Atlanta Jewish Times, Vol. XCIII No. 13, March 30, 2018

VOL. XCIII NO. 13

WWW.ATLANTAJEWISHTIMES.COM

MARCH 30, 2018 | 13 NISAN 5778

Sing and Celebrate Passover 5778

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MARCH 30 â–ª 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INSIDE THE AJT STAY, STAY, STAY

The Georgia House makes clear that its members don’t want the Israeli Consulate to leave Atlanta. Page 9

NO CLOWNING Laughter might not be the best medicine, but Hadassah has found that it helps. Page 10

THE BOYS ARE BACK Scott Sherris and Dan Israel are reviving their friendly Point/Counterpoint debates. Page 16

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT Stoneman Douglas alumna Rachel Fayne finds the right leaders at the March for Our Lives. Page 18

STACEY VS. STACEY The two Democrats running for governor answer questions about issues of interest to Jewish Atlanta. Page 20

EASY INNOVATION Conexx leads the celebration of lifechanging Israeli advances. Page 30

OUT OF ASIA As we celebrate our escape from Africa, we share the stories of Jews who escaped westward. Page 36

FROM THE TOP Tip Top corners the market on special Israeli products for Passover. Page 57

SHARK! Get out of the water and down to the aquarium for a new look at sharks — in 2020. Page 60

NO ARGUING A state debate championship comes from flawless Muslim-Jewish teamwork. Page 66

IT’S A HIT Atlanta sister city Ra’anana is ready to roll with a baseball complex honoring a victim of terrorism. Page 68

SOUND OF SILENCE It feels that way now that another memorable Jewish Music Festival is over. Page 72 On the cover: “A Seder for Women” haggadah cover by Atlanta artist Flora Rosefsky, a marker pen illustration from 1999. Rosefsky writes, “The illustration, used as a haggadah cover, was originally published for ‘A Women’s Seder,’ sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women, Atlanta Section, on April 5, 1999/20 Nisan 5759. The artwork is reminiscent of a quilt design that could incorporate applique with embroidery. The quote at the top of the illustration, ‘Whoever expands upon the story of the Exodus deserves praise,’ comes from the traditional haggadah and has inspired artists like myself to freely find new meanings in our Jewish traditions. Passover is a festival filled with symbols, some of which are quite new. One of those newer symbols is Miriam’s Cup. Filled with water, rather than wine, it symbolizes Miriam’s role in leading the Israelites out of Egypt with joyous singing, dancing, drum beating and praise. Hallelujah!”

INDEX Candle Lighting ������������������ 4 Israel@70 Calendar ����������� 5 Israel News �������������������������� 6 Opinion ������������������������������ 12 Politics �������������������������������� 18 Business ������������������������������ 30 Health & Wellness ������������ 32 Passover ����������������������������� 36 Local News ������������������������� 59 Education ���������������������������64 Sports ���������������������������������� 68 Home ����������������������������������� 70 Arts �������������������������������������� 72 Obituaries �������������������������� 79 Marketplace ���������������������� 80 Crossword ��������������������������82

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BACK TO BELTLINE Chabad Intown is in a perfect position to take Jewish engagement in new directions. Page 12

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CALENDAR

CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

THURSDAY, MARCH 29

PUBLISHER

MICHAEL A. MORRIS

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EDITORIAL Editor

MICHAEL JACOBS

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SARAH MOOSAZADEH sarah@atljewishtimes.com

Contributors This Week NICOLE DORI RABBI DAVID GEFFEN YONI GLATT • JORDAN GORFINKEL ELI GRAY • TAL GRINFAS-DAVID RACHEL GRUSKIN • STEVE HANDEL ELI HARRISON • LEAH R. HARRISON DAN ISRAEL • MARCIA CALLER JAFFE KAREN JONES • VICKI LEOPOLD KEVIN C. MADIGAN REBECCA MCCARTHY RABBI LYDIA MEDWIN JUSTIN MILRAD MARIANA MONTIEL TED ROBERTS • FLORA ROSEFSKY DAVE SCHECHTER SHAINDLE SCHMUCKLER DENA SCHUSTERMAN CHANA SHAPIRO SCOTT SHERRIS JOE STERLING DUANE STORK

CREATIVE SERVICES Creative Design

DARA DRAWDY

COMMUNITY LIAISON JEN EVANS

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CONTACT INFORMATION GENERAL OFFICE 404.883.2130 KAYLENE@ATLJEWISHTIMES.COM

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The Atlanta Jewish Times is printed in Georgia and is an equal opportunity employer. The opinions expressed in the Atlanta Jewish Times do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper. Periodicals Postage Paid at Atlanta, Ga.

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POSTMASTER send address changes to The Atlanta Jewish Times 270 Carpenter Drive Suite 320, Atlanta Ga 30328. Established 1925 as The Southern Israelite Phone: (404) 883-2130 www.atlantajewishtimes.com THE ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES (ISSN# 0892-33451) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY SOUTHERN ISRAELITE, LLC 270 Carpenter Drive, Suite 320, Atlanta, GA 30328 © 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES Printed by Walton Press Inc. MEMBER Conexx: America Israel Business Connector American Jewish Press Association Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce Please send all photos, stories and editorial content to: submissions@atljewishtimes.com

Pesach Friday, March 30, light candles at 7:39 p.m. Saturday, March 31, light candles after 8:35 p.m. Sunday, April 1, yontiff ends at 8:36 p.m. Pesach Thursday, April 5, light candles at 7:43 p.m. Friday, April 6, light candles at 7:44 p.m. Saturday, April 7, Shabbat and holiday end at 8:41 p.m.

Edgewise. Emory University emeritus medical professor Arnold Berry speaks about the history of anesthesiology at 10:30 a.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Free for members, $5 for others; www.atlantajcc.org/ knowledgewise or 678-812-4070.

FRIDAY, MARCH 30

Chametz burning. Anshi Rabbi Mayer Freedman invites all to his house, 1113 University Drive, Morningside, for the pre-Passover ritual at 11 a.m. Free; www.anshisfard.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 31

Second seder. Congregation B’nai Israel, 1633 Highway 54 East, Jonesboro, holds a seder at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $26 for members, $35 for nonmembers and $18 for children 10 and under; RSVP as soon as possible to bnai-israel. net/project/community-passover-seder-2017 or 678-817-7162. Second seder. The Sixth Point holds a relaxed, kosher-style seder at 6 p.m. at Heritage Sandy Springs, 6110 Bluestone Road, Sandy Springs. Tickets are $36 (subsidized) or $50 (actual cost); register ASAP at thesixthpoint.org/event/ community-passover-seder-2. Second seder. Temple Emanu-El, 1580 Spalding Drive, Sandy Springs, holds a seder at 6 p.m. with all the clergy. Tickets are $36 for adults and $25 for children; RSVP at templeemanuelatlanta. org/calendar/2nd-night-seder.

TUESDAY, APRIL 3

Sober Seder. Jewish Family & Career Services’ HAMSA holds a seder led by Rabbi Brad Levenberg for those in re-

Ovarian Cycle April 15

The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance’s Ovarian Cycle is back for its 15th year in Atlanta, where the fundraiser launched in 2004, eight years before the alliance adopted it as a signature event. Founded by Bethany Diamond, Ovarian Cycle launched with 40 participants on stationary bikes to honor Debbie Flamm, who died of ovarian cancer at age 43. Last year, more than 1,000 riders at 20 locations nationwide raised more than $730,000 for ovarian cancer research, pushing the total since 2004 over $3.5 million. The Atlanta ride this year will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 15, at CycleBar Dunwoody at 4794 Ashford-Dunwoody Road. A portion of the Atlanta proceeds will go the alliance’s Woman to Woman program at the Northside Hospital Cancer Institute, in which cancer survivors provide one-on-one support to gynecologic cancer patients. Atlanta participants may spin for one to four hours and may go solo or split the time as part of a team. DJ Galavance will provide music mixes; spinning instructors will offer motivation. A break is scheduled every hour with snacks and refreshments. Register at support.ocrfa.org/site/TR?fr_id=1310&pg=entry. The fee is $50 (free for ovarian cancer survivors), and each rider is asked to raise at least $500. Virtual riders, who support the cause but don’t attend the April 15 event, don’t have a registration fee or fundraising minimum; just indicate “Virtual Rider” during registration. covery and the people who love them at 6 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs. Free; form. jotform­.com/jfcsatl/sober-seder.

ista Road, Toco Hills. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door or $50 per family; tinyurl.com/VFIAtlanta.

Community concert. A celebration of Passover and Israel’s 70th birthday includes a beatboxing demonstration and an a cappella supergroup at 7 p.m. at Congregation Beth Jacob, 1855 LaV-

Holocaust opera talk. The creators of “Out of Darkness: Two Remain” participate in a discussion at noon at the Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown. Free; bit.ly/2IWkVzC.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4

Find more events and submit items for our online and print calendars at the Atlanta Jewish Connector, www.atlantajewishconnector.com.

Remember When

10 Years Ago March 28, 2008 ■ Georgia is one of five states without a hate-crimes law, and that’s not going to change this year after House Speaker Glenn Richardson rejected such legislation. But Bill Nigut, the Anti-Defamation League’s Southeast director, held a news conference March 21 to reiterate the ADL’s commitment: “Because we’re in this for the long haul, we’ll keep coming back.” ■ The b’nai mitzvah ceremony of cousins Chase Abram Rosenberg of Roswell, son of IJ and Beth Ann Rosenberg, and Molli Eliza Botnick of Atlanta, daughter of Harris and Geri Botnick, was held Saturday, March 22, at Temple Sinai. 25 Years Ago March 26, 1993 ■ Hebrew Academy seventh-grader Ellen Fink was thrilled to win a scholarship to U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., even though math and science are not her favorite subjects. Ellen earned her time at the camp with an essay she wrote

about Sally Ride, America’s first woman in space. She got the sensation of walking on the moon through a simulator. ■ Melanie and Scott Zucker announce the birth of a son, Drew Lewis, on Feb. 28. 50 Years Ago March 29, 1968 ■ The Jewish Community Center, the Walton Way TemADL Southeast Director ple and the USO in Augusta Bill Nigut is determined to bring a hate-crimes will unite March 29 at the law to Georgia. Walton Way Temple to wish success and good fortune to Chaplain Bruce M. Freyer as he leaves Fort Gordon for Vietnam. ■ Mr. and Mrs. Max E. Robkin of Atlanta announce the engagement of daughter Judith Miriam Robkin to David Alan Lipsitz, son of Dr. and Mrs. Ellis S. Lipsitz of St. Louis.

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CALENDAR ture after-party at 9. Tickets are $70 until March 30, then $118, $180 for patrons, and $36 for JNFuture members; bit.ly/2GgioyG or 404-236-8990, ext. 851.

Hunger Seder. Ahavath Achim Synagogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave., Buckhead, holds a seder to raise awareness of and support for hungry people in the area at 6 p.m. Admission is $36; www. aasynagogue.org/event/hunger-seder-2018 or 404-355-5222.

FRIDAY, APRIL 6

Film opening. The post-Holocaust movie “1945,” which was part of this year’s Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, starts a run today at the Midtown Art Cinema, 931 Monroe Drive, Suite C-212, Midtown, and the Springs Cinema & Taphouse, 5920 Roswell Road, Suite C-103, Sandy Springs. Visit www.menemshafilms.com/1945. “The Jew Catcher.” The play about a Holocaust survivor in 1962 opens at 7:30 p.m. at Onion Man Productions, 5522 New Peachtree Road, No. 111, Chamblee, with addition performances through April 22. Tickets are $16 ($14 for seniors and students); www.onionmanproductions.com or 404-519-7591.

SATURDAY, APRIL 7

Feast of Moshiach. Chabad Intown, 928 Ponce de Leon, Poncey-Highland, holds a special end-of-Passover meal at 7 p.m. after Mincha at 6:30. Free; chabadintown.org.

Israel@70 The following events are part of Atlanta’s celebration of Israel’s 70th birthday. Send additions to this calendar to editor@atljewishtimes.com.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11 FIDF speaker series. Hudson Institute senior fellow Michael Doran speaks at 6:30 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs. Free; advance registration required at fidfse.wixsite. com/israel70speakers/event-detailsregistration.

THURSDAY, APRIL 19 JNF jubilee. Comedian Sarge entertains at Jewish National Fund’s gala birthday celebration for Israel at the Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road, Buckhead, with a VIP reception at 6 p.m., a champagne celebration at 6:45, the main program at 7:45 and a JNFu-

Stories and music. Temple Emanu-El, 1580 Spalding Drive, Sandy Springs, celebrates Israel’s birthday with funny stories and musical acts with its Beit Café at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18; RSVP by April 15 at templeemanuelatlanta.org/ calendar/temple-emanu-el-beit-cafe.

MONDAY, APRIL 23

Women at the Wall. Israel Religious Action Center Director Anat Hoffman speaks about the struggles for religious rights for women at the Western Wall at 7 p.m. at The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., Midtown. Free; www.the-temple. org or 404-873-1731.

THURSDAY, APRIL 26

Food trucks. Celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut with the Marcus JCC, including kosher food, Israeli dancing, live music, performances by day school students, games and crafts, at Liane Levetan Park at Brook Run, 4770 N. Peachtree Road, Dunwoody, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Free admission; www.atlantajcc.org.

SUNDAY, APRIL 29

Israel@70 Atlanta. Jewish Atlanta holds a community celebration from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. with games, exhibits, activities, food, and music from performers including the Billy Jonas Band, Joanie Leeds and Taking the Time at Park Tavern at Piedmont Park, 500 10th St., Midtown. Admission is $10 per or $18 per family in advance, $18 or $25 at the door; jewishatlanta.org/israel70. BeltLine bar crawl. Birthright Israel alumni have brunch at 11:30 a.m. at Mariposa Lofts, 100 Montag Circle, Inman Park, and stop at a few bars on the way to the community celebration at Park Tavern. Tickets are $36, including brunch, four drinks and Israel@70 Atlanta admission; jewishatlanta.org/ birthright-bar-crawl or 678-222-3746.

MONDAY, MAY 14

FIDF gala. Friends of the IDF honors the men and women who have defended Israel for 70 years with a reception at 5:30 p.m. and a dinner program at 7 featuring Rep. Brian Mast at the InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta, 3315 Peachtree Road. Admission is $250 ($118 for ages 35 and under); fidfse.wixsite.com/atl70/event-details.

SUNDAY, APRIL 8

Fort Benning visit. The Atlanta Jewish War Veterans post travels to Fort Benning for the weekly Jewish service with more than 500 service members at 8 a.m., followed by conversation and oneg with the troops, then a special tour of the infantry museum and brunch in Columbus. Free; RSVP to George Heart, 613heart@gmail.com or 404-817-1301, for details on rides, security and access.

Argentinian film. The Atlanta JewishLatino Film Series, held at Congregation Or Hadash, 7460 Trowbridge Road, Sandy Springs, with the Consulate General of Argentina, opens at 4 p.m. with “Los Gauchos Judios” and runs through April 14. Tickets are $5 per film, $18 for the series or $36 for the series and dinner April 14; www.or-hadash­.org/form/ jlfs-cost.html.

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Hope amid dementia. John Zeisel, the author of “I’m Still Here: A New Philosophy of Alzheimer’s Care,” a method adopted by Jewish Home Life Communities, speaks on “Hopeful Aging” at 2 p.m. at the William Breman Jewish Home, 3150 Howell Mill Road, Buckhead. Free; register at www.jewishhomelife.org/ london-family-agesmart-lectures.

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ISRAEL NEWS

Day Schools Sign On to Revitalize Israel Education The imperative veshinantam levanecha (you shall teach your children diligently) has become more pressing than ever at a time when history is being rewritten by vocal interest-driven groups. Not only do our students encounter the typical online disinformation and the various narratives of the Arab-Israel conflict, but they also learn about the legislation of European elected officials disavowing any culpability or responsibility for the past. Against the overwhelming tide of “fake news,” it is hard for students to discern truth from fiction and even harder for teachers to know what and how to teach about Israel. The Center for Israel Education has trained thousands of educators with effective strategies for teaching Israeli history, politics, economics and culture. At the core of this instruction is the use of primary sources to tell the story of Jewish self-determination, state building, creativity and ingenuity. Now, through a generous grant, CIE can extend our impact to meet

schools where they are and guide them to achieve new successes in the teaching and learning of Israel. Over the next three years, CIE will mentor the faculty of eight schools

Guest Column By Tal Grinfas-David

to enhance their teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogic approaches, leading them to create impactful Israel curricula for all ages. We will be visiting schools in the United States and Canada to deliver customized, professional development and resources for teachers of Judaics, Hebrew, social studies, science, art and more. When teachers of all subject areas, Jewish and non-Jewish, come together to create integrated units of study about Israel, it sends a powerful message to students and families that Israel is central to the school’s mission and purpose. It also provides opportu-

nities for teaching high-level critical thinking skills as students learn to compare and contrast Israel’s history and political systems with their own. Finally, as graduates of Jewish day schools engage in the difficult and nuanced conversations with those who wish to rewrite history, they will be able to say that they saw the actual document, photo, land deed or other primary source to support them, rather than be swayed by memes or social media posts. As we move forward and get to know the mission, administration and faculty of each school, we recognize the variety of challenges we face. First, some schools are more advanced than others in terms of what and how they are teaching about Israel. This requires careful analysis of existing curricula to find where gaps exist. Second, schools, like many organizations, can be hesitant to initiate change. This can be exacerbated by concerns about parents’ political biases and community responses. Third, thinking differently about how Israel is woven into the fabric of

The Nebi Musa pilgrimage procession moves through Jerusalem in 1920.

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Today in Israeli History

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Items provided by the Center for Israel Education (www.israeled.org), where you can find more details. March 30, 1135: Moses Ben Maimon, known as Maimonides or the Rambam, is born in Cordoba, Spain, into a distinguished family. (Some sources give his birth year as 1138.) March 31, 1979: The Eurovision Song Contest, an annual competition with representatives of member countries of the European Broadcasting Union, is held in Jerusalem (the first time since its start in 1956 that it happens outside Europe) and is won for the second consecutive year by an Israeli song, “Hallelujah,” performed by Gali Atari and Milk & Honey. April 1, 1997: In a move designed to “make the polluter pay,” according to Environment Minister Raphael Eitan, the Knesset passes the Environmental

the school may require leadership to think differently about some basic structures. For example, modifying the schedule to allow for common planning time among teachers of different divisions and disciplines may have a cascading impact on the typical master schedule. Despite these challenges, the schools we are working with have demonstrated a willingness to make major and minor changes because they view their students’ Israel literacy as paramount. When we teach our children diligently, Israel is taught year-round by all teachers and across all subjects, without bias or political leanings. Attention is given to our Jewish values and characteristics that sustain a dynamic collective and a valued identity. We are excited to partner with schools seeking to fulfill their mission and purpose of preparing students for the increasingly challenging world they will face. ■ Tal Grinfas-David is the day school education specialist for the Center for Israel Education (www.israeled.org). Enforcement Law, which creates substantial fines for violations of noise and air pollution rules and for illegal disposal of hazardous materials. April 2, 1979: As a follow-up to the 1978 Camp David Accords, Menachem Begin travels to Cairo, becoming the first Israeli prime minister to visit an Arab capital. April 3, 1949: Israel and Jordan sign an armistice agreement, the third of four Israel reaches with its Arab neighbors to end the War of Independence. The deal with Egypt was signed Feb. 24, and the agreement with Lebanon was completed March 23. The last armistice, with Syria, is signed July 20. April 4, 1920: Riots break out in Jerusalem’s Old City during the Muslim Nebi Musa pilgrimage festival. The violence leaves five Jews and four Arabs dead, and hundreds are wounded. April 5, 1974: Richard Crossman, 66, who supported Zionist efforts while serving on the Anglo-American Commission of Inquiry after World War II, dies from liver cancer in England.

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ISRAEL NEWS

Non-Jewish Israelis Defend Their Country By Eli Harrison

Photos by Sarah Moosazadeh

“We know our facts,” Jonathan Elkhoury says about Reservists on Duty.

venomous response. Confusion ensued when the pro-Palestinian demonstrators learned that the reservists were not Jews. Mohammed Kabiya, one of the speakers at the ACCESS event, addressed an Irvine protester in a hijab in Arabic, resulting in this exchange: “You’re a Jewish Muslim?” “No, I’m no Jewish Muslim. I’m an Arab Israeli Muslim.” Elkhoury told the ACCESS crowd, “We are sure of our message.” He said those who resort to vitriol,

Reservists on Duty member Nasrin Khalifa speaks about her experiences in Israel.

such as the Irvine protesters, are not as secure in their beliefs and thus resort to anger and insults. “We know our facts. We know what is going on on the ground,” Elkhoury said. “And we came there to have this dialogue. And they just weren’t able to listen or able to have this dialogue and conversation.” The video set the tone for the presentation. The reservists came to express their fervent support for their home, not to delve into the nuances of Israeli society.

A few questions about Israel’s problems led to a plea from Elkhoury that the reservists would not like to get political. The crowd’s reaction was generally positive. “I was very surprised at what I heard. I didn’t realize that all the nonJewish groups were in the IDF,” said Jerry, a septuagenarian who attended with his wife. He marveled at how these young people are engaged in “Israel as a country, not as a religion.” ■

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Non-Jewish Israelis shared their stories of support for and service to Israel at an event hosted by ACCESS in Sandy Springs on Sunday, Feb. 25. “Much of the Middle East conflict, the arguments become repetitive. People hear the same thing over and over again. So when you hear the same things from the same people with the same positions, it might blend together,” said Brandon Goldberg, one of the event chairs. “It’s not going to impact people as strongly because they’ve heard it before. This is something that folks have not heard before.” Although ACCESS is the young professional division of American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta region, many of the roughly 60 attendees for the session with Reservists on Duty appeared to be older than 50. The purpose of Reservists on Duty, a nonprofit founded in 2015, is to counter the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement’s anti-Israel narrative by presenting the experiences of young members of Israel’s racial and ethnic minorities. “Hopefully this will expand people’s understanding of what life is really like in Israel,” Goldberg said. The reservists at the ACCESS event are Christian, Muslim or Druze representatives of Lebanese expat, Bedouin and Arab populations. All are Israeli citizens, and all served in the military or the civilian national service, as their cultures permitted. They said stories of Israeli oppression of minorities do not reflect their lives, and their military experiences have not included crimes against Palestinians. Minorities in Israel, citizens or not, are treated with dignity, they said. Jonathan Elkhoury, the founder and leader of Reservists on Duty, a former refugee of Lebanese-Christian descent, and a member of the LGBTQ community, said any bigotry he has faced came from individuals, not the government. The presentation began with a documentary short asking whether the Israel Apartheid Week demonstrations held on college campuses are legitimate protests or merely efforts to spread lies about Israel. The film showed Reservists on Duty members in Israeli flags posing questions and probing for the details behind anti-Israel sloganeering at the University of California, Irvine, during Anti-Zionism Week, only to receive a

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ISRAEL NEWS

AIPAC Honors AJA With National Award

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

“I will always be respectful, but I will never shut up,” the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, declared at the 2018 AIPAC Policy Conference. After Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian diplomat, rudely demanded that she suppress her opinions on Israel, she let him know exactly how she felt. Ambassador Haley has never been more right. I believe that there are times to be private and there are times to be public about one’s opinion, and right now is most definitely not a time to be quiet about the current state of Israel. Just as Ambassador Haley refuses to keep her beliefs about Israel undisclosed, so too the students of the Atlanta Jewish Academy Upper School refuse to withhold their outlook and position on Israel. As a proud partner school with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AJA is honored to have received the National Early Engagement Exemplars Award. Maayan Schoen, Sammy Frankel and I went to Washington to the Policy Conference from March 4 to 6 to accept this award on behalf of AJA and the Israel Advocacy Club. The award is bestowed on the top school or organization of high school leaders that has taken the greatest initiative to advance AIPAC’s goals over the past year by engaging in pro-Israel political activism. A few days before the Policy Conference, Carly Sternberg, the director of early engagement at AIPAC, called a few of the contributing Israel Advocacy Club members to inform them that the school had won this esteemed award. AJA is truly honored to be chosen for this award out of the hundreds of schools and organizations that are active in AIPAC. AJA students have refused to let size deter them from achieving the objective of supporting our homeland, Israel. By winning this award, the students have proved just how capable our school is. None of this would have been possible without the tremendous help of Rabbi Reuven Travis, the leader of the Israel Advocacy Club at AJA. Rabbi Travis is in charge of planning and coordinating the events for the club, as well as helping with any matter concerning Israel in the school. Asked what this award means 8 to him, he said he could not be any

prouder of the students and, through this award, is reminded of how fortunate he is “to be able to work with such bright, talented and committed young people.” There are many reasons why AJA

Guest Column By Nicole Dori

was selected for this award. Israel and AIPAC have played important roles in the foundation and establishment of AJA as a school. Because we are a pro-Israel school, Israel is incorporated into the students’ everyday lives. This year, from Israel, the school has two amazing b’not sherut (Israeli national service volunteers), along with the shlichim families who plan and execute interactive, exciting events to get the students involved. Student Council organizes space for AIPAC presentations, StandWithUs speakers and much more during weekly community time. On top of that, AJA openly celebrates holidays such as Israel’s Independence Day and the Memorial Day for fallen soldiers. Israel is clearly part of AJA as a whole, and the high school has taken it to the next level by maintaining the active Israel Advocacy Club. This club brings in speakers, runs pro-Israel events and arranges to send letters to members of Congress to ask for their support for Israel. Israel Advocacy Club leaders recently drafted an email to Congress to support the Taylor Force Act, then sent it to everyone in the school to forward to their representatives in Congress. In addition, the club has brought in speakers such as Jonathan Kessler, the director of strategic initiatives at AIPAC, and has had multiple “Snack and Schmooze” sessions with Rayna Exelbierd from StandWithUs. This year, Summer Pitocchelli, a leader of the Israel Advocacy Club, decided it was imperative to open new possibilities with the addition of the Israel Club, the “nonpolitical section, which allow(s) students to express their love and appreciation for Israel in a more natural way.” This club gives students outlets to convey their feelings and beliefs about

Photo courtesy of AIPAC

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, speaks at the AIPAC Policy Conference.

Israel without having to deal with the politics — whether through writing articles for Palette, AJA’s school magazine, or creating presentations about the country — while still being active and involved. In terms of AIPAC events, AJA attends every AIPAC Atlanta annual event and sends delegations to all the AIPAC seminars in Washington, from the Saban Leadership Seminar to the Schusterman Advocacy Institute High School Summit and the Policy Conference. As Rabbi Travis explained, “The best way to support and promote this partnership is in a bipartisan manner.” Thanks to the partnership with AIPAC, AJA is able to support the partnership of America and Israel. The students are thankful for the opportunity to send multiple students to these seminars and to take advantage of them so as not to waste these great educational experiences. As detailed above, AJA had demonstrated immense support and respect for AIPAC and Israel advocacy. Nevertheless, the National Early Engagement Exemplars Award is a special manifestation of exactly how important Israel is to the school. “This award is validation for our new advocacy methods. … As a club, we are so privileged to have received national recognition,” Summer said. This recognition will motivate and inspire students to work even harder and do even more. This award was not given to AJA as a participation trophy; it was given in honor of what

the school has done and everything that it can do in the future. “It means that our students have embraced the notion of being engaged advocates for Israel and understand the importance of the American-Israeli partnership,” Rabbi Travis said. He said that because of AJA’s new recognition, students are even more excited and energized to reach high goals on their agenda. I hope this success can help find some more sponsors to grow the AJA delegation for future AIPAC Policy Conferences and that, on a more foundational level, it will grow the student body’s interest in and support of Israel. Because of AIPAC’s recognition of Atlanta Jewish Academy and its accomplishments, the school and the students feel confident that their relationship with and support for Israel will continue to flourish in the years to come. ■ Nicole Dori is a senior at AJA and the salutatorian for the 2018 graduating class. She is the editor of the school magazine, the Palette, and had a producing role in this year’s girls chagiga production. She has won multiple awards, including the Citizenship Award, the Georgia Certificate of Merit, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Medal Award, the University of Pennsylvania Alumni Club of Atlanta’s Book Award and the Excellence in Journalism Award, and she has won first place in the Georgia Math League three times. She plans to attend Midreshet Tehillah in Jerusalem next year.

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ISRAEL NEWS

House Urges Consulate to Stay, Embassy to Move

Consul General Judith Varnai Shorer speaks at the Conexx Gala on Thursday, March 22, the day after her appearance at the state Capitol.

bond between the United States and Israel, which he called one of America’s “true, great allies.” The two nations share the bond of

cherishing and pursuing freedom and peace, Ralston said. “As a result, both are targeted and terrorized by those who wish to spread fear and violence.” H.R. 1470, also sponsored by Gravley and Ralston, was more controversial, within the Jewish community as well as in the state House, which approved it on a 117-43 vote. The measure commends President Donald Trump for his decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and thus treat Israel as the United States treats every other sovereign nation. “The members of this body recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and urge the President of the United

States to relocate the United States Embassy to Israel’s capital,” the resolution reads. After recognizing Jerusalem (borders undefined) as Israel’s capital in December, Trump has announced plans to open a temporary embassy in Jerusalem in May, when Israel will mark its 70th birthday on the secular calendar. Closing her remarks by emphasizing her appreciation for all the pro-Israel bills and resolutions in both chambers this year, Shorer said she was especially happy with the last two H.R. 1469 and H.R. 1470: “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” ■

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Georgia lawmakers took time in the closing weeks of the legislative session to take stands on two important diplomatic issues with Israel. The state House passed two resolutions Monday, March 19, and presented copies of them to Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer two days later when she made her second speech under the golden dome in a week. The first resolution, H.R. 1469, urges Israel to keep its consulate to the Southeast in Atlanta. The one-page resolution cites the large Jewish population of metro Atlanta — among the 10 biggest in North America — as well as the presence of as many as 15,000 Israelis in the area and more than 40 Israeli business headquarters in Georgia. The resolution notes that “Atlanta is the heart of the nation’s largest concentrations of evangelical Christians, an important ally of the Jewish People.” Israel enacted a budget in January that calls for closing seven diplomatic missions over the next three years, and Atlanta has been mentioned as a likely candidate to close. Shorer has emphasized that the government has not decided what to close. The House resolution, sponsored by Rep. Micah Gravley (R-Douglasville) and House Speaker David Ralston (RBlue Ridge), passed on a 173-0 vote. Ralston urged Israel to keep its consulate in Atlanta for years to come. In her brief speech to the House chamber March 21, Shorer picked up on the same points about Jewish, Israeli and evangelical populations and business connections in thanking the House for reaffirming the bonds of cooperation between Georgia and Israel. “I’m overwhelmed, and I thank you for your strong, continuous support of Israel, especially this year as we celebrate our 70th year of independence,” Shorer said. “It’s not much, but it’s a lot for the Jewish people.” She also used her appearance to thank the House, as she had thanked the Senate one week earlier, for voting unanimously for legislation that authorizes the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust to begin looking for a site and a design for a privately funded, state-owned Holocaust memorial. Such a state memorial “means a great deal to the Jewish community,” said Shorer, the daughter of Holocaust survivors. In introducing Shorer, Ralston called her a great leader and said the House was honored to have her. He also emphasized the special

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ISRAEL NEWS

Panel Sees Personalized Promise Against Cancer Breakthrough advances in the diagnosis and treatment of breast and ovarian cancer were presented at a program for health professionals Sunday, March 18, at Northside Hospital. “Global Breakthroughs in Awareness, Research and Treatment of Breast and Ovarian Cancer” was presented by Hadassah Greater Atlanta and sponsored by Northside. It preceded that night’s Hadassah fundraiser for breast and ovarian cancer, Best Strokes, at which more than $36,000 was raised. Dale Bearman, who serves on the Northside Hospital board and was the tearful Best Strokes honoree for his efforts to expand use of genetic testing for cancer, moderated a panel consisting of Tamar Peretz, the director of the Sharett Oncology Institute at the Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem; Benedict Benigno, the director of gynecological oncology at the Northside Hospital Cancer Institute and founder and CEO of the Ovarian Cancer Institute; and Jayanthi Srinivasiah, a medical oncologist and hematologist for Georgia Cancer Specialists and the Northside Hospital Cancer Institute. Peretz also was the honorary chair of the Best Strokes fundraiser, as which she spoke about Hadassah’s advances in cancer research. Benigno spoke of his dreams of better treatment to cure cancer. Treatments individualized to each patient may be possible to eliminate the need for chemotherapy and surgery. Infor-

Dale Bearman proves he was telling the truth at the start of his Best Strokes speech when he said he’s a crier.

mation technology speeds research, and multidisciplinary teams will work together for an integrated approach to develop testing and designer drugs for targeted, personalized therapy. He also discussed the need for early identification of ovarian cancer. There are no early signs or symptoms, and the cancer may be too advanced for best outcomes once it is discovered. Early screenings are critical. Benigno, working with Georgia Tech, developed a test to identify Stage 1 ovarian cancer and is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval. Peretz was part of an international team that first identified the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic link to breast and ovarian cancers. The BRCA gene mutation is 10 times more frequent among Ashkenazi Jewish women than in the general population. Advances in genetic research have refined diagnosis and treatment through the identification of molecular

Hadassah Greater Atlanta President Sheila Dalmat presents a certificate to panelist Jayanthi Srinivasiah in front of moderator Dale Bearman.

subtypes. Five subgroups were identified that differ because of their aggressiveness and receptivity to treatment options for the best results. Srinivasiah gave a detailed talk on the genetics of cancer. She repeated the other speakers’ data that only 5 percent to 10 percent of breast and ovarian cancers result from the inherited genetic mutation linked to the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, but those mutations increase the lifetime risk for one or more types of cancer, with a 70 percent chance of cancer by age 70. The gene can be inherited from either the mother or the father, and she recommends that fathers be tested if the mother is negative for the mutation. Exciting advances in genetic testing can be appropriate to identify risks and treatment options for concerned people. Srinivasiah stressed the importance of genetic counseling before testing to determine the need for such tests and to review the results when testing

Hadassah Sends in the Medical Clowns

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Hadassah Hospital has a medical clown program in the belief that laughter is important, if not necessarily the best, medicine. Clown care has existed for decades as a way to help ill children, but the discipline has been formalized and is now considered an invaluable asset in pediatrics. Israel has become a global leader in the field. Thanks to the generosity of donors, Hadassah has pioneered this tool for healing through humor. Hadassah’s clown program began in September 2002, and it was the first of its kind in Israel. Clowns are present in the pediatric inpatient and intensive care units, outpatient clinics, acute-care waiting rooms, and physical therapy, bone marrow transplant, burn and pediatric AIDS units, reminding young patients that they are more than 10 just their illness.

The program began at Ein Kerem and quickly spread to the Mount Scopus campus. Working with the hospital’s medical staff, Hadassah’s clowns communicate with the hospital’s acutely and chronically ill children, their parents and the medical staff. Reintroducing fun and laughter as natural parts of everyday life, they help ease the stress of illness. Hadassah’s renowned medical clowns use their skills to treat children with doses of fun to help them deal with the emotions they may experience in the hospital, such as fear, anxiety, loneliness and boredom. They wonder drug of laughter reduces pain by relaxing patients and helping children cope with difficult situations. The clowns are all trained professionals. Along with their professional

qualifications, Chris, Jerome, Dudi, Talia, Bobo, Rinat and all the other clowns share an intense empathy with children. “I look into a child’s eyes and see the person, not the illness,” Jerome said. “I don’t even think about the illness until I’ve left the hospital.” According to the pediatrics division at Hadassah-Ein Kerem, “The hospital clowns have made an extraordinary impact on the pediatrics division. They help acutely ill children lose their fear of hospitalization and treatment, and they forge a deep connection with the chronically sick youngsters, even those who are withdrawn and remote.” Hadassah has set the professional criteria for medical clowning in Israel. The clowns’ presence is viewed by the medical crew as a natural part of hospital work. The nurses and doctors use the assistance of the clowns in medical

Hadassah oncologist Tamar Peretz speaks at the Northside Hospital discussion on cancer breakthroughs.

is indicated. Familial correlations account for 15 percent to 20 percent of cancers and are defined as more cancers occurring in a family than expected in a normal family, with no genetic reason identified. There may be an unidentified genetic reason or an environmental risk. Sporadic cancers, which account for 70 percent to 80 percent of cases, have no known exact cause, with no hereditary features in familial cancers. New genetic tests are coming to identify mutations that can cause cancer. Multipanel genetic testing for the patient with cancer can identify whether there is a genetic cause and help the family. Srinivasiah recommends that patients and families obtain genetic counseling to determine whether and which tests are to be conducted. Pharmacogenetics is another use of genetic testing to identify the best medications to treat cancer. ■

procedures ranging from simple blood tests to the escorting of children to operating rooms, from physiotherapy to HIV treatment and emergency actions. The professional collaboration has become a cornerstone that has led to positive results for patients and their families, both of whom benefit from this service at the hospital. Laughter, like exercise, can reduce stress, improve tolerance to pain, and alter bodily functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, muscle activity and stomach acidity. The mere presence of the clown is a reminder of joy and hope in rooms of fear and sickness. A clown in the hospital is itself a joke, the very spirit of humor. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins and serotonin, which are the feel-good hormones that create feelings of euphoria, love and happiness. ■

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ISRAEL NEWS

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home

Bialik and the president. “The Big Bang Theory” actress Mayim Bialik went to Israel for the Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism from March 19 to 21, and she received a warm welcome from President Reuven Rivlin. Rivlin said he has heard a lot about Bialik from his grandchildren, and she said she grew up with a strong Zionist identity because her family lived in several places in Israel after she was born. It’s electric. Petach Tikvah has rolled out its first mini-lance electric emergency medical services car, a large addition to the emergency services offered to the residents of the city by the volunteers of United Hatzalah despite its small size. The vehicle joins 11 other emergency vehicles — from ambulances to mini-lances — put on the road in the past month by United Hatzalah, which also has almost 700 ambucycles across the country. Simply complex robotic arm. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers have developed an innovative robotic arm that could be useful in outer space or in orchards. The minimally actuated serial robot (MASR) operates much like a traditional snake robot with many connected motors, except that it only uses two: one to travel along the structure and another to rotate the joint it needs to flex. “This unique, minimalistic configuration, which can be applied to any serial robot with two or more links, reduces weight, size and cost,” said mechanical engineer David

Blast From the Roman Past Photo by Eilat Mazar, Hebrew University

Zarrouk, who heads the Bio-Inspired and Medical Robotics Lab. Women’s retail tech hub. Yael Kochman and Alla Foht have partnered with eBay to launch Re:Tech, a retail tech hub in the heart of Tel Aviv. It has attracted 170 Israeli startups and over 2,000 entrepreneurs and investors, who use offices for up to 16 people and an open space with 20 workstations. Compiled courtesy of verygoodnewsisrael. blogspot.com and other sources.

Bronze coins that represent the last remnants of a four-year Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire were found near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem by Hebrew University archaeologist Eilat Mazar during renewed excavations at the Ophel, below the Temple Mount’s southern wall. The coins, each about three-fifths of an inch in diameter, were left by Jews hiding in a cave during the four-year Roman siege of Jerusalem from 66 to 70 C.E. Some of the coins date from the early years of the revolt, but most are from the fourth year, when the Hebrew inscription on the coins changed from “For the Freedom of Zion” to “For the Redemption of Zion.” “A discovery like this — ancient coins bearing the words ‘Freedom’ and ‘Redemption’ — found right before the Jewish Festival of Freedom, Passover, begins is incredibly moving,” Mazar said.

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MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

City of Health. Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Deputy Health Minister Rabbi Yaakov Litzman have signed a groundbreaking $350 million agreement with Yitshak Kreiss, the director general of Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan to transform Israel’s largest medical facility into the City of Health. We have been the flagship of the health system in Israel and have also played a significant role in research, whether in times of peace, national emergencies and war,” Kreiss said. “Now it is our turn to take this flagship enterprise into the next decade, to peer into the future and create the vision that will define the health system in Israel and make an impression on a national and international level, not just in patient care, but also in advanced technology, research and innovation that will foment the future of medicine in Israel.”

Israel Photo of the Week

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OPINION

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Our View

The Wrong Way

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

President Donald Trump did something rare Friday, March 23: He sent a tweet whose underlying message ought to have broad political support. After threatening to veto but then signing a $1.3 trillion spending bill to prevent another government shutdown, the president tweeted that he “will NEVER sign another bill like this again.” Putting aside whether his push for a line-item veto would solve the problem — we’ll never know because we’re no more likely to get a constitutional amendment for a line-item veto than one for a balanced budget — Trump is right that continuing resolutions, omnibus spending bills and stopgap measures are no way to run a government. The new spending measure is a bloated mix of programs and policies that couldn’t stand on their own. The legislation was rushed through despite running more than 2,000 pages, so while we’re not sure about everything that’s in the bill, we’re certain that no one in Congress who voted for it knew it all either. We do know members of Congress slipped in some embarrassingly wrongheaded provisions. To take a timely example as the Major League Baseball season begins, the bill includes the cynically named Saving America’s Pastime Act, under which 6,500 minor-league baseball players are exempted from labor laws mandating a minimum wage and overtime pay. Minor-leaguers (most of whom will never play in the majors) make as little as $3,000 in salary over five months. Major-league teams pay those salaries, so capping their pay isn’t doing anything to make minor-league teams more profitable. It just saves owners such as the Braves’ Liberty Media a few dollars. The baseball measure had deservedly stalled as a stand-alone bill, but under the cover of a $1.3 trillion monstrosity, it became the law of the land. The spending measure does include many good things, including the Taylor Force Act, which limits U.S. government aid to the Palestinians as long as the Palestinian Authority pays stipends to terrorists and their families; an increase from $25 million to $60 million for annual Department of Homeland Security grants that have helped Jewish institutions upgrade facility security since 2005; $175 million over 10 years for school security efforts; a doubling of funding for the Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program to $5 million; and a $100 million boost to $700 million for U.S.-Israeli missile defense programs. But none of those things should be enacted without proper debate. We believe thy are good ideas, but anyone who disagrees or, more likely, who thinks federal funds could be better spent elsewhere or not spent at all should get a chance to make that case. Unfortunately, Congress has long failed to follow the proper process for its primary responsibility, appropriating money. Instead of enacting a dozen wellvetted appropriations bills, Congress just rolls everything together and bounces from one financial crisis to another. It then incorporates something for everyone to ensure passage, undermining proper process and contributing to our ballooning national debt. It’s a lot to ask, apparently, but it’s time for our elected officials to grow up and treat the federal bud12 get like it’s real money. ■

Cartoon by Yaakov Kirschen, Dry Bones, Israel

Welcome to Our Back Porch

One of the most important initiatives in Jewish million for an Intown Jewish Preschool renovation. Atlanta is the Front Porch, a Federation-led effort to A tour of the lower floor reveals that this real reimagine what the community can and should be estate deal isn’t big just for Chabad Intown. to unlock its potential, but I’ve just seen what could One room facing the BeltLine is a natural for be our vital back porch. a cafe. Rabbi Schusterman sees it as a place where The back porch isn’t a metaphor; it’s the back people can take a break for a light, kosher breakfast of an intown redbrick or lunch. office building. It also has A room in back could transformative potential serve the Marcus JCC for Editor’s Notebook for Jewish Atlanta. intown programming. By Michael Jacobs The building fronts on Much of the space will mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com Ponce de Leon Place, just be converted into a Jewisheast of Ponce City Market, focused co-working office and backs to the BeltLine. with all the amenities, inChabad Intown Rabbi cluding showers for people Eliyahu Schusterman said some 40,000 people walk, who need to clean up after running or riding along run, bike or otherwise pass by 730 Ponce de Leon the BeltLine. Chabad Intown announced the coPlace every weekend, creating a rich opportunity to working plan Friday, March 23, with a target launch connect with intown Jews, affiliated or not. of Aug. 1. But Rabbi Schusterman said the start could Rabbi Schusterman decided he couldn’t pass come sooner, as long as 50 tenants sign up. up that opportunity as Chabad Intown outgrows its He’s hopeful that Federation will facilitate the home at 928 Ponce de Leon Ave. A search for new gathering of small Jewish agencies at the building, space that involved several near-misses led to Ponce much as several have congregated at the Industride Leon Place, where a $1 million gift from an anony- ous co-working space at Ponce City Market. He also mous donor facilitated a deal for the 4,000-squarehopes the Israeli community will find a home at the foot top floor of the hillside building for $1.7 million. building. Rabbi Schusterman showed me where there That’s a lot of potential Jewish energy gathered will be a kitchen, classrooms, a lobby, offices, and a in what Rabbi Schusterman foresees as a “Judaism 2,300-square-foot, dividable room for events and leccommunity center,” with that potential becoming tures. That space will meet the needs of the Intown kinetic each Friday afternoon through gatherings off Jewish Academy, Intown Hebrew School, Young Jewthe back porch called Bayning on the BeltLine (a refish Professionals-Midtown Atlanta and most other erence to the process of winding down in preparafunctions of Chabad Intown other than Shabbat tion for Shabbat, parallel to the separation Havdalah services and the Intown Jewish Preschool. provides after Shabbat). If that had been all Chabad Intown got, dayenu: Imagine music, food and drink in a casual, welIt would have been enough. But there’s much more. coming setting to bring people off the BeltLine into A series of failed deals opened the way for a peaceful, Jewish mindset before Friday night. Then Chabad Intown to take over the master lease for the people could go home, head to services somewhere 17,000-square-foot lower floor, with an option to buy else or daven inside. within three years for $5.9 million. Rabbi SchusterIt’s an enchanting and realistic vision of man said a $4 million capital campaign is coming another much-needed entry point to Jewish engageto raise $2.5 million for the down payment, plus $1.5 ment in Atlanta. ■

OPINION

Anti-Semitism’s Ill Wind Blows From Right, Left sues, and Jews — both individuals and organizations — who do not see these pursuits as mutually exclusive. The hardly quiescent Anti-Defamation League reported a 57 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in America in 2017 compared with 2016. As for those “congregants, who

From Where I Sit By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com

are not sheep,” in Weisman’s hometown the Atlanta Initiative Against Anti-Semitism (founded two years ago by Jewish day school mothers) has demonstrated the value of action that flows from the bottom up, so to speak. Writing about the book, Haaretz correspondent Allison Kaplan Sommer observed that “the American-Jewish community is often simply too divided to define what anti-Semitism is — making it impossible to combat it in a unified fashion. Nearly all Jews can call out an anti-Semite sporting a Nazi uniform or a Klan robe. But without such clear visual cues, anti-Semitism is too often in the eye of the beholder.” Weisman’s personal experience and his study since convinced him that the greater threat, what he termed “nationalist bigotry,” blows from the far right, not only in the United States, but across Europe as well. Frankly, an ill wind, regardless of its direction, is still an ill wind. A whiff of anti-Semitism emanates from the intersectional left, whose leaders appear disinclined to denounce (let alone dissociate from) the latest anti-Jewish diatribe by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, leaving some otherwise supportive Jews to question their allegiance. A similar aroma arises from the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement when rhetoric opposing Israeli government policies veers into denigrating Jews who support Israel. “So no, American Jews have been anything but shy or hesitant about denouncing anti-Semitism,” Sommer wrote. “But they do it much more vehemently when the anti-Semitism exists in the opposing political camp.” Now that is a trap to avoid. ■ • Joe Sterling reviews “(((Semitism))),” Page 78.

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Passover is the ultimate expression of “They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat.” (Anyone unfamiliar with that line should check the expiration date on their MOT membership card.) The haggadah recounts Pharaoh’s subjugation and persecution of the Jews until their liberation and flight from Egypt, thanks to the divine intervention of a “mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” A new book, released in time for the seder, asserts that American Jewry’s response to current-day anti-Semitism has been inadequate. The author is Atlanta native Jonathan Weisman, an editor in The New York Times’ Washington bureau. “If not quite a crisis, it feels like a proto-crisis, something to head off, especially when the rise of anti-Semitism is combined with hate crimes against Muslims, blacks, Hispanics and immigrants,” Weisman wrote in an essay published by his newspaper. In June 2016, I wrote about Weisman’s travails with anti-Semitism when he was targeted online by the “alt-right,” a too-polite term for neoNazis and white supremacists who felt emboldened by the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump. Weisman’s book — “(((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump” — grew out of that experience. The triple parentheses are used by online trolls to identify Jews. “There’s nothing particularly new about the ideology, but there’s something quite new about the way the alt-right is going around spreading and organizing the ideology,” Weisman told the Forward. Weisman, who became a bar mitzvah at The Temple, suggests that American Jewry — particularly its major organizations — is overly fixated with Israel and pays insufficient attention to a scourge at home. “American Jews are still loath to see it,” Weisman wrote, “but the Israel diversion is proving to be a trap.” American Jews, Weisman said in his Times essay, “need to assert a voice in the public arena, to reshape our quiescent institutions and mold them in our image. And Jewish leadership must reflect its congregants, who are not sheep.” I know Jews fighting anti-Semitism, Jews engaged in Israel-related is-

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OPINION

Screening for Colorectal Cancer Is No Joke “Everyone Poops.” That’s the title of a popular children’s book, but it’s also a good reminder for adults. Bathroom talk is often considered taboo for anyone older than age 5, but when it comes to colorectal cancer, talking about your bowels might save your life. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and though colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States, it’s not discussed as openly as other cancers. More than 140,000 people in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2018, and 50,630 will die of this disease. In Georgia alone, 4,120 will be diagnosed and 1,580 will die of colorectal cancer in 2018. You may think you are not at risk for colorectal cancer, but anyone can get this disease. Despite common

misconceptions, it doesn’t affect only men, and it’s not just an “old person’s disease.” In fact, colorectal cancer rates

Letters To The Editor

tional K could be a good option. It’s important to know two ways that transitional K differs from traditional kindergarten. First, classes are smaller with a lower student/teacher ratio. Transitional K strives to give each child more individual time and attention to grow and develop before kindergarten. Second, the curriculum is slightly different. The goal of transitional K is to be child-centered and to focus on helping a child’s overall development. It aims to build on skills children have learned in preschool, such as reading and phonics. Transitional K also emphasizes self-confidence and cooperation and helps children adopt a healthy attitude about learning. Several private schools in Georgia, including the Weinstein School at the Marcus Jewish Community Center, offer a transitional K program. I would love to answer any questions you have about the benefits of transitional K. — Kim Sucan, director of Marcus JCC Preschools

Transitional Kindergarten

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

You may wonder whether your child would benefit from transitional kindergarten. Not all children develop at the same pace. Some need more time to develop before entering kindergarten, whether emotionally, socially, academically or some combination. For children who need this extra time or have a late birthday, transitional kindergarten, or transitional K, is an excellent option that offers a variety of benefits. The National Association for the Education of Young Children recommends that children have experience with the following before kindergarten: • Listening to others and taking appropriate turns for expressing ideas and questions. • Handling materials respectfully and putting them away. • Sustaining engagement with an activity or process. • Identifying and pursuing interests, choosing materials, and having some ideas about how to engage with them productively. • Being safe in relation to the group (staying within school bounds) and attending to personal needs (washing hands). • Asking for help when needed. If you find your child struggles or 14 is inexperienced in these areas, transi-

Guest Column By Steve Handel

for men and women are similar, with one in 22 men and one in 24 women diagnosed. Although your risk of colorectal cancer does increase as you get older, rates in young people are on the rise. You’re also at greater risk if you’re African-American, smoke, are overweight or obese, are not physically active, drink alcohol in excess, eat a lot of red and processed meats, or have a personal or family history of colorec-

AIPAC, J Street Far Apart

In the editor’s column March 16 (“Agreeing on Ends Is Good Start”), we are asked to accept that AIPAC and J Street agree on the ends. I wish this were possible. However, history proves it to be impossible. One of the founders of J Street, Daniel Levy, called the creation of Israel a mistake in a 2010 interview. Moreover, J Street was a vigorous defender of the Iran nuclear deal, bitterly

tal cancer, polyps or inflammatory bowel disease. Don’t ignore the symptoms. If you experience rectal bleeding or blood in your stool; a change in bowel movements; stools that are narrower than usual; abdominal problems (bloating, fullness or cramps); or diarrhea, constipation or a feeling that your bowel movement isn’t complete, inform your health care professional immediately. With screening, your doctor can find polyps (growths) that can be removed before they become cancerous or can detect cancer early, when successful treatment is more likely. About that screening: Preparation for a colonoscopy may not be pleasant, but it’s a breeze compared with colorectal cancer. A colonoscopy is still the gold standard in colorectal cancer screening, but the best test is the one that gets done. Talk to your health care

professional about your screening options. If you are at average risk, you should begin colorectal cancer screening at age 50. If you are at increased risk, you may need to begin screening earlier or be screened more often. Once you reach age 75, talk to your health care professional about whether you should continue screening. You can reduce your risk of colorectal cancer by exercising, limiting your alcohol intake, avoiding tobacco, eating less red meat, avoiding processed meats, and maintaining a healthy weight. To learn more, visit www.preventcancer.org. ■

opposed by Israel’s elected leadership. It received funding from nonfriends of Israel such as George Soros; Genevieve Lynch, board member of the National Iranian American Council, which lobbies for the Islamic Republic of Iran; and Nancy Dutton, widow of Saudi lobbyist Fred Dutton. J Street also supported the infamous Goldstone Report from the United Nations, which tried to deny Israel the right of self-defense. Finally, the student arm of J Street, J Street U, deleted the “pro-Israel” from its original motto, “Pro-Israel, propeace,” because the “pro-Israel” phrase was offensive to some of its members. I am unaware of a single instance of J Street agreeing with the position of the elected government of Israel. Temple Sinai apparently faced controversy for inviting J Street representatives multiple times. As someone who has no interest in membership in Temple Sinai, I believe they are free to invite whomever they want, even outspoken anti-Semites like Louis Farrakhan. In fact, I would have preferred that they invite an honest anti-Semite like Farrakhan rather than a J Street representative who cloaks his goals. The article begins by describing the “Zionist bona fides” of J Street honcho Alan Elsner. This reminds me of a midrash in which a pig tries to prove it is kosher by showing that it has split hooves. While I am not an authority on halacha, I know that pigs are treif. It is likely that Trojan horses are also treif. — Herbert Kaine, Berkeley, Calif.

Hard Times Indeed

Steve Handel is the spouse of Republican Congresswoman Karen Handel and a member of the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Program. Statistics provided by the American Cancer Society.

Ignorance of Torah abounds. Few attend services on the second and seventh days of a chag. Israel is not a priority. Sunday mornings are an occasion for eating lox and bagels. Jewish programs are insipid and trivial. Passover seders are a photo gettogether for families, and deep discussions from the haggadah are absent. Shiva is barely observed correctly and for the proscribed time. Rabbis are insular and operate their congregations as fiefdoms. American liberalism and weird causes supplant old Jewish traditions. Kosher-style restaurants far outnumber strictly kosher restaurants. Few volunteer to serve in the armed forces. A small percentage prays three times a day. Respect by non-Jews for Jews is waning. More Jews are dying than are being born. The bar and bat mitzvah celebrations are perfunctory and not traditional. Orthodox Jews are insular, smug and often intolerant. Dues to belong to a synagogue are too high. Many younger Jews are unaffiliated and estranged from Judaism. Movements like BDS and J Street are tolerated by Federations and JCCs. Jews criticize each other too much. Jewish newspapers do not include the parshah of the week and fill their pages with the superficial. The High Holidays attract families who come to prey, not to pray. — Phil Wendkos, Silver Spring, Md.

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OPINION

Point: Voter ID Is a Sham

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

My great-grandmother, who had been named Sanke Yedidovich in the Old World, immigrated to New York 110 years ago from the town of Lubča in what is now Belarus. The first thing she did when she got settled was register to vote, exercising a freedom she had been denied as a Jew in the restrictive hinterlands of imperial Russia. Just kidding: Women did not have the right to vote in New York in 1908. Had she arrived in America earlier, she also might have been denied the right to vote because she was Jewish, or because she wasn’t white enough, or because she didn’t own enough land. The fear of those in charge, of course, was that these others would not vote the right way or for the right people. But my great-grandparents had it far better than black and other nonwhite people in the South, where state-sponsored terrorists violently prevented them from voting through lynchings, arson, rape and murder, all condoned by collaborating local governments. But this is 2018, and we’re in a better place. Sure, if my great-grand-

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mother managed to get on U.S. soil, she wouldn’t be allowed to become a citizen and vote. And, sure, we disproportionately arrest and convict nonwhites for minor drug possession, which in most states means they can’t vote. And, OK, it’s true that in most states, nonwhite, immigrant and non-Christian urban voters are gerrymandered so that when they do vote, they can’t affect the makeup of state legislatures. But this is still progress, and we’re heading in the direction of universal suffrage, right?

Cartoon by Bob Englehart, Middletown, Conn.

Well, apparently some people still feel there are too many people who do not vote the right way, and they are working to reverse that. So while it may be déclassé to erect burning crosses at people’s homes, they have found one thing that still works: voter ID. Now I don’t believe there is any valid reason in principle to require identification to make sure elections have integrity. But there are three big clues that voter ID is fake news designed to restrict voting. First, if you’re one of the right kind of people, you might not get to see how the Department of Driver Services, while a minor inconvenience to you, is a barrier to voting for others. If you live in the wrong kind of place, you might not have a DDS office near you. Or if you do, it might not be open often enough or have enough staffers to service everyone. And if you didn’t drive a car, would you put up with that kind of hassle and expense just to vote? And good luck if you live in an apartment and move frequently. All that is to say that the way you can tell whether voter ID advocates are truly worried about fraud or voter suppression is to see whether they pair their ID requirements with ID access — making sure that everyone who wants an ID gets an ID. Second, it’s telling which types of ID are allowed. In Tennessee, you can use your gun license to vote, but not a college ID. Why? Well, obviously, they

want gun owners to vote but not college students. Of course, the students could line up at the DMV, but isn’t it interesting that it seems too hard for

From the Left By Scott Sherris

gun owners? Third, while it’s great that Georgia has a liberal absentee voting regime, why is it that I don’t have to show any ID whatsoever to vote by mail, despite actual evidence of voter fraud via absentee ballots? It turns out that white people are more likely to vote that way. In North Carolina, legislators have found that black people are more likely to participate in early and weekend voting. So — those got cut! By the way, while poll workers in the affluent, conservative northern suburbs of Atlanta are, in my experience, very helpful to make sure you get to vote, some people have a different experience. In 2016, 12 voting districts in San Antonio illegally told people they couldn’t vote despite having valid ID and prevented them from voting. You’re going to hear lots of cutesy stories about hypothetical concerns about fraud or general arguments meant to distract you from what voter ID advocates really want. But remember the real people, like the minority voters in San Antonio or the college students in Tennessee. Or my greatgrandmother, who was finally allowed to vote in 1917. ■

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OPINION

Counterpoint: Rights Require Authentication show a government-issued ID to make arguments. • 11th Amendment — This amendment clearly demonstrates that states cannot be sued by those who are not citizens. To prove you are a citizen, you have to produce a government-issued ID.

From the Right By Dan Israel

• 14th Amendment — One of the most important amendments we have, it states what qualifies someone as a citizen. To memorialize that citizenship, you need a government-issued ID. • 15th Amendment — Clearly stating that no person can be denied the right to vote based on race, color or previous condition of servitude, it also implies you are an American citizen entitled to vote. And how do you prove you are an American citizen? Use a government-issued ID. • 21st Amendment — To buy alcohol anywhere, you have to prove you are of age, and that requires a government-issued ID. • 23rd Amendment — For the District of Columbia electors to cast their ballots in the Electoral College, they have to use government-issued IDs. • 24th Amendment — No taxes of any sort may be imposed on people at the polling station. No mention is made about not proving you are a U.S. citizen. • 26th Amendment — Giving anyone above age 18 the right to vote. You also have to demonstrate you are a U.S. citizen. And, again, this requires a government-issued ID. • 12th, 13th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 22nd, 25th and 27th Amendments — They are not relevant to this article (the VP no longer being the electoral runner-up, the abolishment of slavery, the levy of the income tax, direct election of senators, banishment of alcohol, women’s right to vote, the start dates of the presidency and Congress, term limits on the president, VP succession and congressional salaries). In my simple review of the Constitution, it seems clear that these rights are guaranteed to American citizens. And to be privy to these rights, you must furnish a government-issued ID. ■

Cartoon by Gary McCoy, Shiloh, Ill.

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

A few years ago I wrote an article for the Atlanta Jewish Times regarding a day in the life of my driver’s license. The point was to demonstrate how often we are required to use a driver’s license during the course of daily life. From getting on a plane to buying a shirt at a retailer with a credit card to purchasing a bottle of wine at Costco, I pull out my driver’s license on average one to four times a day. So why should it be any different for voting? If we have to show government ID for things we consider mundane or a privilege, shouldn’t we care enough about this right to require the same level of verification? I was curious whether this tension between protecting an American citizen’s rights in the Constitution and the ability to make sure people are entitled to those rights came up. While I do not claim to be a constitutional scholar or any kind of expert on the law, I read the Constitution to see whether the requirement of a government-issued ID applied. Here’s what I found: • First Amendment — To organize a protest, you must get a permit, be it in Atlanta or Washington. Part of that process is for the organizer to produce a government-issued ID for registration purposes. • Second Amendment — Whether you are for or against the Second Amendment, one needs to show a government-issued ID to get a gun. • Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Amendments — In my view, these relate to protecting the people from excesses of the government. As such, to advocate for the government to usurp an American’s rights, property, etc., someone (a lawyer) has to go in front of a judge. And if you are going to do so, someone will need to possess a government-issued ID to file a petition and/or appear before that judge. • Ninth Amendment — This relates to rights not explicitly stated in the Bill of Rights that are protected. But who is covered by these rights? American citizens. And how do you prove that you are entitled to those rights? Show a government-issued ID. • 10th Amendment — This pertains to what powers are delegated to states vs. the federal government. Like earlier amendments, a lawyer will be involved, and the individual has to

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POLITICS

Davis Academy students, alumni and parents attend the March for Our Lives.

Delilah F., 6, who attended the march with her mother, shows off the school-safety sign she brought.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas alumni represent the school with banners and homemade signs.

MSD alumni, ranging from the Class of 1996 to the Class of 2016, gather before the march.

Marchers on March 24write wishes of support on 17 desks representing the 14 students and thee staffers slain Feb. 14 in Parkland, Fla.

A crowd predicted to be 10,000 people grew to an estimated 30,000 people in downtown Atlanta.

Young People Lead Charge at March for Our Lives By Rachel Fayne

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

It’s being called one of the most poignant demonstrations of a generation because of the sheer volume, because of the message and because of the organizers behind it. The March for Our Lives on Saturday, March 24, took place in over 800 cities around the world, and although 10,000 people were expected in Atlanta, estimates are that upward of 30,000 showed. Marchers carpooled, took the free rides offered by Lyft and crowded MARTA stations. They arrived at the starting point near the Center for Civil and Human Rights four or five hours before the March. What was overwhelmingly clear about this event, though, was that many who organized and participated 18 weren’t yet old enough to obtain a driv-

er’s permit. In the hours before the march, children who looked to be anywhere from middle school age to late teens were directing traffic. A tall, thin boy with a squeaky voice and a pass around his neck stood near the stage where speakers would meet and chatted with what appeared to be security. A teenage girl with braces and a March for Our Lives T-shirt headed up the roped-off area for students and alumni of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, who would lead the march with civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis. The overwhelming majority of the signs were held by children and young adults. In the area near the stage with the rest of the MSD alumni, I spotted 2107 Democratic congressional nominee Jon Ossoff. I listened to the speeches,

poems and songs composed mostly by high-school-age children, and it became clear that a few of the students standing with their parents near the stage were current MSD students who came to support the Atlanta event. When the speeches ended, students and alumni were ushered to join Lewis at the front of the march. As we walked forward holding banners and homemade signs with cameras flashing and media yelling questions at us, a teenager with a megaphone that seemed too large for his body walked calmly to the front of the line. “What do we want?” GUN CONTROL. “When do we want it?” NOW. We walked 2½ miles to the Capitol building, but just before people began to disperse, a crowd gathered to the side of the street. Representing the 17 people slain Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman

Douglas High, 17 empty desks painted with chalkboard paint stood covered in chalked messages of hope and encouragement. A line had formed of people waiting to add their messages. With the march over, where do we go from here? The children involved in the March for Our Lives movement have made it clear that this is just the beginning. Many marches had areas where people could register to vote. Organizers are still communicating with those who participated in the march and urging them to send messages to Congress. It’s clear that although most involved in the march and the movement aren’t yet old enough to vote, they soon will be. Although they might not have a vote yet, these children do have a voice. And there’s no doubt that they’ll continue to make sure it’s heard. ■

MARCH 30 â–ª 2018

HAPPY PASSOVER

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POLITICS

Abrams, Evans Struggle for Separation

The differences between the two Democrats running for Georgia governor include votes on BDS and HOPE bills and their campaign strategies. By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com As “the Staceys” — Abrams and Evans — wrapped up their pitches at a Jewish Democratic forum in February, a man walking out was overheard telling his female companion, “It’s the same message.” The two former state representatives align on some issues and diverge on others, and each is confident that her strategy is the only one that can elect a Democrat governor Nov. 6. Jewish Democrats must decide which shade of blue they prefer, a choice perhaps epitomized by Evans’ light-blue jacket and slacks and Abrams’ bright-blue jacket at the forum in Sandy Springs sponsored by the Jewish Women’s Democratic Salon. Whichever woman emerges from the May 22 primary likely will be painted by whichever man the Republicans nominate (the Georgia Constitution bars Republican Gov. Nathan Deal from

a third consecutive term) as a blue peg that doesn’t fit into a red square — er, state. (Note: This article looks at the candidates’ positions on issues of likely interest in the Jewish community. You may want to consult the secular news media regarding other issues.) The last Democrat elected governor was Roy Barnes in 1998. Georgia has never elected a woman or an African-American as governor, so the election of either Evans or Abrams would make history (doubly so for Abrams, who is African-American). A poll conducted in February for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution put Abrams ahead of Evans, 29 percent to 17 percent, with 54 percent undecided among a sample of 500 likely Democratic voters. Neither demonstrated great name recognition, and those who knew their names were more neutral in their impressions than favorable or unfavorable, suggesting that both have work to do before early primary voting

begins April 30. Interviews for this article were conducted Feb. 26 at Abrams’ headquarters, an airy, metal-framed space along the railroad tracks in Decatur, and March 9 at Evans’, a house near Midtown that she and her husband, Andrew, own and that houses his law office. Both candidates have risen beyond their childhood stations in life. Evans, who turns 40 in early May, was born to a 17-year-old single mother. Growing up in Ringgold in northwest Georgia, “she moved around from place to place as her family tried to stay ahead of bill collectors,” according to her campaign bio. Thanks to the HOPE Scholarship, a cornerstone of her life story and her campaign, Evans became the first in her family to attend college, graduating from the University of Georgia in 2000. “I know the difference in a state that works for people and a state that

doesn’t and the difference I can make in our individual lives because I lived the difference,” Evans said. “If it wasn’t for good leadership and Democratic policy back in the early ‘90s, creating the HOPE Scholarship, I literally wouldn’t be here.” Evans traces her determination to become a lawyer — she graduated from the UGA law school in 2003 — to police rejecting her telephoned plea as a 12-year-old to stop her stepfather from beating her mother. She met her husband in law school. They are the parents of a 6-yearold daughter, Ashley. The key event in Evans’ legal career came in 2015, when she helped represent two whistle-blowers in a Medicare fraud case against DaVita Health Care Partners, a provider of dialysis services. (Evans then was a partner in the firm of Wood, Hernacki & Evans. Today she is in private practice.) Without admitting wrongdoing, the company, which changed its name

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Stacey Evans and Stacey Abrams sport different shades of blue, which may or may not reflect differences in their political approaches, while listening to Valerie Habif open a Jewish Democratic Women’s Salon forum in Sandy Springs in February.

to DaVita Inc. in 2016, paid $450 million to resolve the claims — with 72 percent returned to the U.S. government and the remainder going to the law firms handling the case. Evans represented House District 42, which includes Smyrna and Marietta, from 2010 to 2017, resigning to run for governor. Abrams describes her family as having been among the “genteel poor” in Gulfport, Miss. “We had no money,” she told the Jewish forum, “but we watched PBS and read books.” Abrams, now 44, was 16 when her parents moved the family to Atlanta as both pursued divinity studies at Emory University and became ministers in the United Methodist Church. The oldest of six children, Abrams graduated from Avondale High School and went on to earn degrees from Spelman College (1995), the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas (1998) and Yale Law School (1999). Before entering politics, Abrams co-founded NOW Account, a businessto-business financial services firm. Abrams represented House District 89, which covers a swath of DeKalb County, from 2007 to 2017, serving as minority leader from 2011 until she resigned to run for governor. While in the legislature, Abrams founded the New Georgia Project, an ambitious effort to register hundreds of thousands of minority voters. Neither Abrams nor Evans grew up around Jews. Abrams’ first encounter with Jews was the girl she roomed with for six weeks at the Telluride Association summer program on the Cornell University campus between her junior and senior years of high school. Her greater exposure to Jews came at Yale. Evans first met Jews at the University of Georgia, she said. “I made a lot of great friends in Jewish circles at UGA, friends that are actually helping me on the campaign.” Based on 2016 election results,

Georgia has roughly 1.6 million to 1.9 million Democratic voters. Some rudimentary math — involving the number of Jews in Georgia, the percentage that are voting age, the percentage that might turn out to vote and the percentage therein that might vote Democratic — suggests that Abrams and Evans are competing for somewhere in the range of 55,000 Jewish votes. That’s a small voting bloc, albeit one that votes at a rate greater than the population at large. Candidates know that most Jewish voters pay extra attention to matters involving Israel and

how religion plays in the public square. One issue between Abrams and Evans is the 2016 Georgia law that bans the state from doing business with any contractor that boycotts Israel in support of the boycott, divest and sanctions movement, which endorses economic pressure to force changes in Israeli policies, particularly what is referred to as Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and the building of Jewish settlements in that territory. When the House voted 95-71 on March 22, 2016, to approve the antiBDS bill already passed by the Senate, Evans voted for the measure, but

Abrams against it. Debate over Abrams’ vote has carried on in the pages of the Atlanta Jewish Times, including a column she wrote explaining her vote. The AJT interviewed Abrams a few hours after Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, a Republican candidate for governor, said he would block tax breaks for Delta Air Lines after the carrier ended a minor relationship with the National Rifle Association in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., school shootings. “I believe there is no more salient example in recent history of my concern about the (anti-BDS) legislation,” Abrams said. “I condemn BDS. I condemn the global BDS movement. I voted on a piece of legislation that can be used as a precedent for blocking political speech. We have to understand that the imprimatur of the state government should never be used to crack down on political speech. It is a freedom that we enjoy, and it is also a freedom that Israel celebrates, this notion that you should be able to have free speech. And when my vote is narrowed down to a top line, I completely understand the disagreement. But this is more than a matter of principle. This

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POLITICS

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is a very practical question.” Evans rejects Abrams’ reasoning. “You don’t have to question whether Israel has a friend in Governor Evans because I have always stood with Israel and was proud to support the anti-BDS bill,” she said. “As much as she’s trying to rationalize it and explain it away, it was wrong. And when your friends need you, you stand up and fight with your friends.” Some Jewish voters may take issue with a photograph of Abrams and Linda Sarsour, the Palestinian-American woman and outspoken BDS advocate who was among the organizers of the Women’s March the day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The photograph was taken at this year’s Jan. 20 women’s rally in Atlanta. Sarsour’s comments about Israel and about the place of Zionist women in the feminist movement, as well as supportive words about Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, have raised the ire of a wide spectrum of Jews. Abrams said the women’s rally was the only time she has met Sarsour. “I believe that my record is unimpeachable. If you look at how I have voted and what I stand for and what I’ve done, there is no sense that I have harbored or would ever harbor any anti-Semitic beliefs. And, in fact, I have been, of the candidates, the most personally aggressive about making certain that I have demonstrated my support of the Jewish state. Of my own volition I joined Project Understanding. Of my own volition, I traveled to Israel. … I worked quietly with legislators to help make certain we were constantly being protective of the Jewish state,” Abrams said. “That said, Linda is one of the cofounders of the Women’s March. She helped to bring about a national conversation about the role that women play in transforming our nation and reclaiming it from a racist, misogynistic xenophobe. And in that place, we stand in absolute solidarity. … (On BDS) she and I fundamentally disagree. I condemn the global BDS movement. I believe it is anti-Semitic. I believe it is wrong. And she and I fundamentally disagree on this.” (Note: Evans had planned to visit Israel in December 2011 but was seven months’ pregnant and could not travel. Evans said that, if elected, she hopes to lead a trade mission to Israel, as Deal did in 2014.) Several dozen Jews supporting Abrams were signatories to a “Dear Georgians” letter in the form of a halfpage advertisement in the March 23

Former House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams speaks with potential voters at the Jewish Democratic forum.

edition of the Atlanta Jewish Times. “We are deeply troubled by those who have questioned her support of the Jewish community,” the letter reads, going on to cite Abrams’ “longstanding relationship with the Jewish community, one that goes beyond simple statements of support and instead demonstrates constant solidarity.” Jewish day school parents will be interested in how Georgia’s next governor manages the student scholarship organizations under a program that grants $58 million in state income tax credits to people who donate to support private school scholarships. The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta created a nonprofit, the ALEF Fund, to facilitate donations to day schools and Jewish preschools. Evans said her concern is less with the tax credits in principle than the program’s transparency, making sure the state knows how those scholarship dollars are being distributed. She supported an SSO bill in 2011 but voted against it later when transparency provisions were removed. Both Evans and Abrams voted against expanding the program. Evans does not foresee increasing the $58 million cap and said SSOs need to be considered as part of an overhaul of the funding formula for public education. “When I’m governor, that’s a priority because we haven’t done it since the early ‘80s. We’ll be rewriting the funding formula, getting our hands around the dollars we have available for public education, then work on bringing transparency to the SSO program,” she said. “There’s just such a lack of resources going to the traditional public schools right now that we’ve got to make that the first priority.” But she said she does not plan to eliminate the existing scholarship program, which Abrams opposes. “I believe that public education is the prerogative and the responsibility of the state — and that private education should be available to all who seek it, but it is private for a reason and therefore should be financed by those who can take advantage of it. I do not

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Chabad of North Fulton Wishes You A Happy Pesach

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Rabbi Hirshy Minkowicz Rabbi Gedalya & Ruthy Hertz 10180 Jones Bridge Road Alpharetta, GA 30022

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believe that the state should finance private education,” she said. “The student scholarship organization diverts public dollars from a school system that supports 96 percent of Georgia’s children. Private education is absolutely the right of every parent, but it is also the responsibility of every parent who wants to provide that education.” One point of acrimony between Abrams and Evans stems from a 2011 measure that changed the structure of the lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship — created to make in-state college more affordable — at a time when lottery proceeds failed to keep up with rising enrollment and tuition. House Bill 326 reduced the expenses covered by HOPE; established the Zell Miller Scholarship for high achievers while creating a less generous, second-tier HOPE with lesser qualifications (a lower required grade point average and no minimum SAT or ACT score); and higher academic requirements for the HOPE grant, which finances technical education. The changes put Zell Miller recipients at the front of the line as HOPE money was allocated, which critics said hit students from less-wealthy backgrounds the hardest. Until that provision was partially reversed, the number of students enrolled in technical education declined sharply. Abrams defended the compromise measure she crafted as minority leader with Deal and the Republicans. She said it prevented more severe cuts, avoided a minimum SAT/ACT score for the basic scholarship, funded remedial classes for HOPE grant recipients, preserved full-day pre-kindergarten, and created a low-interest loan program. Evans remains rankled by the 2011 legislation. “I was there. I know what she did in co-authorizing those cuts with Deal, and what she told us in the caucus as to why she was doing it does not match what she’s saying now,” Evans said. Abrams explained her approach to the job of minority leader to the AJC in 2015. “It’s insufficient to simply be the party of opposition. Georgians do not care which party you’re with; they care what you’re doing for their lives or to their lives. So my first job is to work together with the majority party.” The candidates align in opposition to “religious freedom” legislation. “I believe in the separation of church and state,” Abrams said. “I cannot divorce my religious upbringing from my decision-making. I’m the daughter of two ministers. To be able to divorce those things means my parents

Former state Rep. Stacey Evans seeks support among potential voters at the Jewish Democratic forum.

were failures. But what they raised me to understand is that I have a moral framework that is informed by my religion, but that I have an independent mind that must take into account information and make decisions based on what’s right and the job that I have. And my job as a legislator is not to enforce religious orthodoxy. In fact, I revile that and pushed back against it wherever I found it.” Evans, who was raised Baptist but now identifies as a Methodist, said: “It’s terrible. It’s hateful legislation, a license to discriminate, and it’s not just hateful, it’s harmful to our business climate. It’s harmful to the potential for tourism, and I don’t know why any government official continues to bring up these measures because they do nothing but hurt our state.” Several Republican candidates for governor have pledged to sign such legislation if the General Assembly passes it — in contrast to Deal, who was applauded by Jewish organizations for vetoing a religious liberty bill in 2016. Abrams and Evans differed on a measure to require the placement of a granite monument at the Capitol that depicts the Ten Commandments, the preamble to the Georgia Constitution and a portion of the Declaration of Independence. The measure specified that no public funds would be spent on the monument. On March 3, 2014, Evans voted yea and Abrams nay as H.B. 702 passed the House 138-37. “Before H.B. 702, state law already permitted the Ten Commandments in the Capitol, and they were in fact already displayed there. H.B. 702 addressed a theoretical granite monument. Many of my fellow Democrats also voted for this bill, which, importantly, required the inclusion of the preamble to the Georgia Constitution and a section of the Declaration of Independence. I would not have voted for a bill that did not include these other two important secular documents,” Evans said. The Senate passed and Deal signed the legislation, but to date no monument has been erected. Similar mea-

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Wishing You and Your Family a Happy Passover

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sures in other states have faced constitutional challenges. Which shade of blue Democrats choose may depend in part on how they regard the strategies the candidates employ in seeking votes and in raising and spending campaign funds. As of a Jan. 31 deadline for candidates to file finance reports, Abrams and Evans both had amassed about $2.3 million. Both had lent money to their campaigns: Evans $1.25 million and Abrams $50,000. Based on the Jan. 31 reports, Abrams has spent more aggressively thus far, while Evans has kept a greater share in reserve for the final two months of the primary race. The March 31 deadline for updated finance reports will illuminate the financial condition of the campaigns. Evans’ donors are heavily from Georgia, while Abrams’ include a higher percentage from out of state, particularly from Washington, D.C., New York and California. “We are raising money where we have support. I have support in state. She apparently doesn’t have as much support in state. She knows she has to spend her time raising money out of state,” Evans said. “It’s just a function of where we’ve spent our energy over our time in public service. … She spent a lot of time traveling to D.C., New York and California and getting to know the national Democratic scene, and now that’s where she is able to raise money.” Abrams makes no apology for her appeal beyond Georgia. “I have a national presence because I’ve spent the last decade building the reputation of Georgia, rebuilding the capacity of Georgia Democrats to be seen as viable in a national election,” she said. Abrams’ donors include financier George Soros (and his son, Alexander), whose support of organizations that challenge the current Israeli government has made the Jewish emigre from Hungary a target of criticism by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the American political right, including Jewish conservatives. “George Soros and the Soros family have demonstrated nothing but deep investment and commitment to social justice. That is how I came to know them because they were early investors in the New Georgia Project, a project whose sole purpose was to expand the ability of people of color and low-income people of color to exercise their right to vote, and my experience of open society and the work they have done has been that of a family commit-

Stacey Evans

Stacey Abrams

ted to social justice. And I am proud to have their support,” Abrams said. Abrams is waging an “unapologetically progressive campaign” aimed at attracting what she believes is a large pool of potential Democratic voters, especially African-American women, who, uninspired by the party’s offerings, have sat out recent elections. Evans eyes progressives but also moderate suburban Democrats and potentially disaffected Republicans, a strategy that Abrams eschews. “I wouldn’t be in the race if I didn’t think that our strategy was the only one that can get us across the finish line victorious in November,” Evans said. “This idea that you can just go huddle in the left corner with every Democrat in the state and win an election, I think the math doesn’t add up.” “I know that the complexion of the electorate in Georgia has transformed dramatically in the last 15 years,” Abrams said. “I know that that electorate has a tendency, on the Democratic side, to value progressive ideas, but that candidates who have run under the banner of the Democratic Party have often ignored those voices and pursued more conservative votes. And often, to attain those conservative votes, Democrats have taken middle-of-the-road positions or have refused to engage in certain debates because they did not want to be tagged as too Democratic or too progressive.” Abrams’ and Evans’ websites boast rosters of in-state endorsements. Abrams also touts support from political figures and organizations that operate on a national stage. “I think the worst thing that we could do as Democrats in Georgia if we want to be successful in November is to nationalize this race,” Evans said. “Governors’ races are about Georgia, and it’s about what Georgia voters think, not what the national press thinks and not what national Democratic organizations think.” Whichever Stacey advances May 22 may have to wait until the summer to know her Republican opponent. The AJC’s poll of 500 likely Republican voters put Cagle ahead of five other GOP hopefuls with 27 percent (while 31 percent were undecided), suggesting that a July 24 runoff between the top two primary finishers is likely. ■

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POLITICS

Fall Strategy Sways Staceys’ Jewish Backers By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com The AJT invited the Abrams and Evans campaigns to identify Jewish supporters who would speak on the candidates’ behalf. Andrew Feiler, the president of Metro Developers and a fifth-generation Georgian who has worked on several Democratic campaigns, supports Abrams. “I’m tired of seeing progressive candidates lose elections in Georgia, and the Evans strategy of targeting moderate Republican swing voters has been the losing strategy in Georgia for two decades,” Feiler said. “By stark contrast, the Abrams approach of intensive voter identification and voter mobilization is exactly the approach that has proven successful in Virginia, Alabama and other recent races. And Abrams is pursuing this approach with far greater sophistication and organization than any of these prior races. Stacey Abrams is one of the smartest people I know, and there is no one who knows ground game like Stacey Abrams. Hers is the only strategy with a shot at win-

Photo by Paul Perdue

Andrew Feiler supports Stacey Abrams for focusing on voter mobilization.

ning in November.” Also backing Abrams is Rabbi Joshua Lesser of Congregation Bet Haverim. “In defining ‘Jewish interest’ in a narrow sense, Abrams is a strong supporter of the Jewish community, as evidenced by her participation in Project Understanding and Project Interchange. She has been an ally to Jews and has been steadfast in her support of a two-state solution as the path to resolution of the Israel-and-Palestinian conflict, with Israel as the national homeland for the Jewish people. She is a staunch opponent of supposed ‘religious freedom’ bills while being a true supporter of religious freedom so that one faith is not valued over all other religions,” Rabbi Lesser said. Steve Berman, the founder of

Steve Berman backs Stacey Evans for sticking with a middle-ofthe-road path.

OA Development and the author of a column in the Atlanta Jewish Times last year that criticized Abrams’ 2016 vote against anti-BDS legislation, said, “Stacey Evans is a rock-solid candidate with wonderful positions on maintaining the HOPE Scholarship, enhancing Medicaid accessibility in the state and creating a strong climate that will foster economic growth in the state.” He added, “Democrats will win elections in Georgia by doing two things: pushing turnout and developing positions that walk down the middle of the road and don’t swerve off to the side to appease the fringe elements of the party. The more I looked at Stacey Evans’ positions through the lens of moderation as a means to victory, the more I became convinced she is the

right candidate for the time.” Evans also is backed by businessmen Jack Halpern, the chairman of Halpern Enterprises. “In addition to her years of distinguished service in the state legislature, Stacey Evans has had a successful career as an attorney in the private sector, in contrast to her Democratic opponent, who used political connections to obtain a temporary public-sector job paying a lucrative salary at taxpayer expense. Mrs. Evans has been a champion of education and the HOPE Scholarship program, while her opponent’s support of this vital program has been inconsistent at best. Mrs. Evans has an unblemished record of fiscal responsibility and giving back to the community, including a scholarship that she and her husband have endowed at the University of Georgia Law School. Her opponent, on the other hand, has been operating for years under a cloud of unpaid debts and IRS tax liens and has not demonstrated the kind of discipline and responsible behavior with her personal finances that one should expect from our elected officials,” Halpern said. ■

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Force of Nature Siegel Blows Through Athens By Rebecca McCarthy

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Patricia Krause, who brought work from Guatemalan women weavers to the United States and sold it to buyers here. More pieces sold, and more artisans started getting involved. Now there’s a nonprofit organization, Maya Works, that imports and

Philanthropist, author, lecturer and plain force of nature Danny Siegel whirled into Athens early in March, landing in the synagogue of Congregation Children of Israel. He was there March 8 as the sixth speaker brought to Athens for a public talk by the Florence and Sandy Schwartz Symposium Fund. Among other programs, the fund has brought to town an archaeologist excavating an ancient synagogue and has staged a panel discussion with local religious leaders. “Before I speak, I have a couple of things to say,” Siegel said. He told the audience he has gotten tired of selling his books — he has written 29½ — so he Danny Siegel spends a lot of time thinking about has started giving them how he can do good and give things away. away. Then he walked up and down the aisles, handing out titles wholesales handmade items to stores such as “Munbaz II and Other Mitzvah and online merchants, including colorHeroes” and “Giving Your Money Away, ful kippot and beautiful prayer shawls. The nonprofit has helped transHow Much, How To, Why, Where and form entire communities by offering To Whom.” He knows firsthand about giving artisans literacy classes and technical money away and about persuading training as well as fair wages. Siegel others to do so. From 1981 until 2008, brought both kippot and tallisim to Siegel founded and chaired the Ziv Tze- show and sell. In the face of a confusing world, dakah Fund, which distributed more than $13 million worldwide. Knowing people may feel helpless, convinced where charitable donations are going there’s nothing they can do to make a and how the money will be used is im- difference. Nonsense, Siegel said. After the World Trade Center fell, portant. Siegel told stories of mitzvah he- Siegel immediately started collecting money to help survivors and first reroes, people who are doing for others. One was Nobel Prize-winning sponders. He said that doing mitzvot physicist Niels Bohr, whose mother means you can do something because was Jewish. He fled Copenhagen and something isn’t nothing. What kind of something? went to nearby Sweden as the Nazis He challenged the audience to were advancing, but he refused to head for the United States — the govern- make arrangements to collect and disment wanted his help with creating tribute leftover food from University a nuclear bomb — until King Gustav of Georgia football games. Homeless shelters and people in need have benagreed to shelter Norway’s 7,000 Jews. Siegel said Swedish fisherman fer- efited from hundreds of pounds of food ried the refugees across the sea in their rescued from other sporting events boats. He added that the go-between around the country. “Doing mitzvahs gives meaning to facilitating the meeting between the king and the scientist was actress Greta our lives,” Siegel said. “Doing mitzvahs Garbo. helps set priorities. I go to sleep thinkSiegel talked about tzedakah and ing of a mitzvah I’m going to do tomortikkun olam, citing the example of row.” ■

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MARCH 30 â–ª 2018

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BUSINESS

Andy Siegel of Siegel Insurance mingles with GATC-LP Chief Financial Officer Beate Stagnet and Vice President Immanuel Otterski.

Deal of the Year winners Julie Bernadou and Gene Gurevich from Mobileye chat with CNN’s Nadia Bilchik in front of the Atlanta History Center steam engine.

Jeff Goldberg of Amaryllis, Conexx President Guy Tessler and Tarianna Stewart of the Smith Temple Law Firm network before the program.

Israeli Innovation Shines at Conexx Gala The 2018 Conexx Gala at the Atlanta History Center paid tribute to 70 years of Israeli innovation. It was impossible not to feel pride in the ingenuity of “new old-fashioned genius”: the grit and chutzpah that drive Israelis to question, argue and push on past new boundaries. The Conexx: American Israel Business Connector dinner event Thursday, March 22, saluted partnerships in the Southeast, recognized deals and honored the wheeler-dealers who propelled them. In the pre-function hour, local businessman Andy Siegel said he came to mingle and find prospects for his insurance agency. “I like to work with Israeli companies locating here, and many of them are indeed a good fit.” In the Grand Overlook Ballroom, Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer, Israel’s consul general, touted the benefits of investing in sophisticated Israeli markets, noting that after the United States and China, Israel has the most companies on the NASDAQ. “And this is such a young country,” she said. She went on to praise President Donald Trump’s decision to relocate the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem in May, “which will make the 70th anniversary

celebration that much more special.” Randall Foster, the new Conexx chairman and general partner of the Seraph Group, boasted that Israel has birthed 7,000 startups — 1,000 in the

Jaffe's Jewish Jive By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

past year — reflecting “growth at a rapid rate. Plus, they are constantly being replenished. … Israel’s whopping $5.4 billion in venture capital is second only to New York’s $6 billion.” A polished video displayed Israel’s immigrant mélange as a driver of success. Israelis get business done by questioning, arguing and getting straight to the point. A Georgia solar energy company showed its area of success in “renewable light,” which is now being used in Africa. The U.S. Company of the Year is Savannah aircraft company Gulfstream, which, in collaboration with Israeli technology, has grown its workforce from 1,000 in the 1980s to the current 10,000, said Mark Burks, who collected the award for Gulfstream. Gene Gurevich, Mobileye’s director of government affairs and public

policy, accepted the Deal of the Year award for Intel’s $15.3 billion purchase of the automobile collision avoidance and automation company. It was the largest Randall Foster is acquisition in the newly installed as Conexx’s chairman. history of Israel. Gurevich wowed the crowd with the potential of Mobileye’s collision avoidance technology. He noted that of the 40,000 deaths on U.S. roads last year, 90 percent resulted from human error. He also suggested that driverless vehicles could help the blind and disabled and create 2 million job opportunities. Intel started in Israel in 1974. Honored in a related field was Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research for the year’s Innovative Academic Partnership. Other award winners included Sapiens, Israeli Company of the Year; the Birmingham Jewish Federation, U.S. Community Partner; and the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce, Israeli Community Partner. Guy Tessler, the president of Conexx, mentioned the innovative concept of “collaborative soft giving,” whereby credit card purchases can be rounded

Tally Korman, whose husband works for Benny Landa, serves as the first Israeli and first woman chair of the Conexx Gala.

Southern Co. CEO Thomas Fanning introduces Benny Landa, although the Tom Glaser Leadership Award winner appeared only on a video recording.

up for automatic donations. The last and biggest presentation of the night, the Tom Glaser Leadership Award, went to inventor and entrepreneur Benny Landa, who appeared in a video that extolled his higher-education charitable foundation that aims to close the gaps between rich and poor, Arab and Israeli, and to promote tolerance. He was touted as a courageous, philanthropic and visionary leader. The Landa Group focuses on patents in printing and imaging, with cuttingedge applications in food packaging, energy and even hair coloring. Conexx raffled off a trip for two to Israel, which Susanne Katz won. ■

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Labovitz Seeks Growth While Leading Council

Steve Labovitz says the council is a nonpartisan but interested party in this year’s elections.

of economic development projects. The council’s work fascinates Labovitz, he said, both in advocating the needs of developers planning smart projects and in understanding what public officials need to make

government work. The failure to implement regional transportation solutions from the state government is an example of where the council can play a role. While working with legislators to help get a workable compromise through the General Assembly, the council also talks to city and county government officials to help them understand the value they could see from various proposals. Labovitz maintained hope into the closing days of the session that the House and Senate would be able to work out a transportation compromise. He said affordable housing and workforce housing — the idea that people should be able to live close to where they work — also have been important issues for the council this legislative session. Looking ahead, he said it’s important to speed up the permitting process and to develop a dedicated revenue source to support the BeltLine’s growth. “The tax allocation district never has generated the income expected.” Meanwhile, the council wants the state to avoid the controversy that would arise from the passage of a religious liberty bill or perhaps an adoption bill that would allow private agencies to reject potential parents who violate certain religious beliefs — seen by many as a way to discriminate against would-be same-sex parents. That could hurt the business community and perhaps repel major economic development projects, such as the Amazon HQ2. As chairman, Labovitz said he wants to increase awareness of what the council does and expand its membership, which now totals 300 to 350. Born in Gwinnett County, the council now has a truly regional footprint encompassing more than 90 jurisdictions, and Labovitz said, “I want to make the council reflective of the regional community.” ■

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

The Georgia General Assembly is due to end its legislative session Thursday, March 29 — just in time for Passover and just in time for political races from the governorship to school boards to heat up, with the primaries set for May 22 and early voting beginning April 30. That also means it will be time for Dentons senior partner Steve Labovitz to shift his focus from lobbying for legislation at the state Capitol to making sure that candidates for state offices don’t forget about transportation, housing affordability, water availability and other issues that can affect Georgia’s ability to maintain economic growth in a smart way. Those matters are concerns for his clients, but they’re also the focus of the Council for Quality Growth, a 33-yearold trade organization that brings together developers, builders, engineers and others to advocate policies, legislation and plans supporting growth in metro Atlanta and across the state. Labovitz was elected in December to a one-year term as the council’s chairman. “As a longtime Council for Quality Growth leader and a leader in our region, Steve has been a tenacious and effective advocate for policies that balance continued growth and quality of life,” said Michael Paris, the president and CEO of the council. “We are fortunate that Steve will chair the council’s board at a critical juncture for mobility, affordability and other issues so important to the economic sustainability of metro Atlanta.” Labovitz, whose extensive involvement in the Jewish community includes being the first board chairman of the independent Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, has been involved with the council for about seven years, largely as an offshoot of his work at the law firm, which often involves projects with significant economic development pieces. “My being part of the council makes all the sense in the world,” he said in a mid-March interview. He said his enjoyment in dealing with the details of economic development and good growth goes back at least to when he was the mayoral chief of staff and chief operating officer for the city of Atlanta in the 1990s. He learned about the many elements involved in making a project such as Atlantic Station work, and he also gained an appreciation for the regional impact

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Infertility Struggle Calls for Support, Not Shame By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com Lynn Goldman was pushing a stroller with her twins inside when a passer-by asked, “Are they real?” It took Goldman a while to realize the person was asking whether her children were created by in vitro fertilization, but she felt pain from the remark instantly. Insensitivity toward people who are trying to have a baby is common, but it is something people can change, the adoption and surrogacy lawyer said. Goldman and her husband, Ronnie, went through many years of infertility until they decided to try IVF. The couple had a baby only after experiencing a number of failures. The Goldmans were among the panelists who spoke at the Jewish Fertility Foundation’s program “Loving Someone With Infertility” on Wednesday, March 21, at Jewish Family & Career Services. The couple experienced their feelings differently, Lynn Goldman said,

Jewish Fertility Foundation founder and Executive Director Elana Frank (far left) introduces panelists Rabbi Judith Beiner, Ronnie and Lynn Goldman, and psychotherapists Tricia Anbinder and Shubha Swamy for a discussion about infertility and how individuals can offer support.

but similarly in the sense that it was heartbreaking. “It wasn’t that my body was just failing me, but it was expensive and affecting my work and family relationships,” she said. The experience was traumatic, and studies have shown that infertility can be as stressful as a lifethreatening illness.

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Licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist Tricia Anbinder spoke about the biological, psychological and social effects of infertility on people. Anbinder describes infertility as a medical diagnosis that can disrupt people’s reproductive stories regarding whether they choose to have children and how they want to parent. That diagnosis, she said, can be the first time people recognize that something in their bodies isn’t working right and is beyond their control. Anbinder said there is also the pain of going through assisted reproduction, such as IVF, which can be invasive and exhausting, plus the risks associated with pregnancy if it is achieved. She also discussed the psychological impact of infertility, which can lead to an identity crisis or feelings of depression, anxiety and isolation. Anbinder said people often feel that their bodies have betrayed them, depriving them of childbirth, a spiritual connection and a sense of self. Anbinder said the trauma can lead to symptoms correlated with post-traumatic stress disorder, including flashbacks, difficulty concentrating, social isolation and irritability. Those symptoms can put a strain on marriage, work, and relationships with friends and family. Psychotherapist and founder of Novo Psychotherapy Shubha Swamy noted some ways people can offer support to those struggling with infertility. Just listening or saying, “I don’t know what to say right now, and I feel sad for you and helpless” can build a connection. She added that checking in from time to time can also be helpful.

Swamy warned not to say things such as “Relax, it will just happen,” which can imply that people battling infertility are doing something wrong. She added that people should refrain from advising adoption, which is expensive and even more invasive than IVF. Goldman said it is a misconception that there are countless babies available to adopt. Rabbi Judith Beiner, the JF&CS community chaplain, offered a Jewish perspective on infertility and highlighted some ways to offer support. Start by listening and asking questions instead of just talking, and make sure couples are not alone during the holidays. She also encouraged prayer and ritual as needed. The Jewish Fertility Foundation offers monthly support groups and is hosting a carnival for a cause as part of a fundraiser Oct. 28. “Raising awareness and giving people equal access and participation in the Jewish community in whatever way they wish and making them feel as if they belong is part of the Jewish way,” Rabbi Beiner said. She added that how people define a family may sometimes instinctively mean “with children,” but the truth is families come in all forms and combinations. “People should find a way to encourage others to see their body as holy and inherently full of goodness because as much as there is a head and a heart involved with infertility, your body is what is going to carry you through your whole life, and finding words or ways to help someone may offer a better perspective,” she said. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Schuchat Passed Over

The Trump administration for the second time has decided to go outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to find a director rather than appoint acting Director Anne Schuchat to the permanent position. The Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday, March 21, that Robert Redfield, a 30-year virus researcher and 20-year veteran of U.S. Army Medical Corps who has been most prominent in work on AIDS and HIV, will be nominated to serve as the 18th CDC director. If, as expected, his nomination is confirmed, he will replace Brenda Fitzgerald, the former Georgia health commissioner who lasted less than half a year at the CDC before resigning amid controversy over investments involving tobacco companies and health care businesses, both of which represent a conflict with the CDC’s work. Schuchat, a Jewish community member who is a career CDC official and rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service, has served as acting director since Jan. 31, and several news outlets reported strong support within the agency to drop the “acting” from her title.

Among her other activities the past 15 months, Anne Schuchat was a featured speaker at the Jewish Breakfast Club last fall.

“It is an honor to provide leadership for our nation’s premier public health agency, and all of you, in this role. Please know that I take this responsibility very seriously and care tremendously about our continued excellence and strength,” Schuchat wrote in an email to CDC staffers Feb. 1. She has led the CDC for most of Donald Trump’s presidency, including roughly the first seven months of the administration when she was acting director after Tom Frieden resigned upon the president’s inauguration. “All of us at HHS are grateful to Dr. Anne Schuchat for her service as acting director at CDC, especially during this year’s severe flu season,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. “We look forward to CDC continuing its important work on the opioid epidemic and America’s many other pressing public health challenges.”

Stroke Network Launched

A $15 million donation from the Marcus Foundation has enabled the creation of the Marcus Stroke Network, a collaboration among Grady Health System, Emory University School of Medicine, Boca Raton Regional Hospital and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. “This aggressive, action-focused program is a unique decision support system driven by technology, real-time outcomes, and scalable solutions,” said neurologist Michael Frankel, who becomes director of the Marcus Stroke Network. He already leads Grady’s Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center, also established and expanded through grants from Bernie Marcus’ Buckhead-based foundation. The network targets stroke disability and death rates in the Southeast by working with hospitals in Atlanta and Boca Raton, the two cities where Marcus spends most of his time. Among the network’s goals: • Extend the reach of doctors with stroke expertise through telemedicine technology to accelerate early and definitive stroke treatment. • Establish the region’s first Mobile Stroke Unit, a specialized ambulance

equipped with a CT scanner so that lifesaving treatment for stroke patients can begin before they reach the hospital. • Upgrade acute stroke care by initiating a direct “ambulance to angiography” approach. • Enhance the quality of care at network hospitals and ensure longterm sustainability through a coordinated system of stroke care. Frankel said vascular neurologists and other medical professionals at Emory and Grady will provide realtime guidance to emergency doctors at remote sites, helping diagnose strokes and recommending treatments. “Our goal is to extend the vast experience and proven expertise of our stroke specialists to participating network hospitals, giving each and every stroke patient in the areas serviced by our network partners the best chance of survival and living an independent quality of life,” he said. A major focus of the Marcus Stroke Network is providing timely, accurate and evidence-based care to stroke patients. This approach will be guided by the science and expertise of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

HEALTH & WELLNESS

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Disconnect to Reconnect

Celebrating Shabbat is good for your mental health Growing up in Toronto, I really enjoyed our Friday night dinners. We would have my grandparents, uncles and cousins join us for Shabbat. I have great memories of playing in the backyard with my cousins and practicing my golf swing with my grandfather. When it came to meal time, we would say the prayers, light the candles, break the bread, drink the wine, and enjoy hearing everyone’s stories and experiences from the past week. We actually talked and enjoyed being with one another. Soon after my grandfather died in 1986, we stopped having our weekly Shabbat dinners. We were getting older, outside activities were taking precedence, work commitments for my parents were becoming more frequent, and Friday nights just didn’t work anymore. So we changed our routine, and we would go as a family for dim sum (tapas-sized portions of Chinese snacks) on Saturday for lunch instead of gathering on Friday night. There were no Jewish rituals being practiced anymore, but we enjoyed our time connecting as a family and sharing a delicious meal. I have so many fond childhood memories of our version of Shabbat. So why do I bring this up? Well, if you haven’t noticed, we are living in the loneliest generation in history. The prevalence of technology in our daily lives makes us lonely as we attempt to replace real relationships with online relationships. Temporarily, we sometimes feel

better when we engage others online, but these connections tend to be superficial and ultimately prove dissatisfying. Online contact is not an effective

Briefings From The Berman Center By Justin Milrad

alternative for offline social interactions. We require actual, in-person, non-technology-fueled connection. Since my wife, Alyza, and I met almost 12 years ago, we have celebrated Shabbat. But until recently, when she returned from the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project trip to Israel in November, Shabbat was having dinner together and going through the rituals. We would still be mentally engaged in our workweek and be focused on our growing to-do lists while enjoying a nice meal, family time and familiar ritual. About 20 minutes after returning from Israel, fully inspired and clearly enlightened, Alyza said to me that we’re going to do something different. On Shabbat, she said, we are turning off our technology and connecting as a family so we can reconnect — aka “disconnect to reconnect.” No iPhone, iPad, email, TV, video games, Kindle, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. We are going to be present for one another, talk about our week, play games and be a family. What? No iPhone, no Netflix — are you kidding? I’m going to crumble.

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Honey, the kids aren’t going to know what do you with themselves. What if I miss an important call or text? What if I miss a funny cat post? We are going to have to talk to one another? This can’t be happening. While at first I was a skeptic, saying to myself, “Sure, we’ll do this for a month and be back to normal in no time,” I have found that those who engage in Shabbat sans technology are really on to something. The Orthodox have this Shabbat and connection thing figured out. Needless to say, our family bond couldn’t be stronger. Our connection to one another is rock solid, and we are making moments that as a family we will remember for a lifetime. I also can’t ignore the extremely proud and happy moments Alyza and I have when our three kids are fully engaged and enjoying the Shabbat rituals. We are learning more about our faith and more about one another. Batsheva Gelbtuch, co-director of the Jewish Women’s Connection of Atlanta, which works with the JWRP on its Israel trips, explains it as follows. Judaism teaches us that part of our mission is connecting deeply within three spheres: • Connecting with ourselves (our souls/our own unique missions). • Connecting with others (anyone G-d places in your path is there for a reason, to connect). • Connecting with infinity/spirituality, to G-d. We live in an uber-connected world. Ninety percent of people are within 3 feet of their devices 24 hours a day; 52 percent of people wake up in the middle of the night just to check their devices. We can connect with people on the other side of the globe with the click of a button. However, are we connecting, really connecting? The way we measure that is evaluating those three spheres. When we walk into the grocery and when we are on the phone as we are checking out, we may be connecting with whoever is on the other end, but are we connecting with the cashier who is right there in front of us? Did we smile at her and ask her how she’s doing? Judaism demands this of us: to be fully connected in all three spheres.

Shabbat is the time we get to truly immerse ourselves in this connection, to truly notice those around us, to fully witness our kids, and to be present for spouses, friends, family and ourselves. To take the time and evaluate “How connected am I?” On Shabbat we rest from connecting externally. In essence, we disconnect in order to fully connect. We rest from creating, and that is the opportunity for introspection. What have I achieved this week, and how am I better? Am I closer to becoming the best version of myself? Am I more self-aware? Have I become more sensitive? Where do I need to develop in particular? On Shabbat we are evaluating; we are taking a real, honest look at ourselves. Rabbi Akiva Tatz says the meditation of Shabbat is the meditation of being, not becoming. It’s from the awareness of being that the next week’s becoming is generated. We live in a world in which we are all doing so much, becoming so much, that the expectations we place on ourselves, our kids, our colleagues and our spouses are generating a level of stress we have yet to encounter. Shabbat is the way we don’t lose sight of why we are doing it all and what really matters, Batsheva says. So here is my challenge to you. Try disconnecting to reconnect for three consecutive weeks on Shabbat and see how it makes you feel. I can pretty much assure you that your stress and anxiety will start melting away while your happiness quotient goes up. L’chaim. ■ Justin Milrad is the CEO of The Berman Center and can be reached at justin@bermancenteratl.com. The Berman Center offers a path forward for those dealing with addiction and/ or mental health issues. Based on the Jewish values of community, healing and wholeness, our spiritually holistic approach helps participants transition from surviving to thriving. We offer a customized, multidisciplinary treatment plan that supports the individual and the person’s family, as well as exceptional post-treatment community integration programs. For answers to your questions related to mental illness and addiction, call The Berman Center at 770-336-7444, or email questions@bermancenteratl. com. Inquiries are held in the strictest of confidence.

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MARCH 30 â–ª 2018

Happy Passover

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Persia Still Influences Seder after 4 Decades By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

BEST OF JEWISH ATLANTA

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Happy Passover

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As Iran’s political climate turned in the late 1970s, Safa Nooromid’s family sensed the need to escape. Her father suggested they travel to Israel for a short while until things settled down. They didn’t know they were leaving everything behind and locking the doors to their home for the last time. For more than 38 years Nooromid has lived in Georgia, but before she immigrated to the United States, she lived a life full of culture and traditions in a small city in Iranian Kurdistan. She shared her story as part of a Rosh Cho­ desh Nisan learning session Friday, March 16, at the Weber School. Nooromid’s family lived in Sanandij. The city was predominantly populated by Sunni Muslims, who Nooromid said got along with the Jews. Everyone knew who they were. She said incidents of anti-Semitism took place but were rare. For example, when the family would ignore the produce kiosk, the owner would sometimes throw a tomato at them and call out “Jews.” Nooromid’s family in Iran followed special customs and traditions to celebrate Jewish holidays. Because she was brought up in a kosher home, for example, Nooromid’s family never ate any processed foods and made everything from scratch. The background perhaps is what led her to become a nutritionist and select Sukkot and Passover as two of her favorite Jewish holidays, Nooromid said. For Sukkot, the family built a massive sukkah alongside their pool and decorated it with Persian rugs, furniture and drapes. Nooromid recalled that her father would sleep in the sukkah for seven nights and invite family to visit, making it a memorable holiday. When it was time for Pesach, Nooromid said, the family did not buy boxes of matzah from grocery stores but had to prepare everything by hand starting two months in advance. Two weeks before the holiday, the family moved from the east wing to the west wing of their house and hired help to wash the rugs and paint the house. The family had a brick oven for matzah. Nooromid said her family sacrificed a lamb for the zeroah, symbolizing the paschal lamb, for the seder. Her father would spread its blood on the doorposts and use the meat to make

Safa Nooromid (left end of table) left Iran when she was 18 because of the Iranian revolution, but she continues to draw on her Persian customs when celebrating Jewish holidays such as Passover.

kabobs and distribute it among families in need. Sanandij had about 200 Jewish families and three synagogues. The synagogues were not separated into distinct denominations, but women and men did pray separately, with little participation from the women. Nooromid was applying to college when protests and talk of overthrowing the shah spread through Kurdistan. To avoid conflict in their small city, the family moved to Tehran, where they believed they would be safer, but the situation worsened. Nooromid’s family arranged to leave the country, but at the airport they saw hordes of others trying to leave. Over the next five days the family visited the airport every day and spent seven to eight hours waiting until they booked the last flight from Iran to Israel before the airport closed. Nooromid met her husband, Sharokh, in Israel; he also left Iran before the revolution. They moved to America after a year and settled in Georgia, where Sharokh studied civil engineering at Georgia Tech. After he completed his degree, Sharokh sought to return to Iran, but his parents advised him against it because of the country’s political turmoil. “People often think that Iran is not a modernized country or that it was backwards, but in fact we were ahead of most countries in fashion, education and technology,” Nooromid said. She said Iran’s fashion was highly influenced by Europe, and whenever relatives would visit, they would bring clothes from America, only to realize Iranians were ahead of the trend. She added, “I think people are always interested to hear my story and learn about Iran, which I am happy to share with them.” ■

PASSOVER

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Iranian-Jewish Refugee Sees Muslim Parallels By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

Like other Iranian-Jewish refugees, Hengameh Pourfakhr was smuggled into Turkey while the Islamic regime cracked down throughout Iran.

suitcase filled with clothes, some jewelry her parents had given her and $200 in her pocket. In her first few days in Manhattan, Pourfakhr spent time exploring the city until the New York Association for New Americans (which no longer exists) located an Iranian family she could visit for Shabbat. Meanwhile, because her father was interrogated by Iranian officials after her departure, Pourfakhr couldn’t get any money from her parents and was forced to make it on her own. She relocated to Brooklyn and was granted room and board by an Orthodox family in exchange for babysitting six children. Pourfakhr studied physics for two years at Brooklyn College, then was accepted into Stony Brook University’s engineering school. Before her husband moved to Atlanta to be with her, Pourfakhr shared a room with another Iranian and landed a position at the Southern Co., where she still works today. Pourfakhr noticed that there weren’t many Jews or Iranians at her new job. “People always asked me, ‘Where are you from?’ And when I told them I’m from Iran, they always assumed I was Muslim,” she said. “They were always surprised to learn that there were Jews in Iran.” But the inquiries did not bother Pourfakhr. “I took pleasure in trying to educate them, and contrary to what they thought, I told them we don’t ride camels and actually live in big cities.” Pourfakhr has connected with community members in Atlanta and belongs to Temple Kol Emeth. She said she has been able to maintain her Iranian heritage and Jewish religion but noted that some Ashkenazim still don’t know about Sephardic culture. Pourfakhr said she owes her life to a number of Muslims who helped her

escape Iran, and she supports immigration from predominantly Muslim countries because many of their residents, such as Iran’s Baha’i community, suffered similar persecution. She added, however, that antiSemitism is embedded in some cultures and that people will sometimes hang on to those beliefs. “I have a lot of Muslim-Iranian friends in Atlanta who still carry anti-Semitism and antiIsrael sentiment, even from those who

don’t have anything against Israel or Jews,” she said. “But it’s more of a political stance rather than anti-Semitic.” Pourfakhr said one of the reasons she loves living in the United States is because of its diversity and respect toward unique backgrounds, cultures and religions. “I believe that when you bring people out of that culture in the Middle East into an open environment which teaches respect, then you erode that ignorance.” ■

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MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Walking through the streets of Shiraz one day, Hengameh Pourfakhr and her friends were scolded by a basij officer for laughing in public. The encounter was the last straw for Pourfakhr, who packed her suitcase and fled Iran. For a Jew, Pourfakhr said, “there was always an undercurrent of antiSemitism in Iran, depending on what period in history you looked, where you lived and what echelon of society or economic rival you were associating with.” She said those who were affluent or highly educated were not as antiSemitic as the uneducated segment of society. The official stance in Iran was respect for the people of the book, including Jews, who were allowed to have their own schools and had synagogues. On the surface, it seemed Jews were not persecuted, but the anti-Semitism was still sensed, she said. Pourfakhr recalled that her father would frequently hear comments at work such as “Hey, you’re a Jew. Why are you our boss?” The Islamic republic implemented more oppressive laws after the 1979 revolution. The hijab became compulsory for women, even for Jewish women like Pourfakhr. She said, “As a woman, I felt like a second-class citizen or someone who is looked down on and not equal to men.” After she graduated from high school, Pourfakhr sought to study physics at an engineering school overseas, but her dreams were dashed when the Iran-Iraq war broke out in 1980. The Islamic regime refused to issue passports to Jews. Life in Iran became more dangerous, especially for religious minorities, Pourfakhr said. “Anyone caught speaking against the government was thrown into prison.” As a last resort, Pourfakhr’s family hired an Iranian Kurd to smuggle her across the Turkish border. Once Pourfakhr arrived in Turkey, a rabbi from Baltimore sponsored her trip to Switzerland, where she obtained a passport from the Red Cross and a visa from HIAS that granted her refugee status. She traveled to Vienna, where she began babysitting in exchange for room and board. It took Pourfakhr almost a year until she landed in New York with a

Left: Hengameh Pourfakhr works with the Southern Co. after fulfilling her dream of earning an engineering degree. Below: Hengameh Pourfakhr visits a concentration camp in Vienna to learn about the Holocaust, which she said was never taught about in Iran.

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Bukharian Refugee Had Rough Reception By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com Excitement filled Nelly Iskhakova when she and 30 of her family members boarded a plane in 1991 to travel from Uzbekistan to America. But she didn’t know the journey ahead. She and her husband were in shock just to get the news they could leave. “We were in disbelief and thought, ‘That’s not true,’ since most people who left in the mid-80s were persecuted or considered traitors.” Life in Uzbekistan for her family was a challenge, including the practice of Judaism. As a child, Iskhakova said, she was the only Jew at her school of 2,000 students. Her teacher kept a journal that disclosed students’ religions. When it was time for her brother to celebrate becoming a bar mitzvah, Iskhakova said the preparations were done in secret. “My family didn’t want to attract the government attention, since having religious beliefs was forbidden in the country,” she said. In addition to observing the High Holidays, the family kept Shabbat and purchased kosher meat for Passover at a special market. Over time living conditions in Uzbekistan deteriorated. “You couldn’t even buy bread,” Iskhakova said. She thinks her husband’s Judaism kept him from getting a managerial position. “We got to a point where we began to think, ‘OK, where do we go from here? What direction is the country headed?’ ” she said. “We didn’t see a future for our kids but still wanted to practice our religious beliefs.” In a final attempt to leave Uzbekistan, Iskhakova and her husband began selling everything they had to raise money. “The process was so difficult for us up to that point,” she said. “We were trying to sell our house but were not supposed to tell our neighbors why, and because people knew a mass of Jews was leaving, everyone was selling their house for basically nothing.” When the family arrived in New York, excitement turned into disappointment in a city that “was very dirty,” Iskhakova said. “It was a culture shock.” Daily life began to improve when the government provided her daughter free day care and English classes through the Hebrew Immigration Aid Society. She later received financial aid for nursing school.

(Left) Rabbi Niazov, Nelly Iskhakova’s husband, Moshe, and his cousin Michael celebrate the brit milah of their son Markel in New York.

Nelly Iskhakova, Moshe Iskhakova with daughter Mariya in his arms, Mira and Mariya (the husband’s cousins) and Mira’s daughter Liza pose for a family photo.

“We tried to take advantage of everything, and it was very helpful,” she said. But life in New York wasn’t always friendly. One time Iskhakova’s daughter suffered an injury, and ultra-Orthodox medics arrived to provide aid. But when they discovered Iskhakova was Bukharian, they appeared uncaring. “We didn’t know any English. … All I remember is that when a translator came to tell the medics we were Jewish, they said, ‘No, they’re not Jewish. They’re not Jewish,’ ” Iskhakova said. After five years in New York, Iskhakova and her husband decided to move to Atlanta. Her relatives helped them settle here, so they did not need assistance from the community. Iskhakova added that they felt humiliated by New York’s welfare offices and did not want the same treatment in Georgia. Iskhakova is a member of Congregation Beit Yitzchak and believes that Atlanta has become more welcoming since the early ’90s. “When we go to Chabad here in Atlanta, people are very pleasant and welcoming, but I think it is because more people have immigrated to Atlanta and the community has a better understanding of who we are,” she said. “Before, we were just a part of the Orthodox community and people didn’t know who we were, but over the years people have come to understand and are more receptive.” ■

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MARCH 30 â–ª 2018

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Maurice Shohet (far right in suspenders) experiences everyday life as a boy in Iraq in the 1950s.

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Boys and girls study together at Shamash Secondary School in Baghdad in 1966.

Iraqi-American Jew Tells Forgotten Story of Escape By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

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Jews on the balcony watch Arabs calling for their deaths amid a series of violent attacks against Jews in Iraq in the late 1960s.

As government upheaval spread through Iraq in the 1940s and late ’60s, many Iraqi Jews fled as refugees. Americans know little of the millenniaold community’s history, but Iraqi Jew Maurice Shohet shared one of many untold stories. After the British army entered Baghdad 100 years ago, King Faisel I bin Hussein bin Ali al-Hashemi and the Jewish community cooperated, leading to the establishment of a Zionist organization that lasted until 1929. But the arrival of Haj Amin al-Husseini as the mufti of Jerusalem changed everything, from deadly riots in 1929 to incitement against Jews and Arab revolt in Palestine in the late 1930s. Anti-Semitic propaganda emerged from Berlin in Arabic and Nazi youth organizations formed in Iraq, and Jews suffered a farhud (violent dispossession) on Shavuot in 1941.

Shohet recalled his grandmother’s story as relayed by his mother. After Shohet’s grandmother discovered that her house was marked for attack, a Muslim neighbor hid all 11 siblings and supplied four security guards until the British army intervened 56 hours later. The story was part of Shohet’s lecture “The Story Never Told: The Fate of Iraq’s Jews” on Sunday, March 25, at the Selig Center — an extension of the Breman Museum’s exhibit “Discovery and Recovery: Preserving Iraqi Jewish Heritage,” on display until April 29. The establishment of Israel and Arab countries’ defeat in the Six-Day War led to additional suffering of Jews in Iraq, Shohet said. Daily executions were performed in public for the masses; Jewish businessman Shafiq Adas was hanged in front of his mansion in Basra. Consequently, a Zionist underground movement grew and helped Jews escape to Israel. About 8,000 to 10,000 Jews were left in Iraq by 1951,

Shohet said, including his family. Jews trying to leave were required to register for immigration and had all their property and bank accounts seized, Shohet said. To avoid having their assets confiscated, Shohet’s parents sold their house and business, but after they received a letter from relatives about living in tents with limited food in Israel, the family decided to stay in Iraq. Shohet attended a Jewish high school in Baghdad that was the only institution where boys and girls were allowed to study together. The school included one or two Muslim students because of its exceptional reputation. After the Six-Day War, Shohet said, Jews were no longer permitted to apply to universities in Iraq and were subjected to greater restrictions. To escape persecution, Shohet’s family decided to flee. In 1970 a Kurdish smuggler transported the family to Baghdad, then to Erbil, where they stayed in the smuggler’s home for five days. The family crossed the border into Iran, but they were spotted by Iraqi security forces. The officers used a searchlight and dogs for 10 tense minutes until the smugglers paid off the border guards to let them go. Shohet now is the president of the World Organization of Jews From Iraq and works at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. In 2004 he returned to Iraq to help with the preservation of Jewish sites. Fewer than five Jews live in Baghdad today, Shohet said, but the community’s origins stretch as far back as 721 B.C.E. to the exile of the 10 tribes by the Assyrians. Because Iraq contains the tombs of prophets such as Nahum and Ezekiel, it remains one of the most important countries to Jews outside Israel. The story never told is about highlighting events people don’t know regarding Jews’ flight from Iraq and what they went through under the rule of the Baath party, Shohet said. “It’s not easy to find people who crossed countries and walked through borders, but it’s something that needs to be documented and known.” Shohet said Jewish refugee stories from the Middle East are seldom exposed because they weaken the Zionist ideal of Israel. “By defining them as refugees, it would have correlated with the Palestinian plight, which Israel may have not wanted at the time. But many years have passed, and the new generation has established itself, which may be why they are now talking about it.” ■

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

PASSOVER

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The Moshiach Finds His Passover Palace On Passover everybody wanted the prince to stay with them. He was coming. After years of anticipation, he announced his first visit to the district. Everyone from the mayor to the girl who swept out the bakery knew and admired his highness, but only by reputation. No one had met him, but everyone had heard stories of his courage and his sense of justice — how he defended the people of the district from bandits, predators and government tax collectors and how he would give a hearing to the poorest of his subjects if he suspected that wrong prevailed over right. It had long been rumored that one day, in early spring when the river was ice-free, when the apple trees bloomed like pink clover, when the young lambs skipped on the hillsides, the prince would come for the holidays. “Where will he stay?” 100 villagers milling around his house shouted at the mayor. “With me, of course,” the mayor replied. “He wants luxurious surroundings and rich, well-cooked food

and witty, intellectual conversation, and where in this crummy town would you find such accommodations?” Several of the town’s bankers and merchants were quick to answer the mayor’s rhetorical questions.

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“In my palace!” they all shouted. Their homes on the outskirts of the village were fit for royalty. “A prince needs a palace,” they said. “If we put him up with some peasant — sharing a bed with two aunts and a goat and three chickens, eating black bread and borscht three meals a day — he will never return.” Well, the mayor and the leading citizens of the town were not unreasonable. And everyone desired to please the prince. Finally, they decided to show their royal guest the various accommodations and let him choose. The next day, when the sky and

the crocuses along the road blazed in a shade of blue rarely seen on the palettes of artists, the prince strolled into town. A crocus was in his buttonhole. “I couldn’t resist,” he said, whereupon the children of the village ran to the roadside and picked armfuls of blue to please their visitor. After a welcoming speech of many words by the mayor (in which he unfairly lingered over the comforts of his house), the royal visitor was escorted to the home of the mayor. You should know that his wife, like all our wives, had prepared for the inspection with scrubbing and soaping and sweeping and absolutely no chametz. They had not left a crumb on the floor or a dust mote floating in the air. The guest of honor inspected it thoroughly as the mayor and his family nervously watched. After 30 minutes of poking in corners, inspecting his fingertips for dust and bouncing on the 100 percent cotton, not rag, mattress, he wrinkled his brow. “No good,” he said softly but clearly. With the mistress of the house looking on in horror, the prince added a brief explanation, “Not clean.”

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The merchants grinned with glee and steered the prince to their stately palaces. Chandeliers sparkled, and the fireplaces perfumed the air with roasting oxen such as Abraham prepared for his angelic guests. The heavy and expensive cherry wood couch and armchairs gleamed with fresh wax. Upstairs, the feather beds, like soft clouds, waited to comfort the guest. This haven had been prepared not by a housewife, but an army of servants. Still, after a careful examination, the prince rejected the palace. And the next one. He said they were not clean. The crowd moaned with grief. There was no fit habitation for him; he would return to his homeland. But David the Hochem, the wisest man in the district, had an inspiration. “Wait, my friends. He hasn’t seen the home of Yankel the woodchopper, who lives besides the road to Litovsk.” The last part of his statement was drowned out in groans and whistles and shouts of disapproval. “He lives like an animal,” someone shouted. “My goats live in a barn cleaner than Yankel’s hut.” “Yankel’s shack is so overcrowded with poor relatives that last week three cousins fell out the windows.” But the prince looked up and indicated a desire to inspect the home. The crowd was correct. The woodchopper’s home was terribly overcrowded because Yankel could refuse a bed to no one: relatives, the homeless, itinerant holy men. He could not feed them meat cakes and gravy, but there was always a roaring fire and plenty of corn porridge, and only one cousin had ever fallen out the bedroom window. The prince marched down the dusty road to the humble cottage. David, the hopeful wise man, led the way. Behind them, hundreds of peasants muttered, “Oy, oy, oy. The mayor’s home and palaces were not good enough, and now we show him this home for roaches.” But the minute the prince saw the cottage, he smiled for the first time. He entered and inspected the dirt floor, the cobwebbed walls and the fleeing roaches as he entered the rooms. “How clean, how pure. Here I will stay,” he said. David, as pious as he was wise, felt the hair on the back of his neck bristle, and later he swore he could hear the singing of angels. He knew the Moshiach had come to visit this house by the side of the road. ■

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MARCH 30 â–ª 2018

PASSOVER

Fishbein’s Finest The March 23 AJT included photographs of two of The Spicy Peach coowner Jody Wittenberg’s favorite recipes from her friend Susie Fishbein’s 2009 cookbook, “Passover by Design.” We used the photographs to show Wittenberg’s comments and the food stains that indicated the extensive use she has made of the recipes over the years. Unfortunately, the reproduction in the newspaper was not as good as we had hoped, and we recognize that the recipes were difficult to read. So here they are again.

When the chocolate is ready, mix a large spoonful of the warm chocolate into the yolks to temper them and keep them from scrambling. Transfer all the yolks into the chocolate mixture, stirring until smooth. Fold a large dollop of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour 3 cups of the mousse mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes until set. Store the remaining mousse in the refrigerator. Place the cake immediately from the oven into the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Pour the remaining mousse into the slightly fallen center. Use a small metal offset spatula to spread the extra mousse evenly over the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Susie Fishbein’s Chocolate Mousse Pie

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Chocolate Mousse Pie

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Nonstick cooking spray 6 tablespoons sugar, divided 12 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine 4 teaspoons vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt 6 large eggs, separated Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with a heavy coating of nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar, tapping the sides to distribute it evenly over the bottom and a little bit on the sides. Set the pan aside. Set a metal bowl over a pot of barely simmering water to form a double boiler. Melt the chocolate, butter or margarine, and 3 tablespoons sugar in the bowl, stirring occasionally. When completely smooth, remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes on medium-high. Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, about 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside. Beat the egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored.

Susie Fishbein’s Blintz Soufflé

Blintz Soufflé

12 frozen blintzes, slightly defrosted 6 large eggs 4 tablespoons butter, melted 1½ cups sour cream ¼ cup orange juice ½ cup sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla ¼ teaspoon salt Cinnamon/sugar Frozen blintzes are available in both gebrokts and nongebrokts formulations. Check the ingredient panel to see if matzah meal (gebrokts) or potato starch (nongebrokts) is used. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a pretty 9-by-13-inch oven-to-table baking dish. Arrange the blintzes in a single layer, overlapping slightly as necessary to fit. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, butter, sour cream, orange juice, sugar, vanilla and salt until it is a smooth batter. Pour the mixture over the blintzes. Sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar. Bake uncovered for 45 to 55 minutes until puffed and golden. ■

PASSOVER

Screen grab from www.paddington.com

Even cut into a “2” to represent the movie sequel, Paddington’s marmalade sandwich on bread risks rubbing Passover-observant Jews the wrong way.

Paddington Gets Bread Of Affliction “Paddington 2” hit the big screen in Israel on Thursday, March 22, which proved to be unfortunate timing for the English bear with the hankering for marmalade sandwiches. With Passover starting little more than a week after the film’s Israeli premiere, the power of Passover halacha has come into play. Paddington’s sandwich has disappeared from posters and billboards across the country. In the sandwich’s place is a matzah snack. As it happens, Paddington has seen his special foods censored in advertising campaigns in various parts of the world. But the situation is even stranger in Israel. First, movie promoters tried slapping two pieces of matzah together with orange marmalade. But that was not sufficient for the bear’s fans. Instead, the new Passover-kosher snack had to be neatly shaped into a “2,” just like the bread in the sandwich on the non-Passover posters. Israel has ample examples of cleansing ads of women so they can be placed in Bnei Brak and other religious neighborhoods. Israeli children will see “Paddington 2” with dubbed in Hebrew during Pesach. Movie food experts are waiting to see what snacks are on offer at the theaters. Will there be anything for those strict about keeping kosher for Passover? We will look for chocolate-covered matzah and other holiday delights. Meanwhile, “Paddington 2” keeps playing at some Atlanta-area theaters more than two months after its U.S. opening. ■

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

By Rabbi David Geffen

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www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Seder Still Special After 22 Years Congregation Shearith Israel played host to the 22nd annual Special Seder on Sunday, March 18, serving about 100 adults with disabilities and their caretakers. The inclusive celebration was created in 1997 by Arlene Koslow and Rachael Rosenberg after Rosenberg’s daughter, Marla, had become disabled because of treatment for childhood leukemia. They remain the organizers of the free event and its army of volunteers. Each guest has a complete seder plate and partakes in the full Passover experience and meal. For some, it is their only seder. To donate, volunteer or attend next year, contact Rosenberg at rkrjr2@comcast.net. Donations to the Rosenberg Seder Fund at Shearith Israel can be made at shearithisrael.com/donations. ■

JF&CS CEO Rick Aranson enumerates the Ten Plagues as Rabbi Ari Kaiman and Josiah Benator dip.

Rachael Rosenberg stops to schmooze with her guests. Photos by Leah R. Harrison

Rabbi Ari Kaiman leads an energetic rendition of Chad Gadya.

Pia Koslow Frank fills Julie and Audrey Zeff in on a few final details.

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Just as they have every year since 2005, the Pomeranz family arrives for the Special Seder. Adam Pomeranz, the CEO of Annandale Village and co-chair of Federation’s Jewish Abilities Alliance, says the seder works to “ensure the Jewish community is welcoming and inclusive of all people.”

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Judy Tager and Shearith Israel Executive Director Jodi Salomon are ready to serve matzah ball soup.

Marla Rosenberg personally greets every Special Seder guest upon arrival.

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PASSOVER

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Going Chametz-Free Means Valuing Time

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

There is a longstanding tradition in Jewish homes across the globe to clean before Passover. Thousands of women, children and even men armed with rags (schmattes, to some), dustpans, vacuum cleaners and a spritz of Meyer’s all-natural soap in a bottle are cleaning between couch cushions, in air-conditioning vents, behind bookcases, and, in my house, inside every Jewish book. It’s a huge labor of love (or disdain) in honor of the upcoming holiday of freedom, Pesach. Jews the world over are getting rid of chametz (anything leavened). While my husband is in charge of cleaning the vents, the couch, the sefarim (Jewish books) and the car, he is assisted by our small army of minions, aka our children. I am busy detailing the kitchen and ridding it of chametz, and I can hear the grumblings of some of the kids: • “We don’t even use these sefarim; why do we need to clean them?” • “These books are so high on a shelf, there’s for sure no chametz in them!” • “Mommy never lets us eat out of the kitchen anyway; why do we need to clean theeeese?” Valid as all their ever-subtle points are, I hope someday they will understand, as I do now, that they are missing the point. What is the point of the rigorous cleaning done before Pesach to rid our home of every last vestige of chametz (and certainly not eating it for all eight days of the holiday)? Even if you don’t do it for yourself, maybe your grandmother did it, or you know a Chabad rebbetzin busy with tinfoiling her counters and backsplash and changing over her entire kitchen to a chametz-free zone of intolerance. As with most things we do in a Jewish way, the answer is twofold and steeped in the enchantment of symbolism. All our mitzvot and customs have a body and a soul. The body is the basic, practical and sometimes dry-asmatzah reason for how we practice. The soul is the deep, mystical and symbolic reason for why we practice. It is the magic sauce of our endurance over the millennia. Just before the people of Israel

left Egypt, G‑d commanded them to sacrifice the paschal lamb and eat it with matzah and bitter herbs. G‑d then told them they should do this every year on the anniversary of the Exodus:

Guest Column By Dena Schusterman

“It shall be for you a remembrance. … Seven days you shall eat matzah, and on the first day you should remove all se’or (sourdough, a leavening agent) from your homes. Anyone who eats chametz (leaven) from the first day to the seventh day shall be cut off from Israel.” This commandment to remove chametz and to eat unleavened matzah is mentioned three times in Exodus Chapter 12. So on a practical level, we are serious about Passover because it is a serious directive, a clear commandment from G-d: Get rid of chametz and eat matzah, the paschal lamb and bitter herbs. For generations we have celebrated Passover. While we no longer sacrifice a lamb, the roasted bone on the seder plate stands in its stead. That is all fine and good. Doing what we are told. Doing it for generations. But as intriguing as it is to be part of a tradition long and persevering, it is not necessarily inspiring if you don’t know the why of it all. It certainly doesn’t inspire me to be as rigorous as my mother or her mother. Based on my children’s grumblings, it seems they are even less inspired. I know I must give them a deeper meaning, so I dug further to understand this for myself. “And you shall guard the matzot … that they do not become leavened” — if you read the word matzot/matzah without vowels, it can be read as mitzvot/mitzvah (commandments). The Talmud reinterprets this to read, “You shall guard the mitzvot, that they do not become soured/leavened.” How does a mitzvah become leavened or soured? Another quote is brought here from Rashi: “A mitzvah that comes to your hand, don’t delay it.” The Hebrew word for delay is tachametzena, which clearly has the

PASSOVER own. Use it away, lest it rot. wisely. Lest you whittle It was away the opporHenry David tunity. Thoreau who Finally, said, “As if you what is most could kill time uplifting about without injurridding oneself ing eternity.” of chametz and On the eve not being a of Passover, slouch is where what we are this process takes hunting down us: The seder. and eliminatThe very name ing is our means order and propensity to organization. It push things is the highlight of off, to procrasPassover. tinate and to After commit the removing all our worst offense: chametz, locking Kids making matzah learn it’s just the mitzvah it away and even part of the mitzvah at Pesach. that “comes to selling it, we your hand” and you push it away. begin the seder. What is that referring to? When What is the crux of the seder? we are specifically called on to do a Passing down our traditions, l’dor mitzvah, to fill a position of leadervador. On the seder nights we are ship or to lend a helping hand, and we transmitting our truths for the future. demure. We make up excuses about This is how we mortals become timenot being ready or not being the right less and essentially live on forever. person, or it not being the right time. Our customs are passed down, The essence of watching the and our children practice Judaism as matzah/mitzvah is to jump on it right we do, then they in turn pass it to their

children. Looking back at the chain of Judaism might not be inspiring until you realize that you too can have a piece of eternity. In conclusion, I accept that getting rid of chametz as an exercise in meticulous spring cleaning is a burden. But when we know the deeper meaning, it becomes an exercise in self-improvement, and that inspires me. When we help another and do mitzvot with alacrity, we are chametzfree. We are now ready for the seder on Passover eve and the metaphorical seder of life. We are showing our families and our children that we are excited about our Judaism and are committed to G-d and His mitzvot. As a result, I am hopeful that our children will integrate these messages and own their Judaism in a way that it gets passed on from generation to generation. Happy Passover. ■ Dena Schusterman is a founder of Chabad Intown, a Jewish educator, and a founding director of both the Intown Jewish Preschool and the Intown Hebrew School. She and her husband, Rabbi Eliyahu Schusterman, are native Californians living in Atlanta for 20 years with their eight children.

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

same root word as chametz, the very thing we are eradicating from our homes before Pesach. What are we really doing when we are so busy getting rid of chametz? On the soul level, what we are eradicating from our lives before Passover is the waste that we cannot recycle — namely, wasted time. Dreams delayed. Procrastination. This is the point, and it is a big deal. The first mitzvah given to the people of Israel as they are getting ready to leave Egypt is surprisingly not to hold the b’nai mitzvah gala affair or to give charity to your favorite Jewish cause. Nope. The first direct mitzvah is to bless the new moon, known as Rosh Chodesh. What Rosh Chodesh represents is the Jewish value of time; we protect a fleeting moment as if it represents eternity. Being on time. Valuing someone else’s time. But mostly using all our time in a purposeful way. We all have limited time in this world, and the message G-d was giving us is not to allow our allotted time to slip through our fingers. You were slaves for 210 years when your time was not your own, but now, and forever, you are a free people, and your time is your

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PASSOVER

Festival of Freedom Rabbi Noam Marans, American Jewish Committee’s director of interreligious and intergroup relations, offers this supplemental reading for your seder. As Jews and friends gather around the seder table, our thoughts and prayers are focused on all who suffer, all who are oppressed, be they individuals or communities. On this Festival of Freedom, we proclaim, “All who are in need, come and celebrate the Passover with us.” Our redemption cannot be complete, our Passover cannot be fulfilled, as long as there are others in need of our redemptive power. This year we amplify our concerns for the millions who are abused for practicing their faith, the millions who are persecuted in the name of religion. We remember that when Moses said to Pharaoh, “Let my people go,” his demand was for religious freedom: “Let my people go so they may celebrate a feast for G-d.” Moses was asking in the name of G-d for the most basic of human rights: the right to practice one’s faith freely. That clarion call is as fresh today as the day it was first spoken by Moses. In our own day, so many of the world’s conflicts are motivated or heightened by religious strife, be it a resurgence of worldwide anti-Semitism in the shadow of the Shoah, the Holocaust; oppression and decimation of

the world’s oldest Christian communities through murder, mayhem and expulsion; or persecution of vulnerable Muslims. Here at home we are deeply troubled by increased manifestations of hate, in threats against Jewish institutions, torching of mosques and targeting of other minority communities. Until all G-d’s people recognize the divine image in every sister and brother, the Passover we hope for will elude us. Until all G-d’s people can experience their quest for religious meaning without fear, the Passover to which we aspire will escape our grasp. Our most fervent prayers are for the millions of refugees, many of whom fled their ancestral homes as believers who dared to be different from the local majority. As we sit at our seder tables, we voice our prayers and concern. We extend our hands to those who are far from their homes without a roof over their heads or food to feed their children, our brothers and sisters who have escaped from war-torn countries plagued by violence and religious strife. Whether it applies to us personally or to our neighbor around the corner or around the world, we repeat the seder prayer every year: “This year, we are slaves; next year, may we be free.” ■

Photo courtesy of JDC

A JDC Jewish community youth volunteer delivers matzah to a needy Jewish senior before Passover in Kishinev, Moldova.

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

20 Tons of Matzah for Needy In 4 Ex-Soviet Republics

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The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is distributing 20 tons of matzah for tens of thousands of impoverished, elderly Jews in Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Russia. “Beyond the boxes of matzah, community celebrations and critical aid we are providing for Passover this year, it is the holiday’s message of hope that underscores all we do. That hope has been the connection that binds us all to the poor Jew in Moldova who has no one else to care for her, to the young person discovering his Jewish roots in Warsaw and to the family embracing

timeless traditions in Mumbai,” JDC CEO David Schizer said. “As we gather with our families and communities to celebrate the seder meal, let’s start a new tradition and recount the remarkable stories of these Jews, whose future is brighter because of the hope we deliver every day.” JDC has provided matzah to needy Jews at Passover for more than a century. Its efforts also include support for such activities as seder meals, cooking workshops and cultural performances. The work relies on JDC partnerships with the Claims Conference, Jewish Federations, and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. ■

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PASSOVER

A Feast Fit for a Pharaoh

Young Israel of Toco Hills held its annual Man Seder on Sunday night, March 25, featuring a four-course steak dinner, craft beers and bourbon, and betweencourses Passover insights from Rabbi Adam Starr for the men to bring home to their family seders the following weekend. As in previous years, the event also served as a collection point for used business clothes for nonprofit M.E.N.S. Wear, which helps men gain the skills and tools to secure economically viable career paths. Congregation B’nai Torah was scheduled to hold its second annual Men’s Seder — also with four courses, steak, craft beer and bourbon supplemented by Passover insights from Rabbi Joshua Heller — on Tuesday night, March 27, after the AJT went to press. ■

Photos by Eli Gray

Man Seder attendees play a Passover-themed trivia game.

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Yoni Graber digs into the third course: a ribeye steak with mini loaded potatoes.

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Tommy Neustein (left) and AJT 40 Under 40 member Eli Wolfe toast with Goose IPA from Goose Island Beer.

PASSOVER

Sholom Teller (left) and Neil Kalnitz relax after the first course of beercan chicken with street corn.

Emcee Justin Katz (left) and Rabbi Adam Starr prepare to eat the second course, consisting of Jack Daniel’s burgers and Cajun kettle chips.

Justin Katz serves as the master of ceremonies for the Young Israel Man Seder.

(From left) Edan Shapiro, Joey Wilson, Dave Katzman and Joel Avrunin are ready for the first course at the Man Seder.

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Young Israel’s current president, Hillel Glazer (left), and its immediate past president, Davi Kutner, share a table at the Man Seder.

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PASSOVER

Healthy at, After Pesach

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

By Leah R. Harrison lharrison@atljewishtimes.com

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“The Healthy Jewish Cookbook” began as a request from chef Paula Shoyer’s editor to write a kosher cookbook from a healthy angle. She accepted the proposal first as a preoccupation. The challenge then became a mission, evolved into a way of life and resulted as a gift. Shoyer’s introductory letter to readers calls it “A Healing Project.” Shoyer was grieving the loss of her mother when Sterling Epicure approached her about writing another cookbook in late 2015. She was lowenergy and distraught, but she decided that “I can’t sit on the sofa forever, and I love writing recipes and cookbooks, so I agreed to write the book.” Recipe development went well, feedback was positive, and Shoyer found that the writing process provided her not only a distraction, but also a newfound focus on healthy kosher preparation. “Eating food that was more natural and not having processed products in the recipes made a big difference. … I started to lose some of that grieving weight,” Shoyer said. She began to look and feel better and realized she was on the path to something that produced tangible results. “As time went on, this project literally brought me back to life and gave me purpose.” “The Healthy Jewish Kitchen” is the Paris Ritz Escoffier-trained chef’s fourth kosher cookbook but her first with an eye toward natural ingredients, whole grains, reduced sugar and salt, and healthy preparation, all while maintaining her trademark flavor and approachable style. The “Healthier Pantry” section at the front lists many of Shoyer’s ingredients and favorite kitchen tools and explains her rationale for choosing them. “Menu Suggestions,” broken out by holiday, can give even the least confident cook self-assurance with meal planning. As in previous books, each recipe leads with the number of portions served and a brief story about Shoyer’s inspiration for the dish, as well as prep and cook time, advance preparation steps, and necessary equipment. Just below each entry in this book, however, is a notation about whether the dish is meat, dairy, fish, vegetarian, vegan, parve, kosher for Passover or glutenfree. Many also feature a box with spe-

cial cook’s tips. Shoyer said a lot of the recipes came from her childhood but are updated and healthier. She devised a lighter option for coleslaw and created a recipe for baked latkes instead of fried. The new recipes have become mainstays in her home. “I keep going back to this cookbook,” Shoyer said. “I really love this food.” She said she is especially proud of the side dishes, many of which are vegetables that can be served at room temperature, so they are easy. She said her children even request the vegetables and get excited about them just as others get excited about cookies. With so many soups, salads, and gluten- and meat-free options, about half the recipes in “The Healthy Jewish Kitchen” are Passover-friendly, Shoyer said. Beautiful photographs of the fresh ingredients and finished products are provided throughout. From Apple, Squash and Brussels Sprout Salad to Baked Schnitzel With Nut Crust (both Passover-kosher), Shoyer’s recipes are wildly creative, yet the ingredients are attainable at most grocery stores and healthy food markets. For those seeking further gustatory rewards, the “Desserts and Breads” section is the largest in the book. Each recipe is just a healthier version of its predecessor. Shoyer’s recipe for chocolate quinoa cake, featured on the front cover of the March 23 AJT, was chosen March 14 as a Genius Recipe on the popular blog Food 52. “It’s been exciting to move to food from desserts as well because I feel like I can have an impact on all aspects of people’s holiday and meal planning,” Shoyer said. “It’s all about balance. I’ve found a way to enjoy delicious, natural, healthy food so that when I want to have a piece of my chocolate quinoa cake or my Linzer tart or my babka, I can do that with no guilt.” ■

The Healthy Jewish Kitchen By Paula Shoyer Sterling Epicure, 150 pages, $24.95

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Annie’s Shmurah Matzah Perhaps you are a fan of shmurah matzah. On the other hand, you may never have heard of the large, round, hand-made matzah scrupulously “watched,” or guarded, from the harvesting of the wheat until the baking. Because of stringent requirements, this matzah is made by trained workers specifically for Passover. Many of the “factories” in which this specialty kosher item is produced are in Brooklyn. My friend Annie visited me recently. I offered snacks, but she spotted two large cardboard boxes set apart from the other food in our house. “Oooh!” she exclaimed. “Do I see shmurah matzahs?” She was hoping I’d open one of the boxes and give her a sample, but the liberation date of the treasure is the first night of Pesach at our seder and not a minute before. Annie has only one vice, and that is the love of good food. I’ve never included shmurah matzah in the category of fine cuisine; however, the scrupulously created matzah does have its own mystique and allure. Even though every piece of kosher-for-Pesach matzah throughout the world has identical ingredients in identical ratios and is rolled and baked within identical timing, shmurah matzah baked in different factories each has its own taste and, for want of a better word, groupies. This is a story about one woman’s devotion to her shmurah matzah. Several years ago, Annie was a guest at the seder of Chabad Rabbi and Mrs. Tenenbaum in California. It so happens that these Tenenbaums are related to the matzah-making Tenenbaums of Brooklyn. At the California table of this illustrious family Annie’s obsession with Tenenbaum shmurah matzah was hatched. She’s not alone: The Tenenbaum matzah has a cult following that stretches far and wide, but, alas, it is unavailable in any of Annie’s area supermarkets. Once she tasted perfection, Annie vowed that she would celebrate every Passover with the Tenenbaums’ choice product. Unable to satisfy her desire locally, she contacted Mrs. Tenenbaum, at whose seder she had first tasted it. Mrs. Tenenbaum had good news. A member of Chabad was traveling from New York to California and

would be passing through the area where Annie lives. An assignation was arranged, during which Annie’s money would be exchanged for the Tenenbaum matzah. Annie was instructed to meet her supplier (let’s call him Moshe) in the parking lot of a bowling alley. Although my friend is usually cautious to a

Chana’s Corner By Chana Shapiro cshapiro@atljewishtimes.com

fault, she asked no questions, readily agreeing to meet a total stranger at a questionable designated time and place. Annie wanted that matzah. Yes, Annie loves Tenenbaum shmurah matzah, but the woman is not a glutton. She simply needs her annual fix, and here’s what happened in the bowling alley parking lot. Remember: Annie had enjoyed Tenenbaum shmurah matzah and wanted more, but she had never purchased any herself. Moshe: “Shalom, ma’am. I have your matzah right here.” Annie (thrilled and relieved): “This is wonderful! How much do you charge per piece?” Moshe (slightly taken aback but aware that there are many kinds of Jews in the world, and each has a spark of holiness): “Er, how many pieces do you want?” Annie: “I’ll take two, please. So can you tell me how much I owe you?” Moshe (considering not charging her but not wanting to embarrass her): “Feel free to pay what you wish.” Annie (delighted at the fulfillment of her heart’s desire and appreciative of Moshe’s flexibility): “Will $18 for each piece be OK?” Moshe (awed at the mysterious ways of Hashem): “$18 each! Thank you, and I wish you a very happy Pesach.” Annie and Moshe each drove away, content that their respective missions were successful. Later, one of Annie’s friends told her that a whole box of shmurah matzah could be purchased for less than she had paid for a single slice. But what did Annie care? Not everybody has the opportunity to procure two perfect pieces of Tenenbaum shmurah matzah from a messenger in a bowling alley parking lot. ■

PASSOVER

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Tip Top Brings Israel to Atlanta Seder Tables By Kevin C. Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

Photos by Kevin C. Madigan

There is no shortage of kosher food in the Atlanta area, but one emporium has made quite a name for itself in the short time it has been in business. Opened last summer by two Israelis, Yehonatan Hazot and David Malka, Tip Top Kosher Market in Chamblee is both a store and a delicatessen that prides itself on serving and selling food products rarely found elsewhere in the South. “Come and sit. I want you to try our hummus, OK?” That was the friendly greeting from Micka Lewit, the manager of Tip Top, when an AJT reporter arrived during a busy weekday lunchtime. Lewit came to Atlanta from Israel after serving in the army and working for eight years in a Tel Aviv restaurant with her brother, who was the owner. “It was what we needed to do here,” she said. “The community needed it.” This will be the store’s first Passover, and the staff is going to great lengths to make it special. Lewit herself

Micka Lewit says Tip Top Kosher Market has Passover items you can’t find elsewhere in Atlanta.

Micka Lewit assembled 60 Passover gift baskets and is confident she’ll sell them all.

assembled 60 gift baskets and was confident she would sell every one. “For Passover we have some good deals, like the matzahs, they are great quality and on sale. All the chocolates, cookies and everything, all from Israel. Nobody else has them,” she said. “People get superexcited when they see the wine cookies, ‘My G-d, I haven’t seen those for like 15 years.’ We sold 20 boxes already. Every Israeli knows them.” Tip Top has meat that is kosher for Passover — steaks, chicken, lamb chops, beef kebab — and Lewit singled out King’s Highway as one of the more popular brands. “This is all stuff you can’t get in

Costco, Kroger or Spicy Peach,” she said. Then there are seeds: sunflower, watermelon, pumpkin and a mix pack. You can get sweetened pecans, cashews, almonds, cakes, cereal, chocolate bars, matzah covered in chocolate, burekas and malawach. Fancy a natural juice? Tip Top has apple, strawberry-banana, mango, pineapple, orange and lemonade. And it’s all kosher for Passover. In Tip Top’s restaurant, Lewit is hard-pressed to say what customers like the most, but the aforementioned hummus did come up in conversation. She is updating the menu for a re-

launch right after Passover. “I’m going to put it on Yelp,” she said. “I’m doing coupons like the Americans do for the lunch menu. If you buy a meal, you get dessert for free, stuff like that.” Business is up lately, and customers are coming from Acworth, Woodstock, Lawrenceville, Duluth, Stone Mountain and East Atlanta, Lewit said. “And it’s not just Jews.” Tip Top’s plans include another location in Alpharetta “because there’s an even bigger community over there,” Lewit said. Other ideas are being thrown around, but she refrained from discussing them to avoid jinxing them. ■

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Much-Needed Unity At a time when the Jewish and the general communities can seem hopelessly divided, American Jewish Committee facilitated the first Atlanta Unity Seder at The Temple on Tuesday, March 13. Led by Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus, the service was an expanded successor to the biennial Black-Jewish Seders organized by the Atlanta Black-Jewish Coalition. More than 400 people attended. ■

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The Temple’s Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus explains matzah and its meaning to the more than 400 people attending the Atlanta Unity Seder.

Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul participates in the seder meal with members of Leadership Sandy Springs.

In partnership with the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival, Israeli musician Lior BenHur performs Dayenu during the seder.

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

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Atlanta Unity Seder co-chairs (from left) Merle Horwitz, Debbie Neese and Meg Heyer recite a Passover blessing.

Clergy members from the Jewish, Christian, Sikh and Muslim faiths provide their closing benediction in 140 characters.

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QUESTIONS

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LOCAL NEWS

By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

Jeffrey Silverstein is no stranger to Israel advocacy or discussions of the challenges the Reform movement has yet to tackle. But the recent transplant from Cincinnati is still maneuvering his way through Atlanta as the ACCESS associate for American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta regional office. The former NFTY educator spent a year living in Israel. He founded a nonprofit organization that strives to preserve the memory of the 6 million Jews who were slain during the Holocaust. Silverstein recently found time to answer AJT’s Four Questions. AJT: You have a degree in film studies and minored in Hebrew and Israeli cultural studies. What attracted you to those areas of study? Have you had a chance to combine them to produce a film?

Jeffrey Silverstein succeeded Julie Katz as American Jewish Committee’s ACCESS associate in mid-December.

Silverstein: I was attracted to those areas of study because they reflect some of my passions. I have been fascinated by cinema since I was a young child, and I also have always had a deep appreciation for the Hebrew language and a love for the state of Israel. I had not planned to combine these areas of study, but they did come together last spring when I had the ability to shoot a guerrilla documentary on Israeli social cohesion in Ashdod. Now my undergraduate foci are combining through my work with AJC. AJT: What has been your greatest achievement? Silverstein: After participating

With ACCESS Associate Jeffrey Silverstein in the March of the Living during my senior year of high school, I became involved with founding a Holocaust remembrance organization, Project6Million. We believe that, in moments where one learns about the Holocaust or other genocides, there is an inspiration to promise “never again.” Project6Million is designed to capture these moments and remind the individual periodically of their inspiration. In the spring of 2014, I had the opportunity, along with a colleague, to travel back to the March of the Living and share Project6Million with the marchers at Birkenau on Yom HaShoah. AJT: What are some goals you look forward to accomplishing in your new role? Silverstein: Educating the Jewish young professionals of Atlanta about the importance of Jewish community and engagement is important to me on a personal level. In my new role as

ACCESS associate I hope to continue and grow the successes of AJC and our young professional constituents. I hope to continue the engagement efforts in which my predecessors have been so successful and to continue to empower young professionals to advocate on behalf of the Jewish people. AJT: What is one of the biggest obstacles AJC faces in 2018? How do you hope to tackle it? Silverstein: I generally don’t tend to think in terms of obstacles, but we certainly have a few priorities to direct our attention toward this year. American Jewish Committee puts on programming that is simply unique within the Jewish community, and our impact is both local and global. We are hoping to increase awareness of and engagement in this meaningful programming. Oh, and it would definitely be great if people would RSVP on time to our events! ■

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Passover Greetings

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Georgia Aquarium Jumps Into the Shark Tank By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

In building the Georgia Aquarium, Bernie Marcus’ goal was to give people the chance to view aquatic animals they might never otherwise see. That mission will continue with the addition of a shark gallery as part of the aquarium’s 2020 expansion. The saltwater gallery is scheduled to open in the late fall of 2020 and will feature several shark species. As explained at an announcement ceremony Tuesday, March 20, the exhibit is one of the 12-year-old aquarium’s largest expansions and will draw inspiration from aquariums across the world. The gallery will feature floor-toceiling windows, which will allow visitors to get up close and personal with the sharks. The exact dimensions of the tank and the species it will contain are still being discussed. The 2020 expansion also will include a covered pedestrian walkway for visitors as they make their way to a reconstructed plaza. The aquarium previously expand-

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Georgia Aquarium rendering

Georgia Aquarium rendering

The shark gallery will have several species.

The Georgia Aquarium will get a new entrance and pedestrian walkway by 2020.

ed with the opening of the SunTrust sea lion gallery in 2016, along with a renovation of the AT&T dolphin exhibit, which had opened in 2011. “One of the things we have to do is keep the aquarium fresh,” Georgia Aquarium Chairman and CEO Mike Leven said. “We have to add new exhibits and new ways for people to come back.” As part of the latest renovations, which will add tens of thousands of square feet to the nation’s largest aquarium, a temporary entrance will

open in September. Construction will begin in April. Since its opening, the aquarium has funded more than 100 research projects, aquarium President and Chief Operating Officer Joe Handy said. For instance, the organization has helped create two marine protected areas in Mexico and the South Atlantic, said Alistair Dove, the vice president of research and conservation, and has published scientific papers on the biology of whale sharks to help preserve

the species. One of the aquarium’s goals is to serve as sharks’ spokesman because they are often misunderstood, Leven said. “People are fascinated with sharks. … When they see one up close, they look violent, but they are really gentle creatures.” New Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Atlanta Schools Superintendent Meria Carstarphen attended the unveiling of the expansion plans. The ceremony was held the day after the state Senate gave final approval to almost $5.5 million in tax exemptions and refunds to help finance the $100 million expansion. Cagle expressed appreciation for Bernie Marcus as a great visionary and for the aquarium’s accomplishments in conservation and education, which would not be possible without partnerships with universities such as Emory, Georgia and Georgia State. The Republican gubernatorial candidate added that the aquarium’s economic benefits include the generation of more than $8 million in state and local taxes. Over 1 million students have visited the aquarium through educational programs. Bottoms said the expansion is a reminder of downtown Atlanta’s growth. She said the aquarium’s impact on the city has been incomparable. Bottoms said the aquarium has supported 32,000 jobs, produced $6 billion worth of downtown projects and assisted 29,000 military personnel through a veterans immersion program. “Many of the people who will come to the aquarium will never see these animals up close. They may seem them in the movies or on the Internet, but it’s not the same,” Leven said. “We have a capability to do so, and it’s all because of Bernie and Billi’s gift to the city.” ■

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LOCAL NEWS

Etz Chaim, St. Ann’s Keep Shoah Memories Alive

The Holocaust Memorial Garden at Etz Chaim is much more than bricks.

er’s organizer and a former Men’s Club president, said: “We plan to send youth from both Etz Chaim and from St. Ann’s to Washington with the hope that their visit will impress upon yet another generation the ultimate requisite to never forget the extermination of over 6 million Jews and others in Nazi concentration camps. Likewise, we hope and pray that from this trip these kids will continue the dialogue between the two teen groups, similar to what the adults have formed.” The fundraising effort continued in November when the Men’s Club

hosted a Burgers and Bricks cookout for members of both houses of worship to learn more about the joint project. In his welcoming remarks, Rabbi Daniel Dorsch asked those present to recall the tragedy of Kristallnacht in November 1938. He noted that bricks were thrown into Jewish-owned stores in Germany on those horrific two days. “Today we are using bricks in a positive manner to provide a lifechanging visit for the youths to the Holocaust museum,” he said. Rabbi Dorsch unveiled the special bricks in the Holocaust Memorial

Garden that had been purchased since Yom HaShoah, and people were given stones to place on each brick. The fundraising program continues. For a contribution of $100, brick sponsors receive a dedication certificate and a copy of Elie Wiesel’s trilogy of “Night,” “Dawn” and “Day,” based on his experiences in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Last year’s Yom HaShoah program had focused on Wiesel’s life and influence. Bricks in the renovated Holocaust Garden may be used to memorialize any loved one, not just Holocaust victims. Bricks can be purchased at etzchaim.net/mens_club_holocaust_garden_order_form. Riesenberg can be reached with any questions at briesenberg@gmail.com. Father Ray Cadran, the pastor of St. Ann’s, is the son of a concentration camp liberator during World War II. “We are blessed to have these two communities committed to dialogue, faith sharing and cooperation,” he said, “and for going the extra mile while walking along G-d’s paths.” ■

Bechol Dor V’Dor, In every generation we should see ourselves as if we were personally redeemed from the narrow place. The Exodus was not only a moment in our sacred history but also a foundational idea. Just as we moved from slavery to freedom, from darkness to joy, so should all people, in every generation, know herut-freedom. The Atlanta Rabbinical Association is committed to be a part of the tremendous efforts to create a safer, more just world. We, as a collective body of rabbis are dedicated to engaging, educating and passing down wisdom from our tradition which speaks to the key issues of the day- to bring to fruition a world of wholeness and peace. Wishing the entire community, a Zissen Pesach. MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

An ecumenical program called Books and Bricks is helping Congregation Etz Chaim and the Catholic Church of St. Ann educate their youths about the Holocaust. The program uses the annual commemorations of Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) in the spring and Kristallnacht in the fall as bookends for the educational efforts. When St. Ann’s played host to a Yom HaShoah event for the two East Cobb congregations last April, it marked the seventh year the two had gotten together for the Holocaust commemoration. It also marked the launch of the “bricks” portion of their relationship. The Etz Chaim Men’s Club and the St. Ann’s liturgical group announced an effort to sell 100 bricks in the Holocaust Memorial Garden at Etz Chaim, with the proceeds dedicated to sending members of the teen youth groups of the congregations on trips together to the visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. Nearly half the sponsorships were pledged at the commemoration. Barry Riesenberg, the fundrais-

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LOCAL NEWS

Ibn Ezra Personified Diaspora Wandering

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Abraham ben Meir ibn Ezra was born in 1092 in Tudela, Navarre, in the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula, and lived until 1167. He was a renowned biblical scholar, poet, mathematician and grammarian. Ibn Ezra wrote “Ki Eshmera Shabbat,” a popular Shabbat dinner song known in all Jewish traditions. Abraham ibn Ezra’s childhood, his schooling and his family are mysteries. It is known, though, that he began to travel throughout the Iberian Peninsula around 1119 and visited Cordova, Lucena, Granada and Seville. In his travels he met several illustrious Jewish scholars. From a comment made in his exegesis (interpretation and comments on religious works) of Exodus, it has been deduced that he was the father of five children. They probably died early, except his son Isaac, who left Spain. Isaac converted to Islam, and with the purpose of bringing him back to Judaism, Abraham ibn Ezra abandoned Spain shortly after.

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Isaac’s conversion was a severe blow to his father. When Isaac died, Abraham ibn Ezra expressed his grief in two moving elegies. We reproduce a brief example of one of them: When I recall three years past, His death among foreigners And his vagabond life And my longing for him …

The Sephardic Corner By Mariana Montiel

Hold back, my friend, If you comfort me, you bring me grief; Do not make me recall the love of my life. Unable to bring his son back, Ibn Ezra did not return to Spain. Instead, in 1137 he traveled to North Africa and Egypt. He arrived in Italy in 1140. The first fruits of his stay in Italy were a series of works on the exegesis of the Torah and Hebrew grammar. He

is known to have been in the following cities: Rome (1140), Lucca (1145), Mantua (1145-1146) and Verona (1146-1147). It is supposed that Ibn Ezra also traveled to Palestine and to Baghdad (tradition states that he went as far as India) at some point between his time in Italy and his stay in France. Ibn Ezra moved in 1147 to Provence in southern France. In northern France, in Dreux, he completed several of his exegetical projects and began a new commentary on the Torah. He is considered second only to Rashi in terms of the quality and impact of his exegesis. Ibn Ezra then went across the channel to London, where a rich colony of enthusiastic Jews (before their expulsion in 1290) were eager to have this prestigious representative of Jewish learning in their midst. In 1160 he was back in southern France, where he translated an astronomical work from Arabic. Yet before his death he wanted to return to Spain, and most scholars agree that he died in Calahorra in present-day La Rioja. Abraham ibn Ezra wrote many books about astronomy, philosophy and mathematics. “The Book of the Number” describes the decimal system for integers with place values from left to right. In this work ibn Ezra uses zero, which he calls galgal (meaning wheel or circle). He also made the first attempt to systematize Hebrew grammar. To him, there was no conflict between science and religion. He considered science to be the basis of Jewish learning. Unlike some of our protagonists, Abraham ibn Ezra was not wealthy. In one of his poems he wrote: Were I a merchant of candles, the sun would not set until I died! … Were I to trade in shrouds, men would not die in my lifetime! … Were I to sell armaments, all enemies would be reconciled and not make war! Syria’s Jewish Nobility Now we will describe another one of the Sephardic diasporas that followed the expulsion from Spain in 1492. This group of Sephardim, known as the Syrian nobility, descended from the Spanish Jewish nobility who settled in Livorno, Italy, after leaving Spain and Portugal (as discussed in this column in December). Members of their families had been renowned philosophers, map-

makers, court advisers, bankers and astronomers. Many of them had been able to take their money, art and other wealth with them when fleeing from the Iberian Peninsula, despite a prohibition announced in the expulsion decree. Around 1600, a group formed by members of this nobility sailed to Syria, where they found a small number of families who had lived in Aleppo since the destruction of the Second Temple, if not earlier. The Musta’arabin of Aleppo (native Arab Jews, as the Spanish called them) claim direct descent from King David through the Dayyan family of Syria, said to be living there since 70 C.E. These Jews of Aleppo shared the Aleppo Codex, or Keter (crown) of Aleppo, with the Italian/Spanish Jews, whom they designated as the signoreem (plural of signore). Today, this Aleppo Codex is a famous rabbinical document and is well-known in the world of Orthodox Sephardic Jewry. The Spanish Jews maintained Ladino (Judeoespañol) as their language, and the wealthier families could apparently buy protection and tolerance, although their lives were never perfectly secure. The surnames of the noble Jewish families of the Spanish court include Ashkenazie, Azari, Blanco, Cohen, Franco, Garzon, Gomez, Levi, Lopez, Lobaton, Matalon, Mizraji, Salas, Setton and Tuleda. Until the beginning of the 20th century, most Jews in Aleppo lived in the center of the old city in the Spanish culture enclave. There were synagogues in which the Spanish-Portuguese tradition was followed, while others maintained the Arab-Jewish tradition. An anecdote from daily life concerns the Jewish cafe where the Sephardim would go to listen to a Spanish-Jewish musical ensemble composed of a singer, stringed instruments and drums. Often the entire family attended this cafe to conclude a business deal, and the arranged marriages were frequently decided at this venue. The most popular refreshment (orange blossom custard topped with cold fruit marinated in raisin wine) was named Morena me Llaman, just like the popular Sephardic cantiga (song). ■ The Sephardic Corner is a monthly contribution of Congregation Or VeShalom to the greater Jewish community.

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LOCAL NEWS Temple Hires Rabbi

The Temple has announced the hiring of Sam Kaye to be its new assistant rabbi, starting July 1. Rabbi Kaye, who is due to be ordained at the Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in June, will fill the opening created by the departure of Rabbi David Spinrad, who will be the senior rabbi at a congregation in Alexandria, Va. Rabbi Kaye might have an adjustment period for Atlanta weather: He’s from Denver and in January married a woman from Montreal, Taylor Baruchel, on the coldest day in that Canadian city’s history: minus-17 degrees. He has served as a student rabbi in Toronto, Sioux Falls, S.D., Beckley, W.Va., Cincinnati, and Paducah, Ky.

Frechtman Part of Next Gen

Ariel Frechtman, the community engagement director for the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, is one of 22 young communal leaders across the nation named a Next Gen Jewish Federations Fellow in mid-March. The 18-month program, funded by a grant from the Jim Joseph Foundation, offers tools and training to help participants lead the critical work of engaging with Jews in their 20s and 30s. Ariel The Jewish FederaFrechtman tions of North America is working with North Carolina’s Center for Creative Leadership and the Jerusalem-based M2: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education to develop coursework and meaningful experiences that grow leadership skills and connect Frechtman and the others more deeply to Judaism so they are ready to be innovators and leaders of the Jewish next generation.

fessionals chapters were given four slots in the pilot program. Chabad Young Ambassadors will be a global network of activists and change-makers from various fields of interest, sharing a passion to grow their young adult Jewish communities. They will study time-tested principles for effective leadership in general and Jewish leadership in particular.

Hadassah Foundation Adds Milton Woman

Renee Evans of Milton is one of three new national board members the Hadassah Foundation announced March 14. “These outstanding women are poised to make a strong contribution to our already energetic board,” board chair Julie Morris said. The foundation augments the work of Hadassah by making grants to help women and girls in Israel and the United States effect social change. In 2018, the Hadassah Foundation will Renee Evans distribute grants of $500,000 to nonprofit organizations, adding to more than

$8.1 million given out since 1999. Evans has been an educator in Georgia, Texas and Florida, including Florida State University. Her volunteer involvement includes the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, American Jewish Committee and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. She joins Livia Asher of Wisconsin and Tracey Spiegelman of Florida as newcomers on the board.

to create opportunities for volunteers and participants to spread kindness, education and comfort. Our city is fortunate to have people who care enough to take action and make our world a better place.”

Mayor Part of Package

Geurin Wins Fellowship

Dunwoody Mayor Denis Shortal joined The Packaged Good and Pebble Tossers to help the homeless March 3. About 100 people participated in activities such as painting doors and dressers, making care packages and placemats, and learning about homelessness. The projects benefited Dwell With Dignity, CHRIS180 and Hope Thru Soap. “I am so immensely proud of our community, who, along with outstanding nonprofit organizations like The Packaged Good and Pebble Tossers, helps focus our hearts and efforts toward brightening the lives of needy individuals and families,” Shortal said. “It remains more important than ever

Volunteers at The Packaged Good work on projects March 3 to benefit homeless people.

Congregation Bet Haverim Music Director Gayanne Geurin was named one of 17 recipients of the first Rising Song Fellowship from Mechon Hadar’s Rising Song Institute. The fellowship began in February. Under the direction of Creative Director Joey Weisenberg, Geurin and the other musicians, composers and prayer leaders are working together for 15 months to expand their skills and develop new modalities of musical-spiritual expression for the Jewish world. The fellowship aims to raise the musical-spiritual creativity of Jewish culture by developing music that connects to the energy of the Jewish community and is artistically inspiring.

An international pilot Chabad program has selected four Atlantans among 50 people who will spend the next four months exploring Jewish life today and envisioning Jewish life tomorrow before gathering for a global summit this summer in Moscow. Ethan Arbisher, Danit Dorory, Samantha Morton and Abbie Ijams were selected among other local nominees to represent Chabad Intown in the Chabad Young Ambassadors program, a grant-funded leadership fellowship. Chabad Intown Rabbi Eliyahu Schusterman, who will work with the four as part of the program, said most Chabad outlets with Young Jewish Pro-

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

4 Going to Moscow

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EDUCATION

Hillel Celebrates Top Georgia Talent Hillels of Georgia’s annual talent show fundraiser took its latest form, “Campus Top Talent,” for a gala celebration of philanthropists Bernie and Billi Marcus at the Georgia Aquarium on Tuesday, March 20. “You are a light unto others and our future is made brighter because of you,” reads the inscription on the Visionary Award presented that night to Bernie Mar-

cus, who is passionate about Hillel’s role internationally in helping Jewish students thrive on college campuses despite increasing demonstrations of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic feelings in many places. Hillel International’s CEO, Eric Fingerhut, flew in for the fundraiser and the opportunity to help present the trophy to the Home Depot co-founder. ■

Photos courtesy of Hillels of Georgia

The red-and-black color scheme is a strong hint that the Accidentals a cappella group is from the University of Georgia.

Bernie Marcus accepts the Visionary Award from the leadership of Hillels of Georgia — Rabbi Russ Shulkes, the executive director, and Michael Coles, the board president — and Hillel International President Eric Fingerhut (left).

Michelle Winters electrifies the aquarium crowd with her amped-up violin.

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Actor and emcee Kyle Dean Massey (left) congratulates rapper Sammy K, a product of Atlanta day schools, for his Campus Tot Talent performance.

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The talent isn’t limited to the ballroom stage at Campus Top Talent. Performers also welcome and entertain party guests before the program.

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EDUCATION

PJ Our Way Helps Kids Choose Own Adventure By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

PJ Our way hosted its first event at Atlanta Rocks! The kids were tasked to climb and reach leadership values attached to the rock wall.

kids might see as career paths in life. “We want to get that kid that is super into food, likes science or is artistic, and is trying to create a diverse range of experiences to attract a diverse group of kids,” Brodsky said. Registration for the first event, including a trip to the Weather Channel’s

Cobb County headquarters and a meeting with a Jewish meteorologist, filled in less than two days, Brodsky said. But enrollment is open for explorations of the careers of illustrator and chef. Brodsky said that having a choice empowers kids and that the programs help them create something for them-

selves. “Kids are intelligent, strong and mighty, and to enable them to make a great choice and the right decision is one of the main reasons we are doing this,” he said. “We are supporting kids to choose their own Jewish journey and giving them options of what that can look like.” ■

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Choice is a key part of PJ Our Way, an extension of PJ Library that enables kids to build leadership skills and create their own experiences, says the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s family impact manager, Nathan Brodsky. After Brodsky noticed that other communities had design teams that allowed kids to have fun and practice Judaism in ways meaningful to them, he was inspired by Chicago’s PJ Our Way to launch the program in Atlanta. Every month, kids ages 8 to 12 select one of four Jewish-themed chapter books to read and discuss with other Jewish kids who may share similar interests, such as watching sports or just playing and having fun. The first meeting of the Leadership Squad, the title the kids came up with after brainstorming names, took place March 4 at Atlanta Rocks! Each child was asked to climb and reach a leadership value posted along the rock wall. Because the Leadership squad runs alongside the “When I Grow Up” series in March, April and May, Brodsky said, the kids will meet twice, once beforehand to help with programing and once after to debrief on what the next series should look like. There are 15 members in the group, which will meet again in June. Since the squad’s inception, Brodsky said, the response from parents has been positive and somewhat overwhelming. Several parents have expressed appreciation for the program, he said, because their children might not have been enrolled in a religious day school or because they are one of three Jewish kids their age. Brodsky said the program is low barrier and that the first event was free. What’s neat about the programming, Brodsky said, is that parents have an opportunity to interact while their kids get to know one another. “It was very impactful for me to see that parents are also benefiting from the program.” Participants must apply for PJ Our Way, driving demand among parents eager to enroll their children. Brodsky said, “For now, there is a lot of interest, which means that this is something right and something people are looking for.” PJ Our Way includes the “When I Grow Up” series, which helps children view adulthood through a Jewish lens and focus on Jewish professions the

Participants from the Leadership Squad get to know one another through activities such as human bingo and “minute to win it”-style games.

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EDUCATION

Afra Abdul and Samuel Ellis enjoy their new status as state champions in debate.

There’s No Debating Teammates’ Success By Vicki M. Leopold

Happy passover! COMMUNITY OVER EVERYTHING,

our boys become FAMILY Short and Full Sessions Available

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

All boys camp

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Camp Mah-Kee-Nac 6 Hawthorne Rd Lenox, MA 01240 800-753-9118 • www.campmkn.com

A reverent Jewish boy and an observant Muslim girl in Fayette County teamed up to win the state debate championship for McIntosh High School on March 2 and 3 at Lassiter High School in East Cobb. Samuel Ellis is a senior at McIntosh High and has lived in Fayette County for 15 years. His father, Ralph, is a pilot at Delta Air Lines, and his mother, Angela is the temple administrator at Congregation B’nai Israel. His sister, Abigail, attends the University of Georgia. Afra Abdul is a junior at McIntosh. She has lived in Peachtree City for five years and calls it a “wonderful place to grow up.” Her parents, Ahmed and Thasneem, hail from India and arrived in the United States in the 1990s. Ahmed is an IT manager at Hyundai, and Thasneem is an auditor. She has a brother, Hassan, 11, a sixth-grader at Booth Middle School. Both high school students are described by their inspirational debate coach and teacher, Abel Ward, as selfmotivated and curious people “who truly embrace all sides of an issue, regardless of their personal beliefs.” Afra has a passion for the medical field and joined the debate team as a freshman. “It actually was an accident,” Afra said with a smile. “I walked into the wrong club and was too shy to leave.” She was hooked after she attended the first debate match of the team, made up of approximately 30 high school students. She also enjoys reading and writing and is encouraged by her grandfather Muhammed Metha, who is a published poet in India. Samuel, the first Jewish student to be elected student government president at McIntosh, has been debating

the past four years and is enthralled with all things political and judicial. After school, he serves as an intern for state Judge Jason B. Thompson. Samuel was featured in the AJT two years ago as a diligent Eagle Scout candidate who was designing and overseeing the construction of a beautiful mosaic at B’nai Israel in Fayetteville. He has completed the project and earned his status as an Eagle Scout. The successful March debate focused on the topic of whether the executive branch has too much power to authorize military force. Depending on the flip of a coin, each student is required to argue for or against the thesis, then field questions from competitors. Afra and Samuel work in sync. One opens while the other listens carefully to each line to defend the argument and rebut opponents. One summarizes, and the other tries to convince the judges why their team won the question. It may seem confusing to observe, but Afra and Samuel have debate down to a science. To prepare, Afra tries to imagine what points her opponent will make or questions she and Samuel might confront. Samuel tries to think of cuttingedge and unusual facts that could bewilder their opponents. Both Samuel and Afra are open and genuine about their background and religions. Asked about how their different backgrounds affect their alliance, Afra laughed and said she tries to match her hijab with his bowtie. Samuel said Afra is the best debate partner he has ever had. It is “never the person; it’s the personality,” he said. “Our goal is to be on the same page, and judges see how well we work together.” Afra added, “Sam has my back, and I always have his.” ■

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EDUCATION San Diego Educator to TDSA

Torah Day School of Atlanta’s long search for a head of school came to an end at the start of March with the announcement that Rabbi Meir Cohen has accepted the position, effective with the next school year. Rabbi Cohen is the assistant head of school of the Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School, a position he has held for seven years. He previously was the principal of Torah Academy of Jacksonville, Fla., for five years. He holds a master’s in educational leadership and is pursuing a doctorate in the same area from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education. “We are very excited that Rabbi Cohen has accepted our offer to serve as the leader of our wonderful school, and we are confident that, with Hashem’s help, he will bring TDSA to the next level of excellence,” Rabbi Menachem Deutsch said in announcing the hire.

Weber Sends 19 to AIPAC

globe that understand the value of inclusivity was a powerful experience,” Brown said. “As a result of this experience, I have a renewed sense of purpose and an increased exposure to tangible tools to advance the curriculum.”

Riverwood Junior Honored

Riverwood International Charter School junior Julia Stahlman was one of six Georgia students named distinguished finalists in the 2018 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Stahlman received an engraved bronze medal from Prudential’s Leilani Plendl on Feb. 26. The Spirit of Community Awards honor young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. Stahlman founded Art for Art, a

Riverwood Principal Chuck Gardner joins Julia Stahlman as she receives a bronze medal from Leilani Plendl.

nonprofit organization that supports children living in poverty in Africa. Art for Art showcases the children’s artwork in the United States and raises money for education programs. She also created a student-led initiative to promote safe drinking water and raise awareness about a common contaminant.

The Weber School had 19 students attend the recent AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington: seniors Parker Zaglin, Eric Lieberman, Steven Rubin, Jael Azani, Eli Meyers, Lior Granath and Zoe Starr; juniors David Medof and Jack Spandorfer; sophomores William Stanwick, Darcy Denneen, Hannah Feldstein, Tiffany Salzberg and Leead Silverstone; and freshmen Harris Jacobs, Micah Reich, Carly Spandorfer, Jordan Starr and Lihi Barel. Weber board of trustees member Billy Medof, David’s father, was honored during the conference. The students lobbied Rep. Karen Handel and Sens. David Perdue and Johnny Isakson while they were in the nation’s capital.

Davis Educators Explores Makerspaces at SXSW

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Stacy Brown, the Davis Academy’s 21st century learning coordinator, was part of a panel discussion March 5 at the education innovation portion of the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas. Brown’s panel addressed “Makerspaces: Making Space for Diversity” and included a school library specialist from Athens, Andy Plemmons, as well as a professor in library science from the University of South Carolina. Makerspaces provide powerful learning opportunities when an element of diversity is purposefully integrated into the experience. “A makerspace can be designed as a place for people to connect, tinker and design with their hands,” Brown said. “Makerspaces don’t discriminate. They serve as a gathering place for deeper exploration, regardless of color, class, race, age or socioeconomic status.” The panel introduced ways to infuse activities with content that will appeal to a variety of cultures, age groups and genders and will expand awareness of socioeconomic groups. “Having the opportunity to present, collaborate and share with impressive maker educators from around the

Stacy Brown designed the panel discussion in which she participated in Austin.

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SPORTS

Israeli Baseball Coming Home to Ra’anana By Kevin C. Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com A proposal to build a sports park in Israel honoring an American baseball player slain in a terrorist attack is set to become a reality. Ezra Schwartz was just 18 when he traveled from his home outside Boston to spend a gap year at a yeshiva in Beit Shemesh. On Nov. 19, 2015, Schwartz and five friends were distributing food to Israeli soldiers in the West Bank when a driveby shooter fired into their van and at other vehicles. Schwartz and another man were killed instantly, while a third was dead on arrival at a hospital. The gunfire wounded numerous others. Mohammed Abdel Basset al-Kharoub, a Palestinian, was sentenced in March 2017 to four life sentences in the deaths of Schwartz, an Israeli teacher and a Palestinian onlooker. He also was ordered to pay the families of the victims 750,000 shekels ($215,000). The sports complex will be built in Ra’anana, a sister city to Atlanta, 15 miles north of Tel Aviv. “The reason we’re doing it there is because that’s where Ezra’s uncle Yoav lives. He is a very big supporter of ours, and he’s doing a lot of fundraising for it,” said Peter Kurz, the president of the Israeli Association of Baseball, who was featured prominently in the docu-

The athletic complex is named for Ezra Schwartz, an American who was killed by a terrorist at age 18 during a gap year in Israel.

mentary “Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel,” which had its world premiere at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival in February. “His cousins live there too, and Ezra used to play there.” The finished facility will be dualpurpose, Kurz said, with the central part for baseball but the outfield available for soccer. The complex will be available for year-round baseball on regulation fields, still a rarity in Israel. “We’re funding about one third of the complex, and the municipality is doing construction on it,” Kurz said. “It will take three or four months to build — not long — and all the approvals are in place.” The proposal is very much in the spirit of sister cities, said Arnold Heller, who chairs the Atlanta-Ra’anana Sister Cities Committee, established in 2001 to foster trade with social, cultural, educational and athletic projects. “They are honoring a ball player; I think it’s marvelous,” Heller said, add-

Ex-Yellow Jacket Gorst Plays With the Big Leaguers

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Matthew Gorst is still a long way from the major leagues as he begins his third season of professional baseball, but the 23-year-old right-handed pitcher spend a month getting out big-league batters after the Boston Red Sox decided to include him among the dozens of arms needed to get through spring training. Gorst appeared in seven games from Feb. 23 to March 22 and posted an ERA of 3.00 over six innings pitched against Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Houston and Baltimore. At press time, the Alpharetta resident had not been assigned to a minorleague team for this season. He finished 2017 with High-A Salem of the Carolina League. He and his Johns Creek High and Georgia Tech teammate, Davis Academy alum Brandon Gold, both advanced to High-A ball after starting 2017 as pitch68 ers in the Low-A South Atlantic League.

Photos by Michael Jacobs

Cody Decker, who insists that his favorite baseball film is the Tom Selleck classic “Mr. Baseball,” answers a question after the second of three screenings of “Heading Home” at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. To his right is teammate Josh Zeid; to his left is filmmaker Seth Kramer.

The next step up the ladder for both pitchers would be the AA Eastern League — the Portland (Maine) Sea Dogs for Gorst and the Hartford Yard Goats, a Colorado Rockies farm team, for Gold. While the Major League Baseball season was set to begin March 30 (the Braves open the year at home against the Philadelphia Phillies), the minor leagues start a week later.

ing that the project is indicative of the bond between the cities. “They think of us when they’re looking for help, and vice versa. These programs are about the art of the possible and how relationships can flourish.” The field will be a focal point in central Israel for youth games and tournaments and will address the shortage of fields around the country, where about 1,000 youngsters now play organized baseball. Schwartz became involved on arrival as not just a player, but also as a coach to young rookies, just as he had taught his three younger brothers to play baseball in Massachusetts. “The old cliché is if you build it, they will come, and there’s no doubt if we do that, more kids will get involved,” Kurz said. “Most kids are now playing on soccer fields or empty lots. Our biggest area is Beit Shemesh, where we have 120 kids, but if we had a field, we would have three or four hundred.” Margo Sugarman, the IAB’s secretary-general, said baseball participation is increasing in Israel, but the standard of play also must rise. “On the one hand, our constant goal is to keep growing, and we do get new players every year. But on the other hand, we want to increase the professional level, which we are succeeding in doing.” Sugarman also features prominently in “Heading Home,” and she at-

The Mensch on a Bench, the celebrated mascot of Team Israel, greets audience members outside a screening of “Heading Home” in Sandy Springs in February.

Fried Sent to Gwinnett The only Jewish player on the Atlanta Braves’ roster at the end of 2017, rookie left-handed pitcher Max Fried, didn’t have as positive an experience at spring training as Matthew Gorst did. Fried struggled in four appearances for the Braves, including being pulled from his spring debut against the Washington Nationals after recording only two outs. After giving up four hits and one earned run in two innings against the Phillies on March 14, lowering his ERA to 6.75 for the spring, Fried was optioned to the Braves’ AAA farm team, the newly renamed Gwinnett Stripers,

tended the premiere screenings in Atlanta of the documentary, which tracks Team Israel’s surprising success in last year’s World Baseball Classic and includes the unveiling of the sign for the Ezra Schwartz complex. Powered by Jewish Americans, the team finished sixth out of 16 and advanced 22 spots to 19th in the world rankings and fourth in Europe. “We’re hoping within a year we’ll have a field to play on,” Sugarman said about the Ra’anana site. “More than $400,000 has been raised in Israel and abroad, and we need approximately $200,000 more to make the new field a reality,” David Levy, a former IAB board member who initiated the Ezra Schwartz project, said in mid-February. “This is a special way to show the world that, despite the threats and attacks, life in Israel will continue to thrive, and kids will play baseball to honor Ezra’s memory.” You can track the project at www. facebook.com/FieldforEzra. Schwartz’s uncle Yoav Schwartz, who collaborated with Levy, is happy with the results so far. “Overall, we are very pleased about the effort,” he said. “I’ve gotten deeply involved with this precisely because I feel it is the kind of project Ezra would have loved. He was a terrific athlete, a really caring and thoughtful kid, a young adult, and a wonderful friend.” ■ where he’ll be in the starting rotation.

‘Home’ Scores in Florida

“Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel,” which had its world premiere at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, has been playing at similar festivals across the country since then. Most recently, while major-league teams were wrapping up spring training in Florida, the documentary screened at Jewish film festivals in Tampa and Boca Raton. The film won the award for best documentary in Boca. The three world-premiere screenings at the Atlanta festival featured appearances by Team Israel stars Josh Zeid, a pitcher who as of this writing does not have a baseball job this season, and Cody Decker, a first baseman/ outfielder who has spent the spring with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Mensch on a Bench also joined the three filmmakers and others associated with Israeli baseball for the screenings.

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SPORTS

Jewish Pole Vaulters Soar Toward Records, Titles By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com

Epstein alum and Weber 11th grader Ariel Arbiv had a record-breaking vault at the New Balance National Championships.

Davis alum and Riverwood freshman Nick West (left) has the potential to break Matthew Barry’s high school state record from the early 1990s.

Davis eighth-grader Alon Rogow (left), Matthew Barry and Davis sixth-grader Jordan Frank spend a lot of time training for state and national championships.

athletes train. Barry works alongside Epstein’s athletic director, James Battoglia, in addition to running the pole vault club, where he coaches kids from Galloway, Atlanta Classical and Davis, among other schools. “They all come to practice together, train together and get better together, and what I have learned is that the kids that come from Davis and Epstein just stick with it,” Barry said. “I think

the relationship that we have from the familiarity of knowing these kids from middle school has made it easy for them to follow through with the program in high school.” Barry never thought any of the kids would take significant interest in the pole vault, but he said it’s so rewarding to coach kids in a sport they are passionate about and to watch them become even better than he was.

One of Barry’s goals is to develop an appreciation for track and field in the kids, so they can practice in high school and keep him up to date with their progress. He said, “It’s tremendously rewarding because we sometimes joke that I may have been the highest Jewish pole vaulter in the history of the state, but these kids have the ability to beat that.” ■

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The concept of l’dor vador resonated with Davis Academy middle school social studies teacher Matthew Barry after he witnessed one of many Pole Vault Atlanta Jewish athletes nearly break his Georgia record at the New Balance National Championships. Riverwood International Charter School freshman and Davis alum Nick West, who won a state championship last year, vaulted 12 feet, 11 inches, the fourth-highest jump in Riverwood history. West is 8 inches away from Barry’s high school record. “It’s kind of cool,” Barry said. “I’m coaching the kid that will break my record and can’t wait until he does because it would be a true testament to the type of kid, athlete and student he is.” West is fifth in the state, but Barry said he will end up winning a state medal by finishing in the top three. Ahead of West is Davis alum and North Springs 11th-grader Jake Rubin, who has a personal best of 13 feet, 8 inches. Barry said Rubin has a chance to win the state and at least place in the top three. After jumping 11 feet, 3½ inches, Davis eighth-grader Alon Rogow is fourth in the country for his age group, and Barry said there is no doubt he can win a state championship. “I think Rogow will definitely become a 12-foot pole vaulter by the end of the year, and that would make him No. 1 in the state,” Barry said. Rogow has a chance at a national title if he can jump 12 feet, 6 inches. Following in the footsteps of sister Becky Arbiv, former Epstein student and current Weber junior Ariel Arbiv won the New Balance indoor national emerging elite category after jumping 12 feet, 10¼ inches. The vault is the fifth best of all time in Georgia, a national record for the category and the highest jump by any girl in the state this year. In spring 2016 the Arbiv sisters finished first and second in the pole vault at the Georgia Independent School Association track and field state championships, and both finished in the top six of their age groups at nationals after they set personal pole vault records. The Jewish community has dominated this individual sport, but it’s not because of the selectivity of the event, Barry said, but because of how the

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HOME

Bold, Quite Bold, Fits Young Family’s Style When Jennifer and Roman Teyf hired interior designer Amy Spanier to fill their empty new home, they described their goal as “the sexy James Bond look that’s comfy and colorful.” That was accomplished with chartreuse leather chairs and intense magenta rugs offsetting original paintings done by Jennifer’s maternal grandmother, Shirley Portman. Roman, who came to America from Belarus as a 2-year-old, is a residential and commercial land developer and real estate agent for Keller Williams. The Teyfs bought the house in 2016 because it was on the border of Sandy Springs and Dunwoody and close to the children’s school, the Davis Academy. The Teyfs said they totally trusted designer Spanier’s firm (S.N.O.B. — Slightly North of Buckhead) to do the ground work and narrow the precise choices she brought over for approval. “I know it sounds too easy, but we liked everything she did on the first try,” Roman said. Jaffe: How would you describe the interior Spanier created for you? Roman: Since our entry foyer rail is elaborate black wrought iron, we wanted to build upon that with an art deco style. We knew we didn’t like a dull gray/white/neutral palette that we saw in various design magazines. We wanted bold color. Basically, we trusted Amy. I would have never selected yellow, chartreuse and fuchsia, or even the bold leather chairs. Jennifer: With the Persian cats and children, that makes six of us. In our 6,000 square feet, we didn’t want a cavernous feel; but more warm and homey.

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Jaffe: What do you consider the most exciting parts of the house? Roman: I’d say the outdoor patio with the dramatic blue stone. There are five doors, and we entertain out there a good bit and wanted an indooroutdoor flow. The poured concrete and handrails add to the ambience. Jennifer: I’m most proud of the kitchen, where the tile goes all the way to the ceiling, providing a European style. It has a monochromatic look (even the grout), so it doesn’t give a busy appearance. We loved the granite (Indian Summer) as we had it in our 70 previous Decatur house. I have to ad-

mit here that I do not practice the art of food preparation. In other words, I don’t cook. On the other hand, we have hosted many community events here, like the Hebrew Order of David Lodge Magen David, Latkepalooza for a family Chanukah event, and a men’s steak and scotch night. Jaffe: With your Russian heritage, what family elements have you encompassed? Roman: My family came out of Minsk with very little in the way of artwork or Judaica. I do have my

Chai-Style Homes

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By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

grandmother’s paperweight inkwell. Jennifer: I treasure the family portrait wall of travels and children. Also, we incorporated my late grandmother Shirley Myers Portman’s oil paintings. She was from Savannah and was considered quite an accomplished fine artist. Jaffe: What did you do for the Teyfs? Spanier: We worked slowly to acquire just the right pieces and work within budget. When I started, the rooms were empty, with a few old pieces of furniture. New paint was a good start. The guideposts they gave me were sexy, warm, spy movie star set yet cozy. I am most proud of the living and dining rooms and the family photo wall. As a designer, I understand the comfort and flow between rooms and devise creative ideas that enhance the quality of life. It’s a cohesive approach that is collected and pulled together. I really wanted the children’s rooms to please them. I sat on the floor with each one while they selected the paint color and theme. The young man chose a basketball theme with an orange accent wall to match a hoop and giant stencils of his favorite players. The young lady chose apple green and joyful colors to match her personality. Jaffe: What are your sources? Spanier: I buy a good bit at auctions — in this case, their rugs. I like to mix in old estate pieces like the

B antique mirror and two vintage, solidbrass, 1940 accent lamps with crystal drops (Depot Lighting in Chamblee) in the dining room. In fact, in that dining room alone there are probably eight vendors. My own I.D.E.A. Gallery in Chamblee was the source for accessories and all the art that was not the Teyfs’ family heirlooms. Bold color can be just as soothing as neutrals when it’s done well. Jaffe: What are some of the most unusual pieces you have? Jennifer: We have a collection of beaded animals from a New York City gallery, the alabaster head “Maria” by Jane Jaskevich, and a sculpture by Przemyslaw Kordys, “Fallen.” Certainly, our Persian cats, Yummy and Mack, are unusual as we have them trimmed in the lion style. Jaffe: You’re in real estate, and here you have been able to choose your dream house.

Roman: I remember following market trends of different ZIP codes as early as age 8. Real estate is in my blood and is my true passion. I have built, listed and sold homes everywhere from College Park to Milton and everywhere in between. From transitioning neighborhoods along the emerging BeltLine to luxury estates in Sandy Springs and Buckhead, I’ve done it all — and have loved every minute of it. Jaffe: What’s next? Roman: We’re heading to Israel for our daughter’s bat mitzvah. … She made that decision on her own. Jennifer: Designwise, we will finish the master bedroom with warm, muted rugs, nightstands and dressers in a cavelike space. The family room is really the most important. We envision a huge navy sectional and blackout draperies for movie viewing. Of course, I’m always searching for more Old Gringo boots. ■

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HOME

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A: The Teyf living room’s coffee table is onyx marble, and the end tables are Vintage California. The paintings that flank the starburst mirrors are by Jennifer’s maternal grandmother, Shirley Portman. The paint is Benjamin Moore’s Iron Gate. The couch is from COCOCO Home in Buckhead. B: The Teyfs used a high-gloss lacquer paint, Sherman Williams’ Still Water, to encompass the dining room and ceiling. The gold chairs on either side of the mirror are 19th century from Scott Antique Markets. The table and chairs are customized from S.N.O.B. C: Roman and Jennifer Teyf relax with Persian cat Yummy. Jennifer looks especially hip in her Old Gringo boots. D: Cheery and creative designer Amy Spanier aims to complete the master bedroom and family media room next. E: Amy Spanier chose a dramatic turquoise/green paint by Sherman Williams called Thermal Spring to help highlight a painting by Mary Beth Cornelius from I.D.E.A. Gallery. F: For the kitchen, Amy Spanier acquired the porcelain from Specialty Tile. She is proudest of the high-quality, Porsche-like leather on the barstools, simulating bomber jacket material. G: The hall wall portrays family trips, including Jennifer Teyf doing a backbend on a desert camel. H: Jennifer Teyf’s maternal grandmother, Shirley Portman, painted this female nude on a graphite board. I: “Red Angles” is a mixed-media work by Michael Jones from I.D.E.A. Gallery.

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MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Photos by Duane Stork

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ARTS

Photos courtesy of AJMF

Israeli Yemenite funk band Bint El Funk brings a hip vibe to Orpheus Brewing.

Folk musician Chana Rothman entertains crowds of all ages during her weeklong artist residency.

The Board, Staff & Volunteers of Weinstein Hospice Wish You and Your Family

Happy Passover!

...compassionate care in the Jewish tradition See our pre-talk at the April 10 Alliance Theatre play Hospice.

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

For more information, call 404-352-4308 www.WeinsteinHospice.org

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Music Festival Closes ‘Wildly Successful’ March By Karen Isenberg Jones The ninth annual Atlanta Jewish Music Festival ended its three-week medley Sunday, March 25, giving the staff and volunteers a chance to catch their breath after producing, promoting and applauding more than 30 shows in the South’s largest Jewish music fest. “AJMF9 was wildly successful,” festival Executive Director Russell Gottschalk said. “This year’s fest exceeded expectations with new collaborations and our longest-ever artist residency.” The festival attracted its largest audience ever with approximately 6,350 attendees during the three weeks. Festival organizers point to the variety of talent in the festival as the key to its success. This year’s lineup included hip-hop, folk, world music, jazz and rock along with more traditional Jewish genres such as klezmer and sacred music. Philadelphia-based folk singer Chana Rothman entertained audience members ages 4 to 74 during AJMF’s longest musical residency. Rothman did seven events over four days, including leading tots in Shabbat songs, shooting a music video with teens from the Weber School and rocking the stage at Venkman’s. This was also the first year AJMF significantly partnered with the nonJewish Atlanta Science Festival. Shimon the robot from Georgia Tech show-

cased its computerized musical genius in an opening night performance that left crowds in awe. AJMF’s second annual collaboration with non-Jewish organization ATL Collective attracted hundreds of fans to two shows re-creating Billy Joel’s classic album “The Stranger.” Gottschalk said he is especially proud of the success of Israeli musicians. On consecutive Sundays, Israeli band Yemen Blues sold out the Breman Museum, and Yemenite funk band Bint El Funk rocked a beautiful afternoon at Orpheus Brewing. Both groups had their audiences dancing and cheering. “This was a fantastic year to celebrate Israel as the nation approaches its 70th birthday,” Gottschalk said. “Both our Sunday afternoon shows by Israeli acts were a true celebration of Israeli music and culture.” In the end, the spring festival encompassed 34 events: 27 public performances and seven private engagements. “AJMF9 was another wonderful example of the beautiful diversity found in contemporary Jewish music,” Gottschalk said. “I’m proud of the three-weekend festival we produced and want to thank the entire AJMF staff, board and sponsor/donor family for enabling this important series of events for Atlanta’s Jewish and arts communities.” ■

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The fiercely talented Hannah Zale rocks Venkman’s in the middle of the festival.

Traditional musical from Tsvey Brider and Beyond the Pale opens the festival at City Winery on March 8.

A partnership with the Atlanta Science Festival provides a showcase for Shimon the musical robot.

Atlanta jazz virtuoso Joe Alterman plays to a sold-out crowd at the Marcus JCC.

Members of the Jewish community enjoy a lively retelling of real-life stories by Cantor Jack Mendelson during a “Cantor’s Couch” event.

Ravid Kahalani of Yemen Blues talks with fans after his high-energy performance at the Breman Museum.

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ARTS

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ARTS

The Time’s Right to Tell of Gay Men in the Holocaust By Kevin C. Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com Photo by Kevin C. Madigan

(From left) Tomer Zvulun, Tom Key, Rebecca Stapel-Wax and Andrea Videlefsky form the panel discussing Paragraph 175 on March 14 at the Center for Civil and Human Rights.

The persecution of gay men during the Holocaust took center stage during a panel discussion at the Center for Civil and Human Rights on Wednesday, March 14, that focused on Holocaust education and the effects of Paragraph 175, a provision of the German criminal code initiated in 1871 that criminalized homosexual acts between men. Also known as Section 175, it was used against more than 100,000 men and often led to their execution. The impetus for the discussion was the Atlanta premiere April 5 of “Out of Darkness: Two Remain” by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer. It’s about two Holocaust survivors, one of them gay, who are visited by ghosts of people they knew during the Nazi terror. “Here’s something that struck me when I got into this: I never heard anything while growing up in Israel about the persecution of gays during the Holocaust,” said Tomer Zvulun, the director of “Out of Darkness” and artistic director of the Atlanta Opera, which is

staging the piece with Theatrical Outfit. “As a kid, I was surrounded by Holocaust survivors, and to us — what did we know — they were just people with accents and numbers on their arms. This subject matter is profoundly topical and deserves to be told.” SOJOURN Executive Director Rebecca Stapel-Wax said, “The Holocaust was 70 years ago, so why are we still telling this story? Because it’s still happening today. It is systemic. But now, with the MeToo movement and TimesUp, people are not silenced anymore. We are hearing very high-profile experiences of assault or discrimination and from folks who have been denied professional progress because they must cower to someone else’s power.”

Andrea Videlefsky, the president of Am Yisrael Chai, said time is running out for Holocaust survivors to tell their stories. She said part of her job is giving “voice to people’s stories around the world.” Tom Key, who plays Gad Beck in the second act of “Out of Darkness,” is Theatrical Outfit’s artistic director. “Our trademark is we tell stories that stir the soul,” he said, “and it’s not for nothing that this season we have two such plays: ‘Boy,’ a drama about gender identity, and the other, a comedy running now called ‘Perfect Arrangement,’ about the Red Scare.” Theatrical Outfit lost supporters who refused to give those two plays a chance, and the company “received

some pretty harsh emails from some who did come,” Key said, “but we’ve heard from many more new attendees with the most moving reaction.” Moderator Ryan Roemerman, the executive director of the LGBT Institute, asked the panel if this was the right time for a production such as “Out of Darkness” and whether it could have been done 20 years ago. “It’s always the right time to tell stories that matter. In a time like this, there is more of a group consciousness and willingness and hunger for meaning. Understanding what it is to be free and to live is never a completed task in the human condition,” Key said. “And I think art is one of the most effective and sustainable ways for humans of all backgrounds and persuasions and differences to understand what it is that we have in common. That’s more important than what divides us. It matters to be part of the whole.” Videlefsky added, “We can’t always wait till the time is right. We need to challenge ourselves, stand up, not be bystanders. Even when it’s not easy, we need to do the right thing.” ■

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ARTS

Opera Forces 2 Shoah Survivors to Remember An opera in two acts about love, oppression and survival in the wake of the Holocaust will have its Atlanta premiere in April. “Out of Darkness: Two Remain” is being presented by the Atlanta Opera and Theatrical Outfit. It was composed by Jake Heggie with a libretto by Gene Scheer. This is not the first time Heggie and Scheer have conceived a piece based on Holocaust themes. Three oneact operas of theirs covered similar territory and created the foundation for “Out of Darkness,” in which the two main characters are haunted by ghosts. The first act centers on Krystyna Zywulska, a Polish Holocaust survivor who, during her confinement in a concentration camp, wrote songs and poetry and proved adept at disguise, talents that eventually saved her life. She wrote the memoir “I Survived Ausch­witz,” as well as “Empty Water,” an autobiographical novel. Played by soprano Maria Kanyova,

Photo by Kevin C. Madigan

Baritone Christopher Dunham provides a preview of the music of “Out of Darkness: Two Remain” during a discussion March 14 at the Center for Civil and Human Rights. A free panel discussion with the creators of the two-act opera will be held at noon Wednesday, April 4, at the Breman Museum.

Zywulska is confronted by questions from a journalist that force her to relive her tortured days of imprisonment, when her main job was to catalog the belongings of condemned Jews on their way to the gas chamber. She escaped the same fate herself by concealing her Jewish identity before her arrest as a dissident on behalf of the resistance.

Act 2 is the story of Gad Beck, a lonely, elderly man trying to get over the love of his life, the poet Manfred Lewin (baritone Ben Edquist), who perished under the Nazis. “Two people who did not survive the Holocaust come to these two people who did, and in my case it was my lover when I was a boy,” said actor Tom Key, who plays Beck. “Now I’ve grown old, and when he appears, he’s still 19 and beautiful, wanting me to remember, after I’ve done everything I can to forget.” Key said that having survived the Holocaust, his character had to find a way to live with shame and sorrow and with only his dead lover’s poetry journal for comfort. “What is so surprisingly hopeful about this is that Manfred is asking Gad to remember for his, Gad’s, own healing and transformation. At first Gad is responding ‘No, go away’ because he’s ashamed of how old he is and falling apart, and then it’s very moving. He does remember the passion. He opens his heart to it, (saying), ‘Dance with me again.’” He added, “I can understand what it means to open your heart again once

it’s been broken, to dare to hope again even when your greatest hope was bashed. That’s what’s going to make it so valuable and moving.” Atlanta Opera Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun said that dealing with the emotional intensity of the piece has been challenging and rewarding. “You see how powerful it is, how poignant. An evening of that is going to be a lot to absorb. After rehearsing those songs for a few weeks, I have already heard from singers and production staff about how much they’re connecting to it.” In reviewing “Out of Darkness,” the Bay Area Reporter wrote, “Save for a Broadway-like musical passage in the opera’s first half, the music and story are presented in a manner that transforms the unbearable into a powerful evening of revelation and remembrance.” ■ What: “Out of Darkness: Two Remain” Where: Balzer Theater at Herren’s, 84 Luckie St., downtown When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Sunday, April 5 to 8 and 12 to 15 Tickets: $50; www.atlantaopera.org/ performance/darkness-two-remain

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

By Kevin C. Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

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ARTS

Basing Judaism on Relationships, Not Transactions What could you imagine for your community or JCC or Federation if more people made relationships — with Judaism; between clergy, leadership and the community; among fellow community members; and even with spiritual life — the central focus of their work? This is the essential question addressed in the new book “The Relational Judaism Handbook” (www. relationaljudaismhandbook.com), co-authored by Ron Wolfson, Rabbi Nicole Auerbach of Central Synagogue in New York, and me, Rabbi Lydia Medwin, the director of congregational engagement and outreach at The Temple. Building off the incredible success of Wolfson’s original book, “Relational Judaism,” we have compiled a handbook of best practices and pro tips from across Jewish America. In synagogues, JCCs and Federations, as well as non-Jewish businesses and organizations, we found so many incredible examples of ways to put people before programs, to make the anonymous individual feel known and seen, and to add meaning and purpose to the very existence of organizations that mean so much to so many of us. So much of Jewish life has the potential to be transactional; we wrote

this book so you too could be inspired to work toward a Jewish community centered instead on deepened relationships that make life more meaningful.

Writing on Writing By Rabbi Lydia Medwin

We dedicate an entire section to the creation and maintenance of small groups. A small group is (not surprisingly) a small group of people, typically eight to 12, who gather on a regular basis and are led by a peer. They address a variety of affinities, discussion topics, issues of social justice and more, but, most of all, they become a group of people who know and care for one another in ways that long-standing minyanim and traditional chavurot understand. We like to say that these small groups create an atmosphere that resembles the old show “Cheers,” a place where everybody knows your name and is glad that you came. We also call these groups “third places,” where the first place is the home and the second place is a work location. A third place is a place to bring your most authentic self, the self that

likes to cut up, the self that needs a place to relax and the self that requires nourishment if you are to be successful in the first and second places. Science reports on the increased happiness levels and the improved mental and physical health for those intertwined in deep community. Small groups, no matter the reason for the gathering, provide that context. This book explains how to start small groups and what is needed to ensure their success. The resulting cultural change can affect your entire organization and, more important, the lives of people in your community who desperately need connections unfiltered by technology and deeper than a Facebook post. With a foreword by Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, and a preface by Rabbi Ed Feinstein, the senior rabbi of Valley Beth Shalom — as well as reviews from Rabbi Yitz and Blu Greenberg, Rabbi Sid Schwartz, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, The Temple’s Rabbi Peter Berg, and Rabbi Sharon Brous — we authors are delighted to find support for this book across the Jewish world and believe that its application has relevance for synagogues and Jewish organizations alike. My favorite part about putting relationships at the center of Jewish life is the incredible amount of creativity

released into the Jewish world, beyond any specific movement or institution, because of the ways Jews are invited into greater ownership and guidance of their own Jewish lives. What could be more exciting? I look forward to hearing what kind of creative, relational engagement work that you are doing (so I can share with others) or that is inspired by this book. Let’s keep the conversation going. ■ Rabbi Lydia Medwin is part of the clergy team at The Temple.

Relational Judaism Handbook: How to Create a Relational Engagement Campaign to Build and Deepen Relationships in Your Community By Dr. Ron Wolfson, Rabbi Nicole Auerbach and Rabbi Lydia Medwin Kripke Institute Center for Relational Judaism, $19.99

JCC Takes ‘Journey’ With 28 Jewish Artists

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Five Atlanta-area residents are among 28 Jewish artists whose work is on display through May 10 at the Marcus JCC’s Katz Family Mainstreet Gallery. The juried exhibit, “A Journey Through Time: Works of the American Guild of Judaic Art,” includes paintings, weavings, quilts, sculpture, jewelry and photography. The exhibit, which opened Feb. 23, coincides with Jewish Arts Month, which the guild sponsors each March to encourage synagogues, community centers, libraries and schools to showcase Jewish art. Jewish Arts Month is timed with the reading of Parshat Vayakhel, which introduces the Jewish artisan Bezalel with descriptions of his designs for the Mishkan in Exodus 35:1 to 38:20. That reading fell on March 10 this year. “Jewish art is a true journey through time,” said American Guild 76 of Judaic Art President Shoshannah

Brombacher, a New The Atlanta York painter who artists in the exis one of the artists hibit are Barbara participating in the Ladin Fisher, Lyexhibit. nette Joel, Miriam “Jews have Karp, Shoshanna lived in nearly evRosenthal and Floery country since ra Rosefsky (whose our exile from Jeruwork is on the cover salem 2,000 years of this issue of the ago. What binds us AJT). together? Our comThe other artmon religion and ists come from Tencustoms and our nessee, Kentucky, history, often diffiVirginia, Missouri, cult,” she said. “AlMassachusetts, though we assimiMaryland, New late to some degree York, Washington to our surrounding state, California, Image courtesy of artist Laurie Wohl cultures, we know Ohio, Texas, Rhode Laurie Wohl’s textile work where we come Island and Penn“Ne’ilah” references the closing service of Yom Kippur. from, even if we sylvania, plus one sometimes are unfrom Ra’anana, Atsure where we are going. But looking lanta’s sister city in Israel. back we see how far we came already.” Many of the artists attended a

presentation by New York fiber artist Laurie Wohl on “Textiles and Visual Midrash” on Wednesday, March 21. Wohl has a work in the show called “Ne’ilah,” composed of two large textile panels with prayers in calligraphy and a contrast between solid and unwoven threads. “The panels reference the Gates of Closing in the Ne’ilah service on Yom Kippur,” Wohl said. “The unwoven, veillike portions suggest the mysteries of G-d’s presence, G-d’s absence. The text refers to the urgent words of the prayer for the opening of the gates of teshuvah, light, blessing and closing.” The Mainstreet Gallery is accessible throughout the open hours of the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Visit www.atlantajcc.org for the hours during Passover. ■

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ARTS

Atlantan’s in the Room Where ‘Hamilton’ Happens Parents usually advise their children to stay in school, but Jennifer Geller’s mother encouraged her to skip out of school to pursue acting. Listening to that advice led Geller to a role with the traveling company of “Hamilton.” After she graduated from the Epstein School, where she played the Scarecrow in a Hebrew-language production of “The Wizard of Oz,” Geller was accepted into the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts, a magnet school at Pebblebrook High School. Upon graduation, Geller enrolled as a dance major at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. A week into her first semester, Geller received a call from her mother, Robyn, to audition for the musical “Bring It On” in New York. Geller didn’t think she should try out because she was just starting school, but two days later she decided to take the hour train ride from Philadelphia to New York to try her luck. For the next three weeks Geller received numerous callbacks until she got a role. Because she was still in school, however, she hesitated to join the cast until her mother nudged her on. “I would hope that everyone’s parents are as supportive,” Geller said. “I’ve always been the one saying I need to stay in school and my parents have always said, ‘Go audition. Go to New York.’ ” After her stint with “Bring It On” ended, Geller was unsure whether to return to school. She was in the midst of auditioning for other shows when a friend mentioned “Hamilton.”

Rose

“Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda meets Jennifer Geller at the musical’s opening night in Los Angeles.

“The hype was getting so crazy. I thought, ‘OK, I should check this out,’ ” she said. Every day Geller went to the public theater to try her luck at the lottery, but because the show was sold out, she kept losing until she discovered the production was being transferred to Broadway. Because she knew the show’s choreographer from “Bring It On,” Geller auditioned, but she did not win a part. She later auditioned again for the touring production. She said she screamed so loud when her agent called to tell her she got a part that her father, Mike, had to pull over the car, but he was ecstatic to hear the news. Geller is one of four ensemble dancers in the musical and one of a few Atlanta natives on the tour. She is the granddaughter of Bernard Ulman, Luna Levy, and Dan and Eve Geller. Her parents said in a statement: “This has been Jennifer’s dream and passion since she was 3 years old. She has always worked hard and been so driven and focused. As parents, there is

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no greater joy than to see your child’s dreams come true.” The biggest challenges of the tour are being away from her family and seeing the number of homeless people in each city, Geller said. Because of what the performers see, she said, the cast regularly volunteers and donates to homeless shelters and organizations in each city.

One of her most memorable moments was when the creator of “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda, made an appearance on opening night in Los Angeles. “It’s so crazy now to know ‘Hamilton’ is so widely known,” Geller said. “I feel like every single person in the audience knows the words to the songs even though the music is sung and rapped for three hours straight.” “Hamilton” will play at the Fox Theatre from May 22 to June 10. Geller comes from a long line of musicians and was enrolled in voice, dance and drama classes at a young age. Her mother plays the clarinet and has performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Ballet’s “Nutcracker” at the Fox Theatre. Geller’s sister performs and works with the Atlanta Lyric Theatre, and her younger brother was a drummer. During her participation with “Hamilton,” Geller has been exposed to a lot of diversity, which has spurred her to research her own heritage. “To me, the show symbolizes how far we have come and how far we still have to go.” ■

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ARTS

‘(((Semitism)))’ Targets Alt-Right Anti-Semitism By Joe Sterling

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Two years ago Jonathan Weisman tweeted a snippet of a quote from a column on the rise of fascism in the United States. Then it started. Then it grew. Alt-rightists and neo-Nazis subjected this Atlanta native and New York Times editor — and other Jewish journalists — to constant and ugly doses of online anti-Semitic bile. Weisman describes and thinks through this appalling experience in his absorbing new book, “(((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump.” He will speak about and sign copies of the book Monday, April 2, at Congregation Bet Haverim. The book ends up crafting a toughlove ping to his fellow Jewish-Americans, whose leadership, he writes, isn’t doing a very good job of responding to the echoes of a renewed, Nazi-inspired anti-Semitism. Weisman bluntly paints, with examples, a portrait of the American fascism on our doorstep, in the wind and in the body politic. He diligently

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Photo by Gabriella Demczuk

Atlanta native Jonathan Weisman argues that our leaders must focus on the anti-Semitism on the right.

reports on how the modern neo-Nazi movement evolved and worked its way online through video-gaming culture. The soul-sucking bullying and taunts, replete with images and descriptions of age-old Jewish caricatures and stereotypes, now squat on Twitter and percolate on crowd-sourcing pages. The Nazis today in many cases dress neatly and are well-groomed, Weisman notes. They are sophists, no doubt, but they sound more articulate and go about their business with more

savvy than the goose-stepping, uniformed clodhoppers from the days of George Lincoln Rockwell. They have created their own jargon and symbols. For example, instead of “kike,” they use “Skype.” The numeral 1488 signifies the 14-word slogan for white survival, with 88 referring to a paragraph of 88 words from “Mein Kampf” and to “Heil, Hitler” because H is the eighth letter of the alphabet. The parentheses around Weisman’s name, called echoes, are used by the alt-right to identify Jews online. To be sure, these dudes are the real bad hombres, and they are just itching to bash someone. We all saw them in Charlottesville carrying tiki torches, chanting, “Jews will not replace us,” and shouting, “Blood and soil.” This white-supremacist ideology inspired murderers in Charlottesville, Oregon and Maryland and vile harassment of Jews in Montana. But the sound you hear from our community leaders over the growing danger here, Weisman writes, is virtual silence. The bigotry is a fact of American life today under President Donald Trump. Weisman calls him “the ultimate dumb vessel,” a man who “stepped into the cauldron and carted the alt-right’s stew of hatred into the mainstream,” a man who couldn’t unequivocally condemn the Charlottesville marchers. He’s a man, one rabbi said, who is “koshering racism with his politics.” If you don’t think the alt-right has been emboldened and abetted by Trump’s candidacy and presidency, you just might not be exposed to it because you don’t live or work online. Those of us parked on the Internet see the connection. The white nationalists adore Trump in the same way the Germans were entranced by their Fuhrer. Just watch the videos of his rallies, the starry-eyed followers loving his insults. A critique of the president or the first lady can set off a vile tweet storm from his loyal fans. So here we are. So what do we do now?

Weisman takes us on a journey of his thinking about this state of affairs. He consults with rabbis and ponders Jewish action, religion, ethics and life. Weisman explores the anti-Semitism in our history: Henry Ford’s newspaper, the Leo Frank case, the Temple bombing, the America First movement, and the public opinion last century when Jews were regarded with the same contempt as the Muslims of today. But American Jewish leadership, Weisman argues, hasn’t been assertive in confronting the alt-right (the AntiDefamation League is an exception). The community’s energy and resources and its heart and soul are devoted to the obsession of Israel — a contentious assertion that merits a chapter. This dynamic needs to be changed. One of his mantras? We thrive as an international, not as a tribal, people. “The Jew flourishes when borders come down, when boundaries blur, when walls are destroyed, not erected,” Weisman writes. Shed the tribalism, return to the public square, reach out and make common cause with our fellow citizens. Don’t get too worked up about the noxious bigotry on the fringe left when the real problem is on the alt-right. Weisman’s arguments are starting to spawn lively debates and sharp pushback, thanks in part to a Sunday Review column he wrote for The New York Times. Let’s hope people will actually read the book and engage in honest self-criticism about how they respond to a clear and present danger. I agree with Weisman, for what it’s worth. Many of us are not feeling or seeing the anger and activism in the Jewish community over this, with a couple of exceptions. There’s a silent majority of us out there who want our leaders to do a better job and listen up. “American Jews need to assert a voice in the public arena, to back our institutions and mold them in our image,” Weisman writes in this bold book. “Jewish leadership must reflect its congregants, who are not sheep.” ■

Who: Jonathan Weisman What: A Cappella Books talk and signing Where: Congregation Bet Haverim, 2074 LaVista Road, Toco Hills

(((Semitism)))

When: 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 2

By Jonathan Weisman

Admission: Free; bit.ly/2ulJgvo

St. Martin’s Press, 256 pages, $25.99

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OBITUARIES

Emily Levy 88, Atlanta

Emily Franco Levy of Atlanta died Wednesday, March 21, 2018. A native of Atlanta, she was born April 6, 1929, to Behor and Luna Franco, of blessed memory. Emily loved being with her family and friends. After raising two sons, she, along with her sister and a friend, created and published Atlanta Singles magazine. She was an entrepreneur ahead of her time. She later moved to Laguna Beach, Calif., where she spent 15 years as an active member of the community. Two years ago, she returned to Atlanta to be close to her family. Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law, Jack and Esther Levy of Birmingham, Ala.; brother and sister-in-law Ned and Janis Franco; sister Sue Freeman Hancock; grandchildren Jennifer (Aaron) Lincove, Lauren (Bryan) Kaplan, David (Anna) Levy and Jillian (Andrea) Levy; and five great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Ellen Levy, and her sister, Rachel Capelouto, of blessed memory. Sign the online guestbook at dresslerjewishfunerals.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Congregation Or VeShalom or the American Cancer Society. A graveside service was held Friday, March 23, at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbi Hayyim Kassorla officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

David Meltz 73, Lawrenceville

David Barry Meltz, a retired Atlanta lawyer, a real estate developer, a professor, the dean emeritus of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, and an amazingly loving father and grandfather, passed away surrounded by his family in his Lawrenceville home Sunday, March 18, 2018, at the age of 73. He leaves behind loving children and grandchildren Anne, Rachel, Robert, Samantha, Reagan and Shayna. Sign the online guestbook at dresslerjewishfunerals.com. Services were held Tuesday March 20, at Crest Lawn Memorial Park. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Rachel V. Nelkin, Joshua E. Nelkin, Carson Oakes, Dylan Oakes and Cheney Oakes. Born in 1925 in Savanah, he established The Nelkin Real Estate Co., which continues as a thriving family business. Israel was a loving husband, father, grandfather and uncle. He cherished his little dogs and was always willing to help others. Sign the online guestbook at dresslerjewishfunerals.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association. A graveside service was held Sunday, March 18, at Arlington Memorial Park. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Death Notices

Carole Bernson, 84, of Atlanta, mother of Gary Bernson and Laurie Stolmaker, on March 13. Ernest J. Bobick, 84, of Yuma, Ariz., father of Congregation Beth Shalom member Aaron Bobick and David Bobick, on March 20. Aline Fox, 83, of Burlingame, Calif., mother of Temple Kol Emeth member Steve Fox, on March 10. Sam Gaynor, 92, of Alpharetta on March 25. Tony Golembiewski, 65, of Peachtree Corners, husband of Debbie Golembiewski, father of Kirsten Brand, and stepfather of Sarah Hightower and Lindsey Solomon, on March 21. Paul Halpern, 87, of Atlanta, longtime Congregation Beth Shalom member, on March 17. Allen Sacks, 76, of Snellville on March 18. Frances Schlact, 94, of Tampa, Fla., mother of Temple Kol Emeth member Alan Schlacht, Steven Schlact and Norman Schlact, on March 12. Seija Tomberg, 77, of Boynton Beach, Fla., wife of David Tomberg and mother of Temple Kol Emeth member Paul Tomberg and Marc Tomberg, on March 14. Ghenia Vaisbein, 91, of Atlanta on March 15. Rabbi Ephraim Yisrael Zimand, 80, of Jerusalem, husband of Esther Zimand and father of Elana Zimand Pearl, Yedida Borow, Deena Schwartz, David Zimand, Natan Zimand and Meir Zimand, on March 11.

Israel Nelkin Israel Nelkin, 92, passed away peacefully Friday night, March 16, 2018, at his home, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Pola; children Brenda (Jed) Zachs, Mark (Nancy) Nelkin and Debbie Oakes; and grandchildren Sarah “Michelle” Nelkin, Obituaries in the AJT are written and paid for by the families; contact Associate Publisher Kaylene Ladinsky at kaylene@atljewishtimes.com or 404-883-2130, ext. 100, for details about submission, rates and payments. Death notices, which provide basic details, are free and run as space is available; send submissions to editor@ atljewishtimes.com.

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CLOSING THOUGHTS

The Fish in the Bathtub

MARCH 30 ▪ 2018

Let’s go back. Back when “be safe” meant looking both ways before crossing the street. Back when my grandparents (Mama and Papa) lived on Elsmere Place in the Bronx. For many years, this secondstory walk-up with three designated bedrooms, two front rooms (one used as a bedroom) and a small bathroom, all off the long, dark hallway, was home. This hallway was the bane of my childhood life. It was dark enough to cajole my imagination into keeping me terrorized. Of what? I have no clue. The apartment at 790 Elsmere Place was the first home in the United States of my grandparents and their four children, who stayed after they married until they could afford a place of their own. At one time this apartment was filled with two married daughters and their spouses, one grandchild, one unmarried daughter and one unmarried son. Can you imagine they shared one bathroom? I see chaos in the mornings when all occupants had to ready themselves for work and my cousin had to get ready for school. Did law-abiding people actually live this way? Yup, and no one left for lack of bathrooms. There we held our seders, the meals celebrating our freedom from slavery. Preparing the seder meant ridding the apartment of all chametz, preparing a mountain of food, unpacking special Passover dishes, cleaning, shouting, rearranging furniture, schlepping the chair, and, most important, keeping a fish in the bathtub, which completely freaked me out. I had no clue where the fish came from or where it went after lounging in the bathtub. I sort of remember looking at it and hoping it would escape with a quick swim down the drain. I was a child with a vivid imagination. I could not, however, imagine the fish becoming gefilte fish. No way would I accept such barbaric actions by my own family. Pesach arrives in the spring, the time of the year for new clothes. Some years I would wear a hand-me-down (HMD) from my cousin. My love of the HMD label began with my cousin’s clothes. I thought she 82 was fabulous. Truth be known, I still

prefer the HMD line. One year when I was 5 or 6 years old, I wore what I believed was the most beautiful new dress. I felt like a princess. The plaid, flared skirt was a soft, quilted fabric. When I would spin, the skirt would fly around me. My Mama and Papa (z”l) had a tufted, velveteen Victorian chair that sat in one of the back corners of the front room (magically turned into a

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ACROSS 1. Bank robbery 6. Ivory product 10. Locales with gyms and Torah classes; abbr. 14. Not omega 15. Guitar plug-ins 16. Vera that soothes 17. Alcoholic drink for the first plague? 19. “The Settlers of Catan,” e.g. 20. “___ I” (“Ditto”) 21. Sharer’s word 22. Challah leftovers? 24. “Rent” actor Diggs 26. The Mets’ old home 27. Harry Potter treat for the second plague? 33. Some lake fish 34. It must be chewed for kosher status 35. Target of #neveragain 36. Kimmel and Corden, e.g. 37. Ararat and Everest, briefly 38. White shirt woe 40. Many, many years 41. It’s usually taken before chem. 42. Paddling 43. Kid snacks for the fourth plague? 47. 12 and 13 are big ones for Jewish youths 48. CBS lead-in to “Los Angeles” or “New Orleans” 49. District 52. 2002 NBA Rookie of the Year Gasol 53. ___over 57. Raichel who sings “Mi’Ma’amakim”

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Passover dining room), to the left of the tall grandfather clock. I thought this chair was for a queen or a princess. This particular Passover, with this particular dress, this particular chair helped me pretend I lived in a castle. The prayer books were long, with not a word in English. We children were trained to remain quiet while the grown-ups read the haggadah to us. Finally, it was time to open the door for Elijah. We could not endure another minute of keeping our own counsel. Our collective voices screamed, “My turn! My turn to open Elijah’s door!” But being chosen made me almost mute with terror. The front door was at the end of that long, dark hallway. I held the door open until I heard someone yelling the words I longed to hear: Farmach de tear (shut the door). Before the grown-ups got to the part where they told us we could look for the afikomen, I would slide under the big table so I could witness who hid the matzah and where. We kids would run around like little chickens without heads in the search, with a prize (usually money) going to the winner. Until it was discovered that little Shaindle was hiding under the table, under cover of her new flared dress, I had the advantage. After all, a girl must do what a girl must do. I think back to those seders with warm and loving memories. I felt safe and connected to something big. I still imagine that I can hear the grown-ups singing and that I can smell the delicious food. Believe me when I say that I am not referring to the fish in the bathtub. ■

Kosher for Passover?

By Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Easy

1

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By Shaindle Schmuckler shaindle@atljewishtimes.com

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

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58. Coffee brews for the ninth plague? 61. Alternative to liquid medicine 62. “The Time Machine” people 63. “Have ___” (“Get comfy”) 64. Lisa Loeb’s No. 1 hit 65. 1961 Elie Wiesel novel 66. Former Russian rulers

Mel Tormé 28. ___ Mubarak, president of Egypt starting in 1981 29. Daniel Day-Lewis, e.g. 30. Broadcasting live 31. Cracks a smile 32. Made like a cantor 33. “Take ___ Train” (jazz classic) 37. Karaoke gear, for short 38. Japanese rice wine DOWN (var.) 1. “L’shana ___ 39. Ignore “Keep Out” sign b’Yerushalayim” 41. Like some scotch 2. The middle of Eilat and 42. Happen Holon? 44. “Falls ___ on the 3. Touch device plain” 4. O.K. Corral event 45. Way back when 5. Just a bit 46. Darth Vader, once 6. Anointer of Saul 49. Copies digitally 7. Barbra’s “Funny Girl” 50. Cut, for Spielberg co-star Sharif 51. Hearty party 8. Mth. for seders, often 52. Boat bow 9. Eager to proceed, 54. On a boat slangily 55. Daniel Day-Lewis 10. Black-spotted cat 56. Retired fast fliers; 11. Chowder no-no, for the abbr. kosher keeper 59. ___ mode 12. Honey structure 60. Granola morsel 13. Has a prophecy LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 18. Stringed C Y N I C R A D O W I N E toys H E Y H O A L A N Y M E I 23. Court O L S E N S O P H L E A N C L E A N T H E H O M E official, for R E A N L E C S I short S W I T C H T H E D I S H E S 25. Makes H A R T O M I R E A C H like Scarlett A T O P E C H O S A B U T Johansson R E N E W A S W E A R A P R E P A R E T H E S E D E R 26. “Rugrats” S Y D C O S D C X dad and “The B O O K T H E H O T E L Simpsons” L A T E T I R E E T U D E disco dude E B A N E M O R W I N O S N U T S D O T E S C A M S 27. Emulate 1

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4.04%

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4.07%

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Have a joyous Passover. And share what it means to you.

MARCH 30 â–ª 2018

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