1in 5 At some point in our lives, one in five of us will have a serious mental health issue. If you are suffering, there is help. The Jewish Mental Health Initiative is a community-wide collaboration sponsored by Collat Jewish Family Services and the Birmingham Jewish Foundation. For more information, call 205.879.3438 or visit https://cjfsbham.org/ jewish-mental-health-initiative-.htm
community JCCs plan “Amplifying Voices” series Discussions on intersection of Jewish, Black identity The Levite Jewish Community Center in Birmingham has partnered with the Tucson JCC in Tucson, Ariz., and other Jewish institutions in Arizona to host a Zoom series, “Amplifying Voices,” on the intersection of Black and Jewish identities. The first event is on Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. with author Marc Dollinger. He will discuss his book “Black Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing the Alliance of the 1960s.” On Nov. 8 at 6 p.m., Tamar Manasseh will present “They Ain’t Ready For Me: Black and Jewish on Chicago’s South Side.” A rabbinical student, Manasseh is the center of a recent documentary, “They Ain’t Ready For Me,” which chronicled two years of her work in combating gun violence as founder of Mothers Against Senseless Killings.” On Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. there will be a lunch and learn with Ilana Kauffman, “Jews of Color and Jewish Community Diversity.” Kauffman is executive director of the Jews of Color Field Building Initiative and also works to increase visibility of LGBTQ Jews in Jewish institutions. A panel on Dec. 6 at 12:30 p.m. includes April Baskin, racial justice director at the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable; Gamal Palmer, senior vice president of leadership development at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and founder of Global Eye Entrepreneurs, a development and mentoring network for male entrepreneurs of color; Oklahoma City native Evan Traylor, rabbinical student and associate director for college engagement at the Union for Reform Judaism; and Candace Manriquez Wrenn, director of Marketplace Morning Report, discussing “Stories of Exclusion, Stories of Change.” Birmingham activist T. Marie King and LJCC Executive Director Samantha Dubrinsky will lead a virtual tour of important Alabama civil rights sites, Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. The series concludes with an Afro-Semitic Musical Freedom Seder, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. To register for the program, email Shaina Wolinsky at swolinsky@ bhamjcc.org.
Israel education program available for high school students After over a decade of experience with Jewish pre-collegiate teachers, the Center for Israel Education in Atlanta has found that “for Jewish teens to fully understand the value of Israel in their identity, they need to grasp it before their college years.” For the fourth year, the group is partnering with the Emory University Institute for the Study for Modern Israel for the Teen Israel Leadership Institute, which will be held on Nov. 8 and 15 from 1 to 4 p.m. Eastern. Applications are being accepted from students in grades 10 to 12 from across the country. The interactive online sessions offer educational activities and experiences that acquaint and deepen knowledge about Israel’s place in Jewish history and enable students to answer how Jews sought, made and are sustaining a state. Topics include Israel’s changing borders, the connection between Jewish identity and Israel, Israel in the media, Israeli culture and politics, and what to expect about Israel on college campuses. After the institute, with the guidance of CIE staff, each participant is asked to deliver an Israel learning program for a community, synagogue, school or youth group, whether a one-time event or an ongoing series. Projects can be collaborative efforts. The simple application is available through israeled.org/teens. Applications are due Oct. 25; because they are reviewed on a rolling basis, teens are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Participants pay a $54 fee for the program, which is heavily subsidized by donors. 26
October 2020 • Southern Jewish Life