Atlanta Jewish Times, No. 46, December 4, 2015

Atlanta VOL. XC NO. 46

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DECEMBER 4, 2015 | 22 KISLEV 5776

Chag Sameach Happy Chanukah

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DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHANUKAH 2015

INDEX

GONE HOLLYWOOD

PICTURE THIS

Learn about our 6-year-old cover artist and check out some of the other standout entries in our Chanukah Art Contest. Page 36

A DISTINCTIVE COLLECTION

Inspired by an award in the 1970s, Doris and Marty Goldstein’s chanukiah collection mixes the rare and the nontraditional.

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Ahavath Achim Synagogue becomes a film set for a day for a comedy starring Owen Wilson and Ed Helms. Page 5

SUPPORTIVE SENATORS

Republicans John McCain and Lindsey Graham embrace Israel during a meeting with Jewish Republicans in Atlanta. Page 14

FRY IT UP

8 CRAZY NIGHTS

After nearly 18 years, Chabad Intown has been ousted from the parent organization by Chabad of Georgia Rabbi Yossi New. Page 18

MARATHON MAN

ATLANTA NOSHES

Led by radio and TV host Steak Shapiro, Atlanta Eats has turned the Jewish love of food into a multiplatform celebration of local dining. Page 63

Calendar ��������������������������������������������6

Education �������������������������������������� 64

Candle Lighting ������������������������������6

Travel ����������������������������������������������� 68

Israel ���������������������������������������������������8

World News ���������������������������������� 70

Opinion �������������������������������������������10

Simchas �������������������������������������������72

Health & Wellness ���������������������� 29

Obituaries �������������������������������������� 74

Chanukah ���������������������������������������36

Crossword ��������������������������������������77

Arts ���������������������������������������������������� 61

Marketplace ����������������������������������78

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Peruse the carnivals, menorah lightings and concerts happening around Atlanta for the Festival of Lights. Page 56

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The recent Book Festival of the Marcus JCC inspires some suggestions for just the right present. Page 57

Life’s better when we’re connected®

LOBBY FOR CHANGE

Four Atlanta Jewish Academy seniors travel to Washington for an AIPAC summit to learn how to stand up for Israel at home. Page 65

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GIFT OF READING

Business ������������������������������������������63

CHABAD DIVIDE

Simon Barzilay, a 32-year-old on the autism spectrum, is running the Miami Marathon to support the Friendship Circle of Atlanta. Page 20

Tired of the same old latkes? Spice up Chanukah with four delicious takes on the fried delicacy. Page 46

Remember When ��������������������������4

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LOCAL NEWS

Remember When 10 Years Ago Dec. 2, 2005

■ Jon Albert will leave his post as chief marketing officer of the Marcus Jewish Community Center on Jan. 31 to launch a nonprofit foundation that will assist the children of people with late-stage cancer. The Jack & Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation will not focus on Jewish families but “will be launched on the strength of a great Jewish community.”

■ Dr. Shal Daniel Seltzer of Washington state, formerly of New Orleans, Jan Seltzer of New Orleans, and Myron and Cathy Skott of Atlanta announce the marriage of their children, Corinne Sarah Seltzer and Michael Andrew Skott, on Nov. 5.

25 Years Ago Dec. 7, 1990

in Russian. Called Dobriy Gecher Gruzia (Good Evening, Friends) as a working title, the section is being compiled by a consortium of Jewish agencies and being underwritten by an anonymous foundation working with the Atlanta Jewish Federation to assist Soviet resettlement.

■ Caron and Michael Gindi of Atlanta announce the arrival of a son, Julian Henry, born on Sept. 21.

50 Years Ago Dec. 3, 1965 ■ The first wedding to be held at the official residence of the Israeli consul in Atlanta took place Sunday, Nov. 28, when Miss Amira Rolnicki became the bride of Juval Shenhar, son of Consul General and Mrs. Shimon Yallon.

The bride, a veteran of the Israeli armed forces and pioneer of the Negev, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arie Rolnicki of Tel Aviv.

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FEATURING MUSIC BY Sammy Rosenbaum and Rabbi Jake SPELLBINDING Magic Show! CHANUKAH CRAFTS & ACTIVITIES for the Whole Family Latkes & Doughnuts, Chanukah Gift Shopping & more!

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■ Dr. and Mrs. Perry Gold of Atlanta cordially invite their friends to attend the bar mitzvah of their son, Cary Stuart, at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, at Ahavath Achim Synagogue.

■ Soviet Atlantans have a new reason to read the Atlanta Jewish Times with the launch of a weekly section printed

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VIRGINIA HIGHLANDS Music * Donut Decorating * Latkes Hot Drinks * Sufganiyot Raffles & Prizes * Mr. Dreidel Photo Ops * & Much More SPECIAL CHANUKAH GIFT FOR THOSE THAT RSVP IN ADVANCE!

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LOCAL NEWS

Extras, including many AA members, pack the pews in the synagogue chapel.

“Bastards” makes use of the main sanctuary.

Lawrence Sher, who is directing a Hollywood film for the first time, monitors a scene being shot at Ahavath Achim on Nov. 17.

Srochi Hall is dressed up for a faux simcha.

Ahavath Achim Goes Hollywood for a Day

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comedy film starring Owen Wilson and Ed Helms got a helping hand from members of the Atlanta Jewish community at Ahavath Achim Synagogue on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

The movie, titled “Bastards,” began shooting in Atlanta on Oct. 5. It employed more than 100 extras, many of whom were Ahavath Achim congregants, over a full day of shooting in the library, chapel, sanctuary and Srochi Hall at the Buckhead synagogue.

The script of the film, written by Justin Malen, is about two brothers, played by Wilson and Helms, who find out that their biological father is still alive and set off on the road to find him.

Also starring in the Warner Bros. film are Oscar winner J.K. Simmons, Terry Bradshaw, Ving Rhames and Glenn Close.

Lawrence Sher, a veteran cinematographer who was the director of photography on the three “Hangover” films with Helms, is making his directorial debut with “Bastards.”

“I wish we could film here all the time,” Wilson, who posed for personal photos with community members on the set, told Rabbi Neil Sandler after the shooting was completed. “The energy is really positive.”

“Bastards” is scheduled for release next November. ■

Donna and Michael Coles and Their Family Wish all of Our Friends A Very Happy Chanukah

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

Trucks from the film crew line up outside the Buckhead synagogue during the film shoot.

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Call today for information about the newest area in our cemetery, Shalom II, and to receive your free Personal Planning Guide.

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CALENDAR THURSDAY, DEC. 3

“Alice in Wonderland.” The Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, hosts its adult Collective Dance Project and youth J Dance Company in a version of the “Alice” ballet at 6 p.m.

Tickets are $10 for JCC members, $14 for nonmembers; www.atlantajcc.org.

Performances also are scheduled for Dec. 6 at 2 and 6 p.m.

Art opening. Frameworks Gallery, 1205 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 110, East Cobb, holds an opening reception from a collection of oil paintings by Debra Nadelhoffer from 6 to 9 p.m. Free; www.frameworksgallery.com.

Alembik Lecture. Dentist Irwin Becker addresses “Spirituality, Ethics and a Code to Live By” at 7 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs.

Free; templesinaiatlanta.org.

Hadassah installation. Greater Atlanta Hadassah’s Ketura Group installs its officers and board at 7:15 p.m. at the Sandy Springs Diner, 8612 Roswell Road.

Admission is $25; RSVP to mslcaras@ comcast.net or 770-509-1797.

FRIDAY, DEC. 4

are $15 to $23; www.act3productions. org or 770-241-1905.

SPONSORED BY

Rabbi installation. Congregation B’nai Israel, 1633 Ga. 54 East, Fayetteville, installs Rabbi Rick Harkavy at 7:30 p.m. with a service followed by a reception.

Free; RSVP to 678-817-7162.

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Parshah Vayeshev Friday, Dec. 4, light candles at 5:10 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 5, Shabbat ends at 6:09 p.m.

Parshah Miketz Arlington Friday, Dec.Memorial 11, light candles Parkat 5:11 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 12, Shabbat ends at 6:10 p.m.

SanDy SPRingS

SATURDAY, DEC. 5

Pajama Havdalah.

Congregation Shearith Israel, 1180 University Drive, Morningside, in conjunction with the PJ Library, says goodbye to Shabbat for the week with singing, snacks, a bedtime story and more at 6:30 p.m. Free; RSVP to ngorod@shearithisrael.com.

404-255-0750 ArlingtonMemorialPark.com JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody,

THURSDAY, DEC. 10

Open house. The Chaya Mushka Children’s House, 5065 High Point Road, Sandy Springs, is open from 9:30 to M1726_0437_ArlingtonMP_PNT_Comm_4-44x11-75_C.indd 1 TUESDAY, DEC. 8 10:30 a.m. for prospective 2016-17 puJerusalem discussion. Anne Shlay, copils ages 18 months to kindergarten. author of “Jerusalem: The Spatial PoliFree; RSVP by Dec. 8 to 404-843-9582 or tics of a Divided Metropolis,” launches office@chayamushka.org. an educational program at Congregation Bet Haverim, 2074 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, by addressing the question SUNDAY, DEC. 13 “Whose Jerusalem?” after a Chanukah Daddy-daughter dance. The Marcus candle lighting at 7 p.m. Free; congregationbethaverim.org or 404-315-6446.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 9

Liberty and terrorism. Lawyer Don Samuel speaks about “The Fourth Amendment in the Age of Terrorism: Our Right of Privacy vs. Government Surveillance” at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Shearith Israel, 1180 University Drive, Morningside. Free; www. shearithisrael.com.

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

D

We can’t stop the bloodshed.

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

We can stop the bleeding.

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Trouble in River City. The Marcus JCC’s Youth Ensemble presents “The Music Man Jr.” at 7 p.m. at the center, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets $5 to $10; www.atlantajcc.org.

A Night at the ‘Deli’

ecatur-based journalist and Congregation Bet Haverim member Diane Dexter will premiere her first play, “Deli,” Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Toco Hills synagogue as part of the congregation’s Fall Fundraiser.

The production is set around a Send items for the calendar to submissions@atljewishtimes.com.

Find more events at atlantajewishtimes.com/events-calendar. family-owned Jewish delicatessen in a changing urban neighborhood around 1991.

Dexter said she had the idea for the play after watching many f a m i ly- ow n e d businesses struggle in her hometown of Pittsburgh in the early 1990s.

“I’ve seen many indepenIsrael’s terror victims come through Hadassah’s hospital doors every day. dent businesses either close due · American Richard L. was stabbed in the heart The most difficult cases are in a bus attack and remains in critical condition. to competition rushed to Hadassah’s hospitals, world-renowned for trauma care by chain stores, · Odel B. had deep wounds in her neck when and a team of surgeons that she arrived at the hospital, after her husband which could ofdon’t give up. They fight to save was stabbed to death. Her toddler son was fer lower prices, lives and stop the bleeding. also wounded. They are recovering. or be bought by Help us #stopthebleeding · Teenager Naor B. was putting air in his chains,” Dexter bicycle tire when he was stabbed. He is in To donate: 800.928.0685 or said. “My father serious condition after complicated surgery. hadassah.org/stopthebleeding was a pharmacist who ended HADASSAH THE WOMEN’S ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA, INC. up selling his ©2015 Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. Hadassah is a registered trademark of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc.

Uhry play. Alfred Uhry’s “Last Night of Ballyhoo,” part of his Atlanta Trilogy, opens at 8 p.m. at Act3 Productions, 6285-R Roswell Road, Sandy Springs.

Other 8 p.m. shows are Dec. 5, 11, 12, 18 and 19; a 3 p.m. show is Dec. 19. Tickets

hosts a dance for pre-K through sixth grade girls at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 for member couples, $50 for nonmem7/27/15 11:44 AM bers; www.atlantajcc.org.

drugstore to White Cross in the 1960s.

I also saw some family-owned businesses close or be sold because, as the younger generations became more upwardly mobile, they entered different fields.”

In “Deli,” set in a fictional town, the neighborhood is changing, and a strip mall arrives and draws foot traffic from the small businesses.

Dexter began writing “Deli” in 2013 for a playwriting class at the Alliance Theatre and completed it over the summer. The play was read at Essential Theatre’s playwriting festival last summer, and in 2016 Dexter plans to explore more options to get the play to a wider audience.

The premiere Dec. 5 will be followed by a discussion with the writer.

All of the cast and crew are Bet Haverim members, and Dexter’s husband, Jim, is the director.

“I am thrilled and honored that CBH is producing ‘Deli,’ ” Dexter said.

“Everyone involved is putting their heart and soul into this play. The actors are bringing their own approach to the characters. Honestly, I knew it was a smart congregation, but I am stunned by the talent level.” ■ What: “Deli” Where: Congregation Bet Haverim, 2074 LaVista Road, Toco Hills When: Saturday, Dec. 5, with deli refreshments at 7 p.m., the play at 8 and a discussion at 10 Tickets: $50 and up; congregationbethaverim.org

THIS CHANUKAH,

share your light WITH THE JEWISH COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD.

Donate. Volunteer. Make a Difference.

THE STRENGTH OF A PEOPLE. THE POWER OF A COMMUNITY.

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Building community and bringing hope in Atlanta, Israel, and around the world is what your Jewish Federation is all about.

Together, we support valuable programs that create and sustain Jewish identity while helping countless people overcome poverty, hunger and despair. Share your light this Chanukah.

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ISRAEL NEWS

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home Red-Dead connection. Israel and Jordan are seeking a contractor to build and operate a pipeline running from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea through Jordan. The 110-mile pipeline, expected to take four to five years to build, is the heart of a project that will supply drinking water to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority and will pump 53 billion gallons of highly saline water into the Dead Sea to replenish it.

Photo by Yonit Schiller

Israel Photo of the Week

Thankful Lone Soldiers Some 200 Israel Defense Forces lone soldiers, like these shown at Thanksgiving last year, and olim (immigrants) from North America enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner Nov. 26 catered by Idan Ianovici, a former IDF lone soldier who owns Vici Deli in Ra’anana.

The gathering at Beit Hachayal in Tel Aviv was sponsored by Nefesh B’Nefesh, Friends of the IDF, the Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and the Jewish National Fund. “Thanksgiving is a very family-oriented holiday,” said Marc Rosenberg, Nefesh B’Nefesh’s director of pre-aliyah. “We wanted to give new olim who arrived alone, including lone soldiers, the opportunity to celebrate this American holiday with other Anglo olim.”

Working on the railroad. Investors and corporate representatives assembled by Tel Aviv’s Terra Venture Partners will ride a train along a 200-mile, 30-stop route from Nahariya to Beersheva on Dec. 15. At each stop, budding entrepreneurs will get on the locomotive and make elevator pitches to the investors, business mentors and representatives aboard. Called the MoneyTrain, the project was thought up to give startups in smaller cities increased access to funding and business development.

Hope for infertility. An Israeli

From Our Family To Yours...

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

Happy Chanukah!

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discovery is expected to help doctors diagnose a genetic disease causing infertility and lack of puberty in women.

Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Shaare Zedek Medical Center recently mapped out the genomes of four female cousins from an Arab family, each suffering from ovarian dysgenesis, the failure to develop functioning ovaries. The map revealed that each girl had a mutation in the gene Nucleoporin 107 (Nup107).

These results proved the importance of Nup107 in the development of the ovary and formation of egg cells.

Partners in renewable energy. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has confirmed plans to open a mission to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. While the announcement does not signal any change in the nonexistent relationship between the two countries, it marks the first time that current Israeli citizens will move to a country with which Israel has no diplomatic relations. The Jewish state’s mission to IRENA in Abu Dhabi will be manned by diplomat Rami Hatan, formerly the director of the Foreign Ministry’s world religions department.

Why diets don’t work. A recent diet study by the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot was the largest ever of its kind. The study found that the human body’s response to all foods is highly individual. For a week researchers continuously monitored blood sugar levels in 800 people who were asked to record everything they ate as well as activities like sleep and physical activity. The blood sugar levels of a large number of the participants rose sharply after they consumed a standardized glucose meal. In many others, blood glucose levels rose sharply after they ate white bread, but not after they ate glucose.

Got milk? A study at the Hebrew University-Assaf Harofeh Medical Center suggests that children who avoid drinking cow’s milk will be almost 2 inches shorter as adults. Some of the subjects in the study were allergic to milk and had therefore never consumed it, while the rest consumed dairy regularly. The study created a flurry of comments online, with many questioning the sponsorship behind the study.

Compiled courtesy of Israel21c.org and other news sources.

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ISRAEL NEWS

Bar-Ilan Archaeologist Embraces Giant Challenge

B

ar-Ilan University archaeologist Aren Maeir is following in some big footsteps each July when he returns to the site of the ancient city of Gath to dig into the history near the Arab village of Tell es-Safi.

The Bible says Gath was the hometown of the Philistine giant Goliath.

Goliath casts an appropriately large shadow over the archaeology at Gath, which Maeir said at its peak was at least as big as any of the other four primary cities of the Philistines.

And people have lived there from the Bronze Age through modern times. The Crusaders built a fortress there, and Richard the Lionheart visited, giving Gath two household names from history.

“The story of David and Goliath is a compelling story, so there’s a lot of interest on that,” keeping the Gath excavations in the spotlight and drawing volunteers and media, Maeir said.

But archaeologists must fight the urge to “go out there, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m looking for Goliath, and I’m going to find him no matter what happens, and I’m going to prove the Bible, etc.,’ which unfortunately some biblical archaeologists go out and do that.”

The latest headline-grabbing find was the entrance gate and fortifications to the city. The first Book of Samuel mentions the gate when it describes David’s flight from King Saul to Gath.

Maeir said the size and depth of the archaeological site has kept him coming back for 20 years, even though he never expected to be there more than 10 when he started in 1996.

“When we started working on the site, a lot was known about the Philistines at the start of the Iron Age — 1200 to 1000 — and the end of the Iron Age around 586, but there was a big gap in the centuries in between. We found the facts in the middle,” he said, but they just raise new questions.

Archaeologists are far better able to answer those questions now than 20 years ago, Maeir said, thanks to scientific advances such as the ability to analyze DNA and the organic residue in vessels. He gave an example of how science has advanced understanding of ancient people.

“We’ve known for years that the Philistines ate pig and dog, as opposed to the Canaanites and the Israelites around them, who did not,” said Maeir, a New York native who made aliyah as a child with his parents in the af-

terglow of the Six-Day War. “When we analyzed pig bones, it turned out we could show that they were genetically related to European pigs, not local pigs. … When some of the Philistines who were nonlocal came, they brought their pigs with them, which is a funny anecdote, but it’s also an interesting lesson in understanding the processes we’re involved with.”

Maeir was in Atlanta on Monday, Nov. 23, to participate in a panel discussion on ancient warfare with, among others, Emory University’s Jacob Wright. The panel was part of the combined annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature.

The professor found time for a conversation over breakfast.

AJT: What things have you found that have surprised you?

Maeir: We found vessels that were used for incense, and when analyzing the vessels, it turns out that some of the incenses had cinnamon and nutmeg in them. Now cinnamon and nutmeg come from Sri Lanka, so it means that we have to have a very, very expansive view of the trade connections and cultural connections that existed in 1000 B.C., much beyond what we would probably even dream of thinking because of this. … It shows that the breadth of the world and the interconnections are much wider than we would assume.

AJT: Were the Philistines there during the whole period you looked at?

Maeir: This is a site which is settled more or less from late prehistoric times to modern times. The Philistines are there during the Iron Age, but we have a lot of remains of the Canaanite culture from the Bronze Age, when it was an important city.

AJT: Can you see a clear line between Philistine and Canaanite if the Philistines were integrating with the local population instead of just conquering them?

Maeir: There are differences, but you definitely can see continuity in certain aspects of the Philistine culture that show you the slate wasn’t wiped clean. They integrated with various aspects of the Canaanites. There’s no question about that.

AJT: Why was this a good site for people to live for millennia?

Maeir: First of all, it’s a very tall site. It stands out from its surround-

Photo by Yoni Reif

Aren Maeir (right), the director of the Ackerman Family Bar-Ilan University Expedition to Gath, shows one of the finds to NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden (left) and university President Rabbi Daniel Hershkowitz during Bolden’s recent visit to the campus in Ramat-Gan. You can follow Maeir’s progress at his blog, gath.wordpress. com, where he also has information about participating in the annual July dig.

ings, and you can see for miles. If you look west, you see the coastline; if you look east, you see into the hills of Jerusalem and Hebron and that area. So that’s one reason. It’s right along two major roads. There’s water sources in the area. There’s a lot of agricultural lands in the area. You have everything that you need to sustain a site.

AJT: How many people were living here?

Maeir: It depends on different periods. But when it was at its largest size, that would be in the 10th and ninth century B.C., that would be more or less the time of David and Solomon and slightly after that, there were probably somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 Philistines living on the site.

And it probably at the time was, if not the largest, then one of the largest cities in the region, and that’s why, if you look at the biblical texts about Gath, it’s remembered as a large, important city.

It’s mentioned more often than any of the other Philistine cities. I mean, the story of Goliath being a big guy might also reflect the memory of its being an important site.

AJT: What evidence have found of Goliath?

Maeir: First of all, our finds, even though we haven’t found the signs “Welcome to Gath,” our finds have confirmed that this is the only place that could be identified as Gath, which was

itself an important result of our excavations because for many, many years that was a big discussion about where Gath is and the reason is that there is no place in southern Israel that retained the name of Gath, as opposed to Ashkelon and Ashdod and Gaza. …

Gath is mentioned often in the biblical text up until a certain point, about the eighth century. Then, if you look at both the Assyrian and the Babylonian texts, as well as the Bible, Gath sort of disappears. And what we’ve shown is that it was destroyed in the late ninth century and never regained its status. …

A few years ago we found an inscription that had on it two names which were written in alphabetic script, but the two names were not Semitic. Now the names were something like Alwath and Wallath, or something like that. And what’s interesting about it is even though that’s not the name Goliath, from an etymological point of view, it’s very close to what probably the original name of Goliath was.

So it tells us that, as I always say, we haven’t found Goliath’s cereal bowl, but we have sort of found that more or less at the time in which the Bible portrays the story of David and Goliath, at Gath, Goliath’s home according to the Bible, there were people who had names which were similar to the name Goliath. … And needless to say if I were ever to find even one large finger digit, I would go to the press, but we haven’t.

9 So far, nobody is big.

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

AJT

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Our View

Come Together

O

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

ne of the fundamental beliefs under which the Atlanta Jewish Times operates is the value of community. We strive to be a unifying force in Jewish Atlanta by providing a neutral ground to share news and information and debate issues.

In that spirit of unity and neutrality we chose to publish an article (on Page 18) about a split in the local Chabad ranks. We take no pleasure in reporting on questions about the leadership and organization of Chabad of Georgia, but we also feel that we are failing our community — our owners and our customers — when we keep important information secret.

In this case, we received questions and heard rumors for weeks about a rift between Chabad of Georgia head Rabbi Yossi New and the leader of the successful Chabad Intown, Rabbi Eliyahu Schusterman.

We had to assume our readers were also hearing the rumors, so we wanted to set them straight.

You can read the details in the article, but the bottom line is that after nearly two decades together, Rabbi New kicked Rabbi Schusterman out of the Chabad organization. So if you attend a menorah lighting with Chabad Intown this Chanukah, if you join the YJP Midtown group for a party, if you take a class with Rabbi Ari Sollish, you are not participating in something recognized by the Chabad organization in Georgia or nationally — even if the program or service is identical to one you enjoyed a year ago.

Yet Rabbi Schusterman may continue to use the Chabad name as part of the Chabad movement.

To add to the Midtown muddle, Rabbi New could launch a competing Chabad center in the city.

None of that is good for the Jewish community as a whole — not the confusion, not the competition, and not the division between two of our longtime, respected spiritual leaders, whose situation can’t help but force their fellow Chabad rabbis and their financial supporters to choose sides.

That’s where the community interest kicks in: We need unity. Not agreement on all things at all times, but an ability to put aside differences to work toward shared goals such as Jewish continuity.

We often lament the lack of cohesion in Jewish Atlanta. Too often, synagogues and other organizations operate without knowing or caring what others are doing and thus waste energy on redundant programming and services while missing opportunities to weave together a greater community.

Chabad thrives because it is so good at engaging Jews who otherwise might fall away from their faith, but it also is valuable to our community as a whole because of its ability to convene events that are not all about Chabad. Examples include the mid-October anti-terrorism prayer vigil for Israel and the upcoming Jewish Heritage Night with the Atlanta Hawks.

But how long and how well can Chabad serve as a unifying force when it doesn’t have internal unity?

We don’t pretend to be a neutral observer. We have an interest in a strong, growing Jewish Atlanta, and we believe that a strong, growing Chabad movement plays a vital role. We hope that shining a light on Chabad’s problems will also light the way toward a resolution so that the organization can continue to 10 fulfill that role. ■

AJT

Syria’s Threat to Israel’s Miracle

J

ewish holidays by their nature connect us to our he might never have bothered with the Jews, and we millennia of history, but sometimes they also wouldn’t know of Judah Maccabee or have dreidels. provide an insightful link to current events.

So here we are more than two millennia later, Chanukah is the perfect example. and again a religiously inspired military force Almost 2,200 years ago, the Jewish people had entrenched to Israel’s north in Syria is threatening to fight for their survival against a combination of the world. political and religious oppression and the lure of secIslamic State has its sights set on much bigger ular assimilation. Jews were seen targets than Israel, as an oddity, a holdover from the as its name, its terdawn of the Iron Age that should rorist attacks in Editor’s Notebook have faded into history with the Egypt and France, likes of the Hittites and Assyrians and its new foothold

By Michael Jacobs and Philistines. in Sirte, Libya, show. mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com To the extent we were worth But it will happily noticing, it was only because we kill or convert the occupied some prime real estate Jews along the way. in the clash of great powers vying to dominate the Islamic State’s nominal ambitions to create known world in the centuries after Alexander the a caliphate in Iraq and Syria (or, as an alternative Great almost unified everyone. translation, Iraq and the Levant) cover territory No one except the Jews particularly wanted to Antiochus ruled or tried to rule. His capital, Antioch, live in the Judean Hills or along the Jordan Valley or where the city of Antakya stands at the southern tip even on the Mediterranean beaches; the whole area of modern Turkey, is about 70 miles due west and was just a crossroads for Egypt to the southwest, 160 miles north of the civil-war-scarred Syrian cities Syria to the north, Parthia to the east, and, across the of Aleppo and Homs, respectively.

Mediterranean to the west, Greece and Rome.

Just as Antiochus went too far when he invaded Then a ruler in Syria, Antiochus IV, decided that Egypt and drew the unwanted attention of the his political and military goals of expanding the European power of Rome, perhaps the downing of Seleucid Empire could best be achieved by injecting the Russian airliner in Egypt and the slaughter of insome religious fervor. nocents in Paris will mark the beginning of the end He added “Epiphanes” to his name and put theos for Islamic State by finally forcing Europe and the epiphanes (god manifest) on his coins to indicate that United States to pay attention and take action. he was a god-king.

But just as Antiochus responded to his Roman smackdown by picking on what he thought would be His fatal mistake, at least from the Jewish peran easy mark, the Jews, so Islamic State’s threat to Isspective, was that instead of continuing to overlook rael could rise if, under concerted Western military us while waging his imperial battles, he felt the need attack, the terrorist organization seeks a closer foe to secure his power in Judaea by incorporating our against which other Muslims might line up to fight.

Temple into his personal cult. If Rome hadn’t forced All of which serves as another reminder that Antiochus to withdraw from Egypt (and in the proG-d picked a tough neighborhood for us. ■ cess given us the phrase “draw a line in the sand”),

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Holidays Can Be Festive After Divorce

H

olidays after a divorce are never the same, and if you try to compare them, you may become frustrated (although some find them better post-divorce).

But from the perspective of a divorce lawyer, holidays after a divorce can be improved or handled with a change of mind-set.

These are new holidays. Your world, your children’s world and your ex’s world are different.

While there may be traditions everyone liked, things are different.

The traditions can remain, and some families may still get together, even after a divorce, to share significant holidays.

If you can do that, wonderful, but even then you are still creating a new future for you and your kids.

Almost certainly the other parent will spend some portion of the holidays with the kids, which usually means you won’t have that time. Enjoy the time you have with your kids; don’t brood or become incapacitated.

You are entitled to enjoy life, and you may well find that holidays without the kids have some benefits. This does not mean you do not love your kids, but you owe it to yourself and to the kids to enjoy your time apart.

Guest Column

By Randy Kessler rkessler@ksfamilylaw.com

Why do I say you owe it to the kids to enjoy your time away from them?

Because kids are often torn between parents during the holidays.

They may feel a need to be with both parents so that you are not lonely. Let them know that you will be fine (you will be) and that they should not feel bad that you are alone or without them.

Start new traditions, like going away for a holiday, if you want to avoid the kids feeling like they should pop over to Mom’s for a few minutes

out of guilt.

Do Chanukah or the New Year’s break in the Bahamas or Thanksgiving in the mountains.

Perhaps, most important, ask the kids what they want.

They may want to have friends over. You might think that will decrease your quality time with your kids, and you might be right, but it should be about them.

They did not cause the situation that now leaves you with less quality time with your kids, so why should they suffer?

The whole bottom line here is to look toward the future. Shape the future and don’t let the past bring you down.

Yes, there may have been good family memories, but you can create new memories that your children will cherish.

You can also create new memories for yourself.

Do it, explore, get out there. Divorce can be an opportunity.

Whether you wanted the divorce or not, it happened, and you must move forward.

Why be dragged kicking and screaming into the holidays? Plan them, anticipate them and enjoy them; they are, after all, the holidays. ■ Randy Kessler is the founding partner of the family law firm Kessler & Solomiany (www.ksfamilylaw.com) in downtown Atlanta, a former chairman of the American Bar Association’s Family Law Section, and the author of “Divorce: Protect Yourself, Your Kids and Your Future.” This column was adapted from a piece that first appeared at Divorcemag.com.

Write to Us The Atlanta Jewish Times welcomes your letters in response to articles we run and in regard to issues of interest to our Jewish community. Letters should be no more than 400 words. Longer opinion pieces may be considered for use as guest columns.

Submit letters at atlantajewishtimes.com or email them to mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com. Include your town or city of residence (for publication) and a phone number (not for publication) for verification purposes.

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OPINION

How to Fight ISIS: With Cartoons

P

undits like to complain that there are few voices from the Islamic world that condemn terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists.

I run a small business that distributes editorial cartoons from around the world. With every major attack, I see a chorus of cartoons from Arab countries condemning the terror.

Editorial cartoonists are typically the most influential voices in newspapers in the Middle East, reflecting readers’ views.

Editorial cartoons grace the front pages throughout the Middle East. Arabiclanguage cartoonists are typically anti-American and anti-Semitic, but on issues of terrorism they are largely voices of reason.

I often hear politicians complain that the war with Islamic extremists is a battle for hearts and minds, and we need to step up our role in an information war that we are losing. Editorial cartoons could be a weapon on the front lines of that battle.

By now Americans should see how powerful cartoons can be; clearly the terrorists see this, as cartoonists are among their primary targets.

Until recently, the U.S. State Department had programs that brought American cartoonists on speaking tours to the Middle East to meet

their colleagues and had reciprocal programs to bring Arabic-language editorial cartoonists to America. The programs sought to spread common values to countries where persecuted cartoonists typically are barred from drawing their own presidents.

These effective State Department

Guest Column

By Daryl Cagle editor@cagle.com

speaking programs for editorial cartoonists were dropped at the time of the sequester budget cuts.

As international respect for America has plummeted, respect for many of our institutions still runs high.

American cartoonists are respected around the world, like American jazz musicians and basketball players.

Middle Eastern cartoonists are eager to have their work appreciated

by American readers and by the star American cartoonists whom they respect and emulate. The Arab cartoonists push back against the press restrictions imposed by their regimes and envy America’s press freedoms.

Every act of terror brings new recruits to the extremists in Islamic State; they seek glory, selling an image of bravery and striking back against

the arrogant infidels in the West.

Brandishing a gun demands a kind of respect. Fighting for religious values, no matter how twisted, demands a kind of respect. Islamic State craves respect; what it can’t bear is ridicule. Islamic extremists who are widely seen as the butts of jokes won’t find many eager converts.

Cartoonists are masters of disrespect and are a threat to the extremists. It is no surprise that editorial cartoonists are prime targets for terror.

Along with other websites around the world, Cagle.com is suffering hacker attacks that appear to originate with terrorists and despotic regimes that fear cartoons. Terrorists and despots have a weakness in common: They can’t take a joke.

America needs to wake up and deploy and support the world’s best soldiers in the modern information war: American cartoonists.

President Barack Obama recently said he is doing most of the things his political opponents demand in the war with Islamic State; he called on his critics to contribute new and constructive ideas on what should be done.

My recommendation is inexpensive and powerful: Bring back and expand the State Department’s shuttered editorial cartoon programs. ■ Daryl Cagle’s CagleCartoons.com distributes editorial cartoons to more than 850 newspapers, including the AJT.

Southern Poverty Remains an Issue

T

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

he photographs from the Great Depression are seared into our nation’s memory: children without shoes, elderly individuals with dental problems, barren front yards. The Tennessee Valley Authority was founded in 1933 to help develop the economy of Southern states, including Georgia. But even today, experts note, Southern poverty persists.

According to the Pew Research Center, the South was home to 37.3 percent of the American population and 41.1 percent of the nation’s poor, and the South’s poverty rate, at 16.5 percent, was the highest among the nation’s four regions.

These impoverished individuals come from nearly every background.

Many of them are barely able to make ends meet despite having a 12 job. A 26-year-old Army veteran from

AJT

Georgia told me: “I returned home to a workplace that paid me far less than the military. I make ends meet

Guest Column

By Jordan Barkin

by living with my parents and am still stretched thin financially.”

Indeed, many Southern veterans experience financial hardship.

According to a May 2015 study by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics, “Veteran poverty is rising. … Veteran poverty is (found particularly in) the Southeast and Northwest United States.”

That reality is striking given the high degree of support Southerners have traditionally given to the

armed forces and the significant bases located in Southern cities, including Atlanta, Brunswick and Pensacola.

Many Southern families seem locked into a cycle of poverty. An article published in The Washington Post in October reported, “The Deep South’s paralyzing intergenerational poverty is the devastating sum of problems both historical and emergent — ones that, in the life of a young (person), can build in childhood and (cause issues) in early adulthood.”

The United States remains one of the world’s wealthiest developed nations. And the South remains an area of great promise. What we choose to do with our prosperity is up to us. ■ A freelance writer and former associate editor at Veranda, Atlanta native Jordan Barkin divides his time between his home in South Alabama and his family’s home in Atlanta.

Letters To The Editor

Don’t Despair Against Terror As we celebrate Chanukah, we can take strength from our long, courageous history of overcoming seemingly insurmountable forces of darkness.

Unfortunately, the civilized world is increasingly vulnerable to the violence and terror still being experienced

by Israel. The question is whether the world will learn from us how to deal with barbarism and senseless destruction. Or will the Europeans and others continue to press Israel into making unwise and unsafe concessions to the Palestinians in a futile quest for an elusive peace?

A more productive paradigm for Israel and the Jewish people at this time is to survive and thrive. If our adversaries realize we will not be intimidated or cowered but will continue to innovate and prosper and go on with our lives, they might eventually come to terms with Israel as the Jewish homeland.

Leadership from the United States is desperately needed to join with Israel and our other allies to defeat and destroy radical Islamists, be they Sunni or Shia. Unfortunately, there are no Maccabees to lead the struggle, so each of us must do whatever we can to carry on and not succumb to fear or despair.

We hold the winning hand, as our history has demonstrated.

Happy Chanukah.

— Gail Ripans, Sandy Springs Kenny Blank’s Genius Thank you, David Ryback, for the great interview with Kenny Blank (“Film Festival Evolves Through Independence,” Nov. 27). As chair of the Opening Night Gala for 2016 (my fourth year in a row), I can truthfully say that the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival is such a pleasure to be a part of and have in our community. Kenny, without a doubt, is a genius at the execution, and his team and many volunteers work so hard to bring it all to fruition.

I feel so fortunate to be involved, to have this incredible film festival in our city, and to have watched it grow into being No. 1 in the world. It is not only entertaining, but also educational, inspiring and emotional, and it brings our community together in a way that bonds us all.

My gratitude to Kenny and his team for this fabulous contribution for all of us to enjoy.

— Martha Jo Katz, Marietta

OPINION

An Unsettling Echo Of Another Time, Place

have been there,” she said. “We are the most diverse religious community in the U.S., and our diversity includes religious adherence. The similarities between our two communities are striking — dietary guidelines, values, Semitic languages, and the saying that if you have three Jews, you will have

From Where I Sit

By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com

four opinions also applies to Muslims.

“Muslims are the primary victims of ISIS and other terror groups. These terrorists do not represent us. Muslims are victimized twice. First, they are their primary targets, then victims of the backlash that takes place afterwards.”

According to the PRRI survey, conducted in September and October, 56 percent of respondents felt that the values of Islam “were at odds with American values and way of life,” up from 47 percent in the 2011 survey.

Melody Moezzi is a lawyer and author who writes about bipolar disorder and mental health treatment, as well as issues affecting the Muslim community.

“As communities of faith with wide spectra of religious and cultural practices, we have managed to support and learn from one another all over this country, throughout history and to this very day. These stories of interfaith and intercultural love and friendship between Jewish and Muslim Americans are not the ones that get the most media attention, but they are nonetheless many and widespread — in classrooms, in workplaces and in living rooms across this country,” said Moezzi, born in Chicago and raised in Ohio. “At this increasingly xenophobic time in American history, Jews and Muslims ought to be doing everything we can to support each other and stand together against injustice and discrimination wherever we find it.”

As to that echo Jews are hearing, the past century provided sufficient examples of the dangers when religion puts a people at risk and others fail to speak on their behalf. American Muslims are our fellow citizens, and that status alone requires that we not remain silent. ■

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

A

rsalan Iftikhar grew up in a Chicago suburb. His law degree is from Washington University in St. Louis. He roots for the Buffalo Bills and the Boston Celtics. As an author and commentator, he espouses such American ideals as freedom of religious expression.

After a television appearance, the interviewer told him that he spoke well and without an accent.

Where are you from, she asked. Chicago, he answered. No, where are you really from, she asked.

Again he answered Chicago, and he walked away.

As politicians, pundits and the public debate whether or how to welcome Middle Eastern refugees, a surge of nativist expression has prompted talk of closing mosques, creating databases and requiring special badges.

In this, many Jews hear an unsettling echo of another time and place.

I asked three friends for their perspective.

Iftikhar, aka www.themuslimguy. com, is the author of “Islamic Pacifism: Global Muslims in the Post-Obama Era” and of an upcoming book on Islamophobia. He stands by this statement made five years ago: “For millions and millions of us who were born and raised in this country, who have known no other home than the United States, we’re starting to feel like Albert Camus. We’re starting to feel like strangers in a strange land now, and that is something that is patently un-American.”

In the Public Religion Research Institute’s 2015 American Values Survey, more respondents (70 percent) said “There is a lot of discrimination against Muslims” in this country than cited discrimination against gay and lesbian people, blacks, and Hispanics.

Nonetheless, Iftikhar said, “I tell people that Muslims can practice Islam in the United States of America better than in any country of the world, including the 57 Muslim-majority nations on the face of the Earth, hands down.”

Soumaya Khalifa is the executive director of the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta and the president of Khalifa Consulting. The Egyptian native has been a U.S. citizen for 45 years.

“Many in the American Jewish community are allies of the American Muslim community. You get it, as you

AJT 13

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

McCain, Graham Show Support for Israel

N

ov. 16 was no ordinary Monday for the Atlanta Jewish community.

America was still reeling from the previous Friday’s terror attacks

by Islamic State in Paris, and the Birthright Israel Foundation was wrapping up its national conference with a fundraising event at Buckhead’s St. Regis Hotel, headlined by Bernie Marcus and Birthright Israel co-founder Charles Bronfman.

Nov. 16 also saw a smaller local gathering in which about 25 members of Atlanta’s pro-Israel community experienced some candid one-onone insight on the state of American foreign policy with two of the federal government’s leading authorities on global matters, Arizona Sen. John McCain and presidential candidate and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, both Republicans.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend this small roundtable, held downtown at the Commerce Club, along with several members of the Atlanta contingent of the Republican Jewish Coalition.

The senators were unabashedly fired up about our nation’s need to support Israel as its enemies strengthen, as well as to take a leading role in the fight to defeat Islamic State abroad. The two men endorse a proactive strategy as it pertains to foreign

involvement in the fight against terrorism.

Both men cautioned the room on the dangers of waiting to ramp up attacks against Islamic State until it’s Left: Sens. John McCain (left) and Lindsey Graham meet with, among others, Sandy Springs City Council member Andy Bauman.

Below: Local Republican Jewish Coalition leaders Chuck and Bonnie Berk welcome Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Guest Column

By David Koonin

too late — after an American target has been hit in a 9/11- or Paris-style attack.

Regarding the Paris attacks, McCain said: “This is an act of war, and America must treat this attack on one as an attack on all. It must be a wakeup call for America and our government.”

It came as no surprise to me that both senators vigorously support Israel’s right to defend itself against neighboring enemies, but it was clear that they also denounce any public smear campaign, boycotts, divestment and sanctions that have surfaced against Israel. I was impressed with the credence they both gave to theories that there are organized efforts to marginalize Israel and its supporters and that this behavior cannot be tolerated by our government and allies.

Seeing the obvious friendship between these two longtime colleagues was refreshing.

McCain unconditionally supports Graham and his capabilities in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, a fact that is meaningful because of McCain’s status as a onetime party nominee.

Both senators strongly opposed the president’s recent nuclear deal with Iran. Now that it has passed, Graham educated the room about actions he recommends in response to the controversial agreement, including imposing new sanctions on Iran and increasing scrutiny on the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Our senators’ positions are often reduced to soundbites by the 24-hour news networks, but given the adequate time our informal setting offered, it was impressive to hear the depth of their collective knowledge on issues about Israel and the United States.

I came out of the morning feeling enlightened and energized by the

senators’ collective support for Israel.

It’s hard to find two senior members of the legislative branch with more military and intelligence experience than McCain and Graham, and it was abundantly clear to everyone in the room that our country needs the next president to have the ability to make tough decisions on foreign policy and national security.

America needs experienced leadership during these increasingly trying times. We are fortunate to have McCain and Graham serving in our Senate. ■

Financially Empowering Jewish Women and Girls

T

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

he Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta promotes social change for Jewish women and girls through effective grant making, education and advocacy. And we empower women to be leaders, philanthropists and decision-makers.

Our educational seminars address the underlying obstacles that impede the full participation of Jewish women and girls in society. And they provide the information and tools necessary to do so. Our latest seminar, “Take Your Seat: A Jewish Woman’s Guide to Financial Empowerment and Protection,” focused on financial literacy and empowerment.

Featured speakers Abbey Flaum, a partner at Cohen Pollock Merlin & 14 Small, and Emily Sanders, the manag-

AJT

ing director of United Capital Financial Advisers, educated participants about the importance of taking an active role in managing one’s finances, even if a spouse, parent or child usually makes the family’s decisions.

Guest Column

By Deborah Spector

Surveys show that women do not feel as confident as men in their ability to handle money. According to a Women & Money Magazine survey, 50 percent of women find it difficult to talk with others about personal finances, and just one-third of all women have a detailed financial plan.

For women ages 25 to 34, that number drops to 10 percent.

Barbara Stanny, a best-selling author and leading authority on women and wealth, said: “If women are really going to change the world and make a difference, they need to understand money.”

Emily and Abbey generously shared their knowledge and provided numerous situations that the panelists had encountered to emphasize that it is incumbent upon women to become more knowledgeable and involved in family financial planning.

Jewish women’s empowerment is affirmed in the Torah. In the Book of Numbers we find Parshat Pinchas, which contains the first story of Jewish women’s financial empowerment.

After Zelophehad died, leaving no sons, his five daughters went before

Moses, Eleazar the priest and the Jewish people and advocated for their rights to inherit the land their father left behind. G-d instructed Moses to grant the daughters their land and set the precedent that women ought to inherit a father’s property if he left no other direct kin.

This is an enormous moment for Jewish women’s empowerment, and this story is applicable today. Like the daughters of Zelophehad, women in today’s society face significant obstacles to equality.

By raising our collective voices, the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta continues to ignite the flame of social change. ■ Deborah Spector is a founding trustee of the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta.

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OPINION

Human Perfectibility

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w Wishing Michael Morris and the staff at the Atlanta Jewish Times a very Happy Chanukah!

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

Lynne & Howard Halpern

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he history of religion is a history of conquest, power and control.

Most people acknowledge that most wars were fought in the name of G-d or were justified by religion.

Even today as we listen to the discourses by the Republican candidates for the presidency, each of the two leading candidates is trying to prove that his Christianity is more intense and superior to the other.

No wonder, therefore, that the power struggle in the Middle East is a struggle in which religion plays a great part. All the Muslim revolutionists today, whether Islamic State, Al-Qaida or Hamas, justify their struggle by religion. This is not new or limited to Muslims.

We are experiencing the consequences of centuries of colonization of Asia and Africa. The colonial powers destroyed traditional forms of government, whatever they may have been, and after World War II when the colonies became free, they found themselves fighting for the establishment of new power systems.

The main issue for us: How do we respond to the fears related to the constant threat that we experience?

The psychoanalyst Erich Fromm in “Escape From Freedom” suggested that we are likely to reject our freedoms for promised safety and wellbeing, just as the Germans did after World War I. Like those Germans, we are likely to become cynical and place our trust in weaponry and power.

But when we do so, we destroy the value system of freedom and human rights that took us centuries to achieve. We must, especially when we fear for our existence, emphasize the hope that is rooted in the idea of human perfectibility.

All my adult life I held on to the belief in human perfectibility. Rabbinic midrashim tell us that even though G-d is perfect, He deliberately created an imperfect and incomplete world.

Can you imagine living in a perfect world? What purpose would man have in such a world?

So G-d in His wisdom gave us an imperfect and unfinished world and assigned us the task of completing and perfecting it.

G-d created all other creatures with but one purpose — that of reproduction — but we human beings were charged with becoming G-d’s collaborators and improving the world. This

is the central meaning of tikkun olam.

To accomplish this task, humans were given the capacity to think, and we acquired the capacity to distinguish right from wrong. I have suggested that in line with this great gift, we should alter the anachronistic first of the morning blessings and replace it with the blessing in which we thank

One Man’s View

By Eugen Schoenfeld

the Creator for giving us the capacity lehavdil beyn tov v’rah — to distinguish between right and wrong, between good and evil.

In spite of the many evil things I experienced in my life, such as the Holocaust and what seems Islamic State’s commitment to the destruction of civilization, I continue to hold on to the idea of the perfectibility of mankind.

Giving up this belief leads to giving up my belief in a rational tomorrow.

The belief in the perfectibility of mankind is the foundation for the belief that the world tomorrow will better than this one, that my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will live in a better world. I continue to hold on to the belief that when G-d created humanity, He assigned us the task to be His co-creator.

He commissioned us to add the letter “e” to “human” and make ourselves into humane beings. Otherwise, mankind will regress and will replace the “u” in human with an “a,” making us a collection of Hamans — the destroyers of humanity.

How can we elevate ourselves to become humane? By understanding and practicing the moral principles that were given us in the Torah. We should wrap ourselves in the spirit of these principles as we do the tallit. We should wrap ourselves with the mantle of rachamim, the mantle of sensitivity to other beings. It is the mantle that was woven by the fabric of tzar bal chai — the law that commands us not to cause pain to a living being.

Above all else, we must abide by and accept the command lo tachmod — to renounce our tendency of coveting power and dictatorial rule. We are to reject the idea of “my way or the highway,” the sure way that leads to dictatorship. We must accept the right of being different, so long as we do not

demand that others become like us.

I have been the recipient in my 70 years in this country of the comment “If you don’t like it, go back from where you came.” Religions are organizations of believers who, although in a different manner, are supposedly committed to the unity of G-d and the unity of mankind but who instead have contrarily spread the seeds of hostility. In the name of G-d, by whichever name we call Him/Her/It, we demand conformity to one belief.

I have often been the recipient of the following statement: “I am sorry for you because you are a Jew and therefore you will not achieve salvation.” This statement is an aggressive statement — perhaps not as aggressive as proclaimed in Islamic belief, but nonetheless aggressive.

No religion should advocate the idea “I am better than you” or “My G-d is truer than yours.” Let me quote a statement from the Christian Bible (Matthew): “Let no one see the sawdust in your brother’s eyes before you see the plank in your own.”

I remember my roots, and I remember being homeless, despised and threatened. I remember my family and the many who were and still are killed with hardly a place to go.

I was the possessor of a homeless passport. Therefore, I will always be committed to the ideals described by Jewish poet Emma Lazarus in her magnificent poem “The New Colossus”: Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beaconhand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempesttost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” ■

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OPINION

AJT 17

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

LOCAL NEWS

Chabad Success Leads to Split Intown

W

hen the wave of terrorist attacks in Israel began this fall, the first communal response from Jewish Atlanta came when the Chabad Israeli Center Atlanta organized a prayer vigil Oct. 15 at Chabad of Georgia’s Congregation Beth Tefillah.

With the support of Reform, Conservative and Orthodox congregations, Jewish day schools, the Marcus Jewish Community Center, and the Israeli Consulate General, the event provided several hundred people the opportunity to show solidarity with Israel.

It was an example of Chabad of Georgia’s communitywide benefit, but it was also a reminder of the complicated relations among Chabad affiliates 30 years after Rabbi Yossi New brought the outreach movement to Georgia.

Within a growth model that gives rabbis known as shluchim specific territories to build communities, the Chabad Israeli Center crosses all the geographic lines to serve a specific population, in this case Israelis. And it operates under the leadership of a member of Rabbi New’s family, his sonin-law Rabbi Mendy Gurary.

Rabbi Gurary’s Sandy Springs

center serves as a valuable resource but also competes with other Chabad outlets for Israelis’ participation. It is the first of several cross-community operations Rabbi New has launched the past decade with sons and sons-inlaw, creating tensions with the other shluchim, who are expected to respect Rabbi New’s authority at the head of Chabad of Georgia even though they must succeed or fail on their own.

Those tensions reached a breaking point recently for one of the earliest Chabad of Georgia offshoots, Chabad Intown, which Rabbi New ousted from the official Chabad ranks.

Chabad Intown Rabbi Eliyahu Schusterman said that, like his fellow shluchim, he had agreed to halt successful programs at Rabbi New’s insistence over the years to support the launch of Atlanta-wide replacements, even though the senior Chabad rabbi did not consult with the other rabbis.

For example, Rabbi Schusterman was told to fold his program connecting teens with people who have special needs into a new outlet of Chabad’s Friendship Circle serving greater Atlanta under Rabbi Yale New, Rabbi

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New’s son. The program is thriving, but the other shluchim had no input into its creation and lost that connection to their community members.

Last year Rabbi New’s son-in-law Rabbi Levi Mentz came from Los Angeles to head JCrafts of Georgia. JCrafts offers experiential children’s programs, such as a matzah factory at Home Depot for Passover, a shofar factory at preschools and religious schools for Rosh Hashanah, and a couple of sukkahs making the rounds for Sukkot.

Rabbi Mentz has been active and effective with JCrafts, but his arrival forced Chabad rabbis to shut down similar, independent programming even though Rabbi New didn’t seek consensus support for the move.

For Rabbi Schusterman, the final straw was Rabbi New’s demand that he disband his thriving YJP (Young Jewish Professionals), Midtown Atlanta, in deference to a new young-adult program for greater Atlanta. When the intown rabbi balked, Rabbi New removed his center from the official Chabad list.

Rabbi Ari Sollish joined Rabbi Schusterman in Chabad exile. As individual members of the Chabad movement, they may continue to operate under the Chabad Intown name even though they are no longer affiliated with the official Chabad outreach organization locally or nationally.

Chabad Intown will lose access to classes and other programming available through the Chabad network, and Chabad of Georgia could establish a new center that would compete for Chabad followers inside Atlanta.

The problems in Georgia are not unique for Chabad, launched by the revered Lubavitcher rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, in the 1950s. As the ranks of Chabad rabbis have swelled and the number of Chabad centers has grown, the hierarchy inherent in the system has clashed with the financial and operational independence demanded of shluchim.

In 30 years Chabad has grown in Georgia to encompass 16 entities, including centers in Athens and Augusta. Several thousand families consider Chabad to be their synagogue, and several million dollars are raised each year for programming, education, prayer and growth.

Chabad rabbis will tell you that Atlanta Jewish spirituality has grown tremendously under their tutelage.

The Chabad model is entrepreneurial. A husband and wife are given a geographic area, similar to a franchise.

They learn on the job from their communities, other rabbis far and near, and mentors’ sharing of best practices.

Spiritual support is bountiful, as are Chabad programming models, but monetary support is not. A new shaliach might receive enough startup capital to cover rent and other living expenses for a couple of months, but then his success depends entirely on hard work to create a community.

About 15 years ago, Chabad operations within the Atlanta area were spread out, with Rabbi New’s Beth Tefillah in Sandy Springs, Rabbi Ephraim Silverman in East Cobb, Rabbi Hirshy Minkowicz in North Fulton, Rabbi Zalman Lipskier at Emory University and Rabbi Schusterman intown.

But the success of those rabbis has created a growing demand for Chabad operations, and Rabbi Schusterman said Rabbi New has made unilateral decisions on how to meet that demand, including the citywide operations and the locations of new centers.

For example, Chabad is talking about opening a center under a New family member in Forsyth County.

But rather than place the center in the county’s only city, Cumming, Chabad of Georgia is looking at sites at the southern end of Forsyth, close to the expanding Chabad of North Fulton on the Johns Creek-Alpharetta line.

Rabbi Minkowicz declined to comment on the potential encroachment on his territory, just as Rabbi New passed on the opportunity to talk on the record about the internal Chabad conflicts in Georgia.

The logical arbiter for such regional disputes, the national office of Chabad in Brooklyn, encourages mediation, which has been unsuccessful in Georgia. While a regional leader such as Rabbi New must answer to Brooklyn, the organization prefers local answers to local problems and doesn’t provide centralized policies for issues such as the locations of centers and leadership succession.

Still, several Chabad rabbis who have been in Atlanta 15 years or more have stood together to plead their case to Brooklyn. Rabbi New has led Chabad of Georgia to great success, and Rabbi Schusterman said he and his colleagues are willing to keep working with him.

But without a change in leadership style and operational approach, Chabad of Georgia could continue to see cracks in the organization, and the members of the Chabad communities will be the losers. ■

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LOCAL NEWS

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By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

S

Congregation Ariel, 5237 Tilly Mill Rd

challah. … We do it for the Sabbath, for Friday nights and Saturday.

imon Barzilay, a 32-year-old on the autism spectrum, is running the Miami Marathon in January.

He is raising money and awareness for the Friendship Circle of Atlanta, a Chabad-affiliated organization that supports people with special needs by pairing them with teenage volunteers.

It is a group “he is heavily involved with and through which he makes friends and gets to try new things,” said the Friendship Circle’s co-director Rickelle New. She called his efforts “an incredible story of perseverance, courage and giving back.”

The AJT visited Barzilay at his Brookhaven home in mid-November, by which time he had raised $883.

AJT: Have you had good support from Friendship Circle? Is that a good group to be in?

Barzilay: Yeah. I like the different activities. One time we did bowling.

Sometimes there are birthday clubs, but I don’t always join in because I’m busy working and stuff.

AJT: So what’s the plan, Simon?

Barzilay: I’m trying for some more money for the marathon that’s going on; looking forward to that. It’s my first time doing a marathon.

AJT: Have you been to Miami?

Barzilay: Yeah, my mom’s mother lives there in Florida, near Miami.

AJT: Why did you decide to do this, and what is the money going to do?

Barzilay: I have special needs, and I want to give opportunities to those other people who have special needs.

It’s going to Friendship Circle and for the trip that we’re going on. It’s for that too, the hotel and the food, all that.

AJT: How did you raise it?

Barzilay: I went to different people and asked for money. People I know from synagogue and from the Kroger that I work at, the one near Roswell Road and Wieuca.

AJT: What do you do at Kroger?

Barzilay: I’m a bagger, and I take out carts to people’s cars.

AJT: You’ve gotten to know customers there and so forth?

Barzilay: Yes, I made friends there.

AJT: Tell me about Friendship Circle.

Barzilay: It’s a get-together. We learn Hebrew every other Thursday.

On Wednesdays we have a cooking club.

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

AJT

Marathon Man Runs For Friendship Circle

AJT: You like cooking?

Barzilay: I never was a cook, but — I don’t know if you know about the Jewish tradition — one time we made

AJT: Do you have training in running for marathons? How much running do you do?

Barzilay: Sometimes I run to catch the bus to get to work! I haven’t started training yet. I’m trying to get a trainer, somebody who can teach me, like a coach who can run with me. Rickelle said she would find a trainer.

AJT: Are you from Atlanta?

Barzilay: My mom’s originally from Brazil. My father is from New York, near Manhattan. I was born in Israel, in Tel Aviv. I went back in 2007 with Noah Pawliger, who runs a camp called Living Wonders.

AJT: What else do you like to do?

Barzilay: I like to play basketball. I sometimes go to the JCC in Dunwoody to use their court. I like Jewish music and some jazz and classical. I like some country music, but not all. I went to Ireland in 2003 for the Special Olympics in swimming there; I did pretty good. I kind of stink at baseball.

AJT: How are you getting to Miami?

Barzilay: I’m flying. My father’s flying with me.

AJT: Who’s your dad?

Barzilay: His name is Joshua. He’s an M.D., works with people with diabetes. He’s a specialist.

AJT: What can our readers do to help out?

Barzilay: Just give money to the Friendship Circle (www.fcatlanta. org). That way we can raise money for the marathon. All the families will be there. I’d like to raise a bit more money for the trip; that way we don’t end up broke! ■

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AJT 21

LOCAL NEWS

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T

o celebrate one of the central themes of Chanukah, the triumph of light over darkness, 100 Jewish leaders will meet with politicians and elected officials at the Georgia Capitol on Thursday, Dec. 10.

The celebration, which will be held in the Capitol’s south wing, was organized by Chabad of Georgia in response to recent terrorist attacks in Europe and Israel.

“Because of the amount of darkness that we have been experiencing worldwide over the past few months, Chabad of Georgia decided that there is a need for light,” Chabad Rabbi Levi Mentz said. “A small bit of light can dispel an incredible amount of darkness.”

Government leaders from across the metro area, including Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, are expected to attend the event.

Planned activities include the lighting of a 6-foot-tall menorah on Chanukah’s fifth night, musical performances by a children’s choir, and traditional Chanukah food, as well as inspirational lectures from members of the community.

Rabbi Mentz is hopeful that this meeting will help spark changes in the Atlanta community and beyond.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is among the guests expected at the Chanukah celebration Dec. 10.

“What’s beautiful about the message of Chanukah is that a small candle can light up an entire room when it was just dark a moment ago,” he said.

“Imagine if everyone started adding in one good act — imagine the change that could happen.”

The Chanukah celebration has been six weeks in the making, Rabbi Mentz said.

The festivities will not be open to the general public, but some media members will be admitted.

“It’s amazing that this is happening,” Rabbi Mentz said. “It really shows that when we are able to get together with strength, unbelievable things can happen.” ■

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AJT 23

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

LOCAL NEWS

JF&CS Seeks Facility Equal to Services

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

J

ewish Family & Career Services is going to spend more than $5 million on its Dunwoody headquarters next year for a simple reason: The clients receiving and the staff delivering firstclass services deserve it.

“The level of our building will match the caliber of the services we’re providing our clients,” JF&CS CEO Rick Aranson said in a pre-Thanksgiving interview about the community agency’s capital campaign.

JF&CS is launching the public final phase of its campaign in strong position but with an unexpected need for an extra boost.

The campaign was announced as a $5.1 million fundraising effort. With the support of all board members and several foundations, including three $500,000 contributions, the total raised has reached $5 million. With $100,000 more, JF&CS will reach its goal and will be able to break ground. The target to start the nine-to-12-month construction period is March (every month’s delay after that is expected to increase

JF&CS CEO Rick Aranson

the cost 1 percent).

But construction costs in the Atlanta area have jumped during the private fundraising phase, so JF&CS needs an additional $350,000, for a total of almost $5.5 million, to build the facility

as planned.

Aranson, who said he has met with 149 influencers and 10 potential partner agencies since he took over as CEO in July after 11 years as chief operating officer, is adamant that the agency needs to raise the extra money.

The alternative is to scale back the facility’s transformation from an outdated office park converted for the use of JF&CS 20 years ago to a more functional, more flexible, more inviting complex that increases collaboration and capacity.

The capital campaign is following the example of the Ben Massell Dental Clinic, for which JF&CS conducted a

The master plan for the new JF&CS campus shows the new Tools for Independence WORKS building in orange, the revamped clinical services space in light blue at the top right, and the new entrance and Gathering Place in blue facing the parking lot. Chamblee-Dunwoody Road is just off the bottom of the plan.

$5.5 million fundraising campaign and opened a larger, LEED-certified, stateof-the-art facility in Midtown in 2008.

The mastermind of that campaign, then-CEO Gary Miller, has provided strategic advice for the current campaign since retiring from JF&CS at the end of June.

The two biggest elements of the construction plans are a new building for the Tools for Independence WORKS

program ($2.8 million under the original project budget) and an overhaul of part of the current building into an improved clinical counseling center ($1.6 million).

The TFI WORKS program is now isolated in a leased industrial park in Doraville. WORKS has outgrown the 3,300-square-foot space and has a waiting list for its services, which provide the tools for people with intellectual

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LOCAL NEWS

This view from the parking lot shows the planned main entrance toward the left and the new Tools for Independence building to the right.

and developmental disabilities to take care of themselves and earn a living.

The new building, which will take the place of a sustainable garden growing produce for food programs (it will move a little north on the property), will have 8,300 square feet with flexible teaching and meeting spaces built around a central common area called the Hub. The building will include an art studio, a teaching kitchen, an educational laundry facility and a quiet room, as well as four staff offices.

Aranson is just as excited about the plans for the clinical services center. He said the current facility lacks privacy and security and has the feel of a place for people who can’t afford better care, even though he said JF&CS

clinical services are as good as those offered by private practices.

The new facility will rise to those standards, he said.

It will include a reception area that ensures confidentiality and provides more safety for child clients by separating them from adult clients.

There will be soundproofed private offices and group therapy rooms, and new exits will enable people to leave without walking past others in the waiting room.

The other significant piece of the plans is a new main JF&CS entrance that combines an improved reception and waiting area with the Gathering Place, which will be a break room, a coffee shop and a meeting space. The

plan is to open the Gathering Place to the general public and to use TFI WORKS participants as the staff so they can get work experience.

The concept of the Gathering Place fits Aranson’s belief in the need for more JF&CS partnerships with outside agencies and Above: The Hub is a crucial open space to add capacity, more collaborations withflexibility and comfort to the TFI WORKS building. in the agency.

Below: After entering the counseling reception lobby, child clients will go to the left to their own The cumulative effect waiting room, and adults will go to the right. of the building improvements, he said, will help JF&CS “move people along a continuum from a tough situation to a better situation.”

The construction will apply the green EarthCraft standards, which, in addition to being environmentally friendly, should produce significant enpaign pitch. ergy savings.

The construction will take place in Leading the campaign are JF&CS phases, in part to allow staff and servicPresident John Perlman and board member Cherie Aviv, backed by honor- es to keep operating during the work. ary co-chairs Ann and Michael Kay and Aranson said he’s not certain whether Lois Blonder. Aranson said Perlman or TFI WORKS or clinical services will be Aviv has been with him for every cam- first. ■

This year, share the Light, Love and Joy of Chanukah with the

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Happy Chanukah from Our Family to Yours

AJT 25

LOCAL NEWS JELF Hires Fundraiser

The Jewish Educational Loan Fund has named Josh Schaier its director of development, a position in which he joins JELF CEO Jenna Shulman in being responsible for closing major gifts, cultivating donors and spearheading JELF events across its five-state region.

JELF grants interest-free loans to Jewish students from Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia for post-secondary study at accredited institutions.

“JELF is excited to welcome Josh to our team. In the few short weeks since he has begun his work, we have already seen an incredible enthusiasm and drive in him that we believe is exactly what JELF is looking for as we continue our organization’s growth,” Shulman said.

Schaier previously worked in university development and alumni relations at New York University and at the 92nd Street Y in New York. His involvement in the Jewish community stretches back his childhood at the Union for Reform Judaism’s Eisner and Crane Lake camps in the Berkshires.

Before moving into fundraising, Schaier was a legal assistant for New York law firms, including Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett. He received his master of public administration degree in nonprofit management from NYU this year. He earned a bachelor’s in history from Binghamton University in 2006.

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

Crohn’s Gala Jan. 23

AJT 26

Gastroenterologist Michael Le­ Vine, Stacey Rothberg, and accounting firm Habif, Arogeti & Wynne are among the honorees for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America’s 25th annual Torch Gala on Jan. 23 at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead.

The gala, which includes a seated dinner, dancing and a silent auction, is annually the largest fundraiser for the Georgia Chapter of the CCFA. This year’s goal is to raise $400,000 toward research into diagnosing, treating and curing inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.

The Torch Gala has raised more than $6.2 million in its first 2½ decades.

“We count on the financial support of our community to help us advance in our life-changing research for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis,” said Russell Dahl, the CCFA’s director of collaborative research initiatives.

“Although significant progress in understanding these diseases has been made, there’s still much work to be done.”

LeVine is being honored as the premier physician of the year. Rothberg is the volunteer of the year. Habif, Arogeti & Wynne is the corporate citizen of the year.

This year’s event co-chairs are Marc Ratnowsky and Steven Goodman.

IBD strikes one in 200 Americans — 1.2 million people total — and usually begins in children and young adults.

“We look forward to the CCFA Torch Gala each year,” Dahl said. “This event is a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together and support CCFA and its critical research to find new treatments and hopefully one day a cure.”

For information about the gala, visit www.torchgala.com, or call Krista Heckler at 404-982-0616.

Leven Donates $1M to Camp

Georgia Aquarium CEO Michael Leven recently donated $1 million gift to Camp Tevya, a co-ed Jewish camp in Brookline, N.H. It’s the largest contribution from an individual in the nonprofit camp’s 76-year history.

The gift is going toward the Aaron and Blanche Gordon House, which will provide space for more department heads and senior specialists and will accommodate more visiting rabbis, artists and coaches.

Camp Tevya recently broke ground on the building.

Aaron Gordon served as Tevya’s director from the 1950s through the early 1970s and taught Leven at Boston Latin School.

History Award for Lewis

Kennesaw State University history professor Catherine Lewis, the director of KSU’s Museum of History and Holocaust Education, received the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council’s award for excellence in documenting Georgia’s history during the GHRAC Archives Awards ceremony Oct. 28 at the Georgia Archives.

Lewis shared the award with first lady Sandra Deal and KSU assistant history professor Jennifer Dickey, her collaborators on “Memories of the Mansion: The Story of Georgia’s Governor’s Mansion,” published by the UGA Press in September.

The book tells the story of the West Paces Ferry Road mansion, what preceded it, and the people who have lived and worked there since it opened in 1968. Designed by Atlanta architect A. Thomas Bradbury, the mansion has been home to eight first families and houses a distinguished collection of American art and antiques.

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Scholar-in-Residence Weekend at Congregation Etz Chaim 1190 Indian Hills Parkway, Marietta, GA 30068

Friday, 12/4 - Sunday, 12/6 With artist, Rabbi Matt Berkowitz

sponsored by the Ramie A. Tritt Family Foundation Join us and be inspired as the biblical and rabbinic text is expressed through the visual arts and helps us gain more meaning from texts. Rabbi Berkowitz will have pieces from his portfolio on display and available for purchase.

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Happy Chanukah

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LOCAL NEWS

That Morning When Nazis Came Knocking

By Rebecca McCarthy

I

t has been close to 80 years since the Gestapo showed up at the Sachs family apartment in Koenigsberg, East Prussia. But Dorothy Sachs Sparer remembers that Nov. 8 morning in 1938 as if it were yesterday.

She shared her memories recently at Athens’ Children of Israel Congregation as part of a weekly Havdalah program.

She can’t forget the sound of people pounding and kicking on the front door. Someone shouting, “Aufmachen!”

Soldiers rushing inside to take away her father, a renowned physician who ran his own clinic and taught at the university but months before had lost his position and most of his patients.

A soldier stood next to her father as he tied his shoes, and Dorothy believed the solider looked embarrassed.

Just 6, she believed what her mother said: Her father had been taken to Berlin.

The soldiers took her father to prison, along with the city’s other Jewish men. The soldiers beat the rabbi but no one else. The next night was Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, when Jewish businesses, homes and synagogues throughout Germany were damaged and destroyed and innocent people were beaten, jailed, sent to concentration camps or killed.

When Dorothy’s mother visited her father in prison a few days after he was taken away, he told her that he and the other men had been forced to clean up the remains of the city’s beautiful Jewish synagogue, burned by the Nazis.

The Nazis soon released the doctor and the other prisoners, some of whom made plans to leave Koenigsberg.

It had been hard for Dorothy’s father to accept the events of the previous years, much less his jailing. Books

by Jewish authors had been burned.

Jews had been forbidden to work in film, theater, music or fine arts, and their citizenship was revoked. All Jewish people had to have new ID cards.

Dorothy’s paternal ancestors had been in Koenigsberg since the 17th century, and her father had fought for Germany in World War I, earning an Iron Cross. The doctor was well-regarded by Jews and gentiles alike in the city.

Like many people, the doctor thought Hitler “was a joke, a clown,” Dorothy said. Of course, he was wrong.

The family’s car was gone. Their

Dorothy “Dot” Sachs Sparer

money was frozen. Dorothy’s mother finally convinced her father it was time to leave Germany.

The family petitioned to come to America, but Congress had established a quota to accept only 95 people out of 40,428 applications for asylum. In 1938, Dorothy said, 83 percent of Americans opposed immigration, and there were pro-Nazi rallies all over America.

The Sachses learned there was refuge in London, where they would be allowed to remain for one year.

German soldiers came to watch them pack, making sure they didn’t take anything of worth. Dorothy’s mother got a soldier tipsy on schnapps and sat on his lap, singing German folks songs, while her father packed a camera and other valuables.

Two months after the Sachs family settled in London in 1939, Germany invaded Poland and started World War II. The borders were closed, and no one was allowed to leave Germany.

Along with other children in London, Dorothy was evacuated to the countryside. She spent a year in North Hampton with a local couple and learned to speak Cockney English.

A medical school friend in Kansas City helped Dorothy and her family get the documents they needed to come to America. After a five-day ocean voyage, they reached New York Harbor in 1940.

When they saw the Statue of Liberty, everyone who knew it burst into “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The family settled in Brooklyn.

Years later, Dorothy earned a master’s in magazine journalism from Syracuse University, then married a city planner, had twins and moved to Athens.

If you visit her home, you’ll notice a sign on the front door: “Please ring bell. DO NOT KNOCK.” ■

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Sharsheret Supplies Breast Cancer Support more. While I was undergoing treatment, Sharsheret sent me materials to keep track of my appointments, questions to ask my doctors, toys to entertain my children, and a pillow to rest my arm on after surgery.

The organization continues to

Guest Column

By Adina Rudisch

Celebrate Chanukah with us!

Temple Sinai’s Chanukah Celebration and Shabbat Service Friday, December 11

This joyous Shabbat service is for our entire congregational family and friends at 6:30 pm Above: A table is set with information for Shearith Israel’s recent Sharsheret Pink Shabbat.

Below: A Shearith Israel cake honors Sharsheret.

support me by offering teleconferences on survivorship issues, updates on research, even help with religious life.

Congregation Shearith Israel recently organized a Sharsheret Pink Shabbat. We ate pink challah, drank pink lemonade, and heard from and honored survivors of breast cancer. I shared information from and about Sharsheret, and many people left with a new resource and a Sharsheret tzedakah box. Our shul also participated in Pies for Prevention, a Sharsheret fundraiser in which volunteer bakers donated their time and money to bake kosher pies for Thanksgiving.

Now or later? Tell the Jewish families you know now about Sharsheret and have them call 866-474-2774. Staff will answer questions about breast and ovarian cancer and counsel them about genetic testing, personal risk, the new screening guidelines, and even nutrition and exercise.

They will thank you later. ■

Please join us for a festive dinner at one of the two dinner seatings at 5:30 or 7:30 pm Additional activities include: Dreidel Competition, Singing, Chanukah Bingo with great prizes, Doughnut eating contest and Crafts for individuals of ALL ages

Forget about cooking and join your Temple Sinai family for a fun and meaningful Chanukah celebration! $14 for adults (age 13+), $7 for children (ages 4-12), children 3 and under free.

Please RSVP online at templesinaiatlanta.org or by calling the front office at 404.252.3073.

5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs, GA 30327 Phone 404.252.3073 www.templesinaiatlanta.org

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

N

ow or later? That question is being asked in millions of homes around the country.

Women are trying to decide when to schedule their first mammogram.

The American Cancer Society recommends starting annual mammograms at age 45 and moving to every other year at age 55 for women with average risk.

“Average risk” is the operative term. “For most Jewish women of Ashkenazi descent, these guidelines do not apply,” writes Elana Silber, the executive director of Sharsheret. One in 40 Jewish women of Ashkenazi descent carries a BRCA gene mutation linked to breast cancer, compared with one in 345 in the general population.

Unfortunately, we don’t hear about that increased risk in the news.

So what is a Jewish woman to do?

The most important step is to learn about her family history to better gauge her personal risk.

The second? Call, email or visit www.sharsheret.org. I found out about Sharsheret when I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 34, just weeks after giving birth to my son.

To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. A friend recommended I call Sharsheret, which was founded in 2001 to address the specific needs of young women facing breast cancer. The organization has expanded to serve Jewish women and families of all ages who face the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

I needed to speak to someone going through an experience similar to mine — who had young children, who wondered whether expanding her family was possible and who knew being diagnosed at this age was different from being diagnosed after 60.

Sharsheret, which means “link” or “chain,” paired me with a young Jewish woman who had received a similar diagnosis, had young children and even had the same degree of religious observance. It was such a relief to speak to someone who had been through this.

My link shared her experience and resources. She gave me hope and strength.

This was the beginning of a noweight-year relationship with Sharsheret. I have participated in many conference calls about nutrition, research, Jewish spirituality, family support and

AJT 29

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Planning for Life Events We Can’t Control

I

t’s that special time of year again.

Chanukah is here, and as Jews we celebrate our freedom and our miraculous victory against the Greeks.

It’s an exciting time when we are planning our Chanukah menus, thinking about what to buy the kids and grandkids, and maybe planning a warm-weather or ski vacation. We spend a lot of time and effort planning for ourselves and our families on gifts, menus, excursions and even what to wear to a holiday party.

Planning is such an essential part of our lives that it’s second nature to us all.

We hope that our lives go as smoothly as we’ve planned; however, as we all know, that is not always the case.

If I asked you whether you had a plan if your house burned down tomorrow, you would look at me with disbelief and say, “Of course, I do. I have homeowner’s insurance.” If I asked whether you had a plan if you had an automobile accident today, you’d say, “Of course, I do. I have automobile insurance.”

You probably have life insurance to protect your family. We plan to protect the things in life that are closest to our hearts: our family, our home, our nest egg.

What would you answer if I asked whether you have thought about what you would do if your health were to change in a sudden manner, such as a bad car accident, a debilitating fall, cancer or a heart attack? Who would take care of you? How would you pro-

vide for your family?

What if I asked you about getting older and the type of plan you have in place for aging? What if you or a loved one were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease?

Long-term-care planning is a subject that isn’t fun to think about, but you will be far better off if you think about

Enrichment for Life

By Jeff Taratoot jefft@acahomecare.com

it sooner rather than later. Long-termcare insurance will cover your care whether you are in your own home (78 percent of claimants receive care in the comfort of their own homes) or in the community at an adult day care center, assisted living or a nursing home.

It is better to have long-term-care insurance than pay out of pocket, which can quickly add up.

Home care provides services for seniors and the recovering individual (car accident, cancer, heart attack, etc.) in the comfort of home. Seniors like to be in their favorite room in the house, in their beloved chair, and they enjoy the space home provides. Plus, they can eat meals at any time and eat what they want to eat, maintaining the independence they have always had.

Services in the home range from bathing and grooming to medication reminders, rides to doctor’s appointments, light housekeeping and meal

preparation. When using an agency, one also gets the security of not having to worry about workers’ compensation and liability insurance because the home care company provides the insurance policies as part of its services (the cost is built into the hourly rate).

Plus, all caregivers receive national background checks and customer service training.

Other seniors may prefer an assisted living facility. These facilities have become more common as the U.S. population ages. They range from A small two-story facilities to luxurious high-rises in Buckhead, such A as Lenbrook and the Piedmont. Monthly rent can range from $3,000 to $7,500, depending on the age of the facility, number of bedrooms, location, number of meals provided, sheltered or uncovered parking, activities, and other factors.

A nice feature of this type of living is the freedom of not having to worry about the aging roof, air conditioner or water heater.

Seniors and their adult children must understand there is more of a daily set schedule (meals typically are given at certain times of the day), and of course the apartments are much smaller than their old homes, so much of the furniture and belongings will have to be given to family members or sold.

It is important to keep in mind that

your loved one may still require one-onone care whose cost is not part of the monthly base rent.

Some services are available at additional costs. It is important to get those prices upfront, even if your loved one does not need the extra care immediately, so you can do financial planning. As your loved one needs more attention, the price could go up based on the care provided.

There are also some excellent day programs in Atlanta. The new Adult Day Care of Dunwoody offers all types of activities. The executive director, Georgia Gunther, has put together a well-rounded program that includes entertainment, daily exercise geared to each member, art therapy, pet therapy, music and lunch. Such programs are available each weekday or only a few days per week, based on the clients’ wishes.

This holiday season is the perfect time to give yourself, your spouse, your children, and your grandchildren a thoughtful, meaningful gift, something that will give them peace of mind and help with the financial burden when the unthinkable happens. Having some kind of plan in place is vitally important today, more than ever. ■

Keep in mind that your loved one may require one-on-one care whose cost is not part of the monthly base rent.

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GOOD of LIFE GOOD LIFE

Jeffrey Taratoot owns A Caring Approach Home Care. Judy Schulman, an insurance adviser with Mid-South Financial Group, contributed to this column.

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Offering Financial Aid to Be Fruitful and Multiply Local foundation launches to ease one source of infertility stress

By Cady Schulman cschulman@atljewishtimes.com

J

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

odi Daniels has two daughters, but getting pregnant wasn’t as easy as having a couple of romantic nights with her husband. Daniels is one of many Atlanta-area Jewish women who struggle with infertility.

Not only is the journey an emotional roller coaster, but it also can be a huge financial burden for many couples.

That’s one burden the new Jewish Fertility Foundation hopes to alleviate by offering financial assistance to Jewish couples who must use fertility treatments to grow their families.

“It’s really important,” Daniels said of the financial assistance the foundation will offer. “I know how expensive it was. It shouldn’t be that way.

To have a family have to go through something that they can’t control and to have to go bankrupt to start a family is crazy. To have a foundation to help and make a difference, I think it’s really important.”

The foundation responds to a

AJT 32

problem that is more common in the Jewish population than the overall American population, at least in part because non-Orthodox Jews tend to start families later (see Dr. Daniel Shapiro’s discussion of the fertility problem on Page 35). It is an issue that also inspired the Atlanta Jewish community to launch the Wo/Men’s Infertility Support Havurah this year.

In vitro fertilization can cost $20,000 for medicine and procedures, and Shapiro, a reproductive endocrinologist with Reproductive Biology Associates in Sandy Springs, said that only about 15 percent of patients using his practice have insurance coverage for infertility.

“In a state like Georgia, where there’s no mandate for coverage and only 15 percent of patients walking in the door have coverage, that’s an awful lot of people who are going to get stuck with a big bill,” Shapiro said.

Helping Jewish couples start families through fertility treatments will be gratifying, said the foundation’s founder and president, Elana Frank.

Frank, a mother of two who strug-

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gled with getting pregnant, did fertility treatments in Israel, where she said she spent a total of 1,800 shekels (now about $463) for private health care and a private hospital (see her story on Page 34). A friend who opted for a nonprivate doctor and hospital paid just $2 for everything, including medicine.

“You use your savings, and then you use more of your savings. You ask your parents for help,” Frank said of couples in America trying to conceive.

“My husband and I were fortunate enough to have two jobs. Why should you be in debt to try to start your family? People joke like ‘Oh, this is my $100,000 baby.’ Trust me, I would pay everything for my kids. I was in Israel when I did it, and I did it for (almost) free. I wonder if my stress level was a little lower because I just didn’t have the financial burden.”

The foundation is raising money now to fund the first round of grants, which will vary in amount per couple.

One anonymous donor gave $1,500 to the foundation, which already has allocated that money to a Jewish couple.

Part of the screening process will be a review by a panel of reproductive endocrinologists to assess couples’ medical feasibility.

“We are really going to just be looking at the applicants and helping them on a case-by-case basis,” said Frank, whose unrelated day job is handling communications for the Weber School. “If someone has already done IVF 25 times and it hasn’t worked, is that really a case we want to take on?”

It took Lynn Goldman one fresh IVF cycle and three frozen cycles to become pregnant. She carried two of her babies to delivery.

Having a foundation to help with the cost of treatments is huge, Goldman said.

“It’s very expensive,” she said.

“Having a foundation, an organization that not only provides financial resources to help people going through it, takes another stress off of you. You’re already under so much stress going through the procedures and emotionally. Taking that financial stress off you is huge.”

Goldman said she wishes a foundation like the Jewish Fertility Foundation had been around when she was going through treatments.

“To take off that financial stressor would have been huge,” she said.

“Here’s an organization that will give you education, and that financial sup-

10/2/15 7:47 AM

port would have been a stressor off of me. People who are going through this not only have to pay to go through the treatments, but when the child is born, the costs continue.”

For Jewish couples, one in six ages 31 to 35 will experience infertility, Shapiro said. With Ashkenazi couples, one in five carries one of the 19 Ashkenazi single-gene defects, one in 30 carries the Tay-Sachs gene, and one in 27 carries the cystic fibrosis gene.

Those disease statistics are why some couples use IVF even if there are no fertility issues.

“You do IVF so you can do genetic testing on the embryos to avoid having a baby with one of these devastating diseases,” Shapiro said.

About 15 to 20 couples with single gene disorders do IVF at Reproductive Biology Associates every year.

“They don’t have infertility, but they have a baby who had died or had (cystic fibrosis),” Shapiro said. “They discovered their genetic risk.”

Amniocentesis is another option, but it can be done only when a woman is pregnant. “Then you have to decide if you’re going to terminate or not, and a lot of people don’t want to do that,” Shapiro said. “IVF is a way to avoid Solomon’s decision.”

Also affecting women’s fertility is polycystic ovarian syndrome, commonly known as PCOS. This condition results from insulin resistance, which affects ovulation. Though only about 3 percent of Ashkenazi women have PCOS, the at-risk population ranges from 15 percent to 20 percent.

“There are adaptive reasons to have these genes, but we don’t need them anymore,” Shapiro said. “They protect you against famine. We live in a country where there are calories on every corner. They make you store fat.

These genes are active in a great many people of Eastern European descent, Jewish descent in particular. These genes become the enemy because they make what you’re eating store as fat.

The more insulin-resistant you become, the more your ovaries produce male hormones. If it gets excessive, it mucks up the system and tricks the brain to think you’re trying to ovulate when you’re not.”

Rabbi Adam Starr, who leads Young Israel of Toco Hills, said he has seen “many, many Jewish couples who are struggling with fertility. It is extremely painful. Whatever we can do to facilitate their dream of having a

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

HEALTH & WELLNESS Jewish family, it’s one of the greatest mitzvahs we can do.”

The only reproductive issue that could conflict with Jewish law is surrogacy, a situation in which it could be questioned whether the baby would be born Jewish. IVF does not conflict with Jewish law, Rabbi Starr said.

“It’s one of the most important mitzvahs we have: to be fruitful and multiply,” the rabbi said.

In addition to assistance with finances, the foundation will offer couples emotional support, something Frank said she didn’t have as she started her treatments six years ago.

“I’m a very loud, vocal person, but when you’re going through this alone, I wasn’t,” Frank said. “I didn’t have the support of my family. My family in Israel said, ‘Oh, go take a vacation, relax, have sex.’ ” Not only do friends not understand, but it’s hard for a spouse to appreciate what the woman goes through emotionally with daily injections, monitoring and the stress of seeing how each cycle plays out.

“Even your own husband doesn’t get it,” Goldman said. “You going through it and having all the medical treatments done for you and him going through it, it’s so different. You can re-

ally lose yourself during this journey.”

Daniels counts herself lucky for finding a support group of women who went through fertility treatments.

“I was really fortunate to be able to have those people to go on my journey with,” she said. “There’s no way I would have made it without having people who really understood what was going on. People don’t talk about fertility.

It’s like something that’s evil or not allowed to be talked about. They’re embarrassed or concerned. It’s a disease like any other disease.”

Having friends who seem to easily get pregnant adds to the emotional ups and downs that Daniels said she experienced for six treatment cycles — both intrauterine insemination and IVF. “I had no one,” she said. “I was alone. No one understood. They say all the wrong things. ‘It will be fine. Oh, relax.’ No one understood the pressures of every three days wondering what would be revealed. You feel like the clock’s ticking.

“You’ve (been) poked and prodded so much hoping it will work, and when (it doesn’t), it’s devastating. You wonder what’s wrong with you. Why is everyone else pregnant? You do all the right things to be good parents, and then you can’t. It’s an absolute emotional roller

WISH Against Infertility

W

hile the Jewish Fertility Foundation offers financial help for Jewish couples facing fertility issues, the Wo/Men’s Infertility Support Havurah provides emotional and educational support.

WISH Atlanta hosts monthly meetings with speakers on medical and legal issues, such as adoption and surrogacy, followed by conversations led by professional facilitators Jana Glass and Kerri Golding among people struggling with fertility issues and people who built families despite such issues.

In addition to providing advice and empathy once a month, WISH keeps a resource library and other information at www.wishatlanta.org.

“Medically, legally and socially, there is so much for intended parents to learn. We are blessed to live in a time and place which presents a wide array of options, but each is complex and hard to navigate,” said WISH committee member Lynn Goldman, a lawyer specializing in adoption and surrogacy.

“WISH provides critical intelligence for the community.”

The topic for WISH’s fourth meeting — Thursday night, Dec. 3, from 7 to 9 at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs — is “Handling the Holidays: What to Do and Say to Get Through the Season.” Meetings are free.

The forthcoming schedule: • Jan. 14 — “Jewish Perspectives on Infertility” with Rabbis Elana Perry of Temple Sinai and Analia Bortz of Congregation Or Hadash.

• Feb. 18 — “Marriage: Hot Monogamy in Times of Stress.”

• March 10 — “Self-Care: Don’t Be Your Own Bully.”

• April 21 — “Third Party Reproduction: When It Takes Three to Tango.”

• May 26 — “Adoption and Foster Parenting.” ■

coaster.”

Even after the birth of a child, the emotional scars from infertility don’t go away.

“I won’t ever be able to say to my husband, ‘Let’s have a baby,’ ” Frank said. “I’m still going through the journey.” ■

~ HAPPY HANUKKAH ~

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Sexually Frustrated: My Response to Being Infertile

I

have two rambunctious and healthy (yelling, biting, crying monsters) boys whom I love more than life itself. Both were born via the miracle of in vitro fertilization, or IVF — to someone as old as my husband, they were test tube babies.

Technically, my husband’s right because, like it or not, that little glass tube or dish is where the magic happens. I prefer a California King or any reasonably uncluttered kitchen counter, but then again I didn’t really have a choice.

Regardless of how you refer to it, the whole thing truly is a mix of medical marvel and perhaps a drop of divine inspiration. And though I try not to imagine my two babies spending their first moments of life in a glass tube, I remind myself that for me, they would not have been born any other way.

Even with two beautiful, perfect children to be grateful for, not a single day goes by when I don’t think about those first two years of marriage, full of desperation and sadness. And even now I still get sad because I’ll never not be infertile. We can never just say, “Hey, let’s have another.”

It’ll always be a process and a risk. I’ll never know the feeling of getting pregnant while on a romantic vacation or after a night of passion gone wild. And when I think about my

sadness, it’s made even worse with the guilt knowing it worked for me, but for others even this process doesn’t work.

I remember those frustrating moments in our early months of trying, waiting for this month to stick. A husband who found sex a chore. And a baby on my mind. Probably not unlike many women whose biological clocks

Guest Column

By Elana Bekerman Frank

are ticking. At first buying the expensive pregnancy tests and waiting for two lines to pop up, and then, when month after month it was just that one line, buying a pack of 20 tests from Canada and importing them.

I felt it. I was sure. This would be the month. I remember taking around four tests a month, always negative, before really understanding that nothing was working.

We were living in Israel, where the socialized medicine and desire to create Jewish babies afforded me the opportunity to visit my doctor after only four months of trying in an effort to begin to get some answers.

My husband says it was my Type A personality of expecting something

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

Happy Chanukah!

AJT 34

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to work the first time, but I feel that I was lucky to have the foresight to get the process started early.

It didn’t help that women (and men) at the religious nonprofit where I worked did not understand why I’d been married over a year (and was over 30!) but did not have kids. “It’s time you started trying.” “You don’t want your kids to have old parents.”

Several women even took to saying tehillim for me. And keep in mind they did not know that I was trying.

On the secular front, my blunt Israeli family — maybe that goes hand in hand — would begin to question our status as well. I’d say things like “Don’t worry, we are trying” or “All in due time,” then run home and cry in my bathroom with frustration and embarrassment.

In Israel they don’t base infertility questions on how long you’ve been trying, but on how long you have been married. We had been hitched more than a year, so the Clomid pills came rather quickly.

Now popping the pills and getting my husband back in bed, I was surely going to conceive this month.

I remember that I flew to a friend’s wedding in America so sure that I was pregnant that I didn’t even mind if my friends noticed the little bulge in my belly and that I wouldn’t be joining in their l’chaim (or three).

I was so convinced that I’d be pregnant that I did not believe the four pregnancy tests I took or the fact that my period had arrived. I became an expert Googler, trying to find answers that I wanted to hear. I was making myself crazy (not to mention my husband).

Our few rounds of Clomid failed.

As new olim (immigrants to Israel), we were still trying to navigate the health care system, and I started having doubts that I’d ever get pregnant. I began trying to figure out what came next. I was getting desperate.

I opened up to a family member in Israel who was connected to a wellknown fertility specialist. Though he was not in my insurance plan, we were able to secure a private visit.

In Israel, a private visit might mean at someone’s home. In this case, it was his home at 9:30 at night. For several months, we visited his “office” in the basement of his home, wrote him a check (hey, we were Americans after all and were used to paying for medical care) and tried to get pregnant.

There was little testing, and it did not feel right. But I was so desperate to see those two lines on a pregnancy test that I didn’t care if my husband was forced to do his business in this doctor’s personal bathroom in preparation for an intrauterine insemination, or IUI, in his back room.

My best friend called to tell me that she was pregnant. It happened sooner than they intended. She was more afraid to tell me than her single friends with no kids because we had been trying vigorously.

I was so happy for her but so sad for me. It was almost a year of trying.

Sex was no longer for fun. I felt like my body was betraying me. Was G-d punishing me?

Something clicked, and my husband and I decided to move on from our sketchy basement doctor. We found another doctor through another Israeli relative. The referral didn’t come without the “Oh, just relax, I’m sure that nothing is wrong” and “Go on vacation, just enjoy this time, it will happen.”

After three more months (the time it took to switch insurance plans) we met our miracle worker, Dr. Nitzri, and within one month and several painful tests he found the problem. It was mine, and I was happy because it meant that we could finally have an action plan and next step.

He did a little typing on his computer and told us that we qualified for IVF. I started treatment the next month. Yes, the injections hurt, and the medications made me gain weight, not to mention I was a hormonal mess.

But IVF worked, and we welcomed our first son. And 18 months later we had our second.

My story isn’t unique. But I was lucky. I got pregnant via IVF twice in two years, and I thank the universe every day. But for others it takes years, losses, and lots of tears and heartache before babies are made, if at all.

With the costs of IVF ranging from $15,000 to $25,000 in Atlanta, many couples don’t even have a chance for a chance. So I’ve turned my useless guilt into helpful actions by starting the Jewish Fertility Foundation.

As a woman struggling with infertility, I know what it’s like to cry alone. I hope that I can use my experience working in nonprofits and my personal understanding around infertility to help other women know there is support available. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

HEALTH & WELLNESS

The Fertile Future of the Jews One in eight couples will be infertile before age 30, one in six between ages 31 and 35, one in four between 36 and 40, and about half above age 40.

So what is a nice Jewish girl to do? And if she is already married or chooses single motherhood, how should she plan for a family?

To the best of one’s ability, the best place to start is to ask oneself

Guest Column

By Dr. Daniel Shapiro

how many children one would like to have. For people who want only one or perhaps two, a delay into the 30s is usually not a problem. For those who want large families, “the early bird gets the worm” applies.

Sixty percent of women under age 35 and 40 percent of women ages 36 to 40 can expect to conceive within six months of trying. Women under 35 can wait as long as a year before they are assigned a diagnosis of infertility, while women over 35 should seek medical help if they are not pregnant within six months.

Though fertility medicine has changed dramatically since the era of in vitro fertilization began in 1978, the basic work-up for infertility and pregnancy loss hasn’t changed much in 40 years. All evaluations have the following elements: assessment of egg number/quality, a semen exam, and a radiologic evaluation of the uterus and fallopian tubes.

Patients who have recurrent pregnancy loss will be advised to obtain additional bloodwork for certain immune markers, blood clotting factors and genetic assessment of both parents. To check the eggs, a blood test called an AMH (anti-Mullerian hormone) will be drawn. Standard semen analysis is usually enough to determine whether the sperm is OK, and an X-ray called a hysterosalpingogram is the remaining basic test.

The results of these tests tell the doctor what is likely to happen with the options of nothing, reproductive surgery, intrauterine insemination and IVF. Therapies other than IVF have much lower rates of success but are typically less expensive than IVF. IVF has several advantages over other therapies. Patients who go through IVF can limit the risk of

multiple birth by replacing only one embryo per attempt, can eliminate the risk of a serious condition known as ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome, and, most important, can freeze extra high-quality embryos.

The ability to freeze embryos and eggs has changed the answer to the question “What is a nice Jewish girl (or couple) to do?”

For women or couples who want to capitalize on modern reproductive technology so they can delay childbearing without compromising either the chance of pregnancy or the hope for a large family, IVF for fertility preservation can be accomplished safely and for less expense than a full IVF

treatment cycle.

Patients who choose this approach in their late 20s or early 30s can bank eggs or embryos for future use at any age. The age of the egg determines the chance of pregnancy, so a frozen 27-year-old egg will always behave like a 27-year-old egg, even if it is placed into a 47-year-old uterus.

The goal of egg or embryo freezing is obvious, but the process is basically an insurance policy against the negative impact of time on fertility. For all women, Jewish women included, fertility preservation provides the ability to continue education or delay motherhood for any reason. ■

Definitions of Infertility • Under age 35: one or more years of unprotected intercourse without conception • Over age 35: six or more months of unprotected sex without conception • At any age: known genetic, medical or anatomic barrier to spontaneous conception Treatments for Infertility • Nothing (expectant management) • Reproductive surgery • Drug therapy with or without insemination • In vitro fertilization

Our physicians and staff wish you a happy and healthy Chanukah www.atlantagastro.com • 1.866.GO.TO.AGA [468.6242] AGA is a participating provider for Medicare, Medicaid and most healthcare plans offered in Georgia.

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

I

fondly remember sitting at my Grammy Lee’s table in Miami in a dining room without air conditioning every Sunday morning after religious school — unless, of course, the Dolphins had a home game.

The menu was always the same, but we never tired of the bagels, lox, cream cheese, whitefish, peanut butter and guava jelly mini-sandwiches, or the ham and cheese (we were very Reform). Grammy had an endless supply of stories and smiles, but we knew she was never listening to any of us carefully. Her response to everything we said was “That’s nice, dear” or “Ooh, is that good for the Jews?”

We learned growing up that despite the trials and tribulations our people face, there are in fact many things that are good for the Jews. The list of attributes modern Jews have is considerable, but the one I think has the greatest impact is the value we place on education.

From an early age we are socialized to do our best (maniacally perhaps) and excel academically. It is no accident that a Jewish fetus is not considered viable until it graduates from Harvard Medical School.

That said, one unintended consequence of all this time spent in school is that we tend to delay marriage and childbearing. Among Reform and Conservative Jews, birthrates have declined significantly the past 50 years, and one good reason is that we simply start our families later than nature intended.

The average age of first birth among Reform and Conservative Jews is now over 30. The socio-biological impact of this recent and drastically different phenomenon cannot be underestimated.

This is not true for strictly Orthodox families, whose first birth still typically occurs in the mid-20s, but the link between education and delay to childbirth may not be as strong as it is among more secular denominations.

The later a woman starts procreating, the fewer babies she will have.

Sadly, eggs have expiration and “use by” dates. About 23 percent of 27-yearold women can expect to achieve pregnancy per month, while a 40-year-old can expect only a 7 percent pregnancy rate per month of trying. At 44 it is 1 percent, and beyond that pregnancy occurs only anecdotally.

AJT 35

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CHANUKAH

Artistic Approach to Our Art Contest

6-year-old winner Ami Graber makes a menorah out of paintbrushes

C

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

hanneling Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso and a touch of Andy Warhol, 6-year-old Ami Graber has been selected as the overall winner of the 2015 Atlanta Jewish Times Chanukah Art Contest.

Ami’s drawing, which depicts a menorah made of paintbrushes, is a colorful and imaginative take on the Festival of Lights.

“The paint palette is the base, and everything else is paintbrushes,” Ami said. “I chose paintbrushes because this is an art contest. The paint is the fire, and the brushes are the candles.”

Ami, a Torah Day School of Atlanta first-grader who lives in Toco Hills, said he enjoys drawing superheroes and making sculptures. He said his favorite parts of Chanukah are lighting the menorah and playing dreidel, and he enjoys sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) and latkes.

36 Ami hopes to become an inven-

AJT

tor when he grows up so he can make things that help people.

This year for Chanukah, Ami wishes for the Mashiach to come and for everyone to be healthy.

Ami’s parents, Yoni and Davida, said they are proud of their artistic and creative son, who will receive the contest’s grand prize of a $50 gift card to Binders Art Supplies in Buckhead.

Ami and the top finishers in each of four age groups, whose entries appear on the following pages, will be recognized during a reception at Binders, 3330 Piedmont Road, Suite 18, Buckhead, at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 20. All participants in the contest, who are eligible for $5 gift certificates to Binders, are welcome at the free reception.

Look for all contest entries at atlantajewishtimes.com, making it easy to show off the children’s artistic excellence to interested friends and family members. ■

Ami Graber works on his contest-winning drawing at his home in Toco Hills.

AJT

37

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

CHANUKAH

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Age-Group Winners

Each of these young artists will receive a $25 gift certificate to Binders.

6 and Under MATAN FLEISHMAN, 6

Toco Hills Son of Nataly and Seth Fleishman Chaya Mushka Elementary School

DECEMBER 4 â–Ş 2015

7-9 HANNAH FREEDMAN, 9

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Toco Hills Daughter of Rachelle and Yacov Freedman Torah Day School of Atlanta

CHANUKAH

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

10-12 EVA BERESIN, 11

Brookhaven Daughter of Dina and Todd Beresin Atlanta Jewish Academy

13-15 ZARAH GOLDBERG, 13

DECEMBER 4 â–Ş 2015

Roswell Daughter of Kathy and Stuart Goldberg Mabry Middle School

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CHANUKAH

Runners-Up These are the works of art that almost won their age groups, but as you’ll see if you visit the online gallery of submissions at atlantajewishtimes.com, they are far from the only outstanding entries.

Shiraz Agichtein, 11 Parents Shoshana and Eugene Agichtein • Atlanta Jewish Academy

Daniel Getzow, 9 Parents Melisa and Barry Getzow • Home school

Malachi Freedman, 6 Parents Rachelle and Yacov Freedman Torah Day School of Atlanta

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

Max Dombrow, 6 Parents Nicole and Justin Dombrow • Atlanta Jewish Academy

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Yehudis Liba Gross, 13 Parents Akiva and Sarah Bayla Gross Torah Day School of Atlanta

Rachel Urbach, 9 Parents Kim and Marc Urbach Atlanta Jewish Academy

Naomi Getzow, 10 Parents Melisa and Barry Getzow Home school

CHANUKAH

Judah and the List paper and kept secret the name of the picked person.

Daughter No. 3 then informed us she had created an Excel spreadsheet with everyone’s name, including all the children, with spaces for gift wishes. An Excel spreadsheet! What has this world come to?

When we were 10 in the family, in-

Shaindle’s Holiday Shpiel

By Shaindle Schmuckler shaindle@atljewishtimes.com

cluding my four girls’ four men, we all exchanged Chanukah gifts. Everyone received lots of gifts. We continued this tradition until we were up to 20 in the family. Orchestrating the opening of the gifts became as complicated and intricate as a Steven Spielberg movie.

And do not get me started on the cost.

Robbing a bank was seriously considered.

After a few years of this organized chaos, I had the unmitigated gall of suggesting we no longer participate in adult gift giving but give gifts only to the kids. I am lucky to still be alive.

You would have thought I suggested putting a contract out on their lives.

We’ve tried many permutations of who opens gifts first. One year we opened gifts by family, chosen by picking numbers from one to 10. That raised the question of why one family got to pick first.

Another time we tried the age thing. None of the adults wanted to be the oldest, especially me. So that did not work out too well. Of course, the oldest kids thought it ingenious, and they all jumped with joy.

You must be wondering where I keep all those gifts. Some years there are more than 60 gifts. I set up our piano room with each of the five families in a different area. Wooden nameplates are placed around the room so everyone knows exactly where to put the gifts.

This year I think I will suggest opening gifts in alphabetical order.

Of course, we have too many J’s, so we are back to the age thing, with the youngest J going first. Each person picks one gift at a time, reads the card, is required to thank the gift giver, then opens the gift to great applause. Cute, right?

Is it over yet? ■

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B

ack in the olden days, when my girls were little and our family numbered six, the children opened one little, creatively wrapped gift each of the eight nights of Chanukah.

Our home was decorated with the girls’ handmade Chanukah objets d’art. Paper chains were popular. I was never sure why or how the paper chains signified Judah and his Maccabees, but far be it for me to question a Hebrew school teacher.

This particular teacher was not rehired when my hubby took on the volunteer position of principal of the Hebrew school and changed the day for school from Sunday to Saturday so children could experience what they were learning. A story for another time.

There was this one year the girls and I decorated the six-pack of beer we were giving my hubby for Chanukah.

We packed the beer in a cardboard box made to look like a refrigerator. We were so anxious to see his reaction to our refrigerator that we could hardly keep from giggling.

Of course, he thought we were giggling about the gift, so he tore it open, thereby destroying our refrigerator without extolling the virtue of our teamwork or our creativity. Still, when he saw the gift, he acted as if he had never seen anything quite so magnificent.

Skipping forward to modern times (that would be now), Chanukah continues to be about Judah and fighting for religious freedom, but the gift giving has taken on a whole new meaning. I quote: “If you really loved me, you would buy me a (insert expensive gift) for Chanukah.”

I deliberately did not name names; I’d like to live to that magical number of 120.

At our Yom Kippur break fast this year, daughter No. 3 announced, “Everyone pick a name.” We all knew what to do; we’d just never participated in the game before Thanksgiving.

“Tonight?” I said, askance (I have never used this word before).

“Yes, Mom, tonight. That way we’ll have more time, and we can catch sales as they become available.”

Daughter No. 4 brought forth a big bowl filled with little pieces of folded paper, each with a different name.

The adults picked one piece of

AJT 41

CHANUKAH

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oris and Marty Goldstein have gathered some of the most interesting and sentimental menorahs and chanukiahs as an expression of their Judaica collection.

Growing up, I only heard the term menorah, so what is a chanukiah?

The difference is that the chanukiah is a special type of menorah that is lighted only during the festival of Chanukah; it has nine branches.

A regular menorah has seven branches, one for each day of the week, and lacks the out-of-place holder for the shamash, or helper candle. The menorah is a symbol of the Jewish faith and may be lighted any time of year.

Doris got the impetus to gather her collection when she completed her term as the president of the Ahavath Achim Sisterhood in 1975. She received a gift of a replica of a 17th century French chanukiah.

“After that first one, Marty and I became interested in acquiring others on our travels and began actively looking,” she said. “None of our collection is from family members, although I did find one which was the same design as I had in my house growing

up, which I jumped at the chance to purchase.”

Most of the roughly 45 pieces in the collection most are metal — brass, silver plate, sterling silver or cooper.

Others are ceramic.

“I guess the most unusual metal is

Jaffe’s Jewish Jive

By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

the brass casing from a shell that had been crafted into a chanukiah by an Israeli soldier,” Doris said.

The Goldsteins tried to acquire pieces from each country in which Jews lived. Many are from pre-1948 Israel made by the famous Bezalel Art School, which was founded in the early 1920s.

“We have one from Damascus and several from northern Africa, Eastern and Western Europe,” Doris said. “It is important to remember that so much authentic Judaica was looted, melted and destroyed over the centuries, so that most items that are older than 18th or 19th century are in museums.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CHANUKAH

C A F D

An Israeli soldier crafted this chanukiah from a brass shell casing.

I would guess that our oldest piece is early 19th century; that is only an educated guess. There are so many fakes that this can be risky business.”

What happens at the Goldstein house during Chanukah?

“It would be impossible to light most of our collection. So many require wicks and oil, which can be messy and not very satisfying. We always light one we received as a

B wedding gift: a typical Israeli blue and brass, what you could buy in the late ’50s and ’60s. When we have guests during the holiday, we have one for each person; when it is only Marty and me, we each light a different one,” Doris said.

“Real collectors are never finished.

Would I like to have one from the 17th century Jewish community of Kaifeng, China? You bet!” ■

E

G A. The collection includes a foldable German silver travel chanukiah.

B. The Goldsteins acquired a kibbutznik warrior, featured in the book “Lighting the Way to Freedom,” from the estate of the late Cantor Isaac Goodfriend.

C. Israeli artist Giya Smith created this ceramic chanukiah.

D. The chanukiah on the left is a ceramic creation by Meila Ura. The one on the right is an unglazed clay Iraqi replica, in which the triangle on the left side serves as the shamash and the right opening is a wick holder.

E. The Goldsteins acquired this chanukiah — combining brass, copper and whatever else the craftsman could scrape together — in Morocco.

F. Martin and Doris Goldstein display their verdigris anniversary chanukiah.

G. This gift for her service as the Ahavath Achim Sisterhood president was the impetus for the Goldstein collection.

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AJT 43

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AJT 44

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CHANUKAH

A Massage For My Heart and Soul

B

efore Renee Rousso Chernin moved to the Old City in Jerusalem, I sat at her Shabbat table in Atlanta and savored spicy, faux crab fish cakes that I can still taste.

When she was catering for families in Toco Hills, I ordered these fish delights because I thought I couldn’t make them myself. Now that she has included this recipe in her new “Cooking for the King: Chanukah Edition,” I’m ready to start frying.

That’s because the recipe looks easier than I thought.

So do others, accompanied by colorful photos of food that jump off each page.

My favorite recipes with their pictures include Restaurant Style Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, Bubbly Beer Bread, Sephardic Spinach Soufflé and eight different latkes. “Queen in the kitchen tips” and “prepare ahead” directions make cooking and baking easier.

But the ease of making these dishes for Chanukah and all year isn’t the only reason that I bought this cookbook.

Ever since her first “Cooking for the King: Shabbat and Yom Tov Edition,” published last year, I’ve looked forward to reading more of Renee’s essays. Besides being a talented cook, she’s a gifted writer with nourishing insights.

Rabbi Ilan Feldman of Congregation Beth Jacob writes in his haskama (approbation) for “Cooking for the King”: “Mrs. Renee Chernin models the essence of this book in her life. In her home is found the crossroads of elegance, hospitality and sanctity. This book is not the result of her work, but rather of her being. Now the public has the opportunity to benefit from what is clearly an expression of her soul.”

In her introduction to the Chanukah edition, Renee writes: “The Jewish calendar is a cycle of opportunities.

Each season, each month, each holiday brings in its own shefa, its particular

flow of goodness from Above. When we know what the shefa of the season is we can actively become vessels for that goodness to flow into our lives.”

A special light and time of miracles seem to be the shefa of Chanukah.

The holiday comes in the Northern Hemisphere at the “coldest, darkest

Guest Column

By R.M. Grossblatt

month of the year,” Renee writes.

“Yet it’s the warmest, most light-filled holiday.”

Renee believes in miracles. The book almost wasn’t published. In an interview, she told me, “Every time that I turned around with this book, I hit a wall.”

She thought it would have to be printed next year. Then she got a new

publisher, and the book came out in time for Chanukah. “Anything’s possible,” said Renee, a moderator of TheKosherChannel.com.

Besides miracles, Renee believes in finding ways to reach out to others.

An example is the story behind her Comeback Sauce, a condiment for salads, sandwiches and the tasty fish

CHANUKAH

8

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cakes.

“Comeback Sauce is more than a recipe; it’s an outlook on life,” Renee said.

When her Sephardic grandfather Solomon Rousso immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s and opened a restaurant in Montgomery, Ala., he often added something special to his customers’ sandwiches.

Frequently, that something was extra slices of his famous pickled tomatoes.

“He gave them (his customers) a good feeling” Renee said, “and a reason to come back again and again.”

Renee sees in this “a layer of Southern hospitality, a splash of good business” and a caring for others.

“Whether it’s a shared joy or concern, a genuine compliment, sincere praise or words of wisdom offered at just the right time, that’s called Comeback Sauce,” she said.

Besides Comeback Sauce, she offers such dips and sauces as Avocado & Lemon Salad Dressing, Quick and Easy Olive Oil Herb Dip and Tzatziki Sauce to accompany Spanakopita Latkes.

Her recipes sport fun titles such as Onkeles Salad (instead of Caesar salad), Anything’s Possible Potato Soup and Breezy Barbeque Brisket. Renee also includes classics such as Fettuccini Alfredo. For the latter, she tells the story of how the dish got its name and how the family who invented the dish helped Jews during World War II. Although some anecdotes are serious, much of Renee’s writing is humorous and playful. Introducing a dish called Nuts About Kale Salad, Renee acknowledges that she wasn’t a fan of kale, and she decided to avoid it, hoping the trend would go away.

When it didn’t, she studied it.

“I learned the good, the better and the bitter truth,” she said. “Kale is a nutritional powerhouse, but it needs some help.” She found that “giving the leaves a rubdown releases the bitterness, and it becomes silky and sweet,” like a person after a massage.

For me, “Cooking for the King: Chanukah Edition” is a massage for the Jewish woman’s heart and soul.

The many messages throughout the book lift my spirit. And the exciting recipes challenge me to try something new even after I fry the faux crab fish cakes and dip them in the Comeback Sauce. ■

AJT 45

CHANUKAH

Feasting for a Festival That’s Fit for a King

By Renee Chernin

F

ormer Atlanta resident Renee Chernin, who now lives in the Old City of Jerusalem, is the author of two editions of “Cooking for the King.”

The newer edition, out this fall, is full of kosher recipes for Chanukah.

The following recipes are taken from “Cooking for the King: Chanukah Edition” with the author’s permission.

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AJT 46

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this water to the potatoes in the second bowl.

Add the green onions, eggs, flour or instant potatoes, dill, lemon juice, spinach, salt, and pepper to the potatoes. Mix well. Add more flour or instant potatoes as needed until a loose ball can be formed with the mixture.

Fold in the crumbled feta cheese.

Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil to thinly coat the bottom of the pan by about a quarter-inch. Test by dropping a small amount of the mixture into the oil. When it sizzles, the oil is ready.

Mound the mixture in a heaping tablespoon or quarter-cup measure and carefully place it into the hot oil. Flatten gently with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, depending on size, until golden brown. Using a fork, turn the latke over to brown the other side for another 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding oil as needed to prevent the latkes from sticking and adjusting the temperature to maintain an even heat.

Serve warm with Tzatziki Sauce.

Tzatziki Sauce 1 English cucumber, finely shredded 1 tablespoon coarse kosher or sea salt 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried dill In a medium bowl, toss the cucumber with salt and let sit 20 min-

Spanakopita Latkes With Tzatziki Sauce This dairy recipe makes about 20 servings.

Active time: 30 minutes Total time: 30 minutes I thought these were a winner with my first bite, but I’m a big fan of spanakopita anyway. So when my steak-andpotatoes-loving Ashkenazi son-in-law declared them the best thing he ever ate, we knew they would take a premier spot in this latke section.

Latkes 3 medium russet or baking potatoes, peeled 6 green onions, thinly sliced 2 eggs, beaten 4 tablespoons flour or instant potatoes ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried dill 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black or white pepper 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled vegetable oil for frying Finely grate but do not puree potatoes and place in a large bowl. Using your hands, gently squeeze the water from the potatoes, dripping the water into the same bowl, and place the squeezed potatoes into another bowl. Pour off most of the potato water from the first bowl, reserving 2 to 3 tablespoons settled on Spanakopita Latkes With Tzatziki Sauce are a dairy dish good the bottom. Add enough to please the most devoted fan of steak and potatoes.

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utes. Rinse and drain well. Spread the cucumber over a clean kitchen towel.

Wring the towel out over the sink to remove as much moisture as possible from the cucumber.

Return the cucumber to the bowl and add the sour cream and dill. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

The latkes and sauce will keep in separate containers, covered tightly in the refrigerator, for up to four days. Reheat the latkes in an oven preheated to 400 degrees.

Cauliflower Latkes With Quick Garlic Aioli This pareve recipe makes 14 to 16 latkes.

Active time: 30 minutes Total time: 50 minutes Cauliflower is at its peak in the winter months, so Chanukah and this recipe are the perfect combination to introduce its mild, nutty flavor to the uninitiated. Plus, it’s a good way to get the flavor of potato latkes with fewer carbs. Mind you, they are fried, so the calorie count still applies.

Latkes 1 32-ounce bag frozen cauliflower 2 cloves garlic, peeled 1 medium onion, minced

20 to 30 minutes until forktender, soft enough to be easily mashed.

Drain well.

Place the drained cauliflower in a large bowl and coarsely mash.

Stir in the onion and eggs.

Add the flour or cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and pepper to create a thick, cakelike batter.

Place a Cauliflower Latkes With Quick Garlic Aioli take advantage of seasonal large frying cauliflower and a classic sauce from Provence for a pareve treat. pan over medi2 eggs, beaten um-high heat.

4 tablespoons flour or cornstarch Pour in enough oil to thinly coat the 1 teaspoon baking powder bottom of the pan by about a quarterinch. Test by dropping a small amount 1 teaspoon salt of the mixture into the oil. When it ½ teaspoon black or white pepper sizzles, the oil is ready. Mound the mixvegetable oil for frying In a large pot heat 4 cups water ture in a heaping tablespoon or quarover high heat. When boiling, add the ter-cup measure and carefully place it cauliflower and garlic clove. Lower the into the hot oil. Flatten gently with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Cook 3 heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for

to 5 minutes, depending on size, until golden brown. Using a fork, turn the latke over to brown the other side for another 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding oil as needed to prevent the latkes from sticking and adjusting the temperature to maintain an even heat.

Quick Garlic Aioli Aioli is a classic sauce from Provence that is delicious when stirred into soup and as a condiment for seafood. The original recipe uses raw eggs; here is the modern version. The lemon and garlic are a perfect complement to the Cauliflower Latkes.

1 cup olive oil mayonnaise 4 cloves garlic, minced 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black or white pepper In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to blend the flavors.

Keep the latkes warm in a 250-degree oven for half an hour or at room temperature for four hours. Reheat before serving.

The aioli will keep covered in the refrigerator for one week. ■

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

CHANUKAH

AJT 47

CHANUKAH

A Cure for Everyday Latkes

By Michael Solomonov

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

I

AJT 48

t seems weird to admit that I had to work at a northern Italian restaurant to learn how to make great latkes (sorry, Mom). The trick is to use pure potato. There is more than enough starch in the poPhoto by Michael Persico tatoes to bind the latkes without using Cured salmon with a latke is egg or flour (which make them less almost a cliché — for a reason. crispy and more dense). Potatoes can handle much more salt than seems Put the salmon on top of the salt-sugar reasonable, so make sure to taste your mixture and cover with the rest of the mixture (or fry off a small test latke) salt-sugar mixture. Wrap the salmon before you cook up a bland batch. tightly in the plastic wrap and refrigStarchy things like to stick to the pan, erate for 48 hours to cure, turning the so let the latkes cook undisturbed for a fish over a few times. Rinse the excess few minutes and the crust will set up salt-sugar mixture off the salmon and and release on its own. A cast iron pan thinly slice to serve. Refrigerated, gravis ideal; but if you’re scared, a nonstick lax will keep for a week. skillet is foolproof. I make one big latke Latke here, but you can make many small 2 Russet potatoes, peeled and ones, too.

Pairing cured salmon with latkes shredded (about 3½ cups) 1½ teaspoons kosher salt is almost a cliché, but for good reason.

Canola oil for frying Gravlax is elegant and super simple to Sour cream and make. The hardminced fresh chives est part is actually for serving slicing it into thin Toss the potatoes ribbons. I’ve found with the salt and wring that freezing it for them out in a clean just 15 minutes towel to remove excess makes the slicwater.

Put ¼ inch oil in ing much easier. a large skillet. Spoon Use a long sharp the potatoes into the knife held at a very cold oil in the pan in shallow angle to a single layer and flatthe surface of the ten with the back of a gravlax and draw spatula. Turn the heat the knife through to medium and cook it from heel to tip. the latke undisturbed Placing the flat until a deep golden open palm of your crust forms on the botother hand on the tom, about 15 minutes, surface of the fish Photo by Steve Legato pressing occasionally will ensure a thin, Chef Michael Solomonov says he learned to make great latkes from an with the spatula. Flip even slice.

Italian restaurant, not his mother. the latke onto a plate This recipe and add more oil to serves six to eight the skillet.

Slide the latke back into the people. hot skillet, uncooked side down. Cook on the second side until deep golden Latke With Gravlax brown, about 8 more minutes. Slice the Gravlax latke into wedges, top with gravlax slic¼ cup kosher salt es, sour cream, and chives, and serve. ■ 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 cup chopped fresh dill This recipe is reprinted from “Zahav: 1 pound center-cut salmon fillet, A World of Israeli Cooking” by Philadelskin and pin bones removed Combine the salt, sugar, and dill in phia chef Michael Solomonov and his a small bowl. Lay a large sheet of plastic business partner, Steven Cook. The lavish wrap in a baking dish and sprinkle half 368-page cookbook from Houghton Miffthe salt-sugar mixture down the center. lin Harcourt is available for $35.

CHANUKAH

1 Tasty Brunch Worth Eating All 8 Days

By Danielle Oron

T

his recipe for a colorful alternative to traditional latkes is from Danielle Oron’s “Modern Israeli Cooking: 100 New Recipes for Traditional Classics,” available from Page Street Publishing.

Zucchini Latkes Eggs Bennie With Dill Labane Sauce is a colorful fried treat worth eating any time of year.

dish. Top with the smoked salmon and poached egg. Garnish with chopped chives and serve with a lemon wedge.

Labane It’s smooth, creamy, salty and, not to mention, lower in fat than any cream cheese or spreadable cheese you will find. Every time I put it out when we have friends over, someone always asks, “Ooooooh, what is this?” I use it a lot throughout my recipes, so if you can’t seem to find it in the grocery store, this is a really easy way to make it. It should be thick and spreadable.

1 pound plain yogurt 1 teaspoon kosher salt Place a strainer over a large bowl and line it with four layers of cheesecloth. Mix the yogurt and salt together and pour onto the cheesecloth. Allow to drain in the fridge for at least 8 hours or longer.

It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. ■

You’re cordially invited to our Holiday Open House Thurs, December 17th • 11:00am-3:00pm Wow! We’ve been busy.

We’ve been decorating our community in its “holiday best” and we’re soooo excited to show you.

So, if you’ve been thinking about taking a tour of The Piedmont, now may just be the best time ever.

And did we mention the holiday goodies?

Go ahead, treat yourself to our Holiday Open House and grab hold of some holiday cheer (and maybe a cookie, too).

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DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

Zucchini Latkes Eggs Bennie With Dill Labane Sauce Makes four servings.

Christmukkah brunch 2011: I had four friends peeling and grating potatoes for latkes. Had one grating only onions, poor thing. That is what this dish reminds me of. Good times and friends and latkes. Don’t wait ’til next Chanukah to make these, though! Make it this weekend! Fried things are tasty all year round. Making the latkes with zucchini instead of potatoes gives the dish more freshness and color. The flavor combination of the zucchini latkes, salmon, egg yolk and dill labane sauce works so perfectly together.

Dill Labane Sauce 1 cup labane or Greek yogurt 1/3 cup water 1 teaspoon chopped dill 1 teaspoon lemon juice Pinch of salt Zucchini Latkes Eggs Bennie 1 large or 2 small zucchinis, grated Canola oil for frying 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 large egg ½ teaspoon chopped dill ¼ teaspoon salt Fresh ground pepper 4 ounces smoked nova salmon 4 poached eggs Chopped chives 4 lemon wedges To make the dill labane sauce, combine the labane, water, dill, lemon juice and salt. Cover and set in the fridge until ready to serve.

Place the grated zucchini inside of a sheet of cheesecloth and wring out as much water as possible without destroying the zucchini.

Heat a skillet with a quarter-inch of oil over medium-low heat. Just before frying the latkes, combine the drained zucchini, flour, egg, dill, salt and fresh pepper to taste in a bowl and form the mixture into four patties. Fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Transfer the latkes to a papertowel-lined plate. Sprinkle with some salt.

Plate the latkes on each serving

‘Tis the season to treat yourself to our Holiday Open House.

AJT 49

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DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

May your holiday be filled with lights.

AJT 50

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CHANUKAH

Shedding Light On the Way We Were

W

ow, has Chanukah changed!

In my day it was a thrifty little holiday wherein kids received a few coins on each of the eight days.

A thin silver dime was a pleasant surprise on the first night of the holiday.

In my time — and we’re talking the ’40s — Chanukah meant only a dime, or maybe a quarter if you were a world-class kid.

It also meant potato latkes, naturally, and a visit to grandparents and aunts.

We kids lined up in front of Great-Aunt Dora, the mother of all grandmothers. The line ended at a deep armchair that Aunt Dora filled up nicely.

She was old and large. And she smelled like her kitchen, whose walls were impregnated with 60 years of onion odors.

When your parents pushed you into Aunt Dora’s arms, you knew right away she was an Olympic fryer of onions.

And when you kissed her, you couldn’t help thinking that she probably loved cold goose grease smeared on pumpernickel.

But on Chanukah it was worth it because after the oniony hug, she pressed a coin into your little hand.

She gazed steadily into your eyes and, with her hands on yours, folded your finger around — a dime? A quarter? A half-dollar? Who knew?

The protocol of the event called for you to answer her steady gaze with your own and not immediately examine your gift. That was greedy.

The bag beside her was full of coins, from nickels to silver dollars.

Maybe, I thought, she rewarded the best huggers and kissers with silver dollars. And the shrinkers who only offered a light squeeze, trying to avoid all those onion fumes, earned only nickels.

I was usually strong enough to squeeze a quarter out of the ordeal.

My cousin Arlene, a wily charmer who was manipulative enough to visit Aunt Dora the week before Chanukah, always scored with a shiny silver dollar.

Besides visits to Aunt Dora, coins and potato pancakes, the holiday featured frequent retelling of the feats of the Maccabee brothers, the leaders of

the ragged Jewish army that ambushed the Syrian hordes of Antiochus in Judaea’s mountain passes.

It was a glorious victory. It was one of our few victories. This, remember, was in the early 1940s, pre-Israel.

Jewish victories were as rare as those

Scribbler on the Roof

By Ted Roberts

of the Washington Senators on the baseball field.

In fact, as far as we kids understood history, the last time a Jewish army had won a war was the face-off with the Canaanites. And we didn’t get full credit for that because the Almighty, with “outstretched arm and mighty hand,” marched at our side.

Besides, we heard our parents discussing the news out of Germany and Poland. More humiliation.

Chanukah reminded us that at least once the Jewish team won a pennant.

And Hank Greenberg’s heroic feats with the Detroit Tigers confirmed that Jews could be athletes as well as accountants, physicists and novelists — professions, in our childishness, we considered inferior to that of first baseman for the Detroit Tigers.

So once a year we kissed Aunt Dora and feasted on applesaucesmothered potato cakes.

In the living room, the adults talked about business, family and Aunt Dora’s ailments as they listened to the music of frying latkes coming from the kitchen.

My cousin Arlene cleverly deserted our games and sat and listened at Aunt Dora’s knee. Thinking all the while of next year, I’m sure.

Then we all sat around the dining room table and dug into mounds of latkes. Aunt Dora, because of her age and her silver dollars, always went first.

My cousin Arlene usually cut up her potato cakes for her. I know what was on her mind. She was already planning next year’s reward from Aunt Dora. ■ Ted Roberts is a freelance writer in Huntsville, Ala.

CHANUKAH

The underwater menorah was lighted every night of Chanukah in the Georgia Aquarium’s Ocean Voyager tank last year.

Aquarium To Light Underwater Menorah

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

I

n celebration of Chanukah, the Georgia Aquarium will again light an underwater menorah in the Ocean Voyager tank, the world’s largest aquatic habitat.

The menorah, back for at least the third consecutive year, will be placed into the tank Sunday, Dec. 6, for the first night of Chanukah and will be lighted by a diver.

Each night of the festival, the diver will screw in a new, prefabricated candle for the enjoyment of visitors to the downtown aquarium.

Constructed out of PVC pipe by aquarium volunteers, aquarium dive immersion coordinator Chris Duncan says the menorah is unpowered in order to be fish friendly and durable underwater.

The menorah is part of the aquarium’s monthlong Festival of the SEAson, which transforms the attraction into a winter wonderland through daily special events, programs and decorations.

An additional large menorah will sit in the atrium of the aquarium throughout the festival.

Also, for those looking for a Christmas Day alternative to the traditional Chinese food and a movie, the aquarium will be open Dec. 25. ■

AJT 51

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CHANUKAH

Judaica Corner, Customers Ignite Shared Passion

By Logan C. Ritchie lritchie@atljewishtimes.com

M

onday morning at Judaica Corner is bustling. Although city traffic is nonexistent as Atlanta preps for Thanksgiving, the store is pregnant with new and old customers whom shop owner Janet Afran considers friends.

The first customer of the day is an African-American gentleman dressed to the nines, wearing a Chai necklace and Star of David. An unusual sight, it seems, for the Orthodox neighborhood of Toco Hills.

Albert Henderson, 70, has shopped at Judaica Corner for 10 years.

“The children asked me, ‘Tell me about the Jubilee.’ What do we have that talks about the Jubilee? This is the year, 2016!” he tells Afran.

As Afran searches for a book to order for Henderson, he explains that Judaica Corner is his resource for books, shofars and the planning of trips to Israel.

Asked whether he is Jewish, Henderson says, “I am a Christian, but my father is Jewish.” And laughs, indicat-

ing his belief that Jesus was a Jew. A recent bat mitzvah comes to collect items from her registry with her mother and friends from Charlotte, N.C., who are purchasing books and yarmulkes for Chabad friends back home. She’s scrolling through text messages with requests.

In the back room the bat mitzvah herself, 12-year-old Laelle Hertzberg, says: “What did I get?”

Her registry at Judaica Corner is partially fulfilled. She revels in her new gifts, including a gold, sparkly washing cup and megillah, while her mother looks on.

Customers trail in like this all morning. Afran does her best to tend to them while answering the phone, which is no less busy. She’s alone on this Monday morning, though typically her mother, Rena Naghi, works with her.

Afran, with her parents and sister, gained political asylum from Iran in 1979. Her father walked away from his hotel gift shop, home and life; he boarded a plane with his wife and never looked back.

They settled in to Toco Hills, Con-

Judaica Corner offers a range of chanukiahs appealing to children.

gregation Beth Jacob and Yeshiva Atlanta High School.

“I spoke English because in Iran we had English as a second language.

When I was at Yeshiva, there were 12 or 13 refugees from Iran. Back then we were getting political asylum. They were executing Jews in Iran,” she said.

“I got a green card with help of lawyers, but it took a long time to get citizenship. In America there was no ISIS, no

Celebrate Chanukah

Gabrielle, age 8.

with The Davis Academy!

Please join us for a magical morning of Chanukah festivities with music, crafts, games and more. The program is designed for preschoolers and their families.

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For more information, please contact DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

Lisa Mirsky at 678-527-3300.

AJT 52

Be Amazed.

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Taliban; there was a safe place.”

After her graduation from Georgia Tech, Afran’s father was involved in a tragic accident at his factory workplace. He fell asleep at a machine, and it amputated four of his fingers.

“He was home for two years, so depressed. I was out driving one day and called my sister to say, ‘We need to open this store for Daddy.’ We started up the gift shop. Language was a barrier, but he could communicate without a word of English,” Afran said. “Everyone still comes and talks about my father’s smile.”

Afran’s children grew up in the store, sleeping and playing in the back room.

What started as a gift shop soon morphed into the place for all things Jewish. Sisterhood gift shops were open only a few hours on Sunday mornings.

But the Jewish community in Toco Hills was growing, and the demand for Judaica increased.

“The Atlanta community as a whole is more supportive than what my friends and family have in other cities. We come together. We all support each other for almost every cause, every sect. When there is something for Israel, people come here to buy flags: They are Orthodox, Conservative, Reform. They are secular. I see this all the time in my business. We all have our differences, but we have love and friendship,” she said.

Perhaps this community spirit is what drew longtime employees and supporters Ruby Grossblatt and Esther Taratoot to Judaica Corner (and sister store Chosen Treasures).

Grossblatt, a local writer and contributor to the Atlanta Jewish Times, recalls sitting in Judaica Corner and writing copy for advertisements. “Our best

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CHANUKAH

Secret Santa Stalks Festival

Above: These are not your runof-the-mill dreidels.

Below: This specialty piece Janet Afran has in the store was made in Iran by Muslims but has Stars of David on it.

Afran thinks a Jewish craftsman started the pattern, and it was taken over.

ad was when the Braves were on strike in the ’90s (1994). It was right before Chanukah, and we carried a baseball menorah. A woman walked into the shop and gave me the idea. The ad read, ‘We’re Not on Strike’ with a picture of the baseball menorah.”

During the years at Judaica Corner, Grossblatt witnessed many kindnesses between strangers. One day she was working and a woman wanted to buy a mezuzah but couldn’t afford the scroll. A man who was looking in the case of jewelry pulled out two $20 bills to cover the cost.

Grossblatt didn’t know what to say. “The man cared that she had a kosher mezuzah,” she recalled. “I asked him, ‘Who are you?’ and he said, ‘I’m just a doctor from Savannah. Now can you show me something in this case?’ ” “It’s the heart of Atlanta, Jewishly,” Grossblatt said.

She is collecting and writing stories in celebration of the 28th anniversary of Judaica Corner. She has posted two memories on the store’s Facebook page (facebook.com/judaicacorneratl) with more to come. ■

But a closer look offers a clue that something sinister might be afoot: The Jewish soldier is left-handed.

As ModernTribe owner Jennie Rivlin Roberts discovered in mid-November, however, the real secret is revealed when the foil is removed: The chocolate itself is in the shape of that jolly old elf St. Nick, from his fur-lined hat and coat with the familiar buckle to his long beard and tubby belly.

It turns out that the supplier, perhaps still in recovery mode from Superstorm Sandy in October 2012, decided it wasn’t worth the expense of new Maccabee molds for the chocolate, so it just used Santa molds.

Rivlin Roberts disclosed the

Christmas surprise on the online catalog page for the chocolate and offered refunds to those who unknowingly bought the Maccabee-wrapped Santas.

Reactions on Facebook ranged from amused to angry. Rivlin Roberts said several people took the offer of a refund, and one customer was incensed by the secret surprise inside.

Meanwhile, by adding “(with Santa Inside)” to the title, ModernTribe has created a best seller, moving a few thousand of the holiday hybrids. ■

Just because you’re too far to hear the ambulance sirens, doesn’t mean you’re too far to help.

When you support Magen David Adom, it’s like you’re sitting in the ambulance next to the driver, sharing in the mitzvah of saving lives. As Israelis face terror attacks and other emergencies, MDA medics are counting on you to ensure they have the equipment and training they need.

As we celebrate Chanukah, please give the gift of life, and make your year-end tax-deductible donation today.

We are proud to welcome Andrea Jaron, AFMDA’s Atlanta Representative. Please contact her at ajaron@afmda.org to learn more about AFMDA in the Atlanta area.

AFMDA Southeast Region 561.835.0510 • southeast@afmda.org

www.afmda.org

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

I

t’s either the perfect treat for interfaith families or the ultimate Chanukah surprise: Santa Claus is coming to town in the disguise of a Jewish freedom fighter.

ModernTribe is selling kosher milk chocolate Maccabees from gourmet New York chocolatier Madelaine for 50 cents apiece. The foil wrapping on the 2-inch-long candy portrays a classic if generic Jewish soldier from ancient times: pointed helmet, black beard, Star of David shield on one arm, short sword in the other. At a glance, you don’t know whether you’re looking at Judah, one of his brothers or just one of their men, but you’re sure it’s an image to give Antiochus IV nightmares.

AJT 53

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CHANUKAH

The Transparent Body

T

he following is taken from the chapter “Chanukah: Light, Purity, and Spirituality” in the second book of the three-volume set “Inside Time: A Chassidic Perspective on the Jewish Calendar,” published by the Meaningful Life Center.

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

“What is Chanukah?” asks the Talmud, and it then encapsulates the essence of the festival in the following lines: When the Greeks entered the Sanctuary, they contaminated all of its oil. When the royal Hasmonean family overpowered and was victorious over them, they searched and found only a single cruse of pure oil that was sealed with the seal of the kohen gadol (high priest) — enough to light the menorah for a single day. A miracle occurred, and they lit the menorah with this oil for eight days. The following year, they established these [eight days] as days of festivity and praise and thanksgiving to G-d.

What is striking about the Talmud’s description is that there is only the merest passing reference to the miraculous military victories that preceded and enabled the Hasmoneans’

AJT 54

liberation of the Holy Temple. While mentioning that “the royal Hasmonean family overpowered and was victorious over [the Greeks],” the Talmud says nothing of the fact that this was a battle in which a small band of Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth. The focus is wholly on the miracle of the oil, as if this were the only significant event commemorated by the festival of Chanukah.

Contrast this with the al hanissim prayer, recited on Chanukah to recount “the miracles … that You did for our ancestors in those days, at this time”: In the days of Matityahu … the Hasmonean and his sons, when the wicked Hellenic government rose up against Your people Israel to make them forget Your Torah and to make them violate the decrees of Your will; You, in Your abounding mercies, stood by them in the time of their distress. … You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few … the wicked into the hands of the righteous … and you effected a great deliverance and redemption for Your people Israel. … Then Your children entered the house of Your dwelling, cleansed Your Temple, purified Your sanc-

tuary, kindled lights in Your holy courtyards, and instituted these eight days of Chanukah to give thanks and praise to Your great name.

Here, it is the miracle of the oil that is ignored. While the al hanissim speaks of “lights” kindled in “Your holy courtyards,” this is most probably not a reference to the lights of the menorah — whose appointed place was not in the courtyard of the Holy Temple but inside the Sanctuary — but to lights kindled in celebration throughout the Temple compound and the city of Jerusalem (which explains why al hanissim speaks of “courtyards,” in the plural). In any case, even if the lights in question are those of the menorah, there is no mention of the miracles associated with its lighting.

In other words, there seems to be a complete separation between the “physical” and “spiritual” miracles of Chanukah, to the extent that the mention of one precludes any mention of the other. When the physical salvation

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of Israel is remembered and we thank G-d for delivering the “mighty into the hands of the weak, and the many into the hands of the few,” we make no reference to the miracle of the oil; and when we relate to the spiritual significance of Chanukah — the triumph of light over darkness — it is free of any association with the physical victories that accompanied it.

The Spiritual Festival The struggles and triumphs chronicled by the Jewish calendar are always more than the struggle for physical survival. The Exodus, commemorated and re-experienced each Passover, was more than a people’s liberation from slavery to freedom; it was their extraction from a pagan Egypt to receive the Torah at Sinai and enter into a covenant with G-d as “a nation of priests and a holy people.” On Purim we remember that Haman wished to annihilate the Jews because “they are a singular people … whose laws are different from those of all other nations”; Purim thus celebrates not only the salvation of the physical existence of the Jew, but of the Jew’s identity and way of life.

Yet the battle waged by the Hasmoneans against the Greeks was the most spiritual battle in Jewish history.

The Greeks did not endeavor to physically destroy the Jewish people, or even to deprive them of their religion and way of life; they merely wished to Hellenize them — to “enlighten” their lives with the culture and philosophy of Greece. Keep your books of wisdom, they said to the Jew, keep your laws and customs, but enrich them with our wisdom, adorn them with our art, blend them into our lifestyle. Worship your G-d in your temple, but then worship the human body in the adjoining

CHANUKAH

Separation of Miracles So when the Talmud replies to the question “What is Chanukah?” it defines the festival solely in terms of its spiritual miracles — the discovery of the pure, undefiled cruse of oil, and the rekindling of the divine light which emanated from the Holy Temple. Since this is the festival which commemorates our most spiritual battle, its spiritual content predominates to the extent that it completely eclipses its physical aspect. Although the military miracles preceded and made possible the lighting of the menorah in the Holy Temple, they are de-emphasized when we speak of the miracle that defines the essence of Chanukah.

This is also the reason that the prayer instituted by our sages to give

thanks to G-d for the military victories omits all mention of the miracle of the oil. For only when they are regarded on their own can the military miracles be emphasized and appreciated. Were they to be discussed in relation to the miracle of the oil, they would fade to insignificance. Within the supra-spiritual context of Chanukah’s central miracle, they are reduced to a minor detail scarcely worthy of mention.

The Lesson Man is comprised of a soul and a body: a spiritual essence that is “veritably a part of G-d above,” and the physical vehicle via which it experiences and impacts the physical world.

The body was designed to serve the soul in its mission to develop the world in accordance with the divine will. Of course, man has been granted freedom of choice. The body might therefore rebel against the dominion of the soul; it might even subject its master to its own desires, making the pursuit of material things the focus of life and exploiting the soul’s spiritual prowess to this end. But in its natural, uncorrupted state, the body is the servant of the soul, channeling its energies and implementing its will.

There are, however, many levels to this submission, many degrees in the servitude of matter to spirit. The body might recognize that the purpose of life on earth lies with the soul’s aspirations, yet also entertain an “agenda” of its own alongside the greater, spiritual agenda. Or it might selflessly serve the soul, acknowledging the spiritual as the only goal worthy of pursuit, yet its own needs remain a most visible and pronounced part of the person’s life, if only out of natural necessity.

Chanukah teaches us that there is a level of supremacy of soul over body that is so absolute that the body is virtually invisible. It continues to attend to its own needs, because a soul can only operate within a functioning body; but these are completely eclipsed by the spiritual essence of life. One sees not a material creature foraging for food, shelter, and comfort, but a spiritual being whose spiritual endeavors consume his or her entire being.

For all but the most spiritual tzaddik, it is not possible, nor desirable, to perpetually maintain this state. Indeed, it is Chanukah for only eight days of the year. But each and every one of us is capable of experiencing moments of such consummate spirituality: moments in which we so completely “lose ourselves” in our commitment to our spiritual purpose that our material cares become utterly insignificant. ■

Santa Claus is public enemy #1.

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In ca se yo u did n’t ge t it fr om th e ti tl e, th is sh ow is ve ry , ve ry ad ul t.

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sports stadium we will build for you.

Study your Torah, but integrate it with the principles of our philosophy and the aesthetics of our literature.

The Hasmoneans fought for independence from Hellenic rule because the Greeks sought to “make them forget Your Torah and make them violate the decrees of Your will.” They did not fight for the Torah per se, but for “Your Torah” — for the principle that the Torah is ­G-d’s law rather than a deposit of human wisdom which might be commingled with other deposits of human wisdom. They did not fight for the mitzvot as the Jewish way of life, but for the mitzvot as “the decrees of Your will” — as the suprarational will of G-d, which cannot be rationalized or tampered with. They fought not for any material or political end, not for the preservation of their identity and lifestyle, not even for the right to study the Torah and fulfill its commandments, but for the very soul of Judaism, for the purity of Torah as the divine word and its mitzvot as the divine will.

The spirituality of Chanukah is emphasized by the festival’s principal mitzvah, the kindling of the Chanukah lights. We are physical beings, enjoined to anchor our every experience to a physical deed. On Passover, we celebrate our freedom with matzah and four cups of wine; on Purim, we read the megillah, give money to the poor, send gifts of food to our friends, and feast and drink. Chanukah, too, has its “ritualistic” element, in which a physical act and object embody the festival’s significance. But here the vehicle is the most spiritual of physical phenomena — light. On Chanukah, the overriding emphasis is on the spiritual essence of our struggle, so that even its physical embodiment is an ethereal flame dancing in the night.

AJT 55

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CHANUKAH THURSDAY, DEC. 3

Young-adult party. The Marcus JCC holds its annual Vodka and Latkes party at 7 p.m. at the Rose Bar, 3115 Piedmont Road, Buckhead. Tickets are $20 in advance and $30 at the door; www.atlantajcc.org/pldb-live/vodkalatkes-30266 or 678-812-4055.

SUNDAY, DEC. 6

Build a Lego menorah. The Chabad Jewish Center of West Cobb, 1480 Shiloh Road, Suite 500, Kennesaw, hosts a fun day and builds a giant menorah at 10:30 a.m. Free; www.jewishwestcobb. com or office@JewishWestCobb.com.

Chanukah bazaar. Congregation Or VeShalom, 1681 N. Druid Hills Road, Brookhaven, holds its 40th annual bazaar, featuring member-made Mediterranean cuisine, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; orveshalom.org or 404-633-1737.

Menorah workshop. Congregation Beth Tefillah lets you make your own chanukiah and observe an olive oil press at 2 p.m. at the Home Depot, 2525 Piedmont Road, Buckhead. Free; email smayo@bethtefillah.org to register.

Chanukah family festival. Chabad Intown and the PJ Library present a party, magic, food, and music by Sammy Rosenbaum and Rabbi Jake Czuper from 2 to 4 p.m. at Inman Middle School, 774 Virginia Ave., Atlanta. Free; chabadintown.org or 404-898-0434.

Chanukah story time. InterfaithFamily/Atlanta and Little Shop of Stories, 133 E. Court Square, Decatur, tell stories and celebrate the holiday at the bookstore at 3:15 p.m. Free; www.facebook.com/events/1610092682588103.

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

Chanukah in Woodstock. Chabad of West Cobb holds a celebration and menorah lighting at the Outlet Shoppes of Atlanta, 915 Ridgewalk Parkway, Woodstock, at 4:15 p.m. Free; www.jewishwestcobb.com or 678-460-7702.

AJT

Menorah lighting. Congregation B’nai Israel celebrates Chanukah, culminating in lighting a chanukiah, at 5 p.m. at the fountain near the county offices, 140 Stonewall Ave. West, Fayetteville.

Free; bnai-israel.net or 678-817-7162.

Menorah lighting. Chabad of North Fulton celebrates Chanukah at the west court of North Point Mall, 1000 North Point Circle, Alpharetta, at 5 p.m. Free; www.chabadnf.org or 770-410-9000.

Chanukah stroll. Congregation Bet

56 Haverim holds a walk along the Belt-

line, singing Chanukah songs and carrying glowing lanterns and foam sticks, starting at 5 p.m. at Krog and Irwin streets in Atlanta. Free; congregationbethaverim.org.

older group of Congregation Shearith Israel, 1180 University Drive, Morningside, gathers to celebrate Chanukah. Lunch is $6 at the door; ysmith@ shearithisrael.com.

Chanukah concert. Chabad of Gwinnett holds a concert with Prodezra Beats and lights a 10-foot menorah at 6 p.m. at Thrasher Park, 1 Park Drive, Norcross. Admission is $4 at the door or free if you RSVP at www.jewishgwinnett.com. For more information, call Rabbi Yossi Lerman, 678-595-0196.

Chanukah story time. Congregation B’nai Israel Rabbi Rick Harkavy leads Chanukah storytelling and a menorah lighting at Barnes & Noble, 342 Newnan Crossing Bypass, Newnan, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Free; bnai-israel.net or 678817-7162.

Latkes and laughs. Camp Living Wonders celebrates with latkes, dreidels and the improv of the Troupe at 6 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs. Benefit tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for ages 12 to 15; www.facebook.com/CampLivingWonders or 404-946-8043.

Menorah lighting. Chabad Intown lights a grand menorah and celebrates Chanukah at 6 p.m. at Decatur Square.

Free; www.chabadintown.org or 404898-0434.

Menorah lighting. InterfaithFamily/ Atlanta holds its first Chanukah party for adults at 6:30 p.m. at Javavino, 579 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta. Bring your own chanukiah. Free; www.interfaithfamily.com/Atlanta.

For the ladies. Chabad Women’s Circle holds a soiree with a menorah lighting, a wine tasting, a blintz bar, live music and an auction at 7:30 p.m. at Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Johns Creek. Admission is $10; www.chabadnf.org or 770-410-9000.

MONDAY, DEC. 7

Kennesaw candle lighting. The Chabad Jewish Student Union at Kennesaw State University celebrates the festival with by lighting a menorah and offering latkes, chocolate gelt and doughnuts on the Campus Green at 4:15 p.m. Free; www.jewishwestcobb.com.

Community candle lighting. The Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, holds a Chanukah celebration with songs led by Rabbi Brian Glusman, a menorah lighting, and free jelly doughnuts and hot chocolate at 5:15 p.m. Free and open to all; www.atlantajcc.org or 678-812-4161. The program repeats the next two nights.

TUESDAY, DEC. 8

Chanukah in Acworth. Chabad of West Cobb and the city of Acworth hold a menorah lighting and holiday celebration at 6 p.m. at the corner of Main Street and Cowan Road. Free; www.jewishwestcobb.com.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 9

Lunch and latkes. L’Chaim, the 55-and-

THURSDAY, DEC. 10

Bowling party. YJP Midtown Atlanta and several co-sponsors hold Lights & Strikes, a young-adult Chanukah party with dinner, music and a cash bar, at 7:30 p.m. at Midtown Bowl, 1936 Piedmont Circle, Atlanta. Admission is $15

by Dec. 5 or $20 at the door; www.yjpmidtownatlanta.com or 404-898-0434.

FRIDAY, DEC. 11

Torah, 700 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs, holds a community festival from 10 a.m. to noon. Donations of small gifts are sought for holiday bags for children who attend Lake Forest Elementary School. Admission is $18 per family or $9 per adult in advance or $25 per family or $15 per person at the door; rsvp@bnaitorah.org or bnaitorah.org.

Chanukah carnival. The Kehilla in Sandy Springs, 5075 Roswell Road, offers games, food and activities (purchase tickets at the door) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is free; www.thekehilla.org.

Chanukah party.

Congregation Shearith Israel, 1180 University Drive, Morningside, holds a holiday carnival open to the community from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free; shearithisrael.com.

Menorah lighting. Chabad Intown lights a grand menorah and celebrates Chanukah at 4:30 p.m. at 1017 N. Highland Ave., Virginia-Highland. Free; www.chabadintown.org or 404-8980434.

Chanukah Shabbat. Ahavath Achim Synagogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave., Buckhead, holds a Chanukah celebration with services at 5:30 and a community dinner at 6:30. Dinner is $15 for adult members or $45 per family and $22 for adult nonmembers or $55 per family. RSVP by Dec. 4; aasynagogue. org or 404-603-5749.

Chanukah and Torah. Congregation Beth Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody, celebrates Chanukah with games and a dairy dinner at 5 p.m., followed by the dedication of a restored Holocaust Torah at 6:30. Admission to the Chanukah party is $10 for adults, $7 for children; bethshalomatlanta.org or 770-399-5300.

SATURDAY, DEC. 12

East Cobb/Roswell celebration. The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta partners with the Marcus JCC and the congregations of East Cobb and Roswell for a community Chanukah celebration at 5:30 p.m. at Temple Kol Emeth, 1415 Old Canton Road, East Cobb. Free; to RSVP or get more information, contact Stephanie Wyatt at swyatt@jewishatlanta.org or 404-870-1625.

Middle school party. Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Johns Creek, holds a Chanukah party for middle-schoolers from 6:30 to 8:30.

Free; RSVP to admin@chabadnf.org or 770-410-9000.

Hawks night. Jewish Heritage Night at the Atlanta Hawks’ home game at Philips Arena downtown against the San Antonio Spurs features a menorah lighting at 7:27 p.m., kosher concessions and a performance by Prodezra Beats. Tickets are $39, $75 and $129; www.atlantajewishheritage.com.

Latke party. The Sixth Point holds its Chanukah celebration for ages 21 and up from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Peachtree Place Condominiums Clubhouse, 3777 Peachtree Road, Brookhaven. Admission is $10; thesixthpoint.org/event/ wanna-whole-latke-love-2.

SUNDAY, DEC. 13

Chanukah festival. Congregation B’nai

Menorah lighting.

Chabad of Peachtree City holds its third annual menorah lighting outside City Hall, 151 Willowbend Road, Peachtree City, at 6 p.m. with Israeli Deputy Consul General Ron Brummer. Free; www.chabadsouthside.com.

December holiday discussion. Congregation Gesher L’Torah and InterfaithFamily/Atlanta hold a conversation for families of all ages about celebrating the different holidays at 6:30 p.m. at the Hampton Hall Clubhouse, 1400 Hampton Hill Drive, Alpharetta. Free; RSVP to gltrelschool@gmail.com.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

CHANUKAH

The Gift of a Good Read

T

he recently completed Book Festival of the Marcus Jewish Community Center provided a great opportunity to stock up on books as Chanukah gifts. But if you skipped the A Cappella Books table at the JCC and need some last-minute presents for the readers in your life, here are some of the options from the festival.

For a Spouse or Married Friend Judith Viorst, best known to young parents as the author of the children’s classic “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” appeals to the empty-nesters in her readership with “Wait for Me … And Other Poems About the Irritations and Consolations of a Long Marriage” (Simon & Schuster, 96 pages, $16.99).

A sweetness runs through the poems, usually with a large dose of Viorst’s humor. She shows us the annoyance of a spouse interrupting to finish sentences and retelling the same stories over and over, plus the resignation of passing that spouse going to and from the bathroom in the middle of the night as you grow old together.

In a poem dedicated to widows, she also reminds us that no matter

how silly and frustratingly repetitive life can be decade after decade with the same person at your side, it’s better than the alternative.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, America’s best-known sex therapist, talks more about her own life than relationships in “The Doctor Is In” (Amazon Publishing, 192 pages, $24.95), but she can’t help but dish out some good advice along the way.

Some of the best came in the interview she did with Marcia Caller Jaffe for the AJT: “If your first marriage doesn’t work, don’t give up hope. Keep trying. But don’t ever think you can change a partner. Young people today work too hard and need to make time for evening dates or things to do together that are pleasurable to both.”

For a Prepper TV newsman Ted Koppel became a household name because of a crisis, the Iran hostage situation, which launched his “Nightline” news show in ABC in 1980. So perhaps it’s not surprising that in semiretirement he has found another potential crisis to write about in “Lights Out: A Cyberattack, a Nation Unprepared, Surviving the After-

math” (Crown, 288 pages, $26).

Koppel’s book is a warning about a disaster that could happen tomorrow, next year, 10 years from now or never: an attack that takes down one or more of the three major electric grids serving the United States.

There are valuable elements in “Lights Out.” Koppel makes a compelling case that a foreign nation, a terrorist organization or a lone-wolf troublemaker at any time could use the Internet to cause the kind of blackout this nation has never seen, affecting many states and tens of millions of people for weeks or months. In a version of the nuclear age’s mutually assured destruction, Koppel argues that interdependencies deter Russia and China from such a cyberattack, but an isolated nation such as North Korea has nothing to lose.

Koppel shows how utterly unprepared the federal government is for a grid collapse, and he examines various ways individuals and organizations, including the Mormon Church, are

preparing for any long-term disaster, including a failure of the grid. Many are interesting, and some are impressive, though not necessarily repeatable if you aren’t rich or a Latter-day Saint.

Koppel is weakest in his assessment of the consequences of leaving urban areas in the dark for weeks or months. He might be right that the death and destruction would be catastrophic, but, for good or bad, we won’t know for sure unless it happens.

For a College Student Faye Kellerman gained a fan base with her Los Angeles-based murder mysteries solved by Orthodox Jewish couple Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus.

Now that Kellerman has moved them to a college town in upstate New York for semiretirement, the mysteries involve academic pressures that should feel familiar to any college student.

In “The Theory of Death” (William Morrow, 384 pages, $26.99), the initial mystery is why a brilliant math student killed himself — if he killed himself — but Kellerman spends much of the novel exploring academic jealousies, pressures to publish, fears of intellectual theft and plagiarism, and conflicting claims of credit. She also delves into Continued Next Page

J. STRAUSS: Die Fledermaus Overture KORNGOLD: Straussiana J. STRAUSS: Wiener Blut BRAHMS: Symphony No. 3

JAN

7 9

CHRISTOPHER REX KORNGOLD: Cello Concerto

THU: 8PM

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Presented by:

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

Ludovic Morlot, conductor

AJT 57

CHANUKAH the problem of sexual relationships among colleagues and, potentially, between teachers and students.

We also get a glimpse at the conflicts that can arise between top-level academics and religious observance.

In this case, the culture clash involves Mennonites, but Rina points out the parallels for observant Jews.

As a bonus for students facing exams during or just after Chanukah, one character struggles throughout the novel between the need to study for finals and to do anything else more interesting in the world. Fortunately, “Theory of Death” is a quick read, so it shouldn’t take too much time away from your student’s test prep.

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

For a Graduate More than 70 percent of students who are nearing or recently reached college graduation share one thing: debt, an average of about $35,000 for each student who needed loans to get through school. So it’s natural for new graduates to feel pressure to find and race along the path to success.

Two recent books from Jewish Atlantans can help them not only achieve financial success, but, more important, find happiness and career satisfaction.

Joey Reiman’s “Thumbs Up!” (BenBella Books, 222 pages, $19.95) lays out a five-step approach to a better life, including giving the middle finger to fear. He advocates approaching life with wonder in the quest for meaning.

In a similar vein, Mike Wien’s “The Specific Edge” (self-published, 120 pages, $14.95) promotes achieving success in business and life by pursuing your passion to find what sets you apart from everyone else.

Both books should help new graduates, as well as people facing midlife career changes or deciding whether to leave the corporate world for something entrepreneurial, recognize that financial success is a side benefit of doing work you love. And both books should be valuable companions for the new graduates for decades to come.

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AJT 58

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For a Musician The musical highlight of the Book Festival may have been the appearance

by Steve Katz, a founding member of Blood Sweat & Tears, who performed and talked about his memoir, “Blood, Sweat, and My Rock ’n’ Roll Years.” The book is a good option for someone who likes music, particularly someone who came of age in the 1960s or ’70s.

But a more creative option for someone who plays music is Tess Gerritsen’s “Playing With Fire” (Ballantine, 250 pages, $28).

In a novel that bounces between

contemporary times and the period from the 1930s through World War II, the unifying theme is the power of music for those who create it.

Violinist Julia Ansdell’s discovery of an unpublished waltz called “Incendio” in an antiques shop in Rome sparks the action, and it’s a sign of her passion for music that she believes the difficult, unusual piece is somehow cursed and is compelling her 3-year-old daughter to commit violent acts.

Yet her obsession pales with the importance of music to Lorenzo Todesco, a genius Jewish violinist who comes of age in Venice just before World War II. He plays a violin passed down through six generations of his maternal family, and his father is an acclaimed violin maker. And he falls in love, albeit with a Catholic girl, in the course of preparing for a violin-cello duet competition with her.

Anyone can appreciate this story of the Holocaust, those in Italy who resisted it, and the life- and love-saving role of music, but only a devoted musician will fully understand Gerritsen’s characters. Gerritsen even composed her own “Incendio,” available at tessgerritsen.com, to accompany the book.

For a Dog Lover Most dog owners will testify to the extraordinary intelligence, instincts, and, above all, devotion of the four-legged members of the family. Atlantan Robert Weintraub’s “No Better Friend: One Man, One Dog, and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage and Survival in WWII” (Little, Brown and Co., 400 pages, $28) proves that those canine abilities are not merely projections and wishful thinking.

We i n t r a u b tells the tale of Judy, an English pointer born in a kennel in Shanghai in 1936 and soon mustered into the military life as the mascot of an English gunboat plying the Yangtze River. Despite her breeding and the hopes of the sailors who bought her, Judy proved to be worthless as a hunting dog, but she was fantastic at sniffing out danger, whether a big cat waiting to pounce on sailors searching for food ashore, a pirate vessel hoping to catch the English seamen asleep, or a Japanese aircraft planning a bombing run.

A run-in with a Japanese soldier when she was a puppy briefly living on the streets left Judy with a lifelong dislike and distrust of the Japanese, yet somehow she survived more than three

CHANUKAH

For a Lawyer Famous Jewish lawyer Alan Dershowitz takes an unusual approach to a brief biography of the first Jew in “Abraham: The World’s First (But Certainly Not Last) Jewish Lawyer” (Schocken Books, 204 pages, $26).

Dershowitz shows how in one person, Abraham managed to set a precedent for at least five types of Jewish

lawyers, including a couple of negative versions: the lawyer who coaches his witnesses to lie, as Abraham twice did in persuading Sarah to claim to be his sister instead of his wife; and the court Jew who does what he’s told to protect his position, as Abraham did when he accepted G-d’s orders to sacrifice Isaac and to go along with Sarah’s plan to get rid of Ishmael.

The book is light and bright when dealing with Abraham, although more insights come from the extensive endnotes than the main text. The true value of the book, for lawyers and nonlawyers alike, comes when Dershowitz applies the Abrahamic templates to Jewish lawyers (and one noble non-Jew) through history.

Coming from a man who held the Felix Frankfurter professorship at Harvard, the critical examination of Frankfurter and how he failed to stand up for his fellow Jews during the Holocaust is particularly valuable.

Working on the theory that so many Jews become lawyers in part because Jews are so often on trial, Dershowitz also examines some famous Jewish defendants, including Jesus, Alfred Dreyfus and Leo Frank (just don’t pay too much attention to the details he offers on the Frank case). ■

Wishing You and Your Family a Happy Hanukkah

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years as a prisoner of war. The military men she spent her life with loved her enough to bring her from Shanghai to Singapore, to take her along during the desperate escape from Singapore, to keep her with them through the sinking of ships and more efforts to avoid the Japanese at sea, and to protect her from their Japanese captors on the island of Sumatra.

Judy was a recognized war hero, largely through the efforts of her best friend, an RAF radarman named Frank Williams, who met Judy during their time as POWs. Weintraub’s book is Williams’ story in addition to Judy’s, as well as the history of the highs and lows of the British military against the Japanese in the Pacific.

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AJT 59

CHANUKAH

Positive Rap Will Set The Beat at Hawks Game

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

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AJT 60

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euben “Prodezra Beats” Formey isn’t your average rapper.

The Savannah native is on a mission to spread a positive Jewish message through hip-hop and will get one of his biggest breaks when he performs at the Atlanta Hawks’ Jewish Heritage Night on Saturday, Dec. 12, in a sold-out Philips Arena before the Hawks face the San Antonio Spurs.

Formey’s inspirational music is heavily influenced by his spiritual journey from Savannah to Jerusalem to study at a yeshiva and back to Georgia to live in Atlanta. He spoke to the Atlanta Jewish Times by phone.

AJT: Tell me how you got booked to perform at the Atlanta Hawks Jewish Heritage Night.

Prodezra Beats: Well, I’ve been doing inspirational, positive hip-hop music for a while now. Rabbi Levi Mentz, who is running the event, reached out to me and was looking for an artist that was uptempo to keep the crowd involved in connection with the menorah lighting at the stadium. I thought it would be a great thing for the Jewish community and the fans before the game.

AJT: Tell me about your Jewish identity and your journey to discover it.

PB: I was not always as observant as I am now. My parents began studying Judaism in the ’70s in Minnesota with Rabbi Manis Friedman, and years later, after long study and shortly before my bar mitzvah, we actually all converted as a family. After my bar mitzvah I kind of got away from my Jewish roots. It wasn’t until my college years that I realized G-d was slapping me upside the head and trying to get me to go down a better path. So I went to Israel with my sister to learn and study. From there, everything changed.

I got married and had a child on the way. It changed my life.

AJT: How has that involvement with Judaism affected your music?

PB: It’s everything. Before I became more deeply ingrained in my Judaism and in practicing, I was also doing hip-hop and producing music that wasn’t so positive. When I made a transition and went to Israel, the peo-

Reuben “Prodezra Beats” Formey’s music can be found on YouTube and purchased at CD Baby.

ple I was around told me that if G-d is giving you the talent to do something, don’t throw it away, but use it to give to others and spread a positive message. A lot of people are shocked because they don’t see it so much anymore, but hiphop started as a positive thing.

AJT: What are some of the most common messages in your music?

PB: As of late, I’ve been putting an emphasis on your personal relationship with G-d. My new album is called “Face to Face,” and the idea behind that is the things in life we go through that challenge us. It’s not because G-d hates us; it’s to make us grow. I also speak a lot about being strong in prayer and overcoming obstacles, as well as topics like drug abuse, which can be a problem in the Jewish community too.

AJT: Your music is more focused and message-driven than many other Jewish hip-hop artists. How do you compare yourself to other Jewish rappers?

PB: Some hip-hop artists address the more secular side of Jewish rap.

Someone like Kosha Dillz is a good guy, and he definitely has some positive content. Other acts like Lil’ Dicky or Hoodie Allen may be considered even more secular. For myself, being so connected with Chabad, I chose to keep things just directly focused on a specific kind of inspirational message. There’s always a deep, underlying message from every song that you can carry with you in your everyday life. Nothing negative towards anything that they do because they are good guys. That’s just the way I decided to go. ■ What: Jewish Heritage Night Where: Philips Arena When: 7:27 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12 Tickets: $39 to $129; www. atlantajewishheritage.com

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

ARTS

Have Fun Storming This ‘Castle’

T

his gift-buying time of year leads many people to give Amazon Prime a try, if not for the Black Friday-type deals, then for free, fast shipping.

But Amazon Prime also gives you access to the online retailer’s growing library of streaming movies and TV shows, including a new original series based on Philip K. Dick’s “The Man in the High Castle.”

The 10 one-hour episodes in Season 1 are worth the $99-a-year cost of Prime membership.

The story is the ultimate American and Jewish alt-history nightmare: It’s a world where the Axis won World War II (basically, the Germans developed the atomic bomb first). Now it’s 1962, and the Nazis, still led by Hitler, rule the eastern half of what was the United States while the Japanese control the Pacific coast.

The Rocky Mountain states serve as a neutral zone between the wartime allies and current rivals for world dominance. There, in theory, the unwanted and the hunted can take refuge, although a character called the Marshal deals out frontier justice on anyone he finds in his card deck of fugitives.

It’s a world where being Jewish or having any Jewish blood can earn you a death sentence.

That is a problem for Frank Frink, who had a Jewish grandfather, putting him in peril even in Japanese-ruled San Francisco.

Frank is the protagonist of Dick’s novel, but he is just one of many key characters in the TV version, which

follows the logic of Dick’s novel while expanding most of the characters.

That’s one advantage television has over Dick, who was a great but sparse writer: the space to develop multiple viewpoints and plot lines.

Any such alternative version of 20th-century history has the potential to be interesting, particularly when

we see how Jewish families survive.

One man expresses faith that Jews will outlast the Nazis just as we survived against so many others intent on our destruction.

What elevates “The Man in the High Castle” is a variation on the twist Dick presented in his novel: the inexplicable appearance of newsreels that

show a different world, our world.

Is it possible to change the timeline? What’s the alt-history, and what’s the true history?

Don’t expect a fast pace. The show spends time to build its world and its interwoven stories. It’s an alternative to so much mindless television in our world; it’s a series for thinking. ■

WE’LL TAKE CARE OF YOUR PARENTS EVEN IF THEY’RE A HANDFUL. DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

Jeffrey Taratoot & Lester Czuper

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AJT 61

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

ARTS

Double Identity

A future Israeli hero learns survival hiding from Nazis

By Harry Stern

D

aily news broadcasts confront us with the heart-wrenching plight of tens of thousands of refugees fleeing war-torn Syria, most seeking refuge in European countries.

Responses to the epic migration of asylum seekers, not witnessed since World War II, have been decidedly mixed, ranging from xenophobic to warm welcomes.

For many Jews, this is an all-toofamiliar scenario, eliciting memories of so many of our families fleeing the Nazi scourge and the Holocaust that affected many millions. My family, like so many of those in our community, lost many beloved members in the Holocaust. This article focuses on the remarkable story of a dear family member who, through guile, cunning and bravery, escaped the Nazi genocide and lived to serve Israel in a critical capacity.

One of the central objectives of Israel’s Yad Vashem, the Museum of the History of the Holocaust, was to honor gentiles who risked their lives to save

their Jewish brethren from the Nazis.

Thus recognized, these heroes are considered “the righteous among the nations.”

Ari Livne’s riveting account of his means of escape, aided by a righteous gentile, comes alive before us in his psychologically and dramatically complex diary. Yad Vashem has released this extraordinary saga in English: “Tin Soldier in a Cardboard Box: A Young Boy in Hiding: Austria-Belgium-France,” translated from its original Hebrew.

Ari’s family’s odyssey began in earnest in 1938 with Germany’s annexation of Austria in what was known as the Anschluss. His parents left their home in Vienna when Ari was a young boy. An increasing flow of Jews sought refuge in Belgium. The migration to the northwest was the preferred route of Jews seeking safety in Belgium.

Ari’s family managed to find a small apartment in Antwerp, where they lived in continual fear that Belgium would fall to the German forces.

The family moved to Brussels and ultimately concluded that the wandering from one rented room to another

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AJT 62

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Ari Livne and grandson Tomer light the beacon at the Yom HaShoah ceremony in 2013 at Makhon Massuah in Israel.

would soon end in detection and disaster. Belgian forces surrendered to Germany in May 1940.

Not long thereafter, when Ari was 8 years old, his parents made an excruciating decision. It appears that they had abandoned hope, that escape was impossible, because the borders were sealed and the Gestapo was relentless in its hunt for Jews. Their main goal became the safety of their son.

They had contacted a woman living in a Brussels suburb. The woman, a gentile, was living alone because her husband was stuck in England. Referred to as Aunt Angele in the diary, she welcomed Ari as a boarder at great peril to her life.

Stories were fabricated by Ari and Angele to explain the sudden appearance in her home of an 8-year old boy.

She maintained her calm disposition through unannounced midnight interrogations by Gestapo agents. She and Ari had rehearsed numerous scenarios and their responses to these surprise visits.

They had prepared a 5-foot-deep burrow in her back yard with branch coverings serving as camouflage. Their two-minute drill in response to unannounced meetings required him to arrange his bedding perfectly, climb out the rear window and take refuge in the burrow, sometimes for many hours.

Ari’s introspective accounting of his ability to survive is remarkable. He attended school as a Christian child and sang in the church choir. He eventually mastered French with no detectable Germanic influence on his accent.

As an 8-, 9- and 10-year-old, he understood that he might never see his parents again and grasped the fate that may have befallen them. What is so riveting about Ari’s journey is his ability to assess dangerous encounters and evade those situations while remaining

hopeful about the future.

Ari maintained his false identity as a Belgian boy orphaned when his parents perished in an American bombing raid. He somehow kept his composure through numerous situations that threatened to crack his mask.

Ari continually relived his final conversation with his father. “Remember that you are always a Jew, hiding as a gentile,” his father had repeated to him. Ari’s struggle with his double identity was eased by that paternal reminder.

Ari’s secret existence as a proud Jew participating in an all-encompassing array of church activities carried him from Belgium to France and ultimately to Israel.

His successful navigation of the dangerous shoals of war-torn Europe perhaps prepared him for a position of service to Israel.

A reviewer of the book in Israel noted that Ari carried out delicate assignments. The review said that given the skills and sensitivities he employed to stay alive during the war, it was little wonder that he succeeded in contributing to Israel’s security.

“Tin Soldier in a Cardboard Box” stands apart from the many books written by survivors of the Holocaust.

The author’s insights and fluid style are unique as we are thrust with clarity into his daily life as a Jew in hiding. The story is written with great sensitivity and refrains from sentimentalism.

Despite the inevitable moments of grief, the book conveys a powerful message of optimism. This is a saga that will grip readers and compel them to read it in its entirety in one sitting. ■ Tin Soldier in a Cardboard Box

By Ari Livne Yad Vashem, $24

BUSINESS

TDSA wishes you a Happy chanukah!

Jewish Love of Food Inspires ‘Atlanta Eats’

By Logan C. Ritchie lritchie@atljewishtimes.com

M

Great Miracles Happen Here

Schedule a Tour and See for yourself

Steak Shapiro has lined up Jewish investors and Jewish employees for his Atlanta Eats business.

Larry King and Ted Turner there regularly. It was a deli owned by Saul Feldman. That place was the epicenter for lunch in ATL and a family-run business. I spent every Jewish holiday with the Feldmans for years.

Davis: Oh, man. Just one? I would have to say Pura Vida. I’m so happy Hector is opening El Super Pan in Ponce City Market. I just loved that place.

AJT: What do you like to cook at home?

Davis: I am really good at breakfast. I mean, I do what I can, but my husband is an amazing cook and wanted to be a chef. I can cook, but you wouldn’t want that. I can pass. I make basic roast chicken, but I’m no expert.

In fact, we are having Thanksgiving Day at home. I’m really looking forward to having all the great sides because turkey is overrated.

)

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ACHIEVING academic excellence in Judaic & General studies

TEACHING & INSPIRING students to live a committed & purposeful Jewish life

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AJT: How would you like to see food service change at the new stadiums?

Shapiro: The days of generic sausage stands and cold cheeseburgers and uninteresting domestic beer are over. Now it’s all local chefs with local concepts. For every Holeman & Finch burger there are 20 others. It’s happening at Philips. You walk around in there and see influences from Rathbun’s to Linton Hopkins to Fox Brothers.

AJT: Your neighborhood (Morningside) had a great food scene, and it recently collapsed.

Davis: A couple of restaurants went out of business, and I think it just happens. I heard the owners of Murphy’s are taking over Rosebud, which is a great call because they know the neighborhood. It’s such a familyfriendly area, and I look forward to seeing what they come up with. ■

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

ara Davis has long ruled the Atlanta airwaves, bringing new artists and legends to radio. Now she uses her smoky voice, curiosity and love of good food to host the “Atlanta Eats” TV show on Peachtree TV and the radio show on 106.7-FM. Recruited by company founder and fellow radio host Steak Shapiro, Davis isn’t alone in bringing a Jewish perspective to “Atlanta Eats.” Five of the seven full-time employees are Jewish.

One of them, blogger and marketing manager Skye Estroff, said: “We believe our love of food is directly connected to our families and our culture.”

Shapiro said the eight investors behind Atlanta Eats are also Jewish.

He said the local show has “a quality as good as any show on the Food Network.” He should know: In addition to his years on sports talk radio, first at 790 the Zone and now with 680 the Fan, Shapiro was a judge on Food Network’s “Food Truck Face Off.” “Atlanta has an insatiable appetite for this kind of content,” Shapiro said.

Atlanta Eats parent company Bread N Butter Productions expects $3 million in revenue for 2015.

The show is a digital-television-radio triple threat of restaurant reviews, food trends and restaurant news in the Atlanta area. It covers food from Flowery Branch to Peachtree City and every neighborhood in between.

Shapiro said his Jewish comfort food favorites include the Reuben sandwich at the General Muir in Decatur, potato latkes at Goldberg’s, and bagels from BB’s in Alpharetta.

“If you want to bring someone soup, Chick-fil-A has a solid version of chicken soup,” he said. “And Tavern at Phipps has Carnegie Deli pastrami flown in every day from New York.”

The only things missing in Atlanta? “We need more great diners and Italian joints. There just aren’t enough of them,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro and Davis answered questions from the AJT early in November.

AJT: Which Atlanta restaurant do you wish could come back to life for one last meal?

Shapiro: Coach and Six in the ’80s and ’90s was old school, mega portions and huge martinis. On Monday nights Falcons players would come get a free meal. I also loved the old … Snack and Shop deli on West Paces Ferry. I’d see

AJT 63

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

Torah for Torah Day

T

orah Day School of Atlanta celebrated the completion and dedication of a Torah donated by William and Joan Bernstein and their son and daughterin-law, Seth and Abby Bernstein, on Sunday, Nov. 22.

Rabbi Moshe Hiller, a sofer (scribe) who also is TDSA’s second-grade rebbe, completed the writing of the Torah in the school gym as almost 300 people watched. Rabbi Joshua Einzig, Torah Day School’s head of school, compared planning the Torah dedication to a wedding, with a checklist including invitations, entertainment, menu details and trivialities such as parking logistics.

Seth Bernstein held the completed Torah under a chuppah as it was danced into the school’s Danny Miller Beis Medrash. Dr. Nisan Shleifer stood at the top of the school building’s stairs while holding the Torah that he and his wife, Helene, donated in 2003. Bizan Afrah and his son Levi held Torahs that are housed in the beis medrash.

William Bernstein said it was humbling to play a part in Jewish continuity by donating a Torah. Emphasizing that point, Seth Bernstein had an aliyah with the Torah the next morning at the minyan of middle school boys. ■

Seth Bernstein carries the Bernstein Torah up the steps to the entrance of Torah Day School of Atlanta and into the Danny Miller Beis Medrash.

Rabbi Moshe Hiller writes a letter in the Torah.

William Bernstein joins Rabbi Moshe Hiller for a letter in the Torah.

Congregation Beth Jacob Rabbi Ilan Feldman watches Rabbi Moshe Hiller complete a letter in the Torah.

Seth Bernstein and Torah Day School students use the Bernstein Torah for the first time Nov. 23.

Wishing everyone a Happy Chanukah. We are happy to be a part of this wonderful community.

Shirley and Perry Brickman

Soon to be part of the new Georgia State University.

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

Time to invest in yourself. gpc.edu/apply

It’s not too late to apply for Spring classes.

AJT 64

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EDUCATION

4 AJA Seniors Lobby With AIPAC

F

our Atlanta Jewish Academy Upper School students joined 420 other high school students at AIPAC’s annual Schusterman Advocacy Institute High School Summit in Washington.

Seniors Maia Dori, Batel Man, Daniella Sokol and Zoie Wittenberg, who are active in the school’s AIPAC Club, received intensive training in pro-Israel political advocacy and visited congressional offices to promote the value of the U.S.-Israel alliance.

The summit is the cornerstone of AIPAC’s early engagement program.

“We are very proud of the young

— so have no fear, Georgia’s got our back.

“Even more impactful than our lobbying meeting at Capitol Hill was spending three days with over 400 teenagers from all different backgrounds.

Some were Christian, and some were Jewish. Some identified with BBYO and some with NCSY. Some were affiliated, and some were not. And students came from every other stream of life that you can imagine. We came together for the same powerful purpose: Israel. We learned the importance of engaging, not just debating; acting, not just advocating. We learned to use every medium we have in order to spread awareness and promote change.” ■

The four AJA students and other Georgia high school students visit the office of Rep. Tom Price (R-Roswell).

Do you ever stop thinking about what the future holds for your child?

Seniors Zoie Wittenberg, Maia Dori, Daniella Sokol and Batel Man visit Washington.

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women who attended AIPAC’s High School Summit, which does so much to arm our students with the tools they need to counter the misinformation that so many rely on when thinking about Israel,” said Rabbi Pinchos Hecht, AJA’s head of school. “The only way to make a difference is to stand up and make our voices heard.”

Rabbi Hecht said the students will use what they learned at the summit “to change the world one mind at a time.”

Batel Man offered the following report on the trip: “We flew to Washington, D.C., to learn how to properly advocate for Israel and make a direct impact on the U.S.-Israel relationship. Together with other Atlanta teens, we went up to Capitol Hill and lobbied Georgia Congressman Price’s foreign affairs legislative director, Kyle Zebley. We shared personal stories about our connection with Israel, as well as some issues we felt were relevant to bring up and discuss. It was really amazing to see how pro-Israel he and the congressmen are

AJT 65

AJT

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Check your answers at: www.thefamousabba.com/VAYEshev

• Yosef's first dream about his family (37:5).

• Yosef being sold many times on the way to Egypt (37:25).

Act out these scenes with friends and family:

PARSHA SKIT ideas

As you prepare for Chanukah, share something that made you think about Jerusalem or the Holy Templeׁ this week.

WEEK IN REVIEW

DOWN 1. Dream (40:5) 3. Months (38:24) 5. Beautiful (39:6) 7. Pits (37:20) ACROSS 2. Garment (39:12) 4. Field (39:5) 6. Stars (37:9) 8. Gave (38:9)

Complete the crossword by translating each English word into Hebrew. Use the parsha reference for help.

CROSSWORD

Zeal: Don’t let laziness stop you from doing mitzvahs; remember what it says in Pirkie Avot (Ethics of the Fathers): "A mitzvah leads to a mitzvah"

good triat OF THE MONTH

(Hint: Israeli cities)

ELIAR MKAIOF

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WORD FIND

Find the bold italic words on this sheet.

The unused letters spell a secret message!

Yosef brought bad reports about his brothers to their father Yaacov. Yaacov loved Yosef more than any of his other sons, which made his brothers hate Yosef. Yosef had two dreams that in the future his brothers would serve him. When Yosef told the dreams to his brothers they hated him more.

Yosef’s brothers tried to get rid of him and threw him into a pit and then sold him.

The brothers took Yosef’s special coat that Yaacov made for him and dipped it into blood. They showed it to Yaacov and told him that an animal had killed Yosef and Yaacov could not be consoled. Yosef ended up working in Egypt. HaShem was with Yosef and he always had success. Yosef’s master was blessed because of him, however Yosef had to run away. The master’s wife had Yosef put in jail, but even there HaShem was still with him and he had success and interpreted the dreams of Pharoah’s cupbearer and baker.

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23 KISLEV 5776 PARASHAT VAYESHEV

FIELD

‫עז‬ + ‫קכג‬

‫ח‬ x‫י‬

‫נה‬ - ‫מה‬

‫עב‬ ‫ו‬ + ‫יב ÷ ג‬

Who brought Yosef from the Midianites?

gematria

Mitzvah of tefillin The shape of tefillin boxes Bringing offerings Not working on Yom Kippur

‫פ‬

‫י‬ +‫ע‬

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weekly chinuch podcast - over 100 posted!

CHINUCH + Parsha < 5 minutes www.thefamousabba.com/podcasts

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‫א ב ג ד ה ו ז ח ט י כ ל מ נ ס ע פ צ ק ר ש ת‬

• • • •

Are the following things from the written or oral Torah?

SHEAVES

BOWING

ELEVEN

written or oral torah

PLANETS MOON

spot the difference

Which one is different? (Hint: Yosef's dreams)

___ Prophets ___ Moshe ___ The Elders ___ Yehoshua

In what order did the following transmit the Torah from HaShem (see the first Mishna in Pirkie Avot).

historical timeline

• Your teacher gave a Chanukah gift to everyone in the class except to you.

• The new box of Chanukah candles was missing 10 candles.

Can you judge these situations favorably?

you be the judge

SUPER SHABBat SHEET

(scramble) ANIODM TOTEIVN EDFSA FAAIH

WORD CMRLESAB

CANDLELIGHTING IN JERUSALEM 3:55 P.M.

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

EDUCATION www.atlantajewishtimes.com

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

Changing With FAFSA’s Calendar Change The College Game

By Dr. Mark L. Fisher drmarkfisher@bellsouth.net

you will be better able to review their financial award letters.

Some families feel that they will not qualify for need-based federal aid, such as Pell grants. Don’t think that way. Colleges use the FAFSA to distribute their own aid, and states, career schools and private organizations may use the FAFSA to determine eligibility.

Approximately 20 million

students receive some aid each year.

In Georgia, the HOPE scholarship requires the FAFSA or its own form.

By completing only the HOPE simple form, you are saying you want HOPE, assuming you are eligible, but not any other aid based on need.

Complete the FAFSA. Parents are asking questions about their 2015 tax returns, which will be used by current seniors and juniors, but I am not a tax adviser.

One thing for sure is that your 2015 tax information is doubly important because it will count twice for current seniors. Taking steps to reduce income before the end of 2015 may lower your EFC and bring eligibility

for an improved aid package.

What should you do to decrease your income? Talk to those in finance.

But know that the financial aid formula excludes assets held in retirement accounts, the cash value of life insurance policies, and the value of your home and other personal property.

Also, a substantial savings account in a student’s name will not be helpful in the financial aid formula. ■ Mark L. Fisher is a college and career consultant at Fisher Educational Consultants (www.fishereductionalconsultants.com) and a consultant for the College Planning Institute (www.

GotoCPI.com).

The Atlanta Perimeter Office of Harry Norman, Realtors® wishes you and your family a

Very Happy Chanukah!

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DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

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or high school juniors and those who are younger, applying for financial aid will change in a big way next fall. While this year’s seniors operate under the old system, the change will affect them when they apply for financial aid in their sophomore year in college. Thus, every college-bound student must learn the new system.

Next year, high school seniors will be able to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid beginning Oct. 1 for the July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018 academic season. That means their family tax year or base year will be the 2015 tax return. Another way of saying it is that the FAFSA will use tax information from the last year all taxes have been filed, called the “prior-prior” year, not the current year.

Let’s review. This year’s seniors who desire financial aid can fill out the FAFSA after Jan. 1. The family may use the 2015 tax return or give a pretty good estimate of the figures that will go into the 2015 return.

Families often panic because their tax returns are not completed before a college FAFSA deadline. How many people complete their return in early January? At the same time, college financial aid officers have their own tax season, trying to determine how much aid a student may receive and letting the student know soon enough to make an enrollment decision.

The federal administration has come to the rescue. The new date, Oct. 1, will come to fruition in 2016. And the income information will not be the base year of 2016 but will be this year, 2015. Therefore, present seniors will use 2015 for this year’s FAFSA and next year’s FAFSA. When current high school sophomores complete the FAFSA, the base year will be 2016.

What are the benefits? You will be able to complete the FAFSA earlier using tax information already submitted to the IRS. So no more guessing, then correcting the FAFSA because you were way off on your facts. And more filers will be able to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) to import verified tax returns to the FAFSA. Colleges will receive the FAFSA forms earlier and know your financial need sooner. You will know your expected financial contribution (EFC) earlier. Also, colleges will be in a better position to let you know how much financial aid you will be given. Thus, when you are accepted to colleges,

AJT 67

TRAVEL

Photos by Jeffrey R. Orenstein

Charleston’s Embassy Suites Historic District is the original site of The Citadel.

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AJT 68

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Charleston’s history and culture are only a 300-mile drive away

C

harleston regularly shows up as a highly preferred destination among smart travelers and consistently scores high in magazine and travel site polls. Based on our exploration of this gracious and historic Southern city, its reputation is deserved.

Whether it is Charleston’s rich history, its contemporary resilience from tragedy, its delightful vestiges of Gullah culture, its panoply of good restaurants, its extensive collections of galleries and museums, its picturesque architecture, its surrounding Lowcountry charms, or its bustling port, Charleston has a lot to offer.

Antebellum mansions, a fabulous historic district, Southern cuisine, nearby beaches, a mild climate and generally friendly people combine to make this a good choice for simply smart travelers.

Before You Go Check Charleston.com and charlestoncvb.com.

Read a book about the city by Karen White, such as “The House on Tradd Street” or “The Girl on Legare Street.”

Getting There Charleston is easily accessible by plane, train, ship and car.

Charleston International Airport (CHS) is served by major airlines and is 11 miles away via Interstate 26.

Many cruise ships make Charleston a port of call.

The closest Amtrak station is

10 miles away in North Charleston, served by the Palmetto, with daily service to New York and Miami.

By car, the city is on I-26, close to Interstate 95. It’s about 300 miles from Atlanta.

Simply Smart Travel

By Jeffrey R. Orenstein jorenstein@SimplySmartTravel.com

When You Are There Any visitor to Charleston should: • Explore the many old churches and buildings in the city’s extensive historic district.

• Learn about the city’s history dating back to the 1600s.

• Discover Gullah culture and sweet-grass baskets.

• Enjoy dinner at Halls Steakhouse, which is pricey but excellent, if you don’t keep kosher.

The top options if you have only two or three days: • A tour of the historic district, preferably using the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus.

• The Charleston Harbor Tour, which includes a close look at Fort Sumter.

• The historic City Market.

• The free trolley on any of the three routes.

If you have additional days, check out: • The South Carolina Aquarium.

• More of the city’s historic

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

TRAVEL

Birthplace of U.S. Reform

By Jeffrey R. Orenstein jorenstein@SimplySmartTravel.com

C

harleston’s Jewish history dates to at least 1695, and Jews have made an indelible mark here.

The 1669 Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina granted religious liberty to all settlers and noted “Jews, heathens, and dissenters.” Se­ phardic Jews came from London and Holland, as well as from Georgia. By 1800 South Carolina had the largest Jewish population of any state, about 2,000.

South Carolina was the first place in America to elect a Jew to public office: Francis Salvador, elected in 1774 and 1775 to the Provincial Congress.

A

D

He also was the first Jewish American killed in the Revolutionary War in 1776.

Charleston’s first synagogue, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, dates from 1749 and still exists. It outgrew its small building on Union Street and now has a beautiful building at 90 Hasell St. in the historic district. An 1840s split in this congregation led to Orthodox Jews splitting off and the development of Reform Judaism in the United States. The congregation reunited in 1866.

The Hebrew Benevolent Society, formed by early Charleston Jews, also still operates.

Sephardic-dominated Charleston remained the center of North American Jewry until the 1830s. ■

B

C A. Charleston Harbor Tour includes Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.

B. Craftsmen all over Charleston sell hand-woven sweet-grass baskets, a symbol of Charleston’s Africaninspired Gullah culture.

C. Charleston’s history, including old homes, churches and other buildings, is a leading reason to visit.

D. The Charleston City Market offers restaurants, crafts, art and souvenirs.

churches and buildings.

• The Lowcountry and its distinctive cuisine along the coast.

THE EPSTEIN SCHOOL

Happy Hanukkah from THE EPSTEIN SCHOOL Solomon Schechter School of Atlanta

THE EPSTEIN SCHOOL Solomon Schechter School of Atlanta

335 COLEWOOD WAY NW SANDY SPRINGS, GA 30328-2956 EPSTEINATLANTA.ORG

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

At a Glance Mobility level: The city’s brick streets and steps can prove challenging.

When to go: The weather is good year-round, but summers are hot and humid. Frost can happen in January and February. April, May, September and October are good choices.

Where to stay: The best choice is in the historic district because of its location. Prices are fairly high but worth the proximity to attractions.

The Embassy Suites Historic District is the site of the original Citadel and is close to everything.

Special travel interests: U.S. Revolutionary War and Civil War sites, history, and Southern cuisine. ■

AJT 69

THE EPSTEIN SCHOOL

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Photos by Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

These Yezidi sisters are living in a camp for displaced people in Dohuk, Iraq.

More Than Terrorists

Report: Islamic State is also guilty of genocide of Yezidis and other minorities

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

E

ven before the terrorist organization known as Islamic State grabbed international headlines this fall by blowing a Russian passenger plane out of the sky over Egypt and killing at least 130 people in the middle of Paris, the group had achieved something unprecedented in the modern history of evil.

Islamic State is the first non-na-

tion to be guilty of attempting genocide, according to Cameron Hudson, the director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, which investigates and reports on incidents of genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

The charge of genocide carried out against Yezidis and other minorities in northern Iraq’s Ninewa region from June to August 2014 is the center’s first genocide finding since the government

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

of Sudan attacked the population of its western Darfur region in 2004.

“It’s incredibly significant,” Hudson said of the declaration, never before aimed at a terrorist group. “We live in a period now where I see the genocide word being used really loosely, but it’s a decade or more since we used it.

That indicates that this is the crime of crimes.”

It’s a crime punishable by an international court, and the possibility of a trial should alter the way nations respond to Islamic State, Hudson said.

“We don’t talk a lot about accountability in counterterrorism. … We need to approach this problem in a more comprehensive fashion.”

A genocide case against members of Islamic State would set a precedent in international law, whose treatment of the crime of genocide has been based on the idea that only states sponsor genocide. But regardless of the legal ramifications, Hudson said, the ability of a terrorist group to carry out a crime on that scale is a dangerous example.

Hudson visited Atlanta the week before Thanksgiving to meet with donors and possible partners for the museum. That put him here just days after the Islamic State attack on Paris, which itself occurred the day after the SimonSkjodt Center released its report on the genocide. The full report is available at www.ushmm.org/confront-genocide/ cases/iraq/introduction/the-horror-innorthern-iraq.

During an investigation in September this year, the center found that Islamic State drove 800,000 people from their homes in an area roughly the size of Georgia. Most were in communities where their families had lived for millennia.

Islamic State killed hundreds or thousands, based on the evidence of recently uncovered mass graves.

“There are essentially no religious minorities in that area any longer,” Hudson said. “They’re just gone.”

Because individual villages had little ethnic diversity, it was easy for Islamic State to pick out targets, he said.

Thousands of women and children were abducted, either to be sold for bounties or to be forced into slave labor and sex slavery. Hudson wouldn’t be surprised to see them used as human shields amid the airstrikes launched in response to the Paris attacks.

“They don’t care if they live or die,” Hudson said about Islamic State’s attitude toward the hostages.

Those who were driven out remain in desperate conditions more than a year later in makeshift camps that are frustratingly and frightening-

ly close to the gion. He addChristian and ed that the Yezidi villages refugees from emptied by Ninewa are not Islamic State. among the milOne driver for lions of Syrians members of seeking refuge the Simon-Skin Europe or the jodt investigaUnited States. tive team took He said his them within center had been six miles of monitoring the his village but conflict in Syria Displaced Iraqis wait for food at a camp could get no and neighboron the outskirts of Erbil Iraq. closer for fear ing nations, and of Islamic State. when Islamic Meanwhile, Hudson said, people State seized large parts of northern living in refugee camps are terrified Iraq, it was clear from the group’s that Islamic State will kill or capture language that it was targeting people them, just as the group has shown an based on religion and ethnicity. ability to strike far from its home reThe center responded with its in-

vestigation.

“Our mandate is to give voice to the voiceless. Just as Jews didn’t have a voice, we’re trying to provide that voice,” Hudson said. “There are thousands of women and children who remain sex slaves and kidnapped. If we aren’t concerned for their safety and rescue, they could become victims for further genocide.”

The first step to help those victims, Hudson said, is to recognize that the entire Ninewa region is one huge crime scene, and the international community must document and understand what happened there. The refugees in camps, largely administered by local charities and Christian church groups, need aid and protection. And those terrorists who don’t die on the battlefield need to be brought to justice. ■

Visit www.atljewishacademy.org or call 404.843.9900

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Schube-Rachman

Maxine and Keith Schube of Sandy Springs announce the engagement of their son, Jeremy Myles Schube, to Talia Ruth Rachman, daughter of Claire and Julian Rachman of Dallas, Texas.

Jeremy is the grandson of Judy and Paul Finkel of Sandy Springs and Brenda and Stanley Schube of Dunwoody. He is a second-year emergency medicine resident at Metropolitan Hospital in New York City. He is an alumnus of the University of Georgia.

Talia graduated from the University of Texas. She has a master’s degree in accounting and is a senior auditor at Deloitte.

Bar Mitzvah Ryan Sturisky The bar mitzvah ceremony of Ryan Joshua Sturisky of Sandy Springs was held Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, at Congregation Or Hadash.

Ryan is the son of Selwyn and Lauren Sturisky and has a sister, Ilana, 18, and a brother, Adam, 15. He is the grandson of Hessel and Julie Sturisky of Atlanta and the late Raymond and Phyllis Wilenzick, who lived in Roswell.

He is a seventh-grader at the Epstein School. For his mitzvah project, Ryan collected over 1,000 books to be donated to the organization Books for Africa.

SIMCHAS OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING

By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

S

id Cojac doesn’t let small details such as advancing age get in the way of having a good time, and at a recent party to celebrate his 102nd birthday, he was doing just that.

Mingling and chatting with everyone, smiling for photos, and indulging his appetite for pastries, Cojac was in his element.

The Huntcliff Summit senior residence in Sandy Springs has been his home for the past decade, and Cojac seems at peace with it. “One of the blessings of my life is finding this place,” he told the Atlanta Jewish Times before the party Monday, Nov. 23. “I want to give them a plug. They are true professionals and make the last Sid Cojac checks out the cake for his years of your life very enjoy102nd birthday at Huntcliff Summit. able; they take care of you.”

It took a little while to settle in, he ers have signed up at the center. said. “Like everything else, there was Asked how her father’s health is an adjustment period of, I would say, these days, Mintz said: “It’s astonishfour or five months. You realize this ing. It’s a very interesting phenomenon is your home for the rest of your days. for our family. He’s not issue-free. He’s You have to make the best of it and do had cancers, but he’s in good health bewhat is right for yourself — being with cause everything was found early. You other people and just enjoying life.” don’t live to 102 without having someThere is more to it than that, thing.” though. He takes pride in the fact that Cojac was born in Harlem, N.Y., in he still is active and busy and has made 1913, one of seven siba name for himself as a founder of the lings. He married twice pickleball team at the Marcus Jewish and ran a printing busiCommunity Center, where he is a reguness, eventually setlar visitor and has his own reserved tling in Charlotte, N.C., parking space. where his son, Stuart, Yes, he still drives.

“I’ve got a ’97 Lexus. Best car I ever still lives.

He also opened had,” he said. a summer camp for But his daughter, Roni Mintz, sitpoverty-stricken chilting next to him, conceded that drivdren in Charlotte that ing at his age can be problematic for still exists.

“All told, I’ve others. “It is controversial. People get had a blessed life,” Covery agitated that you’re letting your jac said.

“From where I 102-year-old father drive a car. But he started in a poor Orthogoes to the doctor by himself, to Home dox family, there were Depot, the MJCC. … It’s fine.”

Cojac refers to the Marcus JCC as times I was the only his home away from home. “They call one working, and all I me the mayor of Main Street,” he said. had was a nickel to get “We have discussion groups, like talk- to work in the morning. ing heads, for mental stimulation, so to Those were very trying days, but when you speak.”

He described pickleball as being work hard and persesimilar to badminton, but it’s played vere and you like what with a Wiffle ball. He said it has grown you’re doing, you beimmensely in popularity, and 125 play- come successful.” ■

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JCC ‘Mayor’ Cojac Going Strong at 102

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

AJT 73

OBITUARIES OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING

Jerry Lee Levine 73, Atlanta

Jerry Lee Levine, 73, passed with peace on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, with his family at his side.

He leaves his loving wife of 49 years, Susan Levine; his son Ira Levine and his wife, Elissa, of Boynton Beach, Fla.; his son Marshall Levine and his wife, Natalee, of Portland, Ore.; his sister, Sherry (Levine) Shemtov; his five beloved grandchildren, Andrew, Alison, Adam, Alexander and Miles; four nephews; one niece; several cousins; and many close friends.

Jerry was born in Denver and raised in Shreveport, La., the son of Nathan and Ida Levine. He attended the University of Houston before enlisting in the U.S. Army. After his military service, he moved to Atlanta, where he met and married Susan and had a long career in the insurance field. Jerry was an active member of the community and his synagogue, holding a number of leadership positions over the years in many community organizations. He also served as a volunteer at St. Joseph’s Hospital and was an active member with the North Atlanta Men’s Club.

Jerry will be best remembered as a loving father and husband who treasured family above all. He will also be remembered by those whose lives he touched with his sense of humor, gift of compassion and genuine love of life. He leaves us with rich memories, lasting love and an impact on all lives he touched.

Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. Graveside services were held Monday, Nov. 30, at Crest Lawn Memorial Park with Rabbi Mark Zimmerman officiating. The family asks that for any donations, consideration be given to Congregation Beth Shalom or the charity of your choice. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Anita Maziar Morris 88, Atlanta

Anita Maziar Morris, 88, a native of Atlanta, passed away peacefully Friday, Nov. 27, 2015.

She was born to Ella and Nathan Maziar, both of blessed memory. Anita was preceded in death by her loving husband of 49 years, Perry. She is survived by her daughter, Amy Beth Patterson; her son, Bruce (JacLynn); grandchildren Peter (Kira) and Emily (Lucas) Morris and Travis Lively (Heather); great-grandchildren Lila and Peri Morris and Cameron and Selma Lively; and a brother, Harry Maziar (Sherry).

Known for her ever-present smile, she will be warmly remembered by all who knew her. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. Graveside services were held Sunday, Nov. 29, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs with Rabbi Neil Sandler officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Perry B. Morris Musical Theater Fund through the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30338, www.atlantajcc.org. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Claire Smolen

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

92, Savannah

AJT 74

Claire Smolen, 92, of Savannah passed away peacefully Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015.

She was born in Bishopville, S.C., to Leah and Ellis Cahn, both of blessed memory, and graduated from the University of South Carolina. Claire was an artist who specialized in China painting, floral design and miniature work.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 65 years, Perry, and her sisters, Sylivia Cotler and Joan Kalish. Claire is survived by her daughter, Samra Robbins (Ronald); her son, Lee Smolen (Janice); grandchildren Daryl Robbins (Erikson Karmol), Hillary and Staci Robbins, Gregory Smolen (Jennifer), and Jessica Kalin (Howard); and great-grandchildren Sawyer and Sullivan Karmol, Andrew and Zachary Smolen, and Brooks Kalin.

Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. Graveside services were held Sunday, Nov. 29, at Greenwood Cemetery with Rabbi Neil Sandler officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Congregation Agudath Achim Back Pack Buddies, 9 Lee Blvd., Savannah, GA 31411, www.agudath-achim. com. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, Atlanta, 770-451-4999.

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By Suzi Brozman htimes.com sbrozman@atljewis known as the nita Diamant, best Tent,” is comauthor of “The Red two public ing to Atlanta to make appearances this month.

Boston Girl,” Her latest book, “The her visit Feb. 23 to the will be the focus of ity Center. But Marcus Jewish Commun help local orgawill she before the night a new project, an allnizers plunge into at Congregation denominations mikvah Springs.

B’nai Torah in Sandy n of reimaginDiamant’s discussio age will be free ing ritual for the modern The Temple in at and open to the public the Metro Atlanta Midtown to launch (MACoM) into the Community Mikvah Atlanta. consciousness of Jewish ent nonprofit independ an is MACoM construction of the that plans to start in May and finish community mikvah The project will before the High Holidays. n of the existing faciliinvolve a renovatio has the support of ties at B’nai Torah and synagogues and other more than a dozen organizations. diverse supMACoM’s board reflects rabbis and repreport, including three Conservative and Reform, sentatives of Judaism.

Orthodox streams of the model Diamant helped establish community al for a nondenomination 10 years at Boston’s Education 27 mikvah the past Waters).

Mayyim Hayyim (Living Obituaries 28 to the idea of a “People responded g and beautiful, welcomin Simchas 29 was place that and sad, a way to for happy occasions Sports 29 Diamant said. mark life’s changes,” thoughts on the Crossword 30 See more about her Page 6. ■ modern mikvah on Marketplace 31

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Email Mail to: Atlanta Jewish Times, 270 Carpenter Dr. NE, Suite 320, Atlanta, GA 30328 Thank you for subscribing to the Atlanta Jewish Times Home Delivery Service.

CLOSING THOUGHTS OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING

CROSSWORD “Hosts”

I Was Catholic; She Was Jewish

By Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Easy

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There were a number of occasions when I visited my psychic.

Oh, please, don’t give me that “ugh” sound. This was not in place of a rabbi; this was in addition to the rabbi.

Rita had her own psychic, whom she also visited on occasion. Again, in

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addition to her priest.

Did I not mention that Rita at the time was a practicing Catholic?

On this one occasion, my psychic asked me, “Who is this woman in your life named Rita?”

You could have scooped me up from the floor with a straw — that’s how shocked and wobbly I felt. My psychic was the most insightful person I had known. His revelations were always spot-on. But this I found unbelievable. Had I not recorded the session, I would have believed I was hallucinating.

About a week later, I revealed the shocking news to Rita.

We cried. When I was done sharing, I heard the following words from Rita: “I visited my psychic, who asked me: ‘Who is this woman in your life with the first letter of her name being S? Is her name Shaindle?’ ” Rita could have been scooped up with that very same straw.

We were given almost identical revelations from different psychics on different days. Talk about beshert (the way things are supposed to be).

Suddenly, it all made sense. I understood why I loved Christmas music and the energy of the malls at this time of the year. Last year, I took my grandbabies to visit the first and only Jewish Santa I’d ever known, with his own white beard. Santa Rick — it’s worth looking him up.

Back to Christmas and Rita.

The fact that we had an immediate kinship, our families loving each other, my girls and their children referring to Rita as Grandma Rita, it all made perfect sense.

In our other life, Rita was Jewish; I was Catholic. In that life as in this life, we were soul sisters. It all makes perfect sense, right? ■

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ACROSS 1. “And I will ___ a morsel of bread,” Genesis 18:5 6. Dances yeshivas don’t have 11. Dead Sea ___ 14. Major Amora 15. Indian coin worth less than a shekel 16. Dan, Gad and Levi 17. Artist who won Israel’s Wolf Prize in 1981 19. Preposition for Lazarus 20. Israeli singer Golan 21. ___ HaTorah, yeshiva that overlooks the Kotel 22. Andean animal with only one sign of kashrut 24. Follower of Juda (and others) 26. Snider of Twisted Sister 27. Best director winner for “Casablanca” 33. Israel, once 34. What Stark calls Stane in Favreau’s “Iron Man” 35. Leviathan ___ Field 37. How Joaquin Phoenix once notably behaved on Letterman 38. 17, 27, 44 and 60-Across, or an alternative title to this puzzle 39. Like Howard Stern 41. Historic Yom Kippur event 42. El Al complies with it: Abbr.

43. Performed like Simon without Garfunkel 44. Pulitzer Prize for fiction winner in 2001 48. Indiana Jones wears one 49. ___-tat, sound made by Tommy Ramone 50. Notable agricultural seven 53. Made like Jacob’s sons after they sold Joseph 55. RC or Mayim Chaim drink 59. Casspi often shoots behind it 60. “Winner” of a “trip” to Alcatraz in 1961

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63. Some degrees from YU 64. One 65. “___ you a little short for a storm trooper?” (Carrie Fisher line) 66. Start of a 1999 Oliver Stone football movie 67. Fosters, like Abram to Lot 68. Gartels, basically

stops through Williamsburg 30. Mike Wallace’s network 31. Impossible home in Eilat 32. Metushelach, e.g.

33. Sacrificial animal 36. Hoff who wrote and illustrated “Danny and the Dinosaur” 38. West of Hollywood 39. How a Torah must be written (3 words) 40. Chicken of the Sea “chicken” 42. Potato kugel often has a lot of it 43. Like a shyster 45. Jerry Reinsdorf’s teams, on the scoreboard 46. Maccabee, literally 47. Different sects of Judaism, e.g.

50. Cass, for one 51. Backer of al-Assad 52. Teen kiruv org.

53. Start of a Shabbat song 54. ___ v’tafel (law for brachot) 56. Site often visited by Lubavitchers 57. Advanced funds, what many a Jew would do in the Middle Ages 58. Woody Allen’s kind in a 1998 film 61. Schnapps rocks 62. Mercedes in Israel, often

DOWN 1. Scarlett Johansson has it 2. Where you might buy used Passover or Chanukah items 3. Plantation in Selznick’s 1939 classic 4. Like shmita 5. “___ Ramsey,” Richard Boone title character 6. Hallel, e.g.

7. Jason Alexander has worn them for roles 8. Fish also known as Jerusalem haddock 9. Legend Brooks 10. One (temporarily) getting rid of chametz 11. Billy Joel’s “Last Play” locale 12. Do in many 1980s bat mitzvah pics 13. On the Mediterranean 18. Wicked descendant of Agag 23. Give a heter (as a rabbi might do) 25. Actress Mitchell on I. Marlene King’s “Pretty Little Liars” LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 26. Driving 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 K O O K N O O N N O T O N after a 14 15 16 K E A N C O M E P R O V O farbrengen 17 18 19 S H A W R O B E S K O F I might lead to 20 21 22 23 24 F E Y H E E S I R S one: Abbr.

25 26 27 28 29 30 27. “___ B A S A R A D O M I L E S 31 32 33 34 35 Secretary” C I A T R E A S O N U R I 36 37 38 39 (Madeleine L E V M A S S A C R E 40 41 42 Albright’s P A L I N D R O M E S 43 44 45 46 memoir) S A N S O B E R I N G 47 48 49 50 51 52 28. Kind of R I G H T E D E E R Z O O 53 54 55 56 57 lemur voiced E S R O G G R E G G E G O 58 59 60 61

by Sacha S O L B E A D U N S Baron Cohen in 62D A G O 63N 64N I 65N A 66S 67H 68 I 69A 71 72 “Madagascar” 70 E N E M Y E V E S H A N S 29. Some train 73 74 75 R

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DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

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hen I was a little girl, not that long ago, my mom (z”l) never questioned my love of Christmas music.

Yes, it’s true. It always made me happy, joyful even.

I loved going to midnight Mass with Angela and her family at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Moved by the grandeur and the hymns, I would be breathless with awe; I actually cried at its beauty.

So it should not be a surprise when I tell you that I, a nice Jewish girl from the Bronx, thrive on Christmas music from Thanksgiving to Christmas, when suddenly all the radio stations abruptly stop playing my beloved Christmas music.

Before moving to Atlanta, we lived in Tampa, Fla., where I met a woman I knew instantly was my soul sister. We had an instant rapport, experiencing a deep understanding and total trust for each other.

As it turned out, Rita and I not only were friends, but also were colleagues, working for the same nonprofit agency.

After a while, Rita discovered to her chagrin that I was wet behind the ears when it came to the politics of a nonprofit.

I had been hired as the director of the agency and a family counselor. I supervised and fired 11 social workers at one time or another during my tenure.

My budget was a beautiful work of art. I loved and respected my board.

There was, however, this little hole in my personality; I shall identify it as being a Pollyanna. I could not believe anyone would betray my trust.

Oh, but Rita was not a girl who suddenly fell off the turnip truck. She spotted the bad guys almost immediately. She saved my sweet tushy more than once until I finally learned to save it myself.

I’m still not so good at it.

Rita and I both loved the Christmas season. Listening to Christmas music in the office every day made us smile.

My family shared Christmas dinner with her family for many years. By the way, she is one heck of a chef and always made sure there was fish with the meal, respecting our commitment to kashrut.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

AJT 77

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GENERATOR SERVICES

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NMLS# 203728

→ Desktop & Laptop Repair → Home/Business Networking → Performance Upgrades → Apple Device Support → Virus/Spyware Removal

EVENT SERVICES

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24/7 Power Protection Hands Free Operation | Professional Installation

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CAREGIVER/NURSE

DECEMBER 4 ▪ 2015

Caring hands and loving heart in the comforts of your own home. Dependable/honest. Excellent References.

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I T S O LU T I O N S

IT

IT SOLUTIONS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

877.256.4426

Reliable experienced nurse seeks opportunity as in-home elderly support/companion with light housekeeping duty. Licensed with CPR training and references. Available immediately - 404 993 7822 for inquiries.

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Best Wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Beautiful Chanukah.

From Dr DeJoseph & Team Receive A Complimentary

Mini Facial And Skin Care Analysis (Valued At $100) During The Month Of December At Our Atlanta Or Roswell Location

Dunwoody Office: 4553 N. Shallowford Road Suite 20B | Atlanta, GA | 30338 Tel: 770.457.6303 | Fax: 770.457.2823 Roswell Office: 10779 Alpharetta Highway Suite 140 | Roswell, GA | 30076 Tel: 770.645.4310 | Fax: 770.645.6996 www.picosmeticsurgery.com | www.facebook.com/picosmeticsurgery | Twitter: @premierimageATL

DECEMBER 4 â&#x2013;Ş 2015

*free mini facial and skin care analysis for new patients only, may not be redeemed for cash or credit. Valid through December 31st

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DECEMBER 4 â&#x2013;Ş 2015

Have a Happy Chanukah. And share what it means to you.

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#ChanukahPublix