OVERDUE
NIF OR NOT?
Judges, rabbis and an exgovernor help celebrate the legacy of John Slaton, who tried to save Leo Frank. Page 6
CAPITAL IDEA
Is the New Israel Fund working to save Israel or destroy it? Both sides make their arguments. Page 12
A Conexx panel discussion explores why Atlanta is such a popular spot for Israeli investment. Page 15
Atlanta VOL. XC NO. 24
JUNE 26, 2015 | 9 TAMMUZ, 5775
WWW.ATLANTAJEWISHTIMES.COM
Shearith Israel Finds Fill-In Rabbi
Kindness Worth A Party
C
Viridian Images Photography
Sharon Hochdorf accepts the Dale Riggins Humanitarian Award in April at the Allie Awards, the Atlanta event industry’s big night. Read more about the Button It Up owner on Page 25 — part of our Summer Simchas section, Pages 16 to 34.
AJA’s Combined Campus Wins City OK The Sandy Springs City Council gave unanimous approval Tuesday, June 16, to a use permit for Atlanta Jewish Academy to upgrade its Northland Drive campus to incorporate its high school, now operating in Doraville at the former Yeshiva Atlanta campus. AJA closed on the sale of the high school campus on Raymond Drive earlier in June, but the school will lease space from the new owner, the Tapestry School, for at least the next school year.
MOVING IN
The Breman is the new home of the Savannah Jewish Archives, beating out Jewish centers on college campuses for the collection. Page 13
Sandy Springs approved changes to the former Greenfield Hebrew Academy campus to serve preschoolers through 12th-graders. AJA’s plans call for an increase from 117,000 to 185,000 square feet of space through the addition of a gymnasium and 14 classrooms. The school also will add an unlighted soccer field and parking spaces, but 58 fewer than required by ordinance. The city accepted a total of 180 parking spaces under the condition that AJA mandate
BAGELICIOUS
The search for Atlanta’s ultimate bagel tastes what the longtime East Cobb champ has to offer besides a New York state of mind. Page 36
carpools for student drivers, use Congregation Beth Tefillah for overflow parking, and ban students from parking on neighborhood streets. AJA will have no more than 720 students, the total approved for GHA. “Our plan is to house the leading program for a unified infant through twelfth grade school in a leading facility,” Ian Ratner, the president of the AJA board, said in an email announcement. Construction news should come soon. ■
INSIDE
Calendar 2 Business
15
Candle Lighting
3 Food 36
Local News
4 Obituaries
37
Israel 9 Crossword
38
Opinion 10 Cartoon
39
Southeast 13 Marketplace
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ongregation Shearith Israel has hired an interim rabbi to lead the synagogue through the next year. Rabbi Melvin Sirner will take his position at the Conservative intown shul in early August. He will replace Rabbi Hillel Norry, who decided after 13 years not to seek a renewal of his contract, which expires at the end of June. As Rabbi Norry is leaving Shearith Israel, Rabbi Sirner is retiring from Beth El Synagogue Center in New Rochelle, N.Y., where he has spent his entire career since being ordained out of the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1972. He has been Beth El’s senior rabbi since 1976. “We are very fortunate to have someone with Rabbi Sirner’s qualifications and history to come to our synagogue for the next year, and frankly I’m sure he’ll help us as we pursue our more long-term, full-time rabbi,” Shearith Israel President Josh D’Agostino said. A tribute (vimeo.com/129578914) created by his congregation demonstrates the affection for Rabbi Sirner. In the New Rochelle area, he helped found the Interreligious Council, worked with Meals on Wheels and a soup kitchen, and led the Westchester Board of Rabbis. Nationally, he has served on the Rabbinic Cabinet of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Chancellor’s Rabbinic Cabinet at JTS. Rabbi Sirner and his wife, Lenore, are expected in Atlanta the first week of August. Part of the attraction for them, D’Agostino said, is that they have family in the area. Shearith Israel will renew its rabbinic search after the High Holidays. ■