Southern Jewish Life, Deep South, November 2022

Southern Jewish Life

It’s time to show up and show out.

Chanukah is a time when there are numerous high-pro file, public events, and we have a list of them in this issue. This year, it’s time to embrace those events and show up.

That may seem to go against the grain. There are numer ous articles about people in the Jewish community doing the exact opposite — hiding any outward signs of being Jewish.

In New York, the epidemic of assaults against those who are visibly Jewish continues. Antisemitic incidents contin ue to climb nationally. Some people are posting on social media that they plan to not have their Chanukah menorahs in their windows, as a precaution.

A growing number of Jewish communities have a fulltime professional to coordinate security policy for all local institutions.

On campus, Jewish students often hide their identity lest they incur the wrath of “anti-Zionist not antisemitic” professors, and be subject to more critical grading pens. Or student groups having nothing to do with the Middle East that nevertheless seek to exclude anyone who might be supportive of Israel.

Even some Hillels are being asked not to produce T-shirts with the university name in Hebrew, because the mere presence of Hebrew on a shirt is interpreted as an aggres sive act endangering the safety of Palestinian students, and wearing such a shirt is an invitation to being accosted.

Just before we went to press, there was a study that showed that around 30 percent of human resources professionals were less likely to continue the hiring process if they know an applicant is Jewish — and younger professionals were twice as likely as older ones to discriminate against Jews.

This is the 21st century?

Rather than give in, it is time to take pride in who we are, and show up to exercise it.

By the time this issue arrives in homes, not only will there be a menorah in our win

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.

dow, there will be a 3,000-light, 14-foot by 20foot menorah on the front of the house.

We’ve been doing this for about 15 years — adding to the display each year, including a seven-foot spinning dreidel, a banner of Vul can holding a menorah, a total of about 8,000 lights. Basically, what Clark Griswold would do if he were Jewish.

come by and see the Chanukah House, and I give a quick shpiel about Chanukah while passing out chocolate gelt.

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.

I’ll explain what a sufganiyah is, because of the Krispy Kreme-style “Hot Sufganiyot Now” sign. I’ll joke about needing some guy on the roof just like other houses in the area have, then point to our Fiddler by the chimney.

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.

The display is unusual, but is based on the philosophy that if Chanukah is the festival of light, why did we abandon the field and let the Christians have all the fun?

PUBLISHER/EDITOR Lawrence M. Brook editor@sjlmag.com

ASSOCI ATE PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING Lee J. Green lee@sjlmag.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Richard Friedman richard@sjlmag.com

V.P SALES/MARKETING, NE W ORLEANS Jeff Pizzo jeff@sjlmag.com

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.

For a decade, we have been a stop on the Wacky Tacky Holiday Lights Tour, which ben efits Fresh Air Family, providing scholarships to its science-based Gross Out Camp for kids, including those escaping violence, or who are suicide orphans.

Chanukah was the first war for religious freedom, I will tell them, fighting for our right to be ourselves and not emulate the larger culture. After a pause, I’ll admit I’m saying that with thousands of lights in our yard.

I’ll even mention that without the events of Chanukah in 165 BCE, certain events in Beth lehem that they are celebrating could not have happened.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ginger Brook ginger@sjlmag.com

SOCIAL/WEB Emily Baldwein connect@sjlmag.com

PHOTOGRAPHER- AT-LARGE Rabbi Barr y C. Altmark deepsouthrabbi.com

Each of the four nights, eight to 10 buses

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.

In 10 years, there has been just one time

continued on page 36

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jed Margolis Executive Director, Maccabi USA

Times’ attack on the Jaffes

I particularly identified with your latest edito rial about antisemitism (October 2022).

On Charlottesville

I was shocked to hear about the New York Times article on the Jaffe family, particularly Ben — eccentric and brilliant like his dad, Al lan. Like my dad, Dr. Edward S. Hyman, they “marched to the beat of a different drum.”

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.”

Allan Jaffe was my father’s dear friend. My father was also Allan’s physician. And he took care of all of the Preservation Hall musicians, and probably didn’t charge them a dime. He did that with many of his patients. He was pas sionate about helping those in need, and always made house calls. Sometimes we all came along, even when he went to the projects. His passion was Sara Mayo Hospital and helping those who were underserved. I believe he was a true judge of a person’s character.

far from being fancy like other “concert halls”.) Most of the musicians never had a music lesson, but learned by heart on the street growing up. The Jaffes recognized the talent, got them to gether, and made magic.

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.

The Jaffe family never sought the spotlight. And Ben certainly is not the poster child of white supremacy! He is most unassuming and is one of the guys in the band. He is creative, talented and brilliant. His family put NOLA jazz in the spotlight. What would NOLA be without Preservation Hall? We should be applauding the Jaffe family.

Rivka Epstein, Louis Crawford, Tally Werthan, Stuart Derroff, Belle Freitag, Ted Gelber, E. Walter Katz, Doug Brook brookwrite.com

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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.

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.

So when I read the article in the Times I was mortified, but truly not too surprised since we know their history in enabling the Holocaust by omitting or burying the news of the the Nazi horrors and rise to power on the last page of their paper. It’s awful.

As usual, the Times wants to stir up trouble and racial discord, among the whites, Jews, and blacks. They seem to thrive on throwing their fellow Jews under the bus. What could be more antisemitic than that? They are the ones who stand to profit from writing such a piece — call ing out fellow Jews who have made a true mark on the musical and cultural world.

Advertising inquiries to 205/870.7889 for Lee Green, lee@sjlmag.com Jeff Pizzo, jeff@sjlmag.com

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SUBSCRIPTIONS

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.

It’s inexcusable and shameful of them to ac cuse the Jaffe family of capitalizing off of the poor black musicians in the 1960’s, like they were holding them down on their white Jew ish plantations. The Jaffes created a humble, down-to-earth, international music club with a touring band from scratch. (It’s still humble,

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.

Can’t the media instead focus on the amaz ing qualities and contributions to the world by fellow Jews, and non-Jews alike? They have so much power and influence, but, unfortunately, these days, it’s all about stirring up trouble and creating discord.

It has always been our goal to provide a large-community quality publication to all communities of the South. To that end, our commitment includes mailing to every Jewish household in the region (AL, LA, MS, NW FL), without a subscription fee

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

What do you think?

Agree? Disagree? Send your letters to editor@sjlmag.com or mail to P.O. Box 130052 Birmingham, AL 35213

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.

I hope you receive lots of letters from your readers in praise of the Jaffe family. They repre sent all the qualities that Jews want to emulate and pass down from generation to generation. Their contribution to the world has been a mitzvah like no other. They started from noth ing and put Nola on the map/the world stage. They’ve inspired two generations of young mu sicians and gave them everything so they could seek their own fame and fortune without claim ing it for themselves.

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

Judy Hyman Ladden Birmingham

Outside the area, subscriptions are $25/year, $40/two years. Subscribe via sjlmag.com, call 205/870.7889 or mail payment to the address above. Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission from the publisher. Views expressed in SJL are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff. SJL makes no claims as to the Kashrut of its advertisers, and retains the right to refuse any advertisement.

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Shocked by

agenda

First presenter named for LimmudFest New Orleans

Award-winning children’s performer Carla Friend is the first guest announced for LimmudFest New Orleans.

The weekend festival of Jewish learn ing, arts, culture and spirituality will be held in New Orleans the weekend of March 17, with over 70 sessions by local, regional and national presenters, with several subject tracks. One of 80 such festivals in communities around the world, it is planned and run entirely by volunteers.

This will be the first in-person LimmudFest in New Orleans since 2018. The 2020 festival was cancelled just days before, due to the start of the Covid pandemic. A virtual festival was held in 2021.

The New Orleans LimmudFest is designed as a regional event, usually drawing about 400 participants. Geared to every group in the Jewish um brella, the weekend is about learning for learning’s sake. Shabbat events are at Gates of Prayer in Metairie, where services are held in Reform, Conservative and Orthodox traditions under the same roof, after which all meals are enjoyed together.

The events on March 19 will be at the Uptown Jewish Community Center.

Friend is the founder and executive director of Tkiya, an nonprofit or ganization that uses participatory music experiences to help thousands of families find their unique connection with Jewish culture and communi ty. Though the group is known as an expert in early childhood education and family engagement, they also create programming for participants

of all ages.

Friend is a 2018 recipient of the Young Pioneers Award from the Jewish Education Project, a 2019 recipient of “36 Under 36” from the Jewish Week in New York, a graduate of UpStart Venture Accelerator’s Cohort 11, and is a JKids Radio artist. She recently released a new album of fam ily-friendly Jewish music, “Challalalah!”

Volunteers are being sought for programming, publicity and organiza tional outreach, logistics, Young Limmud and family outreach, food, and coordinating volunteers.

Registration will open in January, and more guests will be announced in the coming weeks. Details can be found at limmudnola.org.

Info session for Alabama Israel mission

The October 2023 community mission to Israel that the Birmingham Jewish Federation previously announced is also being coordinated with the Jewish Federation of Central Alabama and the Mobile Area Jewish Federation.

An informational session will be held on Zoom on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. for those who are interested in learning more about the trip, which will be led by BJF CEO Danny Cohn and is in celebration of Israel’s 75th birthday.

The 11-day, 10-night trip is geared for first-timers and those who have been to Israel before, and will be from Oct. 12 to 22. Those who are inter ested may do an extension to Eliat and Jordan after the mission.

The tentative itinerary starts with three nights at the Royal Beach Ho

On Nov. 11, Jewish War Veterans Shabbat was held at Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El. Veterans of the Armed Forces in the U.S. and Israel were invited up to be recognized by the congregation.

interesting bits & can’t miss events

Huh... What Was That... Would You Say It Again, Please...

It Could Be Time To Check Your Hearing

tel in Tel Aviv, followed by two nights at Hagoshrim Hotel in the Upper Galilee, three nights at the Leonardo Plaza in Jerusalem, and two nights at the Hebert Samuel Hotel at the Dead Sea.

The first full day includes a visit to Birmingham’s sister city, Rosh Ha’Ayin. Other stops in the Tel Aviv area include the Ayalon Institute’s museum of the pre-state “underground,” the Museum of the Jewish Peo ple, Old Jaffa and the Nachalat Binyamin open air market. There is also a visit to the Peres Center of Peace and Innovation.

Heading north, there will be a visit to the Amphorae Winery, and a stop at the Yemin Orde Youth Village. In the north, highlights include visiting the Banias Falls and a jeep ride on the Golan Heights, the Golan Olive Oil Mill, the mystical city of Tzfat, and Tiberias.

Jerusalem will include time at the Mount of Olives, the Jewish Quarter, the Western Wall Tunnels, a culinary tour of the Machane Yehuda Mar ket, and a visit to Yad Vashem.

Shabbat will be at the Dead Sea, with an optional excursion to Masada, or kayaking on the Dead Sea. The final day will be at leisure in the resort area.

There is also a three-night optional extension to Eilat and Petra.

A $400 deposit is required, and registration will close on Feb. 1. More information is available at bjf.org/Israel-at-75.

Several missions are planned from the region. Rabbi Scott and Karen Colbert of B’nai Sholom in Huntsville will lead a trip in June. Rabbi Feivel Rubinstein is organizing a February trip from the Shreveport area. Rabbi Joel and Andrea Fleekop of Temple Beth El in Pensacola are leading an Israel trip in March.

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Also, the Jewish Community Center Maccabi Games will be held in Israel next July, and the Levite JCC in Birmingham is working on fielding a team for the games, which are for those ages 14 to 17.

Yiddish literature group in area libraries

The Yiddish Book Center in Massachusetts is launching the second year of its Reading Groups for Public Libraries program. Nationally, 29 libraries have been selected to participate in the initiative, which uses translated Yiddish works to engage local communities in discussions on social issues such as immigration, displacement, and economic and po litical upheaval. This year’s theme, “Stories of Exile,” utilizes narratives which grapple with questions of identity and belonging.

In this region, participating libraries are the Hoover Public Library near Birmingham, and the Madison County Public Library System in Canton, Miss.

“The ideas and stories introduced this year are timeless and relevant to our current moment,” said Susan Bronson, executive director of the Yid dish Book Center. “Throughout history, communities have grappled with challenges of displacement and exile. Today, war, economic uncertainty, and climate change create new disruptions for people across the globe. By reading together, we hope to foster conversations about the meaning of home, identity, and belonging.”

Participating libraries organize reading groups for adults and/or teens to discuss three works of Yiddish literature in translation, selected by the Yiddish Book Center. Copies of the selected translations as well as discus sion and resource guides are provided. Libraries also select a fourth book, not designated by the Center, that relates specifically to their community.

Representatives from the libraries will attend a workshop at the Yid dish Book Center in Amherst, Mass., to orient them to the Yiddish liter ature selections. Books, travel, lodging, and meal costs are covered by the Yiddish Book Center.

The three selections are “In the Land of the Postscript: Short Stories by Chava Rosenfarb,” translated by Goldie Morgentaler; “On the Landing: Stories by Yenta Mash,” translated by Ellen Cassedy; and “The Glatstein Chronicles” by Jacob Glatstein, edited by Ruth Wisse, translated by Maier Deshell and Norbert Guterman.

ISJL offers virtual Chanukah concert with Chava Mirel

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life concludes its series of virtual events for the year with a Chanukah celebration fea turing Chava Mirel.

She performed at the 2022 ISJL Educators Conference, and will do a virtual concert of Chanukah songs and uplifting spiritual pieces, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. Central.

Mirel is cantorial soloist and musician in residence at Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Seattle. She has been featured at the Union of Reform Judaism biennial, and is part of a new group, New Moon Rising, with fellow Jewish musicians Elana Arian and Deborah Sacks Mintz.

She has performed in a wide range of genres, and is featured vocalist for the global Jazz Fusion band Duende Libre. She has also played key board and toured with Reggae artist Clinton Fearon.

In 2019, she released “Into the Light,” a personal reinterpretation of the Great American Songbook, and a cover of Alice-In-Chains’ “Would?” has received international air play. She also released “Source of Love,” original pieces set to Jewish liturgy and focusing on nature, family and spirituality.

Last year, she released her fifth album, “The Quarantine Sessions,” a live session with her jazz sextet.

Communities can co-sponsor the event for $250, providing access to the entire community. Individuals can also register on the ISJL website for $10.

Temple Sinai in New Orleans is among the organizational sponsors. They will host a group viewing at 7 p.m., urging those who attend to wear Chanukah pajamas or attire, and they will serve sufganiyot, Chanukah

cookies, Chot Chocolate and Chai Tea, and they will work on mitzvah projects while watching the concert.

Touro Synagogue in New Orleans has also signed up for the concert.

JCRS Latkes with a Twist returns

One of the nation’s top 10 Chanukah parties makes its post-pandemic return with the 8th Latkes with a Twist in New Orleans on Dec. 11.

The event, featured in the Wash ington Post, is a fundraiser for Jewish Children’s Regional Service, which was founded in 1855 as the Jewish Children’s Home. Today, the agency pro vides needs-based camp scholarships, college aid and special needs assis tance, serving about 1,800 Jewish youth in a seven-state region annually.

This year’s event will be at Press Street Station in the historic Faubourg Marigny, starting at 6 p.m.

“Dan-Dan Latkes” will be featured, with Dan Stein of Stein’s Market and Deli, and Dan Esses of Rimon at Tulane Hillel fusing Jewish deli and Asian cuisines, with assistance from NOCCA culinary students.

There will be an open bar with a vodka latke punch, a Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned Chanukah Hi-Ball, wine and beer. Live music will be by the Joe Gelini Trio.

Tickets are $36 in advance, $42 at the door, and are available through the JCRS website.

Helping Buyers & Sellers

Ashley Fierman Lewis

Bo Gregory has been named the new director of economic affairs at the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta. An Army veteran with the 82nd Air borne, Gregory was most recently president of the Monroe County, Ga., Development Authority. He has worked extensively throughout the Southeast, most notably as statewide economic developer for the North Carolina Department of Commerce. The Atlanta consulate’s ter ritory includes Alabama and Mississippi.

The Birmingham Jewish Federation and Collat Jewish Family Ser vices will host an Elder Fraud seminar, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. at the Levite Jewish Community Center. Matt Tootle, FBI supervisory special agent, will be the guest speaker, along with community security coordinator Jeff Brown. The meeting will discuss current fraud trends and how to stay safe.

Bais Ariel Chabad in Birmingham will have a winter Camp Gan Israel, Dec. 19 to 23, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 2 p.m. on Friday. The camp is for pre-K to age 12.

The Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge will have its annu al Big Buddy shopping spree, Dec. 7 at 5 p.m. at Macy’s. For 40 years, the program has identified families in need and provided a shopping spree for children to get Christmas gifts for family members. The aver age cost per child is $175, and 1,700 children have been served over the last 40 years.

The next Nite on the Town for Beth Shalom in Fort Walton Beach will be Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. at Fudpucker’s in Destin. The Walkers are per forming that evening, so it will be a combined event. There are only 30 spaces available, first come first serve, and reservations are due by Dec. 12.

Ticket sales are now online for Hadassah Birmingham at “Dreamgirls,” Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. at Red Mountain Theatre. Tickets are $54, and there is a $250 sponsorship that includes two tickets.

The Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge received a grant for $150,000 from the Department of Homeland Security as part of the 2022 non-profit security grant program. It will go toward the peripheral fencing walls and gates at the Kleinert location, which is being renovated to serve as the united congregation’s home.

Alison Berman has been named the new executive director of the Grafman Endowment Fund at Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham. She succeeds Jann Blitz, who retired after 26 years as the first to hold that position. A Legacy Luncheon in Blitz’s honor will be held on Feb. 23, and there will be a special Shabbat service on Feb. 24.

There will be a Jewish Fertility Foundation Shabbat at Birming ham’s Temple Beth-El on Dec. 17. Julie Cohen will speak about infertil ity awareness during the 9:30 a.m. service.

The Birmingham Jewish Federation and Levite Jewish Community Center will hold PJ Library’s Shalom Baby, a Chanukah brunch about the best in Chanukah toys, and the importance of play for young minds. Miriam Friedman will facilitate. The brunch will be on Dec. 11 at 9 a.m., and is designed for babies ages 0 to 24 months and their parents. Reservations to the Federation are required.

The next edition of PJ Library’s Bubbie’s STEM Kitchen will be on Dec. 4 at 10 a.m. at the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School. Co-sponsored by Hadassah Birmingham, the series is for preschoolers ages 3 to 5 and their parents. It looks at cooking and science through a Jewish lens, with stories and music. The Dec. 4 Chanukah-themed program is “The science of reversible and irreversible change.” Reservations are requested.

Arrest made after propane tank lit outside Birmingham’s Beth-El

An arrest was made after inci dents at Birmingham’s Temple BethEl involving a lit propane tank and a suspicious backpack on Nov. 4, but law enforcement officials are saying the synagogue was not specifically targeted as a Jewish institution, so it is not regarded as an antisemitic incident.

The Conservative synagogue was evacuated around 8:30 a.m. after the backpack was discovered embedded in bushes on the 21st Way side of the building.

The backpack was found during a sweep undertaken by Regional Jew ish Community Security Advisor Jeff Brown, Beth-El Maintenance Su pervisor Nico Cuso and Rabbi Steven Henkin. They undertook the sweep after a lit propane tank, as is common on barbecue units, was found on the other side of the building and had been extinguished.

The tank had been wrapped in clothing and set on fire. It was placed in front of an outdoor storage area that has the congregation’s portable heaters for outdoor events, in the driveway that goes underneath the building’s Cultural Center from the alley to the lower parking lot.

Brown said a passerby noticed flames and smoke and alerted authorities, and the tank had been extinguished before 6 a.m. There was minor damage to a gate in front of the heat ers, but otherwise there was no damage and no injuries. At that point, Birmingham Police considered the scene to be clear.

Less than an hour later, the congregation’s daily morning service took place with the 15 or so in attendance unaware that there had been an incident. The backpack was found about 45 minutes after the service ended, about 20 feet from the historical marker the congregation dedicated this summer, commemorating the unsuccessful 1958 Klan bombing attempt at that spot.

Birmingham Police Department bomb squad technicians and tactical operations responded, as did the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They rerouted traffic in the area as a precaution.

A preliminary scan of the backpack showed an unidentified electronic device. The backpack was taken to a specialized facility for further exam ination, and no explosive devices were found.

Because it was found that there was nothing hazardous in the backpack and no threat connected to it, attention was focused on the propane tank, as it isn’t a crime to leave a backpack unattended. There are numerous homeless people in the neighborhood.

Nevertheless, Brown directed law enforcement officials to do a precau tionary check of all local Jewish institutions. Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem in Montgomery also asked local law enforcement to check their building.

Brown praised Birmingham Police and the Federal Bureau of Inves tigation for their quick and comprehensive response. “They threw the kitchen sink at it,” he said. “It was phenomenal teamwork, and the inte gration of all the resources from all the agencies.”

The building reopened around 2 p.m., and services were held as usual

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Shalom. M Make yourself at home.

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Gregory Earl Fuller Jr.

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Southern Jewish Life

Our Own Miracle

Chanukah is approaching — a time for celebrating miracles big and small. One of these is Southern Jewish Life magazine. We’re heading into our 32nd year, having outlasted some of the country’s best-known Jewish periodicals.

Too many Jewish publications have gone by the wayside these past five years, due to declining revenue, the pandemic and jour nalism that no longer resonates with readers.

Sadly, this trend has weakened the cohesion in the American Jewish community during a challenging and complex time for the Jewish people, Israel and causes we hold dear.

Our Chanukah miracle is that our magazine is still here and suc ceeding! We’re proud of this. We’ve done it the old fashioned way: Through award-winning journalism featuring a strong mix of news and human interest stories; bringing a unique Jewish perspective to the four-state region we cover (Alabama, Louisiana, Mississip pi, NW Florida), and by developing a steady stream of advertising from both the Jewish and broader communities.

Yet despite our successes, revenue remains a challenge. We need more advertising and donor dollars to sustain our magazine, ex pand our coverage and broaden our impact.

You can help us three ways:

• By placing an ad if that would be good for your business or cause.

• By encouraging businesses you patronize to advertise in South ern Jewish Life (and letting us know by contacting Lee Green at lee@sjlmag.com, or for New Orleans, Jeff Pizzo at jeff@sjlmag.com).

• By making a donation so that we can continue to send our print magazine free to every known Jewish household in our region and expand our online presence.

If you would like to become a Southern Jewish Life supporter, please send a check to SJL, P.O. Box 130052, Birmingham, AL 35213, scan the QR code on your phone, or go to https://sjlmag.com/con tribute/ (Donations to Southern Jewish Life are not tax-deductible.)

We thank the growing number of donors and advertisers who’ve stepped forward this year so the miracle of Southern Jewish Life continues.

that Shabbat. About 20 showed up to Shabbat evening services.

An email signed by Rabbi Steven Henkin, Beth-El President Naomi Ivker and COO Glynnis Levitt that afternoon stated “While we are all hurt, frightened, and angry that this happened, we will not be intimidated by these actions.”

“Please know that the safety of our congregation and staff are our top priority, and we will provide extra security as deemed appropriate,” they added.

While the scene was still being processed by the police and FBI teams, there was a “person of interest” who had been hanging around the scene and was being questioned. During interviews, he admitted setting the fire and was taken into custody at 12:15 p.m.

Gregory Earl Fuller Jr., 45, is being charged with second-degree arson. He was detained at 4:32 p.m. on Nov. 4 on a felony hold, and on Nov. 5 was transferred to the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham, where he is being held on a $30,000 bond.

According to law enforcement officials, this individual was known to them as a local pyromaniac with a history of setting fires. He reportedly was not aware the building was a synagogue. He is also currently awaiting trial on breaking and entering a vehicle in 2021.

Brown said that in cases like this, interviews are conducted by local officials and the FBI. “There was nothing mentioned in the interviews that it was antisemitic or a targeted attack,” Brown said.

He will be prosecuted under a state charge of arson, but “if anything would have come out” about an antisemitic motive, “he would have been charged federally.”

Brown also wants to find out who noticed the flames early in the morn ing and reported the fire. “I’d love to get the name and call them and thank them,” he said, saying not enough is done to thank those who are vigilant and keep an eye out for such things.

The incident came a day after an FBI field office in New Jersey issues a security advisory about a “credible threat” to synagogues in that state. In that case, an 18-year-old, Omar Alakattoul, was detained after pub lishing an online manifesto saying “hatred towards Jews is a good thing even if they’re not Zionists,” and saying he targeted a synagogue “for a really good reason according to myself and a lot of Muslims who have a brain.”

Law enforcement officials process the scene

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Nearly 90 security professionals gathered in New Orleans in mid-November at the 2022 Homeland Security Summit to address safety and security issues facing the Jewish commu nity.

The annual conference is hosted by the Secure Community Network, the official safety and se curity organization of the Jewish community in North America. Attendees received briefings on security and law enforcement issues; discussed case studies of previous antisemitic attacks; engaged in facilitated discussions and breakout sessions related to emergent threats and issues facing national, regional and community securi ty initiatives; participated in safety trainings; and discussed best practices and national standards.

The New Orleans and Birmingham Jewish communities have community security profes sionals through SCN.

“This year’s Summit — the largest ever — reflects not only the rising level of antisemitic threats facing the Jewish community but the increasingly professional and sophisticated re sponse our community has mustered,” said SCN National Director and CEO Michael Masters. “Together with our partners throughout local, state, and federal law enforcement, Jewish se curity professionals and lay leaders are working to create a security shield over the Jewish com munity. We are grateful to all those who partici pated in and supported the Summit, the special guests who shared their time and expertise with us, and the Jewish Federations and national organizations throughout North America who are committed to continuously enhancing their communal security programs.”

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Arnie Fielkow reflects on tenure as Federation CEO

Building the grass roots for Middle East peace

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Shen Yun’s unique artistic vision expands theatrical experience into a multi-dimensional, deeply moving journey. Featuring one of the world’s most ancient and richest dance systems— classical Chinese dance—along with dynamic animated backdrops and all-original orchestral works, Shen Yun opens a portal to a civilization of enchanting beauty and enlightening wisdom.

“It makes you dream of a heavenly world. It’s really a balsam, a salve for the soul. It’s something that really restores you, regenerates you.”

—Filippa Giordano, famous Italian-Mexican Singer

“This is the best I have ever seen. It was so uplifting. It spoke to everything that is good in this world.”

—Glen Duncan, Grammy Award-winning musician

Shen Yun Performing Arts is a nonpro t organization based in New York. Its mission is to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture. Traditional Chinese culture—with its deep spiritual roots and profoundly optimistic worldview—was displaced by communism in China. While Shen Yun cannot perform in China today, it is sharing this precious heritage with the world.

New CEO Stephanie Levin sees Nola JCC as a center of inclusion

After working in the Jewish Community Center world in California for over two decades, Stephanie Levin wants to see the New Orleans JCC become even more open and welcoming to all.

Levin became the CEO of the New Orleans JCC in late June, succeed ing Leslie Fischman, who retired after being executive director since 2011. The lead position at the JCC has been renamed with Levin’s arrival.

Levin grew up in San Diego, and was active at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center. She started working in the day camp, which had an inclusion program for children with special needs. “Working with that population has been a passion since childhood,” she said.

In third grade, she changed schools, to a school that had a special needs program. As a newcomer who hadn’t made friends with anyone yet, “I felt a connection to these students… I felt I made a special friendship with these children and it stuck with me.” She would find opportunities to volunteer in programs that assisted those students.

Part of her sensitivity to special needs comes from her being hearing impaired. But she says it is an “invisible disability,” though she has worn hearing aids since she was a teenager.

While at Mills College in the San Francisco area, she was contacted by the Peninsula JCC to be a summer staff member, and though she did not know that part of the city and wasn’t familiar with that JCC, she started as assistant day camp director in 1999.

Except for a handful of years, that’s where she was until she came to New Orleans this summer. She was camp director, youth director, pro gram director, and most recently the chief engagement and innovation

officer, “which is a role similar to a chief oper ating officer — adults, youth, Jewish life, se curity, emergency pre paredness.”

She said it is “unusu al to be able to grow with the same Center for so long,” but it was “a wonderful commu nity to be part of.”

In the time she was not at the Peninsula JCC, she taught at an integrated therapeu tic special education school for children with severe communication disorders including autism. She also managed operations at Berkeley Hillel, served as camp director for Camp Kochav at the JCC of San Francisco, and worked for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Levin is a participant in the fourth class of the Wexner Field Fellow ship, a prestigious national fellowship for Jewish professional leaders. She served on the advisory board of JResponse, a signature program of the JCC Association, and the board of Shalom Bayit, the Bay Area Jewish

Stephanie Levin blows the shofar with preschoolers at the New Orleans JCC

community’s center for domestic violence prevention and response.

A graduate of the Tikea Fellowship for Educators of Jewish Teens, she was awarded the prestigious Helen Diller Family Award for Excellence in Informal Jewish Education in 2009.

Levin said it was time for a change in her life, and a JCC colleague told her about the New Orleans position, “and had a sense it would be a good match for me.”

Levin noted that she is the fourth female executive at the New Orleans JCC. “As far as I know, this is the only JCC with that length of history with a female executive.”

The JCC, as well as the New Orleans Jewish community overall, has a history of social action. As an example, she said, the JCC is built on the site of the former Jewish Children’s Home. “This city lives its Jewish values.”

Coming from the Bay Area, “I knew I would not be comfortable in a community without significant diversity,” and she was also intrigued by the “resilience” of the New Orleans community.

She encountered that need in California, with nearby devastating wild fires and other disasters, and spent time in Pittsburgh after the Tree of Life shooting. She notes the juxtaposition of communities being “irrevo cably changed and simultaneously extraordinarily vibrant and welcom ing,” saying “there’s something about the resiliency here, the ability to live in both those places at the same time.”

She saw that first-hand, leading a couple of teen volunteer groups from the Bay Area after Katrina.

The willingness to be available to anyone was also a factor. “I want any place I’m at to be a place where all types of learners, all types of families can be supported.”

Being around people with disabilities as a child “changed my mindset about the world.” She said children want to know what something is, but otherwise “they don’t care, they just want to be friends,” and that expo sure “helps us grow better humans.”

She asked, “How do we make the classroom more accessible for chil dren who have different sensory needs or developmental needs.” And supporting those families is also an important component.

When it is discovered that a child has special needs, “It’s very fright ening and overwhelming for families, especially with a first child… you have a set of expectations in your mind and when it doesn’t happen that way, there is a lot of grief and fear.”

Levin said that coming back from the Covid years, “the Center has weathered that storm remarkably well,” and “We’re at the precipice of saying we’re back to where we were.” Now, the question is “how else can we serve.”

Levin is still getting to know the community, including other organi zations in the general community, where she sees “tremendous opportu nities for partnership.”

She said the JCC has a “dedicated staff… they love what they do and are excited to try new things.” They “want to make a difference in the community.”

Levin added, “I want to make sure we are a good neighbor to our Up town community and Metairie, and the wider community.”

The JCC is unique in that it serves all different faiths, she said, and it is a “special gift” for non-Jews to be able to learn about the Jewish commu nity, especially during a time when antisemitism is on the rise.

Moving forward, she wants to explore “whatever we can do to widen our doors and let people know this is a place for everyone.”

Abraham Accords tree planted in Birmingham

During the World Games in July, Birmingham officials were joined by dignitaries from the Abraham Accords nations — Israel, Morocco, Unit ed Arab Emirates and Bahrain — to dedicate a site at Marconi Park where a “Peace Tree” would be planted.

After all, actually planting a tree in Birmingham in July isn’t the best move — for the tree.

At a Nov. 2 followup event, Aaron Braunstein, director of public affairs for the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast in Atlanta, said in July “we decided to plant a sign instead, and thank you for going along with that.”

The actual tree, a Winter King Hawthorne, was planted on Nov. 2, in celebration of the second anniversary of the historic peace agreements between Israel and UAE, Morocco and Bahrain.

Anat Sultan-Dadon, Israel’s consul general in Atlanta, said it is fitting to recognize the second anniversary in a city that is “the cradle of the civil rights movement.”

Mayor Randall Woodfin said Birmingham has a dual legacy of activ ism and peace, and that peace is achieved “when each resident stands on equal ground as neighbors… it’s the kind of lasting peace we celebrate today.”

Thanking the city departments that made the ceremony possible, Woodfin said “this tree will stand as a strong and mighty monument of peace, freedom and tranquility that we all hold dear.”

Moroccan Parliamentarian Ibtissame Ezzaoui, Bahraini Fatema Alharbi, City Council President Wardine Alexander, Mayor Randall Woodfin, Israeli Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon, Councilor Darrell O’Quinn and Sharaka Global Affairs Director Dan Feferman plant the Peace Tree in Birmingham on Nov. 2.

Sultan-Dadon said Israel’s Declaration of Independence includes a statement that “our hand is outstretched in peace to all our neighbors,” and two years ago “courageous leaders came together, choosing peace, prosperity and bridge building over divisiveness and conflict.”

That decision strengthens moderates in the region as they battle threats

for more than a century

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from extremist regimes like Iran, she said.

The Abraham Accords have led to “countless collaborations and partnerships,” direct flights between the countries, and more than half a million Israeli tourists and businesspeople visit ing Bahrain and UAE. “The Accords have creat ed a host of exciting opportunities.”

Also participating in the ceremony were representatives of Sharaka, an international interfaith organization dedicated to promoting Middle East peace through people-to-people initiatives. Sharaka is the Arabic word for part nership.

Bahrain based Fatema Alharbi, Sharaka’s Gulf Affairs director, said she was proud of the king of Bahrain for “taking this brave step.”

The long jump record holder for Bahrain said “we can see before us a golden opportunity for peace, security and prosperity for our region. Let us waste no time in seizing it.”

She noted that just as a tree needs sunshine, water and healthy soil, “so too does peace in the Middle East need support from friends around the world.”

A logo for the event has a golden dove sym bolizing peace over a thumbprint made from the flags of the four Abraham Accords nations.

Rabbi Barry Altmark received a grant from the Birmingham Jewish Federation for 10 Artscroll Siddurs for patient and family use at the two Ascension (St Vincent’s) Birmingham campuses. He said that as the only Jewish chaplain on staff at the Catholic facilities, and interacting with Jewish patients and their families, he saw that there were plenty of complimentary Christian Bibles and crosses available, but nothing specifically for Jewish patients at a time when they could use some spiritual comfort.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Robert French has been named the new CEO of the Jewish Federa tion of Greater New Orleans.

The current executive director of Jewish El Paso and The Jewish Community Foundation of El Paso, French will succeed Arnie Fielkow, who is retiring at the end of the year.

Federation Board Chair Brian Katz said French “is a thoughtful, caring and engaging leader who we believe will be able to connect with everyone in the community.”

Fielkow congratulated French, along with Katz and the search com mittee. “New Orleans has an important, impactful and inspiring Jewish community, and I look forward to supporting Robert’s arrival as much as would be helpful,” he said.

A native of London, French has been in El Paso, which has a Jewish community of about 5,000, since 2018. He oversaw the rebranding of Jewish El Paso, and emphasized outreach to community members and partners, and building endowments for the long term.

He previously was executive director of Temple Israel in New York City for 10 years, reinvigorating the Upper East Side congregation. He also developed programming to engage thousands of unaffiliated young professionals.

He also spent 19 years at Stephen S. Wise Temple in Los Angeles, work ing in education, administration, communications and programming.

French graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University, Califor nia State University Northridge and California Coast University in busi ness administration.

He was co-chair of StandWithUs in New York City for nine years, and serves on the board of Nirim USA, which helps disadvantaged youth in Israel.

“I am excited and humbled to assume the Federation CEO position,” French said. “My professional and personal lives have always been im mersed in engaging meaningfully with everything Jewish and Israel.”

He sees New Orleans as leading by example for other Jewish commu nities in the country.

“One of the central roles of our Federation is to build community, to welcome the newcomer, to engage our partners, and to secure the Jewish future in Greater New Orleans and beyond,” French said. “I have already felt the warmth, camaraderie and hospitality of your leadership and look forward to engendering this value into our diverse and dynamic com munity.”

French said being a Jewish professional “is a way of life, it’s not a job. To be successful in this field, that is how it has to be… you have to embrace it as who you are.”

Being in a smaller community with big city opportunities “resonat ed with me,” he said, and during the interview process he saw visionary leaders in the New Orleans Federation whose vision is similar to his.

The Federation launched two new centers of excellence in the last cou ple years, one for interfaith relations and one for intermarried families. “Interfaith relations are key,” he said, as he worked with megachurches to build relationships.

Having strong ties with Israel is also a priority, but he said “we need to listen to all points of views and engage people.” A “very passionate” supporter of the state, he said he found New Orleans to be a community that is proud of Israel, and he wants to make sure Israel remains relevant

Federation’s new CEO is New Orleans’ latest French influence

community

and appeals to all segments of the community.

“We don’t always have to agree with everything she does, just like we don’t have to agree with everything America does,” he said.

The support of Jewish education in New Orleans also resonated with him. Having worked in education “I understand what it means to be on the other side,” and said he wants the Federation’s relationship with edu cational institutions to be “smooth, cooperative and collaborative.”

The Federation’s programs are “gateways into Jewish life,” and he likes to open doors into Jewish life.

He said his style is “management by walking around… being out and about in the community and being physically present, and New Orleans is a great opportunity to do that.”

On a personal level, he said he is used to places with culture, great music and food, making New Orleans a natural destination.

He looks forward to building on what the community already has, helping implement the strategic plan that was unveiled earlier this year, and being supportive of community agencies and to listen to their needs.

“The Federation’s role is to make sure have resources and support they need to do their work and have success,” he said. “Nothing gets me more excited” than seeing his staff succeed in their roles.

Having run a foundation, he noted the importance of endowments, which provide flexibility for a community — something that was tested during Covid.

Though it is “a precarious time” in the world, French said “there are opportunities to do great things.”

Jcamp 180 issues $25 million matching grant for Jewish summer camps

JCamp 180, a core program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, will support more than 100 nonprofit Jewish overnight camps over the next five years with a $25 million Forward Together matching grant.

Forward Together will provide unrestricted support to the camps, along with capital investments for the physical improvements that are necessary for camp success.

Participating camps in the region include the URJ 6 Points Sports Academy, Henry S. Jacobs Camp, Camp Coleman and Greene Family Camp; Ramah Darom; Camp Judaea; and Atlanta’s In the City Camp.

Harold Grinspoon, benefactor and co-founder of the HGF, believes camps are among the most important assets of the Jewish community, providing impactful experiences for Jewish young people to become en culturated in Jewish traditions, values and identity.

“I never was able to go to a Jewish camp, but I know they are crucial ways for young people to plant the roots of lifelong Jewish connections,” says Grinspoon, who has invested more than $55 million in Jewish camps through JCamp 180 over the past 28 years. “I was overjoyed to have visited multiple camps in person this past summer after two summers away due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I saw camps brimming with life, although continuing to struggle with significant mental health, staffing, and infrastructure challenges after the pandemic. The Forward Togeth er grant renews my commitment to helping position Jewish non-profit overnight camps for long-term sustainability for generations.”

Forward Together is a 1:3 matching grant where the HGF disburses $1 for every $3 the camp raises. Each camp will receive a base allocation of funds; if they raise four times the allocation within the grant period, the camp will receive a $10,000 bonus.

JCamp 180 Director Sarah Eisinger says the timing of the grant is crit ical as camps seek to build on past fundraising successes. “This support will give the camps the resources and tools to maintain and steward their current donors and attract new ones. We hope this match gives the camps the confidence to continue sharing the power of Jewish camp so they can be sustainable into the future.”

Ensler elected to Alabama Legislature

Head of Montgomery Federation is first Jewish representative in almost 50 years

For the first time in almost 50 years, Alabama will have a Jewish state legislator, with the Nov. 8 election of Phillip Ensler to the Alabama House in District 74. He is also the first Democrat since 2010 to flip what had been a Republican seat.

Ensler, who is executive director of the Jewish Federation of Central Alabama, defeated incumbent Republican Charlotte Meadows, 60 per cent to 40 percent. It is believed that Ensler is the eighth Jewish member of the legislature in Alabama history.

It is the latest chapter in an unexpected saga for Ensler. If someone had told him 10 years ago that he would be living in Alabama and new ly-elected to the legislature, “I would have laughed and said you’re out of your mind.”

Raised in New York City, Ensler first came to Montgomery in 2012 after attending George Washington University, to work for Teach for America, a national program that places teachers in under-resourced schools. He taught high school social studies at Robert E. Lee High School, and while he was originally shocked at the idea of teaching at a school named for a Confederate general, he quickly realized that he was meant to be there.

During his time with Teach for America, he became involved with the local Jewish community, and after he finished at New York’s Cardozo Law School, he knew he wanted to return.

In 2017, he worked for Alabama Appleseed, and then became policy advisor to Mayor Steven Reed in 2020. In the Jewish community, he be came president of the Federation.

When Executive Director Tzlil McDonald left for New Orleans, as he helped write the job description he quipped that he would apply for the position. The quip was taken seriously, and the Federation selected him.

His first taste of politics came as an intern for a political campaign while he was still in high school. He enrolled in George Washington University, and after a couple of unsuccessful attempts, finally secured an internship in the Obama White House.

Facebook screenshot

Judge Monet Gaines swears in Phillip Ensler as a member of the Alabama Legislature on Nov. 9 outside Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church

Being a legislator is regarded as a part-time job. Ensler consulted with Federation leadership before he ran, and “they trust I can manage both roles and keep them separate,” he said, adding that he is grateful that he has the opportunity to do both,

Last year, the eastern Montgomery district was redrawn to make it more Democratic. What had been a white Republican district was now 55 percent black, and contained numerous Jewish families. Ensler felt there was now a chance to use his “passion for public service” and put together a “really strong coalition” of grassroots support that could propel a Democrat to victory.

“In Alabama, there are a lot of great things happening, but also a lot of things pulling the state backwards, or not letting the state move forward,” he said.

Education will be a major emphasis in his work, as he ran for Mont gomery school board four years ago. He also will advocate for public health, social justice, public health and economic development.

He also wants to emphasize constituent services and not be a politician that shows up every four years when it is time to look for votes.

He also is acutely aware that as the only Jewish legislator, he will need to do a lot of educating in the State House, providing a different perspec tive in the very-Republican legislature in the heart of the Bible Belt.

On Nov. 9, new legislators were sworn in, and Ensler decided to have Montgomery County District Judge Monet Gaines officiate, standing in front of Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, just down the hill from the State Capitol.

He explained that in college, he spent a few days touring the civil rights sites, and he was particularly moved by the church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached. “It continued to be a place of influence for me and my

journey,” he said.

His mother held his personal Tanach for him to use as he was sworn in. His father and twin sister also attended, as did Montgomery’s Agu dath Israel-Etz Ahayem Rabbi Scott Kramer, who held a Torah during the ceremony. Ensler said that was symbolic of “my Jewish values and my worldview that guides my public service.”

They also recited “Shehecheyanu,” the prayer of thanksgiving.

“I am honored to be given the opportunity to keep fighting… for a more inclusive, prosperous, safe and equitable city and state for all,” he said.

Jewish Alabamians in the Legislature

While there hasn’t been a Jewish representative in the Alabama House since 1974, there have been several throughout history, including one term with four Jewish representatives.

Philip Phillips was the first Jewish representative in Alabama. A South Carolina native, he was elected to the South Carolina legislature in 1834, then resigned when he moved to Mobile to open a law office in 1835. He became president of the Alabama Democratic Convention and served in the Alabama House from 1843 to 1844, and 1851 to 1852.

In 1853, Phillips was elected to Congress, and decided not to run for re-election. While he was a Unionist, his wife was a strong secessionist, and the family was placed under house arrest when the Civil War broke out.

They eventually moved to New Orleans in late 1862, where Benja min Butler had Mrs. Phillips arrested for insulting a dead Union soldier during his funeral procession. She served three months in prison.

After the war, they returned to Washington. Phillips died in 1884 and is buried in Savannah.

Isadore Shapiro, who was admitted to the Alabama Bar at age 18, was elected to the Alabama House from Birmingham in 1914 and served for several years.

In 1915, he published a pamphlet, “A New Constitution: Alabama’s Most Imperative Need,” a debate that continues to rage today. The state’s 1901 constitution, written specifically to disenfranchise minorities and centralize power in Montgomery, is by far the longest constitution in the world, and among the 10 amendments to it on this year’s ballot was an initiative to remove racist language and redundancies, and condense the hundreds of amendments.

Shapiro also wrote legislation against loan sharks.

In 1966, four Alabama Jews were elected to the House — Bennett Cherner of Bessemer, Bert Bank of Tuscaloosa, David Fine of Sulligent and Mayer Perloff of Mobile. The news even made the Jewish Telegraphic Agency’s national wire.

Cherner was reelected in 1970.

In 1972, there was a task force to come up with a redistricting plan for the state, called the Cherner Plan. However, Cherner died while in office, at age 35, and it was agreed that the plan had little chance of passing, so it was shelved.

Bank, a highly decorated World War II hero who survived the Bataan Death March, served two terms, and then was elected to the Alabama Senate in 1974. He ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor in 1978. He introduced legislation to make it a felony to burn an American flag or draft card, making Alabama the first state to outlaw those actions.

A radio pioneer, Bank established the Alabama Football Radio Net work. He died in 2009.

Fine was described in the JTA piece as a World War I veteran, but he was born in 1905, making him 13 during the war. Part of the only Jewish family in Sulligent, he served one term.

Perloff was a native of New Orleans who started practicing law in Mo bile in 1956. He parachuted into France on D-Day and fought in the Bat tle of the Bulge. He served two terms in the House.

The members who were re-elected in 1970 were joined by Birming ham’s Ben Erdreich, who served in the House from 1971 to 1974. He then was elected to the Jefferson County Commission, and in 1982 was elected to Congress.

While Alabama has not had a Jewish governor, there has been a Jewish First Lady — Lori Allen Siegelman, wife of Governor Don Siegelman, who served from 1999 to 2003.

Antisemities and Extremists tracker shows mixed bag in 2022 election

Fla. Rep. Matt Gaetz among those listed

Rep. Matt Gaetz, who represents the Pensacola area in Congress, was listed in the American Jewish Congress’ election tracker of “Antisemites and Extremists.” Gaetz was criticized for engaging and defensing a re nowned antisemite and Holocaust denier.

In 2018, he invited alt-right blogger Chuck Johnson to attend the State of the Union address. Gaetz later said it was a mistake, but still had a Cal ifornia fundraiser with Johnson months later, and a dark money bitcoin contribution to a pro-Gaetz PAC was tied to Johnson.

In all, the tracker listed 20 candidates and incumbents, five Democrats and 15 Republicans. All five of the Democrats won their races, while five of the Republicans won theirs and eight were defeated, including all three gubernatorial candidates. The race for Rep. Lauren Boebert in Colorado is too close to call, and Herschel Walker is headed for a Dec. 6 runoff in Georgia. Walker was criticized for defending the use of a swastika, and for not rejecting Kanye West’s endorsement despite West’s antisemitic comments.

After redistricting, Rep. Elaine Luria loses re-election bid

From staff and JNS reports

Elaine Luria, who grew up in Birmingham’s Jewish community, lost her bid for re-election in Virginia’s second Congressional district, after the district was redrawn to make it much more Republican.

In conceding the race, she said “We set out to be good and do good work in 2018, and that is precisely what we have done.”

State Sen. Jan Kiggans defeated Luria with 52 percent to 48 percent in a race that Jewish organizations took for granted early on in the campaign.

“It has been the honor of my life to represent and serve the people of Hampton Roads in Congress,” Luria said. “Though the results were not what we wanted, I want to thank everyone for their support over the past four years.”

“While nationally Democrats held back the red wave, Congresswoman Luria — a true pro-Israel champion — had the misfortune of running in a tough district, made more Republican by redistricting, in a difficult year,” DMFI PAC chairman Mark Mellman said in an email.

Both candidates are U.S. Navy veterans and strongly support Israel. In her two terms, Luria emerged as a leader in pro-Israel legislation initiatives in Congress and was endorsed by pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC PAC, Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) PAC and Pro-Israel America PAC. Campaign donations from pro-Israel groups were the sec ond-largest sector, behind retirees, that contributed to Luria.

Luria also gained attention for being an active member of the Jan. 6 Commission investigating the violence at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.

Endorsements from pro-Israel groups came as a result of the “friendly incumbent rule” that bipartisan PACs follow, meaning that if both candi dates are equally good on Israel, the incumbent will receive the endorse ment as long as his or her term in office was sufficiently pro-Israel.

Kiggans’s pro-Israel credentials were not in question and she was en dorsed by the Republican Jewish Coalition. In an interview with the Jew ish Community Relations Council (JCRC), Kiggans said that she would fight anti-Semitism, work to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weap ons and oppose BDS.

In 2019, Luria’s first remarks from the House floor were a response to dual loyalty charges leveled by Rep. Ilhan Omar against supporters of Israel. Luria expressed shock that this would have to be the topic of her first Congressional remarks, and recounted her lengthy service in the U.S. Navy, asking what more did she have to prove.

Luria was seen as one of the most bipartisan representatives in Con gress. During the campaign, she highlighted working across the aisle, and pointed out such things as Kiggans’ strict opposition to abortion, reluc tance to say whether Biden actually won in 2020, and habit of ducking the media.

Luria told her supporters that with the continuing threats from China and the prospect of Trump trying to return in 2024, there is still a lot of work to be done, and though she had served in the Navy for 20 years and Congress for four, “I’m just getting started.”

The 2nd Congressional District includes Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Isle of Wight, Accomack, Northampton, Southampton and Franklin.

Unique Impressions Catering

by Debra Malone

Former Saint defends Kyrie Irving while spreading his own antisemitism

Former New Orleans Saint Junior Galette has added his name to the long list of people speaking out about the Kyrie Ir ving antisemitism controversy — but on Irving’s side, and add ing his own antisemitic tweets to the mix.

Galette’s Twitter account header describes him as a “For mer Saints Team Captain that is Blackballed from the NFL for calling out Pay Discrimina tion Community Revolution In Progress.”

Galette attended Temple and Stillman, and was an undrafted free agent signee by the Saints in 2010. He became a starting outside linebacker and was a defensive team captain in 2014. He was released in July 2015, signing with Washington. After missing two seasons to Achilles tears, he played all 16 games in 2017 and was third in the NFL in quarterback pressure rate.

After that season, there was a salary dispute and he has not played since. He recently filed a $300 million lawsuit against the NFL and several teams for blackballing him in 2018 after he spoke out in support of Colin Kaepernick, saying “I’m not playing for no slave deals I’ll die before I play for more slave deals.”

He accuses Washington owner Dan Snyder, who is Jewish, of keeping him from signing with the Los Angeles Rams and keeping him out of the league.

He has lashed out at Black players who denounced Irving, saying they “are all Free Masons that took a Oath (sic). This is all part of their ritu als etc they are legit TROLLING YOU GUYS they’ve been BOUGHT OUT!!!”

The tweet was accompanied by a photo of Shaquille O’Neal wearing a Freemason ring. Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith also spoke out against Irving, drawing Galette’s ire.

He referred to the NBA at TNT as the “Plantation Squad,” calling O’Ne al “Samb@ism,” Smith as “House Negro” and Barkley as “KING C—N.”

He also retweeted a video that purports to show a Chasidic man pur posely vomiting on a Black woman. The original post said “Black folks are treated like trash by white Jews irl, here’s a Jewish man projectile vomiting and hitting a black woman on the head with a bottle. And some negrows on here really defending these ppl.”

David Lange of Israellycool points out that the video first surfaced in 2019 to drum up hate against Jews and Israel. He discovered that the video was filmed at a bar in Belgium, and people who live near the bar as well as members of the Jewish community in Oostende say that Jews don’t frequent that bar, certainly not a supposed ultra-Orthodox Jew who does not have sidelocks. Lange said he does not have proof that the video was staged, but strongly suspects it is.

Besides, he added, even if it were real, why should the “reprehensible” conduct of one Jew in an isolated incident be used to stoke anti-Jewish hate?

After Ye’s posts, Galette said “These Fake Jews Got More Nuts Than The Real Jews nowadays.”

He also retweeted a Blaze TV post by Jason Whitlock saying that social media is programming Americans to “view Farrakhan, (Alex) Jones and Trump as existential threats. The same thing is being done to Kanye.”

2013 photo by Michael Hebert/New Orleans Saints

In a tweet that has been removed for violating Twit ter rules, Galette said “Ho locaust never happened all fake news to water down what they did to our ances tors #facts.”

He responded to a tweet about how “the Holocaust does not ‘water down’ the long history of slavery and the subjugation of black people” by saying “The day I let my oppressor educate me” with a video of a boom box hitting a white man in the face.

Another response that included four pictures from the Holocaust was greeted with “Lmaooo where r these made up people? Let me guess u got moon landing vids too.”

On Nov. 11, he posted an image of that last tweet and said “I did 7 days in Twitter Jail for saying the Holocaust wasn’t Real wow and I come back to people buying Blue Checks to feel important.”

continued from page 8

Bais Ariel Chabad in Birmingham will have a kosher sushi to go night, with Nori Thai making the sushi. Orders must be placed by Dec. 7 for pickup on Dec. 12 between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.

The theater group at Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Cen ter will have auditions for “The Velveteen Rabbit,” Dec. 6 from 5 to 7 p.m., with roles for ages 7 to 18. There are also slots for production crew.

Hadassah Birmingham will have its Bubbie Club luncheon on Dec. 13 at 11:30 a.m., at Longleaf Liberty Park. “You Might As Well Laugh” will be performed by the Red Mountain Theatre Seasoned Performers. The event is complimentary for Bubbe Club members, guest reserva tions are $18.

There will be a blood drive at Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El on Dec. 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Student cantor Carl Sayres will join Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem in Montgomery for Shabbat services the weekend of Jan. 6. There will be a Tot Shabbat that weekend.

Temple Beth El in Pensacola will have a Sisterhood Sock Hop on Dec. 10 at 6 p.m., with diner food, a silent auction, cash bar and cos tumes encouraged. Reservations are $18.

The Birmingham Jewish Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy group will have a volunteer opportunity on Dec. 13, making lunches and learning about poverty and food insecurity, with speaker Kelly Greene from Food for Our Journey. The program will be at 10 a.m. at the Levite Jewish Community Center auditorium.

Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El will have a Shanghai Shabbat Ruach, with a Chinese dinner after the 5:45 p.m. service on Dec. 16. Reserva tions are $20 for members, $25 non-members, $15 ages 6 to 12 and $5 for ages 5 and under.

The North Louisiana Jewish Federation will have a panel discus sion on addiction and recovery from a Jewish perspective, Dec. 22 at 6:30 p.m. Contact the Federation for location.

Licensed in Alabama, Florida and Louisiana

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Florida’s Golden joins Pearl in SEC Jewish hoops coaches fraternity New

Auburn assistant played in Israeli leagues

By Lee J. Green

SEC basketball moved clos er to a “coaches’ minyan” with Todd Golden leading the Flor ida Gators and joining Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl, as well as his son/assistant coach Steven Pearl and newly-hired gradu ate assistant Geoff Gray.

Golden became the Gators’ head man after three seasons at the University of San Francis co, guiding the Dons last year to their first NCAA tourna ment bid since 1998.

Here are the SEC Media’s picks for the 2022-23 predicted order of finish: 1 – Kentucky Wildcats 2 – Arkansas Razorbacks

– Tennessee Volunteers

– Auburn Tigers

– Alabama Crimson Tide

– Texas A&M Aggies

– Florida Gators

– LSU Tigers

– Ole Miss Rebels

– Mississippi State Bulldogs

– Missouri Tigers

– Vanderbilt Commodores

– Georgia Bulldogs

– South Carolina Gamecocks

Pearl coached Golden (and Steven Pearl) on the 2009 U.S. gold medal-winning World Maccabiah Games team, and from 2014 to 2016, Golden served as an assistant (director of operations) to Pearl at Auburn.

“Bruce is a mentor and a friend,” said Golden. “I owe so much to him for all he did for me. He has really helped in my acclimation process to the SEC.

“Bruce is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met, and his work ethic is something that I emulate. It will be a unique experience to compete against him,” he said.

Golden takes over for Mike White, who was hired by the University of Georgia.

Growing up in Phoenix, Golden’s family was involved in the Jewish community and basketball was always a big part of his life.

“We lived five minutes down the road from the Phoenix JCC. I remem ber going there every day after school and my dad played in the adult leagues there,” he said.

Golden led Sunnyslope High School to the state championship in 2002, and the guard would earn a scholarship to St. Mary’s Uni versity in California.

He played 2004 to 2008 for the Gaels, who made the NCAA tournament twice while Gold en was there. In 2008, Maccabi Haifa signed him to a contract and he played there through 2010.

“Playing in Israel and win ning the gold medal at the Maccabiah Games in 2009 were some of the most memo rable, defining moments of my career,” said Golden, who has dual U.S.-Israel citizenship. “My teammates (on Haifa) were very welcoming. I felt a strong con

nection to Israel. That experience helped me to become the man I am today.”

San Francisco was Golden’s first head coaching opportunity, and he wants to elevate the Gators to renewed prominence.

“Florida won two national championships when I was playing at St. Mary’s,” said Golden. “We have some good building blocks with (for ward) Colin Castledon and (guard) Kyle Lofton. Our goal is to bring a national championship back to Gainesville.”

Of course, Pearl’s Tigers might have something to say about that. Au burn won the SEC last year but lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to the Miami Hurricanes.

They lost first-round draft picks Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler, but Pearl said the team’s trip to Israel this past summer brought the team closer together.

“From an experience standpoint, they said it was one of the best trips of their lives,” he said. “It gave them a chance to be closer to God and to learn more about their faiths.”

“As a coach I’m always looking for ways to find common ground. I look at religion as something that should bind us together,” added Pearl.

From a basketball standpoint, the trip “helped the players to grow by being able to play against top professionals,” including NBA player Deni Avdija on the Israeli National Team.

Pearl said that experience will be important in replacing Smith and Kessler. “I’ve never lost two first rounders in all of my coaching career,” he said.

“But we have guys who will step it up, and having (junior guard) Wen dell Green Jr. come back to lead the team will help to elevate our younger players. Our strength this year is that we have really good depth.” Also returning is guard Lior Berman, who grew up in Birmingham’s Jewish community and played high school basketball at Mountain Brook.

In addition to being there for all of his players, Pearl said he wants to always be there for Jewish students at Auburn. He regularly hosts “Bagels with Bruce” and Pearl and his wife plan to once again host a Chanukah party at their house.

When asked his thoughts on Golden, Pearl was quick to praise his for mer player and assistant coach.

“I think it is just an outstanding hire,” he said. “As a coach he did a lot to get things started here and to lay an incredible foundation. He’s a young, talented coach who really connects with players. And Todd is very public with his Jewish faith.”

Gray Tiger

Gray also has experience playing in Israel. Gray is a Boston native who played at Division III Emerson, serving as captain for two years. After graduation, he secured Israeli citizenship and signed with Hapoel Eilat of Israel’s Premier League in 2019, then returned to Boston when the season was cancelled in 2020 due to Covid. In late summer, he signed with the Israeli National League’s Ironi Kiryat Ata, working out with other Israeli pros in Atlanta before heading back overseas, where he had to practice apart from his Israeli teammates for two weeks due to quarantine restric tions. He played for Migdal HaEmek in 2021.

Gray “brings high energy, a bright, young mind and recent professional playing experience to our program,” Pearl said. “He has a tireless work ethic and became an outstanding shooter in college.”

Gray said he has followed Pearl and Auburn for years, and “I could not think of a better way to transition into this next chapter of my career. I am very excited for the opportunity to learn from the best of the best in college basketball.”

He is pursuing a master’s of education and a minor in sports manage ment at Auburn.

John Cohen takes over Auburn athletics

Is the most Jewish athletic program in Divi sion I at Auburn?

On Oct. 31, John Cohen became Auburn’s 16th athletics director, leaving Mississippi State University, where he was a baseball legend.

He joins a department that has Basketball Coach Bruce Pearl, Pearl’s son and assistant coach Steven Pearl and newly-hired graduate assistant Geoff Gray, and where the track is named for legendary coach Mel Rosen. Not to mention how the fight song, “War Eagle,” was written by two Jewish New Yorkers, Robert Al len and Al Stillman, of “Home for the Holidays” fame.

Cohen said he was attracted to Auburn be cause there is “a whole lot of ‘wow’” at Auburn, and also because of its recruiting footprint, na tional brand and the Auburn Creed.

Cohen was a baseball coach for 25 years before moving into administration, and he said that helps him understand the challenges coaches face.

A Tuscaloosa native, Cohen was part of Mis sissippi State’s 1989 SEC championship and 1990 College World Series teams. In 2008, Co hen, who was baseball coach at the University of Kentucky, was named baseball coach at his alma mater, posting a 284-203-1 record in eight years before becoming athletic director, with five postseason appearances including runner-up at the College World Series in 2013.

In 2021, Mississippi State won the College World Series, its first national championship in any sport.

Cohen is the only coach in SEC history to win an SEC championship, SEC tournament cham pionship, and advance to the College World Series both as a player and head coach. He and Ron Polk are the only two baseball coaches in SEC history to lead multiple schools to SEC ti tles.

Pearl said Cohen “has won championships at the highest level both as a coach and as an administrator and knows how to win. Given his experience as a Southeastern Conference Athletic Director and knowing he’s empowering (interim athletic director) Rich McGlynn, this is the best of both worlds. I’m excited about our new leadership team. It’s time for the Auburn family to come together as we move forward.”

“I want to make sure that every student-ath lete has a positive and productive experience at Auburn University that goes way beyond the ex perience they’ve having now,” Cohen said. “My goal is to put Auburn in position to win SEC championships and national championships. My goal is to relentlessly promote this wonder ful university.”

Finding her way from Florala

By Richard Friedman

When you can’t get a book out of your mind, the author has done a great job.

Rose Barbara Gitenstein, who grew up as one of about 15 Jews in Florala, a tiny dot on the map along the Alabama side of the Alabama-Florida border, has written such a book. “Experience Is the Angled Road: Memoir of an Academic” was published in August.

This is a compelling, instructive and easyto-read memoir. Sharing the drama, chal lenges and triumphs of her life, Gitenstein traces her journey from Florala to the presi dency of The College of New Jersey.

Gracefully written, she weaves her memories together by drawing on three generations of intra-family letters. While the letters are deeply per sonal, they reflect universal themes: human imperfection; internal strug gles; hurts, anger and disappointment; ambition and achievement, and an enduring love and strength of character.

Chatting via Zoom from her New York home, this gifted and person able Alabama native was asked what she sees as the core themes of her memoir.  She answers quickly: Resilience, which she especially saw in her father and her maternal grandmother, and the importance of seeking out good mentors, which she has done, who can both guide and challenge you.

Her father, Seymour Gitenstein, who died in 2010 at 94, moved from New York to Florala in 1932 at age 17. He came South to help run his father’s textile manufacturing business, Riverside Shirt and Underwear Corporation. The family prospered, he would employ 1000 people and become a well-known civic and philanthropic leader.

The author, his daughter, Bobby, known as Rose Barbara while growing up, was born in 1948.  Bobby’s older brother Mark would become Presi dent Obama’s ambassador to Romania and President Biden’s ambassador to the European Union. He also served as Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in the 1990s and is the author of the book, “Matters of Principle: An Insider’s Account of America’s Rejection of Robert Bork’s Nomination to the Supreme Court.” Susan, the youngest, developed her own publicity firm, focusing on financial services.

Despite the family‘s achievements and prominence, the letters that anchor this memoir tell a poignant and all-too-human story; Seymour Gitenstein carried what for him was a dark and painful secret — he was a homosexual. In his later years, he revealed this to his daughter, though there had been hints throughout his life.

Meanwhile, the author’s New York-raised mother would struggle des perately to find her place in Florala before her life began disintegrating in the late 1970s due to early onset Alzheimer’s.

Living Room Worship

At the heart of this story are the challenges that all the Gitenstein chil dren faced, struggling to find their way and blaze their own paths. They would attend schools far from Florala — but never far from the family‘s travail.

One thing that Gitenstein emphasizes in her memoir is that though the family lived among few Jews, they clung to their Judaism, conducting worship services weekly in their living room.

Gitenstein, who has kept her name professionally, would marry a Flo rala man, Don Hart, who was raised Baptist. It was not a simple courtship. Both families were uncomfortable. For the Harts it was their son marry

Sanders Painting

ing someone Jewish; for the Gitensteins it was their daughter marrying someone not Jewish and a native of Florala. Nonetheless, her hus band has supported Gitenstein’s commitment to Judaism, which included sending their two children to Hebrew school and having their son become a bar mitzvah.

A younger sister, Susan, married a Palestin ian man who died a few days before the Zoom interview. Though not Jewish, he wanted to be buried in Florala in the local cemetery’s small Jewish section.

Ultimately “Experience Is the Angled Road”  — a phrase coined by Emily Dickinson — is a story of how a young Jewish woman, thought of by the Flora la townspeople as “the girl who had everything,” overcame her insecurities and sense of never fully belonging, both within and outside her home.

Gifted academically and mo tivated, Gitenstein’s journey was not easy. Along with the quiet turbulence and unease that hung in her family’s air, she has struggled most of her life with the effects of a debilitating disease — ulcerative colitis.  She writes about having ma jor, life-threatening surgeries and the pain of not being able to have kids biologically, though she and her husband would adopt two children. She struggled over including her health challenges in her memoir because she has never wanted people to think of her as an “invalid” — which, she notes, also means “in-valid.”

There also have been other life-changing challenges.  Her best friend from Florala, Cliff Matthews, was killed in a car crash in their se nior year of high school.

She almost lost her own life when she and her family were living in Missouri where she had an academic job. Driving through a colossal rainstorm and flooding, she was washed down into a culvert after she, her husband and two students got out of the car seeking safety. Giten stein then was washed 350 yards through the culvert, exhausted and surviving on sheer will. She swam out of the culvert into a storm-cre ated lake where her husband miraculously was

waiting for her in the water.

As she thought about it during the Zoom talk, she came to see the culvert episode as a metaphor for her life — swimming through turbulence, surviving on resilience and sheer will, and landing safely in the arms of her loving husband.

Never About Her

Two other things distinguish this memoir. Even as Gitenstein recounts her most trau matic and dramatic memories, she writes with understatement, believing “less is more.” She also writes with humility; the book is about her, yet it is never “about her.”

Some of her most powerful and compassionate writing is about her father.  A man who loved music, he enjoyed nothing more than sitting at the piano, alone in the living room of their spacious Florala home, lost in thought as he was playing classical pieces, embraced by the tranquility of the moment.

In writing about her father and the manage ment of his factory, Gitenstein sets the stage for her next book.  She reflects that as she climbed through the ranks of academia, she tried to em ulate the management style that made her dad so beloved by his employees.  He knew their names — all 1000 of them.  He knew their fami lies.  And he had a way about him that made his workers feel important.

At the College of New Jersey, this is exact ly what Gitenstein tried to do as she helped transform the institution from what was once a state teachers college into a regionally-presti gious institution. Vesting others in the mission and connecting with them personally have been cornerstones of her success.

It is interesting, though, that other than a few snippets in her introduction, “Experience Is the Angled Road” contains little about her challeng es and triumphs as a successful college presi dent.  When asked why, she tipped her hand.

That experience, said the girl from Florala, is the centerpiece of her next volume of memoirs.

Jewish Life Television expands availability in area

Jewish Life Television, the nation’s largest and most robust 24-7 English language, Jew ish-themed television network, announced that Spectrum has made JLTV more widely available to its Alabama video customers through its Spectrum “Entertainment View” package.

Throughout Alabama and the Florida pan handle, JLTV can be viewed on Spectrum Channel 256. In the Columbus, Ga./Opelika

area, it is channel 469.

With Comcast/Xfinity, JLTV is available through Xumo channel 561. Along Florida’s Gulf coast, it is on channel 239. JLTV is also on DirecTV, channel 325-1, and on Roku.

More cultural than religious, JLTV welcomes viewers of all faiths and is available in over 50 mil lion homes through options including Charter/ Spectrum, Comcast/Xfinity, Cox and DirecTV.

an annual SJL special section

Year-End Dates to Remember

Weekends make deadlines for tax purposes trickier

The end of the year is approaching and the Birmingham Jewish Feder ation and the Birmingham Jewish Foundation wants the community to know about dates and items to remember for charitable giving, especially with New Year’s Eve and Christmas falling on weekends.

Dec. 31 is a Saturday with banks, brokerages and non-profits closed. Many post offices will be closed or have limited weekend hours.

The Internal Revenue Service requires that all checks must be post marked by the last day of the year to get a 2022 deduction. Just dating a check Dec. 31 and mailing it later will not be sufficient. With New Year’s Eve falling on a Saturday, checks should be mailed/postmarked or delivered in person no later than Dec. 30.

The BJF and Foundation also remind community members that they no longer have their post office box, and all mail must be sent to their street address, 3966 Montclair Road, 35213.

To receive a 2022 deduction, gifts of stock must be completed, and in the Federation’s or Foundation’s account by Dec. 30. Because Dec. 26 is a federal holiday with banks, brokerages and non-profits closed, it is recom mended that such gifts be initiated by Dec. 20 to ensure there will be time for the transaction to be completed by Dec. 30. Gifts of mutual funds may take even longer. If it is after that date, be sure to check with the broker as to how long the transfer should take.

For those gifting stock to the Birmingham Jewish Foundation, let them know how many shares and what stock is being donated. Notify Sally Fried man (205) 803-1519 sallyf@bjf.org, Sarah Gotlieb (205) 332-3711 sarahg@ bjf.org or Carol Rogers (205) 803-1516 carolr@bjf.org so the gift can be tracked and attributed to the correct fund.

For gifts to the Federation, contact Claire Diamond claired@bjf.org (205) 803-1513 or Kim Patterson kimp@bjf.org (205) 803-1523 with the name of the stock and how many shares are being donated.

Online gifts should also be posted by Dec. 30.

For the Birmingham Jewish Foundation, click on the Donate button and select either Dream Street or Foundation Donations. Choose the amount, and then in the comments section indicate which fund should receive the gift. For any questions, contact Friedman.

For the Federation, contact Diamond if assistance is needed.

The charitable IRA rollover, or qualified charitable distribution, is a special provision allowing particular donors of age 70.5 to exclude from taxable income— and count toward their required minimum distribution — certain transfers of Individual Retirement Account assets that are made directly to public charities. As a supporting organization, the Birmingham Jewish Foundation is not eligible to receive that type of gift. For suggestions on a “rollover” gift from an IRA to satisfy the required minimum distribu tion, contact Friedman for some suggestions.

This article should not serve as a legal opinion. Donors should contact their own tax or financial adviser to find out what giving options work best in an individual situation.

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Financial Reporting and Audits • Tax Planning and Compliance Outsourced Accounting and Payroll Technology Consulting, Design and Support

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Lakeshore Park Plaza 2204 Lakeshore Drive, Suite 300 Birmingham, AL 35209 www.dentmoses.com

Supporting community growth is about providing financial solutions and guidance that people and businesses can trust. That’s what Valley is all about. Let

How to Give Smarter Despite a Down Market

Despite adversity and a down market, the Jewish Endowment Foun dation of Louisiana’s donors have not stopped giving — they just give smarter.

Year after year, they are amazed by their generous donors who contin ue to give to JEF and to other organizations that are important to them, especially when help is needed most. Their philanthropy and desire to improve the world and help others truly makes a difference.

The key to weathering market volatility is simple: Keep a long-term perspective — these swings are normal and expected. For charitably minded individuals, that advice goes one step further: Keep giving, but make sure you are giving strategically.

Why should one keep giving? Charities desperately need help. Non profits and the communities they serve are still experiencing urgent needs following the challenges of recent years.

For those who are ready to give, keep these smart-giving strategies in mind:

Give smarter by picking the right asset. Certain stocks in one’s port folio may still hold significant appreciation after years of market growth — making them a great asset to give to charity. This is especially true for some sectors that respond differently to market volatility. By donating long-term appreciated stock to charity, one will generally be eligible for two tax benefits — making this a more strategic approach than donating with cash or credit. For those who itemize, the donation may qualify for a tax deduction, and capital gains taxes can be avoided on any stock appre ciation. Another consideration, rather than writing checks to nonprofits,

would be to use that cash to instead purchase new stocks — or repurchase the same ones and reset the cost basis.

Don’t be afraid to look beyond a publicly traded investment portfo lio. Perhaps a donor is committed to supporting favorite charities when they need it most, but market fluctuations are impacting one’s portfolio more than one had hoped. Certain charities can accept privately held in terests as well as publicly traded stock — and the appreciation in these non-public assets often make them prime for charitable giving.

To simplify further, consider a strategic giving vehicle like a donor advised fund, which is like a charitable investment account that allows one to contribute a variety of assets and invest the balance for potential growth. JEF can often accept gifts of these more “complex” assets and turn them into charitable dollars that can be leveraged for higher impact giving.

With preparation and planning, a donor can be the hero to favorite charities by continuing to support them during market volatility. No matter how the market behaves, working with advisors and leveraging these giving strategies can help individuals weather the storm while still making more of a difference.

For more information, contact Bobby Garon (bobby@jefno.org) or Debbie Berins (debbie@jefno.org) at (504) 524-4559 with any questions.

This article is for informational purposes only and should not be con strued as legal, tax, or financial advice. When considering gift planning strategies, you should always consult with your own legal and tax advisers.

YEAR-END CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS

If you are making end of the year charitable contributions please note that the following Internal Revenue Service rules must be followed:

• All mail with checks must be postmarked on or before December 30, 2022

• All stock transfers must be completed and in our account on or before December 30, 2022

• To be sure your gift is complete, please don’t wait until the last minute.

Thank you for your continued support!

The Birmingham Jewish Federation & The Birmingham Jewish Foundation

Relationship-driven approach in Valley Bank’s acquisition of Bank Leumi USA

Earlier this year, Valley Bank completed its acquisition of Bank Leumi USA, bringing Valley’s assets to just over $50 billion and mak ing Valley one of the 30 largest banks in the country.

Bank Leumi USA is the U.S. arm of Bank Leumi Le-Israel, which some may be familiar with as a leading commercial bank in Israel. The acquisition widens the range of services available to Valley customers, as the bank now has capabilities for private banking. And it ex panded the bank’s footprint beyond its base of Florida, Alabama, New York and New Jersey.

Valley Bank now has new offices in key markets such as Los Angeles, Silicon Valley and Chicago, while growing its presence in New York City and South Florida.

One big thing does not change, though — Valley’s relationship-driven approach to banking. As the two organizations worked through the ac quisition, the top focus was keeping a high level of service for current and future clients.

A Shared Approach Focused on Relationships

Jeff Watts, formerly of Bank Leumi USA, is now leading Valley’s Corpo rate Banking in Florida and Alabama, as well as serving as one of the bank’s senior executives in South Florida. He has more than 20 years of banking experience working in Florida.

“Our teams are excited by how Valley can now better serve the entire business community across our footprint,” Watts said. “Our central goal is always to understand each business owner’s unique model and growth strategy to recommend solutions that add value.”

Valley’s history and expertise in business and commercial banking has allowed the bank to maintain a strong presence in Southeast markets from Alabama down through Florida. The addition of corporate banking will allow Valley to serve the entire spectrum of Commercial & Industrial busi ness more fully, Watts said.

This more robust team and expanded range of services also provides Val ley a path to grow in such niches as healthcare and technology.

Retaining and Growing Talent

Instead of seeing the type of employee fallout that is common following an acquisition, Valley has retained quality talent and have attracted excep tional new talent in recent months.

Watts attributes the retention of team members to the two organiza tions’ similarities in culture and complementary capabilities and lines of business. That culture, combined with a strong balance sheet and relation ship-focused banking approach is also helping to attract new talent.

“Since April, we’ve added four new bankers just to our Corporate Bank ing team in Florida,” he said. “And anytime you can add experienced and well-connected banking professionals, it is a win for the customers and community.”

Customers have been sharing their thoughts with Watts and other Valley leaders since the acquisition was finalized in April, and the feedback has been very positive.

“Usually there are questions tied to market impact,” he said, “but the transaction was viewed in a very positive light by clients given the contin ued focus on relationships, commitment to our markets and expansion of capabilities.

Looking Ahead

Consolidation in the banking industry, particularly in Southeastern

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states like Florida and Alabama, has continued in recent years as many banks grow to a point where personal service falls by the wayside.

Valley, meanwhile, remains dedicated to its relationship-focused ap proach to banking to separate itself from the megabanks.

“From the technology that enables our teams to serve customers quick ly, to our wide range of finance products, Valley continues to evolve to meet our customer needs,” Watts said.

>> Editor

when I sensed someone was heading down a bad path with his ques tion, and deflected it.

Now, I’m not naive. As you will see in this issue, there was an arson attempt outside my congregation recently (though all indications are it was the random act of a firebug and not antisemitic). Last yeah, someone stole the tall Chanukah from outside Chabad of Huntsville.

There’s always a chance that something could happen. But we can’t let the haters win.

What did Rabbi Cohen do after the theft in Huntsville? He ordered several more, to place in several locations around the area. There were expressions of concern and support from the Christian community in Huntsville.

After the arson at Beth-El, the state director for Christians United for Israel activated her prayer chains in a show of support.

When something negative happens, we’ve seen that support from our neighbors routinely.

The Chanukah display is visible in the community; when my press credentials were being checked at one of the World Games venues this summer, the guy said “you’re the Chanukah house!” That happens very frequently.

It is incredible to walk on one of the Wacky Tacky buses and be greeted by a group of third grade girls, decked out in their Christmas outfits and reindeer antler headbands, singing the Dreidel song to me.

Or getting on a bus to the chants of “Chanukah! Chanukah!” or a group of inebriated twentysomethings singing Adam Sandler’s Cha nukah song (didn’t have the heart to tell them I’m not a fan of Sandler).

We’ve had people say the Chanukah House is their favorite stop on the tour (it must be the chocolate), we’ve had couples talk about it being part of their first date.

Thousands have seen the Chanukah House on Wacky Tacky, and maybe a couple dozen have been Jewish. Countless more have stum bled on it or heard about it from a friend. That’s thousands of people having a great experience in a Jewish context, and many of them may not really know anyone Jewish.

Not to mention being told by people in the Jewish community that their kids like seeing themselves represented.

Chanukah is about bringing light to the world. We can’t do that be hind drawn curtains.

At a time when there is so much misunderstanding and misper ception, being visible and accessible is how we build understanding. Standing up and showing our pride is how we gain respect.

Turn the so-called December Dilemma into a December opportu nity. And you don’t even need to become the power company’s best friend to do so.

Show up and show out, and after Chanukah, find ways to keep do ing it.

Haters gonna hate. We can’t let them dictate.

Pictured from left to right: Alan Weintraub, Financial Advisor, First Vice President-Investments, Bari Bridges, CFP®, Financial Advisor, Steven Wetzel, Financial Consultant, Linda Hodges, Senior Registered Client Associate, Jonathan Schlackman, Branch Manager, Senior Vice President-Investments, Alan Brockhaus, CFP®, ChFC®, Assistant Vice President, Branch Liaison, Joshua Zamat, Financial Advisor, First Vice President-Investments

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Lawrence Brook, Publisher/Editor

chanukah

Sazerac House

101 Magazine St. New Orleans 504/910.0100 sazerachouse.com

For the bourbon lover on the go, this leather wrapped 6oz. flask is finished with an authentic spent bourbon barrel wood badge featuring the Sazerac House logo. $45

For a listing of special holiday events, see the back cover.

Hollywood Outdoor Living

NOT CALLED THE HOLIDAY OF LIGHTS FOR NOTHING. USE THOSE EIGHT DAYS FOR CHIC, SPARKLE AND SHINE. 1.

1441 Montgomery Hwy Birmingham 205/979.7727 hollywoodoutdoorliving.com

WISH THEM A

The Medium Big Green Egg is perfectly sized for smaller families and couples, while the Large Big Green Egg is the most popular size and a favorite to handle the cooking needs of most families and gatherings of friends. They accommodate all the most popular EGGcessories like the convEGGtor and Pizza and Baking Stone. You can get all the famous Big Green Egg versatility and efficiency with plenty of cooking area to accommodate small or large holiday parties.

2.

Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience

818 Howard Avenue New Orleans 504/384.2480 msje.org

Rabbi Chaim Litvin was born and raised in Louisville, Ky. The “Bourbon Rabbi” has been involved in the bourbon industry for over a decade and has been prominently featured in numerous publications. These beautiful, handmade Mezuzah cases are made of used bourbon barrels. They are hand crafted by the Bourbon Rabbi and are hand painted by his wife Fraidy Litvin. The case is hollowed out to hold the mezuzah scroll and comes with velcro to affix to any surface. They are roughly 2” wide, .75” deep and 5 to 6” tall. $50.

chanukah gifts

Hollywood Outdoor Living heats things up for Chanukah

By Lee J. Green

A family-owned business for more than 25 years, Hollywood Outdoor Living wants to bring families and friends together to enjoy the great outdoors at their homes.

“Our family has cherished the relationships we have developed with families across the area for many years,” said Hollywood Outdoor Living CEO Steve Mote. “We’re continuing to grow the company and focus on the products our custom ers are looking for.”

Hollywood Outdoor Living was founded as Hollywood Pools in 1986 at its original location on Hollywood Boulevard. In 2000, they moved to a building on Highway 31 in Vestavia and began offering lines of luxury outdoor furniture.

In 2005, they renovated and moved into an ex panded facility further south on Highway 31 in Vestavia. They expanded their pool and spa ser vices in 2018 through the acquisition of Alabama Outdoor Pools.

Then in March 2021, Hollywood acquired an other long-time, family-owned business — Ala bama Gaslight and Grill, a 52-year-old company that offered gas/charcoal grills, luxury lighting, fireplace products and accessories.

“We’ve really seen immense growth and inter est with grills and spas, especially products that are available immediately,” said Mote.

Hollywood Outdoor Living is the oldest Sun dance Spa dealer in Alabama. The Sundance Op tima 880 Series offers room for seven adults and a variety of seat heights formed to fit diverse body types comfortably. The units have powerful jets and bubbles that deliver aromatherapy.

Mote said they also recommend the medium and large Big Green Egg as Chanukah gifts to heat up the holiday. Both can be “Eggcessorized” with pizza stones, utensils, covers and cookbooks. “The Big Green Eggs are very versatile and perfect for baking, roasting or smoking,” he said.

Hollywood Outdoor Living also recommends fire pits by Modern Home Products and Goldens’ Cast Iron. For more information, visit the com pany’s new website at www.hollywoodoutdoor living.com

Sundance Spas’ Optima® has the best of everything. A perfect gift for someone who needs a little more relaxation in their life.

Lee

opens greatly expanded jewelry “experience” in Metairie

Just in time for Chanukah shopping, Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry has opened its new flagship store in Metairie, outside Lakeside Shopping Center.

At 10,000 square feet, the freestanding store is more than twice the size of the store that was inside the mall since 1996. Chad Berg, co-president, said it is “an opportunity we have been working on for over five years,” and “we are really excited.”

The expanded space “allows us to put our best foot forward,” as “our goal is to give every customer an extraordinary experience, no matter the amount of the sale.”

The “Extraordinary Experience” includes fine gems, loose diamonds, timepieces and gifts sourced from around the world, and a team educated and accredited by the Gemological Institute of America.

While “our business in Lakeside was the best it has been,” Berg said “we wanted more space and visibility.” The flagship location allows them “to really put our flag down.”

The new location has two entrances — one of which is dedicated to the Rolex collection.

In addition to Rolex, there are boutiques for David Yurman, Tudor, Roberto Coin, Tag Heuer and Mikimoto, as well as offerings from Marco Bicego, Temple St. Clair, Lagos, John Hardy and Ippolita.

“It’s unique to have all those brands all in one store,” Berg said.

There is also an expanded bridal counter, a watchmaker shop, jeweler and full-time appraiser on site.  The new store features a seating area for customers, and several beverage stations.

They pride themselves anticipating a customer’s needs, being able to provide expert advice on jewelry, the design of custom pieces or the care and repair of tender pieces that are family heirlooms.

Lee Michaels began in 1978, as Lee Michael Berg and his wife, Brenda, moved from Dallas and chose to open a store in Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge. Chad Berg said his father started with loans from family mem bers and his own savings, and “started from not knowing a soul in Baton Rouge,” but quickly became involved with the local Jewish community.

The company expanded to Shreveport in 1981, then Lafayette and Jack son before opening in Metairie.

“We are constantly looking to innovate and grow,” said Lee Michael Berg. “We have enjoyed our Lakeside location for the last 25 years, but it was time to enhance our customer experience and the environment in which they shop.”

Each of the nine stores — there are two each in San Antonio and Baton Rouge — has either been renovated in the last five years, or will be in

the next few years, to make sure they are “best in class,” Chad Berg said. Stores in Shreveport and Baton Rouge recently completed extensive renovations.  Next year, the firm will open their 10th store in San Antonio, at the Alamo Quarry.

Chad Berg is co-president with his brothers, Ryan and Scott, as the second generation of company leadership. He is in charge of Metairie, Lafayette and Jackson, while his brothers take care of the Shreveport, Albuquerque, San Anto nio and Baton Rouge locations. “We feel fortu nate to have each other to lean on, especially the last few years,” he said.

“We have been a part of this community for over 25 years, and with this expansion our commitment to this city is greater than ever,” he added.

Revamped Gates Gifts ready for Chanukah

The Sisterhood at Gates of Prayer in Metairie recently revamped the area’s only congregational gift shop, with new merchandise in time for Chanukah shopping, or for any occasion.

Sisterhood President Judy Lieberman said “like all businesses, we have felt the effects of Covid, but we have persevered.”

The gift shop was founded by Mildred Lan dau and past Sisterhood president Amy Lake in the 1950s, by taking a glass display case from a drugstore and setting it up in the social hall at the former building on Napoleon Avenue.

Lieberman said it was done as a service to the congregation, which is still the case, but it also now contributes to Sisterhood’s annual budget.

Last year, the Landau family made a donation to the gift shop in Mildred Landau’s memory. “This generous donation allowed us to make improvements to the space and bring in new merchandise for our community,” Lieberman said. “It will ensure that we remain a viable pres ence at our temple for years to come.”

The shop features Michael Aram, Annieglass, Beatrix Ball, Mariposa and many other lines.

Lee Michaels

3020 N. Causeway Blvd. Metairie Also Shreveport, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Jackson 504/832-0000 lmfj.com

The shop is now known as Gates Gifts pre sented by the Landau Family. The shop is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and during JFlex Sundays. Or ders can also be done online at gatesofprayer sisterhood.com.

Gates Gifts

4000 West Esplanade Avenue Metairie gatesofprayersisterhood.com

The Ranney and Emel Songu Mize Chamber Opera Series

Daniel

Chanukah Events in the region

Here is a list of Chanukah events that had been announced in the region by press time. For the latest information, check our e-news, This Week in Southern Jewish Life. To subscribe, send an email to subscribe@sjlmag.com. As always, check with individual congregations or organizations to get updates on their events.

Alabama

Temple Beth El in Anniston will have a Cha nukah service on Dec. 16 at 7 p.m.

Beth Shalom in Auburn will have its Chanu kah party on Dec. 18 at 4:30 p.m.

You Belong in Birmingham, Chabad, Tem ple Beth-El and Temple Emanu-El will have a young adults Matzah Ball on Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Birmingham Zoo. Neon clothing encouraged. There will be an open bar, dinner, and music with DJ Chris Amerson. Early bird tickets are $18, $30 after Nov. 21.

Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El will have its Brotherhood Chanukah luncheon and raffle, Dec. 11 at 11 a.m.

The Sisterhood Latke Luncheon at Birming ham’s Temple Beth-El returns on Dec. 11 at noon, with salad, tuna, kugel and desserts. Res ervations are $12 for adults, $6 for ages 6 to 12. At 10:30 a.m. there will be an Inter-Everything holiday share, and children’s activities starting at 11:15 a.m. There will also be a pizza dinner and congregational candle lighting on Dec. 19 at 5 p.m.

Knesseth Israel in Birmingham will have its Chanukah party at the house on Crosby, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. There will be dinner and bingo, and gemstones for the winners. Reserve by Dec. 16. Reservations are $20 and include one bingo card, $60 family maximum, $5 additional cards. Pay at the door is $25 and $70, respectively. Raf fle tickets are $18.

The annual Grand Menorah Lighting at the Summit, organized by Chabad of Alabama with the Levite Jewish Community Center, Birming ham Jewish Federation and Foundation, will be Dec. 18 at 4:30 p.m. at the Saks plaza. There will be music, latkes and doughnuts, a balloon artist, drum circle, 360 photo both and more.

Dothan’s Temple Emanu-El will have the Chanukah Potluck and Great Latke Cookoff, Dec. 23 at 6 p.m. Latke chefs and attendees need to reserve by Dec. 16, and the latkes will be made at home. The potluck is $10 for ages 12 and up for drinks, doughnuts and more. For judges, latke voting cards are $5 at the door.

B’nai Israel in Florence will have its Chanu kah party and brief service on Dec. 18 at 5 p.m.

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Etz Chayim in Huntsville will have its Cha nukah party on Dec. 18, with bingo at 11 a.m. and latkes and lunch at noon. Tickets are $8 for adults, ages 13 and under are free.

Temple B’nai Sholom in Huntsville will have its Chanukah Craft Fair and silent auction on Dec. 11, from noon to 4 p.m.

The Chabad of Huntsville Chanukah celebra tion will be on Dec. 22 at 4:30 p.m. at Bridge Street Town Centre, with music, latkes, dough nuts and more. The event is free.

There will be a joint Chanukah party for Springhill Avenue Temple and Ahavas Chesed in Mobile, co-sponsored by the Mobile Area Jewish Federation. The party will be on Dec. 18 from 3 to 6 p.m. at Springhill Avenue. Bring a dish to share, and the combined men’s clubs will provide latkes.

Ahavas Chesed in Mobile will also have a Gui tar Shabbat, Chanukah style, on Dec. 23 at 6 p.m.

Chabad of Mobile will have a Light Up The Night Chanukah celebration with a menorah lighting, a visit with Mobile’s fire chief, Chanu kah treats, crafts and a fire juggler. The celebra tions will be at Fairhope Pier Pavilion on Dec. 18 at 6 p.m., and at Bienville Square in Mobile on Dec. 20 at 6:30 p.m.

The Southeast Chavurah will hold a Chanu

Nola Chanukah events in solidarity with Ukraine

The New Orleans community Chanukah celebrations will have a Nola Together for Ukraine theme.

Before Chabad of Louisiana’s annual Cha nukah at the Riverwalk celebration on Dec. 18 at Riverwalk Spanish Plaza, the 3 p.m. event will feature speakers from across the community, standing in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. The event will celebrate the courage and pride of Ukrainians, and recognize the hundreds of refugees who have settled in New Orleans this year.

The Riverwalk celebration from 4 to 6 p.m. will include a Chanukah graffiti mural, car icature artist, air brush artist, face painting, latkes, a kosher food booth and a “make a change” menorah. The lighting ceremony will be at 5 p.m.

As part of the Jewish Community Center’s Southern Fried Chanukah on Dec. 19 at 5:30

kah party at the Fairhope Yacht Club, Dec. 17 at 11:30 a.m.

Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem in Montgomery will have the Steve Miller Latke Hot Dog Lunch and Cake and Bake Sale on Dec. 11.

p.m. at the Uptown JCC, Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans CEO Arnie Fielkow will speak. He has two daughters from Ukraine, and they have been assisting family members who are still in the war-torn area.

The JCC’s event will be highlighted by a performance of Six13, a New York-based six-member a capella men’s group that uses nothing but the human voice to give an ar ray of sounds, with a strong Jewish identity to a repertoire of over 200 pieces. Rabbi Phil Kaplan of Beth Israel in Metairie is a former member of Six13, and appeared in the group’s viral video, “Bohemian Chanukah.”

Donations will be accepted online and in person at both events. Funds raised will go to the University of New Orleans English as a Second Language program for Ukrainian ref ugees, and youth and recreational program ming in Ukraine.

Temple Beth Or will have a Chanukah dinner after Shabbat services on Dec. 16, earlier than previously announced. Reservations are $20 for adults, $25 for non-members, $10 for ages 5 to 12, free for 4 and under. Reservations must be

made by Dec. 5.

The L’Chaim League in Montgomery will have its Chanukah lunch on Dec. 21 at noon at Sinclair’s. Cost is $17, and reservations close on Dec. 14.

Florida Panhandle

Chabad Emerald Coast will have a Chanukah story time at the Destin Barnes and Noble, Dec. 11 at 11 a.m. The annual Chanukah celebration and grand menorah lighting will be on Dec. 18 at 5 p.m. at Harborwalk Village.

Beth Shalom in Fort Walton Beach will have its Chanukah celebration on Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. at The Landing. There will also be a Family Cha nukah Night on Dec. 23 with latkes, a menorah lighting, the Chanukah story as told by Chuck London, and holiday songs with Michael Walker.

Chabad of Panama City Beach is partnering with Home Depot for a Menorah Workshop, Dec. 11 at 9 a.m. at the Panama City Beach lo cation of Home Depot. There will be Chanukah refreshments, building a wooden menorah, and a free worker’s apron. Registration is required for the free event, and space is limited. The an nual Menorah Lighting will be at Pier Park on Dec. 18, and there will be a kid’s story time for Chanukah at the library on Dec. 21 at 4 p.m.

Temple Beth El in Pensacola will have a latke making party on Dec. 11, starting at 8 a.m.

Louisiana

Gemiluth Chassodim in Alexandria will have its congregational Chanukah party on Dec. 18 at 5 p.m. The religious school Chanukah party will be on Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. at Wayback Arcade in Pineville.

Chabad of Baton Rouge will hold the annual Chanukah at the State Capitol on Dec. 18 at 4:30 p.m. on the front steps, with a menorah light ing, chocolate gelt drop, latke bar, face painting and a Chanukah laser light show. The event is free and open to the community. The Women’s Circle will hold the Chanukah Chocolate Work shop on Dec. 5 at 6:45 p.m. at The Best Touch Salon, reservations are $18 and sponsorships are $36. There will also be a pre-Chanukah pop-up shop, Dec. 4 at 12:15 p.m. at the BREC conference room, with Judaica gifts, Chanukah delicacies and supplies.

The Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge Sisterhood will hold Candles and Cook ies on Dec. 11 at 1 p.m., with a guided candle making experience at Bougie Bar, followed by cookie decorating at the Posner residence at 3:15 p.m. Participants can join for either or both. Reservations are $18 for the candles, free for the cookie decorating.

The Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton

Rouge will have a congregational pre-Chanukah party following the 6 p.m. Shabbat service on Dec. 16, with music by Joey Roth and a free food truck. The community celebration will be on Dec. 18 at 10:30 a.m., and there will be a visit from Henry S. Jacobs Camp.

Chabad of Baton Rouge is partnering with Temple Shalom in Lafayette for the first Lafayette Grand Chanukah Menorah Lighting, Dec. 19 at 4:30 p.m. at the Parc Sans Souci. There will be latkes and doughnuts, face painting and crafts for kids, and more. The event is free and open to the community.

Chabad in Baton Rouge is also partnering with Temple Sinai in Lake Charles for a Grand Menorah Lighting on Dec. 20 at 4:30 p.m. at the amphitheater at Lake Charles Civic Center. The event is free and open to the community.

B’nai Israel in Monroe will have its Chanukah party on Dec. 18 at 5 p.m., bring a side dish or dessert to share.

The Jewish Federation of North Louisiana is hosting the Shreveport Chanukah party on Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m., details to be announced.

Agudath Achim in Shreveport will have a covered dish dinner on Dec. 23 at 6:30 p.m.

New Orleans Area

Northshore Jewish Congregation in Mandeville will have a pre-Cha nukah Shabbat service and party on Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m.

Gates Gifts at Gates of Prayer in Metairie will have a Chanukah Bazaar, Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the newly restocked gift shop. There will also be a bake sale.

JNOLA and Chabad of Louisiana will present The Olive Press, a handson Chanukah workshop about making olive oil and crafting Chanukah candles. It will be at the Btesh Family Chabad House Uptown on Dec. 11 at 3 p.m. Limited space is available, reservations are $5 per family.

Chabad of Louisiana will have a Chanukah Chocolate Workshop, to create chocolate gifts. There will be a menorah lighting, refreshments and a wine bar. The event at Uptown Chabad will be on Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Reservations are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. There will also be fresh latkes available while shopping at Winn Dixie on Tchoupitoulas, Dec. 12 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Temple Sinai in New Orleans will celebrate Chanukah on the Avenue on Dec. 23.

Touro Synagogue in New Orleans will have a congregational Chanu kah celebration with a Yamim Yafim consecration for the Kindergarten class, and new first and second graders. The service will be at 6 p.m. on Dec. 16. After services, there will be a fried foods dinner, with fried chicken, latkes, a sufganiyot bar and more. Reservations for dinner are $18 for adults, $6 for children.

Jewish Community Day School in Metairie will have its Chanukah extravaganza, “Wax Warriors: Chanukah Candle Boot Camp,” Dec. 16 at 8:15 a.m. at Shir Chadash. Chanukah treats will be available after the program.

Beth Israel in Metairie will have a kid’s Chanukah party on Dec. 18. Details will be announced.

Shir Chadash in Metairie will have its second annual Ugly Sweater Cha nukah Poker Night, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. in the sukkah garden. There will also be a Chai-Nese Chanukah Dinner, Dec. 25. Details will be announced.

Chabad of Louisiana and PJ Library will host latke cooking at Whole Foods in Metairie, Dec. 4 at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. There will be a do-it-yourself pasta menorah. Limited space is available.

Mississippi

Beth Israel in Gulfport will have its annual Chanukah party the af ternoon of Dec. 18. The men’s club is also planning a bowling night on Dec. 24.

have ever considered it.

So, why do the words pray and prey seem so closely related? First, because of the staggering ly increasing lack of literacy in the 21st centu ry. Second, on one day a year — Super Sunday — the Federation is allowed to make everyone their prey.

Ultimately, no matter how much one prays that they don’t become someone’s prey, at the end of the service during the final prayer, we symbolically remember the connection to the tallis’s corners/wings as we take off the tallis, by singing Adon Olam to the tune of “Free Bird.”

The melody works. Try it.

Doug Brook intends no offense to Southern Miss — their Hall of Fame punter is quite a guy. To read past columns, visit http://brookwrite. com/. For exclusive online content, like facebook. com/rearpewmirror

Mah Jongg card sales

It is time for the annual National Mah Jongg League card order, with groups in different communities selling them as a fundraiser. Reg ular cards are $14, and large cards are $15.

Ellie Friedman is ordering them in Mobile, with proceeds benefiting Jewish Family Ser vices.

In Birmingham, proceeds benefit Collat Jew ish Family Services, and checks can be sent to Heidi Damsky, or payment Venmoed to Esther Schuster by Jan. 18.

In the New Orleans area, the Shir Chadash Sisterhood is selling the cards, and they have set a goal of $200 for this year. Checks should be sent to Harriet Hillson by Jan. 13.

Tulane popular place for Ramah staff

According to the Reshet Ramah alumni net work for Camp Ramah, Tulane University is the eighth most popular destination for Ramah summer staff from this past summer.

The Conservative movement’s system of sum mer camps includes Ramah Darom in Clayton, Ga.

The top spot is Queen’s University in Ontario, with 29, followed by Maryland, with 27. Tulane and Western University in Ontario each have 19.

The Conservative movement’s Jewish Theo logical Seminary and its joint programs with Columbia and Barnard placed fifth, with 21, along with Wisconsin.

There are 23 universities with at least 10 staff ers. Emory has 12. Emory, Tulane and Florida have Ramah College Network coordinators pro viding Ramah-style programs to Jewish students.

Confidential individual or couples therapy available by phone, video call or in person following COVID-19 protocols.

Most insurance accepted Collat Jewish Family Services www.cjfsbham.org 205.879.3438

Birds of Pray

The Torah teaches that rooting for Southern Miss is a sin.

In the book of Exodus, the Israelites lose patience at the base of Mount Sinai while Moses is upstairs taking dictation. They construct what the Torah calls an “Egel haZahav” — commonly translated as “The Golden Calf.” Zahav means gold, so Egel is the animal in question. Southern Miss is The Golden Egels. Case closed.

On Thanksgiving weekend this year, when Southern Miss plays the once similarly directional Louisiana-Monroe, the fact that turkeys aren’t birds of prey — lest they be not kosher — will make Jews everywhere grateful. Except for Jewish vegetarians. Or vegans. Or last-minute shop pers after the turkeys ran out.

But are there other birds for which Jews can be thankful, regardless of their eating habits? (The Jews’ eating habits; not the birds’, because their eating habits can dictate their kosherness. The birds’ kosherness, not the Jews’.)

Are any of humanity’s feathered friends featured in Judaism, or even fleetingly present just on a wing and a prayer? Of course, they are. And not just because some people think that services are for the birds.

Speaking of services — where people pray for short sermons and other essentials in life — people wear a tallis there. A tallis has four corners. The Shema refers to the blue thread that some people still put there as “kanaf p’til t’cheilet” — basically, the corner with the blue thread. Kanaf means corner, but also means wing. So, while the commercials say that drinking a Red Bull gives you wings — a pair, according to the ad agency’s anima tor — putting on a tallis at services gives you twice as many.

There are various references in mostly obscure prayers to birds, eagles, ravens, doves, and such. But perhaps the main influence birds have had on worship is that, starting in the 20th century, a significant number of congregations shifted their practices away from separating men and women, to become more eagleiterian.

Sometimes, Torah study is for the birds

The most noticeable mentions of birds at services are actually their periodic appearances in the Torah and Haftarah readings.

Of course, birds play famously in the biblical tale of Noah and his maritime menagerie. Arkeologists still seek physical evidence of the story, but long after the rains stopped, Noah sent out a raven which returned nevermore because it was captured in a poem by Edgar Allen Poe. He then sent out a dove which came back rather soon, to Noah’s great chagrin, so on its second flight the dove returned with an olive branch to make peace with him.

Another rather famous bit from the Bible is from chapter three of Ec clesiastes, famously translated as, “To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.” While it doesn’t mention any feath ered fliers overtly, its ornithological origins are obvious because this verse got its turn — and another turn, and another turn — in a 1965 hit song by The Byrds.

The Torah also is the source of the rules of what birds are kosher, pri marily in saying that birds of prey are not kosher. This is perhaps the only time in Judaism that doctrine or tradition says anything bad about any form of praying.

The inevitable question is whether it’s better for someone to not have a prayer, or to not have a preyer. Over the centuries, many rabbis have failed to sufficiently answer this puzzler, in part because none of them