Girl Scouts the focus of exhibition at Congregation Mickve Israel

THE
Jewish Georgian
Volume 24, Number 2
Atlanta, Georgia
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012
FREE
The point and purpose of Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Amit presents
By Bradford R. Pilcher
shorts). There’s every indication the festival will break new records.
It’s in breathing distance of San Francisco’s attendance. In other
Why host a Jewish film festival? What is the point of highlight- words, Atlanta may take its place as the biggest Jewish film festival
ing specifically Jewish movies? Is there such a clamor for this par- soon enough.
ticular subset of the cinematic
So it is obviously a success.
arts?
There is obviously some demand.
Apparently, there is, if the
But beyond the numbers and the
ever-growing numbers of festival
near miraculous growth of AJFF,
goers to the now twelve-year-old
there remains that niggling quesAtlanta Jewish Film Festival are
tion: What is the point of a Jewish
any indication. In the briefest of
film festival?
times, AJFF has become not only
The misconception is that
the largest film festival in Atlanta
AJFF, and other festivals of its ilk,
but the second-largest Jewish film
screen an endless barrage of
festival in the country (behind San
Holocaust documentaries or docuFrancisco, which has had threedramas or melodramas. When the
plus decades to cement itself atop
crimes of the Nazis are not paradthe pile). Some 26,000 tushes
ing across the screen, then it’s
made their way into theater seats
some love letter to Yiddish, or
Deaf Jam
for last year’s festival, spanning
Israel. That would be a gross missix venues all over metro Atlanta.
representation of the kinds of films that make up a Jewish film festiThis year, the festival is adding new venues and runs over more val like AJFF.
days than ever before. From February 8 through the 29th, AJFF will
Take Deaf Jam, a stirring follow-up to last year’s hit festival
come close to swallowing an entire month. Those days will be filled
with more films than ever before, 70 in total (52 features and 18
See AJFF, page 7
Antique Judaica
Appraisal Show
Dig out the family heirlooms—
Atlanta’s very own Antique Judaica
Appraisal Show is
coming to town,
Sunday, March 25.
The event will feature
Jonathan
Greenstein, owner
of J. Greenstein &
Co., the nation’s
pre-eminent
Jonathan
Judaica dealer, which
Greenstein for the past 28 years
has been solely devoted to antique
Jewish ritual objects. A lifelong collector and the author of A Lost Art:
Handmade Silver Kiddush Cups of
Eastern Europe, Greenstein will
share his unique expertise and
knowledge.
Girl Scouts the focus of exhibition at Congregation Mickve Israel
By Jane Guthman Kahn
What’s Inside
Savannah’s Congregation Mickve
Israel, third oldest synagogue in the United
States, is creating a yearlong exhibit in conjunction with the centennial anniversary of
the founding of the Girl Scouts in 1912, in
Savannah.
“The Girls Scouts—In the Beginning
We Were There” will focus on a 100-year
connection between the two historic institutions. The exhibit opens in late January and
will highlight the diversity that has been a
part of the Girl Scouts since its inception.
Additionally, it will demonstrate shared val-
Beauty and
utility
The new Historic Fourth
Ward Park is an attractive
solution to a vexing problem.
By Leon Soco
Page 2l
ues of Judaism and Scouting.
“I’ve got something for the girls of
Savannah and all the world, and we’re
going to start it tonight,” Juliette Gordon
Low telephoned a friend on March 9, 1912.
When Juliette Low made that definitive
statement, could she possibly have envisioned that, 100 years later, fifty million
girls would fulfill that promise? Could she
have known the worldwide impact her
movement would have? Could she comprehend that her vision would be rooted in a
diversity that organizations today still seek
to emulate? (The current membership is 3.5
million girls from Kindergarten through
Company J
The MJCCA raises the curtain on a dynamic, new theater company.
Page 10
12th grade. They represent every background, racial/ethnic group, and socio-economic group.)
In her hometown, as she would do
throughout the country, Juliette Low
involved community leaders. Three of the
Girl Scouts’ earliest patrol (troop) leaders
were members of Mickve Israel: Leonora
Amram, Henrietta Falk, and Mildred
Guckenheimer (Abrahams Kuhr). Leonora
would serve on the first Girl Scout Council.
Later, Mildred for years would hold the
position of secretary of the council.
How a Book
Came to Be
A family’s effort to cope
with loss is now a meaningful book that can help others.
By Lindsey Light
Kuniansky
Page 25
Many of us have antiques that
have been passed down from generation to generation, but none are as
cherished as Jewish ritual objects,
See GIRL SCOUTS, page 9
ASK at 25
Atlanta Scholars Kollel has
been bringing Torah knowledge to people for a quarter
of a century.
Page 48
See AMIT, page 8
Father and Son A Unique Bar
Stirring speeches by The
Mitzvah
Reverends Martin Luther
King Junior and Senior,
decades apart, were
reminders to work for and
believe in a brighter future.
By David Geffen
Page 45
Benjamin Faber, who has
mitochondrial myopathy,
became a bar mitzvah with a
little help from his friends.
Page 12
Page 2
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
January-February 2012
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 3
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 4
Seek to understand, not parrot
To me, words have almost a sacred
quality. They are the essence of interaction,
and they are the vehicles by which we communicate, influence, and teach.
Words are the ordnance of society.
Normally, they are appended to other words
to convey a message, and the resulting
thought may have a lasting effect. Used
properly and understood correctly in the
context of the thought, this ordnance
becomes a front-line element in the positive
development of our world.
Words, whether written or spoken, are
utterances that are made for the purpose of
being received by others. It is important that
the messages being conveyed are clear and
do the job, but the mirror action to the conveyance of the words is the hearing or reading of the message. Actually, it is the reception and not the speaking that is the purpose
of verbalizing thoughts and concepts.
Espousal of a position or concept,
whether by an advocate or an interested
party, does not necessarily validate the position. It is the processing by the recipient of
the ideas and thoughts contained in the
words that puts “meat on the bone.” Ideally,
as objectively as possible, we should listen
to the concept being conveyed for the purTHE
Jewish Georgian
The Jewish Georgian is published bimonthly by Eisenbot, Ltd. It is
written for Atlantans and Georgians by Atlantans and Georgians.
Publisher
Marvin Botnick
Co-Publisher
Sam Appel
Editor
Marvin Botnick
Managing Editor
Marsha C. LaBeaume
Assignment Editor
Carolyn Gold
Consulting Editor
Gene Asher
Associate Editor
Barbara Schreiber
Copy Editor
Ray Tapley
Assistant Copy Editor
Arnold Friedman
Makeup Editor
Terri Christian
Production Coordinator
Terri Christian
Designer
David Gaudio
Photographic Staff
Allan Scher, Jonathan Paz
Graphic Art Consultant
Columnist
Karen Paz
Gene Asher, Jonathan Barach,
Janice Rothschild Blumberg,
Marvin Botnick, David Geffen,
Carolyn Gold, Jonathan Goldstein,
R.M. Grossblatt, Marice Katz,
Balfoura Friend Levine,
Marsha Liebowitz, Bubba Meisa,
Erin O’Shinsky, Reg Regenstein,
Susan Robinson, Stuart Rockoff,
Roberta Scher, Jerry Schwartz, Leon Socol,
Rabbi Reuven Stein, Cecile Waronker
Special Assignments
Lyons Joel
Advertising
Anne Bender
Ruby Grossblatt
Rochelle Solomon
Sam Appel
Jane Axelrod
Gil Bachman
Asher Benator
Editorial Advisory Board Members
Rabbi Alvin Sugarman
Sam Massell
Albert Maslia
William Rothschild
Michael H. Mescon
Marilyn Shubin
Paul Muldawer
Doug Teper
8495 Dunwoody Place, Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30350
(404) 236-8911 • FAX (404) 236-8913
jewishga@bellsouth.net
www.jewishgeorgian.com
The Jewish Georgian ©2012
rather extensive library of its own, but since
in that facility there were only four copies of
the Manifesto and there were many more
students that were assigned the reading, getting a copy presented a problem. Right
across the street from the school library was
the township library, so I went over there to
see if it had a copy I could check out. The
pose of learning and as a method of underschool was located not too far from Salem,
standing, but not necessarily agreeing with,
Massachusetts, and the reaction I got to the
the thought and position being put forth.
request for the publication made me feel that
A basic question that society in general
I had been transported back to the late 1600s
and each of us individually should ask is:
confronting a tribunal at the Salem witch tri“Do we read and converse to confirm or to
als. An understanding of the need to read to
learn?”
learn was not a concept to which they subI remember when I was taking a world
scribed.
history
I
n
course
in
Chapter 13 of
high school
A basic question that society in Histories of
in the early
in
50s, one of
general and each of us individually Heresy
E a r l y
our assignshould ask is: “Do we read and con- M o d e r n
ments was
Europe, it is
verse to confirm or to learn?”
to read the
reported that,
Communist
“[Martin]
Manifesto.
Luther ’s
While this
translation of the Bible, indeed the very act
was the height of the Cold War, the school
of translating it establishes the true moment
had taken the position that for its students to
of rupture with the Catholic Church.” At that
understand the conflict, it was necessary to
time, the Bible was almost universally writlearn something of the system against which
ten and read in Latin, which was a language
we were struggling, rather than blithely
of the Church but not used or understood by
mouthing the buzzwords of the day in conthe general population. Luther’s translation
demnation.
into the language of the people now made it
The school, which was located in a
possible for the words and content to be
small town of less than 3,000 people, had a
BY Marvin
Botnick
January-February 2012
digested by the individual rather than having
to rely on directives of others. The individuals were now able to interpret for themselves
the meaning and message of the text.
Literacy, especially in the developed
world, is common; however, the search for
understanding does not seem to be as universal. Although we are inundated by untold
missives and publications, many of us chose
only to rely on those that support a position
to which we already adhere. We seek validation, not insight and understanding.
We are the inheritors of a rich tradition
of study and learning, which has become
almost an innate characteristic. The intense
search for truths and meanings has consumed our people for centuries, and while it
was originally directed primarily to religious issues, the format was continued into
secular matters.
But never has the average person been
so overwhelmed with the flood of communiqués as has now become possible with the
modern methods. For whatever reason, the
communication revolution we are experiencing, which could grow to an impact level
equal to the Industrial Revolution, has been
conscripted by many as a tool to service personal goals. More so than ever, it is now
imperative that we seek out all sides of an
issue and not limit our perspective to
sources that coalesce with others of a similar bent.
Honor the impact of words; “Guard
your tongue from evil, your lips from deceitful speech” (Psalms 34:14); search for
truths; seek understanding of issues and
people, rather than questionable validation;
and try to understand the true motivation of
sources of “information.”
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation presents 21st Annual Torch Gala
The Georgia Chapter of the Crohn’s &
Colitis Foundation (CCFA) will present its
21st Annual Torch Gala at the
InterContinental Buckhead, in Atlanta, 7:00
p.m., January 28. For the past 20 years, this
dinner dance, which includes a silent auction and raffle, has been the largest single
fundraiser of the year for the Georgia
Chapter. With a mission to cure and prevent
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
through research and to improve the quality
of life of children and adults affected by
these digestive diseases through education
and support, the Torch Gala has raised over
$5.1 million to date.
Atlanta residents Ann and Jay Davis
and their son, Richard, are the 2012 Torch
Gala Citizens of the Year. The Davises are
devoted fundraisers, volunteers, and advocates for CCFA. Over the years, they have
joined planning committees, engaged in
grassroots fundraising efforts, and participated in each special event and campaign.
Recognizing the importance of
research, the Davis family played an integral role in establishing the groundwork for
the Human Gut Microbiome Initiative by
being the first major donors to the project.
Through this initiative, CCFA is able to
empower more scientists to study the intes-
Richard Davis (from left), Ann
Davis, and Jay Davis
tinal community of microbes, therefore furthering the accomplishments in the field of
inflammatory bowel disease research.
“It is an honor for our family to be chosen as CCFA’s Torch Gala Citizens of the
Year,” says Jay Davis. “We consider the
Georgia chapter part of our extended family, and we will continue to do what we can
to further the advancement of research.”
The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of
America (CCFA) was founded in 1967 and
is the only nonprofit voluntary health
organization dedicated to finding a cure for
Steve Goodman (from left), Katie
Goodman, Richard Davis, Ann
Davis, Jay Davis, Matt Lieberman,
and Elizabeth Lieberman
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, two
very painful and life-long digestive diseases. There is no known cure for these
intestinal diseases, which can have lifethreatening complications. Approximately
1.5 million Americans are living with these
diseases.
Individual reservations for the Torch
Gala begin at $300. Table sponsorships are
available. To purchase tickets or for more
information, contact CCFA Development
Manager Amy Suiter at 404-982-0616 or
asuiter@ccfa.org.
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
What’s
Terrace’s centennial event. Sam was quick
to note that the historic property was once
owned by Irvin and Marvin Goldstein, who,
“If they were still alive today, would be
there, too.”
SO LONG, STEVIE, TILL WE MEET
AGAIN. We will really miss our friend
Steven E. Weinstein, 68, a native Atlantan,
whom we lost in early January.
A retired real estate and transportation
executive, Stevie, as he was known to his
countless friends, devoted his final years to
his loving wife, Jackie, and his beloved
family and several charities, especially
Camp Sunshine, which provides recreation
to children with cancer.
His daughters, Julie and Alyson, said,
“We will all remember how much fun he
was. His love for his wife, children, and
grandchildren. His love for the Georgia
Bulldogs, Athens, Willie Nelson, The White
House restaurant, The Varsity, and Camp
Sunshine.
“He loved being with his friends, with
whom he was beyond generous. He was a
giving, sweet, loyal family man and friend.
A dedicated Georgia Bulldog fan. He loved
Atlanta.”
Stevie’s oldest and best friend, Steve
Selig, remembered him as “the kindest,
gentlest person I have ever known. He
loved his family and friends. Other than
being with them, his happiest time was
being at Sanford Stadium, watching his
beloved Bulldogs play between the
Hedges.”
Stevie was one of a kind; his friendship
is irreplaceable; it’s hard to imagine what it
will be like without him.
HANNUKAH WITH THE GOVERNOR.
The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC)
celebrated Hannukah at a huge, sold-out
celebration at the Marietta home of Larry
and Martha Miller. Governor Nathan Deal
was the special guest speaker.
The Governor and Mrs. Deal were
enthusiastically received, and he gave a stirring speech, talking of the Jewish people’s
long and irrepressible fight for freedom.
“Hannukah speaks to us of the character of
the Jewish people, of their amazing courage
in the face of persecution, of their refusal to
accept oppression and defeat, and their
commitment to worship God as they saw
fit—even at the cost of their own lives,” he
observed.
Other notable guests included Georgia
Attorney General Sam Olens; Secretary of
State Brian Kemp;
State Senators John
Albers and David
Shafer; and Dr.
Emily
Lembeck,
Marietta
City
Schools superintendent, who was
just named Georgia
Superintendent of
the Year.
As
RJC
Attorney General
Chairman Chuck
Sam Olens
Berk
observed,
“Our members were overwhelmed with
Governor Deal...his warmth and sincere
affection and concern for Israel, his attention to addressing key issues facing
Georgia, and the generous time he and his
wife, Sandra, spent with us.”
Governor Deal discussed his visit to
Israel and how important it is to see the
country. “Until you do, you really don’t
understand how important the Golan
Heights are to Israel’s safety.”
HAPPENING
Steve Weinstein with his grandchildren
SAM MASSELL HONORED AND SERENADED. Former Atlanta Mayor and current Buckhead Mayor Sam Massell, much
in demand as a public speaker, is known for
his wit and inspirational insights. He gives
about 50 talks a year, he says, “almost
always about the community I nurture in
my full-time position as president of the
Buckhead Coalition,” never accepting honorariums, but instead referring them to local
charities.
His Honor is also a very sensitive and
vulnerable guy, though you wouldn’t
always know it. He was lamenting to us the
other day that a couple of people in the
BY Reg
Regenstein
audience actually fell asleep during his talk
to an unspecified senior citizens’ group,
which he attributed to the heavy breakfast
served that morning. To us, the important
thing is that most of the people stayed
awake, and no one angrily stalked out, as
has happened to us in the past when we
were receiving such speaking invitations.
(On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong
with helping us old folks take a little nap
every now and then, and so many of our
readers tell us our column helps them fall
asleep at night as they read it in bed.)
Still, if Sam wants everyone to stay
awake, alert, and on the edge of their chairs,
we suggest he bring along those two gorgeous, talented, and exciting women in his
life: his wife, Doris, and his daughter,
Melanie, neither of whom has ever put anyone to sleep.
When the legendary Georgian Terrace
Hotel recently celebrated its one-hundredth
anniversary, it invited to a black-tie dinnerdance the “One Hundred Most Influential
Atlantans” and their guests. Not only was
Sam one of those honored, of course, but he
also was serenaded by Melanie, an accomplished singer now living in Sarasota, who
performs under the name of Melanie
Massell and All That Jazz. She had no trouble finding the
party, since her
wedding to John
Jacobs took place at
the hotel nineteen
years ago.
Sam’s renowned
cousin, philanthropist and real estate
executive
Steve
Selig, was also honored at the Georgian
Steve Selig
Governor & Mrs. Deal (center), with
(from left) Georgia Senator David
Shafer, host Larry Miller, Georgia
Senator John Alber, Israeli Consul
General Opher Aviran, Rabbi Yossi
New, and Bonnie and Chuck Berk
Melanie and Sam, with Doris looking on
ADOPT AN ANGEL PROGRAM. One
December night, seventeen years ago, as
she tells the story, twelve-year-old Amy
Sacks Zeide was watching TV, flipping
through the channels, when she paused at a
Page 5
local news story. She was distressed to see
that someone had stolen all the presents
from an Atlanta homeless shelter just before
their annual holiday party, leaving the children with nothing for their Christmas.
Amy was devastated that anyone could
steal from those who have so little. But the
more she thought about it, her initial sense
of despair began to give way to activism,
and Amy was determined to make sure that
during the holiday season, disadvantaged
children in Atlanta would have a chance to
celebrate and to be celebrated. Thus was
“Amy’s Holiday Party” born.
That next year, in 1995, Amy donated
her time and the money she received from
her bat mitzvah to create a mitzvah of her
own—throwing a holiday party for children
at a local Atlanta shelter. What began with
25 children, help from close family and
friends, and a budget of a few hundred dollars has now blossomed into an annual community event. Last year, Amy, a new mom,
hosted over 700 children and their families
from homeless shelters, foster care systems,
and refugee centers, with the help of some
400 Atlanta teens who volunteered at the
event.
As always, Amy’s Holiday Party
brought joy to underprivileged children and
the teen volunteers alike, providing everyone “an opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated.”
Amy is also grateful to her wonderful
sponsors—Kids II, Baby Room, Carter’s,
Mellow Mushroom, Flying Biscuit, Atlanta
Bread Company, The Defoor Centre, Vibe
Entertainment, and Aaron’s—for generously donating a multitude of food, toys,
clothes, space, and services.
Amy is the perfect example of how one
person can make a real difference. If you’re
interested in volunteering for, sponsoring,
or donating to Amy’s organization, Creating
Connected
Communities,
e-mail
Amy@cccprojects.org,
or
visit
www.cccprojects.org.
Amy celebrates with a child at her
Holiday Party
JEWISH HOME HONORS DULCY
ROSENBERG AND JERRY HOROWITZ.
The William Breman Jewish Home’s 2011
Golden Gala at The InterContinental
Buckhead Hotel was a huge success, with
over 700 people attending, and raising more
than $700,000 for The Home.
Sure, the entertainment by The Capitol
Steps was great, but people showed up in
See HAPPENING, page 6
Page 6
Happening
From page 5
droves to see, thank,
and recognize Dulcy
and her husband,
Jerry, and Jerry
Horowitz and his
wife, Pearlann, four
of our community’s
leading citizens.
Many
volunteers and staff
worked very hard to
Dulcy Rosenberg put the fabulous
(photo: Chuck
event together, espeRobertson
cially gala Co-chairs
Photography)
Billie Greenberg,
and Ellen Goldstein.
Because of the
many hours of commitment and dedication, and the widespread support of
the community, The
Home will be able
to continue to fulfill
its mission of caring
for our senior citizens in the final
Jerry Horowitz
years of their lives,
(photo: Chuck
just as individuals
Robertson
cared for us in our
Photography)
early years.
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
child attains a basic knowledge of Israel
through the Step Up for Israel mini-course,
we are going to see a marked difference in
how Israel is perceived in all of these arenas.... The community can learn how we
can all ‘step up’ for Israel by getting
involved and supporting organizations
doing great work day in and day out for
Israel right here in Atlanta.”
For
more
information,
visit
www.stepupforisrael.com.
Step Up for Israel Atlanta Kick-Off:
(from left) Orit Sklar, Hadara Ishak,
Dennis
Prager,
and
Steve
Oppenheimer
SUPPORTING ISRAEL’S MOST HEROIC ATHLETES. Sheila and Michael
Schwarz had a wonderful reception at their
lovely home for the Israel Sports Center for
the Disabled, which does wonderful work
helping injured and handicapped kids in
Israel.
The event featured some of the group’s
star athletes from the Israeli children’s team
participating in the Miami World
Championship for Disabled Children.
Among the guests was fourteen-yearold Asael Shabbo who, seven years ago,
lost his mother, three siblings, and one of
his legs in a terrorist attack. He came to the
center, not surprisingly, in a traumatized,
grief-stricken, and psychologically disturbed state. But now, Asael is a strong,
high-spirited, successful athlete who counsels and inspires other disabled victims of
terrorism, “uplifting the spirits of newly
disabled youngsters who share his fate, and
helping them in their long journey to rehabilitation,” as the center puts it.
Today, more than 3,000 kids, many of
them victims of terrorism, are being rehabilitated by the ISCD through some 20
sports activities. The center trains the kids
in the use of wheelchairs to enable them “to
take part in wheelchair sports that help turn
them from a state of helplessness toward
STEP UP FOR ISRAEL. Radio talk show
host and author Dennis Prager was in town
as keynote speaker for the Step Up for
Israel Atlanta Kick-Off rally, held at the
Ahavath Achim Synagogue, where he discussed the growing anti-Israel movement,
especially on the nation’s college campuses. This theme is powerfully explored in the
highly acclaimed new film, Crossing the
Line, produced by Raphael Shore. View the
trailer at youtu.be/S9kBaICb3so.
The Atlanta event was co-chaired by
Hadara Ishak and Steve Oppenheimer. Step
Up for Israel is chaired nationally by
Professor Alan Dershowitz and former
Ambassador Dore Gold. The project is
designed to educate the public, motivate the
Jewish community to defend Israel, and
expose and counter what Shore calls “antiIsrael propaganda, pressure, and intimidation that are becoming increasingly common on college campuses across North
America.”
According to Amy Holtz, president of
JerusalemOnlineU.com, “Many parents
don’t realize that their children could be
confronted by a one-sided, anti-Israel perspective when they get to college....Responsible
Jewish parents must prepare their kids for
what they might see and hear about Israel,
just as they prepare them for other challenges they might face on campus.”
Publicist, commentator on Fox Five’s
Sunday morning show “The Georgia
Gang,”
and
JerusaelmOnlineU.com
Managing Director Orit Sklar helped organize the event. She called it “an incredible
success in bringing the Atlanta community Marcia and Michael Schwarz with
together for Israel.... If every adult and star Athlete Asael Shabbo
active lives.”
The center’s wheelchairs cost anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500 apiece, so
ISCD definitely needs a helping hand in
fulfilling its vital mission.
To learn more about the center and how
you can be part of its invaluable work, visit
www.afiscd.org.
PEOPLE OF THE BOOK FESTIVAL. One
of the highlights of the recent Book Festival
of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of
Atlanta, formerly called The Atlanta Jewish
Book Festival, was the Esther G. Levine
Community Read program. This year, the
recommended book was Senator Joe
Lieberman’s
The
Gift
of
Rest:
Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath.
Everyone loved seeing the senator, and
Esther said she was “thrilled to have such a
distinguished guest speak. He was warm
and friendly, and his stories about observing and sharing Shabbat with well-known
national political figures were heartwarming and inspiring.”
The program is named, of course, in
honor of Sandy Springs’ renowned book
maven, who was instrumental in first bringing the Jewish book festival to Atlanta
twenty years ago. For 25 years, Esther has
escorted authors around town for media
appearances and book signings. But when
she first got started, as she told Dunwoody
Crier’s Fran Memberg, “Atlanta wasn’t on
[publicists’] radar screen. It wasn’t that
authors didn’t want to come to Atlanta.
Publicists didn’t know enough about the
city to put it on the schedule. Atlanta had to
build credibility.... We’ve now established
ourselves and have such a wonderful reputation in the Jewish book...world, and
authors really want to come here.”
Senator Joe Lieberman and Esther
Levine (photo: Dan Regenstein)
SERVING THOSE IN MEDICAL NEED.
For the last decade, Community Advanced
Practice Nurses has been in the forefront of
working to serve and strengthen the lives of
January-February 2012
homeless Atlantans and others who do not
have proper access to medical care, providing free physical, mental, and preventive
health care to mothers, children and others
in need.
CAPN’s main clinic is located in
Genesis’ shelter for newborn babies and
mothers in Atlanta. It also sends nurse practitioners to the Atlanta Day Shelter for
Women and Children to provide specialized
pediatric health care. Additionally, physical
and/or mental health care services are rendered at other outreach sites (Atlanta
Children’s Shelter, both locations of
Nicholas House, Mary Hall Freedom
House, Grace United Methodist Church,
and Stand Up For Kids).
Our friend and CAPN board member
Sheila Cohen tells us that the dismal economy is causing increasingly large numbers of
people to seek help: “We are seeing more
and more middle-class patients who are suffering during these hard economic times.
Our clinic is able to provide essential care
for families, children, and young people
needing help with health care, education,
and employment. But especially this season, we need the public’s help so we can
continue helping others.” For information
on how to contribute and help out, visit
www.CAPN.org.
ON THE ROAD TO STARDOM. Sixteenyear-old Native Atlantan Rachel Filsoof is a
singer/songwriter/actress living in New
York City and about to become a superstar.
You have probably seen her in lots of
TV commercials, PSAs, and print ads. Her
recent movie roles include Nikki in Flying
By, a Lifetime film starring Heather
Locklear and Billy Ray Cyrus, and a student in Paramount’s Mean Girls 2.
Current projects include a reality show
that will be airing on the Oxygen Network;
lead roles in two films under production;
and being the lead singer in a four-girl
group recording songs for a record label.
Her original music can be heard at
Myspace.com/rachellorin, which is averaging 50,000 hits a month. In July alone, she
had 400,000 hits on the new song she cowrote.
Most important, Rachel received rave
reviews from Martha Jo and Jerry Katz
(“really spectacular...amazing talent”), who
attended a private performance at the home
of Rachel’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred
Filsoof, to promote her upcoming TV series
on Oxygen, “The Next Big Thing.” The
show follows music coach Trapper Felides,
as he trains a group of performers hoping
for their big break.
Stay tuned as this Atlanta “Star is
Born.”
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 7
I am a citizen of the United States
BY Marvin
Botnick
I have an envelope in my desk in which I
keep a few documents that are very special to
me. I keep them in my desk rather than locked
away so that periodically I can take them out,
look at them, and bask in the warmth of the
good fortune that has befallen me because of
the actions that are represented by these pieces
of paper.
Included in these papers are: a copy of the
manifest of the S.S. Haverford, which sailed
from the port of Liverpool on May 16, 1906, on
which my mother, who was five years old,
came to this country (unfortunately, I have yet
to locate the manifest for the ship that brought
my father to the U.S.); the papers evidencing
the naturalization of my parents as citizens of
the U.S.; a copy of my father’s Registration
Card showing his registration for the U.S.
armed-forces draft during World War I; and the
AJFF
From page 1
entrée Louder Than a Bomb. In this documentary, a deaf Israeli immigrant in Queens
attends American Sign Language poetry
improv workshops. She ends up partnering
with a Palestinian slam poet, embarking on a
hearing-deaf performance collaboration that
will swell even the most snobbish of hearts.
An Israeli romcom, 2 Night, will
unspool in the middle of the festival, and I
wish it were screening sooner. Award-winning music video director Roi Werner follows two Israeli strangers who meet at a singles bar and slip into a car for a joint ride
home. The problem? They can’t seem to find
a parking spot in all of Tel Aviv. It seems like
a ridiculous premise, but it’s handled with
skill and powerful performances from the
two leads and serves as an apt metaphor for
Israel’s younger generation who cannot seem
to find their identity.
“...the Government of the United States...gives to bigotry no sanction, to
persecution no assistance...May the children of the Stock of Abraham, who
dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other
Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and
figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.”
– George Washington
marriage certificate of my parents. True, these
are just pieces of paper, but to me they represent much more: They are the tangible
reminders of the unbelievable set of events that
gave rise to my very existence and the incredible good fortune that has enabled me to be a
citizen of the greatest of all countries.
On my desk, I also have in a frame a
United States of America flag that was flown
over the United States Capitol on November
26, 1991, for Temple B’nai Israel, the congregation in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in which I
grew up. This flag is a reminder to me of the
famous words contained in a letter written in
1790 to the members of Touro Synagogue in
Newport, Rhode Island, by George
Washington, in which he said:
“...the Government of the United
States...gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance...May the children of the
Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the
other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in
safety under his own vine and figtree, and there
shall be none to make him afraid.”
Living in this country, sometimes we forget that, of all the nations of the world, the
United States has done as much or more than
any other country to protect and defend liberty
and justice for all people. My passport, like that
of most of the people that will read this article,
says that I am a citizen of the United States, and
this is not a privilege that I take lightly.
As an American, I am taught that I am
subject to the laws of this country. As a Jew, I
am taught that I am subject to the laws of the
family. It’s madcap in its pacing and hilarious
in its tone, and you couldn’t ask for a better
comedy, at a film festival or just a weekend
date night.
only to enjoy the new playmates and combat
his isolation. Of course, the act cannot be
sustained. His secret will slip out, and the
results are a dramatic reminder of how much
we share even amidst our distinct differences.
Let My People Go!
In truth, the best films of the festival are
not Jewish in the early-career Woody Allen
way, which is to say stereotypically Jewish.
Nor are they oppressive and unrelenting
depictions of the worst moments of Jewish
history (see Holocaust documentary number
138,401). Rather, they take the odd angle on
Jewish life. More than that, they use the
Jewish experience to discuss some universal
truth, and in the process they help connect
our own community with those around us.
In David, a lonely young Muslim boy,
the son of a devout imam, is mistaken for an
Orthodox Jewish child. He plays along, if
Meanwhile, fans of dance will find My
Dad Baryshnikov to be an irresistible draw.
We’re taken to Russia in the age of perestroika to see a clumsy, skinny, 14-year-old
Jewish boy. His obsessive study of a VHS
tape of the banned dissident Mikhail
Baryshnikov helps him improve his dancing,
but the situational comedy takes a new turn
when he begins to claim he’s Baryshnikov’s
illegitimate son. It may seem an interesting
premise for an ultimate niche film, but the
question of why a young boy, neglected by
his mother, would try to perpetrate such a
fraud at such a time opens up a host of questions about how we relate to one another, and
the human need for attention and community.
2 Night
Let My People Go! comes by way of
France and Finland. This delightful little film
explodes homosexual stereotypes in its
depiction of a Nordic gay couple who suffer
a romantic quarrel. Nebbishy Ruben returns
to his home in Paris and is forced to endure
Passover with his devout, and dysfunctional,
My Dad Baryshnikov
David
This is Sodom, the box office smash in
its native Israel, comes to Atlanta and manages to lampoon every vestige of our modern
mediascape: reality TV, game shows, vapid
land in which I live, dina d’malchuta dina.
Thoughtless action is no justification to violate
these principles, and irresponsible bantering,
regardless of motivation, can be devastating in
its results.
Inherent in this precious status is the duty
and responsibility to insure that we continue to
function as a nation of laws, and that we are
both morally and legally obligated to adhere to
the laws and concepts that are embodied in this
nation. Unlike so many nations of the world,
redress has been and must continue to be
through the legal mechanisms provided by our
system and not by anarchism, subversion,
armed actions, or the support or solicitation of
such activities.
While we may disagree with a position or
with certain actions, we owe it to ourselves and
to one another to honor the humanity that is
ensconced in the very soul of this country and
our religious heritage. So long as actions are
proper and legal, we have the right to speak out
against something and try to sway public opinion. But we do not have the right, either legally or religiously, to seek to effect or encourage
change through force, and we denounce any
activity.
celebrities, overly pious leaders. The
comedic masterpiece skewers modern Israeli
culture in a way that would make fans of
South Park or classic Monty Python proud.
This is Sodom
The films of AJFF’s 2012 lineup trot the
globe in this way. From Israel to Australia,
from the 1930s turmoil of Europe to the
1960s New Left to Brooklyn, circa today,
AJFF takes you on a journey that is anything
but stereotypical. There is a slasher film,
Israel’s first entry into the genre, in Rabies
for crying out loud! How could you not
expect a surprise, delightful ones I promise,
at every turn?
Yes, there are Israeli films. Yes, there are
Holocaust narratives. Opening night will
kick off the festival with My Best Enemy, a
tragicomedy set amidst the Nazi genocide.
Yet it evokes Quentin Tarantino’s
Inglourious Basterds much more than
Schindler’s List, which is to say that it takes
a fresh take on an old subject.
So it would be only the most cynical
film fans who would think of AJFF as just a
Jewish film festival, and it would be their
loss. It may be the most universally accessible film festival anywhere in America.
Page 8
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
January-February 2012
Atlanta Jewish Film Festival aims for its biggest event ever
By Brian Katzowitz
Drawing more than 26,000 people to
its screenings and earning venerable recognition from its counterparts throughout the
country, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
has become a standout part of Atlanta’s vast
line-up of cultural offerings.
Now gearing up for its twelfth year of
existence, event organizers are looking to
expand upon previous years incarnations
with more days, more films, and more venues.
“Our focus has been on making the
experience of the festival more customer
friendly,” said Executive Director Kenny
Blank. “By offering two extra days of
screenings (February 8-29), we are increasing our bandwidth and providing opportuni-
ties for attendees to check out some of the
festival favorites they may have missed the
first time.”
This year’s favorites could include any
number of the 70 films being offered. From
a World War II crime caper to an animated
documentary on the life of Ben Gurion, the
festival offers a wide array of narratives and
documentaries bound together by a common Jewish thread and chosen by a robust
selection committee.
According to Blank, the committee,
consisting of rabbis, local film professors,
industry experts, and enthusiastic
cinephiles, spends countless hours between
May and October screening, discussing,
and identifying the festival line-up from
more than 400 entries.
While a seminal part of the planning
process, film selection is only one component of a year-round effort to keep the festival moving forward. Especially difficult
during times of economic austerity, Blank
relies heavily on a dedicated staff and volunteer leadership to secure sponsorships,
drive marketing efforts, sell tickets, and
provide on-site support.
“I think now more than ever, our audience wants films that will allow them to
escape for a couple of hours,” said Blank.
“They are looking for movies that will not
only entertain but will inspire and motivate,
and we strive to make that happen.”
Highlights from this year’s festival
include:
My Best Enemy – Returning to The
Fabulous Fox Theatre, the festival opens on
February 8 with a true red-carpet-worthy
event. My Best Enemy is a lighthearted
thriller set against the backdrop of World
War II. The event includes a reception and
live auction.
The Apple Pushers – Demonstrating
the diversity of subject matter available to
attendees, The Apple Pushers chronicles a
community effort to address the obesity
epidemic through immigrant pushcart vendors.
My Best Enemy
Rabies – The always popular Young
Professionals Night is scheduled for
February 9 with the presentation of Rabies,
a staple on the international film festival
circuit and one of the few horror comedies
to ever come out of the Israeli film industry.
A pre-party at STRIP will be held before the
screening.
AMIT
From page 1
which keep our Jewish way of life alive
and connect us to those who came before
us. The Amit Program’s Antique Judaica
Appraisal Show, at the Jewish
Federation of Greater Atlanta’s Selig
Center, will help you determine the
value, era, and origin of your family
heirlooms, including ritual objects,
works of art, books, manuscripts, and
antique silver of any kind. The program
will kick off with Greenstein sharing tips
on how to collect Judaica, followed by a
group presentation on the value and history of individual heirlooms brought by
attendees.
The event will also include a community celebration honoring Helen
Hackworth, Brenda Benamy Lewis, and
Sylvia Schwartz, each of whom has
played an important role in educating
generations of Atlanta children who
learn differently, paralleling the mission
of The Amit Program. Since 2001, Amit
has been the central resource in the
Jewish community for special education,
ensuring that each child is able to reach
his or her individual potential, while
learning in a Jewish environment. Amit
strives to ensure that students with special needs can thrive and be integrated
into the community by offering a wide
range of educational services and family
support.
Atlanta native Sylvia Schwartz has
Silver Chanukah lamp, with all original wick holders, servant lamp, and
oil pitcher appraised by J.
Greenstein and Co. Germany, c.
1890. Estimate $1,200-$2,000
A hand-carved silver spice tower
appraised by J. Greenstein and Co.
Birmingham, c. 1936. Estimate
$3,000-$5,000
dedicated her life to education and the
community. For decades, she worked as
an educator and was instrumental in
mainstreaming special-needs children
into the classroom. Over 40 years ago,
she developed the Jewish Community
Rabies
Center’s preschool program for children
with disabilities. Now in her mid-eighties, Sylvia is a much loved community
figure, with lifelong friends from her
involvement in Brandeis, Jewish War
Veterans, and Jewish Family & Career
Services, as well as her many years
teaching at the JCC. A speech pathologist by profession,
Helen Hackworth is a respected private
tutor and independent educational contractor who works with children with
learning differences. Helen began and
directed the learning differently program
at Greenfield Hebrew Academy, which
was the predecessor to the current
M’Silot program. She is the current chair
of The Amit Program’s education com-
The Apple Pushers
For a complete schedule and ticket
information, visit www.ajff.org.
mittee and has been instrumental in
helping launch Amit University, which
provides professional development
opportunities for educators.
Brenda Benamy Lewis is no stranger
to the disability community. Having two
cousins with special needs, Brenda grew
up understanding the importance of support services and education in the community. Several years ago, she began
working as a special-needs facilitator to
ensure that even children who learn differently are able to participate in Jewish
preschools. What started out as a way to
help others has since become a personal
passion and given her a new direction in
her own life.
It is not just tangible items of sentiment that have been passed down over
the generations. These honorees exemplify how Judaism teaches values and
instills in us a sense of duty to improve
the lives of others. As a community, we
must join together to make sure that our
most prized possessions, our children,
have the chance to embrace their heritage and traditions through Jewish educational and experiential opportunities,
regardless of their abilities. Supporting
The Amit Program will help children
who learn differently today and for generations to come.
For more information about The
Amit Program or the Antique Judaica
Appraisal Show, visit www.amitatlanta.org, or contact Amit at info@amitatlanta.org or 404-961-9966.
January-February 2012
Girl Scouts
From page 1
Scarcely a year after the founding,
Mildred would lead Savannah’s first Girl
Scout camping trip to Wassaw Island, still
today a barrier
i s l a n d .
Photographs from
that 10-day campout
and
Mildred’s vivid
memoirs punctuate the exhibit.
Camp at Wassaw Island, July 1913
“Finding a suitable campsite and financing
the enterprise was easy in comparison to
getting the anxious parents of the Patrol
Leaders and of the girls to consent to such
an unheard-of-expedition,” Mildred wrote.
Wassaw Island caretaker and Girl
Scout, July 1913
In Savannah, the first Girl Scout
patrols included girls from the elite Pape
School, as well as Jewish girls and those
from local orphanages and homes.
In the beginning, Girl Scouting opened
a whole new world. After 6th or 7th grade,
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
girls had nothing to do, nowhere to go. Girl
Scouts offered them opportunities to go
camping, learn to cook, travel, participate
in community service, and earn proficiency
badges at award ceremonies that singled
them out. Girl Scouting was that “new
thing.” Through Scouting, they could do
anything they wanted to
do. (Historic note: That
year, suffragettes and
their supporters were
parading in New York
City.)
The 279-yearold
Congregation
Mickve Israel is a natural to showcase the Girl
Scouts. Located just a
few blocks from the Girl Scout First
Headquarters and the Girl Scout Birthplace,
the temple has created a museum on its
premises (including a Torah brought from
England in 1733 by the original settlers). It
attracts Girl Scout troops and other visitors
from throughout the world. (Like the Girl
Scout First Headquarters and the Girl Scout
Birthplace, the Mickve Israel Museum is a
member of the Coastal Museums
Association.) It is expected that some of the
newly created displays will become part of
the permanent collection.
The Girl Scout exhibit will be housed
in two sections of the synagogue’s
Mordecai Sheftall Memorial Hall. It is
organized by a sub-committee of the standing museum committee, which includes
descendants of the first leaders and early
Girl Scouts. Phoebe Kerness is chair of the
Girl Scout sub-committee; Eileen Lobel
and Margie Levy are co-chairs of Mickve
Israel’s museum committee.
Savannah is expecting thousands of
visitors during the centennial year, culminating in Girl Scout Weekend, March 9-12.
Mickve Israel will have appropriate activities for girls—a service, tours, scavenger
hunt, and the opportunity to acquire a
Shalom Y’all Mickve Israel Girl Scout
patch with the congregation crest. Since
Gottlieb’s Bakery in 1936 provided the first
commercially produced Girl Scout cookies
in Savannah, the girls may have the opportunity to bake cookies (from the original
recipe provided by Isser Gottlieb) as part of
the weekend. There are numerous other
Girl Scout events planned throughout the
year.
Mickve Israel is located on Monterey
Square, in Savannah’s historic district, on
Bull Street, between Gordon and Wayne
streets. Docent-guided tours of the sanctuary and the museum are offered 10:00 a.m.1:00 p.m. and 2:00-4:00 p.m., MondayFriday. The last tour starts approximately
30 minutes before the end of each session.
For more information, visit www.mickveisrael.org.
Page 9
Missing Dr. Kiley
BY Gene
Asher
Come back, Dr. Kiley, we miss
you.
James Del Kiley, everybody’s
favorite physician at The Jewish
Tower, has retired, and we are not
likely to find another one like him.
My mother, the late and brilliant
Erna Fromme Asher, said there would
never be another Herbert J.
Rosenberg, our family physician for
some 50 years.
When I broke my arm in a fistfight with Jack Brail at the old, old
Standard Club, one of the club members hollered, “Quick, take him to the
emergency room.”
“You are not taking me to an
emergency room, you are taking me
to Dr. Rosenberg’s office,” I said. He
was our family doctor for fractures,
stomachaches, headaches, or any
other kind of aches.
Although he has been deceased
for more than 50 years, I can still
remember him carrying that black
bag of his with all the medicines he
needed. Mainly he carried a smile, a
laugh, a cigar, and an assurance that
all was going to be well. And it usually was.
“There will never be another H.
J.,” mother said.
Well, mother, there is one, and
his name is James Del Kiley. People
at The Jewish Tower cried when they
heard their Dr. Kiley was retiring
October 31, 2011. This is no trick.
And it certainly is not a treat.
Tower resident Lynn Morris
expressed it best.
“Talk about mixed emotions. We
all are happy he can spend more time
with his family, but we are going to
miss him something awful.”
Page 10
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
January-February 2012
Company J comes to the MJCCA
Company J, the new theater company at the Marcus Jewish Community
Center of Atlanta (MJCCA), was created
to offer a variety of theatrical offerings
for audiences of all ages, as well as provide a nurturing environment for theater
artists to train and develop their creative
potential. Housed in the Morris & Rae
Frank Theatre, this new company is presenting a varied first season that includes
a comedic musical masterpiece, an interactive bar mitzvah adventure, a family
musical, and a teen summer stock musical.
Company J kicked off its 2011-12
season with The Producers; this outrageous musical satire was directed by
Company J Producing Artistic Director
Brian Kimmel.
Company J’s mainstage season continues with The Boychick Affair. In this
production, audience members mingle,
eat, sing, and dance with the rest of the
“guests” and enjoy a delicious bar mitzvah meal—including dessert—at the
“reception” for Harry Boychick’s unique
bar mitzvah ceremony. This hilarious
interactive event follows a young rap
wannabe as he becomes a man in front of
his wacky, loving family. Performances
are February 9, 11, and 12; tickets are Ryan Walden is bar mitzvah boy Harry
Boychick in The Boychick Affair
$25-$35 and include a meal.
Next is the family musical A Year
With Frog & Toad. Conceived by Arnold most recently as director of our criticalLobel’s daughter, Adrianne Lobel, A ly acclaimed productions of Rent and
Year With Frog & Toad remains true to West Side Story, and, prior to that,
the spirit of the original stories, as it fol- worked with Drama Camp, Project
lows cheerful Frog and grumpy Toad Impact Theatre, and Camp Barney
through four fun-filled seasons. Waking Medintz. In his years at the MJCCA,
from hibernation in the spring, Frog and Brian has proven himself to be a creative
Toad proceed to plant gardens, swim, and confident theater professional.”
According to Kimmel, “Company J
rake leaves, and go sledding, learning
life lessons along the way, including a will continue to build bridges between
most important one about friendship. community and professional collaboraPerformances are May 9-13; tickets are tors by making theater available to people of all ages and levels of theatrical
$10-$18.
The season concludes with the 2012 experience. This model will help to creTeen Summer Stock Musical, Spring ate a unique artistic home for our comAwakening. Winner of eight Tony munity that combines professional
Awards, including Best Musical, this artistry with community spirit.
“Through dynamic productions and
rock musical adaptation of a controversial 19th-century play explores, with classes,” he continues, “we challenge
poignancy and passion, the turbulent our community to embrace its cultural
journey from adolescence to adulthood. life through the art of live performance.
This landmark musical is an exhilarating Several objectives that I hope to accommix of morality, sexuality, and rock & plish include: producing at least four
roll. This show is recommended for productions each season, one of which
audiences 17 years and older. will be a production for children; creatPerformances are August 8-19; tickets: ing partnerships with schools and local
theaters that provide opportunities for
$12-$25.
Kim Goodfriend, MJCCA director sharing resources and the development
of Arts and Culture, says, “Brian served of youth in theater; and nurturing and
Ryan Walden (from left), Amy Feinberg, Grace Hancock, and Sylvee Legge (all photos: Heidi Morton)
Harry Boychick, surrounded by his parents: (from left) David Skoke,
Ryan Walden, and Stacey Shapiro
sustaining an internship program for
emerging professionals from Atlanta and
beyond.”
Brian Kimmel has been a freelance
director, teacher, and actor in Atlanta for
over fifteen years. His students are
working on Broadway, national, and
international tours; at League of
Resident Theatres (LORT); and in feature films and television. Kimmel has
acted for theaters all over the country,
including roles in Hamlet, Fiddler on the
Roof, Picnic, Brighton Beach Memoirs,
and The 25th Putnam County Spelling
Bee. In November, he appeared in a new
adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion,
at Theater Emory. His directing experience includes over 50 productions,
including Guys and Dolls, Fiddler on the
Roof, A Midsummer Nights Dream,
Antigone, and Herschel and The
Hanukkah Goblins. His award-winning
productions of Urinetown and Bat Boy:
The Musical were featured at the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2006 and
2008.
Prior to coming to the MJCCA,
Kimmel worked as an associate artist for
The Warehouse Theater in Greenville,
South Carolina, and co-founded Out of
Hand Theater in 2000. His training
includes a bachelor of arts in theater
from Emory University, an apprenticeship at The Warehouse Theater, a master’s degree in theater education from
Brenau University, and a specialist in
education from the University of West
Georgia.
For more information on Company
J, visit www.atlantajcc.org/companyj. To
purchase tickets, call 678-812-4002, or
visit www.atlantajcc.org.
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 11
Sawyer receives National Human Relations Award
The American Jewish Committee, the
nation’s oldest human relations organization, saluted D. Jack Sawyer, Jr., for his
unflagging community involvement and
commitment to AJC Atlanta’s mission of
human rights and building bridges of mutual understanding, while erasing all forms of
bigotry.
The prestigious 2011 National
Human Relations Award was presented to
Sawyer, president of Wilmington Trust
Southeast Region, at an elegant dinner at
the St. Regis Hotel, on December 8.
Traurig, was a principal sponsor of the
event; Marjorie and Steve Harvey; The
Very Rev. Sam Candler and his wife, Boog;
and Louise Sams, of lead sponsor Turner
Broadcasting, and Jerome Grilhot.
The Very Rev. Sam and Boog
Candler (left) and Nina and Bill
Schwartz (all photos: Kim Link)
Don Perry (from left), Jack Sawyer,
Elaine Levin, and Dr. Herbert Shessel
The evening began with an invocation by Rabbi Ron Segal, of Temple Sinai,
and continued with a welcome by American
Jewish Committee President Lenny
Silverstein.
Co-chairs of the annual dinner were
Lovette and Michael Russell, whose father,
Herman J. Russell, received last year’s
award; Linda and Steve Selig; Kane and
Joel Katz, whose law firm, Greenberg
Jack Sawyer joined a distinguished
roster of past recipients, including former
President Jimmy Carter, Senator Sam
Nunn, philanthropist and Cox Enterprises
past chairman James Cox Kennedy, and
entrepreneur Herman J. Russell, in being
honored with the National Human
Relations Award.
The Atlanta AJC Regional Office,
founded in 1944, carries forth the 105-yearold American Jewish Committee’s promotion of democratic ideals, minority rights,
and protection of human rights across the
globe.
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, who
personally asked to write a message of commendation to Jack Sawyer for the dinner
program, referred to Sawyer’s “tireless
work and charitable advocacy as an icon in
the Atlanta community for years.”
An advocate for progress, Sawyer
serves on the Board of Directors of the
Southeast Anti-Defamation League and the
Civil War to Civil Rights Steering
Committee of the Atlanta History Center.
He has been both chairman and honorary
chairman of the High Museum of Art’s
Driskell Prize Dinner, supporting AfricanAmerican art. His humanitarian and cultural leadership focuses on service on the
Board of Directors of Children’s Healthcare
of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding, Open Hand,
the High Museum of Art, Friends of
Georgia Music Festival, the Georgia
Museum of Art, the Atlanta Humane
Society, and Zoo Atlanta. He has led the
Atlanta History Center’s Swan House Ball,
both as chairman and honorary chairman.
The American Jewish Committee
Dinner was generously supported by lead
benefactors William B. Schwarz Family’s
Chatham Valley Foundation, with William
B. Schwartz III, of Wilmington Trust, representing his family; the Selig Family; The
Coca-Cola Company; Wilmington Trust;
and the St. Regis Atlanta. In addition to the
co-chairmen and sponsors acknowledging
Jack Sawyer’s community leadership were
Wilmington Trust’s Mark Graham and his
wife, Nikki, who traveled from
Wilmington, Delaware, for the occasion;
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed; Gregg and
Beth Paradies; Laura Turner Seydel; Steve
and Linda Selig; Elaine Levin; Don Perry;
Chip and Sharon Shirley; Elizabeth Allen;
Debbie and Lon Neese; Steve and Sheri
Labovitz; City Council President Robb Pitts
and his wife, Fran; Ingrid Saunders Jones,
of The Coca-Cola Company, another lead
benefactor; Elaine and Miles Alexander; Dr.
Bobbie Bailey; Darrell Mays; Lisa and Joe
Bankoff; Carolyn and Rhett Tanner; Ron
and Kay Quigley; Devyne Stephens; Ladi
Drew; and Cindy and Bill Voyles.
Fulton
County
Commission
Chairman John Eaves (left) with Joel
Katz
Louise Sams (from left) with Miles
and Elaine Alexander
Yeshiva Atlanta Shabbaton is a rousing success
After months of planning, the day had
arrived. Nearly 100 Yeshiva Atlanta students, along with another 20 prospective
students from various middle schools
around Atlanta, boarded buses and headed
to the mountains of North Georgia. There,
at Camp Blue Ridge, they would not only
discuss the topic of unity (and its importance to both the school and the greater
Atlanta Jewish community) but would live
it intensely for 48 hours.
This
year’s
Yeshiva
Atlanta
Shabbaton, which took place October 2830, featured Divrei Torah by four different
YA students—girls representing grades 912—and by the school’s new dean of
Judaic Studies, Rabbi Asher Yablok. The
students were also responsible for all parts
of the prayer services, from serving as
chazzan to opening the makeshift ark to
reading the Torah. The teachers who chaperoned, including Head of School Dr. Paul
Oberman and Assistant Principal of Judaics
Ariella Allen, were simply part of the congregation; their respect for the students’
leadership was obvious.
According to Oberman, “The Student
Council members did a fabulous job getting everything organized in advance, and
the rest of the student body was equally
engaged over the course of the weekend.
Every student stepped up and took responsibility for some aspect of the Shabbaton,
whether it was setting up meals, organizing
an afternoon hike, or simply interacting
with the 8th-graders who were in attendance as prospective YA students.”
The Shabbaton’s schedule was packed,
starting mid-afternoon, when the 8thgraders arrived early to the camp and were
treated to an hour-long ropes course adventure. With the arrival of the rest of the students, the camp was abuzz with activity as
the students prepared for Shabbat, which
included Kabbalat Shabbat, dinner, and a
festive oneg program that included several
very amusing grade skits.
Shabbat day was just as packed, with
the students leading both the shacharit and
mincha services. The highlight of the day
came via special guests Bill and Paula Gris,
who both gave talks. The Grises were
among the founding families of Yeshiva
Atlanta, and Mr. Gris served as the school’s
first basketball coach. The students loved
his stories of the school’s early days, especially the one in which an opposing coach,
upon seeing the six-member basketball
team (the school had a total enrollment that
year of seven students), asked him,
“Where’s the rest of your team?” One of
the boys quickly responded, “He’s home
sick.”
Far more powerful were Bill’s stories
about what is was like to be a Jew in
Atlanta in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
His description of the first time he and
Paula went to see a movie after moving to
Atlanta from the New York area, only to
confront a sign proclaiming “Black
Balcony,” made a huge impact on the students. “There were also separate water
fountains for blacks and whites,” he
explained, “which confused us terribly,
because we assumed that it was the same
water we were all drinking.”
Paula, who has worked extensively on
Holocaust-related issues and who served as
a chaperone for the Atlanta delegation to
the March of the Living, made an equally
moving presentation. It was particularly
striking to hear her reaction to that morning’s prayer service. “I was moved to tears
to hear your joyful and enthusiastic singing
of Hallel to mark the occasion of Rosh
Chodesh [the first day of the new month],”
she told the students.
At the conclusion of Shabbat, the students took part in a Charlbach-style havdalah and then enjoyed grilled hamburgers
and hot dogs as they sat around a roaring
campfire. Sparks and songs filled the air,
and it was clear to all there that the
Shabbaton had been a big success.
Kudos are of course in order to the
Student Council members who planned
and organized the Shabbaton: CoPresidents Yondi Kadosh and Michael Lor,
Vice-President Avi Ginsburg, Treasurer
Alexa Ratner, and Secretary Yifat Kadosh.
Special thanks, too, are due the school’s
Student Council advisors, Mrs. Amanda
Bunder and Rabbi Reuven Travis.
Page 12
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
January-February 2012
Jewish Free Loan Funds Help Jewish Georgians in Need
In March, 2009, Mrs. Malka
Rosenbaum z”l, a beloved individual who
was known for her many acts of loving
kindness and who made many contributions
to the spirituality of the Atlanta community
and Klal Israel planted the seeds for what is
known today as the Jewish Interest Free
Loan of Atlanta or JIFLA. JIFLA now provides loans to Jewish families and individuals throughout the state of Georgia.
Jewish Interest Free Loan of Atlanta,
Inc., is a 501(c)3 non-profit charity established to provide financial assistance
through interest-free loans and is committed to the biblical precept (Exodus 22:24),
“If you lend money to My people, to those
in need among you, do not act as a creditor;
exact no interest from them.”
According to Dr. Mort Barr, JIFLA
president, “the prolonged economic downturn in our state has increased the ranks of
Jews one can classify as marginally needy.”
Since the stock market collapse in late 2008
pushed the nation into recession, the
demand for financial support, food and
clothes from Jewish social service agencies
and charities in Atlanta and throughout the
state of Georgia has risen significantly. Barr
continued to say that “JIFLA is a member
of the International Association of Hebrew
Free Loans. Through direct contact with
other Jewish Free Loans, we are painfully
aware that the same phenomenon has
appeared in Jewish communities across the
country.” Right here in Atlanta, both JIFLA
and JELF (Jewish Education Loan Fund –
which provides loans for higher education)
have been busier than ever before in helping people and families in need.
As economic times have gotten
tougher, requests for loans have been
increasing. While JIFLA had provided 8
loans in its first 12 months of operation, it
has provided another 12 loans in the following 9 months with two loan applicants
waiting for approval.
Since opening its loan office in March,
2010, JIFLA has provided $52,600 in interest-free loans to members of our local communities. All loans are being repaid, and
with these repayments the money is available to recycle and loan out again. Each
loan JIFLA has provided has helped Jewish
families in unique ways: an unemployed
family was provided funds to pay for living
expenses until they were able to find jobs.
One loan persuaded the borrower’s mortgage bank to approve a mortgage loan modification. Another loan helped a family
member pay for emergency surgery, which
was not covered by their medical insurance.
JIFLA helped an individual who started a
new job after being unemployed for 2 years
and needed help with 2 months of rent payment until the first paycheck came in. A
recent loan helped a hardworking but strug-
gling family pay for unexpected funeral
expenses of a parent. Their most recent
loans helped families who lost income due
to unexpected layoffs and were temporarily
unable to pay their bills. The loans will
bridge these families while they are searching for new jobs. Other loans helped families consolidate their debt and helped lower
debt-management costs, and in other ways
helped families manage their way out of
severe financial crises. JIFLA will provide
loans for vocational training, purchasing
used cars if needed for employment purposes, emergency home repairs, dental and
medical bills, and many other purposes that
will help families in financial need.
“We recycle money so we can recycle
people’s lives,” said Barr. “The story is not
that we lent $52,600. The story is that there
are thousands of stories out there.”
Anonymity of the borrower and loan
guarantor is a major value and promise of
JIFLA. The loan applicant is assigned a
loan number, and all information, is identified only by the loan number. According to
Barr, “At most, only two people are aware
of the borrower’s identity and only one person is aware of the guarantor’s identity.
Confidentiality is carefully protected.”
According to JIFLA’s rabbinic advisor,
Rabbi Doniel Pransky: “Besides giving to
those who are already poor, make sure you
prevent others from joining the ranks of the
impoverished….Very worthy causes exist
to ease the enormous burden that crushes
our fellow Jews who cannot afford the basic
necessities of life. As the number of those in
need grows, however, it is equally necessary for us to do our part to hold back as
many people as we can from that burden.
“This is the job of the Jewish Interest
Free Loan of Atlanta. By offering interestfree loans to those who have encountered a
significant, and perhaps sudden, expense
that is beyond their means, we can keep
them on a sound financial footing. We can
grab hold of someone teetering on the edge
of a cliff and literally pull him or her back
to safety. This is our mission. As our sages
teach us, if a heavy burden is about to fall
off a donkey, it only takes one person to
steady it. After it falls to the ground, even
five people can’t lift it.”
JIFLA is professionally managed by
volunteers. All involved in this endeavor
have a passion for unity and shalom in the
Jewish community. The outreach to all Jews
and non-judgmentalism of the fund provides a wonderful opportunity to bridge
diverse elements of our Jewish community
to contribute to peace, unity, cooperation,
and understanding within the community.
More information about JIFLA can be
found through its website at www.jifla.org
or e-mail freeloan@jifla.org
Southeast teens attend bar mitzvah for
student with mitochondrial myopathy
On October 28, The Temple in
Midtown Atlanta hosted a special bar mitzvah ceremony for Benjamin Faber, who has
mitochondrial myopathy.
The unique ceremony involved assisted communication devices and the participation of Faber’s fellow students to help
him through the event. Two hundred teens
from all across the Southeastern United
States also attended the bar mitzvah before
embarking on a weekend of learning about
inclusion in Judaism.
Benjamin has been a student at The
Temple’s Breman Religious School since
he was in pre-Kindergarten. He has benefited from The Temple’s commitment to cre-
ating a fully inclusive learning environment
for all of its students. Stacey Levy, a speech
pathologist and member of The Temple, has
been working for the Breman Religious
School for ten years as learning coordinator
and has developed a program that serves
Benjamin and dozens of other students with
developmental disabilities each year.
“Judaism has never been an exclusive
religion. It is available to everyone,” says
The Temple’s director of lifelong learning,
Rabbi Steven H. Rau, RJE. “We have a
commitment to ensure that every student
has a chance to learn and share in the
Jewish experience.”
To drive home this Jewish value of
inclusion, The Temple
scheduled
Benjamin’s bar mitzvah as a kickoff to a
weekend gathering of Jewish teenagers
from across the Southeast that included
opportunities to learn about welcoming and
including everyone in Jewish life.
This is a continuation of The Temple’s
tzadikim (Hebrew for “righteous person”)
program, which trains students to serve as
shadows and aides to students, like
Benjamin, who learn differently. The many
students who worked with Benjamin over
the years were present for his bar mitzvah.
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Taste of Atlanta wraps up a landmark festival
Taste of Atlanta, the city’s largest food
festival, hosted its landmark 10th annual
event October 22-23. The two-day affair
saw thousands of festivalgoers flocking to
Midtown’s Technology Square, enjoying
samples from more than 80 of Atlanta’s
premier restaurants.
Highlights included the return of
Inside the Food Studio, which featured a
behind-the-scenes look into the kitchens
and minds of some of Atlanta’s most celebrated chefs; the Family Food Zone, for
young chefs-in-training; cooking stages
featuring demonstrations from local and
national celebrity chefs; and the introduction of The Big Grill, a Friday night block
party that kicked off the weekend.
In addition, Taste of Atlanta furthered
its commitment to community. The on-site
silent auction raised over $25,000 to benefit Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters, a
groundbreaking program that provides a
strong foundation in nutrition, cooking, and
household budgeting through specialized
courses for adults, kids, and teens.
The festival’s president and founder,
Dale Gordon DeSena, has over 25 years of
experience in marketing, advertising, and
festival production. She has been instrumental in bringing together national
celebrity chefs such as Emeril Lagasse,
Sara Moulton, Iron Chef Morimoto, and
Rocco DiSpirito as well as Atlanta chefs
such as Kevin Rathbun, Linton Hopkins,
and Richard Blais.
DeSena created Taste of Atlanta to fill
the city’s need for a food festival truly representing the best the city has to offer. Taste
of Atlanta been named a Top 20 Event by
the Southeast Tourism Society, Best Food
Dale Gordon DeSena
Event in Atlanta by The Atlanta JournalConstitution and Jezebel magazine, and a
“Top Festival Worth the Trip” by O, The
Oprah Magazine. It has earned numerous
Kaleidoscope Awards and been covered by
The New York Times, People Magazine, and
“The Today Show” on NBC.
DeSena is a board member of the
Georgia Restaurant Association and a
member of Les Dames d’Escoffier,
American Culinary Federation, Georgia
Organics, the American Institute of Wine &
Food, and the International Festivals &
Events Association. She has held board
positions with the American Jewish
Committee and the Jewish National Fund.
Page 13
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THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
January-February 2012
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 15
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THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
January-February 2012
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 17
Davis students learn about the critical need for safe drinking water
Davis Academy students recently
learned some serious facts about something
most of us take for granted. For example:
Approximately one out of eight people
worldwide, and especially in developing
nations, do not have access to safe and clean
drinking water. Another fact: water-related
illnesses kill more people each year than
wars and conflict.
Access to clean drinking water, something that most Americans take for granted,
became the focus of this year’s Tikkun Olam
project for Davis Academy 5th-8th-graders
during the month of November, culminating
in activities the day before Thanksgiving.
The project, dubbed the Mayyim
(Hebrew for water) Challenge, spanned the
curriculum. In social studies, students
learned the lengths to which people must go
and the hardships they must endure in some
parts of the world just to obtain clean drinking water and how that impacts their health
and their families’ ability to function. In science, students learned how nature produces
clean water, where it is found, and how it is
accessed, as well as the different ways water
can be purified.
After completing surveys, Middle
School students were surprised to learn how
many sodas, smoothies, and sports drinks
they consume. The results motivated them to
forego those beverages for a few weeks and
redirect the money they would have spent
toward the tzedakah portion of the Mayyim
Challenge. All the funds collected will go to
SAFE Water Now, an Atlanta-based organization that distributes special water filtration
systems to needy communities worldwide.
Fifth-graders Bryan Penn, Evan Penn,
and Jack Kaye show off a sign they
made to create awareness about the
issue of safe drinking water and to
encourage fellow students to contribute tzedakah toward the project.
“At my house, there is running water
everywhere,” said 8th-grader Evan Miller.
“To walk two miles with 40 pounds of water
because the family needs it would be so hard.
Our grade is trying to collect as much
tzedakah as possible to help.”
science labs that underscore the impact of
water pollution on the environment. Tracy
Hawkins, founder of SafeWaterNow, spoke
to students.
The Mayyim Challenge concluded
with a half day of activities, including
a collective science lab that demonstrated how pollution affects the
water supply.
Sophia Gurin discovers how heavy a
35 pound jug of water is.
The half day of school just before
Thanksgiving was dedicated to Mayyim
Challenge programming. Hands-on activities
and the viewing of an award-winning video
helped further understanding, including getting a feel for the weight of water and doing
“This type of program never precisely
fits into the traditional academic curriculum,
yet it encourages thinking and feeling, and it
challenges students to seek a deeper understanding of the world in which they live,
and—most importantly—their place in that
world,” said Middle School Principal Jamie
Kudlats.
Epstein students benefit from bilingual education
As parents, we all want to do everything
we can to aid in the development of our children’s minds. As the inheritors of a long and
proud tradition of study and learning, we seek
to reach a higher plateau in our personal, spiritual, and business lives.
To challenge young people through a regimen of formal education has proven a wonderful tool in striving for these goals. And The
Epstein School continues to find new and
innovative ways to mold and develop young
minds.
One of the concepts that Epstein focuses
on is enhancing brain development through
bilingual education. The advantages of bilingual education have been researched for
decades and are well documented. As a leader
in bilingual education, The Epstein School
uses an integrated curricular approach that has
been recognized for its excellence both nationally and internationally.
The school’s academic bilingual program, combined with integration of advanced
technology and the arts, is one of the reasons
Epstein graduates go on to succeed at the best
high schools and colleges. In 2011, 25 students
took first place at the North Atlanta Jewish
Students Technology Fair (NAJSTF); four
Epstein students placed in the top three at the
2011 Georgia State Technology Fair. Over the
past five years, more than half of Epstein 7thgraders tested qualified for the Duke
University Talent Identification Program (TIP)
for academically gifted and talented youth. In
both 2010 and 2011, 100% of those students
tested received state recognition; four received
national recognition. Third- and 5th-grade students at The Epstein School consistently rank
in the 95th-99th percentile among students
taking the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.
stronger communication skills, which are
needed in a constantly evolving global economy. Knowing a second language also makes
learning additional languages much easier;
fosters understanding of, appreciation of, and
respect for differences; increases self-esteem
and confidence in social interactions;
improves interpersonal skills; and fosters
adaptability to new situations and contexts.
monolinguals in the domain of mental/cognitive flexibility.
• One of the most fascinating advantages of
bilingual education is described in an article in
the October 2004 issue of Nature, in which
researchers found that bilingual speakers had
denser gray matter, in particular in areas of
memory, language, and attention.
• In the 2007 article “Raising a Bilingual
Child: Parents Can Teach Their Children a
Foreign Language at a Young Age” by Diane
Laney Fitzpatrick, Dr. Geoffrey S. Koby, associate professor of German translation at Kent
State University, said, “All human beings are
naturally, innately able to learn a foreign language as a child.”
Four Epstein students placed in top
three at the State Level Competition,
2011 Georgia Educational Technology
Fair: (from left) Sarah Peljovich, Jack
Schneider, Olivia Fox, and Yoel Alperin
Last year, Epstein alumni included one
high school valedictorian, four salutatorians,
six National Merit Finalists, three Governor’s
Honors participants, the Riverwood High
School Student Council president, and the copresidents of The Weber School. Also in 2010,
62% of alumni from The Epstein School class
of 2006 were members of the National Honor
Society and/or received National Merit
Recognition.
There are numerous additional advantages to receiving a bilingual education. Young
children who learn a second language have
Rotem Kadosh enjoys being bilingual
and is confident that bilingual skills
will help her be successful.
Additional resources that support the
advantages of a bilingual education:
• Ellen Bialystok, in her 2001 book
Bilingualism in Development: Language,
Literacy, and Cognition, says that bilinguals
have “consistent advantages” to understand
the nature of language rather than the ability to
use language to communicate meaning.
• A study conducted by Peal and Lambert in
1962 showed bilinguals to be superior to
First-grader Joeli Van De Grift performs a Hebrew lesson task on an
ActivBoard, one of the many advanced
educational technologies utilized by
students at The Epstein School.
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 18
January-February 2012
Pomegranate Prize recognizes
GHA’s innovative work in early
childhood education
Anna Hartman (center) celebrates with GHA students
AMERICA’S
BEST
CLEANERSTM
4455 Roswell Road
Atlanta, Georgia 30342
404-255-4312
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In November 2011, Anna Hartman,
director of the Early Childhood Department
(ECD) at Greenfield Hebrew Academy
(GHA),
received
the
Covenant
Foundation’s Pomegranate Prize. This
Jewish educational award was the only one
granted this year in the field of early childhood education. In fact, of the sixty awards
the foundation has given since 1991, this is
only the third that has gone to representatives of early childhood education.
Before it was recognized by the
Covenant Foundation, GHA was lauded in
a Yale University study. The findings reveal
that the signature elements of the ECD’s
scientific study of child development,
Jewish thought, the approach of Reggio
Emilia schools, and research on the most
effective way to engage children and their
families in Jewish life “foster deeper relationships among the adult community,
which translate into improved outcomes for
the children.”
Anna Hartman, along with the ECD
faculty, has traveled around the country,
learning from the nation’s best preschools
and thinkers. She said, “We have learned
from the best and been shocked and saddened to see what constitutes early childhood experiences in so many other
schools.” GHA achieves excellence by nurturing authentic Jewish childhoods and
helping families realize their divine poten-
tial, in an environment of relationships,
inquiry, reflection, and collaboration.
Through the creation of this prize, the
Covenant Foundation, whose mission is to
Anna Hartman
support quality educators, seeks to capture
the passion that comes with new experience, nurture new leadership for the field in
an intentional way, and enable emerging
educators to take risks and make a difference. The $15,000 attached to the prize will
constitute a fund to further professional
development in the Reggio Emilia practice.
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 19
ISJL named one of North America’s Most Innovative Jewish Nonprofits
The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of
Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) has been
named a Standard Bearer by Slingshot ‘11‘12, a resource guide for Jewish innovation.
For the past seven years, Slingshot has
featured annually the 50 most innovative
Jewish projects in North America, which
are selected from among hundreds of nominees. In that time, ten organizations have
risen to the top again and again as leaders
within the community and mentors to other
organizations. Now called Standard
Bearers, they have been listed in at least
five editions of Slingshot. These organizations were chosen not only for longevity,
but also because they continue to achieve
Slingshot’s core criteria of innovation,
impact, leadership, and organizational efficacy.
According to Will Schneider, executive
director of Slingshot, “Seven editions of
Slingshot ago, Jewish innovation was still
largely undefined and unexplored, and 66%
of the organizations listed in this year’s
guide weren’t even founded yet. Over the
years, the Standard Bearers consistently set,
exceeded, and reset the high standards that
emerging organizations and projects in
Jewish life aspired to match. In truth, we
had trouble selecting a name that would set
them apart as examples of ongoing excellence without placing them on an “emeritus” list or implying that their innovative
days were behind them. We settled on
Standard Bearers, because these groups set
benchmarks for the field and led by example with ongoing innovation and relevancy.”
Slingshot is used by philanthropists,
volunteers, not-for-profit executives, and
program participants to identify path-finding and trailblazing organizations grappling
with concerns in Jewish life such as identity, community, and tradition. ISJL was chosen by a panel of 36 foundation professionals from across North America. This was
ISJL’s sixth time being featured in
Slingshot.
Based in Jackson, Mississippi, the ISJL
promotes Jewish life in the South through
partnerships with Southern Jewish communities. Founded in 2000, the ISJL supports
religious school education, rabbinic services, Jewish culture, community engagement,
history, and the arts in underserved communities, as well as larger population centers.
The independent, trans-denominational
institute currently partners with more than
100 diverse Jewish congregations and community groups across 13 states: Mississippi,
Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee,
Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, North
Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma, and
the Florida Panhandle. Through this unique
model, the ISJL encourages communities
large and small to assume the shared
responsibility of promoting Jewish life and
tradition region wide.
“The ISJL implements innovative solutions to deliver Jewish programming and
resources to communities across the
South,” explains ISJL president Macy B.
Hart. “Our inclusion in Slingshot ‘11-‘12 as
a Standard Bearer reaffirms the impact of
our work and allows us to continue building
our capacity. We see that we are helping
create a rich Jewish life for this next generation.
Jonathan Raiffe, the chairman of
Slingshot, said, “The Slingshot guide makes
a statement to the Jewish community and
beyond that next-gen funders embrace
change, innovation, and evaluation when
meeting the needs of our community.
Slingshot promotes organizations that hold
themselves accountable to all their stakeholders and up to the same scrutiny as forprofit organizations, while pushing the
boundaries of how to solve the most pressing issues. Slingshot is about making a
statement as to what we believe are the
greatest needs and which organizations are
doing the best job to fulfill those needs.
Organizations that receive grants from
Slingshot clearly identify an unmet need
and offer proven models and solutions that
can have a far-reaching impact.”
Slingshot ‘11-‘12 was released on
October 18, 2011. The community will
meet on March 14 in New York City at the
annual Slingshot Day, where over 250 notfor-profit leaders, foundation professionals,
and funders of all ages will engage in candid conversations about philanthropy and
innovation.
Slingshot was created by a team of
young funders as a guidebook to help fun-
ders of all ages diversify their giving portfolios with the most innovative and effective organizations and programs in North
America. This guide contains information
about each organization’s origin, mission,
strategy, impact, and budget, as well as
details about its unique character. Now in
its seventh edition, Slingshot has proven to
be a catalyst for next generation funding
and offers a telling snapshot of shifting
trends in North America’s Jewish community. The book, published annually, is available in hard copy and as a free download at
www.slingshotfund.org.
Page 20
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
January-February 2012
Giving Birth to a Book
BY Janice Rothschild
Blumberg
Giving birth to a book is like having a
baby, only it takes longer. In the case of my latest offspring, the gestation period surpassed
that of an elephant. As I write this column,
delivery is in sight.
The idea for Prophet in a Time of Priests:
Rabbi “Alphabet” Browne 1845 - 1929 first
occurred more than fifty years
ago when I discovered the
story of how Browne saved
the life of an innocent Jewish
immigrant condemned to die
for murdering his wife.
The rabbi—my greatgrandfather—persuaded the
governor of New York to
commute the man’s sentence
and ultimately gained exoneration for him by reviewing the
case, proving that the accused
could not have committed the
crime, and exposing the true
killer. When I first read it
(fifty years ago) I thought the
story would make a great play, which I planned
to write for Theater Atlanta some day.
Meanwhile, Theater Atlanta bit the dust, my
interests moved to American Jewish history,
and historians convinced me that the career of
“Alphabet” Browne deserved deeper study.
Although I wasn’t trained for the task, I
plunged ahead, never anticipating that it would
take more than a decade to complete. My
search, often frustrating but always interesting,
led to a series of encounters that played out
much like the game of scavenger hunt, in
which each discovery provides a clue to another. For example, a chance acquaintance with
Tweed Roosevelt, who was writing about his
great-grandfather Theodore Roosevelt, initiated an exchange of information about our two
forebears, who were once friends. I had letters
from his great-grandfather, the president, to
mine, the rabbi, which I shared with him.
When he called to thank me, he asked if I
had seen the ones from “T.R.” to “Alphabet”
that were in the Library of Congress. I had not.
Until then, I was unaware that one of President
Franklin Roosevelt’s work projects in the Great
Depression had produced microfilm copies of
presidential correspondence. I hastened to
Capitol Hill to see them, and while Theodore
Roosevelt’s told me nothing new, the collections of Benjamin Harrison, William Howard
Taft, and Woodrow Wilson yielded numerous
revelations about my letter-writing ancestor.
Even more surprising was my find on
Zionism. Coming from a family steeped in
Classical Reform, I had never heard a kind
word about Zionism or Theodor Herzl until
Rabbi Jacob Rothschild joined us, which was
many years after my great-grandfather died. It
was therefore a mystery to me as to why the
family had saved a clipping from a 1912 newspaper about a memorial sermon given by a
friend of Herzl on the anniversary of the
Zionist leader’s death. It was quite a shock to
learn that the friend was none other than my
great-grandfather Browne.
An email to the Central Zionist Archives
in Jerusalem yielded two file folders of letters
from Browne to Herzl, in which the rabbi gave
his candid opinion of American Jewish leaders
and the means by which Herzl could win them
for the cause of Zion. It is tempting to imagine
the difference it might have made in the course
of history if Herzl had taken his advice.
Most of my sources were closer to home
and easier to probe. Browne was one of the
first rabbis in Atlanta, serving
The Temple from 1877 to
1881 and officiating at the
dedication of its first synagogue. I had ferreted out
information on that aspect of
his life when I wrote the congregation’s centennial history
in the 1960s and discovered
even more in the ensuing
years.
His main achievement in
Atlanta was to publish the
South’s first Jewish newspaper, the Jewish South, which
did not survive his departure
but preserved a fascinating
view of Jewish life and interests during the
four years of its publication. Browne moved
from Atlanta under duress and went to a small
congregation in uptown Manhattan. There he
spent a stormy decade fighting discrimination,
alienating the German Jewish leaders while
attracting enthusiastic friends among prominent Gentiles and pious Jews. One of his
friends was Ulysses S. Grant, in whose state
funeral he served as an honorary pallbearer
representing the Jewish people of America.
In the early 1890s, Browne returned to
Georgia as rabbi of Temple Israel in Columbus.
It was there that his daughter, my grandmother,
met and married my grandfather and established a permanent home. Although her peripatetic father resigned his position there in
1901 and served numerous congregations elsewhere during the remaining decades of his life,
he continued to regard Columbus as his home.
His tenure as its rabbi coincided with his awakening to Zionism and other causes which the
majority of his congregants did not yet
embrace. Congregations that he later served
tended to be beginners that ultimately affiliated
with Conservative Judaism, as did his original
congregation in New York.
The more I learned about the life and
times of “Alphabet” Browne, the more I
became convinced that he lived a century too
soon. Today we take for granted many of the
ideas that he espoused and for which he was
largely castigated by those whom he tried to
serve.
Rabbi Rothschild often teased me about
having gone “from shirt sleeves to shirt
sleeves” in three generations. Little did he realize the extent to which that was true—the one
fortunate difference, however, being that
Rothschild managed to speak out and still keep
his job.
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 21
New city park solves flood problems
BY Leon
Socol
Some Atlantans have heard about the
BeltLine and how it is transforming the
inner city into a mecca of homes, businesses, parks, hiking trails, and green space in
Atlanta. But not many know the key role it
played in getting the Historic Fourth Ward
Park built in the heart of the city. This is a
remarkable example of how many elements
of our city, both private and government,
have come together to create a most beautiful and sustainable park. And it is one that
the entire city will be able to enjoy, because
it will be connected to other inner communities by a 22-mile light rail system that
will encircle the city.
In 2003, the City of Atlanta was under
federal mandate to address the flooding
around City Hall East, the former Sears
Roebuck building that faces Ponce de
Leon. The area is one of the low points of
the 800-acre Clear Creek Basin in the Old
Fourth Ward. The initial plan, under the
direction of the city’s Watershed
Management Department, called for the
construction of an extension spur to a nearby stormwater tunnel that eventually would
connect with another drain system on
Highland Avenue.
Before this expensive system could be
built, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., proposed a
joint effort that included a two-acre holding
pond to solve the flooding problem. It was
to be the centerpiece of a wonderful new
park that would have many beautiful and
unique features and would do away with a
blighted area. In choosing this solution, the
city saved $26 million in the cost of materials. Atlanta has less green space than any
city in the country of comparable size, so
this was much needed green space. Fourth
Ward Historic Park covers 35 acres
Legendary skater Tony Hawk at the
dedication of the skatepark in June
2011. The Tony Hawk Foundation
donated $25,000 towards its construction. (photo: Marc Mauldin)
Historic Fourth Ward Park (photo: Christopher T. Martin)
stretched roughly from North Avenue to
Freedom Parkway.
After completion of the holding pond,
a skateboard park was built thanks to the
generosity of the Tony Hawk Foundation,
which provided a $25,000 grant. In addition, a private developer plans to renovate
the old City Hall East building into a mixture of condos, apartments, and businesses,
bringing new people and prosperity to this
once blighted area.
The park was designed with many sustainable features, such as the pond that generates enough water to feed the lawns and
trees in the park even in times of severe
drought. Park visitors will be attracted to a
ten-foot waterfall that aerates and recycles
the pond water to prevent odors and algae
growth. Visitors can view the park and the
city’s skyline from well-placed lookout
platforms. There are multiple play areas,
sports fields, and a 350-seat amphitheater.
The park’s two main phases were ded-
icated last June, with a formal ceremony
and speeches by Atlanta Mayor Kasim
Reed and Department of Parks
Commissioner George Dusenbury. The
remainder of Phase II, which will be done
by next spring, will contain a community
garden, a dog park, a multipurpose lawn,
and walking paths.
The Historic Fourth Ward Park is a
prime example of the improved quality of
life the Atlanta BeltLine is bringing to the
metropolitan area. The environmentally
sustainable detention pond has increased
the capacity of and reduced the burden on
our city’s aging infrastructure and will minimize downstream flooding and property
damage as well.
The realization of Historic Fourth
Ward Park is due to the combined efforts of
the BeltLine, the government, individuals,
and corporations. It has something to offer
all citizens of our city, be they young or
old. Make the park one of your destinations
in 2012. You’ll be glad you did, and I predict once you’ve done so, you will be back
many times. To learn more about Historic
Fourth Ward Park, visit www.h4wpc.com.
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 22
BUSINESS BITS
By Marsha Liebowitz
PRESIDENT’S MEDAL. George S. Stern,
founding partner of Stern & Edlin, PC,
received the International Academy of
Matrimonial Lawyers President’s Medal at
the academy’s 25th anniversary meeting in
Harrogate, England, September 10, 2011, in
recognition of his work as academy treasurer, 1991-2011. Active in the Atlanta Bar
Association and State Bar of Georgia for
years, Stern has been included in “Best
Lawyers in America” since 1997, serves on
the Temple Sinai and Breman Jewish
Heritage and Holocaust Museum boards, is
a vice president of the Amit Program, and is
a past president of the Marcus Jewish
Community Center of Atlanta.
George S. Stern (left)
and David Salter
NEXT GENERATION LEADER. Renée
Rosenheck has been selected for the inaugural class of the Zin Fellows Leadership
Development Program of American
Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the
Negev. This exclusive innovative program
is designed to create a community of “next
generation leaders” committed to furthering
David Ben-Gurion’s vision for Israel’s
Negev region. The program will provides
insight into challenges presented by the
Negev and intends to imbue in fellows a
commitment to the region. Rosenheck is a
founding member of Limmud Atlanta + SE
and serves on the board of the Atlanta
Chevre Minyan.
new vice president of Trade &
Development at The American-Israel
Chamber
of
Commerce, SE
Region (AICC),
and executive
director of the
American Israel
Educational
Institute, AICC’s
charitable affiliate. Swartz was
senior vice president
of
the
J e w i s h
Federations of
Barry Swartz
North America,
where he created
the continental system-wide emergency
preparedness and response system and
directed the JFNA Consulting division,
Next Generation programs, and the
Washington Public Policy Office. He
received a BA from York University and a
master’s in Jewish communal service from
Brandeis University and graduated from the
Mandel Executive Development Program.
FEATURED EXPERT. Karen Botnick Paz,
director of Programming and Development
at The Amit
Program, was
the
featured
expert for the
week of October
4, 2011, on the
Impact ADHD
Blog. Her blog
entry,
“Life
Under the Big
Top,” describes
how her children’s various
diagnoses,
Karen Paz
including learning disabilities, ADHD, OCD, and Tourette
Syndrome, led her to volunteer with the
Amit Program, eventually leading to fulltime employment. Impact ADHD
(impactadhad.com) is a national community
that was created to bring a coach-approach
to parents; it is intended to effectively support entire families by helping parents positively raise their ADHD kids.
PIEDMONT NATIONAL EXPANDS.
Piedmont National Corporation is expanding into South Carolina, with the acquisition
of Winder Packaging LLC, in Greer. Allen
Ivester, Winder Packaging’s president, will
join Piedmont National and assume the role
of sales director for the Carolinas division.
Piedmont, headquartered in Atlanta, has
distribution warehouses and offices in
Atlanta and Albany, Georgia; Chattanooga
and Knoxville, Tennessee; Charlotte, North
Carolina; Montgomery, Birmingham,
Decatur and Dothan, Alabama; and Tampa,
Florida.
SWARTZ JOINS AICC. Barry Swartz is the
Lauryn Elizabeth
Solodar
IN THE BAG.
L a u r y n
Elizabeth
Solodar, a 2011
fall graduate of
The Savannah
College of Art
and
Design
(SCAD), Atlanta
Campus, is the
new art director
and designer for
the
handbag
c o m p a n y
Hammitt
Los
Angeles. She interned with the company
this summer, where she created her first
design, The Viper, which is being shown all
across the country. Solodar also attended
the Hebrew Academy and Riverwood
International Charter School and is the
daughter of Helena and Seymour Solodar.
SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS TECHNOLOGY. Over 200 participants attended
the
American-Israel
Chamber
of
Commerce, Southeast Region’s “Social
Media: Making Business Sense through
Analytics,” a demonstration and discussion
of the latest Israeli technologies, December
7, 2011, at UPS world headquarters in
Atlanta. Three leading Israeli companies,
ActivePath, Pursway, and Verint, made
“Ignite” presentations, and a panel moderated by Professor Benn Konsynski, Emory
University Goizueta Business School, and
including
Adam
Naide,
Cox
Communications; Martin O’Conner,
Equifax; Del Ross, Intercontinental Hotel
Group; and Joe Guerrisi, UPS, discussed
the latest trends from the enterprise perspective.
January-February 2012
30 YEARS. Abbadabba’s is celebrating 30
years of improving people’s health through
better footwear. Janice Abernethy opened a
tiny crafts shop in the late 1970s, but her
passion for comfort shoes began when she
discovered Birkenstocks, which were not
carried by traditional shoe retailers. She
began selling them at the Atlanta Flea
Market and then at Abbadabba’s first brick
and mortar store, in Little 5 Points, in 1981.
Abbadabba’s, now with five locations, carries numerous other brands, including
Israel’s Naot footwear. International shoe
designers and manufacturers consult
Abbadabba’s for input and critique, sometimes before a new line goes into production.
Abbadabbaʼs sales associate Laura
Sultenfuss with the Buckhead
storeʼs Naot selection
AICC Social Media event panelists
Dov Wilker named director
of AJC Atlanta Regional Office
Dov Wilker has been appointed director of the American Jewish Committee’s
Atlanta Regional Office. He succeeds
Sheri Labovitz, interim director, who
served on the search committee.
Wilker previously worked as AJC
Atlanta’s assistant director, a position he
held for two and a half years. He also
brings international experience from his
time representing AJC in the United States’
first professional exchange to South Asia
and his service as regional director of
Academic and Community Affairs for the
Consulate General of Israel to the
Southeast. Wilker returns to Atlanta after
earning his international MBA from Tel
Aviv University and working in the private
sector with an Israeli company.
Founded in 1944, the Atlanta Regional
Office of AJC is dedicated to building
bridges of understanding between the
Jewish community and other ethnic and
faith communities, as well as the diplomatic corps representing numerous interna-
Dov Wilker
tional governments in metro Atlanta and
the Southeast. AJC Atlanta is known for
such successful initiatives as ACCESS,
AJC’s national young adult division; The
Atlanta Black-Jewish Coalition; and The
Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 23
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 24
January-February 2012
Anshi S’Fard’s Centennial Celebration
Anshi S’Fard, known as the little shul
with the big heart, celebrated its
100th anniversary on November 27, 2011.
Ronnie and Jerry Frostig
Sheila and Joe Accortt, Ed
Leader, David Freedman and
Rabbi Lindenblatt enjoy brunch
by Goodfriendʼs Catering
Rabbi Wilson and Rabbi May
Blimie Lindenblatt and Regine
Rosenfelder holding a photo of
her grandfather at the shul on his
90th birthday
Rabbi Chaim Lindenblatt, who has
led the shul for the past 10 years
addressing the group as his son,
Shalom, stands by.
Efrom Prater with
Rabbi and Mrs. Wilson
Eli Rivka Monheit with their children
and Marla Netze, grandmother
A new theme song for Augusta?
On November 13, in front of a large Kosher Singers. “It was great to see people
crowd at Augusta’s hisfrom so many different
torical Imperial Theatre,
corners of our community
the talented spiritual
come out to support our
leader of Adas Yeshurun,
event,” the rabbi said. “Its
Rabbi David Sirull, perpurpose was to celebrate
formed his newly penned
my congregation’s 120th
composition “There’s No
anniversary, but it really
Place Like Augusta.”
accomplished even more
Shortly thereafter, he
than that.”
received numerous comWhen asked how
ments suggesting that it
he felt about “There’s No
become the city’s official
Place Like Augusta”
theme song.
becoming the city’s theme
Sirull was joined by
song, he remarked that he
colleagues and old
hadn’t thought about it,
friends Rabbi Bertram
but based on the extremeKieffer and Cantor Irvin
ly positive feedback, “If
Bell for an evening of
that’s what our city’s folk
Rabbi David Sirull
diverse song. From the
want, then so be it. I’d be
traditional end of the
honored.”
spectrum to Sirull’s original and whimsical
“There’s No Place Like Augusta” can be
YouTube hit “Jewish Redneck,” the crowd viewed
on
YouTube
or
at
was thoroughly entertained by the Three www.davidsirull.weebly.com. The single is
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 25
Joining forces for Jewish education in Augusta
The Augusta Jewish Community
Sunday School (AJCSS) is a combined
religious school consisting of students
from the Reform congregation,
Congregation Children of Israel, and the
Conservative
congregation,
Adas
Yeshurun. There are 39 students in the
school and six dedicated teachers. The
AJCSS boasts seven high school
madrichim and five middle school students. Elliot Price has been the principal
of the school for the past three years.
According to Principal Price, the
religious schools of the two congregations merged eight years ago. Because
the number of children in each program
was dwindling, they decided to share
resources and provide an environment
where all Jewish students had the opportunity to interact with one another
socially. Additionally, for the past five
years, the AJCSS has participated in the
Goldring Woldenberg Institute of
Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) education
program. This partnership has enabled
the small but mighty religious school to
use the ISJL curriculum, a spiraled body
of knowledge in which students revisit
key content areas with increased sophistication as they progress through the curriculum, grade level by grade level.
AJCSS also enjoys broad support from
ISJL professional educators.
For example, AJCSS is visited by an
ISJL education fellow three times per
year, in the summer, fall, and spring. In
the summer, second-year Fellow Lauren
Fredman led teacher trainings that
focused on teaching to different student
learning styles, as well as how to create
classroom community. More recently,
Ms. Fredman had the honor of giving a
D’var Torah at both Augusta congregations. She also led two separate allschool programs focusing on Israel and
Israeli culture. Yet another event for the
students was an all-school program of
Jewish Values Maccabi Games at a local
park.
“There are many different ways to
teach Jewish knowledge, and it makes a
big difference if a child is motivated at
religious school. We have a very positive
environment at the AJCSS, and there is a
lot of excitement about being at religious school,” Principal Price says. “We
are always looking forward to the events
that the ISJL brings to us. The lock-ins,
Jewish Values Maccabi Games, and
teacher and madrichim trainings have
made a significant difference in our ability to meet the goals of our Sunday
school.”
The ISJL is currently recruiting the
ISJL Education Fellow Lauren
Fredman (back right) gets ready to
read Sammy Spiderʼs First Trip to
Israel by Sylvia A. Rouss, during the
Pre-K-2nd grade Israel program. (All
photos: Elliot Price)
next class of education fellows, to begin
June 2012. The Forward described the
fellowship as “a mobile Jewish Teach
for America.” Visit www.isjl.org for
more information, or contact ISJL
Director of Education Rachel Stern, at
rstern@isjl.org. In addition to the
Augusta congregations, other Georgia
congregations participating as ISJL
Education Partners are in Rome, Macon,
Fayetteville, Columbus, Brunswick,
andAtlanta.
Grandmas never leave us
By Lindsey Light Kuniansky
On November 11, my dad, Billy
Light, and I spoke about his book,
Grandmas Never Leave Us, at the Book
Festival of the MJCCA.
We spoke of how it came about, how
we designed it, how it became self-published. My dad wrote this book over 20
years ago, when I was only seven years
old. I’m 30 years old and happily married now. I remember my grandmothers
being very sick at the same time and in
different hospitals. My brother, Andrew,
who was four at the time, and I would
draw pictures and get-well cards for our
grandmothers to be posted on their hospital room walls, because our dad told us
how happy it made them, and we wanted
them to know they were always on our
minds. Sometimes, we would sing on a
cassette tape that my parents could play
for them on their daily visits. It was such
a sad time, but I remember thinking we
were helping our grandmothers feel better. Surely, they were the most popular
grandmas in the whole hospital!
Having grown up without our grandmas, my brother and I always talk about
how we missed out on the experiences
our friends had. I still remember when
my dad had me draw pictures for his
story, because at the time I wanted to be
an artist. It was fun to draw the pictures
and remember all the good times, but it
was also a learning experience. During
the process, we asked all kinds of questions about my grandmothers and what
was happening to them. My dad tried his
best to explain to us why they were sick,
as only a parent can do, to his still-developing children. Then my grandmothers
died.
My dad’s story had been hiding in a
drawer for over 20 years. My husband,
Michael, and I put it into book form for
my dad’s birthday, and to see my dad’s
tears of happiness when he read it was so
amazing. We were able to bring the story
back to life. If only we could do the same
for my grandmas!
Today, I see with grateful eyes my
dad’s commitment to Andrew and me as
children and now as happily married,
young adults—me with my husband,
Michael, and Andrew with his wonderful
wife, Molly. We are exceptionally lucky
to have such great parents and friends in
our mom, Lynn, and our dad. Our parents
are our friends and biggest role models.
My dad and I hope that by sharing
our story with adults and children alike,
we can help others get through what we
know is a very tough time. Experiencing
loss is never easy, but what my dad did
over 20 years ago definitely helped us,
and we will always have a beautiful
reminder of our beloved grandmas.
Billy Light and
Lindsey Light Kuniansky
Lauren Fredman (left), teachers,
madrichim, and 3rd-7th-grade students with an Israel Candy
Topography map, completed during
the Sunday Israel program
Students do a team building activity
during the Jewish Values Maccabi
Games, March 2011
And it reminds me, too, of how special my dad, Billy Light, is to me, to our
family, and to our friends.
Please visit our Facebook page at
Grandmas Never Leave Us, and visit our
website, www.GrandmasNeverLeaveUs.
com.
Check us out on YouTube, too—type
in “Billy & Lindsey 11/11/11,” and you
can watch several brief video excerpts;
amazingly, we have had over 1,100 total
views so far.
Thank you, MJCCA Book Festival
friends, for allowing us to share our
story.
I am very proud of you, Dad.
We did good!
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 26
Schwartz on Sports
Whenever there isn’t a pick-up game
Sunday morning at the MJCCA, I head to
the Brill Fitness Center and spend time on
the stationary bike. I’m not crazy about
exercising this way. You pedal like crazy for
40 minutes, go nowhere, and burn about
300 calories, which will be put back on with
one bagel at brunch. The only TV tuned to
ESPN is down at the other end, and I end up
watching a cooking show. I spend most of
the time observing what’s going on and
thinking about a future humorous feature
called ”Observations from the Stationary
Bike.” You’ll have to wait for that.
After a recent bike session, I showered
and then stopped by the Blank gym to
watch some of the 30+ cross court league
games. I saw a lot of guys I’ve played with
previously in the league, as well as pick-up
on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
The first person I saw when I entered
the gym was Eric Felner. I asked him about
his dad, Joel, who was one of the premier
players at the JCC in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Frank Hughes looks strong out there and
was playing back-to-back games. He was a
great teammate the times we played together. Adam Appel came over from the 18+
league and can still shoot the 3. His number
one fan, father Sam, was there cheering
Adam on.
D.J. Edelson was back playing after
taking a year off. He told me that he’s now
become a second-round pick. That’s hard to
believe, because he was the number one
guard in the league for years and certainly
one of the hardest players to defend. I
watched him drive by me on many occasions. I’d still choose him in the first round.
The caliber of the play was amazing to
me. The teams I watched had not one or two
excellent players but four or five. That
probably has been the biggest change I’ve
seen over the years. It certainly made me
BY Jerry
Schwartz
think about coming back and trying one
more year.
JEWISH GEORGIAN MAN LAWS.
Although I don’t drink beer, I enjoy the
Miller Lite beer commercials where they
talk about “Man Laws,” the American
man’s idea of what it means to be macho.
Burt Reynolds is my favorite man of the
Square Table. He was great as a vice detective in the movie Sharky’s Machine. That
scene where the villain goes crashing backward through a window at the Westin
Peachtree Plaza and falls 700 feet to his
death was some stunt. I do wish, though,
that Burt wouldn’t have lost his two fingers
in that torture scene, but I digress. The commercials are humorous and I thought it
would be fun to develop some “Man Laws”
for the Jewish Georgian sports scene.
Somehow, “macho” and “Jewish
Georgian athlete” don’t fit. It’s more like an
oxymoron. Most of the guys I know and
have played with are great competitors and
play hard, but you don’t see tables being
overturned, punches being thrown, or a lot
of trash talking going on. When the game’s
over, guys shake hands and head home. And
by the time they get there, the game is
already history.
So, please accept these “Man Laws”
for the Jewish Georgian athlete in the
humorous and good-natured context in
which are they are intended:
• When exercising in the Brill Fitness
Center, all free weights are off limits. You
must use the machines, and no grunting
allowed.
• Don’t ever be caught in high impact, kickboxing, or that Israeli martial arts class.
• When two guys are in the gym alone, you
never play one-on-one. A game of H-O-RS-E is more your speed.
• No disagreements ever go beyond arguing.
Just too many lawyers in the gym.
• Tennis is seldom played once the temperature drops below 70 degrees, and, if it
does, gloves and heavy clothing are mandatory
• Your favorite radio and TV personalities
are Steak Shapiro, Matt Chernoff, and Zach
Klein.
• Never dive for a racquetball shot. If you
can’t get it standing, then the other guy
deserves the point.
• Never slide in a softball game. If you can’t
go into second standing, then don’t try and
take the extra base.
• No basketball player takes the time to
stretch before the game, and you better not
be caught jumping a rope. You show up one
minute before the game starts.
• Nobody believes in a hard foul. Guys are
helped up from the floor. Patting a guy on
the back or saying “nice shot” is common
practice.
• Nobody uses the Jacuzzi, unless your back
hurts or you like bathing with strangers.
BY Balfoura Friend
Levine
Back in 1949, the Communists had
overtaken most of China, including
Shanghai, where I was born and raised. I
had already come to the United States on a
student visa to study at the University of
Georgia, through the sponsorship of my
Uncle Louis Friend, of Eastman, Georgia.
By that time, most of the foreigners
(non-Chinese) had emigrated from China to
the United States, the United Kingdom, and
Australia, and many Jews went to the newly
minted State of Israel.
My father, Jacob Friend, originally
back on the court is a guy on your team
fouls somebody.
• The one time you forget to sign up for the
only racquetball court at the JCC, it will be
reserved for the next two hours.
• The guys who look the best and have the
best equipment aren’t the best.
• When you remind your softball pitcher to
throw strikes, he’ll walk the next three batters.
• When you get up extra early and rush to
the MJCCA Saturday morning for the first
basketball game, you’ll be the next player
for the second game.
• The bar or bat mitzvah Sunday brunch will
always occur on the day of the championship game.
• If there’s a wet spot anywhere on the racquetball court, you’ll slip on it.
• You never start the game at the basket
where you’ve warmed up or with the same
basketball.
• The only shower available in the locker
room will be out of hot water and soap.
• The guy the other team picks up as a
replacement will play the game of his life.
• The day you leave your ace bandage at
home will be the day you sprain your ankle.
• The weakest player on your team won’t
miss a game all year.
I could go on and on, but we’re running out
of beer.
If you have any “Givens” or “Man
Laws” of your own, send them to me at
drjsch7@comcast.net, and I’ll include them
in a future column.
GIVENS. “Givens” is a term my friend
Richard Bracker coined. “Givens” are
things that are bound to happen if you’re
involved in sports or physical activity. They
don’t seem logical or rational, but they
occur anyway. It doesn’t matter whether
you understand why or not. So here are
some “Givens” for the Jewish Georgian
sports scene:
IN REMEMBRANCE. Henry Levi died in
October 2011. I had known him since 1978,
when he played basketball in the JCC and
synagogue leagues. He was a great competitor on the court and nice guy off the
court. The last time I saw Henry was in the
40+ 4X4 half court league, and, in spite of
being ill, he was still playing a game he
loved, basketball. He’ll be missed.
• When you take a time out during a basketball game and remind everyone not to foul,
the first thing that happens when you go
Until next time, drive for the bucket
and score.
Mama’s wedding dress
from Poland/Russia and escaping from the
repressive tsarist regime to China in 1913,
went to Manila from Shanghai on business
just before World War II and got stuck there
for the war’s duration. My mother, Frieda
Friend, also from Russia and called a
Stateless Russian (as most of the Jews were
called), was given the choice of going to
Russia—returning to the Motherland, said
the Communist U.S.S.R.—or making
aliyah (Hebrew for “moving up”) to Israel.
Having a cousin in Haifa, Mama picked
Israel.
The Communists in China allowed her
only one piece of luggage for this trip, so
among other precious items, she packed my
kindergarten report cards, my 1st-grade
school uniform (with bloomers!), and The
Concise Oxford Dictionary, which was the
General Knowledge prize awarded to me in
1937, when I was 12 years old. I’m sure she
January-February 2012
Wedding photo of Mr. and Mrs.
Jacob L. Friend, July 29, 1923, with
the four-inch lace hem of her wedding dress
wanted to bring her wedding dress for me
as well, but due to limited luggage space,
Mama cut off its four-inch lace hem and
stashed it in her little sack of embroidered
handkerchiefs. (That was long before the
era of facial tissues.)
Now forward to 1956, when I was
already married, with two youngsters, and
finally the proud holder of American citizenship. Now, as an American, I could
sponsor my mother’s emigration from
Israel to America—and to me in Georgia.
Years later, after her death, I came across
the little sack of hankies and that now-yellowed lace hem.
Just a few years ago, for Mother’s Day,
my daughter Sandy surprised me with a
beautiful gift. She had taken that lace hem,
as well as my parents’ wedding photo, and
had them exquisitely framed for posterity.
Included in the frame is a card that reads
“The marriage of Miss Frieda H. Kovarsky
to Mr. Jacob L. Friend took place at Harbin
on Sunday, July 29th 1923 (16th Ab 5683)
Harbin, China. “
Mama’s wedding dress lives with me
every time I look at that lovely picture of
my parents taken so long, long ago.
God Bless America.
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 27
Page 28
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
January-February 2012
Page 29
THE
Jewish Georgian
Fidelity Bank partners with JNF as collection point for Blue Boxes
By Mordecai Zalman
In many of the homes and communities in which we grew
up, that little Jewish
National Fund (JNF)
Blue Box, or pushke as it
was referred to with its
Yiddish
descriptive
name, was ubiquitous.
From 1901 with the
founding of Karene
Kayemeth
LeIsrael
(KKL), which, in this
country, goes under the
JNF banner, up until the
1948 founding of the State
of Israel, the Blue Box was
a symbol of our dream and a
vehicle to financially help in
acquiring land and making
improvements for the future.
From 1948 forward its purpose changed from a way to
support a dream to a method
of taking part in making that
dream a reality.
According to the KKL website, “Shortly after the founding of the
organization, Haim Kleinman, a bank clerk
from Nadvorna, Galicia, placed a box in
his office and sent off a letter to Die Welt,
the Zionist newspaper in Vienna,” in
which he notified the paper as follows:
“In keeping
with the saying,
‘bit and bitty fill
the kitty’ and following
the
Congress resolution on KKL’s
founding, I put
together
an
‘Erez
Israel
box’, stuck the
w o r d s
‘National
Fund’ on it and
placed it in a
prominent
spot in my
office. The
results, given
the extent of
the experiment so far,
have been
astonishing.
I suggest that likeminded people, and particularly all
Zionist officials, collect contributions to KKL in this way.”
A recurring challenge that has faced
JNF is how to make it convenient for its
es
The pushke liv
supporters to deliver the change that is collected in these Blue Boxes to the offices of
the organization. Now, the JNF Atlanta
office has found an exciting and innovative
new way to collect these coins. Under the
enthusiastic leadership of board member
Bruce Reisman, a unique arrangement has
been made with Atlanta’s Fidelity Bank,
Member FDIC, to serve as a deposit destination to have these monies placed in
JNF’s checking account.
Gail Luxenberg
By: Marvin Botnick
H. Palmer Procter, Jr., Fidelity Bank
president, and Bruce Reisman, JNF
board member
As an accommodation and one of its
services to the general public, Fidelity
Bank offers coin-counting machines in
See BLUE BOXES, page 31
Holocaust survivor’s story filled with drama, hope
on.”
By Ron Feinberg
The world was exploding around
George Stern when his father picked him up
and carried him down to the basement of
their apartment complex. He was a child,
only three years old, and the German war
machine was on the march.
It was 1940. The Nazis were rolling
into Belgium, bombing Brussels, where he
and his family lived, chewing up the countryside and destroying anyone and anything
that stood in the path of the Third Reich and
its efforts to take control of Europe.
“I remember the noise, the explosions
and my father picking me up,” Stern says.
He also remembers what happened a few
hours later, still early in the morning, when
he heard someone knocking at the door.
“It was the milkman,” Stern says, a
note of amazement still echoing in his voice
when he recently recalled his very up-close
George Stern
and personal introduction to World War II.
Years later he asked his parents why the
worker was willing to risk his life to deliver milk.
“He was making a statement,” his
mother told him, that even in war “life goes
A new director, a
continued direction
Stern will be sharing his life’s story at
this year’s Yom HaShoah Service of
Remembrance, April 22 at Greenwood
Cemetery – the early years in Belgium with
his family, the rise of Hitler and the Nazis,
the family’s detention as “enemy aliens” at
a camp in France, and their harrowing journey through Spain and Portugal, then on to
Cuba and Freedom in the United States.
It’s a story laced with danger, fear and
joy, rescue and survival. A tale that will also
include the difficult and dangerous work of
righteous gentiles and other heroes of the
Holocaust.
It’s been nearly seven decades since
the monstrous work of the Nazis was fully
revealed to the World. Today, the bleak
days of World War II are a fading memory
See SURVIVOR, page 31
To be a good cook, turn out memorable creations, and produce a meaningful experience, a person needs the correct
ingredients of the finest quality. The end
result is the culmination of the efforts of
many different groups and conditions
that meld together, in concert and independently, to fashion the product.
So it is with building a community.
For many reasons – historical origins
of the Jewish people as a nation, forced
separation from the greater non-Jewish
population requiring mutual support, religious imperatives requiring communal
structure, etc. – there has been and is an
understanding of the need for mutuality
of efforts in certain areas of support,
help, and services. There is, in fact, an
understanding of the need and benefit in
having certain unique organizations meet
particular needs for the total.
One such institution is the Marcus
Jewish Community Center of Atlanta.
From its beginning in 1904 as the
Young Men’s Hebrew Association, when
the Jewish population of Atlanta was
about 2,000, the organization has grown
and changed to meet the demands of an
estimated Jewish population in 2006 of
120,000 in Metropolitan Atlanta. In addition, many of its non-Jewish-based services have gained such an outstanding reputation that these are sought out and used
by a large number of the general populaSee DIRECTOR, page 31
Page 30
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
January-February 2012
January-February 2012
Blue Boxes
From page 29
each of its offices that will receive and tally
aggregated, miscellaneous U.S. coins at no
charge. At the end of each sort, the customer is supplied with a printed receipt
showing the total dollar value, which the
individual can either deposit to his or her
checking account or redeem for paper
money and the few coins that will equal the
count on the receipt.
It is this service that Fidelity Bank has
now modified for JNF supporters. Now, a
JNF supporter can come into the bank with
Survivor
From page 29
for many, but the Jewish community
continues to recall and honor the six million Jews lost in the Holocaust. One special day, Yom HaShoah, has been set
aside to honor the dead, the survivors,
the martyrs, and heroes.
In Atlanta, the annual event, sponsored by Eternal-Life Hemshech, the
Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta
and the William Breman Jewish
Heritage and Holocaust Museum, is centered around the Memorial to the Six
Million at Greenwood Cemetery in
southwest Atlanta. The permanent monument was first envisioned shortly after
the war by Atlanta’s small community of
Holocaust survivors. Now the memorial,
a euphonic blend of chiseled stone and
soaring torches, is listed in the National
Register of Historic Places.
At first blush, Stern seems an
unlikely candidate to be speaking of the
Holocaust. His accent – a gentle, southern drawl – links him to his hometown
of Nashville, TN, not to the cobblestone
streets and old-world charm of Brussels.
But his early life was filled with strong
connections to Judaism – religious traditions and ancient rituals, Zionist youth
clubs, and Jewish camps in the summer.
The activities continued to inform
his world as an adult, his work with
Camp Judea landing him in Atlanta in
the early 1960s. Even after establishing
a law practice – he’s the founding partner of Stern & Edlin – Stern remained
active in the local Jewish community.
His work with Young Judea connected him with Hadassah and the
Zionist Organization of America. He
became deeply involved with the Atlanta
Jewish Community Center (now the
Marcus Jewish Community Center of
Atlanta), eventually becoming president.
He helped establish Temple Sinai, a
reform synagogue in Sandy Springs and
is a high-profile member and leader at
the Breman Holocaust Museum.
“George is one of our most active
and beloved volunteers,” says Liliane
Baxter, director of the Lillian & A.J.
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 31
Director
Chicago, Illinois.
That is the paper vita. What cannot
be shown in this is the smile that projects her feeling of the “warmth that she
felt in the Jewish world,” which to her
encompassed the religious and communal aspects.
While she is a native of New York,
her coming to Atlanta puts her in the
same city as her parents and one of her
sisters, who moved to Atlanta after she
left New York to go to college. With her
move to Atlanta, she now has her biological family and her communal family all in one place.
Luxenberg said that she was excited
about the opportunity to continue creating “a great Jewish communal experience” with meaningful programming.
She continued with the fact that the
MJCCA is “considered one of the best
JCCs with a full range of activities and
an outstanding staff,” and that the
finances are now operating in the black
is an enviable scenario. She said that
“people come to the Center for pleasure,” and this is the atmosphere that she
is committed to continuing. She hopes
to continue the growth without necessarily growing facilities.
As the Center moves into a new
leadership mode, we need to remember
how fortunate the community is to have
the dedicated, qualified, and quality
leadership that enabled the organization
to spend the necessary time and effort to
put in place a new executive director
and CEO. Howie Hyman, who stepped
up and temporarily took over the management, and the entire governance
board are due a great big thanks from
all of us. This was a daunting task, and
they not only did not shirk the challenge
but fulfilled the undertaking with laudable accomplishment.
a Blue Box, dump its contents into the
machine for counting purposes, take the
receipt and show the Blue Box to a teller,
and that teller will credit the money to
JNF’s account. The donor will then be furnished a bank deposit receipt that is to be
sent to JNF’s office with the name and
address of the donor, and JNF will
acknowledge the donation for the person’s
tax records. The donor will retain possession of the box, and no information concerning JNF’s bank account, including the
account number and the balance, will be
made known by the bank to the donor.
Save the date
If you’d like to remember the victims of the Holocaust, honor the survivors, pray for the martyrs and salute
the heroes, then plan on attending
Atlanta’s annual Yom HaShoah observance on Sunday, April 22, 2012 at
Greenwood Cemetery. For additional
information, contact Dr. Lili Baxter at
404-870-1872 or LBaxter@thebreman.org
Weinberg Center for Holocaust
Education at The Breman. “Not only is
he one of our most popular Holocaust
survivor speakers, but he also sits on our
board and has served as co-chair of our
Survivor Legacy Committee.”
Stern says most everyone – friends
and family – knows of his links to the
Holocaust. “All my friends knew that I
was in Brussels at the start of World War
II and that I had been in a detention
camp,” he says. But it wasn’t until he
heard someone discussing the camp,
Gurs, and he shared his story with a
Breman staffer that he began to think of
himself as a “survivor”.
Now he’s an active member of the
museum’s Speakers Bureau, sharing his
story with visitors to The Breman and
students from across the region.
“Students love his directness and
humor,” Baxter says, “and are moved by
his ability to relate to their own lives and
experiences.”
Why does this matter?
“I think it’s important that as Jews
we remember our past … particularly
the remembrance of the Holocaust,”
Stern says. “I have a goal, a wish that the
entire Jewish community unites in our
ongoing efforts to remember the
Holocaust … to never forget.”
Ron Feinberg is a veteran journalist
who has worked for daily newspapers
across the southeastern United States.
He now specializes on topics of Jewish
interest and can be reached at ronfeinberg@bellsouth.net
From page 29
tion looking for the best.
Naturally, this did not all just happen. As with most developments, ultimate credit lies with a historically forward-looking, active, and thoughtful
lay leadership, which was able to conceive the vision and hire the professional staff to create the environment and
model that delivered the results.
As of December 1, the leadership,
after a nearly 18-month search, has
selected a new executive director and
chief executive officer to be at the helm.
If the script for the announcement had
been written for a presentation at the
MJCCA’s Morris and Ray Frank
Theatre, it would read: “Enter stage
right Gail Luxenberg, new executive
director and CEO.”
The Center is one of the major
Jewish communal organization in
Atlanta, and it requires a person who
understands and can lead the organization in its totality: programming;
staffing; facilities; fund raising,
spokesperson for the organization;
developing a harmonious relationship
with sister institutions, both within the
Jewish community and the larger population; a respect for the services being
provided; and a warmth that is projected to the membership. Having had a
chance to visit with Luxenburg, it was
clear to see why the search committee
decided that she fulfilled the requirements that qualified her for the job.
From an educational standpoint,
she holds a bachelor of arts in Middle
Eastern studies from the University of
Chicago and an MBA in marketing and
organizational behavior from the same
institution. After beginning her working
career with the American Medical
Association, she moved into the Jewish
communal world as head of the
Midwest Division of the American
Friends of Hebrew University, and from
there she went as executive director of
the Jewish Vocational Service in
Page 32
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Breman Museum news
JANE LEAVEY RETIRES. Jane Leavey,
executive director of The Breman Jewish
Heritage and Holocaust Museum, retired
December 31 after twenty-eight years as the
voice of Atlanta’s Jewish history. As an
employee of the Atlanta Jewish Federation
(now the Jewish Federation of Greater
Atlanta), Leavey identified the need for an
archives and history museum focused on
the settlement and presence of Jews in
Atlanta and set out to build an institution.
Today, that museum is robust in financial
support, with approximately 1,200 members. It presents dozens of programs and
exhibitions, and it welcomes 30,000 visitors
annually.
The idea for the museum grew out of
the experience of participating in the creation of “Jews and Georgians: A Meeting of
Cultures 1733-1983,” an exhibition sponsored by Federation that was displayed at
the Schatten Gallery at Emory University.
Through the efforts of a volunteer acquisitions committee, comprising individuals
with ties to Atlanta and many of the smaller cities and towns throughout the state,
wonderful material evidence of Jewish life
was discovered. Much of this material was
not being preserved, because there was no
existing archive or historical society; after
the exhibition, everything had to be
returned to the lenders.
After the Federation Board gave Jane
and a dedicated group of volunteers the goahead, the Jewish Community Archives
was established in 1985. This was followed
by a Holocaust resource center and exhibition with a statewide program of Holocaust
education and school tours in 1986.
Participation in an ongoing oral history
project begun by the National Council of
Jewish Women and the American Jewish
Committee
commenced
in
1989.
Throughout those years, exhibitions and
public programs were presented in various
venues around the city, including “Creating
Community” at the Atlanta History Center.
The museum continued to gain attention, and philanthropist William (Bill)
Breman offered the lead gift to house the
archives and budding museum in one facility. The Breman Museum, which officially
opened to the public in 1996, includes a
gallery dedicated to the story of the
Holocaust, an exhibition on the Atlanta
Jewish community, and a venue for traveling exhibitions. Today, in addition to the
galleries, the museum offers an extensive
archives and research library.
Jane created numerous Breman original exhibitions. Most prominent of these
are “Where the Wild Things Are: Maurice
Sendak in His Own Words & Pictures,”
“ZAP! POW! BAM! The Superhero: The
Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938–1950,”
“Seeking Justice: The Leo Frank Case
Revisited,” and “Dr. Seuss Goes to
War...and More!” These special exhibitions
continue to travel to other museums
throughout the U.S. and even to Australia.
“You can see her leadership, her vision
and her creativity in each program and
exhibition held at The Breman,” says current Board CoPresident Joyce
Shlesinger. “The
museum is where
it is today, a center
for
Southern
Jewish
history,
Holocaust studies,
and creative programming, as a
direct result of
Jane’s
tireless
efforts.”
Jane, thank you
Jane Leavey
for your gift to
Atlanta, and thank you for The Breman.
Elinor Breman and Jane Leavey at
The Bremanʼs opening gala, 1996
BERGER APPOINTED. Aaron Berger has
been appointed executive director of The
Breman, succeeding Jane Leavey.
Aaron has been in
nonprofit work for
12 years. He is the
founder and CEO
of Turning Point
(2009-present), a
consulting firm
that specializes in
turn-around strategies for nonprofits. He works with
museums and cultural attractions on
Aaron Berger
strategic planning,
fundraising, board development, and operational sustainability.
An Atlanta Business Chronicle “40
under 40” awardee in 2006, Aaron has led
the growth at two Georgia museums—the
American Association of Museums-accredited Albany Museum of Art and the
Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art. As director
of each of these institutions, he ran day-today operations, elevated programming, and
made each more relevant to the communities, enhanced marketing and fundraising,
and put goal-setting and structure in place.
In 2005, the Albany Museum of Art was
named Institution of the Year by the
Georgia Association of Museums and
Galleries for its innovative programming
and community-focused initiatives.
For fundraising firm Alexander Haas’
museum practice (2006-09), Aaron advised
museums on capital and annual fundraising
campaigns.
Aaron is attracted to The Breman’s
high quality and to the opportunity to grow
membership, participation, and fundraising.
He looks forward to meeting with Breman
Board members and community leaders,
“to hear their dreams, and to work with
them on defining The Breman’s future.”
Aaron holds an MBA from South
University, in Savannah, and a BA in art
history from the College of Charleston.
THE ART OF GAMAN. After the Japanese
attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7,
1941, the U.S. government collected
120,000 Japanese men, women, and children living on the American West Coast and
forcibly relocated them to internment
camps in Colorado, Arizona, and Arkansas.
Their crime was simply looking like the
enemy.
While in these bleak camps, the
internees used scraps and found materials to
make furniture and other objects to beautify
their surroundings. From February 5-May
31, the William Breman Jewish Heritage &
Holocaust Museum will showcase such
objects in its special exhibition “The Art of
Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese
American Internment Camps 1942–1946.”
Gaman is a Japanese word meaning to
bear the seemingly unbearable with dignity
and patience. Arts and crafts became essential for simple creature comforts and emotional survival. More than one hundred
objects will be displayed in their historical
context through photos and videos from the
era. It is a universally uplifting story for its
celebration of the nobility of the human
spirit in adversity.
The Breman will host a Chai Tea
reception (chai means life in Hebrew), at
2:00 p.m., Sunday, February 19 (the
Japanese Day of Remembrance), marking
the 70th anniversary of President Franklin
D. Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order
9066, which directed Japanese Americans
to report to internment camps. The
Honorable Takuji Hanatani, consul general
of Japan, will open the event. Delphine
Hirasuna, author of The Art of Gaman, the
book upon which the exhibition is based,
will be a featured guest, along with leaders
from the Atlanta Japanese community, arts
circles, and local officials. Event chairs are
Spring and Tom Asher, Joanne and Eddie
Birnbrey, Lois Blonder, Laura and Marshall
Dinerman, Carol and Bob Nemo, Judy and
Arnie Rubenstein, Lisa and Michael
Shapiro, Joyce and Sonny Shlesinger,
Margie and George Stern, and Judith and
Mark Taylor.
Could internment camps happen
today? It is all too easy in times of crisis and
war to look for a scapegoat, as Jewish history can attest. In mounting the “Art of
Gaman,” The Breman is exploring universal themes of human dignity and respect for
difference, as well as educating a new generation of Americans about the costs
incurred when rights are violated.
January-February 2012
Visit thebreman.org for more information and to order tickets to Chai Tea.
Bas-relief carving of camp in Heart
Mountain, Wyoming. Artist unknown.
Wood plank and paint, 25” x 11.25” x
1.75”, private collection; from
Japanese American Museum of San
Jose (All photos by Terry Heffernan;
from The Art of Gaman by Delphine
Hirasuna, 2005, Ten Speed Press)
Slate teapot carved by Homei
Iseyama in camp at Topaz, Utah;
courtesy Carolyn Holden
Wooden bird pin carved by Sadao
Oka at camp in Poston, Arizona;
courtesy Sadao Oka Family
NEIMAN MARCUS SAYS THANKS TO
VOLUNTEERS. On December 7, Neiman
Marcus invited Breman Museum volunteers
to a special day of shopping in appreciation
of the museum’s good work in the community. The special relationship was forged in
2010 when Neiman’s began hosting The
Breman’s Seder with Flowers program,
which is held before Passover.
Jodie
Goldstein
Birnbrey
and
Joanne
See BREMAN, page 33
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Yad LaKashish - Lifeline for the Old
By Lynne Hoffman Keating and Tom Keating
Tour buses abound in Jerusalem. Private
companies pick up pilgrims, tour groups, and
missions at well-recognized hotels. Egged’s
bus #99 transports visitors interested in a hopon, hop-off overview of
the city’s high spots.
Tourists listen to certified
guides tell about historic
events and sites.
To celebrate our 41st
wedding anniversary, we
designed our own 18night visit to Israel this
past fall and made it a
point to include 14
Shivtei Israel Street,
which is located in the
Musrara district behind
Jerusalem’s municipal
center. Fifty years ago,
this was a rundown
neighborhood on the
Jordanian border in which were found increasing numbers of poor and elderly beggars, as
well as homeless street seniors. Having our
health, and knowing the secure feeling of having employment and family back home, it is
difficult to imagine what it must have been like
then to be ageing seniors in a new country
without income, a new language, and no family except perhaps a spouse.
But that was before Myriam Mendilow, a
mother and teacher, stepped forward and
founded “Yad La Kashish, Lifeline for the
Old,” a unique craft center for this population
and our destination that day. In a 1994 biography about Mendilow by Barry and Phyllis
Cytron, which had as a subtitle, Do Not
Forsake Me When I Grow Old, it was pointed
out that she intended to provide an environment and opportunity filled with dignity for the
less fortunate, the poor, and the elderly.
When we arrived at the address, our knock
on its door brought Chava Brown, Community
Relations at Yad LaKashish, to meet us, and,
after a brief background introduction, we
teamed up with Judy and Allan Shriber, who
were also visiting from the States, and our volunteer guide, Vardit Schwartz. From then on,
our tour switched from historical references to
walking, watching, and witnessing tzedakah in
action.
The Lifeline for the Old program began
with one workshop focused on bookbinding. It
has grown into a series of rooms, settings, and
workshops, where a working cadre of senior
immigrants, artistic teachers, and often attendant-helpers make authentic crafts. As we
watched immigrants from the former Soviet
Lifeline Artisans
Union and Ethiopia perform detailed, intricate
tasks with their fingers, our hearts kvelled like
parents. No matter how limited our Hebrew
vocabulary was, respect and pride could be
transmitted. Their hands and our eyes communicated.
The demeanor of their bodies and faces
demonstrated the dedication to their work.
These were not people idly passing time. They
painted with intensity, cut with purpose, and
hammered with gumption. They obviously
enjoyed visitors, and our passionate activity
with a Canon camera prompted discussion at
one station. Through a combination of charades and a translating attendant, the artist
shared his past as a photojournalist.
Our touring companions, Judy and Allan,
were as rapt and complementary about the
handiwork as we were. Later, we learned that
Jewish geography connected us with only three
degrees of separation, as they knew family
members of some of our temple rabbis. We
even continued our mutual admiration of Yad
LaKashish during Friday night Sabbath
Services at Beit Oren.
A brief tour even for 60-90 minutes invariably ends in the gift shop, shekels and credit
cards in hand, representing one of the many
strengths of Lifeline for the Old. We bought
tchotchkes, placemats, scarves and note cards.
We tried on tallit and yarmulkes. We purchased
Breman
From page 32
Spring Asher, Jane Leavey, and
Julie Rotenstreich
remembrances and made a note to order more
on line. We rejoiced in the works of their hands
and felt uplifted at being a part of the program
that provided for a place where immigrant elderly workers could earn money and a sense of
achievement.
Yad LaKashish makes it possible for up to
300 participants to live with dignity in
Jerusalem. A recent independent evaluation
Spring Asher, Elaine Gruenhut, and
Joyce Shlesinger
completed in March 2010 by DAS
International Ltd. concluded that working in
Yad LaKashish gives seniors an incentive to
get up in the morning, a purpose, and an opportunity to function on an equal basis in a social
setting.
We have since learned there are direct and
indirect connections to Atlanta: the historic
experiences with the founder and Janice
Rothschild Blumberg; Mendilow’s subsequent
Page 33
publication in the Atlanta media decades ago; a
few workshops supported by Atlantans; The
Temple’s adult and family visitors in June
2011; and the years of association of the
Epstein School of Atlanta and Lifeline.
For at least a decade, Myrna Rubel, principal of the Epstein Middle School, has
exposed her students to the work of artisans at
Lifeline so that teenagers could learn from the
hands of the aged, and
so that those elders
could experience hope
through sharing with a
future generation. L’dor
va-dor.
As many have
noted, by being with,
learning from, and sharing alongside one another, old and young help
each other reach across
all boundaries of culture, language, and
nationality.
For 50 years Yad
LaKashish has given
seniors the greatest
dimension of charity
according to Maimonides in The Mishnah
Torah, “The Laws of Gifts for the Poor.” There
is no greater dimension of Tzedakah than to
strengthen the person’s hand so he needs no
longer be dependent upon others.
Daily, Yad LaKashish gives this gift. For
more information visit lifeline.org.il.
Lynne Keating, writer, and Tom Keating,
educator, are members of The Temple.
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 34
JF&CS NEWS
RAINBOW CENTER HONORS OWEN
HALPERN. Owen Halpern does not like attention. He is a private person who
would rather provide help to others
quietly.
Halpern is not a
religious man—
at least not in a
conventional
way. Instead, says
lifelong friend
M a r n i n
Steinberg, he “is
very
spiritual,
Owen Halpern
with a beautiful
‘Yiddisha Neshama’—a Jewish soul. He has
the ability to help others in a way that allows
them to retain their personal dignity and move
forward with their lives.”
Halpern will be receiving a lot of attention
on March 10, when The Rainbow Center and
its parent organization, Jewish Family &
Career Services, honor him with the 2012
Rainmaker Award at Purim Off Ponce, the center’s annual fundraiser.
Anyone who knows Halpern is aware of
his longtime support of The Rainbow Center,
which was founded to serve the needs of
GLBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender,
and questioning) individuals, their families,
and professionals. For the past six years, he has
generously supported the center with charitable
gifts, by hosting numerous outreach events, and
by volunteering to speak at its educational
workshops.
Halpern wants others to know the important service the center provides and the way it
promotes a healing message of love, tolerance,
and acceptance. “Owen’s endless dedication
has been vital to The Rainbow Center’s operations and ensuring that everyone has a safe
place to turn to,” says Rebecca Stapel-Wax, its
director.
“Being silent and not standing up and confronting prejudice is dangerous these days,”
Halpern says. “There is too much hatred in the
world, and we have to be vigilant as Jews, certainly, and I must be, too, as a gay man. One of
the best ways to combat all this is through education and knowledge.”
In addition to being enormously loving
and kind, say his friends, Halpern is a “renaissance man.” A former restaurant owner, he continues to build on his talent for cooking and
entertaining. He has cultivated award-winning
gardens and has traveled the world to bring fine
designs to Atlanta. He is currently director of
OH! Atlanta Tours, a perfect match for his
facility with words, education, and making
people feel valued.
“Owen is very proud to carry on the legacy of service and giving back to the community established by his father, Bernard Halpern,”
says Steinberg. “This generous spirit is shared
by Owen’s siblings, nephews, nieces, and
cousins.”
Halpern became involved with The
Rainbow Center when Stapel-Wax reached out
to him. Prior to that, he had been active in similar organizations, but when he learned more
about the center and JF&CS, it seemed like a
natural fit. Since then, he has served on the
JF&CS Board of Directors and co-chaired both
the Community of Caring event, which kicks
off the Annual Campaign each year, and Tools
for Leaders, which grooms people to become
involved in leadership roles with the agency.
“The Rainbow Center is about going into
the community and educating—teaching people about things like bullying, which is such a
crucial subject now,” he says. “People’s fear of
the different is quite alarming. One would hope
as we evolve it would become less so, but it’s
become more so. Now is the time for people in
the GLBTQ community to gain as many rights
as we can, because we just don’t know in which
direction the country is going.”
Purim Off Ponce takes place March 10, at
Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. For more information, including how to become an event
host, visit www.therainbowcenter.org.
WHY YOUR COMPANY NEEDS TO KNOW
ABOUT JF&CS. Stress, anxiety, depression,
and substance abuse can dramatically affect an
individual’s ability to work productively and
safely. Statistics show that, at any given time,
more than 10 percent of employees are
impaired by one or more of these challenges.
These are issues Jewish Family & Career
Services clinicians address daily with clients.
JF&CS recently launched a “Corporate
Engagement” initiative directed at human
resource professionals to educate them on how
JF&CS can provide support and assistance to
their employees and enhance performance and
productivity. Awkward disciplinary actions or
coaching scenarios with an employee are part
of the territory. JF&CS trained clinicians can
provide an alternative method of addressing
difficulties and improve the prospects of converting a troubled situation into a positive resolution. JF&CS’ counselors are represented on
most insurance panels, and these services are
covered by major insurance plans. For more
information, contact Peggy Kelly at 770-6779405 or pkelly@jfcs-atlanta.org.
CALLING RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATES. “Congratulations! Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and
away!”
Dr. Seuss wrote that in 1990, and even
then, finding a job wasn’t easy. But people
starting their careers right now are discovering
that it is a tough market. In fact, finding
employment is more competitive than ever.
With unemployment in Georgia above 10 percent and employers often preferring more
experienced workers, those just coming out of
college are stuck in a hard place.
Finding the right job requires creative
thinking—and some introspection. JF&CS’
Career Services–Tools for Employment now
offers college graduates resources and programs to help in the job search. GradWORKS
comprises three career packages with various
elements, from career assessments to job
coaching to resume writing and interviewing
skills. Graduates may also register in a job
placement bank.
For more information about getting started, call 770-677-9358, or e-mail grads@jfcsatlanta.org.
DIVORCE SUPPORT SERVICES EXPANDED. In 2002, Georgia had one of the lowest
divorce rates in the nation; only three states had
lower rates. But today, Georgia is one of the top
10 states in terms of divorce. Anyone going
through a divorce knows it can be very painful,
especially when there are children involved.
JF&CS’
Child
&
Adolescent
Services–Tools for Families division offers a
variety of divorce support services. From individuals to families and from adults to children,
JF&CS counselors provide help to families
during a difficult time. Services include:
• Pre-Divorce Counseling: For parents considering divorce or already starting the process,
pre-divorce counseling can answers questions
about the first steps to take, when and how to
tell the children, and the best ways to separate.
• Assistance with Parenting Issues: Research
shows that children who see their parents arguing during and after a divorce are more likely to
have behavioral problems. In disagreements on
issues regarding children, an objective third
party can help one parent learn to communicate
with the other parent after trust has been broken
and/or anger remains.
• Collaborative Divorce: A growing trend
nationwide, collaborative divorce focuses on
helping couples make decisions without having
to go to court. Teams of lawyers, financial advisors, therapists (or “coaches”), and child specialists can help a divorcing couple do what is
best for the family. Tools for Families has
counselors on staff who are trained in this
approach.
• Post-Divorce “Check Up” for Children: Tools
for Families offers evaluation services to assess
children’s strengths, needs, and overall mental
health as they adjust to divorce.
• Starting Over (a divorce support group for
adults): This support group brings together men
and women of various ages who are having
trouble moving on after divorce. Starting Over
meets twice a month to discuss a host of topics,
from meeting new people and dating to remarriage to financial and legal issues.
• Moving On (a support group for children of
divorced couples): Parents aren’t the only ones
who find family changes overwhelming. Few
things can be as scary to a child as when his or
her parents split up. Talking with other children
who are going through it can be comforting, as
well as a great way to make new friends.
• Parenting After Divorce (a workshop for
adults): Parenting can be a real challenge when
the mom and dad don’t live together. This
workshop focuses on effective communication
with the other parent and what children need at
different stages of development. In addition, it
provides support and resources parents might
need.
For more details on these and other services, as well as information on cost, e-mail
divorcesupport@jfcs-atlanta.org or call 770677-9300.
January-February 2012
Bregman Conference
promotes
independence, goodwill
By Marla Shainberg
For the third year in a row, I bundle
up and head out to the Selig Center on a
winter Sunday morning. Why would I
choose to leave my house on a cold
weekend at such an early hour? Because
I am guaranteed to have a magical experience in an incredibly warm and inviting
atmosphere. I get to join hundreds of
spirited and upbeat folks for fun, food,
and fellowship at the Larry Bregman,
M.D., Educational Conference, which is
presented annually by Jewish Family &
Career Services.
Volunteer Marla Shainberg and
Molly Levine-Hunt, Caregiver
Support Services manager
Volunteers dressed in orange Tshirts start arriving early to make sure
that breakfast items are put out, signs are
hung, the registration table is organized,
and the bags full of goodies are ready for
a very special group of people. As the
mob of participants multiplies, the whole
building comes to life with a vibe of high
energy, enthusiasm, and inspiring human
interactions.
I am a volunteer who looks forward
to seeing my buddy from last year, who
hugs me and remembers my name, as
well as the sweet girl who shows me the
matching bracelets she made for herself
and her friend at the jewelry-making
class. I feel a sense of exhilaration when
I peek in the room during “Bregman
Idol” and hear squeals of excitement as I
watch people dancing, singing, and high
fiving. I am proud when the policeman
passes by and raves about the inquisitive
people he taught in his session about personal safety.
As I help people find their way to
the next session, I am delighted to see
one participant’s face light up as he
introduces the girlfriend he met at last
See BREGMAN CONFERENCE, page 35
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 35
Raising the bar in Judaic studies
Since its inception in 1971, Yeshiva
Atlanta has prided itself on providing its
students with a high-quality education in
both secular and Judaic studies. This, of
course, is consistent with the school’s
standing as a Modern Orthodox institution
and reflects the paradigm articulated by
Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik z”l regarding
the importance of a synthesis between
Torah scholarship and secular scholarship,
as well as positive involvement with the
broader community.
This approach, commonly referred to
as Torah Umadda, was perhaps best summarized by Rabbi Norman Lamm, past
president of Yeshiva University, in New
York, when he wrote: “Torah, faith, religious learning on one side and Madda, science, worldly knowledge on the other,
together offer us a more over-arching and
truer vision than either one set alone. Each
set gives one view of the Creator as well as
of His creation, and the other a different
perspective that may not agree at all with
the first . . . Each alone is true, but only partially true; both together present the possibility of a larger truth.”
Yeshiva Atlanta’s commitment to the
Torah portion of this equation was again
underscored by the caliber of new Judaic
teachers it added this year to its faculty.
Together with the school’s veteran faculty
members Ariella Allen and Rabbi Daniel
Estreicher, they have inspired in their students a new energy and even greater passion for Judaic studies.
Leading the charge is Rabbi Asher
Yablok, the school’s new dean of Judaic
studies. He comes to Atlanta from St.
Louis, Missouri, where he was a Judaic
studies instructor and program director at
Block Yeshiva High School. Rabbi Yablok
earned his undergraduate degree in Judaic
studies and an M.A. in Jewish education
from Yeshiva University. He has rabbinic
ordination from both Rabbi Isaac Elchanan
Theological Seminary at YU and from Rav
Zalman Nechemia Goldberg. Rabbi Yablok
has a special interest in problem-based
learning and has taught exciting courses in
Jewish medical ethics and contemporary
Halachic problems as initial steps in incorporating this method into the Judaic studies
curriculum.
Joining Rabbi Yablock is Rabbi Eric
Levy, who comes to Atlanta from New
York, where he was the Jewish studies principal of North Shore Hebrew Academy
High School. Rabbi Levy earned his undergraduate degree in computer science from
Touro College and an M.A. in biblical studies from Yeshiva University. He has rabbinic ordination from both Rabbi Ephraim
Greenblatt and Rav Zalman Nechemia
Goldberg. He spent four years at Yeshivat
Har Etzion (Gush) and served in the Israeli
Army Tank Corps. Rabbi Levy’s online
classes can be heard at OU Torah (ouradio.org/nach), Torah in Motion, and at his
own website, www.ericlevy.com.
In adding to its faculty, Yeshiva Atlanta
understood that the local “talent” available
to it was equally impressive, and thus the
school reached out to Rabbi Reuven Travis,
who has worked both as a teacher and an
administrator in various Atlanta day
schools. Rabbi Travis, who is teaching honors American and Jewish history as well as
Chumash, earned his B.A. from Dartmouth
College, where he graduated Phi Beta
Kappa with a double major in French literature and political science. While at
Dartmouth, he played for the school’s varsity football team and spent his junior year
studying at La Sorbonne. He holds a master
of arts in Teaching from Mercer University
and has a T-5 teaching certification in secondary education. He also earned a master
of Judaic studies from Spertus College. He
received his rabbinic ordination in 2006
from Rabbi Michael J. Broyde, dean of the
Atlanta Torah MiTzion Kollel, after spending four years studying with Rabbi Broyde
and the members of the Kollel.
Lisa Belinky, another long-time fixture
in Atlanta’s day school community who has
joined the Yeshiva Atlanta faculty, will
serve as strategic learning Judaic studies
specialist. She received her undergraduate
degree from the University of Georgia in
child psychology/education and her master’s degree in Judaic studies from Siegal
Bregman Conference
A caretaker whispers in my ear that it is the
most her client has smiled in months, which
makes me realize that it is the most I’ve
smiled in one day since last year’s Bregman
conference.
The Larry Bregman, M.D., Educational
Conference is a two-day conference for
adults with developmental disabilities, their
families, and caregivers. The first evening
features a dance; the next day is filled with
workshops on topics such as being part of
the community, being a self-advocate, and
living a healthy lifestyle.
This year’s conference, “Avenues of
Change,” takes place February 25-26 at the
Selig Center. For more information, visit
bregman.org.
From page 34
year’s conference. I am also impressed
when a young participant stops by the registration table to find out how he can sign up
to be on a panel or the planning committee
for next year’s conference. When I help
pour lemonade in the lunchroom, I notice it
is loud with laughter and chatter, as experiences are shared with friends and caretakers.
At the end of the weekend, certificates
of participation are handed out, which
marks a major highlight of the year for
most. As they exit the building, there is
already chitchat about returning next year.
College, in Cleveland, Ohio. She taught in
the public school system in Georgia for two
years and then enjoyed a 23-year tenure at
Greenfield Hebrew Academy. In her last ten
years at GHA, she taught Judaic studies in
the M’silot program for students who learn
differently.
These recent hires come on the heels of
last year’s important additions to the
school’s Judaics faculty, including Rabbi
Moshe Rose, who joined at the beginning
of the 2010-2011 school year. Originally
hailing from Toronto, Rabbi Rose spent the
previous four years in Savannah with a oneyear hiatus to teach at Akiva Academy in
Calgary. While he was in Savannah, some
of his duties through the Kollel included
being the youth director, the NCSY chapter
director, community schoolteacher, and a
Judaic studies teacher at a local military
academy. He studied social work in Canada
and education in Israel, graduating from
Ner L’Elef Center for Jewish Leadership
and Community Outreach, Yeshiva Ohr
Avraham, and The Torah Educator’s
Institute, with his American bachelor’s of
education equivalent acquired through the
University at Albany. He is currently completing a master’s degree in special education.
And it is hard to underestimate the positive impact Liat Kadosh has had on the
school’s Hebrew language program, which,
by definition, is a primary building block of
Judaic studies. Named last year as the
school’s Hebrew language department
chair, she is responsible for designing and
implementing a new Hebrew language curriculum for the school. She is also a member of the SAT’s Hebrew Language
Committee, and she is working diligently to
prepare Yeshiva Atlanta students to take the
Hebrew subject SAT and perform on a high
academic level in Hebrew. Liat Kodesh
holds an M.A. in Jewish education from
Siegal College, in Cleveland, Ohio, as well
as a B.A. from Bar-Ilan University Israel,
where she earned a diploma in educational
leadership. In addition to her teaching and
administrative responsibilities at Yeshiva
Atlanta, she serves as a consultant for
Hebrew at the Center in Boston, which was
established in 2007 with the goal of revolutionizing the effectiveness of teaching and
learning Hebrew in all educational settings.
Page 36
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
January-February 2012
nearly 50 Davis Academy Middle School students, who performed a repertoire ranging
from classic rock to contemporary. Here, Alex
Heller plays the Keytar, and Matthew
Diamond plays guitar; both are 7th-graders.
By Belle Klavonsky
CREATIVE WITH A CLASSIC. Davis
Academy eighth-grader Rebecca Greenberg
and 7th-grader Sophia Bussey work on a puppet for a school production of Prokofiev’s
Peter and the Wolf. The puppet performance
was the culmination of academic and creative
activities during January that integrated the
arts into the curriculum at the Davis Academy
Middle School. The project was led by Davis
faculty and visiting artist and puppeteer
Marilyn Price.
from his newest book, The Golem’s Latkes,
and his most popular book, Herschel and the
Hanukkah Goblins. Students enjoyed Mr.
Kimmel’s stories and asked questions about
his work and the writing/publishing process.
SENIOR EXPERIENCE. Weber seniors
returned from their five-week Senior
Poland/Israel Experience tired but happy to be
home. The trip began with one week in
Poland, where students explored a millennium
of Jewish history and learned of the complexities of rebuilding modern Jewish communities. After Poland, students traveled to Israel,
where the country became the classroom.
Students enjoyed experiential learning based
on important chronological events that molded
the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
FRIENDS FROM ISRAEL. The Davis
Academy welcomed three 8th-grade Israeli
students and their teacher, who visited and
studied at Davis during January through the
ORT Lipson International Studies program.
The program is a win-win, allowing Davis and
the Israeli students to learn about each other’s
cultures. Left to right: Davis 8th-grader
Meredith Galanti, Israeli student Polina
Gogian, Davis 8th-graders Lily Sandler and
Lille Brown, Israeli students Betty Khaimov
and Lior Mashim, Davis 8th-grader Mallory
Goldenberg, and Israeli teacher Tamar Katz
YOUNG READER. Davis Academy students
work with a variety of tools in everyday learning. Kindergartener Renee Vaysman concentrates on a writing activity using a listening
program that helps her learn how sounds make
up words.
JOYFUL DAY. Davis Academy 2nd-graders
had much to celebrate after ceremonies in
which they received their permanent Siddur
books from their parents. Afterward, they gave
thanks and sang songs on the occasion of this
meaningful milestone.
FRIENDLY AUTHOR. Award-winning children’s author Eric A. Kimmel spent a day at
The Davis Academy Lower School reading
MUSICAL EXPRESSION. The Winter
Concert showcased the budding talents of
WRESTLING WITH SUCCESS. The Weber
Wrestling Team is receiving local recognition
for its strong start to the season. Recently featured in The Northside Neighbor, the team
received accolades for coaching, teamwork,
and dedication. Head coach Zachary Shindell
was a member of the first Weber wrestling
team and won an individual GISA state championship his junior year. Sophomore team
member Jonathan Geller (pictured) was subsequently recognized as The Northside
Neighbor’s Male Athlete of the Week.
CHALLENGE AWARD. The Weber School is
one of twenty-seven U.S. schools that received
a $25,000 Challenge Award, designed to drive
increased revenue through innovation, by
Partnership for Excellence in Jewish
Education. One hundred twenty-seven schools
submitted a total of 141 applications. The
Weber School’s PEJE Challenge initiative is
the establishment of its first-ever endowment.
The endowment initiative was launched at a
special event on January 18, at which Weber
introduced two honorary endowed funds
named in honor of two very special Weber
friends and leaders, Carol Nemo and Felicia
Weber.
ENTREPRENEURS-IN-TRAINING.
In
January, Weber welcomed several new semester-only classes, including a new entrepreneurship class. The class recently began a project
in which individual teams must develop a
product—a child’s toy—meeting specific
requirements and using a selection of random
items. The five teams had to develop three
product ideas, narrow down their ideas to the
best one, select a name and tagline for the toy,
draw the toy, set a price, and then design the
box in which the toy will be sold.
UN BUEN HOTEL. Sophomores in Liza
Suarez’s Spanish II Honors class furthered
their learning about Spanish-speaking countries by creating a brochure, written entirely in
Spanish, for an imaginary hotel in the
Hispanic country of their choosing. In order to
fully develop and design their brochures, the
students researched and compiled information
covering the geography, people, government,
and culture of their respective countries. They
incorporated sentence structure and vocabulary learned in the previous semester to create
compelling brochures for countries such as
Puerto Rico, Argentina, the Dominican
Republic, and Spain.
SKYPE TALMUD. Weber Judaics teacher
Marc Leventhal is leading a “Skype Talmud at
Lunch” series. Students use Skype software to
make video calls over the Internet, discussing
Talmud with students from Barrack Hebrew
Academy, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and
Posnack Jewish Day School, Plantation,
Florida. Most recently, the students discussed
Tractate Sanhedrin, one of ten tractates of a
section of the Talmud that deals with judicial
procedures, both civil and criminal. The discussions are lively, as the text addresses questions of criminal law and punishment.
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 37
update window coverings and repaint the walls
of the gym. Ben Siegel, Max Marcovitch, and
Ross Brill play in the newly renovated gymnasium.
2011 SHIRIYAH. A crowd of 750 people
attended Epstein’s Eleventh Annual Middle
School Shiriyah at the Cobb Energy
Performing Arts Centre. The production was
led by Musical Director Michal Spiegelman
with the support of choreographer and Israeli
folk dance instructor Meliss Bachar and
Middle School staff. As has become tradition,
the grand finale included Epstein alumni, who
rushed to the stage to join in the singing of Shir
Israeli. Here, Rachel Greenwald, Aly Satisky,
and Mikayla Hertz stand up to support the
earth as they and their classmates perform “It’s
a Small World.”
TEAMWORK. Three years ago, in an effort to
prevent the spread of the flu, The Epstein
School partnered with Teamworks, a job skills
development program run by Jewish Family &
Career Services, to have developmentally disabled volunteers serve lunch and thus reduce
the chance of students spreading germs to each
other. Since then, the school has seen a significant drop in illness and absenteeism. In addition, Teamworks participants bring much joy
and perspective to the school. First-grader
Hannah Friedman has her lunch served by
Teamworks volunteers Jemel Wynn (from
left), Trevor Smith, and Asherhee McNeil.
GYM RENOVATIONS. At The Epstein
School, the Ramie and Joyce Tritt Gymnasium
is getting a fresh look, thanks to a gift from the
Henry and Etta Raye Hirsch Heritage
Foundation (Lisa and Seth Greenberg and
Michelle and David Hirsch) to refinish the
walls. New insulation has given the gym a
much-needed lift. The school also has used
money from a Refurbishment Fund set up by
the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta to
their Chanukah play, which they presented to
the kindergarten students—entirely in Hebrew.
mother and in support of finding a cure, Rose
and Dov created Team Lala, and entered the
walk along with 1800 other supporters. Team
Lala raised $2,500 for PanCan.
GOOD SPORTS. One of the middle school
girls basketball teams from Torah Day School
of Atlanta played the Atlanta International
School in the TDSA gym on November 29.
While the girls did not win this game, they
played with remarkable sportsmanship,
resilience, and determination.
NEW STUDENTS. Torah Day School of
Atlanta hosted over 30 incoming kindergarten
students. The pre-kindergarten students were
treated to special activities, a pizza lunch, and
a performance by Young Audiences.
A WINTER GARDEN. TDSA Kindergarten
students have their very own garden. Located
just outside their classrooms are raised beds
containing beautiful winter crops, including
potatoes, radishes, and dinosaur kale. Aside
from planting, weeding, and watering, during
the colder months, the students will decorate
their garden with hand-painted rocks and decorated popsicle sticks to help identify their
crops.
CPR TRAINING. TDSA 8th-grade girls
attended a CPR training class on December 1.
Coordinated by science teacher Mrs. Christine
Hippeli-Castle, the class taught students how
to be first responders in an emergency. Now
trained in CPR and AED usage, the girls will
receive Heartsaver AED membership cards
from the American Heart Association. The
8th-grade boys were trained in CPR and AED
usage earlier in the school year.
CHANUKAH PLAY. TDSA 2nd-grade girls
worked with teacher Mrs. Vita Resenson on
SPORTS AND REHABILITION. Recently
two disabled athletes from the Israel Sports
Center for the Disabled came to GHA. One of
the athletes, Asayel, an 18 year-old swimmer,
spoke of his hopes to be in the Olympics
someday. Asayel’s home was attacked a little
over two years ago; during the attack he was
shot and lost his leg. Students learned that the
purpose of the center is rehabilitation through
sports, and to help people with disabilities
flourish.
MENTORS AND TEACHERS. TDSA 8thgrade boys make wonderful role models as
they review Hebrew with the Kindergarten
boys.
TEAM LALA. Greenfield Hebrew Academy
students Shannan Berzack, Zoe Bagel, Quinn
Rabinowitz, and Rose and Dov Karlin recently took part in a 5K walk for PanCan, an
organization raising money and awareness for
pancreatic cancer. Rose and Dov’s grandmother, Lala, was diagnosed February 1, 2011, with
pancreatic cancer. In honor of their grand-
SCIENCE FAIR WINNER. GHA student Ari
Stark was this year’s winner of the Science
Fair. Ari chose to do his project on keeping cut
flowers fresh. Ari learned that by using the
drug Viagra, his flowers remained fresh.
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 38
throughout the rest of the South, but growing numbers of Jewish professionals have
settled in Augusta. Dr. Robert Greenblatt
moved to Augusta in the 1930s and
became a renowned endocrinologist, writing several books on the subject. Dr.
Sumner Fishbein came to Augusta by the
1970s and became very active at Children
of Israel, serving on the board, teaching
religious school, and blowing shofar on
the high holidays. With this rising number
of professionals, many drawn by the medical school at the Georgia Health Sciences
University, Augusta managed to avoid the
sharp population declines that affected
other Southern Jewish communities.
In recent years, the Jewish community
of Augusta has shrunk a bit, to 1,300 people in 2003, as growing numbers of Jews
have moved to the thriving Jewish metropChildren of Israel (all photos:
olis of Atlanta. Nevertheless, Augusta still
Preisler)
supports two strong congregations with
full-time rabbis, a Jewish Community
neighborhood. While most wanted to build Center, and an active Jewish Federation. In
the new synagogue there, a strong faction 1995, Adas Yeshurun officially became a
lobbied to keep the shul downtown. Adas Conservative congregation, joining the
Yeshurun found a creative, if unsustain- United Synagogue of Conservative
able, way to bridge this divide. One mem- Judaism. Seeing an opportunity to serve
ber, Pincus
Orthodox Jews,
S i l v e r ,
Chabad opened
bought a big
a house in
house
and
Augusta
in
property on
1996. In recent
Johns Road,
years, as the
which was
number of chilconverted
dren in the
into a satelcommunity has
lite site for
declined, the
the congregatwo congregat i o n .
tions
have
Separate
merged
their
High Holiday
Adas Yeshurun
r e l i g i o u s
services were
schools, creatheld at the
ing the Augusta Jewish Community
Johns Road house, with a visiting rabbi, Sunday School. The school, which is a
for those who preferred the residential partner in the Institute of Southern Jewish
location to the downtown synagogue. The Life’s education program, had 45 students
Johns Road house even had an optional in 2009. That same year, Children of Israel
“family seating” section, where husbands had 157 members, while Adas Yeshurun
and wives could sit together, if they had 170.
wished.
Maintaining two synagogues was not
The above history of Augusta,
a viable long-term solution, and Silver Georgia, Part III, is a segment from the
soon sold his property to the congregation, ISJL Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish
which had finally decided to move from its Communities. Readers are invited to learn
old building. In 1953, they broke ground more about the history of Jewish commuon a new synagogue on the property, fin- nities by visiting www.isjl.org and looking
ishing it the following year. At the time of under
the
History
tab.
The
the dedication, Adas Yeshurun had 200 Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern
member families. Despite this move, Adas Jewish Life considers the encyclopedia to
Yeshurun remained an Orthodox congre- be a work in progress and encourages the
gation, building a new modern mikvah in public to contact Dr. Stuart Rockoff at
the late 1960s. When Adas Yeshurun cele- Rockoff@isjl.org with additional informabrated its 75th anniversary in 1965, the tion related to the history of Jewish comrabbi from the Orthodox Baron Hirsch munities in Georgia or other communities
Congregation, in Memphis, took part in of the South.
the ceremony. In 1970, Adas Yeshurun
Throughout
the
thirteen-state
dedicated a new education building; Southern region of the United States, the
Senator Herman Talmadge was the eleven-year-old grassroots organization
keynote speaker at the dedication.
Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern
As reflected in the steady growth of Jewish Life (ISJL) is dedicated to providboth congregations, Augusta’s Jewish ing educational and rabbinic services,
community peaked in the years after World promoting a Jewish cultural presence, and
War II. While 950 Jews lived in Augusta in documenting and preserving the rich his1937, 1500 did by 1980. The number of tory of the Southern Jewish experience.
Jewish merchants has declined, as it has
The Jews of Augusta, Part III
BY Stuart
Rockoff
Throughout its history, Children of
Israel, in Augusta, Georgia, has had
numerous rabbis, with most staying only a
few years. For one third of its first 100
years, the congregation did not have rabbinic leadership; during the other 67 years,
it employed 25 different rabbis.
A few stayed several years: Rabbi H.
Cert Strauss led the congregation from
1920 to 1927, while Joseph Leiser served
as rabbi from 1930 to 1939.
In 1941, a young Hebrew Union
College graduate, Sylvan Schwartzman,
took over the pulpit at Children of Israel.
Although he stayed for only six years,
Rabbi Schwartzman had a profound
impact on the congregation. When he
arrived, Children of Israel had only 60 or
so member families. Five years later, it had
105 families. Rabbi Schwartzman brought
a new energy to the congregation, leading
a popular adult education class and starting
a regular interfaith community forum.
During the war, he led services at the local
military base.
Rabbi Schwartzman was not afraid to
push the congregation to take political
stands. In 1945, the congregation sent a
letter to the U.S. Secretary of State, urging
his support for the plan to create a United
Nations. Rabbi Schwartzman also raised
money for the Haganah, the group fighting
for Jewish independence in Palestine.
Rabbi Schwartzman also led the way
in convincing the congregation that it
needed a new building, because the existing one could no longer hold its growing
number of families. At Children of Israel’s
centennial celebration in 1945, members
voted to build a new synagogue. In 1946,
they appointed a building committee,
headed by Mose Slusky, that acquired a lot
on the corner of Walton Way and
Bransford Road.
While it took several more years to
raise the necessary money, Children of
Israel finally dedicated its new synagogue
in 1951. Rabbi Schwartzman, who left
Augusta in 1947, came back to give the
dedication address. Reverend J. Hambry
Barton, of the Trinity on the Hill
Methodist Church, gave the invocation
during the ceremony. For the six months
before they moved into their new home,
the congregation met at Reverend Barton’s
church. According to the local newspaper,
“The symbols of both religions remained
on the same altar during this entire period
in a perfect example of religious brotherhood.”
Rabbi Norman Goldburg arrived in
1949 and led the congregation for the next
19 years, before becoming rabbi emeritus.
Under Rabbi Goldburg’s leadership,
Children of Israel interior
Children of Israel continued to grow,
reaching 142 families by 1955. By 1963,
the congregation had 103 children in its
religious school, which was run by the
rabbi’s wife, Rose Goldburg.
By 1964, Children of Israel had outgrown its sanctuary, and members voted to
build a new one, along with a new kitchen
and social hall, just thirteen years after
they had dedicated their then-current synagogue. Abe Friedman, a longtime board
member of the congregation who served
several terms as president, headed the
effort to raise money for the addition. The
local First Baptist Church made a donation
to the building fund.
In 1967, Children of Israel dedicated
the new sanctuary in a ceremony that drew
Augusta’s mayor and several local ministers and featured the theme of interfaith
harmony. The old sanctuary was converted
into an auditorium for the religious school.
Children of Israel thrived in its revamped
building. By 1976, the congregation had
161 member families and 61 children in its
religious school. By the mid-1990s,
Augusta’s Reform congregation had
reached 197 member families.
Adas Yeshurun grew over the years as
well. In 1944, members decided they had
outgrown their old and deteriorating building. Led by William Estroff, the congregation quickly raised $70,000 for the building fund. But soon, this effort stalled after
the deaths of both Estroff and Rabbi
Goldberger, along with growing disagreement over where to build the new synagogue.
While Adas Yeshurun had always
been in downtown Augusta, the vast
majority of members now lived in the Hill
January-February 2012
January-February 2012
ASHER LIVING
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN — K
Kosher Affairs
BY Roberta
Scher
Once again, I ate my way through
Kosherfest, the world’s largest kosher
food trade show. The 2011 event was
held at New Jersey’s Meadowlands
Exposition Center, and it set new
records for both exhibitors and attendees. I am sharing Kosherfest’s official
2011 New Product Award winner,
selected by a show panel, followed by
my personal list of “bests.”
KOSHERFEST 2011
NEW PRODUCT AWARDS
• Best Overall: Tishbi Passion Fruit and
Strawberry Champagne Preserves
• Beverage: Sparkling Ayala’s Herbal
Water
• Bread, Grain, Cereal, or Cracker:
Sliced Artisan Slider Rolls from
Tribeca Oven
• Candy: Rabbi Mints Classic Kosher
Mints
• Desserts/Baked Goods or Sweets:
Mango Gourmet Italian Ice from
Gianni New York
• Dips, Spreads, Salsas: Sabra
Guacamole
• Frozen Entrée: Ta’amti Meat Flavor
Meatless Bourekas
• Giftware or Novelty Item: The Royal
Challah Silicone Bakeware Pan
• Jam or Preserve: Tishbi Passion Fruit
and Strawberry Champagne Preserves
• “Kosher for Passover” Product:
MIKEE Mango Duck Sauce
• Meat/Seafood/Poultry Item: Jack’s
Gourmet Jamaican Style Jerk Chicken
Sausage
• Pasta, Rice, Beans, or Soup: Gezunt
Gourmet Pastas
• Savory & Salty Snack Food: Bamba
Halva Peanut Snack with Sesame
Cream Filling
• Savory Condiment, Spice, Sauce, Oil,
Vinegar, Dressing, or Marinade: Fresh
Frozen Pesto Cubes from Dorot Foods
• Wine, Beer, or Spirit: Fincas
Marumatok
Cabernet
Sauvignon
Malbec
• Cheese or Dairy Item: Sugar River
Cheese from Anderson International
Foods
MY PERSONAL KOSHERFEST
FAVORITES
• Jerk Chicken Sausage: The newest
flavor from Jack’s Gourmet Sausage.
What makes Jack’s unique is that it is
made without artificial ingredients,
fillers, by-products, or MSG.
• Moses Date Vodka: A new “kosher for
Passover” spirit, this sweet, smooth
vodka is good enough for year round.
• Tishbi Passion Fruit and Strawberry
Champagne Preserves: A sophisticated
and delicious spread with crackers and
perhaps a creamy soft cheese
• Zelda’s Apple Caramel Cake and
Lemon Poppy Cake: Moist cakes with
fruit flavors that shine through. Zelda’s
also introduced a new specialty for
Passover—chocolate locusts, a companion to its popular kosher-forPassover chocolate frogs. I am happy to
note that Zelda’s cakes are available
locally at Thechosenknish.com.
• Schmerling Hazelnut Chocolate Bar:
Rich, luscious chocolate available in
parve and dairy
• Challywood: Even the name is fun!
These challah loaves and rolls can be
ordered online in many flavors.
Shipping is free on orders over $50.
Among the flavors are onion, raisin,
blueberry, apple cinnamon, chocolate—and, of course, plain. Tempted?
Find even more at Challywood.net.
• A note about cheese: There were hundreds of cheeses at the show—many
brands from countries worldwide and
from the U.S. as well. Take note,
Atlanta retailers.
—————
On the night before Kosherfest,
KosherEye co-founder Lois Held and I
coordinated a special journalist/social
media dinner event at Manhattan’s Solo
Restaurant. The menu, presented by
Solo Executive Chef David Kolotkin,
was spectacular, and it reflected the
expanding boundaries of kosher food. I
am sharing the mouthwatering menu
(yes, there was a choice in each category):
• Appetizers: big-eye tuna tartare,
mushroom risotto, or crispy veal sweetbreads, along with a tasting of crispy
vegetable spring rolls, Buffalo chicken
lollipops, and sliders
• Entrees: pan-seared organic Scottish
salmon, one-half roasted chicken, or
pan-seared black Angus filet, along
with a tasting of tacos, roasted fingerling potatoes, and Japanese eggplant
• Desserts: Mandarine crème Chiboust
brûlée, molten chocolate cake, passion
fruit meringue
Royal Wine, the largest importer
and distributor of kosher wines in
North America, presented a tasting of
two champagnes: Drappier Carte-D’Or
Brut and Drappier Carte Blanche, products of a new joint venture with
Champagne Drappier, the highly
regarded French Champagne house.
See KOSHER AFFAIRS, page 40
Page 39
ASHER LIVING
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN — K
Page 40
Kosher Affairs
From page 39
These are the first-ever kosher cuvees
from the famed Champagne region and
are outstanding additions to the growing availability of kosher spirits.
Joey Allaham, the owner of Solo’s
parent company, Prime Hospitality
Group, is planning to launch a fleet of
kosher food trucks. How we would love
one of these rolling around Atlanta.
—————
One more Kosherfest note: I had
the pleasure of meeting cookbook
author, magazine editor, website owner,
and fellow foodie Leah Schapira, and I
received a copy of her new cookbook,
Fresh & Easy Kosher Cooking
(ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications). Leah
shares 170 simple, practical recipes
using “ordinary ingredients to create
extraordinary meals.” The simplicity of
the recipes, easy-to-follow instructions,
and color photos make the book a great
go-to guide for everyday meals, especially for the busy or novice cook.
What’s cooking? Email kosheraffairs@gmail.com This column is meant
to provide the reader with current
trends and developments in the kosher
marketplace. Since standards of
kashruth certification vary, check with
the AKC or your local kashruth authority to confirm reliability.
LOCAL NEWS
GrillersPride has expanded its
product mix. In addition to meat and
poultry, Peter Swerdlow has introduced
some new ready-to-heat meals and fish,
Zomick’s baked goods, and some colorcoded kitchenware items, perfect for the
kosher cook. Visit Grillerspride.com, or
call 770-454-8108.
Kosher Gourmet has added some
new items. Lydia Schloss has created a
parve candy department within the
store, including pre-packaged, giftable
candy arrangements and platters. In
addition, the store has a new Israeli
chef—Julie Meni, who prepares freshly
made Israeli foods on the premises,
including specialties such as kubbeh;
cigars; moussaka; stuffed grape leaves;
fresh salads such as tabbouleh and hummus; and more. For information, call
404-636-1114.
January-February 2012
Recipes
Risotto with Mushroom Ragout and
Truffle Oil
Adapted from a recipe by Executive Chef
David Kolotkin, Solo Restaurant
Makes 6 appetizers or 4 entrees
Yes, risotto is time consuming to prepare,
and this version is long. However, once
you get the hang of it, the method is actually simple and the results are truly
superb. Before you begin, have all of
your ingredients ready and prepped.
Mushroom Ragout:
1/2 lb. porcini mushroom, quartered
1/2 lb. cremini mushroom, quartered
1/2 lb. shallots, finely minced
2 cups chicken stock
3 ounces brandy
kosher salt to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Risotto:
1 cup Arborio rice
3 cups chicken stock, warmed
1/2 cup diced onion, cut into 1/4’ dice
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white truffle oil *
Mushroom Ragout:
Heat vegetable oil in pan, and gently cook mushrooms until they start to
sweat. Add shallots, and continue simmering until liquid from mushrooms has
reduced to “nothing.”
Turn off flame, and add brandy to
mushrooms.
Place pan back on the heat and
reduce the brandy by half. Then add 2
cups of chicken stock and reduce by 3/4.
Remove from heat and reserve half
of the cooked mushrooms. Set aside.
Risotto:
Place reserved mushrooms and all
of mushroom liquid in food processor;
blend until smooth. Set aside.
In another pan, heat oil and sweat
onions until soft and translucent. Then
add the Arborio rice, and gently toast for
3-4 minutes. Using a wooden spoon or
silicone spatula, stir in white wine, and
let the rice absorb it while continually
stirring.
On low flame, stir and simmer rice
and wine; then slowly start to add the
warm chicken stock to the rice 1/2 cup at
a time, until the rice absorbs the liquid.
Keep adding the stock 1/2 cup at a time,
until the rice is cooked and no stock
remains. Make sure to continuously stir
the rice to ensure it cooks evenly and
doesn’t scorch. Season rice with salt to
taste.
Just before serving, add the pureed
mushroom mixture to the rice, and bring
it back up to temperature. Gently fold in
the white truffle oil. Adjust seasonings if
necessary.
Place cooked risotto on plates and
top with the remaining mushroom
ragout.
*Chef Kolotkin advises that if kosher
truffle oil or fresh truffles are unavailable, just omit.
—————
See RECIPES, page 42
January-February 2012
ASHER LIVING
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN — K
Kosher Korner
COLD SEASON. People are used to making
sure their food is kosher. Sometimes people
have to be careful about medicinal products, as
well. Many cough medicines contain glycerin,
which can be of non-kosher animal origin. We
recommend buying only liquid cough medicines that do not contain glycerin. If the only
cough medicine available contains glycerin,
some rabbinical authorities allow the user to
nullify the non-kosher ingredient by mixing a
teaspoon of the cough medicine with two
ounces of juice or milk.
Cough drops, since many of them have a
good flavor and could contain non-kosher
ingredients, need certification. Below is a partial list of acceptable cough drops.
Cough drops that have a hechsher can be
used for medicinal and non-medicinal needs.
The cough drops below without a hechsher can
be used for medicinal purposes only. Kroger,
CVS, and Walgreens also have their own
brands of cough drops that can be used when
bearing an approved kosher symbol. Make sure
to check the labels to ensure that they are
indeed kosher.
Fisherman’s Friend (Manchester Beis Din)
Original: Ex-Strong, Sugar-Free, and Tooth
Friendly
Fisherman’s Friend (Manchester Beis Din)
Cough Suppressant Lozenges
Halls Breezers Sugar Free: Cool Berry
Lozenge
Halls Defense Sugar Free: Assorted Citrus
Lozenges
Halls Original: Cherry Lozenge
Halls Original Sugar Free: Freshmint, HoneyBerry, Ice Blue, Mentho-Lyptus, Mountain
Menthol, Peppermint, Spearmint, Strawberry,
and Tropical Fruit Lozenges
Luden’s OU-D Dairy Equipment
Ricola Honey Herb Lozenge
Ricola Honey Lemon with Echinacea Lozenge
Ricola Lemon Mint Lozenge
Ricola Lemon Verbena Lozenge
Ricola Natural Herb (original) Lozenge
Ricola Sugar Free: Green Tea with Echinacea,
Lemon Mint, Menthol, and Mountain Herb
Lozenges
Vicks Cough Drops Menthol, Cherry
—————KOSHER FOR PASSOVER CLASSES. If any
group or synagogue is interested in scheduling
one of Rabbi Stein’s Kosher for Passover classes, which are conducted before Passover, call
the Atlanta Kashruth Commission office (404634-4063) now.
BY Rabbi Reuven
Stein
SAVE THE DATE. This year’s Kosher Day
takes place April 29.
—————KOSHER ALERTS
Waiora Natural Cellular Defense is not
authorized to bear the AKC kosher logo and is
not under AKC kosher certification.
AKC certifies only those Schakolad
chocolates made in the facility (excluding
dipped strawberries). Other pre-packaged
products must be checked individually for a
kosher symbol. The facility sells pre-packaged
non-kosher chocolate with bacon in it.
Carefully read the kosher letter at
Cowlicks Yogurt and Floats, 1100 Hammond
Drive, Atlanta (770-913-0190), as not all items
are kosher.
Make sure to check Whole Foods Gelatos
for the AKC symbol, as not all varieties are certified.
KC Masterpiece Buffalo Marinade bears
an unauthorized OU symbol and contains
dairy.
—————KOSHER NEWS
Tandoory Bread manufactured by King
David Community Center, located at 5054
Singleton Road, Norcross (678-499-9693), is
now kosher and parve.
Classic Pita is a new AKC-approved, pas
Yisroel wholesale facility. All pita breads manufactured on the premises are kosher, parve,
and pas Yisroel when bearing the AKC kosher
logo. The pita is available at The Kosher
Gourmet. Classic Pita is located at 42
Piedmont Drive, Suite 203, Winder GA 30680.
Visit www.ClassicPita.com, or call 678-2541383.
The AKC now approves KSA products
produced in the U.S. and Canada.
Rabbi Reuven Stein is director of supervision
for the Atlanta Kashruth Commission, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting
kashruth through education, research, and
supervision.
Page 41
Page 42
ASHER LIVING
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN — K
Recipes
From page 40
Crock-Pot Chicken Soup
An easy Scher family winter favorite
Serves about 6
2 1/2-3 lbs. pounds cut up chicken
3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
2 carrots, large rough chop
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 cups cold water and 4 cups kosher
chicken broth (such as boxed
Manischewitz or Imagine Brand)
Place vegetables in a 4-5 quart slow
cooker. Top with chicken, herbs, and liquid. Cover and cook on low heat setting
for 8 to 10 hours. Remove chicken,
debone, cut into pieces, and add back into
soup. Enjoy.
Options: add 1 chopped parsnip or 1
chopped turnip. Serve with cooked white
rice or cooked egg noodles.
Variation: omit all of the liquid in the
recipe, use a whole chicken, and presto,
you have Crock-Pot roast chicken.
—————
Hot Chocolate Molten Cake
Adapted from Fresh & Easy Kosher
January-February 2012
Cooking by Leah Schapira
Serves 4
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 tablespoons flour (For Passover, substitute potato starch)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Grease a 4-cup muffin pan, or 4 individual ramekins.
In a double boiler, melt chocolate in
oil. Remove from heat when chocolate is
melted, and whisk in the sugar.
Whisk the eggs and egg yolks
together, and add them to the chocolate
mixture. Stir in the flour until smooth.
Pour the batter into prepared baking
cups.
Bake for 13-15 minutes. Remove
from the oven.
Leah says that the cakes are “ready
when the center top still feels soft and jiggly, while the rim is firm.”
Let stand for 1 minute, then invert
onto a plate.
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
January-February 2012
MJCCA NEWS
AUTHOR EVENTS. The Marcus Jewish
Community Center of Atlanta continues the
excitement of its November Book Festival
with two Page from the Book Festival
author events.
On Thursday, January 26, 7:30 p.m.,
Wall Street Journal columnist Jeffrey
Zaslow, co-author of The Last Lecture with
the late Randy Pausch, will present his new
book, The Magic Room: A Story about the
Love We Wish for our Daughters, at the
MJCCA, 5342
Tilly
Mill
R o a d ,
Dunwoody.
T h e
Magic Room, a
nonfiction narrative set in a
small-town
Michigan
bridal
shop,
looks at the
lives of a handful of brides
and their parents
who’ve
journeyed to the store’s “Magic Room.”
This is Zaslow’s third appearance at the
MJCCA. Tickets are $16/non-members,
$11/members.
On March 27, 7:30 p.m., the MJCCA
welcomes
author
and
CNN
Chief
M e d i c a l
Correspondent
Dr.
Sanjay
Gupta. He will
present his new
book, Monday
Mornings, a
novel that follows the lives
of five surgeons
who
must confront
their personal
and professional failings, often in front of
their peers at weekly Morbidity & Mortality
meetings.
Gupta appears as part of a special
“Upfront & Unscripted” program, featuring
CNN Senior Medical Correspondent
Elizabeth Cohen. Tickets are $22/nonmembers and $15/members.
Tickets to both events are available at
atlantajcc.org or through the MJCCA Box
Office at 678-812-4005.
KEYBOARD CONVERSATIONS. On
January 8, internationally acclaimed pianist
Jeffrey Siegel returned to the MJCCA to
perform “Art to Heart: The Romantic Music
of Franz Liszt.” The program, which ranged
from the elegant and melodious
“Liebestraum” to the exhilarating
“Hungarian Rhapsodies,” was the second of
three concerts in the 2011-2012 Keyboard
Conversations, a series of unique, concertplus-commentary programs; exclusive in
the Southeast to the MJCCA’s Morris &
Rae Frank Theatre, these programs are
designed to make classical music more
accessible to everyone.
The last concert in the 2011-2012
series, “Russian Rapture: Music of
Rachmaninoff & Tchaikovsky,” will take
place April 15, at 4:00 p.m.
Tickets are $25/general admission and
$18/MJCCA members, with discounts for
students and seniors. To purchase tickets,
call the Box Office at 678-812-4002, or
visit www.atlantajcc.org.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Family and close
friends were among the many well-wishers
Eric Beeler, Lauren Siegel, Josh
Rudolph, and Liel Van Der Hoeven
learn about Shabbat at JSU at
Centennial High School.
who gathered to wish Sid Cojac, of Sandy
Springs, also known as the mayor of
MJCCA’s Main Street, a happy 98th birthday at the Marcus Jewish Community
Center of Atlanta on Monday, November 7.
Cojac was surprised with a cake and other
goodies during the weekly meeting of the
MJCCA’s Mature Adults’ Talking Heads
group. He has been a long-time member of
the MJCCA’s Mature Adults committee and
actively participates in discussion groups,
social gatherings, and other outings.
Sid Cojac (from left), Jerry Broder,
and Sidʼs daughter and son-in law,
Roni and Alan Mintz (photo: MJCCA)
wooden dreidels and making edible menorahs.
JSU NEWS
THE MEANING OF SHABBAT. The
Jewish calendar is filled with exciting,
meaningful, and joyous holidays, but no
day has as much presence as Shabbat, the
holy day of rest observed on a weekly basis.
Recently, 13 Jewish Student Union clubs at
Atlanta area high schools held Shabbatthemed meetings in which participants
learned about various aspects of the holy
day, including the mitzvah to light Shabbat
candles and the special blessing said over
them. Over 350 teens took part in the activities, which included making decorative
Shabbat candles, and they received copies
of the Hebrew blessing text, along with a
Page 43
translation and transliteration, so that they
could perform the mitzvah themselves.
Dozens of teens reported lighting Shabbat
candles on the Friday night after their JSU
club meeting, the first time most of them
had ever done so.
LEARNING ABOUT ISRAEL. With so
much misinformation in the media, it is
imperative that Jewish teens become educated about the relationship between the
Jewish people and Israel and learn the truth
about the current conflict in the Middle
East. Recently, upwards of 300 teens from
15 Atlanta-area JSU clubs learned about the
true history of the State of Israel and Jewish
claims to the land. Rabbi Chaim Neiditch
also told the teens the harrowing story of
Gilad Shalit, the IDF soldier held captive
for over five years in enemy hands. As a
way of showing their support for their
brothers and sisters in arms (only a few
years older than themselves) and increase
their connection to Israel, the teens made
and decorated almost 100 banners to be sent
to Israeli soldiers at their army bases. It is
hoped that this touching gesture will bolster
the spirits of the troops as they guard and
protect Israel.
Tori Zellner, Samantha Jacober,
Brittany Bruck, and Samantha
Mandel show their support for Israel
during a JSU meeting at Northview
High School.
CELEBRATING CHANUKAH. When the
holiday season rolls around each December,
Jews everywhere know that it’s time to
“light up the night, with candles burning
bright”
and
celebrate
Chanukah.
Excitement—as well as the aroma of sizzling latkes—was in the air as over 400
teens attended JSU club Chanukah gatherings at 14 Atlanta-area high schools.
Rabbi Neiditch led the proceedings at each of the events, overseeing dreidel tournaments and teaching the teens the
original Chanukah story and the laws of
lighting the menorah. The teens also participated in discussions about the significance
of miracles in our lives and took part in
other fun activities, such as decorating
JSU Lassiter Co-Presidents Jake
Glickman and Alec Rush make decorative dreidels.
Sarah Hamer and Megan Miller
enjoying
the
JSU
Chanukah
Celebration at Riverwood.
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 44
January-February 2012
Operation Lifeshield helps protect Israeli citizens from missile attacks
“Trauma cement.” It’s the name given
to the steel-reinforced concrete used to construct bomb shelters in Israel, and it evokes
a sobering image of life in a nation still
threatened by near daily missile attacks.
Building those shelters is the work of
Operation Lifeshield, a unique organization
dedicated to providing air raid shelters for
Israeli citizens. The group’s executive
director, Rabbi Shmuel Bowman, was in
Atlanta recently to talk about the threat facing Israelis and to issue an urgent appeal for
donations as Operation Lifeshield continues
its mission.
Rabbi Shmuel Bowman (from left),
Reverend Tony Crisp, and Susan
OʼDwyer, Habif Arigeti & Wynneʼs
Director of Business Development
That mission: to save lives by providing Israel’s threatened communities with
accessible, easy-to-reach protection in the
event of an attack. Operation Lifeshield is
the only nonprofit group working on building bomb shelters for every city in Israel.
The need is clear enough. From the
time a Code Red alarm signals an imminent
missile attack in any Israeli community,
local residents have 15-90 seconds to find
shelter.
“The shelters, which are placed at hot
spots like bus stations, have saved many
lives since the nonprofit was founded in
2007,” Rabbi Bowman said. “However, the
shelters are expensive. A fifteen-person
shelter is $20,000, and a fifty-person shelter
costs $40,000.”
To date, Operation Lifeshield has
placed at least 90 shelters in transit stops,
synagogues, parks, and other areas where
people gather. The group works with the
Israel Defense Force Home Front
Command to determine priority locations
for the shelters.
Determining those priorities is a difficult decision-making process for Operation
Lifeshield, according to its executive director. “The organization is constantly overwhelmed by requests from municipalities
asking for shelter,” he said.
At a packed community forum in mid-
September hosted by Habif, Arogeti
&Wynne (HA&W), Georgia’s largest independent accounting firm, Rabbi Bowman
and other participants painted a stark picture of life in Israel’s most vulnerable cities
and towns.
“I don’t know how many executive
directors of non-governmental organizations like myself get phone calls during the
night from mayors of Israeli towns, who
can’t sleep for fear that if they authorize
children to go to school the next day, they
may be sending them to their deaths,”
Rabbi Bowman told the forum. “They call
me…at two or three o’clock in the morning
screaming, ‘Shmuel, where are more shelters? Where are more shelters?’”
Wherever the shelters are placed,
Israeli citizens gain a sense of security and
can feel safe going about their daily lives,
Bowman and another panelist asserted.
“I was near one of those bus stop shelters during my last visit,” said Alondra
Larenas, a tax specialist with HA&W, who
lived in Israel for 10 years. “It’s a very nice
feeling that you have somewhere you can
go and protect yourself in case something
happens.”
The shelters’ proximity to schools and
playgrounds can also help relieve the anxiety suffered by thousands of Israeli children, he said, along with the medical prob-
lems associated with childhood stress, such
as mature bed-wetting and hair loss.
Operation Lifeshield’s most recent
shelter delivery was to a kibbutz founded
by Holocaust survivors near the Lebanon
border, in a region terrorized by Hezbollah
rocket attacks and escalating threats.
Rabbi Bowman’s involvement with
Operation Lifeshield began in 2007, but his
exposure to the threats facing his adopted
nation came much earlier. He joined the
Israel Defense Force on the brink of the
Gulf War, moving to Israel and serving with
the Emergency Readiness Team of the
Israeli National Police.
After spending years surrounded by the
continuous fear of Hezbollah missile
attacks on his fellow citizens, Rabbi
Bowman was moved to join the newly
founded Operation Lifeshield four years
ago. As executive director, he participates
in fundraising tours around the world.
“We get donations for shelters from all
over the world,” he told the forum.
Community groups, foundations, corporations, and individual donors all contribute,
he said.
For more information on Operation
Lifeshield, including how to help, visit
www.operationlifeshield.org.
Fred Scheer recounts his POW experiences in A European Sojourn, 1943-1945
BY Carolyn
Gold
A European Sojourn, 1943-1945: An
Autobiography
By Pvt. Frederick O. Scheer, Serial No.
14118781
As recounted to Rear Admiral William
O. Miller JAGC
September 2011
Trafford Publishing (www.trafford.com)
$37.95
Reading this book is like sitting
down with a veteran and having him tell
you, in comfortable conversation, his
real war stories. But Fred Scheer’s stories are not so much about combat. They
are about being a POW of the Germans
during World War II.
Fred, who has vision problems,
gives this credit on the book’s cover:
“As Recounted to Rear Admiral William
O. Miller.” Miller, known as “Dusty,”
suggested that Fred write down his POW
experiences and subsequently helped
him put the book together.
The story begins when Fred, who
calls himself “a young farm boy from
Eatonton, Georgia,” reported to Fort
McPherson on April 6, 1943. After one
year at the
University of
Georgia, where
he volunteered
for the enlisted
reserves,
he
was called up,
herded through
Army induction, and sent
by troop train
to Fort Riley,
Kansas.
Basic training was followed by living
in
tarpaper
huts,
where
Kansas
dust
blew through
the walls. Fred recounts, with equal parts
realism and humor, the memories of getting his M-1 rifle, doing KP duty, practicing drills, doing calisthenics, and getting through obstacle courses.
In October 1943, Fred was put on a
ship to Europe, landing in Northern
Ireland to join the 5th Infantry Division.
Combat training followed for the next
eight months.
The D-Day invasion of Normandy
commenced on June 6, 1944, and Fred’s
unit landed July 10. He describes the
landing, the
fighting, and
life in a foxhole.
Fred
was captured
when his unit
was surrounded by Germans
soldiers coming around a
h e d g e r o w.
Thus began his
period as an
American
POW,
in
Stalag IV-F,
lasting until
the end of the
war in Europe.
The camp housed prisoners who
worked on the railroad yard and along
the railroad tracks. Fred describes the
clothing issued to prisoners: one shirt,
one pair of pants, one set of underwear,
a pair of socks, and an overcoat. (Most
overcoats had a bullet hole.) The shoe
soles were so thin “we started to put
pieces of newspaper in them to keep out
the cold.”
Double-decker bunks had a “straw
mattress, accompanied by an ample supply of bed bugs.” Daily rations consisted
of a cup of coffee (made from barley or
other grain) and a quarter kilo of dark
German bread in the morning and a bowl
of small boiled potatoes and another cup
of ersatz coffee in the evening. Once a
week, they received a patty of mystery
protein called bloodwurst. Some Red
Cross packages arrived once a month.
Fred describes how the prisoners
stole bits of coal along the railroad track
and any food they could find in the countryside. Prisoners worked in the bitter
cold during the winter of 1945, and the
potatoes became potato soup, which
grew thinner and thinner.
As the war was drawing to an end,
Fred managed to escape. He describes
how that happened and how his folks
back in Eatonton got news first of his
capture and then of his escape. The book
contains pictures, documents, and newspaper clippings of these many events.
Fred’s story luckily had a happy
ending, after the many hardships he
endured. He tells it all in a kindly voice
that does not dwell on the horrors, but
emphasizes the everyday efforts of a
young “20 something” managing to survive and of some of the everyday people,
French and German, who helped him.
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
January-February 2012
Page 45
Martin Luther King, Jr. - A Leader
By David Geffen
Reverend “Daddy” King, MLK’s
father, was the chapel speaker at Emory
University’s Glenn Memorial Church in the
mid-fifties when I was a student there. At
that point in time, segregation was rampant
in Atlanta, in spite of the Supreme Court
Decision. My fellow students and I wondered how Emory could break the color line
so easily, since the school had no black students. Maybe Coca-Cola, the school’s
biggest donor, was behind the invitation.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Chapel in those days was always on
Wednesday mornings when classes were
cancelled. You could not “cut” chapel
because attendance was taken. We marched
into the big chapel that day not knowing
what to expect. Present was this all-white
audience and a black minister. For all of us
it was quite a sight and became a morning
to remember.
The university chaplain introduced
King, and we all sat on the edge of our
chairs waiting for him to begin. “Young
men,” he began since the school had not
gone co-ed, “you are most fortunate to be
here. When I was your age, I was still performing miniscule tasks with my father.
Somehow I got the message, part of it from
the girl I courted who became my wife, that
God had more in store for me. I became a
minister of the gospel and, in time, became
head of the Ebenezer Baptist church on
Auburn Avenue here in the city.”
Auburn Avenue was the locale of most
black businesses in Atlanta. Some were
quite successful - one insurance company
was known nationwide. I was familiar with
the area a bit because my father, Louis
Geffen, an attorney, had black clients. In the
thirties, the early years of his law practice,
he became known to the black community
because he was someone to be trusted.
After his six years as a judge advocate
in the US Army in World War 2, he returned
to Atlanta and continued to have individuals
from this community who came to him for
their legal work. I accompanied him often
when he met them on Auburn Avenue to
find out what needed to be done. I must
admit that it was only many years later that
I came to know some of my black contemporaries. Segregation truly kept us apart.
King continued that day in the past by
citing the Bible. “When Moses was chosen
to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt, he was
hesitant because his speech was not perfect,
‘tongue-tied.’ So he called on his brother
Aaron to help him out,” King said. What we
Negros know is that we must lead our people out of Egypt and go forward into the
Promised Land. Some of us realize that our
speech is not too good, so we need some of
you whites to help us. When you listen to
me, like you are doing today, you are helping us get on the path to a new life. I want
you to know that by the time you are earning a living, we blacks will be on the freedom trail in schools, in business, in the arts
and in sports. I am proud that Emory
brought me here today, and I thank you for
being so respectful. Hallelujah!”
I told my parents about this experience,
since I lived at home. “They are good people” was their response. Some of my AEPi
fraternity brothers were in favor of black
rights, so they thought King’s message was
great. The person who truly analyzed this
moment for me was my Professor of poetry,
Floyd C. Watkins. “David, I grew up in Ball
Ground, Georgia, where few people finished the eighth grade. I knew the local
Negro minister, and he kept saying, ‘Floyd,
Floyd you got a mind - use it.’ So I feel that
the Negros too have the ability to study and
be successful. David, just you wait and
see.”
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Martin Luther King, Jr., Mickey Shure
and Peter Geffen
Martin Luther King, Jr., and
Professor Abraham Joshua Heschel
There was a big gap in my life between
that Emory chapel address of the father and
my actually hearing the son, Martin Luther
King, Jr. Truth to tell, I did not do much to
help overthrow segregation in the U.S. I
was not a part of sit-ins, teach-ins, or
marches, but my cousin Peter Geffen was.
In the spring of 1968 he gave me a ride up
to the Rabbinical Assembly convention.
Held at Kutshers Hotel, the great attraction
was Martin Luther King, Jr. He was introduced by his comrade in arms in the struggle, Professor Abraham Joshua Heschel.
Heschel gave a moving introduction
before King’s presentation, including these
words. “Martin Luther King, Jr., is a voice,
a vision and a way. Martin Luther King is a
sign that God has not forsaken the United
States of America. I call upon every Jew to
hearken to his voice, to share his vision, to
follow in his way. The whole future of
America will depend on the impact and
influence of Dr. King.”
When King spoke, he praised Israel as
an “oasis in the desert.” He lauded the
Jewish people for assisting the blacks in the
early years of the century and now. The
atmosphere was electric and I recalled
“Daddy” King at Emory telling us what the
future held for his people.
In the summer of 1963, my wife, Rita,
and I had come to Israel to study. We
missed the March on Washington, since we
were in Jerusalem. In an unexpected way
we were able to feel that great moment in
US history. Here in Israel, in those days 49
years ago, movies were accompanied by
newsreels. Without TV in Israel then, news
came by radio or by newspaper.
We went to the Paladin Theater on
Agrippas a week after the march for a
movie, but we really wanted to see the
newsreel. There on the screen, we witnessed portions of the march, and we heard
MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Even
more uplifting were the words of a young
man sitting behind us. “Zeh manhig,” he
said and we echoed, “that’s a leader.”
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 46
MISH MASH
By Erin O’Shinskey
MAKING HISTORY. In honor of its 175th
anniversary, Emory University has designated
Elliott Levitas, of the law firm Kilpatrick
Townsend, one of 175 Emory Historymakers.
Mr. Levitas, a Rhodes Scholar, served in the
Georgia Legislature (1966-1975) and the U.S.
House of Representatives (1975-1985). He
served on the plaintiffs’ litigation team in the
historic class-action suit of Cobell v. Norton,
which sued the federal government on behalf
of more than 500,000 Native Americans for
breach of trust regarding U.S.-held lands and
trust funds; this led to a $3.4 billion settlement,
the largest class-action award against the government in U.S. history.
Marvin Botnick, Harold Berger, and
Morris Brown
Phyllis Silverstein (from left); Rabbi
Louis Feldstein, Federation COO; and
Ronette Throne at Federationʼs Major
Donor Thank You event
CASINO NIGHT. Nearly 200 people had a
great time at Jewish Educational Loan Fund’s
2nd annual casino night, JELF: A Sure Bet on
the Future Casino Night and Silent Auction
Fundraiser, December 3, 2011, at Le Fais Dodo. The event, chaired by Karen Goldstein,
Marcey Alter, and Justin Wyatt, raised funds
for JELF, which provides interest-free loans for
post-secondary study at accredited institutions
to Jewish students from communities in
Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North
Carolina, and Virginia. Applications for the
2012-2013 academic year will be available at
www.jelf.org on March 1.
Elliott Levitas
FEDERATION HONORED. At its biennial
convention, the Union for Reform Judaism’s
Synagogue-Federation Relations Committee
presents the Shutafim Award for Outstanding
Federation/Synagogue Partnerships to three
communities—one small, one mid-sized, and
one large. The UJA-Federation of New York,
the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, and
The Jewish Federation of Western
Massachusetts were honored at URJ’s
December convention, outside Washington,
D.C. Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and
nine other Federations (Princeton Mercer
Bucks; Springfield, Illinois; Tulsa; New
Mexico; Ft. Worth & Tarrant County; Broward
County; Greater New Orleans; and Greater
Toronto) were recognized for meritorious
cooperation and mutual support.
LOCAL PROFESSIONALS ON NATIONAL
TEAM. Two Jewish Federation of Greater
Atlanta professionals have been selected to
serve on Jewish Federations of North
America’s
10-person
Professional
Development Institute Leadership Team.
Ronette Throne, vice president of Community
Campaign, and Phyllis Silverstein, vice president of Planned Giving & Endowment, will
assist in planning this year’s skill-building conference, in coordination with other Federation
professionals from around the country. The
conference will unite development professionals to discuss new ideas about integration and
new models of development, as well as address
timely and critical issues.
January-February 2012
fields at CDC, including chronic disease prevention, cancer prevention, smoking and
health, food safety, public health preparedness,
injury prevention, environmental health, and
immunizations. ICDC members learned about
how CDC works 24-7 saving lives, protecting
people worldwide, and saving money through
prevention; they plan to incorporate this newly
acquired knowledge into ICDC’s 2012 working plan.
SEPHARDIC BAKING. The Mt. Scopus
Group of Greater Atlanta Hadassahʼs
Sephardic Baking Event with Sarah
Duwell took place November 6, at a
kosher home of a member. The money
raised by this event will help Hadassah
support its two state-of-the-art hospitals doing breakthrough medical
research in Jerusalem. Sarah Duwell
holds a cookie sheet of biscochos de
huevo, a sugar cookie, as Mt. Scopus
member Julia Alvo looks on.
ICDC visits CDC: (front) Ross Mason,
founder and managing Director HINRI
Labs, Inc.; (back, from left) Dr. Michal
Bromberg, head, Infectious Diseases
Unit, ICDC; Dr. Inbar Zucker, senior resident, Public Health, ICDC; Sharon
Kabalo, deputy consul general of Israel
to the Southeast; Anneke Ifrah, head,
Publications Department, ICDC; Shelley
Castaldi, director of Academic Affairs,
Consulate General of Israel to the
Southeast; Opher Aviran, consul general of Israel to the Southeast; Michael
Edmeades; Dr. Tamy Shohat, director,
ICDC; Dr. Lital Keinan-Boker, deputy
director, ICDC; and Talyah Aviran
Casino Night guests at tables
ANNUAL MEETING. At JELF’s 135th
Annual Meeting, December 15, at Marcus
Hillel Center, Emory University, a new president was inducted—Ed Hyken, who is not only
a seasoned JELF volunteer, but also a past loan
recipient. JELF also thanked and acknowledged outgoing President Jeff Alperin for his
excellent leadership over the past two years,
awarding him a place on the JELF Honor Roll.
Lisa Salzman of Durham, North Carolina, and
Howard Wexler, of Atlanta, were awarded the
Garber Family Service Award, which recognizes newer board members and up-and-coming leaders.
Etz Chaim Preschool students recently
learned about “Parsha Bereshet,” the
story of creation. Sophie Levy and Milo
Medoff explore their shadows while
learning about light and darkness.
“Beyond Politics: Inspirational People
of Israel” was the subject of the Mt.
Scopus Group of Greater Atlanta
Hadassah meeting, November 9, at the
Chamblee Library. Anita Levy presents
speaker and author Ronda Robinson a
Hadassah certificate in honor of her
presentation.
DELEGATION VISITS ATLANTA. Top leaders from the Israeli Center for Disease Control
recently made an unprecedented working visit
to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in Atlanta. The delegation consulted with several directors and experts in various
Jeff Alperin and Rob Smulian
As part of a unit about Parsha
Bereshet,” the story of creation, Etz
Chaim Preschool students gathered
interesting objects from nature to
examine in the classroom. Pictured
(from left) are Tzvi Gan, Julia Goldberg,
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Sophie Levy, Ethan Efrat, Ellison
Krivutza, Milo Medoff, Hannah
Buxbaum, Daniel Barchichat, and
Jackson Greiner
COOKIN’. Support The Temple Early
Learning Center and get some delicious recipes
in the bargain. The TELC cookbook, Not Just
Chicken Soup, is now available for just $20. It
comes packed with recipes collected from
Temple members, as well as helpful tips and
tricks for every kitchen situation. Discount
pricing is available for bulk orders, but act fast
before they’re gone. To place an order, contact
Karen Luscher at karen.luscher@gmail.com,
or call The TELC at 404-872-8668.
Service! Where is it?
Mrs. Dena Friedman and Mrs. Elana
Shenk lead Torah Day School of Atlanta
kindergarten students in singing
Chanukah songs for the residents at
Summerʼs Landing assisted living facility. (Photo: D. Kapenstein)
JEWISH HERITAGE CONTEST. The 9th
Annual Jewish Heritage Contest is a writing
competition that offers a creative opportunity
for fostering strong Jewish identity among
middle-school students. Entries are judged on
originality of thought and quality of writing in
three categories: creative writing (essay); true
story: personal or family; and poetry. The contest deadline is April 16. For details, visit
www.jewishheritagecontest.com.
JOB SEEKER STRESS. Are you dealing with
the emotional stress of being unemployed and
looking for a job? Job loss can take you on a
roller coaster of emotions—anger, fear, relief,
and hope for a new direction. JF&CS offers a
support group where you can release your
emotions and reinvigorate with other job seekers as you move through this transition. Come
share stories, experiences, ideas, and
resources—without the pressure of needing to
be “on.” Contact Betsy Frasier at 770-6779310.
Page 47
Epsteinʼs 4th-grade choir performed for
a group of Holocaust survivors at their
monthly social gathering, Café Europa.
Afterward, they worked on decorating
cookies to be donated to a homeless
shelter.
BY Marice
Katz
A recent article in The Wall Street
Journal Magazine featured a gentleman who had been CEO of an exclusive store some years ago. He talked
about how disgusting retail is now, not
like in the old days, when the salespeople wore proper outfits and treated customers royally. It reminded me of how
frustrated I often get when so little consideration is shown the ones paying
their wages: the customers. And it is
not just retail.
I don’t want to identify the ones at
fault, but take one of the big telephone
companies. I was talked into signing up
for a new service a few years ago, and
my phones have not worked properly
since. Yes, I have had technicians out—
three in a row—and the last was a
supervisor. He fixed the new problem
that the previous tech created, but now
my fax rings when my phone rings. To
whom do you complain about a super-
visor? Another supervisor? I am just
living with it right now.
And then there was the office supply company that did not want to give
me the rewards I had accumulated,
because they said the answer I gave to
a privacy question was incorrect. The
question: Where were you born? I told
them Durham, North Carolina. They
did not accept that, and I heatedly told
them I certainly knew in which city I
was born. When I told this to the head
manager, he said, “Oh, for Pete’s sake;
I am so sorry you had to go through
that.”
Of course, we have all had the
experience of being transferred from
one section of a company to another.
And still not getting the department we
needed.
One final thing: I was on the phone
all afternoon recently with someone
overseas, because my new printer has
never worked, and the company from
which I purchased it refused to
exchange it for another. Why? Because
the deadline for that was 14 days, and
nobody told me that. Well, I got it
fixed, but it took all afternoon.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Page 48
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Atlanta Scholars Kollel at 25
In late August 1987, three newly
ordained rabbis, from Baltimore’s Ner Israel
Rabbinical College, and their families packed
up all their earthly belongings and drove in
caravan style to Atlanta to begin a brand new
concept: the “outreach kollel.” (The term kollel, literally “inclusive” in Hebrew, was adopted in pre-war Europe to refer to a group of
advanced Torah scholars, typically married,
who study in a post-yeshiva framework.)
The idea was to create a cross between a
Jewish think-tank and a community outreach
center. The young rabbis would study
Talmudic law together and then go out into the
community at large to teach, inspire, encourage, and connect Jews to their precious heritage. What was novel about this new venture
was the communal outreach component. The
few dozen kollels in the states at the time were
full-time learning centers. This was the dawn
of a new beginning.
The story begins during the preceding
summers, when Ner Israel sent Rabbi
Binyomin Friedman and his wife, Dena, to
lead the Atlanta Summer Kollel, which was
hosted by Congregation Beth Jacob. Rabbi
Ilan Feldman was then assistant rabbi to his
father, Rabbi Emanuel Feldman, and, as he
contemplated his future in the rabbinate, the
idea of bringing a year-round kollel was very
appealing. He and his brothers grew up in an
Atlanta that was warm and nurturing, but it
was a time when only he and his brothers
wore yarmulkes to Braves games or were
Sabbath-observant. A kollel would provide
collegial support, model a spiritually committed lifestyle, and share the beauty of Judaism
with Georgians who might never set foot in an
Orthodox shul.
For Rabbi Ilan Feldman and the young
enthusiastic Rabbi Friedman, it was obvious
that this was the right idea. The question was:
How? They brought the matter to the attention
of the head of the yeshiva—Rabbi Feldman’s
father-in-law, the revered scholar and communal leader, Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg z”l.
Rabbi Weinberg promptly suggested that
Rabbi Menachem Deutsch—who had just
rejuvenated a once-floundering fundraising
campaign on behalf of Chinuch Atzmai, a private school system in Israel—consider taking
the lead role in founding the Atlanta Scholars
Kollel (ASK). A special bouquet of flowers
for Shabbos, sent by the Feldmans to the
Deutsch family, sealed the deal.
Would the Atlanta Jewish community
support the kollel and its families? Chuck and
Leslie Lowenstein were the first to answer the
call. Their lead commitment, in July 1987,
blazed the trail for others to embrace a kollel,
even though most of the people didn’t know
exactly what a kollel was.
After the kollel arrived, Rabbi Deutsch
configured an office in his basement, hiring
“Bubby” Ethel Cenker as the secretary, opening a business account, and setting the annual
calendar. Many decisions needed to be made:
When does the rabbis’ learning part of the day
start? What is our mission statement? How do
we attract students when they don’t even
know what a kollel is or what learning Torah
is all about? When they find out, will they still
want to participate? How do we start a Beis
Midrash (Torah study hall)? What happens
when the initial funding runs out?
January-February 2012
Jewish Unity Live honors Rabbi Deutsch
Jewish Unity Live 2012 will be an anniversary extravaganza for Atlanta Scholars
Kollel, which is celebrating 25 years. The kollel rabbis will stroll down memory lane
and pay tribute to Rabbi Menachem Deutsch for his years of vision, creativity, and
leadership.
Jewish Unity Live 2012 takes place March 11, at the Woodruff Arts Center. To
register, visit www.atlantakollel.org, or call Marcia at the home office at 404-321-4085.
Rabbi Menachem Deutsch, founding dean of ASK, 1987-2010
The mission of ASK was simple: to promote Torah study in Atlanta. Rabbi Herbert
Cohen, of Yeshiva High School of Atlanta
(today Yeshiva Atlanta), graciously offered
the school’s Beis Midrash as a place to start.
Within a few weeks, the kollel rabbis were
passionately absorbed in their own Torah
study, as if they were still in Baltimore; now,
to share that passion with the rest of the city!
It became evident to Rabbi Deutsch that,
in order to make Torah study accessible to all
Jews, the kollel would have to embrace an
activist stance, seeking out local Jews and
offering them multiple modalities for Jewish
learning. This stance was reflected in the kollel’s original public mission statement:
“Whether you’re Reform, Conservative,
Orthodox, unaffiliated, or somewhere in
between, the Atlanta Scholars Kollel (ASK) is
your most vibrant source for Jewish learning
in Atlanta!”
Rabbis David Silverman and Yaakov
Schwartz began their day teaching at Yeshiva
High School. In the afternoons, the rabbis’
learning took place in the school’s Beis
Midrash. In the evenings, classes were formed
for those whose interest had been piqued, and
“homegroups” were created, leveraging social
circles, for teaching introductory classes about
Judaism. The topics were intriguing—sometimes light and sometimes heavy. The rabbis
recall with a chuckle that often, at the end of a
homegroup, as the rabbi thought he would
field one or two more questions before people
headed for the door, someone would innocently drop a bomb, such as: “Rabbi, so how do
you explain the Holocaust?” or “Do you really believe that the Red Sea split?”
After several months, Rabbis Shmuel
Khoshkerman and Binyomin Friedman joined
the ASK team. Rabbi Khoshkerman set out to
address the needs of a fledgling Iranian community in Atlanta; today, he is rav and spiritual guide to several hundred Jews across the
spectrum of Sephardic Jewry at Congregation
Ner Hamizrach, as well as a sought-after
authority and author of works on Jewish law.
Rabbi Friedman captured his audiences with
his thought-provoking Torah classes. After a
friendship with community activist Adrian
Grant was ignited on a Federation mission to
Israel, the two friends piloted the first lunchand-learn at Adrian’s CPA firm, Aarons Grant
& Habif. Today, the lunch-and-learn concept
is ubiquitous, adopted by many communal
organizations throughout metro Atlanta.
Two years later, ASK expanded with the
addition of Rabbi Menashe Goldberger,
whose charge was to strengthen the learning
in the kollel community Beis Midrash and
who later taught part-time at Torah Day
School. In July of 1990, Rabbi Deutsch
teamed up with the Atlanta Jewish Federation
to hire Rabbi Michoel Lipschutz, to address
the acculturation of Atlanta’s Russian Jewish
immigrants.
In 1989, Rabbi Friedman helped organize
the Jewish Educational Alliance, a studentbased organization at Emory University.
Eventually, in 1997, the kollel recruited the
talented Rabbi Ahron Golding, to expand the
college outreach efforts to include Georgia
Tech, Life Chiropractic College, and the
University of Georgia for Shabbatons and
weeknight learning. In 2005, Rabbi Golding
became the first kollel rabbi in the U.S. to be
appointed as Hillel rabbi. In 2006 and 2008
respectively, ASK expanded the college program even further with the arrival of Rabbis
Shlomo Gelbtuch and Yaakov Fleshel. Today,
learning opportunities are offered at Emory
University, Georgia Tech, Georgia State
University, University of Georgia, Oglethorpe
University, and Kennesaw State University.
Meanwhile, in 1994, Rabbi Silverman
began to take his experience working with
Jewish teens on the road and reach out to the
many who were enrolled in non-Jewish private high schools. The students would meet
after school with the “cool” rabbi, in both
group and one-on-one encounters. The program was eventually embraced by school
administrators, and Rabbi Silverman was
invited to meet with the students at a “Jewish
lunch club” to discuss topics of interest over
kosher pizza. Over the years, Woodward,
Westminster, Pace, Paideia, International, and
Lovett schools have all hosted the rabbi.
Recently, North Springs High School, a public
school, opened its doors to the program.
One of the most far-reaching projects that
ASK has facilitated to date is the development
of Jewish learning in Dunwoody. Together,
Rabbis Deutsch and Friedman implemented
the gradual process, first leasing a storefront
in a strip mall off of Jett Ferry Road; then purchasing a residential property on Sandell
Court, which Rabbi Deutsch helped pay for
through a second mortgage on his own home;
and finally purchasing the present site of
Congregation Ariel on Tilly Mill Road, which
is today the hub of a thriving community
under the loving guidance of Rabbi Friedman
and his renowned rebbetzin, “Morah Dena.”
Over the past decade, Rabbis Daniel Freitag
and Michoel Friedman (no relation to
Binyomin) have moved into the Dunwoody
community to assist the congregational rabbi
with classes and outreach.
ASK’s two-pronged focus on Torah
learning and community outreach has been
eternalized in the construction and dedicated
use of its two learning facilities. The state-ofthe-art ASK Beis Midrash on Lavista Road
(contiguous with Congregation Beth Jacob) is
occupied over 16 hours a day, by adults and
teens in classes and one-on-one chavrusa
study on all levels of Jewish literacy. The
Dome, in Dunwoody, is home to Kollel
Institute, a comprehensive overview program
for adults with minimal Jewish knowledge,
consisting of four courses: Jewish History,
Jewish Living, Jewish Thought, and the Book
(Bible). The Free Hebrew Crash Course
(offered in both locations) guarantees reading
proficiency in five sessions—or your money
back!
Although it now has the bricks and mortar, ASK continues to bring Torah learning to
people throughout the metro area: adult beginners’ prayer services on both Sabbath and
weekdays; weekly learning and social events
for singles and young couples; numerous
lunch-and-learns in corporate and professional offices, hospitals, the MJCCA, schools, and
private homes; women’s study groups, and
Jewish teen clubs. Torah Media Atlanta
(www.torahmediaatlanta.com), a privately
operated and funded website that is a veritable
repository of thousands of Torah lectures and
classes delivered in Atlanta, was conceived
and first hosted on the ASK website.
In 2006, ASK recruited a full-time rosh
kollel (traditional title of the academic head of
a learning kollel), Rabbi Doniel Pransky, from
the Columbus Community Kollel, in Ohio.
Rabbi Pransky’s primary role is to direct the
scholarly learning of the rabbis and other
advanced students of Torah in the community.
He is a first-class Talmud scholar, as well as a
prolific teacher for both men and women on
topics ranging from Jewish philosophy to
Tanach (Bible) to intricate matters of halacha
(Jewish law).
The current rabbinical staff of ASK
In April 2011, Rabbi Deutsch spread his
wings and became the North American coordinator of college outreach for the WolfsonHorn Foundation. After months of “downloading” twenty-four years of experience and
sheer memory to his successors, Rabbi
Deutsch handed the keys to Rabbis Silverman
and Pransky to lead the kollel into its next
phase of growth and success.
In mid-January, ASK launched its new
website, www.atlantakollel.org, to connect
people to Jewish learning on the cutting edge.
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 49
A note of gratitude from a rookie softball coach
By Marc Frost
Having read and enjoyed Jerry
Schwartz’s “Schwartz On Sports” column
in The Jewish Georgian, I was motivated to
write about my firsthand experience as a
rookie coach at the Marcus Jewish
Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA).
What a thrill it was for me. I only hope that
I can approach what Jerry does in capturing
the excitement and camaraderie that is part
of this scene.
While I played baseball in my younger
years in New York, 2011 was only my second year of playing at MJCCA. I so enjoyed
the experience, that when the Fall League
concluded, I decided to try my hand at
coaching. The team ranged from people in
their 20s to those in their 60s, and some had
participated for over 30 years.
Coaching added a new dimension to
my sports participation. Naturally, there
were lows, including a 7-game losing
streak. But, like the World Series-winning
St. Louis Cardinals, our players got hot at
the right time. Although we were underdogs
in all three playoff games, we swept those
three teams, winning the season-finale
championship game by a 14-2 score. What
a thrill!
Success in baseball and softball starts
with a pitcher, and Jack Arogeti, who reactivated himself to play in the 2011 Spring
and Fall Leagues, filled that bill. Having
played and become friends with Jack in the
Spring League on Michael Kornheiser’s
championship team (we won 11 of 12
games), I was excited to not only have him
as a player but also to help me coach. Jack
MJCCA Menʼs Softball Tournament Champs: (front, from left) Todd Mitman
(supersub), Neil Weisenfeld, and Josh Tolchin (supersub); (standing)
Jeremy Zisholtz, Dr. Barry Zisholtz, Josh Perlstein, Jack Arogeti, Captain
Mark Frost, Michael “Diggs” Grosswald, Scott Arogeti, Wayne Aronson, and
Jeremy Friedman. Not pictured: Harris Weinstein
kept the book and would e-mail me recaps
of each game and season-to-date statistics,
which helped me tweak our lineup for the
upcoming game.
Outfielders Wayne Aronson and Neil
Weisenfeld played on our teams in both the
Spring and Fall Leagues, and their experience, outfield dependability, and leadoff
batting consistencies were tremendous
assets throughout our 24-game 2011 seasons. We also drafted young guys, including
newcomer Jeremy Zisholtz, son of teammate Barry Zisholtz; Harris Weinstein;
Scott Arogeti, Jack’s son; and Jeremy
Friedman, whom we traded for after the
draft and who played outstanding shortstop
and had many big hits. Catcher John
Perlstein performed yeoman’s duties as “a
pitcher’s catcher” and often batted as cleanup hitter. Michael “Diggs” Grosswald had
hit after hit, and it seemed as though he,
Neil, Wayne, Josh Pearlstein, and Jeremy
would be on base every time I looked up.
This was perhaps the first time ever at
MJCCA that there were two father-son
combinations playing together. This added
an extra dimension, and this family feeling
spread throughout the team. While no one
hit the ball over the fence for a home run—
ever—the camaraderie and cohesiveness
melded for a winning combination.
Teamwork, defense, and respect for
fellow players during the game and in the
dugout were paramount. We discouraged
negative remarks to one another on and off
the field, realizing that mutual respect leads
to teamwork and focusing on the next
inning. This is what amateur athletics is
supposed to be about. And if you can win,
that’s not too bad, either.
Whatever the ingredients were, they
worked.
For anyone considering playing this
upcoming Spring 2012 season, come on
out. Call the MJCCA, and, whether you’ve
played before or not, you’ll find a great
group of guys who take the league and competition seriously but know it’s a recreational league. You’ll find an environment where
you can make friends with people who have
respect for one another and the game.
Special thanks to fellow coaches Jody
Blanke, Gene Benator, Todd Schecter, and
Greg Eisenman, who set admirable coaching and personal examples and helped make
finding substitute players less stressful.
I’m looking forward, G-d willing, to
coaching next year and would gladly take
the same ten players. While a competitive
draft is likely to preclude that, I am so glad
to be part of this fun and competitive
league. And that’s always worth giving
thanks for.
William Breman Jewish Home remembers residents at First Annual Memorial Service
On Sunday, December 11, The
William Bremen Jewish Home remembered former residents who died in the past
twelve months, with a candle lighting and
remembrance service in The Home’s
Garson Auditorium. The new tradition provided an opportunity for staff and current
residents to remember the deceased and to
provide comfort to their families.
Led by The Home’s Culture Change
Team with assistance from in-house chaplain Cantor Donna Faye Marcus, the
poignant non-denominational service was
sprinkled with touching and sometimes
humorous anecdotes from family members,
current residents, and staff. Each of the 41
residents was remembered individually. As
the person’s name was read, a family member was invited to light a candle. For those
who did not have family present, a staff
member close to that individual lit a candle. Many families expressed appreciation
to The Home’s staff, and some recounted
stories about their loved ones’ experiences
at The Home.
“The service gave our staff and residents a way to honor those who impacted
Jewish Home Culture Change Team lights the final remembrance candle
our lives,” says Harley Tabak, CEO of The
Home. “While the end of life is part of our
job, our residents become our extended
family. They are our grandmothers, sisters,
uncles, and fathers. We feel the loss each
time and appreciate being part of their lives
for however long they were part of ours.”
Among the memorialized was Irene
Russ. A Holocaust survivor, she left a lasting legacy at The Home by donating a
handwritten chronicle of her experiences in
concentration camps. She did this to help
staff understand the needs of other survivors. Ms. Russ’ two sons attended the
memorial and expressed appreciation to
The Home’s staff for “making her life
much richer.”
The remembrance service is part of
The Home’s ongoing Culture Change
efforts to create a place that looks and feels
more like home. Staff members are consistently assigned to the same “neighborhood”
and the same residents. Staff members
become family with the residents, and the
residents’ families become extended family
to others in The Home.
The William Breman Jewish Home has
been providing skilled nursing care in the
Jewish tradition for over 60 years. As one
of Atlanta’s leading senior residential care
providers, the Home also owns and operates The Zaban Tower, an independent and
assisted living community for low-income
seniors, and The Cohen Home, an assisted
living community in Johns Creek. For more
information on The William Breman
Jewish Home, visit www.wbjh.org.
Page 50
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Thought You’d Like To Know
By Jonathan Barach
SHUTTLE
BUS
FOR
OLDER
ADULTS. The Toco Hills Senior
Coalition invites the community to hear
about and provide feedback on the proposed routes of a pilot shuttle bus to
serve older adults, age 60 and over. The
meeting is January 25, 10:30-11:30
a.m., at the Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams
Library, 1282 McConnell Drive,
Decatur. The pilot is a collaborative
effort of the Toco Hills Senior
Coalition, the DeKalb County Office of
Senior Affairs, and the Georgia
Department of Human Services, with
the support of Commissioner Jeff
Rader’s office. Contact Karen Harvell
at 770-766-9318 or Kharvell@jfcsatlanta.org for more information.
THE MATCHMAKER. One of the
favorites of the 2011 Atlanta Jewish
Film Festival, The Matchmaker is a
remarkable coming-of-age story filled
with emotion and combining young
love and Holocaust memory. The vivid,
quirky characters touch audiences in a
sensitive and sincere way. The
Congregation Or Hadash Film Series
presents The Matchmaker, Wednesday,
January 25, 7:00 p.m., at the congregation’s sanctuary on the Weber School
campus. This event is free and open to
the public. Donations are requested.
RSVP to info@or-hadash.org or 404250-3338.
MONEY MATTERS—JEWISH BUSINESS ETHICS. Is Judaism socialist or
capitalist? Who is responsible for preventing poverty? Is unionization a
Jewish ideal? Must Walmart pay its
workers a livable wage? Where would
you draw the line? Chabad of Cobb
presents an ethical, Talmudic, and legal
debate on current economic issues. This
six-session series, accredited for 9 CLE
ethics credits for attorneys, takes place
Wednesdays, 7:30-9:00 p.m., beginning
January 25. The fee is $89/individuals,
$160/couples, and includes a book;
there is a fee for credit based on
Georgia Bar rates. Register at
www.myjli.com. Call 770-565-4412
x300
or
e-mail
office@chabadofcobb.com for details.
FUN RAISER. The Mt. Scopus group
of Greater Atlanta Hadassah will usher
in the new year with a “Fun Raiser.”
The event takes place Saturday, January
28, 7:30 p.m., at the home of a member
and will feature improv comedy group
Southern Fried Schnitzel. The cover
charge is $25/person. Kosher hors
d’oeuvres and desserts will be served.
For more information about this program, contact Suzy Tibor at 404-6368582 or suzytib@bellsouth.net. For
information about Hadassah and other
upcoming events, contact Edie Barr at
404-325-0340
or
mtscopushadassah@aol.com.
FACING AGING. Aging: Facing the
Facts, Fears & Feelings is January 29,
2:00-5:00 p.m., at Temple Emanu-El.
Aging is something everyone will deal
with, whether it’s an aging parent, a
spouse, or our personal journey. Just
after the holiday season is when we
often see red flags that tell us something
may not be quite right with a loved one.
This workshop, co-sponsored with the
Atlanta Rabbinical Association, will
explore various components of aging
and caregiving and provide practical
resources and information. This event is
free and open to the community. For
more
information
contact
outreach@jfcs-atlanta.org or visit yourtoolsforliving.org/calendar/view/996/da
te/2012-01-29.
and former Scouts are cordially invited
to attend this special Saturday morning
service. For more information, contact
Scoutmaster Benator at 404-634-2137
or jvbenator@juno.com.
HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT.
Nature vs. Nuture: How Heredity and
Environment Impact Learning and
Behavior is presented by the Taylor
Family Speaker Series and The Amit
Program. Guest panelists are Carol Ann
Brannon, MS, RD/LD, nutrition therapist; Leslie Rubin, MD, developmental
pediatrician; and Brocha Tarshish, MD,
Emory Genetics. This event takes place
February 5, at The Epstein School, 335
Colewood Way, Atlanta. Registration is
10:30 a.m., and the program is 11:00
a.m.-2:00 p.m. RSVP by January 27.
Register by phone at 404-961-9966.
Lunch is included with $18 pre-registration.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. The
GHA Players will present Beauty and
the Beast, a musical directed by Mira
Hirsch, starring Zoe Aaron as Belle,
Brett Feldman as The Beast/Prince, and
Kevin Feldman as Gaston. Come sing
along with Belle, The Beast, Gaston,
and the entire cast. Performances are
February 1, 4:15 p.m. (open seating);
February 2, 7:30 p.m. (reserved seating/opening night); February 5, 11:00
a.m. (open seating), and February 5,
3:00 p.m. (reserved seating/closing
show). Order tickets at tickets.ghacademy.org or 404-843-9900.
ON THE RUN. On the Run in Nazi
Berlin is Bert Lewyn’s vivid memoir of
growing up in Nazi Germany. In 1942,
the Gestapo arrested Bert and his parents. His parents were deported to a
concentration camp, and 18-year-old
Bert was forced to work in a weapons
factory. Co-authored with his daughterin-law, Bev Saltzman, Bert’s book is the
story of his escape and courageous
struggle to survive underground. The
Lewyn family will discuss the book at
2:00 p.m., Sunday, January 29, at
Temple Kehillat Chaim. This event is
free; refreshments will be provided.
Reservations are appreciated; contact
nnrose@comcast.net.
SCHOLAR
IN
RESIDENCE.
Congregation Or Hadash welcomes
Rabbi David Golinkin for its Scholarin-Residence Weekend at the congregation’s sanctuary on the Weber School
campus. David Golinkin is a rabbi,
author of many books, and president of
the Schechter Institute of Jewish
Studies in Jerusalem. The weekend
begins February 10 with Shabbat
Dinner and Conversations (immediately
following Servicio de Shabbat); the cost
is $12 for COH members and $18 for
non-members; RSVP (required) to communication@or-hadash.org or 404-2503338. There will be a post-Shabbat kiddush discussion, February 11, and Art
and Midrash: An Illustrated Guide,
February 12, at 10:15 a.m.
SCOUT SHABBAT. In observation of
Scouting’s 102-year anniversary, Boy
Scout Troop 73 will observe the Scout
Shabbat by participating in Saturday
morning services at Congregation Or
VeShalom, February 4, 9:15 a.m.-12:00
noon. Troop 73 will observe its 62nd
anniversary under the leadership of
Scoutmaster Josiah V. Benator.
Scoutmaster Benator will also observe
his 77-year anniversary in Scouting.
During its 62 years, Troop 73 has seen
42 scouts earn the Eagle Badge. Current
100 YEARS. In commemoration of
Hadassah’s 100th birthday, Greater
Atlanta Hadassah will hold a
Centennial
Celebration
featuring
Celebrity Chef Tina Wasserman,
February 26, 1:00-4:00 p.m., at the
Greenfield Hebrew Academy, which is
open to the entire community. Ms.
Wasserman will treat attendees to a
lively presentation, and guests will
enjoy a special tasting of her recipes.
The event will also honor longtime Life
Member Florence Nathanson, who
January-February 2012
served as a Hadassah volunteer nurse in
a refugee transit camp during Israel’s
early days of statehood. Sponsorship
opportunities are available. For details,
call
678-443-2961,
or
visit
www.atlanta.hadassah.org.
LET IT SNOW. Visiting Nurse Health
System is moving its annual Big-To-Do
to Stone Mountain Park’s Snow
Mountain. This event, benefiting
VNHS’ Children’s Program, takes place
Sunday, February 12, 3:00-6:00 p.m.,
and includes tubing down Snow
Mountain, other outdoor activities, and
hot snacks indoors. Attendees can enjoy
Snow Mountain all day, plus two hours
of private use of the snow tubing slopes
between 3:00-6:00 p.m. Individual tickets are $60; ticket packages are available at $5,000, $2,500, and $1,000.
Children under 36” tall are free. Tickets
are available at www.vnhs.org and
include free parking and a memorable
gift for kids.
HUNGER WALK/RUN. The 28th
annual Hunger Walk/Run is March 11,
at Turner Field. The 5k event benefits
the Atlanta Community Food Bank and
five other local nonprofits: Action
Ministries-United
Methodists,
Episcopal Charities Foundation, Jewish
Federation of Greater Atlanta, Lutheran
Services of Georgia, and Society of St.
Vincent de Paul. Gates open at noon;
the run/walk begins at 2:00 p.m. The
$25 runner’s fee includes a moisturewicking T-shirt; walkers who donate
$25 or more receive an official Hunger
Walk/Run 2012 T-shirt. Register online
or the day of the event. For more information
or
to
register,
visit
www.HWR2012.org.
GUYS AND DOLLS. Jerry’s Habima
Theatre kicks off its 19th season with
Guys and Dolls, March 22-April 1.
Featured
in
American
Theatre
Magazine, Jerry’s Habima Theatre is
Georgia’s only theatrical company
directed and produced by professionals
and featuring actors with developmental disabilities. All productions are held
at the MJCCA’s Morris & Rae Frank
Theatre. General admission tickets are
$35, and $15 for children 12 and under.
Tickets for MJCCA members are $25,
and $10 for children 12 and under. For
tickets or additional information, call
the MJCCA’s Box Office at 678-8124002, or visit www.atlantajcc.org.
FOR TEEN BOYS. Chabad of Cobb
offers a teen program for all boys in
grades 8-12, led by Noah Pawliger.
Snacks will be provided. The boys meet
for an evening of fun, current events,
and community service. The fee is $10.
Contact office@chabadofcobb.com or
call 770-565-4412 x300 for more information, dates, and times.
January-February 2012
THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
Page 51
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THE JEWISH GEORGIAN
January-February 2012