Chabad launches first Jewish Community Center in Buckeye ahead of High Holidays

A new chapter in Buckeye’s cultural and spiritual life is unfolding this fall with the arrival of the city’s first-ever Jewish Community Center.

Led by Rabbi Mendy and Shterna Goldstein, Chabad of Buckeye is launching this September in time for the Jewish High Holidays. The new center will offer religious services, educational programs, and cultural events aimed at serving the growing Jewish population in one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States.

The couple recently moved to Buckeye with their children after nearly a decade of leading a thriving Jewish center in Southern California. Their goal is to establish a welcoming hub for Jewish life in the West Valley, bringing a sense of community and continuity to residents seeking spiritual connection, cultural identity, and a place to celebrate Jewish traditions.

“We hope to provide every Jew in Buckeye with the opportunity to connect with their heritage and explore the richness of Jewish tradition,” said Rabbi Goldstein. “There’s a clear and growing need for Jewish infrastructure here, and after getting to know this incredible community, we’re honored and excited to call Buckeye our home.”

Raised in the Southwest, Shterna in Texas and Rabbi Mendy in Southern California, the couple brings a grassroots approach to community building. In their previous role, they led programs across all ages, including early childhood education, adult Torah study, Jewish holiday celebrations, and social events designed to build lasting connections.

Rabbi Goldstein has also served at the national level. From 2020 to 2024, he was a presidential appointee to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council in Washington, D.C., helping shape Holocaust education and remembrance initiatives. Earlier in his rabbinical training, he traveled globally to reach isolated Jewish communities, leading holiday services and educational events in places such as Ukraine, the Amazon, and Western Europe.

Chabad of Buckeye is part of the international Chabad-Lubavitch movement, a network of more than 3,500 educational, social, and religious centers across 100 countries. Arizona is already home to more than 35 Chabad centers, and the Buckeye branch marks an expansion into previously underserved parts of the West Valley.

Rooted in the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, Chabad centers are known for their inclusivity and open-door philosophy. The Rebbe emphasized that every Jew matters and that Torah values are not just ancient history but a meaningful, relevant guide to modern life.

The Goldsteins are launching their Buckeye center with a series of High Holiday events in the Verrado neighborhood, starting with an inaugural Rosh Hashanah dinner on Monday, Sept. 22, followed by a public “Shofar in the Park” ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 23. These events are open to the community and designed to offer an accessible, family-friendly introduction to Jewish tradition.

The new center will eventually offer ongoing programs such as Hebrew school classes, Shabbat dinners, community service opportunities, and lifecycle celebrations like bar and bat mitzvahs.

For more information on upcoming events, to volunteer, or to get involved, visit www.jewishbuckeye.com or contact Rabbi Mendy Goldstein at [email protected] or 858-208-6613.