40 UNDER 40 Chaim Aharon Green, 29
Rabbi Chaim Aharon Green oversees the Young Jewish Professionals at Chabad Intown in Virginia-Highland, steps away from Ponce City Market. He grew up in south Florida and received his Bachelor of Arts in creative writing from Florida State University in 2012 before moving to Brooklyn, N.Y., to pursue a career in film and television. “I grew up always loving film. The first movie I saw in theaters was either ‘The Lion King’ or ‘Judge Dredd,’” Green said. “It really was a childhood dream and I wanted to go bigger, so I went to New York, and it took me about a week to get on set.” Since 2016, Green has focused on his relationship with G-d, quickly gravitating toward Chabad-Lubavitch as the steering ship on his journey. Before landing in Atlanta, Rabbi Green studied at the Rabbinical College of America in Morristown, NJ. While on the path from working in film and television to becoming a rabbi, Green explained that it was the result of a life-changing experience. “It was right as I was finishing work on the second season of ‘Daredevil.’ A buddy of mine called and asked if I wanted to go on Birthright,” he said. “I had intense experiences in Israel that really pushed me to develop my relationship with G-d.” His wife, Chava Green, is pursuing her doctorate in religious studies and women’s studies at Emory University, focusing on the Chasidic approach to femininity and the philosophical viewpoint of feminine energy. Her program is the reason why the couple moved to Atlanta and had the opportunity to work with Chabad Intown.
David Hoffman, 34
ADL’s Southeast Associate Regional Director David Hoffman was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Dallas. He attended college in New York City at List College, the joint program between Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, earning degrees in American studies and Bible. After teaching in New York’s public schools and working as a full-time educator at Central Synagogue, he earned master’s degrees in education and Jewish studies, and Hebrew and Judaic studies from New York University. He was the BBYO director at the MJCCA from 2013 to 2018. Hoffman also has taught high school students at The Temple in Atlanta since 2014. He staffed BBYO’s delegation of the International March of the Living in 2017, an experience that inspired him to do more to fight hate and led him to his first involvement with ADL. “When we did that march from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Yom HaShoah, I heard shofars blowing and it resonated deeply with me,” Hoffman said. “I saw someone blowing on a shofar and I asked if I could play it. To be able to blow the shofar in sight of the gates of Auschwitz really hit
me in my core.” In his current role, Hoffman oversees Words to Action, ADL’s educational program for recognizing and responding to anti-Semitism; the regional response to hate incidents; the International Affairs Committee; campus affairs, and he will be facilitating the Glass Leadership Institute, a yearlong young adult leadership program of which he is an alum. “I came here not knowing more than two people from college and a couple of family friends. One of the things that has inspired me most in Atlanta is the diversity of opportunities for Jewish experience.” Aside from the social justice causes that brought him to ADL in January 2018, Hoffman is passionate about music and nature, and can be found throughout the metro area at concerts, hiking and playing multiple musical instruments.
M. Adam Kaye Jr., 27
Adam Kaye is a real estate associate at BakerHostetler, focusing his practice on the acquisition, ground-up development, leasing and disposition of commercial real estate across a variety of asset classes. “My mom is an attorney and I’m unapologetically a mama’s boy, so that was definitely a factor in my decision to go into law,” Kaye said. “My dad and brother are in real estate, and also many friends work in real estate, but not on the legal side of it, so working in real estate provided an opportunity to work with
my friends down the road.” A graduate of GSU College of Law and the University of Georgia, he is a lifelong resident of Atlanta. “As someone who has lived in Atlanta my entire life, I enjoy being a part of such a vibrant and meaningful Jewish community,” he said. “As I continue to build a life and a family here, I aspire to be a strong piece of the foundation supporting the future of Jewish Atlanta for many years to come.” Kaye serves the Atlanta community in a variety of capacities, including as a registered mediator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution and as a co-founder and member of the board of directors for The Blue Dove Foundation, which tries to combat the stigma of mental health and addiction. In his free time, Adam enjoys playing golf and cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs. He is engaged to Megan Sara Maziar and a 2020 wedding is expected.
26 | JULY 19, 2019 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES