Atlanta VOL. XCI NO. 2
WWW.ATLANTAJEWISHTIMES.COM
JANUARY 15, 2016 | 5 SHEVAT 5776
Jewish Music Festival Sure to Roll By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com
INSIDE Calendar �����������������������������������4 Candle Lighting ����������������������4 Israel �����������������������������������������8 Opinion ���������������������������������� 10 Camps �������������������������������������22 Home ��������������������������������������26 Business ���������������������������������28 Simchas ����������������������������������29 Obituaries ������������������������������29 Crossword ������������������������������30 Cartoon ����������������������������������� 31 Marketplace �������������������������� 31
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ewish music won’t be the only thing riding into town this March for the seventh annual Atlanta Jewish Music Festival: As AJMF stretches to a third weekend, it also will stretch across the region with a bus service to connect communities to the festivities. Headlining the 2016 edition of the festival are A-WA, three Israeli sisters who combine Yemenite folk with electronic dance music, and Jaffa Road, a Toronto group that mixes Jewish roots, jazz,
Let the Games Begin
One of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz, Thomas Buergenthal, is coming to help Am Yisrael Chai mark the 71st anniversary of the camp’s liberation. Page 6
Now that the Georgia General Assembly is in session, you’ll have to look hard to find the Jewish lawmakers. Page 14
STRONG BUSINESS
Powerlady Fitness’ Becky Brown is thriving by providing a needed service in Toco Hills: a place where women can work out while meeting the rules of modesty. Page 28
AJMF7 features 16 events from March 10 to 27 with a broad range of local, national and international artists. Festivities kick off at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs with New Yorkbased jazz group the Hadar Noiberg Trio and close with a teen battle of the bands at the 595 North Event Center (apply by Jan. 30 to compete). In between the festival brings to the stage such acts as Soulfarm, Andrew & Polly, FSQ, Joe Buchanan, and an array of local artists, including Sammy Rosenbaum and Klezmer Local 42. ■ • See the full schedule, plus Gottschalk’s thoughts, Page 21
Israel Spares Consulate
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SURVIVAL STORY
SELECT CLUB
Indian, Arabic, electronica and dub. They will perform at AJMF’s marquee event Saturday, March 26, a Purim party at Terminal West in West Midtown. “Our signature Spring Festival will once again be bigger and better as we expand from two to three weekends and increase programming by over 50 percent,” said Russell Gottschalk, the founder and executive director. “We’re blessed by the incredible support of both the Jewish Atlanta and Atlanta arts communities. Backing from these communities enables AJMF to thrive while solidifying Atlanta as the Jewish cultural hub of the South.”
Photos by David R. Cohen
Preschoolers celebrate the grand opening and ribbon cutting of the Ahava Early Learning Center at Ahavath Achim Synagogue on Wednesday, Jan. 6. The preschool, which was operating out of the Buckhead synagogue’s basement during the renovations, now has access to a range of equipment and facilities. Look for more photos of what Ahava offers in our education special section Jan. 22.
he Israeli Consulate General to the Southeast has avoided the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ ax. The ministry announced Wednesday, Jan. 6, that it would close the consulates in Philadelphia and Marseilles, France, the embassies in Belarus and El Salvador, and a roving ambassadorship to the Caribbean. But the list spared Atlanta and San Francisco, both of which were targeted in a draft budget Aug. 6. “We are very happy that the Consulate General of Israel in the Southeast will remain open,” Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer, who became consul general just days before the summer budget announcement, said in a statement Jan. 7. “We believe it is a wise decision for many reasons. The Consulate General is a vital location for the six states in our region. The growing Jewish, African-American, Hispanic and evangelical communities are a consistent source of support for Israel, and the economic impact the Southeast region and Israel are creating together is extremely significant.” Atlanta’s consulate serves Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi. In addition to Atlanta and San Francisco and the embassy in Washington, Israel plans to maintain missions in New York, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Houston and Los Angeles. ■ • Shorer deserves praise, Page 10