Southern Jewish Life, Deep South, June 2021

Southern Jewish Life

June 2021

Volume 31 Issue 6

Southern Jewish Life P.O. Box 130052 Birmingham, AL 35213 “Rabbi’s Home” in Woodville, Miss., with menorah-shaped columns

June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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MESSAGES Maccabi USA leader praises Birmingham Games I have had the honor of attending many Maccabi competitions around the world. From Israel to Australia to South America, Europe and the JCC Maccabi games around the United States and Canada, I have logged many miles seeing how sports can be a vehicle to help build Jewish identity, especially in our young.

I felt honored to come to Birmingham for the first time and fell in love with not just the city but the people. You have taken Southern hospitality to a new level with your kind and caring approach to the JCC Maccabi Games.

Led by the Sokol and Helds, your hard-working volunteers were wonderful. They partnered with your outstanding staff, led by Betzy Lynch, to make the 2017 JCC Maccabi games a huge hit.

I want to take this opportunity as executive director of Maccabi USA to say thank you on behalf of everyone involved.

I had just returned from the 20th World Maccabiah games in Israel with a U.S. delegation of over 1100, who joined 10,000 Jewish athletes from 80 countries. Back in July the eyes of the entire Jewish world were on Jerusalem and the Maccabiah. This past month with 1000 athletes and coaches from around the world being in Birmingham, you became the focal point.

Everyone from the Jewish community and the community at large, including a wonderful police force, are to be commended. These games will go down in history as being a seminal moment for the Jewish community as we build to the future by providing such wonderful Jewish memories.

Jed Margolis Executive Director, Maccabi USA

On Charlottesville Editor’s Note: This reaction to the events in Charlottesville, written by Jeremy Newman, Master of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Theta Colony at Auburn University, was shared by AEPi National, which called it “very eloquent” and praised “our brothers at AEPi Theta Colony at Auburn University and… the leadership they display on their campus.”

White supremacy has been a cancer on our country since its beginning, threatening its hopes, its values, and its better angels.

The events that took place in Charlottesville represented the worst of this nation. Those who marched onto the streets with tiki torches and swastikas did so to provoke violence and fear. Those who marched onto the streets did so to profess an ideology that harkens back to a bleaker, more wretched time in our history.

A time when men and women of many creeds, races, and religions were far from equal and far from safe in our own borders. A time where Americans lived under a constant cloud of racism, anti-Semitism and pervasive hate. The events that took place in Charlottesville served as a reminder of how painfully relevant these issues are today.

Auburn’s Alpha Epsilon Pi stands with the Jewish community of Charlottesville, and with the Jewish people around the country and around the world. We also stand with the minorities who are targeted by the hate that was on display in Charlottesville. We stand with the minorities of whom these white 4 June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

supremacists would like to see pushed back into a corner and made to feel lesser. We stand with and pray for the family of Heather Heyer, who was there standing up to the face of this hate.

We recognize the essence of the American narrative as a two-century old struggle to rid ourselves of such corners, and allow those in them the seat at the table that they so deserve.

It is the struggle to fulfill the promise of the Declaration of Independence, that “all men are created equal… endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” We know our work is far from finished, but we know we will not move backwards.

When men and women, fully armed, take to the streets in droves with swastikas and other symbols of hate, it is a reminder of how relevant the issues of racism and anti-Semitism are today. It is a wake-up call to the work that needs to be done to ensure a better, more welcoming country. But it should not come without a reflection on how far we’ve come.

America was born a slave nation. A century into our history we engaged in a war in part to ensure we would not continue as one. We found ourselves confronted by the issue of civil rights, and embarked on a mission to ensure the fair treatment of all peoples no matter their skin color. Although we’ve made great strides, it is a mission we’re still grappling with today.

America was also born an immigrant country. As early as the pilgrims, many groups and families found in the country the opportunity to plant stakes, chase their future, and be themselves. Few were met with open

January 2021 June 2021

Southern Jewish Life PUBLISHER/EDITOR Lawrence M. Brook editor@sjlmag.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING Lee J. Green lee@sjlmag.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Richard Friedman richard@sjlmag.com V.P. SALES/MARKETING, NEW ORLEANS Jeff Pizzo jeff@sjlmag.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ginger Brook ginger@sjlmag.com SOCIAL/WEB Emily Baldwein connect@sjlmag.com PHOTOGRAPHER-AT-LARGE Rabbi Barry C. Altmark deepsouthrabbi.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rivka Epstein, Louis Crawford, Tally Werthan, Stuart Derroff, Belle Freitag, Ted Gelber, E. Walter Katz, Doug Brook brookwrite.com BIRMINGHAM OFFICE P.O. Box 130052, Birmingham, AL 35213 2179 Highland Ave., Birmingham, AL 35205 205/870.7889 NEW ORLEANS OFFICE 3747 West Esplanade, 3rd Floor Metairie, LA 70002 504/249-6875 TOLL-FREE 888/613.YALL(9255) ADVERTISING Advertising inquiries to 205/870.7889 for Lee Green, lee@sjlmag.com Jeff Pizzo, jeff@sjlmag.com Media kit, rates available upon request SUBSCRIPTIONS It has always been our goal to provide a large-community quality publication to all communities of the South.

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shalom y’all No, “River to the Sea” is about genocide, not coexistence.

If one attends an anti-Israel — er., “pro-Palestinian” rally, it generally takes mere moments for the chant to start: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free.”

Sounds good. After all, who opposes freedom? But when one looks further, this kumbaya statement is fraught with peril. The river, of course, is the Jordan. The sea is the Mediterranean. The territory in between is not only what is referred to as the West Bank and Gaza, but also all of pre1967 Israel.

Liberate Palestine? What does that mean?

Many activists will insist that there’s no genocidal intent — when they talk about liberation, they mean a bi-national state where Israelis and Palestinians — er, Jews and Muslims — live side by side as equal citizens in the same state.

As the saying goes, from your lips to God’s ears, or as they say in Arabic, inshallah.

Unfortunately, the rest of us have to live in the real world, and that means asking a very serious question — what are those people smoking? Do they really think that an open, democratic state will spring up, bringing harmony and unity?

Not unless a completely different, uncharacteristic leadership suddenly takes over among the Palestinians, and there is a cultural shift of massive proportions.

Let’s take Hamas first, as they rule Gaza with an iron fist and would also be ruling the territories if the Palestinian Authority wasn’t being propped up by duct tape and chewing gum. The Hamas charter insists on liberating the entire land and getting rid of all the Jews.

That leaves plenty of room for negotiating.

The Palestinian Authority ultimately has the same goal, they just aren’t as blatant about it. Mahmoud Abbas, head of the PA, has repeatedly insisted that no Jew would be permitted to reside in a Palestinian state. Generally, that has been in the context of the West Bank, but it bodes ill for any cooperation and coexistence beyond there.

Last month on official Palestinian television, it was noted that “Jerusalem is Arab, Islamcontinued on next page

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commentary ic and Christian,” and there was a call for confronting the occupation from the river to the sea, in “Palestine which is Arab and Islamic.” Can’t you feel the love and unity?

A recent post by Fatah Central Committee member Tawfiq Tirawi reminds that the entire land is waqf land — “an inalienable religious endowment in Islamic law” and it is forbidden to cede any of that land to non-Muslims.

Why else is it illegal, punishable by death, for a Palestinian to sell land to a Jew? And wouldn’t that be carried over to the “liberated” land?

For over two decades, Palestinian youth in Gaza and the territories have been brought up to believe that their highest calling is to kill Jews, and Israelis have been well aware of that. While Israel tries to teach coexistence against the odds, the Palestinians teach that Jews have no historical connection to the land and are foreign invaders with no right to live there.

But hey, they’ll forget all that when it comes to living side by side in a single bi-national state.

In addition to the question of Jews being allowed to stay in this bi-national utopia, what do all of these human rights activists believe will happen regarding, say, human rights?

The same people who accuse Israel of “pinkwashing” because of its openness to the LGBTQ community will quickly find out that under the new arrangement, they are not welcome — and there won’t be an Israel for them to flee toward. Surveys show over 90 percent of Palestinians believe LGBTQ should be societally unacceptable. If you think Southern legislatures are a tough crowd…

Both Hamas and the PA routinely intimidate and imprison journalists who write the “wrong” stories. Same thing for anti-regime demonstrations. Are they suddenly going to discover the First Amendment in a bi-national state?

And what of the decree in Gaza that a woman has to have a male relative with her when she travels? How will that translate to the new bi-national state? Will Western pro-Palestinian feminists care?

Israel, of course, exists as a refuge for Jews who have nowhere else to go, so that the Jewish people, after 2,000 years, no longer are subject to the whims of others and have a viable Plan B should the world fall apart.

If unicorns start flying and Jews are allowed to stay in the new bi-national state, would that state be as enthusiastic about rescuing imperiled Jews around the world? If 30,000 Jews in Ethiopia suddenly needed to be whisked away, as was necessary in 1991, would the bi-national state drop everything to do so? What about the Jewish community of France, which has been looking at Israel in greater numbers as antisemitism continues to spiral?

Would the Palestinians really say “sure, go ahead, bring them in”?

And isn’t it ironic that the same people who insist that in the 21st century, the Jews don’t need an Israel, life is perfectly fine in Europe, the U.S., what have you — are the same ones who are now taking to the streets and forcefully demonstrating to Jews why Israel’s existence is necessary?

But there is one last protest against calling “River to the Sea” a call for genocide. It’s not a call to kill the Jews, just for the colonialist occupiers to go back to where they came from — which the activists will insist is Europe.

There are two problems with that. First, that’s the same Europe that has welcomed millions of Muslim refugees in recent years, where they are refusing to assimilate into their new countries and have been making life very difficult for the Jewish communities of the countries where they land, France and Sweden being prime examples. Lots of European Jews have been fleeing to Israel, are they going to turn around and go right back?

The other problem is that the majority of Israel’s Jews were forced out of Middle Eastern countries, not Europe, and their properties confiscated. Iran, Iraq, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen — they’re going to welcome the Jews back with open arms and equal rights?

And notice that the chant refers to just 20 percent of British Mandate Palestine. Nobody ever chants about the other direction, the 80 percent that was lopped off to become Jordan — “from the river to Iraq, Palestine will come back.”

The Middle East is a vastly complicated place, and simplistic slogans might feel good, but they are often incredibly unhelpful. And this slogan in particular is nothing but a sugarcoated call for genocide or ethnic cleansing — the very thing those same activists falsely accuse Israel of doing.

The sad part is, some of them don’t even realize the implications of what they are saying.

Lawrence Brook, Publisher/Editor

letters

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s recent statements comparing the mandatory wearing of masks in some states to the forced wearing of yellow Star of David armbands by Jews in Nazi Germany have been roundly criticized, and rightly so. She is an embarrassment who was stripped of all of her committee assignments, effectively neutering her and rendering her completely unable to effectively represent her constituents, also rightly so.

However, Reps. Ilhan Omar, Rashinda Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, the rest of the Squad and other Representatives continue to spew direct and overtly antisemitic garbage daily with little or no press coverage, no outrage or public condemnation of any kind from their Democratic colleagues in the House (or Senate), no stripping of their committee assignments and no consequences at all!

Joel P. Loeffelholz New Orleans 6 June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

agenda interesting bits & can’t miss events On May 16, Hebrew Union Congregation in Greenville held its annual congregational picnic, their first in-person activity in over a year.

Jewish Children’s Regional Service Director Ned Goldberg retiring The Jewish Children’s Regional Service, which serves Jewish families immigrant status, or health-related issues, more recently, many new cliand youth in a seven-state region, announced on June 7 that Ned Gold- ent families have qualified for financial aid due to natural disasters or berg will be retiring as the agency’s longtime executive director in early economic downturns.

2022.

Starting in the 1990s, JCRS board member and current vice president, Goldberg has led the agency since 1988, when he relocated from South Alan Krilov, began envisioning various outreach programs for JCRS. Florida and the Jewish Family Service field, to New Orleans, where JCRS Working with Goldberg and numerous JCRS staff, board and volunteers, has been headquartered since 1855. The JCRS they developed what is now the Oscar J. Tolboard is now launching a search for his succesmas Hanukkah Gift Program, various holiday sor. outreach mailings to low-income and socially JCRS was founded as a home for Jewish widisolated Jewish families, and more recently, an ows and orphans, and when the home closed outreach program for undergraduate college in the 1940s, it evolved into a regional agency students funded by JCRS, entitled the College that now funds or serves over 1800 Jewish youth Connection. each year in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, In 2008, after JCRS had already begun a Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma. number of its own outreach programs, it began A licensed social worker by training, Goldadministering the nationally heralded PJ Liberg has worn many hats over the years, as JCRS brary Program in parts of the seven Southern has enlarged its existing programs for Jewish states that it serves, and with the support of the youth, while also initiating and incorporating Goldring Family Foundation, it currently overnew ones, which fit into the organization’s goals sees over 1,200 PJ book subscriptions a year for of assisting Jewish youth to become well-adjustJewish children and youth.

Ned Goldberg was honored at the 2018 JCRS ed, successful and self-supporting Jewish adults.

Goldberg credits his own tenure and the onJewish Rots gala, for 30 years of service.

When Goldberg moved to New Orleans going growth and success of JCRS as being a in 1988, he was single, but upon his arrival, he met the woman he was combination of a “number of factors.” soon to marry, Wendy Diamond, an employee of the New Orleans Jew“First of all, you have incredible dedication from the JCRS board, staff, ish Community Center. Wendy Goldberg is currently the New Orleans volunteers and donors,” he explained. “When you have them behind you, JCC’s associate director, and in 2022, she will have 40 years of tenure with you can respond quickly to emergencies, as JCRS did during hurricanes the Center. and floods that have repeatedly hit East Texas and Louisiana over the last Under Goldberg’s leadership, JCRS has continued to nurture and ex- five years.” pand its existing programs of financial aid to Jewish families in need Last fall, as Hurricane Laura pounded Lake Charles and surrounding of help for a special needs child, or seeking funding for undergraduate areas, the current JCRS president, Michael Goldman, was on the phone college education or camp scholarship aid. While traditionally, many of calling all of his former neighbors and fellow congregants in Southwest the families served by JCRS had limited income due to single-parent or Louisiana, and checking on their personal safety and property damage.

June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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During the floods that hit Baton Rouge in 2016, it was Goldberg’s staff on the phones, checking on the status and safety of all the PJ Library and scholarship recipient families that were spread out across South-Central Louisiana. In each case, the agency had department store gift cards to distribute to Jewish families within a couple days of the crisis.

Goldberg additionally listed the warmth and generosity of communities outside Louisiana, as an additional “resource” to the organization and “benefit” to the job. In August 2005, as Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, Goldberg heard from a number of JCRS board members and supporters from cities in the region, offering shelter for both his family and the JCRS offices. Ultimately, Goldberg, his wife, Wendy, and their two children, Jodie and Adam, spent the next nine months living in Houston, and operating their agencies, while their children attended Houston Jewish day schools. Before returning to Greater New Orleans to live, the Goldberg’s were hosted and treated graciously by numerous Houston families and new friends.

Operating a social service agency that exclusively serves Jewish families and children, while concurrently having a family of his own, brought Goldberg perspectives that he might not other-

wise see, or experience. “Once back in New Orleans after Katrina, my children seemed to have numerous friends who not only were from single-parent families, but these children and teens were also being raised primarily or exclusively by the fathers,“ Goldberg noted. Thus began the idea for a Jewish fathers’ lunch-time support group, sponsored by JCRS and led by Goldberg, that over a course of about six years, had involved 25 single Jewish men from Greater New Orleans. About a quarter of the men were the exclusive caregivers of their children. “At the time, I called around the country to similar Jewish family agencies and nobody had support groups for single Jewish fathers,” Goldberg added.

Giving up the role of being a full-time executive for an agency after 34 years will admittedly be very hard for Goldberg. “What other job is there where you can see the benefits of your work every day from current clients, and receive a phone call, email, or letter of gratitude from a past aid recipient every week?” he concluded.

“Such wonderful services, hardworking and talented staff, and dedicated and generous board and volunteers are the reasons JCRS endures, and explains why I have tried to stay a few years beyond a typical retirement age. Who wouldn’t miss that experience?”

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agenda A Leader in the Field of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Etz Chayim in Huntsville will have a community yard sale, July 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Donated items for the sale are currently being welcomed.

Aaron Torop will be the new student rabbi for Temple Shalom in Lafayette. His first visit is scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 27. Before starting at Hebrew Union College, Torop was a legislative assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, leading the Reform Movement’s advocacy efforts on the environment, international human rights, and Israel.

As part of the reopening process, Beth Israel in Metairie will have its first Shabbat dinner of the year on June 25 following the 7 p.m. service.

Reservations are $18 for member adults, $9 for ages 12 and under; $25 and $18, respectively, for non-members.

Temple Beth-El in Anniston announced its reopening service will be on Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Beth Shalom in Fort Walton Beach will have Torah on Tap on June 23 at 7 p.m., at a location to be announced.

Agudath Achim in Shreveport will have Shalom Summer Camp, July 19 to 23 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., a week of Jewish theater, arts and crafts, music, culture, food and movement. The camp is for ages 4 to 12 and registration is $80. Camp Chai, coordinated by the North Louisiana Jewish Federation, will be July 26 to Aug. 6.

Camp Gan Israel of Huntsville will be open from June 28 to July 9.

The camp, run by Chabad of Huntsville, is for ages 5 to 12, with limited counselor in training slots for ages 13 and 14, and meets at Monte Sano Lodge. Registration is available on the Huntsville Chabad website.

After an absence of a year, the South East Chavura is resuming in-person Torah study. The next meeting will be on June 19 at 11 a.m. at the Comfort Inn in D’Iberville, Miss., discussing Parshat Chukat. The community is welcome, and lunch follows.

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Hadassah New Orleans raised over $43,000 for the 360 Healing Campaign. Past presidents Betty Moore and Helen Stone led the effort, and an intermittent care bay in the internal medicine unit in the Round Building at Hadassah Medical Center, Ein Kerem, will be dedicated in the chapter’s name.

The L’Chaim League in Montgomery is resuming activities with a kickoff luncheon, June 23 at noon, at the Bonefish Grill EastChase.

Seating will be outside, and it is requested that only members who are fully vaccinated attend. Space is limited, so reservations are needed. A July trip to Whipporwill Vineyards is being organized.

With the reopening of Ahavas Chesed in Mobile, the congregation announced its final Krispy Kreme Roundup, an outdoor gathering held every other Sunday morning over the past year as a way to stay in touch with one another while social distancing in the parking lot. The final Roundup was scheduled for June 6.

Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El will continue its monthly Shabbat Hilicha hikes at Red Mountain Park, June 26 and July 10 at 10:30 a.m.

Meet at the Frankfurt Drive entrance.

On July 17 at Temple Beth El in Pensacola, Brenton Goodman will discuss “And Give Up Showbiz?”, the biography of his grandfather, Fred Levin, who died last year. Goodman, a Beth El board member, will detail his grandfather’s roller-coaster life, becoming a towering and controversial figure among trial lawyers, including a $13 billion victory against Big Tobacco. He also was a boxing manager, civil rights defender, chief of Ghana and “person of interest” in two murder investigations. The program will be at 7 p.m.

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Southern Jewish Life Growing Impact

Author TK Thorne’s new book gives fascinating insight into the role Jews played, often behind the scenes, in advancing the cause of African-Americans during Birmingham’s Civil Rights era.

Though many Jewish individuals and families are mentioned, Thorne’s book “Behind the Magic Curtain: Secrets, Spies, and Unsung White Allies of Birmingham’s Civil Rights Days,” highlights the boldness and bravery of three Jewish leaders in particular — Abe Berkowitz, Rabbi Milton Grafman and Karl Friedman.

On June 21 at 7 p.m., Southern Jewish Life magazine will host “Legends, Lessons & Legacies: The Impact of Jews on Birmingham’s Civil Rights Movement,” an online discussion featuring Thorne and Richard Berkowitz, Stephen Grafman and Tracy Friedman Stein, who will offer perspectives on the leadership their fathers provided during these turbulent times.

The program is co-sponsored by Israel InSight magazine (a sister publication of Southern Jewish Life) and the Atlanta Israel Coalition, a national organization based in Atlanta. The program will also highlight the work these three men did on behalf of Israel. A zoom link is available on the sjlmag.com website.

Open to the public, the program is one more reflection of Southern Jewish Life’s growing impact. We have become more than just a magazine.

Innovative Initiatives Through innovative journalism initiatives, we are developing partnerships throughout the Deep South, helping the broader population better understand Jews and Israel and strengthening ties among Jewish communities in our four state coverage area — Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and NW Florida.

We also are developing a base of donors to support our growth and new undertakings. If you would like to become a Southern Jewish Life supporter, please send a check to SJL, P.O. Box 130052, Birmingham, AL 35213, or go to https://sjlmag.com/contribute/ (Donations to Southern Jewish Life are not tax-deductible.)

Our upcoming online program, “Legends, Lessons, Legacies” is just a taste of what’s ahead for Southern Jewish Life. So stay tuned, please support us — and remember, we’re more than just a magazine!

(Thorne’s book will be available June 29. Copies can be pre-ordered at www.newsouthbooks.com.)

agenda On July 10, the Birmingham Jewish Federation’s You Belong in Birmingham and NextGen groups will have an Annual Campaign event from 8 to 11 p.m. at Back Forty Beer Company. There will be live music by the Peytones, drinks and dessert. Reservations are $18 and should be made by June 23. The event is for ages 21 to 45, and all attendees are requested to have completed their Covid vaccinations.

Camp Gan Israel will be held at Chabad of Panama City Beach, June 3 to 15 and July 12 to 30. Registration is open for ages 4 to 12.

Alexandria’s Gemiluth Chassodim will have its annual meeting and Shabbat service on June 18 at 6 p.m., followed by a Mediterranean feast and sneauxball truck.

JCRS getting a jump on Chanukah Time for annual gift program applications It may be the beginning of summer, but the Jewish Children’s Regional Service in New Orleans is already thinking about Chanukah.

With the early arrival of Chanukah this year, on Nov. 28, efforts are already underway to register eligible families and individuals in the Oscar J. Tolmas Chanukah Gift Program. Gifts are provided to Jewish youth from families who are experiencing financial difficulties in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

Each child or youth receives eight small gifts, one for each night. Gifts are selected and assigned to applicants as early as June. Families indicate on the gift application their children’s general interests.

Due to Covid, there were a few changes to the program last year. The annual gift wrapping party was not held, and gifts were shipped to the families unwrapped. The agency expects that to be the case this year, and gifts will be shipped starting in early November.

Last year, the social service agency provided gift sets for 250 Jewish youth, and 25 adults in specialized care or hospitals. Thousands of gifts were purchased, sorted, and shipped to children, youth and institutionalized adults. Many families also received department store gift cards, in addition to gifts.

Applications, which include information about the children’s ages and interests, are available at jcrs.org, along with information on how donors can support this program, which is now in its 23rd year.

“Southern Jewish Life is a vital community asset” Help Support Independent, Quality, Original Southern Jewish Journalism!

We thank you for your continued support as we tell our stories — the stories of Southern Jewish Life!

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

Over 100 volunteers usually hold a gift wrapping party in New Orleans for the JCRS Chanukah program, when Covid is not a factor.

Left to right: IDF Major Emanuel Lerer; Adi Toledano; Laura King, Alabama-Israel Task Force; John Buhler, Alabama-Israel Task Force; Alex Gandler, Deputy Consul General of Israel to the Southeast; Governor Kay Ivey; Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon; Chief Justice Tom Parker; Dottie Parker; Robin Rowan, Church For Israel; Karen Isenberg Jones, Director of Government and Political Affairs, Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast.

Alabama Governor signs resolution supporting Israel in fight against Hamas Legislative effort came from pro-Israel Christian community; Consul General attended signing

By Larry Brook Continuing a long legacy of the state’s support for Israel, in the final hours of this year’s legislative regular session, the Alabama Legislature quickly passed a resolution supporting Israel and condemning Hamas.

The measure, Senate Joint Resolution 138, passed the House at 10:10 p.m. on May 17, moments before the body adjourned for the year.

The resolution expresses “vigorous support” for Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders and the right of self-defense; and calls on Hamas to end the rocket attacks, renounce violence and recognize Israel’s right to exist.

The resolution also calls on the Biden administration to support a cease-fire “that prevents Hamas from retaining or rebuilding its terrorist infrastructure, including the capability to launch rockets and mortars against Israel,” making life better for Gazans; and condemned the Hamas practice of embedding its fighters and weapons in homes, schools, mosques and hospitals, using Palestinian civilians as human shields. The resolution lays blame for the situation and for civilian casualties in Gaza “precisely where blame belongs,” with Hamas.

Alabama’s Legislature was the first governmental body to call for the establishment of a Jewish homeland, in 1943, five years before Israel was established and during the height of the Holocaust. A statewide celebration of the 70th anniversary of that resolution was held in 2013, and in 2017 there was a major event in Montgomery to mark the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification.

In recent years, there have been numerous resolutions and proclamations, including a 2016 resolution denouncing the Boycott, Sanction and Divest movement and barring the state from doing business with entities that boycott Israel, and the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset addressed a joint session of the Legislature that year.

In 2019, Alabama applauded the U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem, and was the first to use the term “eternal, undivided” in reference to Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Also, the Arrow anti-rocket system that has been hailed for saving so many lives during the conflict has numerous developmental ties to Alabama, a fact that was noted in the resolution.

A signing ceremony was held on May 21 in Montgomery, with Gov-

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ernor Kay Ivey and Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon from Israel’s consulate in Atlanta.

“The State of Israel is grateful for the unwavering support of our friends and allies in the great state of Alabama,” said Consul General Sultan-Dadon. “Israel enjoys a long-standing warm and fruitful relationship with the state of Alabama economically, culturally and politically. The security and safety of Israel is deeply connected to the support of our greatest ally, the United States. Alabama’s unequivocal standing with Israel is a true blessing which we greatly appreciate.”

“The state of Alabama and Israel have a long friendship,” Ivey said. “I am proud to sign this resolution, which only reaffirms our unequivocal support. Alabama stands with Israel.” Ivey had tweeted support for Israel on May 12.

On May 14, Alabama Chief Justice Tom Parker reached out to Robin Rowan of Church for Israel and John Buhler of the Alabama-Israel Task Force to help encourage leaders in the legislature to pass a joint resolution declaring Alabama’s support of Israel’s right of self-defense.

Parker and his wife, Dottie, were married in Israel, and she sang Israel’s national anthem, “Hatikvah,” at the 1995 gubernatorial inauguration of Fob James.

With one day remaining in the session, Senator Arthur Orr of Decatur brought the resolution to the Senate floor, and it quickly passed by voice vote.

There was a push on May 17 to bring the resolution to the House floor, with Rep. Chris Pringle bringing it to House Speaker Pro Tem Victor Gaston. Parker also worked with Speaker Mac McCutcheon to carve out time to have it considered. “He committed to try to make it happen,” Parker said, “and he did!”

Rowan said watching it make its way through the House “was a nail-biting experience, but the Lord’s hand was on it!”

She noted that “some far-left Democrats embarrassed themselves with very antisemitic language and misinformation about Israel during the debate process.”

After Rep. Terri Collins introduced the resolution, Rep. Juandalynn Givan wanted to know “what in the slam-chiggity is this,” Yellowhammer News reported.

When Collins said a lot of Alabamians wanted to show solidarity with Israel, the Birmingham representative replied “I know ain’t nobody from not one of my neighborhoods told you that… Now, if all y’all ‘Dumplicans’ want to do it, that’s up to y’all.”

She said she was embarrassed by some of the “agenda” bringing “a lot of grief and a lot of strife and heartache here in this chamber,” and wanted to see several votes in opposition next to her name.

She added that resolutions supporting Africa and South Africa never would be introduced in the Legislature. Givan did not respond to inquiries from this publication.

Rep. Thomas Jackson also spoke out against the resolution, saying he wished it “would include the opposite side, that Israel would start restraining itself.”

He said Israel, which “is not the Israel that the Bible was talking about,” is “just as bad” as Hamas and is “taking advantage” of Gaza residents.

“These people do so much damage to so many people… And the United States always funded them. Isn’t that wrong?”

In an email to this publication, Jackson insisted that he is pro-Israel, and he was “trying to convey the real need for cease fire! Too many innocent people are dying as it is related to terrorists. Mostly the Arab people who are suffering the most, because they are caught in the midst of the conflict!”

He added, “I just hate to see innocent people suffering for whatever reason.”

Rep. Mary Moore of Birmingham said the Biden administration was

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Israel Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon pins an Israeli-American flags pin onto Alabama Governor Kay Ivey’s lapel. “taking his time” to determine the facts of the conflict, but said Republicans “don’t respect that. You want somebody to go and say, ‘Shoot ’em up, bomb ’em up, kill ’em up.’ Regardless who it is. ‘Babies, if you bomb them now you won’t have to deal with them later.’ And that’s exactly what’s going on over there in Israel.”

Moore also did not respond to inquiries from this publication.

House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, a Democrat from Huntsville, said on the House floor that the resolution is a positive resolution.

“I think we all are in support of that resolution… I don’t want anybody to get the wrong idea about Democrats being antisemitic. That’s certainly not the case.”

Yellowhammer reported that later in the evening, on an unrelated matter, Givan said “I’m not antisemitic in any way.”

The resolution passed the House, 89-0, with 10 abstentions.

Buhler said the timing was especially meaningful, as the resolution passed on the Jewish festival of Shavuot, “aligning with the giving of the divine Law to Moses upon Sinai,” and the Christian Pentecost.

“I pray this Joint Resolution, which stands for truth, is an example of what can be done throughout the country,” Rowan said. “The TRUTH will always succeed.”

Earlier in the session, a coalition of Christian and Jewish groups successfully promoted a bill for Holocaust education in Alabama schools.

After the signing, there was a gathering in Parker’s office, where the Israeli delegation spoke of the importance of the resolution to the Israeli people, and that it was done quickly on the final day of the session, when there is always an overwhelming amount of last-minute business to consider.

Though many state legislatures are no longer in session, Parker expressed hope that other states would emulate this resolution and publicly support Israel.

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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community Nakba rally in Birmingham accuses Israel of white-supremacist ethnic cleansing

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

Accusations of Israel perpetrating white-supremacist ethnic cleansing and calls for Israel’s elimination were part of “Nakba 73: End Apartheid in Palestine,” a rally held on May 16 in downtown Birmingham.

Nakba is the Arabic term used by Palestinians to describe the establishment of Israel in 1948 as a “disaster.”

About 200 attended the rally outside Birmingham’s City Hall at Linn Park, which was followed by a march around the park. Originally scheduled for May 23, the May 16 rally was added at the last minute, and the following week’s rally was moved to Railroad Park, in view of those attending the Birmingham Barons game.

The rally was part of a national effort by the ANSWER coalition to hold Stand with Palestine rallies across the country, with about 75 taking place coast to coast.

The North Alabama Peace Network also organized a rally in Huntsville, and the Workers Voice Socialist Movement held one in New Orleans outside the Federal Building.

The first 10 minutes of the half-hour rally was spent doing repeating chants, starting with “Free, free Palestine, killing children is a crime” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which is seen as a call for the elimination of Israel.

Other chants included “get your hands off Sheikh Jarrah,” the site of a real estate dispute in Jerusalem. The only allusion to the 2,500 Hamas rockets launched at Israel came with a chant of “resistance is justified when land is occupied,” led by a woman holding a sign that stated “Anti-Zionism does not equal antisemitism.”

In the Facebook event page, organizers reminded those attending to “please maintain that the sole message being received is the Palestinian cause, not hatred or aggression towards any group of people.”

To that end, there was a message to the Jewish community with the chants “Jewish people are our friends, but Zionism has to end,” in other words, stating that Jews do not have a right to national self-determination. A follow-up chant was “Zionism is a tool, it manipulates you into fools.”

With one exception, the speakers did not identify themselves. The first speaker said the event was a “call for an end to ethnic cleansing and oppression,” and that “Palestinian liberation is liberation for all, our existence is resistance.”

Hannah Vinsant, an organizer with ANSWER Coalition, started her remarks by stating “I am also an American Jew, descended of a German

community Jewish family for which there are very few remaining legacies.” She quoted Marek Edelman, leader of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, “to be a Jew means always being with the oppressed, never the oppressor.”

She said the term “Israeli-Palestinian conflict” is “grossly mis-named,” and that there were false nar- Hannah Vinsant speaks at the ratives of “oppression on Birmingham rally on May 16 both sides” and it being “an issue of Jewish liberation and autonomy.”

After World War II and the absorption of refugees from Europe, “a mass exodus” of Arabs was seen as “the most desirable outcome,” Vinsant charged.

She said that today, “Palestinian Jews are also suppressed, beaten and murdered” and “our fellow black African Jews are deported and sterilized en masse in the false Jewish nation-state of Israel.”

Vinsant then added that “the only predication for the recognition of Jewish life is its ability to assimilate to the doctrine that would ultimately see us exterminated, which is white supremacy.” She called for the rejection of “the fallacy that seeks to convince us that the Jewish diaspora has less in common with our Palestinian counterparts than it does with the German Nazis, the American fascists or the European imperialists.”

She said Israel is “not a question of Jewish self-determination, this is a question of settler colonial exploitation, white supremacy, imperialism, proxy wars and genocide, which has effectively weaponized the status of one subjugated group to abet the eradication of another.”

Picking up on the oft-repeated assertion that opposing Zionism isn’t antisemitic, Vinsant said “to criticize the colonial atrocities of Israel, this is anti-Zionism, not antisemitism. To reduce the Jewish identity to the genocidal project of Israel at the dismissal of the thousand-year humanist project of Jewish history for which many have fought and died, this is antisemitism.”

She then said the $3.8 billion in U.S. aid to Israel should have gone to fighting the pandemic “that claimed almost 600,000 American lives.”

She said the situation in Gaza is “an international proletariat issue” and is part of a “global consolidation of genocidal imperialism and colonialism rooted in white supremacy.”

Vinsant, who grew up in Vestavia, was a participant in a May 2017 Birthright Israel trip with a group from the University of Alabama.

Another speaker gave the then-current death toll from Gaza, and said that “Palestinian families are being kicked out of their homes in Sheikh Jarrah. The Zionists are walking into their homes and stealing them with no excuse… families in Sheikh Jarrah lie awake every single night filled with anxiety that Israeli Zionists will walk into their homes and steal it.”

She added, “the world can no longer be silent about the ethnic cleansing and genocide committed by Israel in Palestine.”

Another speaker said he has an uncle with a property in Sheikh Jarrah that is under dispute, and that there are really a couple dozen properties being targeted but Israel figures focusing on four at a time will soften the blow. He alleged that at night, Israel brings tankers filled with sewer water to spray the houses in an effort to get the Palestinians to leave.

Palestinian flags were plentiful at the rally, along with keffiyehs and scarves showing the entire outline of the land, from the river to the sea.

Chanting the series of slogans, the crowd then marched around the perimeter of Linn Park.

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

15

community Mississippi National Day of Prayer event includes call to convert Jews, recruit Christian candidates At the Mississippi National Day of Prayer event on May 6, the Secretary of State cited the approaching End Times in calling for more Christians to run for public office in the state, while an event organizer called for Jews to become Christians.

The event, held at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, attracted a large number of state officials, including an address by Governor Tate Reeves.

According to Pray Mississippi, the event organizer, this is the 70th anniversary of Rev. Billy Graham’s call on the U.S. Capitol steps for a national day of prayer, which was then established

by President Harry Truman, and designated as the first Thursday in May by President Ronald Reagan.

According to Pray Mississippi, the event is to pray for “the seven spheres of influence in our culture: Government, Church, Family,Business/ Commerce, Education, Media/Arts & Entertainment, and Military.”

Pray Mississippi is “a state-wide movement of prayer and fasting unifying churches and hundreds of churches and tens of thousands of people strategically praying for every young person in the state of Mississippi.”

At the event, Secretary of State Michael Watson said “we need Christian men and women in office today more than ever before. And if you’re a believer, if you’re a member of the church, you understand the signs of the times right now,” adding “we see the end times.”

Patti Herrington, Pray Mississippi’s capitol coordinator, prayed for both the United States and for Israel, saying “we pray that Israel’s enemies are confused and scattered, oh God. We pray, oh God, that every force of darkness will be destroyed and rendered powerless, oh God. We decree and declare that the United States of America stands with the apple of your eye, oh

God, and Israel will never be shaken.”

She also prayed that God would stop world leaders from trying to divide the land of Israel.

However, she then called for the conversion of Jews, praying for “a spiritual, supernatural awakening over Israel… remove the veil over the eyes of your people, oh God, in Israel, that they would recognize the Messiah, oh God, that they would recognize Jesus, their king, that they would know him, they would see him, and you would reveal yourself to them. That you would give them dreams, you would give them visions.”

Rabbi Joseph Rosen of Beth Israel, the only synagogue in Jackson, said Herrington’s “sentiments on converting Jews to Christianity were inappropriate. Rather than fostering an inclusive interfaith environment, the ‘National Day of Prayer’ allowed the invocation of a theology that attacked and alienated Jews.”

Rosen urged the governor, legislature and other state officials “to foster a more inclusive interfaith environment, and to show respect to the diverse faith community of Mississippi.”

Neither Herrington nor Pray Mississippi State Coordinator Debra Brown responded to requests for comment.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, which unsuccessfully sued in 2008 to have the practice declared unconstitutional, said many events have been divisive because of the exclusion of non-Christians, and the National Day of Prayer Task Force and evangelicals “not only hijacked the National Day of Prayer, they hijacked the Constitution.”

Gina Poirier, co-author of this year’s Prayer Guide, said “While National Day of Prayer is often thought of as a Christian holiday, it is not exclusive only to Christians. Many people of faith celebrate National Day of Prayer, including Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs.

Anyone of any faith can participate!”

While evangelicals are the vast majority of participants, during the Trump administration there were also Jewish, Hindu and Muslim speakers at the national Rose Garden ceremonies.

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

Patti Herrington speaks at the Mississippi National Day of Prayer event. Facebook screenshot.

President Joe Biden’s National Day of Prayer proclamation for this year mentioned the “many religious and belief systems” in America, and did not specifically mention God. “I invite the citizens of our Nation to give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I join all people of faith in prayers for spiritual guidance, mercy, and protection,” he wrote.

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Deeper South B’nai Israel’s new rabbi brings Central American heritage to Pensacola Rabbi David Cohen-Henriquez, who started as the new rabbi at Pensacola’s B’nai Israel last month, might have moved south from his former congregation in Marblehead, Mass., but as he says, he and his wife, Cynthia, bring “some cultural influence from even way deeper south.”

They both grew up in Panama City — the one in Panama, not the one 103 miles down U.S. 98 in the panhandle. He attended a small Reform congregation that his ancestors had helped begin over 130 years ago, Temple Kol Shearith Israel. He also attended a Jewish Day School, the Albert Einstein Institute, where his father had been one of the first students. Add in the Maccabi youth group and “all my life I was surrounded

by Judaism.”

The congregation eventually became Conservative, and in 2002, Rabbi Gustavo Kraselnik arrived. “At the time, he was young, and it was the first young and hip rabbi that I had met, that really inspired me and to say, ‘Hey, I could do this. I would like to do this’,” Cohen-Henriquez said. “At the time I only imagined rabbis had to come already with white hair or balding, right?”

He had been studying international affairs and law at a Panamanian law school, but he decided to pursue the rabbinate “as soon as possible.”

He started at Hebrew College in Boston, the youngest in his class.

After being ordained, he served for two years at a congregation in New Hampshire, then moved back to Panama and worked at his childhood congregation for a year. While he was in New Hampshire, Cynthia was still in Panama and they had decided to get married.

While Cynthia was born in Panama, her roots are in Peru, which her parents fled in the 1970s when the military government took over.

After the year in Panama, he had the opportunity to lead a Sephardic congregation in Los Angeles, Tifereth Israel, which he said is more traditional and had services that sometimes lasted four hours. “It was a beautiful experience which enhanced our knowledge of many of the Middle Eastern Jews, as most of the people were Persian or Iranian Jews.”

They moved back to the Boston area and had been at Temple Sinai in Marblestone for the past six years before moving to Pensacola.

While his father’s family has been in Panama for many generations, his mother is from Brazil. But his family roots in Central America go much farther into the past. Moses Cohen-Henrique is featured in the book “Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean” as a rabbi who became a pirate, “a great mid-life crisis.”

In 1628, he helped a Dutch admiral capture the Spanish treasure fleet near Cuba, an operation said to be worth about $1 billion in today’s dollars and considered the biggest in pirate history. He then led a Jewish group in Brazil under Dutch rule and established a pirate island off the coast. After Portugal took Brazil in 1654, he fled and became an advisor

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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community to Henry Morgan, considered the greatest pirate of the era.

The family had originally been kicked out of Spain during the expulsion, going to Holland and then to the Caribbean. “They were attacking what they perceived as ‘the evil empire’ at the time, those who had kicked them out of Spain and persecuted them,” Cohen-Henriquez said. “So, what they did was in a way revenge.”

He said an uncle told him tales of treasure hidden in Jamaica, and there are reports that another descendant has established a prospecting claim at a site in Jamaica, based on a coded 1670 map that alludes to a major dispute between Moses Cohen-Henriques and his brother, Abraham.

Jerry Gordon, president of B’nai Israel, said the Pensacola area has “a burgeoning Latino contingent from Central and South America” as well as many Brazilians, so it is advantageous that Cohen-Henriquez also speaks Spanish and Portuguese.

After a six-month search and review of 15 candidates, the Conservative congregation voted unanimously on April 12 to have Cohen-Henriquez join what he refers to as the family.

During his interview, “I felt we had arrived at family… When people talk that it is a small temple, I say, ‘It’s not a small temple, it’s a very big family’.”

They have two young sons, Elliott and Oliver, and how congregants reacted to the boys was also a big factor. “It is a sign that, you do not see that in too many temples, when people are excited to see children running around the temple and encouraging it sometimes,” he said. While he was leading a service, Oliver went running up to the bimah, and Cohen-Henriquez realized that because of the pandemic and that Oliver had not been to a synagogue since his bris, he had never seen his father lead a service.

“I was so concerned about him disrupting things,” Cynthia said. “I was then so relieved when Gerry Goldstein told me, ‘Let him go up there, let him be with his Papa’.”

In addition, “the way people hugged us… immediately it was genuinely like we had arrived home,” Cohen-Henriquez said. Because of the difference in Covid response between Massachusetts and Florida, “It was just so exciting to see real people there shaking hands, and wanting to hug, and it was truly a heart-warming moment.”

For Cynthia, a major attraction is getting away from the cold weather that pushes the kids indoors for much of the year, and being close to the beach. “I used to go every week with my dad to the beach, and I love the idea of doing that with my kids,” and she contrasted that to the ocean up north, where even in the summer the water is too cold.

A health coach and herbalist, Cynthia plans to use her talents in photography and cooking at B’nai Israel. In addition to Central and South American recipes, she picked up a lot of Persian recipes in California. “I am extremely excited that this synagogue also has this part of their tradition of just being in the kitchen and welcoming people in the kitchen,” she said.

They plan to combine cooking and learning, or cooking and praying, in the spirit of Abraham’s tent. “It is always open to welcome people to come and eat, and come and learn, and come and pray,” Cohen-Henriquez said, quoting the verse from Pirkei Avot, “if there is no flour, there is no Torah.”

He also was impressed with the number of people at B’nai Israel during his weekend visit who are looking to convert to Judaism. “I was incredibly happy to feel that the congregation was very welcoming to converts, to people who want to be Jews by choice.”

He bases his rabbinate on teaching texts to empower people to be comfortable with their tradition. He wants to enable people to be prayer leaders and understand the service so they can feel more at home, and also wants to make strong personal connections and be an ambassador to the broader community.

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

Huh... What Was That...

Would You Say It Again, Please...

It Could Be Time To Check Your Hearing

Photos courtesy Kaunas Region Municipality

Unveiling the Louis Armstrong plaque in Vilkija

Karnofsky, Louis Armstrong connection lives on in Lithuania Stage dedicated in New Orleans family’s ancestral town The story of the Karnofsky family in New Orleans and their early support of legendary jazz singer Louis Armstrong is now being celebrated in Lithuania.

On May 22, the municipality of Vilkija dedicated an outdoor stage overlooking the Nemunas Valley in honor of Armstrong and the Karnofskys, as the Karnofsky family had lived there in the 19th century before immigrating to the United States and arriving in New Orleans in 1900.

When he was six, Louis and Tillie Karnofsky hired Armstrong, who lived with his mother in a rough, impoverished neighborhood, to work with their sons, Morris and Alex, on their junk and coal wagons. They blew tin horns to attract customers, and Armstrong soon wondered how he would sound with a real horn.

He saw a cornet in a pawn shop window for $5, and was determined to get it. Armstrong insisted that it not be a gift but that he would work for it, so the Karnofskys loaned him against future pay, and he got the cornet.

Morris, who eventually opened the first jazz record store in New Orleans, knew Armstrong had talent and encouraged him to play. Dining with the family, Armstrong developed a taste for Jewish food, and learned

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He worked for the Karnofskys for a few years, and then was off to the world of music. But he always had a special relationship with the Karnofskys and an affinity for the Jewish people. In one instance, before a Moscow concert he was asked by Soviet officials to remove songs with Jewish-styled melodies, because as they said, there were few Jews in the Soviet Union. Arm-strong is said to have replied, “And a lot of blacks?”

Armstrong wore a Star of David necklace, spoke Yiddish and had a mezuzah. He said that as a boy, he was astounded at the amount of prejudice “other whites” had toward Jews.

Eugenius Bunka, a journalist in Lithuania, has written about the connection between the Karnofsky family and Vilkija. During his research he contacted Jacob Karno and traveled to New Orleans to interview him about his family. He also visited with Ricky Riccardi, research director at the Armstrong House Museum in New York.

Bunka, who told the story at the annual Mama Jazz festival in Vilnius, suggested the dedication for the town’s long-planned venue. There is even a rumor, which has not been confirmed, that the stage is on the site where the Karnofsky house had been.

Local official Kazys Bacenas said “the stage is mainly dedicated to music events, so can there be a better idea than to call it the name of the music performer and his patrons from Vilkija? Nice coincidence.”

The stage will be covered by a canopy during the summer, with it being removed in winter.

Throughout the park, there are pillars where one can press a button and listen to one of 13 tracks by Armstrong.

An “Early Years” plaque describes the Karnofskys as “simple people” when they lived in Vilkija, who were involved in trading and waste collection.

After describing how the Karnofskys took Armstrong under their wing, the plaque describes the “warm relationship” between them, and how he incorporated Jewish motifs in his jazz. The plaque also mentions how the Karnofsky Project still helps “children from indigent families purchase musical instruments.”

At the dedication, the Kaunas Big Band played jazz and Kaunas District Mayor Valeriius Maku-nas spoke about the town’s history.

A bas relief of Armstrong was unveiled during the ceremony.

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

The Jewish presence in Vilkija dates back to the 18th century, and became a large presence. In 1915, according to the book “Lithuanian Jewish Communities,” Jews were expelled from the town, but soon returned, and by 1921 about 800 Jews lived there, 80 percent of the population.

A large fire in 1937 contributed to the community’s decline, as did a disruption in the timber industry from Vilna, and by the late 1930s, the Jewish community numbered about 400.

In the Holocaust, Jews throughout Lithuania were slaughtered during the second half of 1941, often by Partisan groups before the Germans had even arrived. The first targets were Jews who were suspected to have ties to the Soviet Union, which had just left after occupying Lithu-ania.

After the German invasion, it took only a few weeks for the Jews to be rounded up and placed into ghettos, then taken to the forests to dig pits for their own mass graves, where they were either shot or buried alive.

A recent book, “The Lithuanian Slaughter of Its Jews,” compiled by David Sandler, includes a chapter on Vilkija, from the testimonies of Moyshe Karnovsky, recorded in a displaced persons camp between 1946 and 1948.

There had been two synagogues, including a 19th-century Neo-Renaissance style building on the bank of the river, and was the iconic image on postcards from that time. It operated until World War II, and afterwards was a storage house before being abandoned and collapsing. Some fortifications remain as the only remnants of the town’s Jewish history.

Today, the town has about 2,300 residents.

community

New? Normal?

What will Jewish life look like as the community moves past the Covid pandemic?

By Richard Friedman The day after.

What will Jewish life be like once significant numbers of the Jewish community institutions and members return to normal?

Responses from Jewish leaders throughout the Southeast reflect a range of opinions. However, all agree that the pandemic-birthed transition to a virtual culture has changed the way Jewish communities do business — from meetings to programs to services to fundraising.

And paradoxically, this new way of doing Jewish community business has brought the community closer together while distancing everyone further apart.

Are these changes here to stay — and if so, to what degree? Community leaders like the convenience of virtual gatherings, but fear losing the socialization and communal intimacy that are hallmarks of in-person gatherings — something that could be detrimental to the health of regional Jewish communities.

Cynthia Tobias, a seasoned Jewish community volunteer leader in Birmingham, has welcomed the Zoom culture and hopes it continues beyond Covid.

“The advantage has been one of greater participation in meetings and programs. No problems any more with getting a quorum. Meetings have become much easier to attend,” she said. “A disadvantage, though, has been losing the opportunity to meet face-to-face, especially with other committee or board members who you might not have known before.”

Arnie Fielkow, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, like most professional leaders throughout the region, has tried to keep his agency’s activities going and even growing during the pandemic, though it hasn’t been easy.

“The advantages — if you can frame it that way — have centered around being able to connect via social media and meeting platforms like Zoom. We’ve been able to keep our community informed and at times entertained and educated,” said Fielkow. “The downside, of course, is Zoom fatigue.”

Nonetheless, Fielkow expects to continue at least some meetings and programs virtually. “Attendance is easier — and flexibility matters to our stakeholders. Many of them are working professionals with children, and we want them to continue to feel like an integral part of our organization.”

He added, “What we’ve learned is that some things are better handled

by Zoom rather than in-person. But connecting to our community at a venue matters, too.”

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Community Relationships Andy Saag, a younger volunteer leader in Birmingham, believes there should be a blend. For him, the pluses of the online culture also are time and efficiency. Yet he worries about losing the energy and consensus-building that comes from face-to-face dialogue.

“With Zoom,” said Saag, “you lose the interpersonal connections that are made by meeting in a room together and the ease of discussion. Discussions through virtual meetings are choppier and more interrupted.

Communities are about relationships. And relationships are what suffer most with virtual meetings.”

Steve Greene, another long-time Birmingham Jewish community volunteer leader, is with those who favor a blend between in-person and virtual formats. “Board meetings can be both in person and on Zoom,

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community whatever people feel comfortable with. Strategic meetings that are longer should still be in person,” said Greene. “It’s too easy to mute and block your video so you can do other things.”

A criticism of the virtual culture is that participants are sometimes glancing down at their phones, hidden from computer screens, and texting, sometimes to others on the same Zoom, distracting from the cohesiveness of the meeting. While some of this goes on during in-person gatherings, it is to a much lesser degree.

What can also be lost in the virtual setting is seeing body language and nuances of facial expressions, invaluable data for those leading meetings.

Being able to watch and sense the mood of the group overall and how people in the room are reacting to one another helps guide meeting chairs and staff professionals toward successful outcomes.

Huntsville’s Laura King, a volunteer engaged in Jewish and Israel activities locally, statewide and nationally, sees another downside to the virtual culture.

“Fundraising is something that works best in a personal environment, not virtually — not for events and definitely not for one-on-one solicitations,” said King.

However, Rabbi Brian Glusman, Director of Engagement at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, sees the changes introduced during Covid as having broad, positive implications for the future.

“This new era is the beginning of a sea change. Jewish institutions must continue to offer virtual opportunities,” said Glusman, a former rabbi at Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El. “Advantages are that more people have engaged in worship and Jewish learning than ever before. We have been able to attract folks from all over the country and world. People who would not ordinarily enter the sanctuary have engaged virtually.”

Added Glusman, “Members of the Jewish community are no longer as dependent on formal Jewish institutions. They have engaged in Jewish ritual and practice in new and creative ways. The flexibility offered through online opportunities is beneficial, and gatherings are no longer limited by distance or mobility.”

Briann Shear, president of Hadassah New Orleans, is all-in when it comes to the new virtual culture, because she’s seen the impact. “I would like to see the virtual component remain even when we are able to meet in person. The ability to keep connecting with friends who live in other parts of the country has been an amazing addition to our gatherings.”

Added Shear, “The spread of Covid has brought many negatives — the inability to meet in person and hug our friends has been difficult, But the pandemic also has challenged us to find solutions, new ways to meet and see each other, and reach beyond the barriers of meeting in person to keep in contact with people from around the world.”

During the pandemic, Hadassah New Orleans programs have been imaginative, timely and well-marketed, magnifying the impact of her organization. “To be able to host a webinar on feminism that included panelists from New Orleans, California and Israel, moderated by an award-winning journalist from Israel, and to host a discussion with an Israeli and Palestinian about their work for peace in Israel — these are things that would not have been possible without the ‘gift’ of virtual tools.”

Uniting People The Atlanta Israel Coalition, which has a national reach, found itself changing its strategies as the pandemic began, resulting in the relatively new organization becoming better known and more impactful.

“Offering virtual live tours of Israel, for example, has been truly a blessing, uniting people from all backgrounds and locations,” said AIC’s executive director, Cheryl Dorchinsky.

“Our speakers and programs have been incredible, and doing it virtually cuts down on costs since airfare is no longer needed. I never expected this, but we adapt with the times.”

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

community Conexx, another Atlanta-based agency, furthers economic ties between businesses in Israel and the Southeast, including Alabama and Mississippi.

“We have had exponentially larger audiences for virtual programming rather than in-person programming, allowing for greater participation from the entire Southeast, nationally and from Israel,” said Barry Swartz, Conexx’s vice president. “A disadvantage is that we are unable to network face-to-face.”

Swartz, a long-time Jewish community executive, also believes that the pandemic has pushed major challenges to the forefront.

“The notion of a central address — a physical office space — will continue to be challenged. Do we need to be spending scarce resources on buildings and office space for a more and more disconnected citizenship?” he asked.

“The Jewish community will need to utilize technology to create easy two-way communication between organizations and the Jewish public.

The concept of what it means to be a member or ‘part’ of the Jewish community will require new thinking.”

Extending Reach Birmingham’s Collat Jewish Family Services also has adapted.

“The advantage is that we have extended our reach beyond the Birmingham community, particularly for support groups such as our Bereavement and Caregiver groups,” said the agency’s executive director, Lauren Schwartz. “The disadvantage is that our primary service population, older adults, are less comfortable and adaptable to virtual formats.”

While most organizations are figuring out how to adapt — after decades of in-person gatherings — there’s at least one Jewish entity in the

region that has the luxury, or challenge, depending on your point of view, of beginning from scratch.

“Since we’re just starting out, we have the opportunity to be flexible and creative with our programming, communications and visitor service,” explained Kenneth Hoffman, executive director of the New Orleans-based Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, which just opened its doors after a Covid delay.

“Because we tell the stories of Southern Jews from 13 Southern states, we will continue to offer many of our public programs via videoconference,” he said. “This includes lectures, conferences, concerts, and, perhaps most important, distance learning programs for schools.”

As engagement and collaboration coordinator at Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El, Margaret Norman has been on the front lines of helping her synagogue navigate the new reality.

Temple Beth-El is already looking ahead to the High Holidays, exploring how to offer indoor, outdoor and virtual programs to fit everyone’s needs, she said.

There are lessons to be learned from the past year, added Norman.

“There are things that have worked that have been changes from the norm; Covid solutions that we’ll work to keep in ways that make sense,” she said.

“We had a fabulous prayer walk at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens for the High Holidays last year. We may not have done that without the constraints of Covid. People loved it so much they’ve asked us to do it again.”

As the situation evolves and the region’s Jewish institutions ponder how to respond, Norman is taking a practical approach. “If Covid has taught us anything, it’s how to be flexible. So to some extent we’ll be flexible as we go along.”

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It has been five generations since the day Morris Barstein and his family arrived in America from Russia and headed to Alabama, giving his family the opportunity to prosper. His is a story that is mirrored by Jewish families all across the United States.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of his family being in the Birmingham Jewish community, grandson Rodney Barstein and his wife Susan are opening a Birmingham Jewish Foundation fund for their three adult children to continue their family’s legacy of giving.

In 1921, Morris and his wife Sena and son Hymie set sail from London on the Oropesa and arrived at Ellis Island on July 9, 1921. His admission papers promised he was neither an anarchist or a polygamist and he was soon on his way to Alabama to take a job with the United Fruit Company. The company believed that, rather than giving new immigrants a financial handout, providing them with a livelihood of selling fruit would be the best help they could provide.

Morris would take his fruit cart to downtown Birmingham and work until the last piece of fruit was sold.

He used half of his earnings for his family’s daily expenses and saved half for the American dream of owning a home — a dream he finally realized in the 1950s. Morris and Sena had three more children born in Alabama, including Rodney’s fa- Susan and Rodney Barstein ther, Mervyn.

Later, Morris opened two Army surplus stores in downtown Birmingham with nephew Max Corenblum. In 1957 the two started Bargain Town, a chain of retail stores throughout Alabama, with Mervyn soon joining the business. Mervyn and his wife Bernice, both of blessed memory, were fixtures in the Jewish community, through activism and philanthropy.

Rodney remembers a picture of his father in front of the JCC campus on Montclair Road as it was being built in the 1950’s. According to Rodney, “he was so proud to be part of the new JCC. He always answered the call to help the Jewish community. At Bargain Town, my dad and Max Corenblum were constantly offering new Russian Jewish immigrants jobs in the warehouse. Many did not speak English but the Federation offered translators so that these people could be trained.” Once the newcomers became settled and learned English, etc. they left for better opportunities.

“For as long as I can remember, both my mom and dad were always involved in the Temple and the Birmingham Jewish Federation,” said Rodney. Bernice was a staunch advocate for the Federation, the Foundation and Israel, often funding and hosting programs to advance those causes. Rodney and his siblings, Mark and Linda, all live in Birmingham, and among them have seven children.

Rodney thinks it’s possible

community that none of their children or grandchildren will end up in Birmingham and he wanted to make sure that the Barstein name remains in the community. In July, to honor the 100th anniversary of Barsteins in Birmingham, Rodney and Susan will be opening Birmingham Jewish Foundation Donor Advised Funds –- to be fully funded in their estates -- in the names of each of their adult children, Jamie Barstein-Gindy, Justin Barstein and Daniel Barstein. Jamie, Daniel and Justin will be able to recommend charitable grants from the funds.

So that the Barstein family will still be a philanthropic presence in our community, at least half the grants from the funds must be recommended for the Birmingham Jewish community. Rodney and Susan are also doing this in conjunction with a new national effort called the Jewish Future Pledge. Birmingham is one of the pilot communities for this effort which asks members of the Jewish community to commit that at least half of their charitable bequests in their estates will go to Jewish organizations and/or Israel causes. It can be to any Jewish agency, synagogue, Israel organization, the Federation or the Foundation.

For people to participate, it doesn’t matter if the bequest is $10 or $10 million, but the commitment to the Jewish people and a Jewish future does matter. Rodney and Susan were among the first Birmingham signers of the pledge. In signing the pledge, Rodney said “I want my children to

learn the lessons our parents instilled in us. Our commitment to the pledge gives our children the road map to continue the legacy.”

Sally Friedman, executive director of the Foundation, said Rodney and Susan are giving a priceless gift to their children, and to the Jewish community, by honoring the generations that came before them, including Mervyn and Bernice.

As Rodney said, “These values of giving back, so that those coming after us have a better life, will always stay with me.”

And, to the this, Rodney adds this anecdote: “About 20 years ago, I took my boys to Homewood on a Saturday afternoon. There was a was a farmers’ market. I noticed a peach farmer who had one remaining basket of peaches on the back of his truck. Even though we did not need peaches, I said to the boys, ‘Come on, let’s go buy that farmer’s last basket of peaches so that he can go home to be with his family.’

“Then, with tears in my eyes, I explained to my boys that this man reminded me of the peddler who arrived in this country 100 years ago — that man who opened up a new door for our family and how his life must have been.”

For more information on the Jewish Future Pledge, or to join the hundreds nationwide who have already signed the pledge, see https:// jewishfuturepledge.org/ or contact Sally Friedman at the Birmingham Jewish Foundation at (205) 803-1519 or sallyf@bjf.org.

June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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Originally scheduled for the Gates of Prayer parking lot in Metairie, the event was forced to move indoors, still adhering to Covid protocols and remaining socially distanced for in- Richard and Vivian Cahn dividually-packaged dinners from the New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute, and a screening of “Dirty Dancing.”

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Numerous changes in ADL region Aaron Ahlquist has new role in 11-state division, Lindsay Friedmann new regional director in NOLA The Anti-Defamation League’s South Central office in New Orleans announced that Aaron Ahlquist is becoming the director of community engagement for the Southern division, while Lindsay Friedmann is taking his former role as regional director.

Melissa Licali, the South Central education director, will be the division’s associate director of No Place for Hate, bringing her Lindsay Friedmann bullying prevention expertise to more educators and families throughout the South helping to create stronger, more empowered community of schools for our students.

The South Central office is in charge of Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi.

“These exciting operational changes are reflective of current times and ADL’s growing need to expand our impact through coalition building, legislative engagement, and education,” said Irving Warshauer, ADL Aaron Ahlquist South Central Regional Board Chair. “Both Lindsay and Aaron are deeply committed to honoring ADL’s mission and strengthening ADL’s voice both the region and throughout the South.”

Ahlquist will remain in New Orleans and be part of the new division that encompasses 11 states in four ADL regions — Florida; the Southeast office that serves Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina from Atlanta; the South Central region; and the Heartland office in St. Louis, which covers Missouri, eastern Kansas and southern Illinois. Licali will also remain in New Orleans.

Allison Padilla-Goodman, vice president of the Southern division, said “we are really excited about building a Southern division that will bring collaborative strength and coordinated impact to our work across the South. I am particularly excited about bringing additional resource to the South Central region and building upon our excellent team there.”

Padilla-Goodman headed the New Orleans office before taking the regional director position in Atlanta.

Ahlquist, who succeeded her in New Orleans in 2017, said Padilla-Goodman “has been really creative in thinking how we can better serve the South and the division,” using regional teams to help efficiency and eliminate duplication of effort.

In his new role, Ahlquist will be responsible for building a strategy that will serve as ADL’s voice in community engagement, legislative policy and incident response for the division’s 11 states.

He said ADL is unique in how it helps communities respond to incidents of antisemitism, hate or bigotry, and having a staff member whose sole responsibility is incident response will “elevate how we make impactful responses. “It’s something we already do well, but having someone who can focus on that exclusively” will enhance the agency’s response.

The division will also have someone dedicated to Jewish community engagement, to raise the profile of ADL and its offerings. An educational team will focus on programming and educational outreach.

Ahlquist said the goal is to give the regional offices access to a greater level of support than they previously had. “I’m really excited to see how this is going to evolve,” he said, as ADL becomes “increasingly impactful and responsive as an organization… at a time when it is absolutely critical.”

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community Friedmann wants to see the ADL become even more of a household name, saying people who are involved “all have our stories that brought us to ADL or why we know about ADL.” There is something “inherently personal” behind the involvement, she said. Perhaps there was an antisemitic incident, or bullying at school, “there’s a personal reason you are connected to the work,” and she wants to highlight those connections.

The agency’s mission “is to drive out hatred at its root and at the youngest age,” she said.

Shortly after moving to New Orleans in 2013, she joined ADL, working on the educational side, then moving into development and programming. “As I got to know the work of ADL, I was drawn to whatever I could do to move ADL forward, in whatever that capacity was,” she said.

Friedmann has expanded ADL’s signature education programs – No Place for Hate and A World of Difference, initiated ADL’s annual Fighting Hate for Good Art and Poetry Contest, and implemented the South Central region’s first Glass Leadership Institute program for young professionals throughout the community. Friedmann also helped launch New Orleans’ first ADL In Concert Against Hate in 2019 and has grown the A.I. Botnick Torch of Liberty Award Dinner to over 600 attendees annually.

She was “really open to serving ADL where ADL needs me most,” and figured that Ahlquist, with his deep New Orleans roots, was going to lead the region for a long time. But when the division structure was announced and she saw the community engagement position description, she figured it was a perfect match for Ahlquist, and she is “thrilled” to succeed him “and to continue impacting a community that has become incredibly important to me.”

Having worked for Ahlquist and Padilla-Goodman, Friedmann said they both are “huge players” in her growth at ADL, encouraging her ideas and allowing her “to get a feel for the landscape of the region, what the region needs, how the ADL can best serve the region.” And in a region where the Jewish community is relatively small, that means coalition building.

Today, Friedmann said, there are “attacks on identity” in legislatures, anti-Israel and antisemitic attacks on the streets, anti-Asian hate and racism. “All marginalized communities are standing together in strength to say ‘enough.’ And it is hard, it is complicated, it is politicized,” but the bottom line is “we all are who we are, and we deserve to have the ability to live our life without fear.”

She added, “I look forward to working with our coalition partners throughout the region in calling out hate and bias in all its forms.”

While Covid put a halt to major events, Friedmann said there are plans “to gather in person as an ADL community by the end of the year.”

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On May 27, graffiti, including swastikas and the words “The Jews are guilty,” was discovered painted on the outside of the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg. Hundreds attended a June 3 rally outside the museum, which included remarks by Mayor Rick Kriseman and Holocaust survivor Toni Rinde, and the reading of a letter of support from Cedric Richmond, former Louisiana Representative and current White House senior advisor.

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Preserving Louisiana’s furniture culture Greg Arceneaux revives local styles from long ago In creating furniture, Greg Arceneaux seeks to preserve Louisiana’s unique culture and heritage, “to impact people’s life on a daily basis with my work, a combination of beauty and utility.”

Arceneaux studied sculpture in college, but wanted to combine the artistic with the utilitarian. “My craft gives me the means of connecting with people by enhancing their daily lives through grace, beauty and utility,” he said.

In researching he found that “Louisiana’s heritage was rapidly disappearing. Only a few original furnishing examples still exist.”

He added, “Creole and Acadian style are some of the most unique yet most overlooked forms of antiquity in the decorative arts. These particular designs have not been produced in 150 to 200 years.”

Flooding in the Mississippi Delta throughout history has contributed to that, making original Louisiana furniture rare and sought after. Arceneaux is one of very few people in the world with the knowledge to authentically preserve and restore these works. He feels a “call of duty” to preserve these works, “the foundations in which this colorful, old-world city and way of life in this area that it has prided itself on since its beginnings.”

After Katrina, he was quite busy repairing many irreplaceable pieces of antique Louisiana furniture damaged by the floods, earning an

award of excellence from Katrina Bounce Back.

In his original creations, he uses indigenous materials in creative ways, working with indigenous woods such as cypress, pecan, walnut, willow, poplar, cherry and mahogany. He also uses the least amount of chemicals possible, to help preserve the natural world.

He uses traditional 18th century joinery with hand-rubbed oil finishes to craft Acadian and Creole Colonial designs, many of which have not been produced in two centuries. He also does custom work, hand-carved pieces and has a culinary collection that includes roux spoons and cutting boards.

Arceneaux’s furniture has been shipped nation-wide and abroad, and has been exhibited in numerous venues, including its own room at the Cabildo, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, the Old State Capitol Building in Baton Rouge, several plantations and the Hermann-Grima House.

Some of the furniture was also used in the 2003 re-enactment of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase on its 200th anniversary.

Greg Arceneaux pieces are not only “a family heirloom that will last through generations in your family, you are purchasing a part of cultural history unique to our country of so much mixed diversity,” he said.

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Visitors to a unique store in Homewood can find items for home décor — local art, mirrors, furniture, lighting, pillows and other accessories — alongside wellness products and even books about Kabbalah “Our aesthetic is ethereal, mystical and spiritual,” said Jennifer Dorman, owner of Domicile and Ritual + Shelter. “About 95 percent of our artwork is local and we want to have products that fit well with our vibe.”

Dorman opened Domicile six years ago as a home décor store, and over the years she has expanded what they carry to include locally made jewelry, oddities, bath and body products, CBD as well as home and laundry care products.

She developed an increasing interest in mysticism and started carrying crystals as well as tarot cards, selling some products at Domicile and others in an online store.

“The shop next door to Domicile had to close in the spring of last year,” said Dorman. “I knew I was taking a risk opening up a new shop during the pandemic, but it was something I was passionate about and we had developed quite a community following online.”

Last August, she took a leap of faith and opened Ritual + Shelter in the adjoining space to Domicile and with it a “spiritual, magickal space to shop and hold space,” she said.

Dorman said that they plan to start some classes at Ritual + Shelter soon, for those who want to learn more about Reiki, ritual, Kabbalah and all things metaphysical.

“We want to be more than a store, we want to create a community,” she said.

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By Lee J. Green The Mazer story is one of family, community, hard work and entrepreneurship that started almost 100 years ago.

“Our family was never afraid of taking chances in business — learning from our successes and failures. It’s a story of invention and re-invention,” said Mike Mazer, owner of Birmingham’s Mazer Appliance.

His great-uncle Isadore Mazer immigrated to the United States in 1922 from the Ukraine with the assistance of his cousin-though-marriage, United Fruit Company owner Samuel Zemurray.

Later, Michael’s grandfather, Ben, and great-uncle, Dave, escaped the Ukraine by hiding in a wagon filled with hay, eventually joining their brother in Birmingham.

In the early years, Ben Mazer started multiple businesses with limited success. In 1932, a friend in the real estate business asked Ben to tear down a house to make room for a new building. Ben salvaged the lumber, doors, windows and plumbing fixtures. He sold those materials to support his family during the Great Depression.

As Ben grew the wrecking business with his three sons, Mazer became a big project demolition company bidding on jobs across the Southeast.

Ben saw the opportunity to sell new items such as paint, drywall and nails, which could not be salvaged from wrecking. This operation was the birth of a full-line building supply company that years later would develop into Mazer Lumber Company on 41st Street, where the current Mazer Appliance is located.

When Ben’s son, J.B., got out of the United States Air Force in 1956, he came into the family business, took over the retail operation, and added general merchandise and insurance salvage to the building supply store in Avondale. Under J.B.’s guidance, Mazer’s was like a 12-acre combination of Home Depot and Big Lots, long before those companies were even created. They even sold clothing and food.

In 1989, Mike Mazer came into the business. Adding furniture and appliances to the mix, a second superstore was located in Homewood and the name was changed to Mazer Discount Home Centers. It grew to be the largest independent furniture and appliance dealer in Central Alabama.

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

retail stores in 2011,” Mike said. “Our family retained ownership of the Avondale land, and focused on real estate for a few years.

“But in 2014, we felt that opening the current Mazer Appliance was the way to go. Internet technology had advanced so much that reopening could be done with efficiency. Key employees were rehired, supplier contracts were reinstated, and customers returned for our deals and service.”

Mazer embraced technology with significant enhancements to their website, www.mazer.com, in 2017. The online catalogue, along with unique photos and complete descriptions, let customers select the colors, functions, price parameters and other variables to find the right appliance for them and then purchase and set up delivery from their phone or desktop.

Having an ecommerce-enabled website really helped maintain momentum during Covid. “We’ve always prided ourselves on customer service — treating patrons like family — and this was how we could serve shoppers during the lockdown,” he said. Mazer Appliance evolved again in 2020 by focusing more heavily on New-In-Box appliances in addition to Scratch and Dents.

In 2019 Mazer lost his mom, Lynette, and his father, J.B., in 2020. He said he carries their heart, soul and spirit into everything he does.

“From humble beginnings, I have been blessed with the legacy of a good name passed down by my grandparents and parents. Three generations have all reinvented their business and prospered through hard work, good fortune and ethical values.” He added, “The Jewish community and the greater Birmingham area have benefitted from my family’s service and accomplishments.”

Alkmy an eclectic home décor store

By Lee J. Green When an artist, a New York City-experienced retail manager and an architect/interior designer got together to start a Birmingham store in the fall of 2019, the result was the eclectic Alkmy.

“The idea was to have a lifestyle shop with a home-like feel that inspires,” said Ashley Spotswood, an artist who sells some of her landscape paintings in the Crestline Village store. “Our motto is ‘where imagination meets design’.”

Her daughter, Mary-Hayward Eudailey, worked for years as a retail manager for the famed One Kings Lane store in New York City. Eudailey’s friend, Kasey Crane, is an architect and interior designer. “All three of us are very creative and we really complement each other. That helps us define our unique aesthetic.”

She said it is fitting that they located the shop in what used to be a house years ago. “We have furniture, art, antiques and accessories. We have a very eclectic mix,” said Spotswood. Alkmy even sells children’s clothes and supplies for dog owners. “Our clientele ranges in ages from 25 to 85.”

She said they are happy to advise customers on design and implementation of items found at Alkmy. “We’re also always looking out for new products that fit with us and our customers. We want it to be a new experience every time they come in the store,” said Spotswood.

Alkmy has become a fixture in Birmingham, and Spotswood said they also get customers from across the Southeast as well as around the country. For more information and to order online, go to www.shopalkmy.com.

real estate/homes

CONTACT US

2901 CROWNE RIDGE DRIVE BIRMINGHAM, AL 35243 205.970.0344 OVERTONVILLAGE@CROWNEAPARTMENTS.COM

Brightening Homes with Large Custom Art CONTACT US

5050 CAHABA RIVER ROAD BIRMINGHAM, AL 35243 205.203.4606 CAHABARIVER@CROWNEAPARTMENTS.COM

For Jewish artist Vicki Denaburg, a shared vision with a client coming to fruition is the most beautiful work of art.

Denaburg was born and raised in Amory, Miss. All her life she had an interest in art, but never had the opportunity. Upon graduation, her interest had changed to fashion, and with a degree in fashion merchandising, she moved to Atlanta to begin her cosmetics career at Neiman Marcus, as the Estée Lauder make-up artist. She met her husband, Birmingham CPA Eddie Denaburg, on a blind date in 1984. She would move to Birmingham and they married shortly thereafter, and have two sons, Joseph and Matthew, both in Birmingham. She continued in cosmetics, as a buyer for Parisian and an Estée Lauder account executive.

When her boys were older, she decided it was time to do something for herself, and followed her passion for art. She picked up her first paintbrush 20 years ago, and was hooked. While she has painted with several artists over the years, she is mostly self taught.

Denaburg loves painting large, and primarily paints abstracts, landscapes and florals. She says her favorite things to paint are abstracts. She gets an idea and a color palette in mind and it just flows from there. She paints every day in her home studio and looks forward to the constant challenges of creating new work.

“My clients and my commissions inspire me,” says Denaburg. “It’s very rewarding to be the chosen artist that gets to bring happiness and joy to someone’s home.”

She attributes a lot of her art success to the numerous charities she’s involved with. She never gives to a charity expecting to get anything in return, but feels the more she does for others, the more commissions and fabulous clients seem to come her way! Just a few of her regular charities include Artblink, the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School, Mitchell’s Place, Ronald McDonald House, Women’s Shelter of Birmingham, Parkinson’s Disease, Comprehensive Cancer Center, to name a few.

For those looking to remodel their homes and include art, she recommends that art be the last step in the process. “Decide paint colors, fabrics, rugs, furnishings, etc., first.”

Because her pieces are large, she likes to make sure the sizing is right by getting photos and measurements of the space where the art will go. She then suggests that clients look at her website to select favorite styles and color palettes. To help make things cohesive, she can paint from fabric swatches and match certain paint colors, or work from photos.

After painting a piece, which generally takes two to four weeks on a commission, she sends a photo for approval.

Her art can be found at Bella Vita in Germantown, Tenn., and Beau Interiors in Grayton Beach, Fla. Her website is www.VickiDenaburg.com.

Follow her on Instagram at Vicki Denaburg Art and Facebook at Vicki Denaburg Art Studio.

June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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It will also celebrate 30 years of award-winning, independent Southern Jewish journalism.

For Katrina Porter, kitchen is the heart of the home

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

Katrina Porter puts her interior design talent and heart into “the heart of the home.”

“Kitchens are the heart of the home. They serve as the hub of the house for the families… and so many memories are made there,” said Porter. “I specialize in bringing increased functionality and enhancing the aesthetic of kitchens and bathrooms.”

The Birmingham native graduated from Auburn University in 1996 and worked as a residential designer for companies here as well as in Pennsylvania. In 2012, she branched out on her own and officially incorporated as Katrina Porter Designs in 2016, specializing in kitchens and baths.

“I learned so much and really enjoyed doing a kosher kitchen for a family in Pennsylvania,” said Porter. “We created separate spaces for meat, dairy, an island for pareve and even an indoor Sukkah (with a sunroof). It was important to choose materials that were beautiful and easy to clean.”

She recently completed a kitchen renovation for Julie and Randy Bernstein (above). “They were so great to work with and we really had a shared vision for what worked best for them.” The design included marble countertops and backsplash, porcelain tile and even turning the refrigerator “into a piece of art.”

Porter said she has experience working with many builders, architects, plumbers and electricians. “I have gained a strong understanding for what is feasible from a functionality standpoint.

We work very closely with the client (and other professionals working on a project) to make sure everything is integrated,” she said. “You want it to be a well-choregraphed flow.”

When asked what she would recommend to prospective clients, she said that she recommends they work with her before a design project even gets started to pick out the new appliances they want, if those are to be part of the redesign.

“If we get that worked out ahead of time, we will know the lead time,” she said. “During the pandemic, there have been some issues with delays of getting some appliances in.”

Porter said there isn’t a particular style that is more popular among her clients and she has worked with several different aesthetics. “None of my kitchens look alike,” she said. “We want to capture the unique personality of the family that lives in the home and make it their space.”

real estate/homes

Godwyn & Stone takes team approach in showcasing New Orleans Brittany Picolo-Ramos is enthusiastic about real estate, and even more enthusiastic about caring for people. “Here at Godwyn & Stone, we are about relationships, not just transactions,” Brittany says. “Our mission is to help and care for clients, all while advocating for them and protecting them.”

During Hurricane Barry, while Brittany and her husband, Marco, were staying with their sister in Nashville, Brittany came across an old family crest. The crest read “Godwyn and Stone” featuring leopards and a gryphon which belonged to Brittany’s great-great grandfather, Charles Godwyn Stevens. Godwyn comes from the popular Old English personal name “Godwine,” meaning “friend, protector” and “lord.” So, in 2019, when Marco earned his broker’s license, Godwyn & Stone Real Estate was born.

The team is seasoned and very experienced. “Real estate can be very cut-throat, but we strive to support, encourage and lift each other up.

I have a phenomenal team,” she says. “With our brokerage, I wanted to make sure that everyone is just as hard-working and positive as I am. You can hire any of our 15 agents and they’re going to be excellent.”

In 2020, the Godwyn & Stone team closed over $52 million in sales, selling 168 homes and ranking 42nd out of 755 brokerages. And Brittany ranked 26th out of almost 6,000 agents (the top 1 percent) in the market.

An alumna of the University of New Orleans, Brittany began her real estate career in 2013. After losing money on a home she and Marco purchased a few years earlier, she wanted to protect others from the mistakes she made. “Real estate agents are customer service representatives, they’re match makers — sometimes therapists,” says Brittany. “That is why I enjoy the business of real estate. We get to take care of people.”

“If it’s a love and a passion, you’re not working. You’re just enjoying the

day. Of course, not everything is fun. However, even in hard and tough times, we are changing people’s lives.”

Growing up in plays and performing improv at La Nuit Comedy Theater, Brittany feels at homes on the national stage in her own HGTV show, “Selling the Big Easy.” The first season aired in September 2020.

During the season, Brittany wows homebuyers with tours of homes ranging from classic Victorian mansions to lakefront estates. Brittany and her team also use their staging know-how to get properties ready for a profitable sale by adding fresh furniture, colorful décor and a New Orleans-inspired aesthetic.

“Selling the Big Easy is a passion project that showcases the food, the people, the culture, the architecture and real estate of the city,” she says.

“I’ve always wanted to share our culture and all that’s behind it. New Orleans is its own world.”

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real estate/homes

Constructing the right deal Gary Lazarus has inside knowledge of properties Not only does Gary Lazarus know how to put together real estate transactions, the Realtor with RE/MAX in New Orleans also can give insights on how the properties themselves are put together.

A native New Orleanian with two decades of real estate sales experience, Lazarus also was project manager for a commercial general contractor for 11 years, and has been a construction consultant and expert witness for litigation since 2001. He says it is important to have an agent that knows the local market — the neighborhoods, lenders, inspectors and contractors.

He helps clients navigate “the sometimes difficult and confusing purchase process,” and they can also rely on his knowledge of construction and renovations while looking for the ideal home. He also has background in real estate investing.

When meeting initially to determine the wish list for a home, he sets up a custom MLS portal for the client and sends new listings in real time.

“That way we can go see the newest homes on the market together,” he said.

He also supports the community, with a portion of commissions received going to a charitable organization of the client’s choice. Among his past recipients are the Anti-Defamation League and Camp Dream Street at Henry S. Jacobs Camp.

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

Hilltop Shoppe, which was founded in Fall 2017 by Mary-Martin France, is nestled in the 3700 block of Magazine Street, which, like the rest of New Orleans, isn’t known for its hills — so where did the name come from?

The store, which specializes in a range of gifts, from bubble bath all the way to a wedding registry, gets its name from the summer camp experience. France attended camp in the Hill Country of Texas, Camp Waldemar for girls, in which your last year at camp you were called a Hilltopper.

France comes from a long line of business owners. Her grandparents founded Kehoe-France School in Metairie in 1949. On her mom’s side, her great-grandmother owned Henry’s Furniture and Gifts in Columbia, La. Her grandmother also owned a children’s clothing store in Monroe.

France grew up in Covington and attended Louisiana State Univeristy, graduating with a degree in sports administration and a minor in business. While there, she worked for the LSU athletic department.

After a brief time in the corporate world, she decided to give retail a try, working at Emma’s Shoes and Accessories in Mandeville, where she discovered her love for the retail world.

France felt there was a missing piece to the gift shoppe world when going to purchase several wedding gifts for friends and family. She was looking to find unique gifts at an affordable price in several different genres. She started Hilltop as a place to find affordable gifts for all ages.

This past year, though challenging, really taught her many things about hard work and perserverence. As the pandemic began, on March 17 she closed her doors to the public and was at a loss of what to do to keep the business afloat. Every day she would go up to the shoppe and post on social media different sales and gift ideas. One day in April, a client reached out about putting together a gift for her friends, no more than $45. Thus, the “Porch Present” was born.

The inaugural Porch Present included a Turkish towel, two wine tumblers and a notepad. The simple package struck a chord, and in the first month, she sold close to 450 Porch Presents. She would go to the shoppe every day and make them from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., then spend the rest of the day delivering them all over the Greater New Orleans area, and ship

real estate/homes

June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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A Magickal Place To Shop And Hold Space

them outside the area.

France is thankful for everything she learned in 2020, but is also looking forward to what the future holds. Hilltop is growing and she is very thankful for each and every client who walks in the door.

She launched a website in September, making Hilltop more accessible to those outside New Orleans, as well as locals who can not make it Uptown.

France still makes deliveries around the Greater New Orleans area and plans to continue to do so. She and her employees love visiting with everyone at the shoppe. They also love hearing what they could be doing differently to continue to make Hilltop a unique experience for everyone who walks into the door.

To follow Hilltop please visit their website, www.hilltopshoppe.com, on Instagram at @hilltopshoppe and Hilltop Shoppe on Facebook.

“An incredible market for sellers” Fierman-Lewis part of family-style team

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Find Your New Orleans Home “Gary became part of the family. When my husband and I first decided that we would put our toe in the real estate waters, I knew the only person I wanted to represent us was Gary. He’s a real gem!”

— ST, Metairie “As first time home buyers, my wife and I were very unfamiliar with the process of purchasing a home.

From the moment we met Gary to the day we closed he was great about answering all our questions, walking us through the process and being an advocate for us. I recommend Gary to anyone in the New Orleans area looking to purchase a home.”

— DH, New Orleans

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

Ashley Fierman-Lewis believes strongly in family and team. That mindset has helped her achieve successes with serving clients of RealtySouth and the Birmingham Fred Smith Group.

“We support each other and work together to help our clients,” said Fierman-Lewis. “Your relationship with other Realtors is so important, especially when we need to navigate some challenging situations for our clients.”

She and Smith started the group in 2005. It has blossomed to include 13 real estate agents and support personnel.

Fierman-Lewis said the primary challenge today is low inventory. “We just have to look a little harder and be creative to find the right fit for our buyers,” she said. “We tell them to get pre-approved and be ready to make an offer if they find a place they really want.”

It is an “incredible market for sellers. We’ve seen many instances where the seller gets above their asking price… especially if they work with us to help them properly stage their home and set their asking price.”

Fierman-Lewis said in the past couple years, the Fred Smith Group has worked with a good number of clients moving to Birmingham from larger metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles.

“I think every one of us has worked with at least one client moving from California. Birmingham has great culture, food and people can get so much more for their dollar here. Especially in the past five years, Birmingham has become such a desirable place to live,” said the Mountain Brook native.”

She also said that due in large part to Covid and many more folks working from home, buyers are looking for places that have two rooms that they can convert or use as home offices.

“We’ve done many FaceTime showings and all of our contracts are online,” she added. “We want to make it as convenient and easy as possible for our clients.”

Fierman-Lewis serves on the board of directors at Temple Emanu-El. Her husband, Jon Lewis, is president of Lewis & Feldman attorneys.

She and Jon grew up on the same street. They got married eight years ago and she was so happy to become a stepmom to Alec, now a Kansas City Royals beat writer with “The Athletic”; Leigh, who will be working with Google in Colorado; and Zack, studying aviation management at Auburn University.

“More than anything, I love spending time with family,” said Fierman-Lewis. “And I also feel like we have a family at work. That makes it so enjoyable.”

real estate/homes

Nordic makes kitchen dreams a reality While a new kitchen or bathroom can be the stuff of dreams, it is a major investment that requires experience and expertise to keep the process from becoming a nightmare.

Nordic Kitchens and Baths in Metairie has been specializing in the design and furnishing of upscale kitchens and baths since 1995, with a wide portfolio of one-of-a-kind projects.

Nordic Kitchens and Baths was originally founded as Nordic Cabinets in 1986 by a Norwegian master cabinetmaker and his son, the current owner. They were one of the first manufacturers of European cabinetry in the city of New Orleans, and became known for their solidly crafted and innovative creations.

Nordic Kitchens and Baths evolved from the original cabinet company, and the company now also features appliances, lighting, countertops, plumbing fixtures and more. They feature well-known, trusted brands like Bosch, Gaggenau, Miele, Sub-Zero and Thermador.

The full kitchen and bath design services include site inspection, schematics, working drawings, and guidance in design and material selections. They are equally at home in new construction and renovating existing spaces.

Having created special spaces throughout the New Orleans area for over 25 years, they are intimately familiar with the architecture and flavor of New Orleans, and design in contemporary, traditional and transitional styles — and outdoor spaces as well.

To start living in it rather than dreaming it, visit the showroom or draw inspiration from the website, nordickitchens.com.

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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Sikora says Birmingham real estate market very strong

By Lee J. Green Avid tennis player Bridget Sikora and Hadassah Birmingham Vice-President Bridget Sikora continues to net new clients in a strong area real estate market.

“The market is still very active. Interest rates have gone up some recently, but still are at historically low levels,” said Sikora, a Realtor for Ray & Poyner. “For our sellers, several times we’ve been able to get them offers above asking price.”

She said Birmingham is still very much a sellers’ market. “Inventory is low. We have to work harder and be creative to make sure our buyers get just the right house for them,” said Sikora.

“I’m also happy to talk to friends in the community who might consider selling their homes about how to improve their home’s market value and get their best offer.”

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Sikora has lived in Mountain Brook for 20 years and brings more than 17 years of real estate experience. She is especially connected in the Mountain Brook, Vestavia and Crestline areas, and currently has a $6.3 million listing in Mountain Brook. “We have seen some new home construction in Hoover and the Lake Wilborn area, so we’re seeing growth in those markets.”

She has done some FaceTime showings and teleconference closings.

Sikora supplies buyers and sellers with masks, gloves and hand sanitizers.

“I’ve also gone ahead of time to turn on lights and open doors so prospective buyers can see everything without having to touch,” she said.

“We can do virtual showings too.”

Ray & Poyner has photographs of every listing, inside and out, including drone photos. “People like to visualize themselves living in the home,” added Sikora. In 2020, she said that she even did a few virtual closings.

She said the boutique agency has approximately 50 agents and they work together to help their clients. “We have a family-type atmosphere at Ray & Poyner. We have an experienced team here. We’re focused on doing anything we can to help our clients and each other,” said Sikora.

Family and community involvement are very important to Sikora. Her husband, Steven, owns Red Wing Shoes in Birmingham and her oldest son, Jack, works in commercial real estate in Dallas. Her younger sons, Max and Austin, attend the University of Alabama.

Sikora is a former president of Hadassah and currently serves as vice president in charge of fundraising. “It has always been important to me to give back,” she said. “I enjoy being involved in the Jewish community… and I am always happy to answer any questions about real estate.”

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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community Reform rabbinate announces program to help placement in small communities The Central Conference of American Rabbis announced the Heartland Fellowship, which will enable the Reform movement’s rabbinic group to supplement the salary and provide other critical benefits to rabbis who accept select pulpits in smaller U.S. cities and towns experiencing a decline in Jewish populations.

The $1.4 million “investment” was made by an anonymous donor, and the initiative was announced on May 11.

Over the next eight years, the pilot program will place two rabbis in challenged communities in year one, a third rabbi in year two, and a fourth rabbi in year three. Each rabbi will engage with a fellowship-congregation in a three-year contract, plus a possible three-year renewal contract. Financial supplements will be earmarked for pension benefits, cost of medical insurance for the rabbi and their families, and the balance to supplement the rabbi’s salary to bring it on par with peers.

Heartland Fellows will also receive specialized support in the form of mentoring and coaching to help strengthen their professional and pastoral skills and learn additional skill sets necessary for rabbis in these unique settings.

With smaller, more remote communities experiencing a decrease in synagogue membership and often a decrease in those synagogues’ financial wherewithal, it has become increasingly more difficult for these Reform congregations to remain competitive in the rabbinic placement process.

The first two Heartland Fellows will be placed during the CCAR placement process beginning in Spring 2022. Rabbi Cindy G. Enger, CCAR Director of Rabbinic Career Services, will implement and oversee this program.

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In order to be eligible, rabbis must be members in good standing with the CCAR and either newly ordained or have been ordained within five years. Congregations interested in being considered will apply through the CCAR Office of Rabbinic Career Services, as should those rabbis who are interested in serving in these communities.

“We are so deeply grateful to be able to make a commitment to helping challenged Jewish communities and their Reform synagogues to survive and thrive,” said Rabbi Hara Person, CCAR chief executive. “This grant is a win-win, enabling rabbis to experience the joys of small congregation life, and allows these communities to be served by full-time rabbis. This program also helps us invest in developing this unique cohort of rabbis for these vital communities.”

Providing small-community services Since the establishment of the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life two decades ago in Jackson, the cross-denominational group has sought to attract attention to the issue of isolated, underserved communities in the region, through providing a “circuit-riding rabbi” to communities without a rabbinic presence. Rabbi Caroline Sim is the current director of rabbinical services.

When Covid is not a factor, the ISJL rabbi visits congregations on a rotating basis, and there is also a Passover Pilgrimage, where Institute staff lead Seders in numerous communities.

Another Institute initiative is Rabbis on the Road, recruiting rabbis to volunteer time to visit a congregation or series of congregations for special weekends.

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community Starting Block combines sports management with multicultural understanding Applications now being accepted for new high school program in New Orleans Arnie Fielkow, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, wanted to start a program that would be a “legacy” and would combine his loves of sports, Judaism and bringing people together.

Partnering with the Chase family, that vision is coming true as the first class of participants is being recruited for The Starting Block: A Fielkow-Chase Youth Education Initiative for high school students interested in pursuing professions in the highly-competitive sports industry.

The first class of 30 participants will embark on the 18-month program in October, with participants from the local African-American, Latino and Jewish communities. Fielkow said he “didn’t want to just do a sports program,” so in addition to learning about the sports industry, the program will also “highlight African-American and Latino history and challenges, as well as Jewish history and tradition.”

Fielkow said he and iconic New Orleans chef Leah Chase became “dear friends” when he was working for the New Orleans Saints and when he ran for political office. “She ended up endorsing me whenever I ran for office, and I and many other people used to sit in her kitchen in the restaurant, that would be her meeting area, she would be cooking and wanted to talk about life,” he said.

They would talk about the work she did during the civil rights movement and her admiration of the Jewish community. Fielkow said he was honored to recognize her in 2015 at a national gala when he headed the National Basketball Retired Players Association, the Legends

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June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

of Basketball Fantasy Weekend in Connecticut.

Chase, the “Queen of Creole Cuisine,” opened her restaurant, Dooky Chase, to meetings of the city’s civil rights leadership, and the rebuilding of the restaurant was seen as a milestone of the post-Katrina recovery. She died on June 1, 2019.

Fielkow reached out to her son and daughter, Edgar and Stella, to formulate Starting Block, and “their immediate answer was yes.” They also brought on the Melinda and Morris Mintz family to support the project.

The 30 rising 9th to 11th graders who are selected will have in-person sports administration and management classes every two months, along with educational outreach about the three participating groups. The primary educational partner is the Center for Sport at Tulane University, led by Gabe Feldman. Additional partners are St. Augustine High School, Touro Synagogue, the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, Anti-Defamation League and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana.

In addition to the classes, participants will be eligible for summer 2022 “shadowing” opportunities at sports organizations in New Orleans.

Fielkow said he hopes the program attracts additional support so future classes can be even larger, and they plan to have an annual fundraising event at Dooky Chase. The goal is that those who go through the program “can work together to tackle issues that come up with racism and antisemitism, to make the world a little better.”

For the most part, “we don’t know a whole lot about each other.” He cited the example of St. Augustine, which brings students to Touro Syn-

agogue each year to learn about Judaism. “Last year we had 100 kids in the sanctuary,” Fielkow noted. “It was amazing to watch these kids, none of which had ever been in a synagogue.”

Similarly, Fielkow reckons that “a lot of Jews have never on a Sunday morning been to an African-American church.”

The issue of race in sports has been quite prominent in recent years, including criticism of how few minority candidates there are in front offices or the coaching ranks. “Although there have been major advances, the sports management field has been largely dominated by white males,” Fielkow said. This program will help create a larger pool of candidates down the road.

With the field being highly competitive, “the more we can expose minorities to the industry early on, even before they get to college,” the greater the benefit down the road. “When you do get to college, you have a leg up on everybody else.”

The shadowing opportunity is a major benefit, as Fielkow noted, “networking is everything.”

Given the current state of society, “it is vital that communities — especially the African-American, Latino and Jewish communities — unite to better understand each other’s history and traditions, and to stand together to combat bigotry, hate and discrimination,” Fielkow said. “Hopefully The Starting Block will bring New Orleans area youth together to accomplish just that.”

Applications for the inaugural class are due

by July 1. More information is available at thestartingblocknola.com.

counselor’s corner a monthly feature from Collat Jewish Family Services

Smile With Confidence BRACES

Sleep and Your Mental Health

By Amy Neiman, LMSW With four pre-teens and teenagers under one roof, our family has some interesting discussions. Due to the pandemic, they have been hanging out at home even more for over a year.

Our discussions range in topics from detailed explanations of Minecraft worlds to college essays and current events. Throw in a quote from a sitcom and a sarcastic response or two, and you have our dinner table.

Lately, I have been sharing facts and tidbits from Matthew Walker’s book “Why We Sleep.”

I first encountered this neuroscientist in a MasterClass video, and I was hooked. I have always been an advocate for sleep. From helping my babies learn to self-soothe to setting nap timers and regimented bedtimes, I was unbending when it came to sleep.

Even now that my children are older, I continue to push them toward appropriate bedtimes. Maybe that is because I want to be snuggled up in my own bed at an appropriate time. What I learned over the years is that my children’s sleep didn’t just give me time to get things done; it was also very important to their mental and physical health. And good sleep isn’t just for kids!

Sleep is considered as important to our bodies as the food we eat and the air we breathe. Poor sleep can lead to physical health problems and a rise in mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Better sleep has also been shown to improve problem-solving processes.

I would encourage you to search out Dr. Walker’s book or look online for his very interesting TED Talk. To begin your journey into finding better sleep, here are a couple of takeaways: Getting into the Routine — Try to go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning. This helps your body regulate its circadian rhythm, leading to better sleep.

A Clean Slate — Our sleep patterns change as we age, but the importance of sleep does not. Our bodies actually cleanse our brains each night.

Our glymphatic system (look that word up – it is really cool!) helps clean out the plaque and proteins that have built up during the day. This process happens when we sleep! The buildup of certain plaque and proteins have been linked to dementia. So again, sleep is important.

A Mental Health Booster — Rates of stress, anxiety and depression are higher for those who get less sleep. One of Dr. Walker’s studies shows how a lack of sleep severs the connection between the prefrontal cortex (the main brain decision-maker) and the amygdala (the emotion center).

Thus, a lack of sleep can lead to stronger and more impulsive reactions and emotions.

For many of us, the pandemic has been a period of stress and anxiety, and many people are feeling emotionally frayed. This is an excellent time to take a look at your sleep schedule and see if there are ways you could improve it. Your brain, and your mental health, will thank you.

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culture Human Rights New Works previews launch new Red Mountain Theatre campus

By Lee J. Green Red Mountain Theatre Executive Director Keith Cromwell believes that theatre can do so much more than entertain — it can educate and it can be a catalyst for positive change.

The Birmingham professional theatre company recently opened its 60,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art programming and educational new campus by Railroad Park with a couple of shows previewing RMT’s 2021 Human Rights New Works Festival.

“With the Human Rights New Works Festival (in its fourth year), we want to use theatre to stir questions and create a higher consciousness for the human condition,” said Cromwell. “This helps us all learn something important and to do something that can really make an impact.”

In May, RMT presented the stage reading and debut of local playwright Quinton Cockrell’s “Memorial.” The play was commissioned by RMT and written using extensive research from the Jefferson County Memorial Project, which received a portion of the proceeds.

Cockrell had directed and starred in a few RMT shows in previous Human Rights New Works Festivals, and with “Memorial,” the first play he had written, he created a theatrical experience that examines the scourge of lynching in Jefferson County from the 1890s through the 1930s.

“Memorial” incorporates drama and spirit-stirring music to commemorate lives lost to senseless, racially motivated violence during this dark time in American history.

“Keith mentioned that he wanted it to be a play with music in it, so I got the idea of using spiritual music because it can hit the audience’s spirit; it reaches down and grabs the heart,” said Cockrell. “Then I got the idea of having a group of storytellers who oversaw imparting the information about these victims to an audience (in episodic form). We tell the stories of those who lost their lives and the tragic impact it had on their families.

I want these victims to be remembered.”

Cockrell first visited the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery. He then began doing some research with the Jefferson County Memorial Project, an organization in charge of retrieving the Jefferson County Monument. The JCMP published a book called “30 Victims,” with the stories of 30 people who had been lynched in Jefferson County.

The second Human Rights New Works Festival show to be previewed will be “The Pink Unicorn” on June 11 and 12. Originally produced in New York, “The Pink Unicorn” tells the story of Trisha Lee, a widow in a conservative Texas town who is suddenly thrown into turmoil when her teenaged daughter announces she is “gender queer” and starting a chapter of the Gay and Straight Alliance at the local high school.

Cromwell said it’s a story of “learning, understanding, conflict and acceptance.” A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Magic City Acceptance Academy.

Both shows will be workshopped and be part of the 2021 Human Rights New Works Festival in September. Cromwell also commissioned Deborah Layman, the president of the board for the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center, to write a play for the Festival about Holocaust survivors in Alabama, with a current working title of “Survivor.” continued on page 45 44

June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

community >> Rear Pew

continued from page 46

If a truce is signed on Tu B’Shevat, is it a peace treety?

Why is this night different from all other nights?

If a boy celebrates his first Aliyah on Tu B’Shevat, is that an arbar mitzvah?

(At the second seder:) Why is this night different from all other nights When do we eat? except for last night?

How drunk is Elijah by the second morning?

Purim When do we eat?

Why would anyone want to eat cookies shaped like the bad guy’s hat?

You mean we’re supposed to get presents on Purim, not Chanukah?

Doug Brook has more questions than answers, but not as a sign of wisWhy not both? dom. To read past columns, visit http://brookwrite.com/. For exclusive onIf we’re supposed to get so drunk that we can’t tell the good guy from line content, follow facebook.com/rearpewmirror. the bad guy anymore… if we can’t tell the good guy from the bad guy, continued from page 44 >> Red Mountain how do we know we’re not just seeing double and need another drink?

When do we eat?

Starting July 8, RMT will have a “roaring 20s-themed progressive, Shavuot immersive, interactive theatrical experience” on Thursdays, Fridays and Why does nobody know this holiday exists?

Saturdays in which attendees can walk through several different, original Okay, but why does nobody know this holiday exists? performance areas and enjoy themed food and drink. “It will be like The I’m not kidding, why does nobody know this holiday exists?

Great Gatsby meets the Cotton Club lobby,” said Cromwell, adding that When do we eat?

RMT soon will announce its 2021-22 season.

The new RMT campus includes a 450-seat theatre, a 120-seat cabaret Tu B’Av theatre, a piano bar lounge, educational training facilities and a recording Did Tu B’Av originally become a holiday only after pressure from the studio. matchmakers union?

“This lets us integrate everything under one roof with professional Why hasn’t Hallmark caught on and made Tu B’Av cards? theatre and high-level arts education,” said Cromwell. “We can greatly Do people realize that Judaism has its own ancient romance holiday expand what we do from an arts education standpoint to include techniaround August? cal artistry, wardrobe, audio engineering and for the youth to understand When do we eat? all of the theatrical arts career opportunities off the stage as well as on.”

Passover He added that the new campus “has beyond exceeded all of my expecFinally, Bava Gump reveals four actual questions for Passover: tations.”

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rear pew mirror • doug brook

Four More Questions Why is this column different from all other columns?

On all other Passovers, we recite four answers to a single question yet call it The Four Questions. But on this set of other holidays we ask four actual questions.

At least, we once did, according to the recently discovered Mishnah tractate Bava Gump. This Talmudic tome once again reveals the teachings of Rabbi Telfon, the great communicator, and his successor Rabbi Celfon.

This time, they impart to us four questions Talmudically sanctioned to ask on various other holidays throughout the year.

They don’t suggest a limit of four questions per holiday; rather these are common interrogatives which, over many years —past, present, and future imperfect — they observed during observances in their era.

Rosh Hashanah Why do they call those horns “shofars,” and why isn’t it the same sound as when the limousine driver honks?

But don’t the words “auld lang syne” sound like Yiddish?

Have you ever actually met a Shana from Russia?

When do we eat?

Yom Kippur Why would we do all these communal confessions if not to look around and see who looks guilty about each one?

Was Jonah really swallowed by a whale, or is this just a big fish story?

If there’s no writing on yom tov, how do we get inscribed in the Book of Life? (And, if the book is already being sealed today, isn’t it too late, so I don’t need to fast or wear white after Labor Day?) When do we eat?

Sukkot Did the Israelites in the desert really have to start building their sukkahs so close to Yom Kippur?

At Israeli political Which is worse, building a sukkah every year to use for eight days or building it once and using it for 40 years? conventions, What do you mean Darwin’s “On the do they shout Origin of Species” isn’t about lulavs?

When do we eat?

“Four More Questions”?

Simchat Torah If we had only a single Torah scroll, we’d need to roll it from end to beginning for Simchat Torah — wouldn’t it need to be a two-day holiday?

Instead of rolling the Torah all the way back to the beginning, how about this year we just read it backwards?

Shouldn’t the final reading in the Torah be introduced with “spoiler alert” since everyone’s about to start at the beginning?

When do we eat?

Chanukah If there are two sides to every war, and for every two rabbis there are three opinions, why does a dreidel have four sides?

What do you mean we’re supposed to get gelt on Chanukah, and not presents?

How sure are we that for eight days in The Temple they didn’t just use those candles that you can’t blow out?

When do we eat?

Tu B’Shevat This is a great party; when’s Three B’Shevat? continued on previous page 46

June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

June 2021 • Southern Jewish Life

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