summer of 1960 when fourteen Scottsdale residents met in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Sheinbein. A call for interest attracted considerable interest. A temporary board was selected and when the High Holiday services were held at the Safari Hotel, approximately 200 attended. Har Zion's early history tells the story of how many synagogues are formed. Through the interest and dedication of the founding members, termporary homes are found to hold Shabbat services and begin the religous school. For instance, Har Zion met first at a V.F.W. Hall on East Thomas Road. An ark was constructed for the two Torah scrolls were borrowed from Beth El Congregation and Beth Hebrew Congregation in Phoenix. Soon, however, the quarters became crowded and a site for a new synagogue was obtained. Two Torahs were acquired from a temple in Kansas City, Missouri in time for Har Zion's first Bar Mitzvah in March, 1961. (The Temple now has six Torahs!) High Holiday services in 1961 also were a significant time for the congregation because they were led by the Temple's own rabbi and cantor. In the mid-1960's Har Zion held a ground-breaking for a new site on Lincoln Road. Today, Har Zion Congregation includes 450 family members, an early childhood Center and a Hebrew School with approximately 275 students. The rabbi is Mark Bisman and the congregation's hazzan is Bernard Savitz. [updated: 22 October 2004] [20K]   [24K] The Rabbi's and Cantor's lecturns