REAL “DEAL”
By Dorothy Ripps ATLANTA - When electing a candidate for a position, a community elects with the majority of votes for a person. Most candidates give speeches to share their opinion, and give a brief understanding of what they will change or improve when they have the power to do so. However, it is very common that once a voter has a chosen side, they tend to stay that side. Democrats will vote for the democratic candidate and republicans will too. Voting used to be taken more seriously than it is now. A lot more research was included in the process of choosing a candidate to vote for. Nathan Deal is a candidate who was running for Georgia’s governor. He is a large supporter of Israel and has brought businesses from Israel to Georgia. He gave a wonderful speech to the RJC (Republican Jewish Coalition) meeting at Hammond Senior Living Center in Atlanta, GA to share his thoughts before the election. After he spoke about his views on matters that need to be fixed in the economy, he agreed to answer a few questions from the audience. He was gracious enough to take time out of his busy schedule and sit down to answer a few questions about his views on the world. In the midst of the interview, he spoke about his first shot for governor and how he decided he wanted that job. First of all he had been in elected office for about 12 years. On his 12th year he faced the decision of if he was going to get into politics fully or not. He then decided that politics was he correct path for him to follow. In 1992, the U.S. congressman for his district decided not to return for re-election. The community was encouraging him to run for the position of the congressman. With his words of wisdom being shared, he was elected later that year in 1992. This was a fantastic experience for him. He then retired from the position in 2010. However, he had already begun to start campaigning for the position of governor. He was very certain he had what it took to be the right leader for Georgia. He wanted to fix the wrong things he saw when he was a member of congress. He was ready to run. When asked about words of wisdom, or inspiration to give to kids in America he said, “At first it’s important to get your skills in order…when I was your age, I wanted to be a veterinarian. You need to get a feel for things that you might be interested in.” He then stated that he had started a program that is popular in Europe. It is where high-schoolers can do an “internship-like” work in the school system. They have made it so they can do the program but also get their schoolwork done. Not all schools have agreed to it yet though. The dictionary definition of wisdom states, “The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise. The soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment.” Nathan Deal upholds to all of the levels of wisdom. He is the definition. Thank you Governor Deal for being an absolutely prodigious governor for Georgia!
A CONFIDENT CONSUL
Ziv Ilan with Consul General Aviran
Editor’s Note: This edition of the Lion’s Roar is a compilation of the many diverse ways our school values are exemplified in the community. The sixth grade students have found countless examples of kindness, leadership, generosity, selflessness, spirit, wisdom, righteousness, caring, community and more among the adults who serve as our role models from day to day. Clearly, each one of them has served as a shining example to our youth as we seek, each one of us, to make the world a little bit better. Enjoy our third volume of the Lion’s Roar, and find YOUR way to be a Mensch!
By Ziv Ilan ATLANTA - One kehilla (community) has the world’s largest aquarium, and the other has a variety of beautiful fish under the Red Sea. One community likes to fry chicken, and the other fries chickpeas to make falafel. That’s why one can consult Consul General of Israel, Opher Aviran. Opher understands and lives within the same communities: the Israeli and Atlanta ones. A consul general is responsible to reach out to each of the various communities in its designated region in order to strengthen the political and commercial relationships with the Jewish homeland, Israel. The consulate office in Atlanta is responsible for Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. He conducts ongoing work with education, law enforcement, security (cyber), health, religion, and community leaders, and he collaborates with them. The interview took place in Midtown at the Israeli Consulate office. Throughout his life, Opher Aviran has been all around the world. He grew up in Haifa, Israel, and he stayed there until he was 18. At that point, Opher joined the IDF and served for three years as a tank driver. He went to college at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel and majored in International Relations. After college, Opher joined the Israeli Ministry for Foreign Affairs and was selected to take part in an extensive training program for diplomats. His first assignment as a diplomat was in Burma, where he served for two years. His next destination was in Holland, and he lived there for three years. Then, he moved back to Israel for a period of three years. His next station was Australia, where amongst other adventures, he got to pet kangaroos. In 1997, Opher and his family moved back to Israel and took a 13 years break from traveling. In 2010, he was appointed to be the new Israeli Consul General in Atlanta. Opher Aviran had and still has an interesting life with a lot of travel. Opher enjoys this “melting pot” of a local community. There are Jews, Israelis, Christians, Hispanics, and African Americans. As a Consul, Opher reaches out to the members of the different communities. He relies on the help of the local leaders to attract audiences to the events sponsored by the Consulate. For example, a big service is held every year to mark the Israeli Memorial day. This event has a large participation of both the Jewish and Israeli communities. The Consulate General of Atlanta also attempts to promote Israeli art by bringing them here to perform. Vertigo, an Israeli dancing company, recently performed before a local crowd, and received rave reviews. Opher and his team also sponsor trips to Israel for the senior leaders of the communities, like the governor of Georgia, Nathan Deal. Opher’s family is also greatly involved in the communities. His wife, Talia is engaged with an organization called Friends of the IDF, an organization that helps American soldiers who joined the IDF and are risking their lives for the state of Israel. His daughter, Noa is highly involved in Tzofim, Israeli scouts. Opher reaches out to the communities both on and off duty. Serving Israel is Opher’s mission in life. “I am very proud to be a diplomat and represent Israel in the United States, our greatest friend,” he says. He thinks very highly of the Davis Academy and says that, “A special thanks and gratitude is going to Ann and Jay Davis, the founders of the Davis Academy. Thanks to their generous contributions, generations of kids are raised and educated with core Jewish values and with love for Israel.” Opher encourages everyone to join his mission by attending events that the consulate organizes and by showing support for Israel. After all, he is a confident consul!