The Observer Vol. 88 No. 2 – February 2023 by Jewish Observer

www.jewishobservernashville.org

Vol. 88 No. 2 • February 2023

10 Sh’vat - 7 Adar 5783

One Year After Russian Invasion, Ukrainians Remain Hopeful, Determined, Tired By BARBARA DAB

n February 24, 2022, the world watched as Russian troops began invading Ukraine after Russian president Vladimir Putin announced what he called a “special military occupation” and called for the “denazification” of Ukraine. In the year since, tens of thousands have died, and millions more have fled leading to the largest refugee crisis since World War II. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has become the face of his country. He has appeared in his signature brown sweatshirt on American television, at an in-person visit to the White House with President Joe Biden, and most recently, speaking via video conference to attendees at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland where he urged the world to move faster in its responsive decision making. Locally in both May and August of 2022, The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville sent delegations to Poland, a key point of entry for Ukrainian refugees, where participants spent time volun-

The Krakow JCC provides food for about 500 people each day.

People begin to line up at the Krakow JCC before it opens at 9am.

teering and providing humanitarian aid. The earlier group also visited the Poland/ Ukraine border where refugees streamed across the checkpoints. Both groups

spent time in Warsaw visiting temporary offices of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), and in Krakow at the JCC. The JAFI offices in Warsaw are set

up in a hotel, where over 150 people were housed awaiting flights to make Aliyah (emigrate) to Israel. Among the services offered are medical care, Hebrew classes, and mental health counseling. Ksenia Reznichenko, herself a refugee from Ukraine, is one of the aid workers. In a recent email, she says the JAFI offices continue to process people applying to make Aliyah, and in fact, the numbers currently stand at approximately 200. And it appears the demand will continue for a while. “The pace has gone down, but it doesn’t stop. People keep coming. We have new headquarters and [have organized] all the work here.” Mission participants witnessed the need for basic personal items, something that also continues. “We also still provide humanitarian aid as it’s winter and people need some warm clothes and of course do not forget about medical care,” says Reznichenko. The mission participants visited with a few of the families awaiting their turn to board the long-awaited flight Continued on page 2

Belmont University to Begin Hiring Jewish Faculty By BARBARA DAB

elmont University, which has a long history of employing exclusively Christian professors, is making what it says is the next logical step in furthering relations with the Jewish community. The university recently announced plans to hire Jewish faculty in its professional schools, which includes the law school, the college of pharmacy, and the soon-toopen medical school, possibly as soon as the spring semester. Plans are also underway to consider a similar decision on the undergraduate level. The announcement was met with mixed reactions from both the University community and the local Jewish community. President Greg Jones says while the move is viewed by many as historic, it is the result of long-term relationship building, “This is an important step for Belmont and for Judeo-Christian relationships in Nashville and beyond,” he says, “We have long-standing relationships with the Jewish community here, A Publication of the

WWW.JEWISHNASHVILLE.ORG

Pastor Jon Roebuck hosts panel in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Belmont University. Pictured l. to r. Joh Roebuck, Rabbi Mark Schiftan, Arlene Averbuch, Martin Sir, Rabbi Shana Mackler, Steve Riven.

and we see the value in it, particularly in a time of resurgence of antisemitism in America and the world.” As might be expected, there are critWest End Synagogue Mystery Solved!, page 13

ics on both sides. David Gregory, provost and executive vice president for academic excellence, says the faculty met before the holiday season to discuss the process, Health and Wellness Corner: “Healthy” Little Lies, page 18

“We are having uncomfortable conversations, which makes us stronger.” He says some are concerned about losing their identity as a Christ-centered institution, and others believe it is an expression of their faith. “Some say, ‘Shouldn’t that be who we are anyway?’ If we are strong in our identity, we can be more welcoming.” Jewish community leadership is taking a wait-and-see approach to the decision. As this first phase ramps up for the professional schools, the undergraduate faculty continues to be exclusively Christian. Leslie Kirby, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, says this is a good start. “This is an incredibly important program for the students and for the broader community. We look forward to partnering with Belmont in the future to make sure they have the infrastructure they need to support new faculty when they are hired.” She agrees with those who say the move will help combat antisemitism, “This is why we focus on building bridges. If we Continued on page 4 Camps Special Section page 21

Ukraine Continued from page 1 to Israel. Reznichenko says she keeps in touch with some of the new olim (immigrants). “They are making their first steps in Israel. Israel helps them with accommodation, first jobs and Ulpan (Hebrew lessons). Of course, it is not easy running from a war and building life from scratch, but it is so important to have a country that waits for you and a place you can call home,” she says. Reznichenko was traveling abroad when the invasion began and has not been able to return home. She says the start of winter brought greater hardships due to the destruction of much of the country’s infrastructure. “There are problems with electricity and heating all over Ukraine. As you know it’s winter and pretty cold in Ukraine. In Kyiv, for example, people have electricity only for a few hours a day.” Reznichenko’s elderly grandmother has remained in Ukraine, largely alone, for the duration of the war, but regular phone calls help with isolation, “My grandmother also struggles to live in current conditions with electricity shutdowns and a chilly temperature in her flat. But she really tries to stay positive and that supports me so much whenever I feel down.” Ukrainian Alisa Kaiser has lived in Nashville for several years and last year she helped her mother and grandmother flee. She also reports about the lack of electricity during the frigid winter in Kyiv where most of her friends live. “A lot of my friends used to work for a newspaper there and a lot of my friends were journalists. So, whenever they post things, they’re sitting under little candles and trying to write their articles or if they’re getting an air raid [and] sirens, they’re in the subway on their laptops trying to write articles and deliver news to the world. It’s insane but it’s also kind of incredible and I am baffled by their courage every single day.” Reznichenko says the lack of electricity is not the only challenge, as the attacks continue to rage throughout the country. “Civilians keep dying from missile attacks and Iranian drones and soldiers die in fights for the country. The hottest spots now are in Donetsk region.” Elsewhere in Ukraine, humanitarian efforts continue. Both Federation missions visited the Krakow JCC, where a makeshift store has been created to provide for the needs of the largely non-Jewish refugee population in Krakow. During the visit, volunteers packaged personal items, bulk food, and other necessities. Early in the morning, before it is even open, people line up to wait their turn to shop. Klementyna Pozniak is the director of Hillel Krakow, a program of the JCC. She says the demand for food items continues, as does the steady flow of people arriving daily. “We’re still feeding up to 500 people a day. When you look at it, if you can’t buy food because

Please support the businesses that advertise in the Observer and help support our community in all ways! Make sure to let them know...you saw their ad here!

February 2023 •

Participants of the second mission volunteer at the Krakow JCC

you don’t have a job, this is the one place you can go on a regular basis.” She says donations from around the world remain a critical need. Another area of concern in Poland is housing. Pozniak reports the government subsidy provided to Polish families housing refugees has stopped, “We are having a housing crisis here because the city’s population has increased by about 100,000 people, with most of them being women, young children, and the elderly.” She adds that Krakow’s ancient infrastructure is not conducive to multi-family apartments, so the government is encouraging people to look to outer towns and villages where there are better housing opportunities. Locally, Kaiser’s mother, Inna Shulkina and grandmother, Lilya Krasnopolska, are settling into life outside of their beloved Ukraine one year after fleeing. Shulkina, an English teacher, was able to obtain her Employment Authorization Document which allows her to work. But there are still some challenges. “It’s not as easy as people predicted because I’m not licensed as a Tennessee teacher. I want to join public school as an English as a second language (ESL) teacher. I keep doing small jobs and volunteer with the Nashville International Center for Empowerment: help Ukrainian kids adjust to [their] new life in America.” Shulkina also continues to teach her Ukrainian students who are scattered across the globe. Her day begins, as always, at 5am when she logs onto the computer. “When I’m teaching my Ukrainian kids, I forget that I’m overseas. It’s just like teaching online back home during the pandemic.” She says the connection brings some much-needed comfort and familiarity into her life. She says building structure and routine is their main goal right now, as well as trying to stay in touch with loved ones in Ukraine. “We keep in touch, and we call [friends and family members back home] every single day. And we just keep our fingers crossed for them. Ukraine is 8 hours ahead. We do everything in the morning while Ukrainians are still not in

8FhSF 0O :PVS .PWF

www.aginginplaceservices.net 629-999-2477 MRJS@aginginplaceservices.net

Participants of the first mission to Poland by the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville

bed. Thanks to this time difference, we can stay in touch before our working day begins here in America.” It can be difficult to follow news of war, particularly one like this which has been simmering for nearly a decade. Pozniak says currently, Ukraine appears to be taking an offensive position. “When you take into account how Zelenskyy is placing his troops and leading his people, that seems clear. They are very dedicated to winning this war with as few casualties on their side as possible. Remember, this isn’t new for them. The war really did begin in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea.” She says it is clear the war will not be ending soon, and when it does, there will be much work to be done. “There will be a lot of ramifications we will be facing both internally and externally in terms of displaced Ukrainians, the fact that a whole country that will have to be de-mined, it’s very scary to think about.” As for the future, the endgame is not yet in sight. But Ukrainians remain hopeful. Shulkina says it is difficult to think long term. She says her friends back home live in a constant state of

fear. “They do not feel safe because you can’t feel safe if you live in the epicenter of war, but they are managing and waiting for changes and they trust our government and the forces and the new American weapons. Hopefully the evil will be stopped.” President Zelenskyy’s visit with President Biden helped bolster the flagging spirits of the embattled country. “So, you saw how members of Congress gave him standing ovations and applauded and helped and supported and it means a lot is all worked out. People hope that it will work. Hope is our everything now.” And she has a message for the American people: “I want people to know that Ukrainians have come here not to be lazy; we have come here to work and give back to American taxpayers who support us. And thanks to whom we get our food stamps and cash assistance. We want to give back because we feel grateful and forever grateful for the Americans who actually have given us a chance for survival.” • Monetary donations are still critical. To donate, visit: https://www.jewishnashville. org/ukraine

One Year Later, it’s Hard to Find Signs of Hope… But They’re There By FRED ZIMMERMAN

n the nearly twelve months since our group visited Poland and the Ukrainian refugees, of all the scenes we witnessed, one image keeps coming back to me. It’s the sight of a line of mothers with children and strollers waiting patiently to get food, clothing and supplies provided by Jewish communities all over the world. It’s a scene I’ve referred to numerous times because it has the shock of recognition. As I’ve explained, from a certain angle you’d think you were at your neighborhood grocery, not a JCC in Krakow. You could almost see your neighbors in that line. Between that memory and the pictures coming from places like Dnipro and Kharkiv, it’s hard to find many signs of hope. But they’re there. Hope comes from the stream of immigrants to Israel. It comes from the special effort to fund Masa programs for Ukrainian and Russian and Moldovan young adults to give them a chance at a new path forward. It comes from the project to convert a summer camp in

Hungary to house refugees. There are relief efforts from the JDC and Jewish Agency, and IsraAid, and Chabad, to name a few; and there are many more that have not and will not be named. They might not get the attention that explosions get, but they’re no less real, and they’re no less important. More so because it’s how we in Nashville do something concrete and meaningful for people we may never meet. This reminds me why I got involved in the Jewish community. It’s why I’m committed to our Federation and our collective effort. We’re at our best when we’re part of something bigger, part of a global Jewish community. And it truly is a global effort among North American, European, and Israeli Jewish communities. No agendas other than saving and protecting lives. Unfortunately, there’s no crystal ball to tell us how this will end. Soon, we hope. In the meantime, we should all be committed to being part of our community’s efforts to ease suffering and bring hope—contributing, volunteering, lobbying, whatever moves you—because it’s what we do best. •

Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville on MLK Day

Community Relations Committee JCRC Social Justice Seder Returns! By DEBORAH OLESHANSKY

The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville stood in solidarity with the Jewish community’s Black neighbors at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day march and convocation

he Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville stood in solidarity with the Jewish community’s Black neighbors at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day march and convocation. •

STAFF c

Publisher Jewish Federation Editor Barbara Dab Advertising Manager Carrie Mills Layout and Production Tim Gregory Editorial Board Frank Boehm (chair), Teena Cohen, Laura Thompson, Scott Rosenberg, Liz Feinberg Telephone 615/356-3242 Fax 615/352-0056 E-mail barbaradab@jewishnashville.org (ISSN 23315334) is published monthly for $25 per year by the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, 801 Percy Warner Blvd., Nashville, TN 37205-4009. Periodicals postage paid at Nashville, TN. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE JEWISH OBSERVER, 801 Percy Warner Blvd., Nashville, TN 37205 This newspaper is made possible by funds raised in the Jewish Federation Annual Campaign. is a member of the American Jewish Press Association and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. While makes every possible effort to accept only reputable advertisers of the highest quality, we cannot guarantee the Kasruth of their products.

Founded in 1934 by J

Corrections Policy The Jewish Observer is committed to making corrections and clarifications promptly. To request a correction or clarification, call Editor Barbara Dab at (615) 354-1653 or email her at barbaradab@jewishnashville.org

Editorial Submissions Policy and Deadlines The Jewish Observer welcomes the submission of information, news items, feature stories and photos about events relevant to the Jewish community of Greater Nashville. We prefer e-mailed submissions, which should be sent as Word documents to Editor Barbara Dab at barbaradab@jewishnashville.org. Photos must be high resolution (at least 300 dpi) and should be attached as jpegs to the e-mail with the related news item or story. For material that cannot be e-mailed, submissions should be sent to Barbara Dab, The Jewish Observer, 801 Percy Warner Blvd., Suite 102, Nashville TN 37205. Photos and copy sent by regular mail will not be returned unless prior arrangement is made. Publication is at the discretion of The Observer, which reserves the right to edit submissions. To ensure publication, submissions must arrive by the 15th of the month prior to the intended month of publication. For advertising deadlines, contact Carrie Mills, advertising manager, at 615-354-1699, or by email at carrie@nashvillejcc.org.

fter three years of virtual programs, the JCRC Social Justice Seder returns in person on Thursday, March 30 from 6-8pm at the Gordon Jewish Community Center. In celebration of being back together in person, we have invited African American Jewish writer, culinary historian, and author Michael Twitty as our guest for the evening. “Koshersoul,” the title of his book and the theme of the evening, represents the marriage of two distinctive culinary cultures, African American and Jewish, and we will incorporate some of his recipes in the Seder-style meal to be served during the program. We will also incorporate his “African American Seder Plate for Passover” in the center of each table for the family style meal. Passover is one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar. Along with ritual foods and festive atmosphere, Jews embrace Passover because it provides an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of freedom and serves as an allegory underlining the meaning of oppression and redemption, slavery and freedom, justice and equality. The JCRC

Social Justice Seder provides a special evening to share this tradition with others in the greater community, and to build and strengthen our relationships with a diverse group of friends, neighbors, and allies as we seek to pursue a more perfect union. In his book, Twitty describes the creation of African-Jewish cooking as a conversation of migrations and a dialogue of diasporas offering a rich background for inventive recipes and the people who create them. The question that most intrigues him is not just who makes the food, but how the food makes the people. Jews of Color are not outliers, Twitty contends, but significant and meaningful cultural creators in both Black and Jewish civilizations. Event chairs, Rachel and Marcus Whitney, are excited to welcome Mr. Twitty to Nashville and to fill the room for an evening of meaningful conversations, connections, and community building. Copies of Mr. Twitty’s books, “The Cooking Gene” and “Koshersoul,” will be available for purchase and he will be available for book signing at the close of the Seder event. To register for the event: www.Jewishnashville.org/Seder •

Big Night Out 2023: Broadway Comes to Nashville By ARIELLE KAUFMAN, GORDON JCC MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR

“P

laces! Lights, Curtain, and Action” Tickets are now on sale for the Gordon JCC’s annual fundraiser, Big Night Out: Broadway comes to Nashville!, to be held on Sunday, Feb. 5. Our musical evening will pay honor to the mentor and mentee relationship between Broadway’s most famous Jewish composers, Oscar Hammerstein, Stephan Sondheim, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Featured musicals will include Hamilton, In the Heights, Company, Into the Woods, Oklahoma! and more. Starring Broadway’s Anthony Lee Medina, Brandon Contreras, Alisa Melendez, Morgan Karr and more. Reserve your tickets for this one-nightonly concert before it sells out! Our board president Cindee Gold is ecstatic about this event. She stated that she “…listens to Broadway music all day, every day!” She continued, “I am very excited about this year’s Big Night Out because I feel that the need to connect with others finally outweighs the hesitation of attending a gathering. I know that the Board of Directors are thrilled to share this particular program with the community. And, of course, it’s all for the wonderful purpose of raising much needed funds for the Gordon JCC!” In addition, the silent auction is always a favorite part of the evening. This year’s items include gift cards to

many of Nashville’s best restaurants, local attractions, fitness opportunities and a few surprises that you won’t want to miss! The auction will open online on Sunday, Jan. 28. Our sit-down three-course dinner, including a ribeye steak option, will be catered by Take Away/615 under supervision of Rabbi Saul Strosberg. Dress in your Tonywinning cocktail attire and join for an elegant, magical evening at the J. Special thanks to our sponsors: Zander Insurance, Gold Skin Care Center, Sprintz Furniture, Capstar Bank, The Dorothy Cate and Thomas F. Frist Foundation, Argent Trust, Ghertner and Company, Hermitage Design Center, Kraft CPAs PLLC, The Pargh Team. In-Kind Sponsors include Best Brands, Branches Event Design and Florals, Tennessee Brew Works, and RED Spirits and Wine. For more information, contact Arielle Kaufman, Membership Director at arielle@nashvillejcc.org or 615-3541639. Buy your tickets online now at nashvillejcc.org/bignightout •

• February 2023

Commentary Why Does G-d Allow Us To Suffer? By RABBI YITZCHOK TIECHTEL

n the beginning of January, America experienced her greatest travel hiccup since 9/11 when tens of thousands of people were stranded as flights were canceled due to a computer glitch. Like those who were forced to sleep in airports, many of us find ourselves stuck in low-energy relationships, lackluster jobs, or living in places we’re not excited about, and we wonder why it needs to be this way. Our lives are often stressed, and we’re stretched from frustration to outright suffering, and we’re all bewildered—why does G-d allow us to suffer? This really is a question that applies to all of Jewish history. Our ancestors were forced into Egyptian slavery, for no apparent sin of their own. They languished under the Egyptian taskmasters for 210 years before Moses confronted Pharaoh after being empowered by G-d at the Burning Bush. Indeed, only sevenand-a-half portions of the Torah are set in the Holy Land—the overwhelming majority of the Torah is staged in the diaspora where Jews were unwelcome and not at home. Why did G-d allow us to suffer so much throughout our history? In an inspirational sermon in the winter of 1980, presented by the Rebbe, Rabbi Schneerson of blessed memory, he drew attention to the curious fact that while our forefather Jacob was suffering mercilessly under his deceitful father-inlaw Laban for over sixteen years, he was composing songs of praise to G-d, that ultimately became incorporated into the Psalms of David (120-134)! If he was suffering, why was he singing? “Jacob’s challenging stay in the

Belmont Continued from page 1 want people to stand up for us, we must do the same, and supporting our non-Jewish allies is an important part of that.” The connection between Belmont and the local Jewish community is hardly a new one. Gregory credits Pastor Jon Roebuck, executive director of The Reverend Charlie Curb Center for Faith Leadership, and Rabbi Mark Schiftan, Rabbi Emeritus of The Temple, with sowing the seeds through the development of the Belmont Initiative for Jewish Engagement, which began last year. “This idea grew out of the great work between Jon and Mark, and the belief that we can be welcoming to all.” Roebuck says the two saw a common need to create understanding through education, “We learned there is a lot of fear and misunderstanding between the

house of Laban was for the purpose of greater gain—in order that he should become ‘exceedingly wealthy.’ Jacob perceived the purpose of the challenge—the (material and spiritual) profit it would subsequently bring him—and was therefore able to sing, whilst in the house of Laban, the Song of Ascents.” In much the same way, in the Book of Deuteronomy, the Torah likens our nation’s suffering in Egypt to an “iron melting pot,” to illustrate that, just like the heat of the kiln is intended to purify the priceless metals that emerge from it, so too the suffering we experienced in slavery was not an isolated incident, but rather part of the process of preparation for much greater good. Indeed, we see this truth everywhere around us—it is the nature of the world to experience unprecedented success after pain and suffering. Only once the seed rots in the ground can it grow to become a mighty tree. The olive can only produce its lavish oil when squeezed, and athletes break records only when they endure the pain of persistent practice. The same goes for marriage, where the Torah instructs us to leave a newlywed couple alone for one solid year after marriage so that they can learn to overcome their differences. Jim Carrey was booed off stage at his first stand-up gig, Jay-Z was turned down by every record label, and Stephen King experienced so much rejection that he threw his first manuscript in the trash before he found success. Thomas Edison’s teachers said that he was “too stupid to learn anything.” Oprah was fired from her first job because she was deemed “unfit for television,” and Walt Disney

was fired from his first job because he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Both Bill Gates’ and Henry Ford’s first business were epic failures. Social scientists calculate that it takes an average of 3.8 failures before you reach success. Those that persevere reap the rewards of their labor. The struggle that precedes success is a necessary component towards achieving success, much like the arrow’s backward draw is what propels it forward with added power and the descent below the trampoline is precisely what launches its bouncer ever higher. After a crisis comes comfort. Thus, Rabbi Schneerson explained that the purpose of the hardships and challenges we encounter is really for our good, to bring some deeper benefit. With this mindset, we, like Jacob, can sing through our struggles: “Because of the advantages that ensue from struggles and challenges, at times, G-d orchestrates opponents that attempt to battle us and disturb our Divine service. Upon experiencing such adversity, we respond by singing “a Song of Ascents.” The difficulties do not impede our service or cause it to flag; on the contrary, they evoke extra energy and courage; they cause us to sing.” And so it was that when our ancestors eventually emerged from Egypt, they did so with great material and spiritual wealth, soon after becoming the Chosen People and receiving G-d’s gift to mankind—the Torah—at Mount Sinai. A most magnificent manifestation of this truth can be witnessed in the wondrous birth of the majestic butterfly. In order to escape her cocoon, she must struggle to free her body with its brandnew wings from its safe place of sleep.

The struggle is at times so intense that the butterfly may seem near death, but it is critical at this point that no one comes to rescue her. She needs to do it by herself. The energy exerted by the butterfly is what forces it to pump blood into its beautiful wings. A human who aids the butterfly out of her cocoon has robbed her of this necessary struggle. She will never be able to fly and will soon die from starvation! A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there. As painful as it is to watch our children struggle through their challenges, as parents, we intuitively know that this is what will toughen them up to prepare them to be strong and confident adults. In the same way, G-d allows us to struggle too, so that we will emerge with greater good. You don’t need to have faith when you understand what’s happening; it’s when things make no sense that you must hold onto your faith for dear life. As we face our personal struggles, we must have the courage to see beyond the immediate crisis that looms before us. Don’t lose sight of the forest due to the trees. If we can lift our horizons and see the hand of G-d coordinating every detail of our lives, purposefully and with love, we can find the strength and purpose that we need to ride it out to the end. Life is like photography—you use the negatives to develop. If you have no struggles, you’ll have no strength. Whether today will be “one day” or “day one” is entirely your decision. •

two faith traditions. It takes time to build trust, and we’ve begun to create that.” Schiftan says he can understand some skepticism in the Jewish community but looks at this move as a way to create allies in the fight against antisemitism. “One of the things I’ve heard from academic staff is that they had no idea they were being viewed as exclusionary. The provost is committed to setting this right.” And while the Jewish community tends to be very wary of these types of moves, he says it is important to take the long view. “The pace of progress may not go at the rate we’d prefer. But this is the most natural place to begin, with the Jewish faith and the Jewish community.” He says Belmont has accomplished what other universities have not yet been able to achieve, “Through the Initiative, we are providing an opportunity to engage the whole community in study.” Shaul Kelner, associate professor of

sociology and Jewish studies at Vanderbilt University, says he respects that Belmont has its own unique mission, but stresses the importance of providing meaningful support for any new Jewish faculty. “The belief by Belmont that it can fulfill its mission through interfaith encounters is a good thing. But there is a difference between hiring a few Jewish faculty, and having a robust Jewish presence,” he says. In fact, Belmont has provided a meaningful Jewish community for quite some time, albeit on the student level, where Jewish students currently comprise approximately one percent of the university’s student body. Ari Dubin, executive director of Vanderbilt Hillel, has worked closely with Belmont’s Jewish students over the years. “We have combined with students at MTSU to build an active group focused on doing things separate from Vanderbilt. We even have students involved in Hillel leadership,” he says. Dubin says Belmont’s Jewish students talked about feeling a disconnect between the university and their Jewish identity, and the university’s leadership responded, most notably allowing them excused absences for the High Holidays. He says the recent announcement about hiring Jewish faculty has gone a long way

towards helping students feel included. “If the university makes a values statement that all faculty and staff must be Christian, it is sending the message that they are merely tolerating the Jewish students. This change makes it clear that the students can now see themselves in the faculty and they can feel accepted as their full selves.” When asked if the recruiting of Jewish faculty will lead to inclusion of other faiths, Jones says that is not part of the current plan, “Jews and Christians have a long history, like siblings, with a shared scripture. As a first step, it makes sense to embrace the sibling with whom we’ve had a fraught relationship.” In addressing concerns about providing support and education for new Jewish faculty, Jones says the university is taking its cue from the Jewish students on campus, “We are looking at the dynamics and building off how we acknowledge the Jewish students. There are bound to be growing pains, but we want to make sure we do it well.” And to those on campus who worry about a move toward secularity, he says, “This is an important expression of who we are as a Christian university, and a deepening of a relationship that is very important to Belmont and to the world.” •

Learn more about the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville at www.jewishnashville.org

Rabbi Yitzchok Tiechtel is the Rabbi at Congregation Beit Tefilah Chabad, and the director of Chabad of Nashville.

Visit The Jewish Observer’s website www.jewishobservernashville.org

February 2023 •

The Pargh Team

The pair you can trust to guide you home. Nashville natives with decades of experience in real estate and design

Architectural background incorporated into every transaction, from envisioning the best use of a space to estimating renovation costs

Firm grasp on area trends and strong relationships with other agents.

$420M Career Sales

$120M

Team total sales in 2022

Years combined experience in real estate.

9VOsVOo |dtĆoO _dKB_ BbM _dd^WbU sd adyO zWsVWb sdzbÛ pOO^WbU B UoOBs WbyOpsaObs dlldostbWs| do l_BbbWbU sd adyO sd WMM_O 2ObbOppOOÛ dto sOBa dT oOpWMObsWB_ oOB_ OpsBsO O{lOosp Wp oOBM| sd VO_là dbsBKs tp sdMB| sd JOUWb |dto bO{s KVBlsOoö |dto MoOBa VdaO BzBWspÝ

@theparghteam

@parghteam

pargh.com

Franklin Pargh M: 615.351.7333 franklin.pargh@compass.com

Lana Pargh M: 615.504.2685 lana.pargh@compass.com

2VO +BoUV 2OBa Wp B sOBa dT oOB_ OpsBsO _WKObpOOp BT _WBsOM zWsV dalBpp . Û B _WKObpOM oOB_ OpsBsO Jod^Oo BbM BJWMOp J| OntB_ VdtpWbU dlldostbWs| _Bzpà 2d oOBKV sVO dalBpp . dT KOÛ KB__ à à à

• February 2023

Newcomer’s Column By EITAN SNYDER

elcome to the Observer’s monthly Newcomer Column! Every month, we will be featuring one of our Nashville Jewish newcomers so you can get to know them and their dynamic, engaging stories. One of my favorite parts of my job as the Federation’s newcomer engagement associate is connecting with the newcomers and bringing them into Nashville’s Jewish community through our Newcomer Shabbat dinners, Newcomer Welcome Receptions, and connecting them with community members and organizations who can help them feel like they belong here. We hope you enjoy reading these and give every newcomer you meet a smile and a warm Nashville welcome! If you would like to be part of the Federation’s work welcoming new Jewish Nashvillians to our community or have an idea of something else we could be doing, please let me know at eitan@jewishnashville.org or 615-354-1664. Meet this month’s newcomer, Alan Zagier Tell us your story. Where are you from? How did you end up in Nashville? A child of the ‘70s and ‘80s, I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, the youngest of three raised by a single mom following

Meet this month’s newcomer, Alan Zagier

the death of my father, a Holocaust survivor, when I was still in grade school. Earned an undergraduate degree in government and politics and a master’s in journalism at the University of Maryland (go Terps), then migrated south to Chapel Hill, N.C., to be with my-then fiancé/now-wife of 29 years, Elle. Worked for daily newspapers in Raleigh/Durham and Naples, Florida, where we still spend time each winter. That was followed by a one-year faculty appointment teaching journalism at Mizzou in my mid-30s – leading to

We are a leading, independent, Ť ǈ Ǉ Ǉ Ť ǇY

Trusts & Estate Planning

Retirement Plan Consulting

Wealth Management

Oil & Gas Management

Investment Management

Philanthropic Services

Scan To Learn More About Us

$ǈ 0Y ǈ Ĝ CFP®

,ǈ ( ǈ Ǉ Ĝ Argent Trust

0 ǈ ,ǈ . ǈ Ĝ 3 % ǈ

(615) 385-2718 ļĺĹĻ 3 % 0 Y ŁŁľ - ǈ Ĝ 1- ļŁĻĹļ

ArgentTrust.com

February 2023 •

an 18-year detour as an “accidental” Missourian thanks to a decade-plus run with The Associated Press, the world’s most prominent news organization. Helped raise three awesome humans (one of whom calls Nashville home) along the way. Switched to my Plan B career in 2016, pivoting to public affairs, i.e., the intersection of PR and public policy. Joined Brentwood-based Cooley Public Strategies as a vice president in August 2022. What has your Jewish story been like up to this point? How did you get involved with Nashville’s Jewish community? My Jewish journey has been a winding one and is ongoing. I spent elementary school in yeshiva by parental mandate and didn’t embrace or appreciate Jewish identity until post-college. I reconnected with faith and familial legacy after starting my own family, highlighted by “A Journey Home,” a reported memoir in which I retraced my late father Jack’s early life in Belarus and Siberian labor camps. As a parent of our now 20-something offspring, I’m heartened by the solid foundation of Jewish values and investment in Jewish communal life these young adults have made, from involvement with high school youth groups during our family’s years in St. Louis to Hillel/Chabad gatherings in college to NowGen and other great programs for young professionals. As a still-new Nashville newcomer, I hope to forge similarly strong community connections here. How has your experience been in Nashville so far? Any notable memories or experiences? It’s been a whirlwind. We actually came here last summer expecting to stay

just two months while I worked as a digital nomad – and then life happened. Looking forward to settling down in ’23 after claiming six addresses (incl. Inglewood, West Meade, Crieve Hall and Brentwood) over the previous year. We truly appreciate the warm welcomes from new neighbors, colleagues, and communities. Take it from this recent Midwesterner (and displaced East Coaster) – Southern hospitality is legit! What do you love about being Jewish? The shared sense of history, struggle, endurance, perseverance, and accomplishment. The familiar, affirming holiday rituals. The comfort of belonging. The expansive – and welcoming – tent of modern Judaism, including here in Nashville. What do you love about being Jewish in Nashville? Having lived in domestic U.S. Jewish communities both large (Baltimore, D.C. suburbs, St. Louis) and small (Columbia, Missouri, Marco Island, Florida), I find that Jewish life in Nashville offers the best of both worlds – the intimacy and connectivity of a smaller community but with more resources and opportunities than the one-synagogue towns I’ve previously called home. What does the next year look like for you? Is there anything that you are still looking to do or experience in Nashville? I’m most looking forward to getting further engaged in the community while working to make my new city and the rest of the state a better place to live, work, and raise a family. Many more “only-inNashville” experiences await, from a ride on the Gen. Jackson showboat (once it gets warm) to a host of unexpected experiences that I can’t possibly foresee.•

Pluralism in Israel: A Discussion with Yaron Shavit, Deputy Chairman of the Executive, The Jewish Agency for Israel T

hese days many Jews in America are watching closely the changes in the Israeli government and how this will affect the historical and long-term relationship between the American Jewish community and Israel. One of the central issues of concern is a proposed change in Israel’s Right of Return law, specifically, whether Jewish people who have gone through Reform and Conservative conversion will be excluded from this law and lose their right to immigrate to Israel. The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville is honored to invite Yaron Shavit, deputy chairman of the executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel, to discuss the actions that the Jewish Agency is taking on this matter. Shavit served as chairman of the Reform Movement in Israel from 2008-2012 and was elected to be the President of the 38th Zionist Congress. He will join us via Zoom on Sunday Feb. 26 at 10am. Shavit will present the status of the Reform movement in relationship to the new right-leaning orthodox government

Yaron Shavit, Deputy Chairman of the Executive, The Jewish Agency for Israel, to discuss the development of pluralism in Israel

in Israel. He will explain the background and history of Israel’s Right of Return law and the activities that the Jewish Agency is doing in Israel and around the world. For registration, please go to www. jewishnashville.org. For questions, please email Omer at omer@jewishnashville.org •

Stan Kweller is Third Jewish Judge Appointed to 20th Judicial District Circuit Court By ZOE BELL

ennessee governor Bill Lee appointed Stan Kweller as circuit court judge for the 20th Judicial District Jan. 11, making him the second Jewish person ever appointed to the 20th judicial district circuit court. Kweller, who fills a vacancy created by the death of Judge Philip Smith, will be the only Jewish circuit court judge in Davidson County today. A lifelong resident of Tennessee, Kweller holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Emory University and a law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Kweller has 45 years of experience in the legal field, 30 of which were within the family court. He spent eight years as a prosecutor in Upper East Tennessee, worked at a small civil firm, and served as an assistant defense attorney before moving to Nashville in the early 1990s. The 20th Judicial District Circuit Court hears matters involving family law, divorce, custody, child support, and orders of protection. Kweller said he is confident that his Jewish identity will influence his judicial work on a day-to-day basis. “My Jewish identity has taught me that judges and lawyers have obligations to be fair, to treat people with dignity and respect,” Kweller said in a phone interview. “There are prescriptions for what judges should and shouldn’t do. So all of those things and just the general Hillel theory: ‘Do not unto others as you would not have others do unto you.’” Kweller said he is preceded by two former circuit court judges who identify

Stan Kweller was appointed by Tennessee governor Bill Lee as circuit court judge for the 20th Judicial District

as Jewish: Charles Gilbert and Carol Solomon. Upon assuming his role, Kweller said his goals include staying true to the judicial principles of justice and fairness, regardless of whether others agree with his rulings. “My hopes are to be a judge that people respect, that people will listen to, and they will respect the rulings that I made, [which are] not being made for anything but what the law requires and based on the facts that are presented to me,” Kweller said. “I [will] treat people with a certain amount of dignity and [won’t] degrade them or their lawyers. And they [will] feel like they got to be heard by somebody who listened to them. Even if they don’t agree with my ruling, they [will] still feel like they got a fair shot.” •

anderbilt Hillel will be sponsoring a speaker event in partnership with the Israel advocacy student organization, ‘Dores for Israel, on Monday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Vanderbilt Hillel building. David Makovsky and Ghaith al-Omari will be speaking on the IsraeliPalestinian Conflict and Peace Process. This event is open to the community. David Makovsky is the Ziegler distinguished fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations. He is also an adjunct professor in Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). In 20132014, he worked in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of State, serving as a senior

/ùHL ,@RPTø@CD FOR YOUNG JEWISH PROFESSIONALS IN THEIR 20’S & 30’S

zoe@jewishnashville.org

Vanderbilt Hillel and ‘Dores for Israel Speaker Event to Discuss Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

10th Annual

advisor to the Special Envoy for IsraeliPalestinian Negotiations. David is the host of the Decision Points podcast, now in its fourth season, which covers a wide array of Israel-related subjects. Ghaith al-Omari, a senior fellow in The Washington Institute’s Irwin Levy Family Program on the U.S.-Israel Strategic Relationship, is the former executive director of the American Task Force on Palestine. He served as advisor to the negotiating team during the 1999–2001 permanent-status talks in addition to holding various other positions within the Palestinian Authority. For more information on this event, contact Leetal Shoshan, Israel Fellow, at Leetal.shoshan@vanderbilt.edu. •

Learn more about the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville at www.jewishnashville.org

March 4 | 7-10pm Main Street Gallery .BJO 4USFFU

TICKETS: jewishnashville.org/nowgenpurim We are celebrating 10 years of Purim Masquerade with a throwback disco party! Dance the night away with NowGen friends old and new and celebrate Purim with your community of young Jewish professionals in Nashville Co-Chairs: Rachel Friedman and Ertha Luma-Gruber

PRESENTED BY:

Early Bird Ticket Savings through 2/21!

• February 2023

Musical Sensation Tali Laughter And A Tribute Are Front And Center At Yess Comes To Nashville WES Comedic Fundraiser For A One-night Gig

ooking for laughs in these uncertain times? West End Synagogue’s first 2023 fundraiser will provide plenty of laughter and mirth on March 5, with a performance by acclaimed comedian Avi Liberman at 8 p.m at the synagogue. Liberman has appeared on the “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” “Comedy Central”, and “E!”. His book, Traveling “During the Pandemic,” follows Avi as he goes to eight countries in seven months to avoid lockdowns. Born in Israel and raised in Texas, Liberman went to college in New York and makes his home in Los Angeles. Since 2001, Avi has brought dozens of Black and Latino comics to Israel, many for the first time, to benefit the largest provider of emotional support services for Israelis who have lost family members to terrorists. A documentary about these stand-up comedy tours is available at http://landofmilkandfunny.com But comedy is only one part of the evening which will also pay tribute at 6:30 p.m. to two WES retirees, Marcia Stewart, former WES executive director, and Linda Sisselman, former membership coordinator. A native Nashvillian and lifelong synagogue member, Marcia served two terms, August 1, 2005-October 15, 2006, and March 1, 2009-July 31, 2021, more than 13 years in total. Linda, a WES member since 1986, served 20 years, from August 2002 to August 2022. Tickets to the event are available for $118 each; $54 for those under age 32; and $125 for all tickets at the door. Table and other sponsors will each receive one signed copy of Liberman’s book, “Traveling During the Pandemic.” Additional signed copies will be available for purchase for $36. A book signing will follow Liberman’s performance. In addition, each ticket purchaser will be given the opportunity to send a message/congratulatory note or upload a video tribute for Marcia Stewart or Linda Sisselman. More details on these tributes will follow shortly. For information and tickets, scan the QR code below, or call the synagogue office at 615-269-4592. In the near future, look for information about the April 23 performance and fundraiser at West End Synagogue of Dor L’Dor (in its first major Nashville show)

love

FALL IN

home!

Comedian Avi Liberman will perform at West End Synagogue’s fundraiser on Sunday, March 5th.

Retiring WES Executive Director, Marcia Stewart, to be honored at March 5th Fundraiser.

615.281.9035

615.279.5310

February 2023 •

and moves you to the core of your being. One of Moshe Yess’ biggest hits was the famous song “My Zaidy.” Tali decided to cover his late father’s hit song many years later. Tali says, “This was an opportunity for me to breathe new life into a song that was released before I was born. Almost four decades later, I bring you ‘My Zaidy’ covered by yours truly.” Tali’s original music and repertoire is vast and spans many genres and generations of both Jewish and American music. In a rich, soulful voice, he captures the hearts of the audience, taking them on a journey of the soul. Join your friends and Tali Yess for a wonderful evening of music and fun at Café Chabad. This event is made possible through a grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville. The evening at Café Chabad will include a light Mediterranean dinner with a falafel bar, beverages, and dessert. The all-you-can-eat-and-drink cost is $15.00 in advance and $25.00 at the door. RSVP at www.chabadnashville. com/cafechabad •

“Not Your Father’s Klezmer Band,” featuring as many as 12 musicians and singers playing a diverse range of music including klezmer, pop, Broadway, religious and everything in between. •

Whether you are looking to buy or sell, we are here to help you with all your real estate needs! 615.440.6673

Singer-songwriter, Tali Yess, will perform at Chabad’s Genesis Campus for Jewish Life on February 24th.

Retiring WES Membership Coordinator, Linda Sisselman

WITH YOUR NEXT

Call Us Now

he month of Adar is known to be filled with an extra dose of joy and happiness, and a month where the Jewish people have an extra measure of good luck. Haman tried to annihilate the Jewish people in Adar thinking that since Moses passed away on the 7th of Adar it is a month of bad luck for the Jews. However, little did he know that Moses’ birthday was the same day as his passing, 120 years apart. Thus, Haman’s plan failed, and instead of the annihilation of the Jews in Adar, the tables turned, and Haman and his sons were hanged in Adar. Thus, the tradition that Adar is a month of especially good luck for the Jewish people, and a month to be joyous and happy. To kick off the joyous month, Chabad of Nashville will be hosting an evening of blues, rock, and eclectic music, at the annual Cafe Chabad, on Sat night Feb. 24 at 7:30 PM at the Genesis Campus for Jewish Life in Bellevue. This is one of Chabad’s most popular musical events: a night of entertainment, music, inspiration, and good food, this year featuring international recording artist, singer-songwriter and guitar virtuoso Tali Yess – coming to Nashville for an exclusive show. Yess is a new sensation: a second-generation singer and songwriter bursting onto the national stage of Jewish music to the great acclaim of music critics and audiences alike. His repertoire consists mostly of profound Jewish morals sung in English which is what makes his performances unique. In a rich soulful voice, he captures the hearts of the audience, taking them on a journey to a special place or time in the Jewish experience. His extraordinary talent should not surprise us since he is the son of Moshe Yess of blessed memory, a true musical legend, who created the now-popular genre of meaningful Jewish music sung in English. Tali’s concert is deeply inspiring

Vanderbilt Hillel Young Alumni at last year’s Taste of Hillel Fundraiser

PHOTO CREDIT:

EMILY ALLEN

Bet on Hillel – A Vanderbilt Hillel Event

“B

et on Hillel” is this year’s theme for Vanderbilt Hillel’s annual fundraiser which will occur on Sunday, Feb. 26th at 5:30 p.m. in the Vanderbilt Hillel building. Students will be hosting their very first annual poker tournament, so all poker enthusiasts are encouraged to RSVP. In addition to the poker tournament, casino table games will be available. Participants in this year’s event can use their winnings to enter a raffle for prizes which will include a free three-

night stay at a luxurious lake house in East Tennessee, a free Shabbat meal for a family of four catered by Goldie Shepard, a free 30-minute individual, couple, or family photo session donated by photographer Emily Allen, two Nashville Predators tickets, and gift certificates from a few local Nashville spots. To RSVP, visit tinyurl.com/ BetonHillel2023 • *All proceeds from the event will support student programming and experiences.

To be a Steward of the Earth, Live a Life of Radical Amazement By MELISSA SOSTRIN

abban Yochanan ben Zakkai said, “If, while holding a sapling in your hand you are told that the Messiah is about to arrive, first plant the sapling and then go out to receive the Messiah.” Much is written in the Torah and the Talmud about trees, and we read even more carefully about them this month when we celebrate Tu B’Shevat, the New Year of the Trees. Then what do Jews and Judaism have to say about nature the rest of the year? Rabbi David Wolpe said, “Appreciating beauty is an act of devotion.” Humanity, he reminds us, began in a garden. The first of the 613 mitzvot in the Torah, Genesis 1:28, commands us: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the sky and over all the beasts that tread upon the earth.” So, are we to exploit what we have been given? Rabbi Joshua Kullock of West End Synagogue says that the Torah teaches us to be good stewards of the Earth. During war we are enjoined from salting the enemies’ fields or cutting down fruit trees. He referred to Rabbah 7:13 when G-d was giving Adam and Eve a garden tour and said: “Look at My works! See how beautiful they are—how excellent! For your sake I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it.” Rabbi Kullock also referred to Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel who said we

should live our life in “radical amazement,” and to “get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted.” Rabbi Laurie Rice of Congregation Micah pointed out the wisdom in the Talmud regarding not mixing seeds and species. She also said there is something valuable in the laws of Shmitta which mandate letting agricultural lands lie fallow every seventh year. Modern farmers have learned that keeping soil fallow can restore microbial diversity and increase organic matter. Rabbi Rice mentioned Rabbi Arthur Green, to whom some refer as a Jewish eco-warrior. He did not consider himself to be a biblical literalist, though he did say that Genesis or the Psalms’ “magnificent hymns to Creation” were “essential to my spiritual life, binding it inexorably to my

loving concern for the fate of this planet and those who dwell upon it, and hence calling me to environmental activism.” Sherith Israel’s Rabbi Saul Strosberg, like Rabbis Rice and Kullock, mentioned that we need to find nuance. Modern Orthodoxy’s world view of Torah U’Maddah – (being rooted in Torah while engaged in secular knowledge) – can help us find a balance. He said this means we can help take care of the Earth, but we will not light fewer Chanukah candles as one group of Jewish environmentalists suggested. He then brought up how spiritual many people felt having minyanim outside during Covid lockdowns. No wonder the Talmud tells us we shouldn’t pray in a room without windows. Rabbi Shana Goldstein Mackler of the Temple noted that Jewish holidays are tied to seasons and cycles which

attune us to the Earth. She referred to the blessings in the Amidah which are changed at Passover and Shemini Atzeret. We replace “Mashiv HaRuach u’Morid haGeshem, (“Who causes the wind to blow and the rain to fall”) with Morid haTal (“Who brings down dew.) And vice versa. Rabbi Mackler notes that we don’t ask for miracles or more than we need, simply that we get what is required in due season. On Shabbat, we are commanded to rest just as G-d rested from the work of creation, and Rabbi Mackler cited Rabbi Heschel who said that six days a week we try to dominate the world, but on the seventh day we must not. When we are out of balance with the Earth, Rabbi Mackler continued, we suffer from crises like global climate change. Rami Shapiro of MTSU, in his book “Judaism Without Tribalism,” celebrates Tu B’Shevat by sitting outside near a tree and contemplating philosopher Martin Buber’s words on an I- Thou relationship as it pertains to a tree. One will have a self-awareness that “sees itself as a part of the larger world and seeks to engage with the world as a blessing.” We have a blessing that includes “ma’aseh bereisheet” (creating the world anew) when we see lightning, thunder, or a comet. When we view the sea or an ocean for the first time in thirty days we bless G-d who “made the great sea.” If we pray where there are windows, if we go to the sea and say a blessing, if we live a life of radical amazement, we can be diligent both as Jews and stewards of the Earth. •

Nashville Ballet’s World Premiere of Anthology to Feature Local Jewish Artists N

ashville Ballet will continue their 2022-23 season and kick off the new year with the world premiere of Anthology. Conceptualized by Emmy Award-winning artistic director Paul Vasterling, Anthology will highlight unexplored stories of Music City’s past. Inspired by his passion for community, music, and movement, Anthology will be Vasterling’s final world premiere as artistic director of the company. “In my 34 years with Nashville Ballet, I’ve always been mesmerized by the city around us,” shared Vasterling. “It is full of artists, creators, musicians, and visionaries; new ideas, collaborations, and voices. But it’s important to remember that there are people that came before us that made all of this, and so much more, possible. My hope with Anthology is that it would give names, faces, and recognition to those whose influence, accomplishments, and sacrifices, are so often forgotten. Everyone’s story deserves to be told.” A poignant exploration of Nashville’s rich cultural tapestry, Anthology will explore the stories of both well-known locals and everyday people of the past, including formerly enslaved philanthropist Lucinda Bedford, the first woman to serve on the Nashville Police Force, dance visionary Albertine Maxwell, the first peoples of Middle Tennessee, and more.

Julia Eisen will dance in Nashville Ballet’s upcoming Anthology

Nashville native Morgxn debuts compositions for Nashville Ballet’s Anthology

Known for his cross-disciplinary collaborations, Vasterling enlisted a variety of creators to contribute to the project, including local Jewish artists MORGXN and Julia Eisen. A native Nashvillian, this will be MORGXN’s first time writing music for a ballet. Inspired by the 200-year-old city cemetery and the diverse stories it encompasses, MORGXN has worked alongside Vasterling and fellow musician Jordan Lehning on several brand-new pieces that he will debut live on stage during the production. In addition, Nashville Ballet Company Dancers Julia Eisen and Jamie

Aeron Buchanan, Jordan Lehning, and local composer Larissa Maestro. Similar in kaleidoscopic style to his nationally-acclaimed ballet, Lucy Negro Redux, Anthology will highlight a variety of art forms on stage in addition to dance, including original songs, musical scores, and live projection. Anthology is sponsored in part by Vanderbilt University, DANCE/USA, and the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation and will make its world premiere at TPAC’s Polk Theater February 10–12. To learn more about Nashville Ballet, upcoming performances, or to purchase tickets, please visit nashvilleballet.com. •

Kopit will be dancing in several sections of the production. Having been with Nashville Ballet for several seasons, they are both familiar faces in the Nashville dance community. Throughout their career, they have danced at several prestigious venues across the country, as well as in the broadcast debuts of Nashville’s Nutcracker on NewsChannel 5 and in Black Lucy and the Bard on PBS. Joining MORGXN as a collaborating artist will be multi-award winner Sidra Bell, newly appointed Resident Choreographer Mollie Sansone, longtime Nashville Ballet Teaching Artist Shabaz Ujima, Windship Boyd, Company Dancer

• February 2023

Akiva Performs Pinocchio By ELLY EBIN

he Akiva School fifth- and sixthgrade students performed Pinocchio to a full house of family, friends, and students last month. Based on the famed story by Carlo Collodi, this adaptation brought to life the enchanting story of old woodcarver Geppetto and his marionette son, Pinocchio. Curiosity and temptation lead Pinocchio astray, but with gentle guidance from friends, he learns the importance of respect and honesty and finds a way to

help save Geppetto from demise. The 15-person cast began rehearsing in the fall, mastering their lines, music, and choreography under the direction of Akiva’s Theater Director, Annie Douthit. Douthit has been directing musicals at Akiva for over ten years and says, “Every single production is inspiring. To see students challenging themselves beyond their comfort zone and developing their artistic skills and confidence is incredible.” Douthit adds that, “The opportunity for students to take part in musical produc-

tions fosters incredible cooperative skills, respect, and community.” Sixth-grader Lyla Banish was cast as Pinocchio in this year’s production. Lyla says that the experience was “amazing, exhilarating, and brilliant, and even those words are an understatement.” Lyla explains that she, “loves the thrill of performing on stage. It was a great adventure and a great challenge; learning and reciting our lines, practicing, and finally performing in front of our parents and friends.” Lyla’s parents, Jeff and Jessica

Banish, were thrilled to see students get an opportunity to showcase their artistic side, saying that, “It brought us so much joy to witness Lyla and the rest of the cast beam with pride after the performance.” The Banishes added, “We have watched Lyla’s self-confidence surge throughout every Akiva musical she has participated in. The musical theater program truly exceeded our expectations.” Stay tuned for Akiva’s upcoming productions of “Peter Pan” and “Alice in Wonderland,” coming this spring. •

paper, design a visual component presenting their findings, and include an infographic depicting all mathematics used in their experiment. Some of the projects presented included topics like

The Science of Brain Freeze, Quantum Entanglement, Life in One Cubic Foot, Quirky Quarks, and A Study of the Most Efficient Home Servers.•

JMS Science Fair

his year’s JMS Science Fair, held last month, was an opportunity for students to pursue an advanced understanding of their chosen area of research. JMS

faculty encouraged students to think about what interests them and pursue projects based on those interests. As part of their project, students had to design an experiment, write a research

Please Join Us for the Sherith Israel Annual Fundraiser

Spain An Afternoon in

March 12th, 3:00-5:00pm Sherith Israel 3600 West End Avenue

Tapas | Sangria | Music RSVP at https://bit.ly/spain-in-CSI

10 February 2023 •

$120 per ticket

Free children's program, must RSVP

Córdoba $10,000 and up

Madrid $5,000 - $9,999 Seville $2,500 - $4,999 Barcelona $1,000 - $2,499 Grenada $500 - $999

• February 2023

Kehilla High School students participate in the Flexible Friday program

Flexible Fridays at Kehilla High By ELLY EBIN

onday through Thursday will find Kehilla High School students at the Temple Ohabai Shalom campus, rigorously engaged in typical high school classes. But come Friday, Kehilla students are a lot harder to track down. Now in its inaugural year, Kehilla High School proudly provides an exciting and hih-level curriculum that cultivates a deep philosophy of productive citizenship and empowers students to become diverse thinkers and changemakers. On Fridays, this philosophy is put into practice through a special Flexible Friday program. Fridays are designated for off-cam-

pus trips and programming as well as visits from community leaders, activists, and field experts. The program deepens students’ understanding of community engagement and gives them the opportunity to explore places and ideas that reflect the history that shaped our community and our city. Some Fridays are spent exploring Nashville classics, with visits to Fort Negley, Centennial Park, the Belle Meade Plantation, and the Tennessee State Museum. Other Fridays are focused on learning about Jewish culture and traditions, and exploring Jewish theology and ethics. Guest lecturers have included a Vanderbilt biologist, community leaders, Ukrainian refugees, and

local veterans. Head of School Ron Heady says, “Making connections with and within our community is vital to Kehilla’s mission.” Heady explains that, “Our Flexible Fridays create opportunities for students to explore different kinds of connections between what they are learning in school and the real world.” Shira Sackett, a lead teacher at Kehilla High School, adds that, “The flexibility of the Friday schedule allows us to foster the interests of Kehilla students in creative and educational ways.” Sackett notes that, “Part of Flexible Fridays is also about building community within the school. We took our students to an Escape Room experi-

ence early in the year and it was a really unique opportunity for them to learn how to work together and utilize the strengths of each individual in support of a common goal.” Flexible Fridays are all about developing skills and insights and empowering students to become informed and engaged changemakers. Students are looking forward to a new semester of Flexible Fridays, with upcoming programming including a visit to the Paper Clips Museum in Whitwell, touring science labs at both Vanderbilt and Belmont Universities, and community service projects in support of local social and justice programs. •

Nashville Jewish Book Series February Events F

ebruary brings three wonderful Nashville Jewish Book Series events to town. First up is a virtual event on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 7pm where we will welcome Bill Haltom to discuss his book “Sears Crosstown in Memphis: From Catalogues to Concourse.” Haltom writes about the history of Sears Crosstown, Julius Rosenwald, and the history of his philanthropy, including that of Rosenwald Schools. Haltom will be in conversation with photographer Andrew Feiler whose book, A Better Life for Their Children, documents the Rosenwald Schools and its students. The Nashville Jewish Book Series’ very own Margaret Littman will be moderating the conversation. This program is in partnership with the Tennessee State Museum, where Feiler’s photographs will be on exhibit from Feb. 24 through May 21. Register for this free event at nashvillejcc.org/Haltom. The next two events bring in-person programming. Marjorie Margolies, former

Pennsylvania congresswoman and Emmyaward winning journalist, and all around “trailblazer for women,” will be joining us for an evening of profound conversation at the Gordon JCC on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7pm. Margolies will discuss her experiences being the first single woman to adopt internationally, reporting a myriad of different stories abroad, and advocating for women’s rights, all while juggling motherhood. Come join us for the event and dive into the lifetime of stories shared in her new memoir, And How Are the Children? Timeless Lessons from the Frontlines of Motherhood. Tickets can be found at nashvillejcc.org.margolies. We hear the word self care a lot – buy creams to reduce wrinkles, take all the supplements we are told will help us, eat organic food, and meditate – but does it all really work? Join the conversation and take a deep dive into the wellness industry with journalist Rina Raphael as she discusses her book, The Gospel of Wellness, Gyms, Gurus, and the

Learn more about the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville at www.jewishnashville.org

False Promise of Self-Care. Raphael will be in conversation with wellness figures, moderated by local radio journalist and community member Emily Siner. The program will be held in the Gordon JCC auditorium Thursday, February 23 at 7pm. The evening is co-sponsored by National Council of Jewish Women, Nashville Section and East Side Tribe. Purchase your tickets at nashvillejcc. org/raphael.

The Nashville Jewish Book Series aims to bring people together for meaningful discussions about Jewish culture, identity, and life through literature. The NJBS runs from November 2022 to May 2023. You can find the schedule with registration and ticketing information at nasvhillejcc.org/book or contact community-wide programs director Sharon Benus at sharonb@nashvillejcc.org or 615-354-1697. •

Visit The Jewish Observer’s website www.jewishobservernashville.org

Visit the Community Calendar at www.jewishnashville. org

12 February 2023 •

Revere Jewish West End Synagogue Montessori Preschool Mystery Solved!

hildren at the Revere Jewish Montessori Preschool practice learning their motor skill from a very young age, as this is a crucial part of child development. By exploring many different types of movement, children build the confidence, motivation and

physical competence to engage in an active, healthy lifestyle. Registration for the academic year starting in August 2023 will open on Feb. 1. Spaces are limited. To take a tour or to register your child, please call 615-646-5750 or email rjmpinfo@gmail.com •

Children of the Holocaust Sculpture at Congregation Micah

s you all may recall, Jacob Potash and I discovered a mysterious concrete Star of David in the back storage a while back. For over a year, we have been trying to find its origin. Well, with the help of our own librarian, Susan Pankowsky, and Federation Archivist, Lynn Fleischer, we may have an answer. Susan and Lynn visited the Tennessee State Library and

Archives and discovered architectural drawings for the Gay Street Synagogue. Apparently, there was a large medallion on the front of the building (see architectural drawing below). Lynn measured the drawing to scale, and it is the same size as our mysterious star. While we do not know if this is indeed the original home of our Star of David, it is safe to say, based on the evidence presented, that our mystery has been solved! •

The concrete Star of David found in a storage room at West End Synagogue, formerly the Gay Street Synagogue

Closeup of the star in the Gay Street Synagogue façade.

By JIM HOLZER

Blueprint of the Gay Street Synagogue with star pictured at the top

Visitors to the Children of the Holocaust sculpture at Congregation Micah. The sculpture, inspired by Holocaust survivor Frances Hahn, and her late husband, George z”l, is memorial to the one million children murdered in the Holocaust.

Please support the businesses that advertise in the Observer and help support our community in all ways! Make sure to let them know... you saw their ad here!

PHOTO CREDIT: JULIE GREENBERG

• February 2023

At Our Congregations… Nashville’s congregations Here are the websites for all five Nashville Jewish congregations, with information on services, upcoming events and more: Congregation Beit Tefilah Chabad, www.chabadnashville.com Congregation Micah, www.congregationmicah.org Congregation Sherith Israel, www.sherithisrael.com The Temple – Congregation Ohabai Sholom, www.templenashville.org West End Synagogue, www.westendsyn.org

@ Chabad /Congregation Beit Tefilah

“Gourmet Hamantashen available Now in Nashville” Leave it to the Jews to have a cookie inspired by cultural annihilation! Hamantashen are the triangle-shaped filled cookies most associated with Purim, the most joyous of all Jewish holidays. Hamantashen, the classic Purim cookies, are eagerly awaited by everyone young and old. They are versatile and can be made from a good, sweet yeast dough, flaky dough or from a traditional cookie dough. The fillings can be mixed and matched. The Hamantash cookie is eaten on Purim, when we read from the Book of Esther, the Megillah, and celebrate the Megillah, and celebrate the triumph of good (Esther) over evil (Haman, who planned to destroy the Jewish people.) Chabad of Nashville is offering Covid Safe, delicious Hamantashen to share with family and friends, while celebrating the joyous holiday of Purim! These gourmet Hamantaschen will be baked by an authentic Hamantash bakery in Brooklyn, New York, and will be offered in three different flavors: raspberry, poppy seed and chocolate chip, and will all be dipped in chocolate, to give a rich smooth taste. Orders can be placed at chabadnashville.com/hamantashen, and need to be placed by Feb. 20, for on-time shipping before Purim. Purim will be celebrated this year on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. For more information, feel free to call 615-646-5750

Chabad to host two TGIS celebration in February Start your Shabbat off right with good friends, great conversation, and excellent kosher cuisine, all seasoned with the perfect amount of spirit and joy. TGIS is a Club Med Shabbat: An all-inclusive Shabbat experience. Enjoy a Friday night Shabbat dinner replete with traditional dishes. Blended with spirited singing, a Chasidic tale, and a chance to meet some wonderful new people. TGIS will be held on Friday evening, February 10, and on February 24, at 6:30 PM at Chabad of Nashville. There is no cost to attend the TGIS Shabbat experience, however we kindly request that you RSVP by letting us know you will be attending at chabadnashville@ gmail.com

Craving Community? There is hope! Craving community? There is hope! Join people like yourself for our weekly Shabbat morning service. For the whole family. Come for all, come for part. Join us for our weekly Shabbat service and community experience. Services are warm, welcoming, joyous, and friendly, and they will include some traditional prayers in Hebrew, explanations and English readings, Torah reading and inspirational talk. The traditional service is designed to guide you step-by-step and will make you comfortable regardless of previous exposure and background. This, coupled with modern Jewish melodies and an easy-to-read prayer book translation will make Shabbat prayer services an enjoyable and meaningful experience for you. Shabbat morning services are followed by social Kiddush buffet luncheon, including a hot gourmet cholent, and a spread of delicious dishes and freshly baked desserts. The event is always capped off with Torah and Tea for women, and the Men’s Group weekly farbrengen with L’Chaim.

BLT – BAGELS, LOX AND TANYA Join friends for a morning of bagels, lox and Tanya (Jewish mysticism) on Sunday, February 5, at 10:00 AM. Partake in a delicious spread of bagels, lox, cream cheese, and freshly brewed coffee as you learn from the Holy Book of the Tanya, and the Gates of Trust. Nourish your Mind, Body and Soul with BLT at Chabad of Nashville.

mornings of each month on Shabbat mornings from 11-12 for children ages 4-10 with Moms. Each session will incorporate; Breathing and stretching techniques, mastering a variety of fun yoga poses, singing, dancing, games, learning about the weekly torah portion and Tefila (prayer). The sessions will aim to promote the many benefits of yoga including, increased flexibility and strength, and relaxation as well as teaching your child about the most special day of the week Shabbat - in a fun and health way. Torah Yoga is free to attend, kindly RSVP at chabadnashville.com as space is limited.

Chabad Chicken Soup Squad Winter 2023 All about town people suffering from the common cold, strains of flu, or maybe a strain of Covid, and are looking up and feeling a bit apprehensive. Never fear, The Chabad Chicken Soup Squad is here. Chabad is presenting the Winter 2023 Chicken Soup Squad, as various local chefs prepare authentic chicken soup, and a dedicated team of volunteers who deliver fresh heartwarming chicken soup to those under the weather or are not feeling well. This chicken soup broth has earned rave reviews -- it’s the original Jewish penicillin. For anyone who would like a free quart or two of this unique chicken soup broth, or would like to volunteer with delivering this soup to those who are under the weather, please call Chabad’s Chesed desk at 615-646-5750, or email chabadnashville@gmail.com.

@ Micah Congregation Micah - an inclusive, innovative synagogue exploring and celebrating Jewish life - is committed to building community and repairing the world! We offer creative and diverse ways to live a Jewish life in Tennessee and beyond, using the rich beliefs and practices of Progressive Judaism as our foundation. Visit our 30+ acre campus or access our virtual programs from our website, www.congregationmicah.org. Like us on socials: Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram @MicahNashville; sign up for our e-blasts; learn and pray with us in-person or on YouTube, Zoom, and our livestream. In our tent, there is room for everyone!

Weekly Events Sanctuary Shabbat Services: Fridays at 6 PM

At Micah, we approach God in many ways: the inspiration of words, the beauty of sacred space, the authenticity of our intention, and through the power of music and song. Join us in-person or virtually for services this month that will be as diverse as they are engaging, and as moving as they are participatory. Come early and schmooze with us starting at 5:15! Light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments served.

Saturday Morning Torah Study: Saturdays at 9 AM on Zoom

Deep conversations about the text with thoughtful and caring people led by the clergy.

Mah Jongg: Tuesdays from 12:30 PM- 3:30 PM

Join our players for an afternoon of fun in the social hall! For more information, contact Paula: pgkwn@comcast.net.

Schmooze & Views: Thursdays from 10:30 AM- 11:30 AM In-Person

At Micah, we keep politics off the pulpit but not out of the building. Share your views in a round-table discussion on current events facilitated by Rabbi Flip and Dr. Bob Smith.

February Events: Sabbath of Song: A Shabbat Service in Memory of Debbie Friedman: Friday, February 3 at 6 PM:

Friday, February 3rd is Shabbat Shira, which means the “Sabbath of Song.” Music has been an integral part of Jewish civilization since biblical times, but there is one name in particular whose influence is paramount to the sound and spirit of contemporary Jewish music in North America and beyond—none other than Debbie Friedman (Z”L). We will raise our voices together to celebrate the Sabbath of Song with the music of the late great Debbie Friedman.

Judaism for the Interfaith Couple: A 3-Part Series: Sunday Mornings, 10:30 AM, February 5, February 12, and February 19 In-Person

This 3-session course will focus on the subjects of Jewish ethics, practice, and peoplehood through the lens of the interfaith couple. Join Rabbi Laurie as we explore these topics through the study of Jewish text and conversation. No charge for members, $36/ person for guests. RSVP at www.congregationmicah.org/events.

Tu B’shevat Hike: Sunday, February 5 at 2:00 PM

Torah Yoga for Kids on Shabbat mornings

Celebrate the beauty of nature with us. We will meet at Deep Wells off of Highway 100 and hike the White Trail. RSVP at www.congregationmicah.org/events.

Bring your youngsters on Shabbat mornings for Torah Yoga at Chabad of Nashville. These exciting new yoga sessions will be held the first and third Shabbat

Continued on page 15

14 February 2023 •

At Our Congregations… Continued from page 14

Micah Reads: Monday, February 6, and Monday, March 6, at 7 PM on Zoom

Education Director Julie Greenberg leads the discussion on the book What We Wish Were True by Tallu Schuyler Quinn in February and The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem by Sarit Yishai-Levi in March. All are welcome. RSVP at www.congregationmicah.org/events.

Caring for Aging Parents: A Series: Tuesday, February 7 at 7 PM

Dive into the emotions of role reversal, navigating family conflict, and communication challenges. Build community with and gain support from others going through the same stage of life. Share. Learn from one another. No charge for members, $54 for guests. Registration is required. Register at www.congregationmicah.org/events.

The Om in Shalom: Mindfulness and Meditation: Thursday, February 9 at 6:00 PM

Join Rabbi Laurie Rice and Dr. Judy Itzkowitz to put the OM in Shalom, an evening of Jewish mindfulness and meditation at Congregation Micah. RSVP at www. congregationmicah.org/events.

Didactic Service: Saturday, February 11, at 9:30 AM In-Person and on Livestream

Our clergy will lead us in our annual didactic - or “teaching” - service that will explore the meaning, structure, and choreography of the Shabbat service.

Sports Trivia: Tuesday, February 14, at 10:30 AM In-Person

Have you ever wondered who was on 3rd base when Bobby Thompson of the New York Giants hit “the shot heard ‘round the world” to defeat the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951? Find out the answer to this question and many more when you join Martin Light and other Micah members for an hour of sports trivia on the second Tuesday of every month. Questions? Contact Martin at martylight@aol.com.

American Jewish Identity with Rabbi Sharon Brous: Tuesday, February 14 at 6:30 PM on Zoom

Rabbi Laurie Rice and Rabbi Joshua Kullock of West End Synagogue host a conversation with Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder and senior rabbi of IKAR in Los Angeles, CA. Register for the Zoom at www.congregationmicah.org/events.

Women’s Circle: Friday, February 17, at 12 PM

Rabbi Laurie engages your intellect and inspires conversation on a variety of Jewish topics. All are welcome. Bring a friend. Lunch will be provided. RSVP at www.congregationmicah.org/events.

Micah Minis: Saturday, February 18 at 9:30 AM

Sing and dance with Cantor Josh and Rabbi Laurie! This family-friendly Shabbat service is aimed at ages 7 and younger.

Micah Makers Charity Knit and Crochet Group: Sunday, February 19, at 10 AM All experience levels welcome, including those who want to learn!

@ Sherith Israel Sherith Israel’s Open Mic Night - (Open to all ages) Sat. night, FEB.18th - 6:45pm - 8:30pm This event is a wonderful opportunity for kids and adults to get on stage and perform in front of an encouraging audience. Participants can play a song - original or cover - on an instrument, sing, perform magic, tell jokes, or read a poem. Hosted by Cantor Dov. Fresh pizza and snacks will be served. FREE event for the whole community!

Tefillah Workshop with Cantor Dov Sundays 2/12, 2/19 - 10am - 11:15am Join Cantor Dov for 2 workshops in February to delve into understanding some of the prayers we say each day, through the lens of songwriting. Daveners of all levels are welcome. Cake and coffee will be served.

Nashville Bass Midrash, with Moreh Nehcemya Rosenfeld The community is invited to join our adult learning series, the Nashville Bass Midrash, with Moreh Nehcemya Rosenfeld, at 8 pm on Wednesday nights in the Sherith Israel library. No prior experience necessary. February topics are the following: 2/1 - Is it Permissible to Receive Compensation for Performance of a Mitzvah? 2/8 - Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel: Two Worldviews 2/15 - Pre Purim - Who are you, Esther? Lessons From the Talmud on Megilat Esther part 1 2/22 - Pre Purim - Who is Jewish? Lessons From the Talmud on Megilat Esther part 2

@ The Temple February 2023 Events All programming can be accessed via thetemplehub.org unless noted to be in person only

Pirkei Avot: Jewish Wisdom for Today’s World Every Friday from 5:00-5:40 PM

Get ready for Shabbat with a little text study! Each week we will study a piece of wisdom from Pirkei Avot, The Ethics of our Ancestors, an ancient Jewish text still relevant in our own times. Available in person at The Temple and via zoom. Zoom Room: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81973096738

Shabbat Schedule for February

Our Shabbat Services will be held in person at The Temple. You can also watch via zoom from thetemplehub.org. Friday, February 3rd ~ 6:00 PM Friday, February 10Th ~ 6:00 PM Friday, February 17th ~ 6:00 PM- FAMILY SERVICE Friday, February 24th ~ 6:00 PM

Shabbat Morning Schedule for February Saturday, February 25th ~ 11:00 AM

Golden Lunch Bunch

Will meet at Temple from 11:30-1:00pm on February 7th with entertainment by Russ Davis February 21st with entertainment by Nancy & Larry Mechem RSVP to Jamie Maresca at 615-354-1686 or via email at helpinghands@ jfsnashville.org

Chevrah Torah Study 9:30AM on Saturdays

Join us for our weekly Torah study on the portion of the week, led by the clergy. You can join us in person at The Temple or via zoom from thetemplehub.org

Tot Shabbat- (for families with children up to age 5)

These opportunities offer families the chance to celebrate Shabbat with their young children in a creative way. Saturday, February 4th ~ 10:00AM Our theme is Tu B’shTOT- Tu’B’shevat

Women’s Torah Study February 2nd, 9th, 16th & 23rd 10:30 AM

Ongoing weekly women’s Torah study led by Patty Marks. Available in person at The Temple and via zoom through thetemplehub.org

Lunch with the Rabbi February 2nd, 9th, 16th & 23rd Lunch at 11:30AM Program12:00-1:00 PM $15 per person for lunch

Engage with Rabbi Danziger and guests in a discussion of current and important issues from a Jewish perspective. RSVP on thetemplehub.org or by calling the Temple at 615-352-7620 Available in person and via zoom. Zoom Room: thetemplehub.org

Monday Morning Mah Jongg

Join Us for MAH JONGG Mondays at The Temple! February 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th from 10:00 AM - Noon+ Drop in for Mah Jongg. We’ll have coffee and water. Bring your friends, a card, and a set and have some fun. Mah Jongg cards and sets are available for purchase in The Temple Gift Shop.

Writers of the Lost Ark First Wednesday of the Month February 1st 7:00-8:00 PM

Are you looking for a creative outlet? Writers of the Lost Ark, our Temple writer’s group, meets the first Wednesday of each month currently via Zoom. This is a safe, supportive, and no pressure environment to share your creative ideas whether they be stories, songs, poems, or praise. The group is open to all regardless of how little or how long you’ve been writing. Those curious to find their creative side are welcome as well. For more information, please contact ninapacent@bellsouth.net. Continued on page 16

• February 2023

At Our Congregations… @ The Temple Continued from page 15

Dr. Amy-Jill Levine Lectures

Signs and Wonders – Biblical Miracles & Modern Meanings Tuesdays at 7:00 pm ~ In-Person at The Temple January 24-Miracles of Food – From Symbolism to Sustainability January 31-Miracles of Healing – Health Care, Care Providers, and the Importance of Bodies February 7-Miracles of Nature – From Stilling Storms to Natural Disaster Dr. Levine is the Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies Hartford International University for Religion and Peace.

Temple Together (35-50 year old Jewish Adults) Bourbon Tasting

Led by Rabbi Michael Shulman Certified Bourbon Steward Wednesday, February 8th 6:00pm @ The Temple Join us for this guided tasting and learn the bourbon basics and the Jewish connections with the whiskey industry in America. Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided RSVP to Rabbi Michael Shulman at rabbishulman@templenashville.org

@ West End For links to the following services or programs, please email office@westendsyn.org

Scholar in Residence Weekend Come and join us the last weekend of February as we welcome Rabbi Alfredo Borodowski to West End Synagogue. He will teach on Friday, February 24, after a catered Shabbat dinner by Goldie Shepard. Services begin at 6 p.m. Reservations required for dinner $25 pp, $15 children under 10 and no charge for children under 3, please RSVP on our website www.westendsyn.org or by calling 615-269-4592 ext. 11. On Saturday, February 25, Rabbi Borodowski will speak following kiddush. Friday night class: “The Science of Happiness. Can Judaism Make Us Happy?” Saturday afternoon class: “Introverted Moses Vs. Extroverted Miriam: What Personality Type can tell us about our spirituality?”

Learn and Lunch with Author Cathy Lewis Wednesday, February 8, at 11:00 a.m. Reservations required, catered lunch following the presentation.

Men’s Torah Group (in person) Join us on February 9, at noon for our Torah class for men. We are currently reading Elijah’s stories from the First Book of Kings

TOT Shabbat and Shabbat dinner Friday Evening, February 10, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Open to families with young children first grade and under.

USY is baking Hamentashen!t Join USY and Gesher as we bake over 300 dozen delicious Hamantashen! We will start baking right Sunday school on Sunday, February 12, from 12:00-4:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided, and we will get to taste the delicious goodies we bake. The is event is open to grades 5 – 12 and parent help is always welcome. (Depending on how much we get done, we may also bake on Monday, February 16 from 10:00 a m.-2:00 p.m. Stay tuned!) If you have questions or to rsvp, email MTNUSY@gmail.com

Rabbis Joshua & Laurie interview Rabbi Sharon Brous (on Zoom) Join Rabbis Joshua (WES) and Laurie (Micah) on Tuesday, February 14, at 6:30 p.m., as they interview Rabbi Sharon Brous from IKAR in Los Angeles. They will discuss contemporary American Judaism, Anti-Semitism, and Israel.

Music & Me for Families with young children under 3 years old Sunday, February 19 from 10:00-11:30 a.m. Join us for Music, Munchies and Making friends. RSVP to spaz@westendsyn.org

Learn and Lunch with Nechemya Rosenfeld Wednesday, February 22, at 11:00 a.m. Reservations required, catered lunch following presentation.

Birthday Shabbat

Women’s Torah Group (on Zoom)

Join us on Shabbat morning, February 25, for a special celebration of our February birthdays. The main service begins at 9:30 a.m. and a kiddush sponsored by the synagogue will follow. There will be free babysitting at this event. And our 2nd -7th graders won’t want to miss Junior Congregation from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Following services everyone is welcome to join us for a kiddush luncheon.

Join us on February 1, at 11:00 a.m. Rabbi Joshua leads our study of the book of Deuteronomy.

Shacharit (in person)

Forum on Affordable Housing Join us Thursday, February 2, from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at West End Synagogue. This event is open to those in the community interested in learning how the lack of affordable housing affects us all! The forum will be moderated by Chas Sisk, WPLN News Director, with panelists: Metro Council Member Burkley Allen; Kay Bowers, of NOAH; Paulette Coleman, Commissioner on the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency; Randy Rayburn, Restaurant Owner and Hospitality Consultant. Light refreshments to follow. For Information, contact Kitty Calhoon at kcalhoon103@ aol.com or Judy Saks at mountvu@att.net.

Shabbat Nosh! Join us for Shabbat services on February 3, at 6:00 p.m. followed by an oneg reception. Everyone is welcome! This week, our 4th and 5th graders will lead Kabbalat Shabbat. It is also Young Professionals Shabbat. This is a great opportunity to meet friends and network while schmoozing after services at the oneg. Our 2nd and 3rd graders will lead us in a beautiful Havdalah service at 6:00 p.m. All are invited to attend.

Music City Sisterhood Book Club Sunday, February 5, at 9:30 a.m. or on Zoom Tuesday, February 7, at 7:00 p.m. Join Music City Sisterhood’s book club for a discussion of the book Shanda: A Memoir of Shame and Secrecy by Letty Cotton Pogrrebin!

16 February 2023 •

Join us for in-person morning minyan! Sunday services will be at 9:00 a.m. and Monday-Friday will be at 7:00 a.m.

Maariv (on Zoom) Join us for daily Maariv at 6:00 p.m., Sunday-Friday on Zoom only.

Kabbalat Shabbat You are invited to join us for Kabbalat Shabbat on Fridays in person (or on Zoom) at 6:00 p.m.

Morning Shabbat services. You are invited to join us Saturday mornings in person (or on Zoom) at 9:30 a.m.

Talmud on Tuesdays Rabbi Joshua leads a lively Talmudic discussion at 7:30 a.m. in person and on Zoom every Tuesday, immediately after morning minyan. We have just began exploring a new tractate: Sotah. Come and join us!

Torah study With Nechemya Rosenfeld every Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. following morning minyan at 7:00 a.m.

Community Listings

My Holocaust by Tova Reich (Harper, 2007)

East Side Tribe L’chaim Time, an East Side Tribe happy hour, on Feb. 2, at 5 p.m. ,Henry James 3807 Gallatin Pike Nashville, TN 37216 East Side Tribe’s February community Shabbat dinner is Friday, Feb. 24. (Details coming soon.) For all East Side Tribe events, RSVP on Eventbrite by searching for “East Side Tribe.”

Nashville Jewish Genealogical Society The next meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Nashville will be held on Sunday, Feb. 19 beginning at 2:00 PM CT. Our featured speaker will be Ellen Kowitt, Director of JewishGen’s USA Research Division and National Vice Chair of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution Jewish Task Force. She will be speaking on documenting Jewish communities in the United States, not only using records from Jewish cemeteries and synagogue memorial plaques, but also congregational records, mohel registers, Jewish hospital and funeral home records, Jewish clubs and organizational materials, and more to be uncovered. This lecture showcases search techniques and websites where these Jewish genealogical gems may be found in archives, newspapers, rare books, or elsewhere. Featuring examples from the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Jewish Archives, regional Jewish historical society archives such as The Bremen Museum and Denver University’s Beck Archive, state archives, FamilySearch, WorldCat, and more. This meeting will be hybrid, accessible in person at the Library of the Gordon Jewish Community Center, as well as online. RSVP to Scott Newman (nashvillejgs@ gmail.com) for attendance (and/or Zoom link) and any questions you may have.

Kvetch in the City By CARRIE MILLS

ven though you didn’t ask for it, I thought I’d give some Kvetch in the City sage advice. If you’re married, stay married. Even if you can’t stand your spouse, take it from me, please do yourself a favor and stay married. Even if you’ve both gained 30 pounds and don’t talk anymore, just stay married. And for all the singles out there… stay single. Don’t go on Tinder, or Hinge or Bumble or J date. Don’t ask people you just met their astrological signs to see if they might be a good match. Don’t ask people if they “know someone,” don’t follow Match Maker Maria on Instagram even though she’s hysterical and has solid dating suggestions. And definitely don’t go to holiday parties and have a drink only to find yourself talking to some cute, funny, creative, older man, who happens to be from your hometown who then the next day Facebooks you in as a friend and asks you out for dinner. Then you go out to so-called dinner and find yourself in the very strange familiar place of actually having feelings that you thought were long gone laced with a tinge of excitement, only to find yourself wondering what just happened since only the week before you were so calm and content being single without a care in the world of ever meeting anyone for the rest of your life. It was just fine, life was good, and now your stomach is in knots. And now, looking in the mirror naked is mortifying just when wearing old underwear used to be just fine and who cares if you have those little knish love handles, and a bit of a jowl and you had resigned yourself to not worrying about getting a face lift because you’d actually rather have the money in the bank. And then you find yourself on another date with said person and you are bowling in some alley and wondering what he is thinking of your tush and if it’s

People of the Books

too big and how you feel scared to bowl properly because of your hip replacement so you walk/stand right up at the edge of the lane and throw/roll the ball down the alley and first time up get a strike. And then you worry if he has a male ego that would bruise if you beat him…which you do by the third game…even though he once gave bowling lessons back in the day and is somewhat of a pro. And then you find out he may have a strong ego after all and that is actually a good sign, so now you find yourself feeling more vulnerable and wondering how to steer the course of continuing on when he calls three days later and you talk for two hours like it was two minutes and he asks you out again and you say yes and go to the Frist and have fun and he takes you to your favorite restaurant and you see he doesn’t even seem to care as you bite into some sloppy veggie burger dripping ketchup. And you continue on until yes he says he’d like to kiss you which creates an inner meltdown of feelings buried alive for too long that the words blast out how you’d like to go slow because you’d really like to get to know him first because you’re thinking, while you’re pretty sure he is not a serial killer by this point, you remember how complicated it could be if you bring the wrong person in your life and end up marrying them which you’ve done two times before. And since then you’ve worked so hard on yourself to be discerning and by now you think you really know yourself, though in this moment you wonder, do I really know myself? And the only way forward is to open your heart and maybe let him in and let it unfold at a pace that feels good for you and to trust if it’s meant to be it will work out because you know when a man wants to be with a woman, he is all caveman-like and simple and straightforward. So, when he calls a few days later unbeknownst to the fact that you have been living in an anxiety-induced datinga-new-man Hell and you just thought you can’t take it anymore, you conjure up your most casual relaxed voice and reply, “Hey, how ya doin’?” •

Reviews by ELYCE RAE HELFORD

t took me a long time to get around to reading Tova Reich’s My Holocaust. Fifteen years, to be precise. I knew the book was a satire, and reviews told me Reich held nothing back in her critique of the Holocaust commemoration industry. I take seriously those who consider satire and other non-solemn genres problematic for representations of the Holocaust, especially today, in a world facing increased antisemitic attacks linked to white supremacy and conspiracy thinking, from replacement theory to Holocaust denial. Thus, even acclaimed Jewish American writer Cynthia Ozick’s defense of My Holocaust did not persuade me to open the book, not until late 2022. A key reason I finally retrieved Reich’s novel from my long to-read list is my recent interest in scholarship on the limits of representation for conveying extreme phenomena, especially the Holocaust. We want to understand what happened, how, and why. But, as survivors often explain, we will never truly comprehend, not unless we were there. Moreover, everyone’s Holocaust experience was different. The problem of realistic representation becomes even more dangerously fraught in the form of fiction. Often, even the most well-researched and sincere creative imaginings fall into the traps of reductivism or sentimentalism. Why not, some critics posit, consider new modes of representation? If realism has proved incapable of depicting the horrors of the Holocaust, why not consider other literary methods? Humor, including satire, and fantasy are two options that can point to realism’s limitations as well as attracting new audiences to consideration of the Nazi genocide. With this interest in how non-realistic modes, when handled with care and skill, may have some potential to revitalize representation, I went back to the shelf and picked up My Holocaust. Immediately, I realized I had forgotten that it was written by Tova Reich, whose writing I knew from the powerful short story “The Lost Girl.” This tale of an Orthodox teen, navigating a life she is ill-prepared for by her religious education, moved me deeply. Could I not trust that this author, knowledgeable about Jews in America and Israel, about the Torah and Talmud, and about gender and generational conflict, could write about the Holocaust in a way that would help me continue to wrestle with its meaning in compelling and productive ways? As this point, I find it especially important to note that the subject of the book is not the experience of the Holocaust but the contemporary commemoration industry. And Reich skewers it with glee. Once I began reading, I could not put it down. I laughed and groaned and despaired for humankind in equal measure as I turned page after biting page. The central tension is between money-obsessed conventional Holocaust memorialists and a diverse bunch of opponents who want every group to have the “right” to promote

their own personal “Holocaust,” from Tibetans and African Americans to whales and climate activists. We meet terrible people on both sides during the journey. Without exception, the novel’s characters are deplorable, and I longed for each and all to get their comeuppance, while recognizing that some might not. That’s just the world of overblown corporate hucksters, ruthless grifters, arrogant socialites, and phony gurus. Delusion – by others or self-propelled – rules the day. Take, for instance, the aged Jewish camp survivor who directs the unnamed museum that is obviously the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. A patriarch whose goal of raising world consciousness of the Shoah actually comes to rewrite his own personal history, falsely claiming he was a gun-toting member of the resistance. Thus overhauled, he can better achieve the kind of heroic status that will impress the wealthy and keep their donations flowing. Reich also depicts this survivor’s lackluster son and his most successful sleazy salesman, the former a henpecked husband type and the latter a grotesque womanizer whom the survivor nonetheless admires. All, meanwhile, have enough self-pity to drown in. The novel’s women are equally misguided, including the wealthy widow who seeks to “buy” the role of museum director for her airheaded daughter with a ten million dollar donation, and the survivor’s granddaughter, brought up to think of little beyond Holocaust remembrance, eventually deciding the best way to give her life over to commemoration of the victims is to become a (Jewish) nun, cloistering herself and praying ceaselessly in a convent building within, and then moved to sit beside, the Auschwitz memorial in Poland. The pleasure of the book is how Reich actively demands of her readers an interrogation of how American Jews (and a few Europeans) have surrendered Holocaust remembrance to a deeply cynical commercialization. The distance a satire puts between us, and its target subject keeps us from feelings of sympathy or sentimentality. We do not suffer along with characters or hope for a happy ending. Instead, we remain on our guard, in the realm of the intellect. I could not help but question, after reading, why Washington, D.C. has a Native American and African American heritage museum, but not a Jewish American one. In short, we yielded life for death, gained a space for mourning the loss of European Jewry instead of recognizing the presence and importance of Jewish American history. Now, I feel protective of My Holocaust. I cherish its dark wit and social critique, even as I fear its reception – at publication and especially now – by antisemites. I want to withhold it from anyone who has not read several survivor memoirs and a good dose of Jewish history first. For those who pass this test, I can then recommend My Holocaust as a powerful political satire for the 21st century. • Author bio: Elyce Rae Helford, PhD, is a professor of English and director of the Jewish and Holocaust Studies minor at Middle Tennessee State University. Her most recent book is “What Price Hollywood?:” Gender and Sex in the Films of George Cukor. Reach her at elyce.helford@mtsu.edu.

• February 2023

Health and Wellness Corner “Healthy” Little Lies By SHERRI HOLZER

hen I first began my privilege of teaching Sunday school at Beit Miriam, I knew I was accepting a huge responsibility. I would now be responsible for 12 precious children learning to count tzedakah and learn the alphabet in Hebrew. In addition, I would be responsible for providing a safe and joyful Judaic environment and giving the little munchkins a gift — teaching the blessings we say before we eat our snacks. Snack time in Pre-K 4 is a huge deal. Hands are washed, and tushies are quickly placed on chairs without extra nudging. “Morah Sherri,” what are we having today? As a nutrition health coach, I feel a sense of responsibility to ensure the food I provide is made with real ingredients that even a child could pronounce. We are not having any snack foods targeted to children as “healthy” when they are anything but nutritious. A typical school snack pantry has many items that appear to be “better for you.” Think about your snacks at home. Veggie Sticks? Lunchables? Fruit snacks? Chewy Granola Bars? All those products are marketed to seem like easy and healthy choices but genuinely are not. I won’t belabor the point, but I will provide an example. A popular lower sugar chocolate chip granola bar has these ingredients: Granola, whole grain oats, brown sugar, brown rice crisp [whole grain brown rice flour, sugar, salt], whole grain wheat, soybean oil, dried coconut, whole wheat flour, baking soda, soy lecithin, nonfat dry milk, corn syrup, semisweet chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract, sunflower oil, corn syrup solids, inulin, polydextrose, glycerin. Contains 2% or less of: calcium carbonate, invert sugar, salt, molasses, diacetyl tartaric acid ester of monoglycerides, tocopherols (to preserve freshness), natural flavor, soybean oil. Not only does it contain an inflammatory soybean GMO oil, it has sugar added to it as sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, polydextrose, and molasses, and contains DATEM (diacetyl tarteric acid ester of monoglycerides) which is a banned from anything sold at Whole Foods Markets. It’s very misleading. Ingredients make all the difference to our health. They are more critical than worrying specifically about calories or convenience. Last week, a client told me

Life Is Pitch-Perfect Imagine a senior living community that strikes just the right chord.

From jazzy parties to live music, the lifestyle you’re looking for is here. Clarendale at Bellevue Place offers the freedom and independence of a private residence you’ll love, plus so many services, amenities and social opportunities—including weekly concerts. Our Music City community offers live performances each week. From country, gospel and classical to instrumental, swing and ragtime, you’ll always be in perfect harmony!

GET IN TUNE! CALL 615-258-6364 TO EXPERIENCE CLARENDALE.

how shocked she was that her digestive issues had disappeared after switching up some of her staple foods with ones made with simple ingredients she knew! Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha’olam hamotzi lehem min ha’aretz. Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth. This Sunday at Beit Miriam, when Pre-K 4 recites the motzi, it will be a blessing over bread made from real ingredients from the earth that even our ancestors would recognize. Try my recipe for homemade granola bars. Wrap them individually to make them even easier to grab.

Homemade Granola Bars Ingredients 2 cups organic sprouted oats 1 cup roughly chopped almonds 1/3 cup local honey 1/4 cup dark brown sugar 1/4 cup organic grass-fed unsalted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed 1/4 cup Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips Instructions 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a rimmed half baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Spread the oats and chopped almonds in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake until light brown and toasty, stirring regularly, about 10-15 minutes. 3. Line an 8” x 8” baking pan with parchment paper. 4. While the oats and almonds are toasting, combine the honey, brown sugar, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until melted. Stir in salt, cinnamon, and vanilla, then fold in the toasted oats mixture and ground ﬂaxseed until evenly distributed. 5. Scrape into the prepared baking pan and spread out evenly. 6. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the oats.

INDEPENDENT LIVING | ASSISTED LIVING | MEMORY CARE

Learn more about the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville at www.jewishnashville.org

ClarendaleAtBellevuePlace.com 7632 Highway 70 South Nashville, TN 37221 8-22

18 February 2023 •

LET’S TALK RETIREMENT! (…because it’s not just about the money!) GO AHEAD, IT’S OK YES, YOU CAN CELEBRATE VALENTINE’S DAY! By LORETTA SAFF

oses and chocolate and cute cards galore What is this holiday we need to explore? Restaurants and stores, the movies you’ll view Full of love and red hearts! What’s a Jew to do? I’m talking Valentine’s Day - and you’re wondering why A Retirement Columnist would even try To bring up such a topic and pray tell, why here?

Keep reading and my motives will soon be quite clear.

Spend time planning to do things for the greater good!

As far as I see there’s no religious intent, Even though years ago that’s what it all meant. Now relationships and love are the reason to share Taking time to express how much you care.

Look around at your neighbors, some may need a smile. It doesn’t take long, and it lasts for a while. Volunteer to help others. Aiding someone in need Is showing love and real kindness - a good way to lead.

“LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF” is Judiasm’s top rule. We take pride in and consider it a primary jewel. So, when “Love is in the air,” why not join in? To show that we care is hardly a sin! And if in Retirement – when the years they have flown, How does someone show love if they are alone? The answer is easy – nothing’s misunderstood

Or maybe ‘yourself’ is where you need the release. Exercise, listen to music, do things that bring peace Call a friend; share ideas of something to do On Valentine’s Day – you’ll take care of you. Go ahead, make things happen; don’t stay alone and be mad. Take time to plan ahead; choose happy, not sad.

Be proud to be Jewish on Valentine’s Day. “I’m Loving My Neighbor As myself” is what you can say! And in case you want more, let me share this for you. It’s something I’ve learned as a researching Jew. On August 1st this year, check out Tu B’Av In modern-day Israel it’s the Jewish holiday of LOVE! Remember that regardless of how or when you celebrate The important part - above all - is to participate! Don’t scoff at the businesses decked out in red Think how you will show love to others instead! Enjoy February! Loretta

Heart of the Matter By TONI JACOBSEN LCSW

t’s that month again where love is in the air, and I am thinking about a different form of love that often gets overlooked. A love from a community that can be seen, heard and felt in the heart. When I began working for JFS in December 2000, I distinctly remember the feeling of suspicion. I had a warm welcome that seemed to never end. When I interacted with staff and community members, I was always greeted with such kindness, enthusiasm and appreciation. I remember thinking this is too good to be true and wondered when I would begin to see the real dynamics of the community. That day never came, and I am still greeted with the same love and enthusiasm today. I grew to trust and know that love and caring is the backbone of the community. As a social worker, I get to witness and create love on a daily basis. Love can be created in many forms at JFS. Working with volunteers to bring light to Hanukkah through gifts, sending food to a family in need to ease their financial stress, checking in on an isolated senior with a smile and hug, being present for someone during a crisis and supporting a family through the emotional ups and downs of an adoption. I am in a unique position to create love for others but the kind of love that is most meaningful to me as a social worker is the love I see from the community.

One of the core commandments of Judaism is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Our community excels with this commandment, and I can always count on their help. As someone in direct service, I am lucky to be working in such a caring community. I have a list of generous people that I call my “angels.” I call on them from time to time when special situations arise. I am always greeted with, “What do you need and when can I get it to you?” While the community demonstrates a love for each other with a willingness to help, I also feel loved and supported in the work I do. The synagogues and Jewish agencies are always open to assisting whenever possible. The love of our community is never far from my reach. I am also in a unique position to see the fruits of our labor of love. The heartfelt thank yous from individuals and families, the smiles on the food recipients’ faces, the gentle touch of a senior’s hand as I ask how they are doing, and the eternal gratitude when someone’s life is improved through counseling or adoption. Sometimes the person’s love and gratitude is almost palpable. I wish I could bottle it up and share it with every one of you. The Nashville Jewish community is a special group of people and one that I am proud to be a part of. This month, I am thinking about, and grateful for, the love of community. •

Glatt Kosher “Meat and Three” Dinner Event Take a night off from cooking and come eat together or order dinner to take home!

When- Wednesday, February 22 Where- Sherith Israel Time- 5:45pm for buffet dinner at Sherith Price per person Adult: $25.00 Children: $10.00 x Please email Polly Roffwarg at shepard.polly@gmail.com to see menu, RSVP, and to request order form for take-out option.

Toni Jacobsen, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker and serves as the Clinical Director of JFS. You can reach Toni at tonijacobsen@jfsnashville.org or 615-354-1672.

Please support the businesses that advertise in the Observer and help support our community in all ways! Make sure to let them know...you saw their ad here!

… because your memories matter 479 Myatt Drive, Madison, TN 37115-3024 615-712-9521 • rdschultz@schultzmonument.com

Visit The Jewish Observer’s website www.jewishobservernashville.org • February 2023

February in the Galleries: Featuring the work of James Threalkill, Henry Jones, and Nadine Shillingford. T

he Janet Levine March Gallery will feature the work of James Threalkill. Threalkill is originally from Nashville, Tennessee and after a three-sport career at East Nashville High School, played wide receiver at Vanderbilt University where he earned a Bachelor of Science

degree in Fine Arts. He won an Emmy Award for his creation of a mural painting program with youth from the Edgehill Community in South Nashville. He also illustrated a children’s book series Visions; African American Experiences that was featured on Sesame Street. Threalkill’s work

Crawford Funeral Home Anything But Black, by Henry L. Jones A Jazzy Gentleman, by James Threalkill

Chu C Ch hu hucckk & H Heid eiide eeid iid de Craw raw ra awfor ffo orrd o

2714 Grandview Avenue Nashville, Tennessee 37211

(615) 254-8200

www.crawfordservices.com

has been featured on major television programs and in movies. His work has been collected internationally, including locations in South Africa where he met President Nelson Mandela, and in South America by the U. S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia. James currently works out of his studio in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The JLMG2 Gallery will feature the work of Nashville artist Henry Jones. A Detroit native, Jones is known for digging deeply inside to find the right way to express himself. The international poet, visual artist, playwright, and performance artist/actor is inspired by links to the African Diaspora and his heritage as a Black person. He seeks the human element which all people can relate to. For Jones’ current exhibit “Read in Red,” he has brought together 24 paintings about life, death, love, personal growth, historical connections, and cultural links. The Sig Held Gallery will feature the watercolors of Nadine Shillingford. Shillingford was born on the island of Dominica in the Caribbean but currently resides in Nashville, TN. Shillingford’s art captures people in everyday situations and brings them to life by studying their facial expressions. Her whimsical approach to

Business Card D i r e c t o r y YOUR GUIDE TO FINE BUSINESSES AND SERVICES AROUND MUSIC CITY. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS, THEY’RE THE BEST!

615.356.3242 EXT. 299

GREEN HILLS

%DQTXHW 6SDFH $YDLODEOH &RPSOLPHQWDU\ %UHDNIDVW 3DUNLQJ :LÀ

Nadine Shillingford to display her work in the Sig Held Gallery

art also gives life to her work. She does not have a formal art background and most of her methods are self-taught and developed through a lot of practice. She has established an international following on social media by completing and posting a daily #quicksketch drawing on her Instagram and Facebook pages. Each #quicksketch drawing is completed in 1-3 hours. Her work has been displayed in several shows at the Centennial Art Center and she is currently exhibiting artwork at the Rose-Hulman Institute Technology gallery in Terre Haute, IN. Shillingford is the author of the book “Hello Beautiful!” which is a wonderful portrayal of her relationship with her father, Mr. Wilmurt Shillingford, who passed away due to cancer in 2017. The book is a collection of short stories which evokes both laughter and tears. She is also a computer security consultant and holds a doctoral degree in computer science from the University of Notre Dame. The House gallery will feature the Under One Roof collaborative exhibit. The Art Reception will be Wednesday, Feb. 8 from 6 – 8pm. The exhibition dates are Feb. 2 to 28. The exhibitions are free and open to the public. Attendees will need to sign in at the front desk. For more information, contact the GJCC at 615.354-1699, curator Carrie Mills at carrie@nashvillejcc.org, or go to www.nashvillejcc.org. •

/,6$ %/$86721( 'LUHFWRU RI 6DOHV DQG 0DUNHWLQJ

&UHVWPRRU 5RDG 1DVKYLOOH 71 HPDLO /LVD %ODXVWRQH#+LOWRQ FRP ZZZ QDVKJUHHQKLOOVVXLWHV KDPSWRQLQQ FRP $ 5RFKIRUG +RWHO *URXS 3URSHUW\

20 February 2023 •

Visit the Community Calendar at www.jewishnashville. org

ADVERTORIALS

CAMPS ISSUE

FEBRUARY 2023

• February 2023

ADVERTORIALS

Adventure Science Center Camps

REGISTRATION OPEN NOW! K - 6th grade Before & after care add-on available

2023

SPRING BREAK CAMP Mystical Creature Features | March 13 - 17 SUMMER CAMPS Weekly themes from May 29th - August 4th VISIT adventuresci.org/camps to register

s ’ e vill

E M HO

h s a N

Adventure Science Center is gearing up for a creative, innovative, quirky, fun, and educational year of camps for kids in grades K-6. Weekly sessions explore themes your children know and love while introducing STEAM concepts to ignite their curiosity. The science center inspires a life-long passion for learning and fosters an environment for creative problem solving, teamwork, and critical thinking through hands-on activities, exciting experiments, and scientific explorations. Children will emerge with new friends and a newfound passion for learning in action. Weekly summer sessions cost $385 and run from May 29 to August 4 and explore themes from forensic investigation to wizarding worlds and paleontology. Sessions are filling fast, so learn more and register starting on January 17 by visiting adventuresci. org/camps. Let the adventure begin!

Jacobs Camp – Nashville Jewish Youth’s Home Away from Home Every day is a holiday at Jacobs Camp! Eat cake for breakfast, climb the tower, create a new original work of art, learn how to play soccer, all while surrounded by new Jewish friends at Jacobs Camp. Our camp is big enough to make a new friend every day, and small enough where everybody knows your name. Best of all we will introduce your child to new friends before camp even starts! You are joining the Jacobs Camp family! No question or concern is too small to ask – we specialize in personalized communication! Jacobs Camp, a reform Jewish summer camp in Utica, MS, has been home to thousands of Jewish youth from the Deep South and beyond since 1970. Each summer, we create a fun, loving, and meaningful community for rising 1st through 12th graders. Jacobs campers get the chance to try new activities, build friendships, and grow their Jewish identity. Our campers return home feeling more confident, independent, and deeply connected to Judaism. We are right down the road from Nashville! There are incredible scholarship incentives specifically for new Nashville campers which award as much as $2,000 off your first summer’s tuition. At Jacobs Camp we say Welcome Home to every parent and every child as they enter the gates and join the Jacobs Camp community. We can’t wait to welcome our campers home for a summer of fun, friendship, skill-building, and meaningful Jewish experiences! Join us! To find out more check out jacobscamp.org.

m r o f for Re g n i p m a C h s i w e J

S! L L I K IAL S C O S ES H C A HIP S E R T E P D LEA CAM N O I S CE T S N A E E P N I I L L C I I U RES ART CEF P R Y U T O I N TIO RES IBIL A S C N I O N P U RES COMM E C DEN N E P E IND

CAMP INSPIR

E S G ROW T H

CHILDREN WHO ATTEND JEWISH CAMP

ARE MORE LIKELY TO BECOME ADULTS WHO VALUE THEIR JEWISH HERITAGE, SUPPORT JEWISH CAUSES, AND TAKE ON LEADERSHIP ROLES IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

CAMPERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CHILDREN LEARN CONFIDENCE,

TRY NEW THINGS, FACE THEIR FEARS, AND DISCOVER

NEW SKILLS & INTERESTS FIRST T

OVERNIGHT PROGRAM

PERS IME CAM

SKILL-BUILDING & SOCIALIZATION

BY LIVING IN A COMMUNITY

MER

? E R O M W O N TO K

GET UP

WANT

T SUM IR FIRS

00 OF TO $ 2 , 0

F THE

HSJ FITS OF E N E B THE ABOUT N O I T A M MANY E INFOR R O M R OPTIONS FO M P. O R G A 24-DAY C S B CO CURRENT V I S I T JA PROGRAM 7 OR 14-DAY 10TH-12TH GRADE

CURRENT KINDERGARTEN

22 February 2023 •

PROGRAM

CURRENT 1ST-2ND GRADE

CURRENT 3RD-10TH GRADE

Why spend a summer at Camp Livingston? Because at Camp Livingston your child will have the adventure of a lifetime. At Camp Livingston, campers participate in activities they know and love while also pushing themselves to try new things. Camp Livingston sits on 680 acres of beautifully wooded land in Bennington, Indiana and features a waterfront with water skiing and tubing; a low and high ropes course and climbing wall; a swimming pool; endless hiking trails; a baseball diamond, tennis courts, a volleyball court, basketball courts, archery and athletic fields; a state-of-the art theater; and an arts and crafts center. Sports, art, drama, dance, travel, hiking, camping – Continued on page 23

ADVERTORIALS Continued from page 22 through these experiences, campers build their self-confidence, make new friends, and thrive. Each and every day at Camp Livingston, campers form lifelong friendships and develop new skills as they cultivate a strong and enduring sense of Jewish identity. To learn more about Camp Livingston please visit www.camplivingston.com!

riding techniques, and lead trail rides to help campers learn a lifetime sport and improve their confidence. For ages 9-17. Teen Leader programs for ages 13-17 are designed to develop future leaders with tools, ideas, and skills to impact the world around them, plus make friends and have fun through two unique and fun programs, Leaders in Training and Counselors in Training Internships. Continued on page 25

Leadership Academy Leadership Academy creates camps that connect children to nature to explore, learn, play, make friends, and develop social skills. Our goal is that children develop a strong sense of self and lifelong outdoor recreation habits. We offer six day camps located in Nashville and Hendersonville including Camp Twigs, Nashville Sail Camp, Mountain Bike Camp, and Teen Leaders. Every day at Camp Twigs is filled with imaginative play, exploring habitats, seeing wildlife, building forts, developing outdoor skills, making crafts, and forming friendships. Camp Twigs develops a true love and affinity for the natural world and a sense of belonging in it. Campers learn outdoor skills, like fire-building, Leave No Trace, using hand tools, bird watching, and more. Nashville Sail Camp is available for ages 7-17, from beginners to experienced sailors. Learn to sail and enjoy a lifetime of adventure, make friends and have fun. Qualified instructors will teach boat safety, points of sail, rigging, and basic maneuvering based on US Sailing Level 1 Instruction. Mountain Bike Camp is a great way to enjoy nature and improve skills, from beginner to advanced. Qualified instructors teach bike maintenance and set-up,

this way to community As long as overnight camp can safely resume this summer, One Happy Camper is ready! Are you? At Jewish overnight camp, kids discover who they are—and who they want to become—while having the time of their lives. They sing under the stars, share jokes and build traditions. And they do it with an amazing crew of friends and counselors. Plus, you might be eligible for UP TO $1000 OFF your camper's fi firrst summer. Find your perfect camp at OneHappyCamper.org.

• February 2023

"HE MADE GREAT FRIENDS AND WAS IMMEDIATELY ASKING IF HE COULD GO BACK NEXT SUMMER"

"THE RELATIONSHIPS THEY BUILD WITH OUR CHILDREN MAKE A LASTING IMPRESSION."

-SARAH, ST. LOUIS

-ANONYMOUS

! n e p o w o n Registration

"CAMP MADE MY DAUGHTER FEEL RESPECTED AND INCLUDED...CAMP BEN FRANKEL HAS GIVEN HER A SENSE OF BELONGING"

"THE BEST THING TO HAVE HAPPENED TO OUR FAMILY"

-ANONYMOUS

LEAH, HOUSTON

"MY CHILD TRIED NEW ACTIVITIES THAT HE WOULD NEVER TRY AT HOME"

"I WISH HE COULD SPEND THE WHOLE SUMMER WITH YOU...BECAUSE I KNOW HE IS THRIVING" -SARA, EVANSTON

-ANONYMOUS

Ages 7-17 Welcoming Judaics 100+ Activities Makanda, IL campbenfrankel.org

TRADITIONAL AND SPECIALTY TRACK DAY CAMP CAMPDAVISNASHVILLE.COM

ăņ×ĦŧáłΟ œĞĞáłΟ ¾ĞĿ ¾ŎΟ œłłáŮΟEğ÷ł¾ĞΟ ×¾ÝáĞŮ ï 8QLTXH &DPS 2IIHULQJV ï +DOI DQG )XOO GD\ &DPSV ï $'+' 6XPPHU 7UHDWPHQW &DPS ï 5HDGLQJ

:ULWLQJ ,QWHQVLYH 3URJUDPV IRU $FDGHPLF 6XSSRUW

SU M R

RQ D %HDXWLIXO DFUH &DPSXV

ï ([SORUH %HHFK &UHHN DQG WKH 2XWGRRUV

R CA ME

ï /RZ &DPSHU WR &RXQVHORU 5DWLRV

::: &855(<,1*5$0 25* 6800(5

24 February 2023 •

GRAM A

ADVERTORIALS Continued from page 23

Fashion Camp Project Runway 1 & 2

Camp Ben Frankel At Camp Ben Frankel we are located amidst the amazing Shawnee National Forest just three hours from Nashville. Ask us how Nashville campers can qualify for $1500 their first summer at camp! New campers are warmly welcomed to our camp family. Our community values include being welcoming and including everyone into our Jewish community. With enrollment limited to 110, we have a small, tight-knit family feeling. Our camp director gives his cell phone to all camp families and is reachable at any time in the summer. Campers love choosing from our 100+ elective activities! From sports to aquatics, arts to adventure, gaming to STEM, every camper will find something they love. Our campsite is situated on a picturesque lake and nestled within the stunning Shawnee National Forest with access to incredible parks, hikes, waterfalls, rock climbs, mountain biking trails, and much more. Our facility includes air conditioned cabins, a sports complex, beach, ropes, zip line, teams course, and more. We believe that it’s of the utmost importance to recruit and train outstanding camp staff to care for your children. We strenuously recruit the most passionate role models we can find and maintain a low ratio of campers to counselors. Camp Ben Frankel is accredited by the American Camp Association and is a partner of the Foundation for Jewish Camp. To learn more please head to www. campbenfrankel.org or reach out to our director, Aaron Hadley: aaron@campbenfrankel.org or call 618-235-1614

Created and Taught by Parsons alumni, Carrie Mills Camp Davis / Gordon JCC Week 1- Fashion Camp June 12th - 16th Grades 2 - 4 Week 2 - Fashion Camp June 19th - 23rd Grades 4 - 8 Engaging campers in the design process from concept to fabrication to a full on fashion show. This camp fills up quickly! Enroll now!

Camp Davis Camp Davis is the premier Jewish camp in Nashvile, and Summer 2023 will be filled with so much fun, joy, and of course ruach! Camp Davis offers four different options every week to fill the needs and interests of all campers: Traditional Camp, which is our time-tested program with an amazing balance between all the core camp activities, as well as different Sports, Art, and STEM specialty camps every week. Some of the specialty highlights this summer include Hockey and Yoga camps, Cooking and Nature, and of course the beloved Project Runway Fashion Camp. Another highlight of this summer at Camp Davis is the completion of the brand-new Madeline Pargh Arts and Crafts Center, which will also serve as the new camp home base. Not only will it offer campers better protection from the elements, additional bathrooms, and multiple water stations, but it will also help foster an even greater sense of community and fun for campers. Camp Davis is so excited by all the opportunities this incredible space will offer! Overall, Camp Director Andrew Fishman and Assistant Camp Director Max O’Dell are thrilled to start off another successful Camp Davis summer, and they would love to have you be a part of it. Detailed information about Camp Davis programming, pricing, and more can be found at campdavisnashville.com, and you can reach out to Andrew directly at Andrew@nashvillejcc.org. Spend your summer at the J and enjoy all that our 52-acre campus has to offer! Public registration opens January 23rd, 2023.

Harpeth Hall Summer Camps Whether it is serving a tennis ball or serving others, catching bugs or catching basketballs, building LEGOs or building business savvy, Harpeth Hall summer camps offer unforgettable experiences for girls in rising kindergarten through 8th grades. Registration is now open, and our most popular camps will fill up fast, so don’t delay. Also, not to be missed is Harpeth Hall’s premier research-based program STEM Summer Institute, which brings Continued on page 26

SUMMER CAMPS 2023 Art, athletic, and academic adventures await your daughter at Harpeth Hall!

Join us!

For more information visit harpethhall.org/summer-camp

• February 2023

ADVERTORIALS Continued from page 25 together girls in rising 6th through 12th grades from schools throughout the Nashville area to solve real-world problems as they design, build, and test their own prototype solutions. The two-week session runs May 30-June 9. Interested participants should apply online by visiting the Harpeth Hall summer camp registration page. At Harpeth Hall this summer, your daughter can discover what she loves and be what she dreams. We can’t wait to see her here!

Currey Ingram Academy Summer Programs Situated on our beautiful 83-acre campus featuring Beech Creek, Currey Ingram Academy offers a full array of summer camp options designed to both excite and challenge children of all ages. Our ADHD Summer Treatment Program (STP) is an intensive six-week day camp program for students ages 8 to 12 with ADHD. Each day includes outdoor play, social skills work, academic time, and more. Weekly parent training provides tangible information to help parents better support their child. Skills targeted include self-regulation, task initiation, self-advocacy, motor skills, work completion, active listening, social skills and participation. Additionally, Currey Ingram offers an array of other academic and general, but unique, summer camps! From our Reading and Writing Intensive camps and ASD Summer Program to our Camp Beech Creek Day camp with accompanying Sports Camps, we meet an wide array of interests, academic needs, and age ranges. The Workforce Readiness camp is available for older campers. Camps are offered in both half- and full-day options. Currey Ingram camps offer low counselor-to-camper rations and small groupings, providing a more individualized experience for your child to connect, learn, grow and have fun!

Lifecycles B’rit Mitzvah Eli Shuster

Eli Shuster will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, February 4, at 10:30 a.m. at Congregation Micah. He is the child of Jason and Sarah Shuster, the sibling of Grant Shuster, and the grandchild of Ronnie Shuster of Nashville and Ed and Anne Verissimo of Acushnet, Mass. A seventh grader at University School of Nashville, Eli is a multi-sport athlete involved in soccer, baseball and basketball. Eli is also an avid reader and loves history. For a Mitzvah project, Eli is partnering with the Community Resource Center (CRC) to provide hygiene products for the unhoused community as well as conducting dignity drives for students in public schools who lack everyday resources that help them maintain their personal dignity.

Henry Isaacs

Visit The Jewish Observer’s website www.jewishobservernashville.org Visit the Community Calendar at www.jewishnashville. org Learn more about the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville at www.jewishnashville.org

Henry Isaacs will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, February 18, at 10:30 a.m. at Congregation Micah. Henry is the child of Scott and Katie Isaacs, the sibling of Clay Isaacs and the grandchild of Howard and Ricki (z”l) Isaacs and Billyy (z”l) and Mary Bowers. A seventh grader at Brentwood Middle School, Henry enjoys football, basketball, all things aviation and competitive swimming for both Excel Aquatics and the Brentwood Middle School swim team.

London Fair

London Fair will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, March 4, at 10:30

a.m. at Congregation Micah. London is the child of Ron and Stefanie Fair, the sibling of Ellington, Ella and Rocky Fair, and the grandchild of Shirley I. Fair of Los Angeles, Calif., and Barry Ridel and Sheila Ridel of Brentwood, Tenn. An eighth grader at Brentwood Middle School, London is very active in theater arts, music and acting. In addition, London is passionate about a variety of things like ping pong and haircutting and enjoys spending time with his family and his dog.

Obituaries Jacqueline Lise Glasser

Condolences to the family of Jacqueline Lise Glasser who died on January 13. Survivors include her daughter, Natalie Hochman (Michael); and grandchildren, Max Hochman (Katie), Melanie Houghton (August) and Mitchel Hochman. Tributes may be made in Jacqueline’s memory to Congregation Micah.

Julie Babat Kingsley

Condolences to the family of Julie Babat Kingsley who died on December 16. She is survived by her children, Jennifer, Allison and Brooke Kingsley; mother, Judith Babat; siblings, Kelly Goorevich (Michael), Dr. Brett Babat (Jackie) and Kim Yonaty (Stephen); nieces, Macey Goorevich, Lilly Goorevich, and other nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her father, Michael Babar (z”l). Tributes may be made in Julie’s memory to Congregation Micah, Family Justice Center of Erie County, or Planned Parenthood.

Jack Goodman Miller

Condolences to the family of Jack Goodman Miller who died on January 5. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Ghertner Miller and his family.

Fred Schaefer

Condolences to the family of Fred Schaefer who died on February 13.

RabbiTeresa Snyder

Condolences the the family of RabbiTeresa Snyder who died on December 31, 2022. She served a congregation in Watertown, N.Y., for many years.

HUNT MEMORIALS, INC 4807 GALLATIN PIKE | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

26 February 2023 •

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DIRECTORY ACCOUNTANTS

OPTOMETRIST

CATHY WERTHAN, CPA

DR. MICHELE SONSINO Optique Eyecare & Eyewear 2817 West End Ave., Nashville 615-321-4EYE (4393)

401 Commerce Street, Suite 1250 Nashville, TN 37219 (615) 245-4070 • marcumllp.com

APPLIANCES

ELECTRONIC EXPRESS is a leader in top quality, brand-name electronics and appliances at exceptionally low prices. Stocking the latest items, Electronic Express takes pride in providing customers with products at prices to fit any budget. From televisions, appliances, smart devices and cameras to security systems, furniture and mattresses, Electronic Express has everything to take your home to the next level. Electronic Express offers special financing, delivery and installation options. We make it happen! Visit us at any of our 18 locations or online at www. electronicexpress.com

Lighting • Appliances • Hardware Kitchen • Plumbing • Accessories 615•843•3300 www.gohermitage.com

APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT

At Emergest, we enable your business with cost-efficient digital applications – web, mobile, automation, design, strategy workshops. We partner with you to solve all your technology needs. Find us at emergest.com, email boris@emergest.com, or call 615-473-3700.

ATTORNEY MARTIN SIR, ATTORNEY Family Law / Personal Injury / Probate Fifth Third Center 424 Church Street, Ste. 2250 Nashville, Tennessee 37219 (615) 256-5661 www.martinsirlaw.com

CARE GIVER

Custom senior care for active, healthy lifestyles. Affordable/no minimums. Meals, meds, transportation & outings. Memory loss and Hospital recovery. Professional & screened care partners. Locally owned. Call Moises for Free assessment: 615-678-9223 www.curaforcare.com

AROSA (formerly Family Staffing Solutions, Inc.) Integrated Care Management and Home Care Provider 2000 Glen Echo Road, Suite 104 Nashville, TN 37215 615-595-8929 143 Uptown Square Murfreesboro, TN 37129 615-848-6774 768 N. Main Street Shelbyville, TN 37160 931-680-2771

DENTIST STEVEN R. HECKLIN, DMD DAVID M. SMILEY, DMD ABBY DILUZIO, DMD Cosmetic and Family Dentistry www.drhecklin.com 5606 Brookwood Place 615-356-7500

GASTROENTEROLOGISTS

DR. POINTER & DR. SHARMA Serving Hendersonville & Nashville 615-832-5530 or www.thegidocs.com

INSURANCE JAMES A. ROTHBERG ADAM ROTHBERG James A. Rothberg & Associates Office: 615-997-1833 Fax: 615-665-1300 2000 Glen Echo, Suite 208 Nashville, TN 37215 Email: jrothberg@jarinsurance.com info@jarinsurance.com ROBINS INSURANCE Bruce Robins, CPCU, CIC, ARM; Marsha Jaffa, CIC; Van Robins, CIC Auto, Home, Life, Health, Business Insurance 30 Burton Hills, Suite 300 Ph. 615-665-9200 • www.robinsins.com ZANDER INSURANCE GROUP, INC. Jeffrey J. Zander, CIC Michael Weinberger Auto, Home, Life, Health, Business, Long Term Care, Identity Theft Protection 6213 Charlotte Pike, Nashville, TN 37209 615-356-1700 www.zanderins.com

INSURANCE/MEDICARE HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT MEDICARE? Turning 65? Let us Assist you. Jeffrey G. Brier CLU, ChFC, CASL jbrier@brier-brier.com. 401-751-2990 www.Brier-Brier.com

DR. JAMES W. KIRKCONNELL Bellevue Eye Center 7640 Hwy 70 S, Ste 102 Nashville 615-662-7588 www.bec2020.com

ORTHODONTISTS

GLUCK ORTHODONTICS Specialists in Orthodontics Dr. Joel Gluck DDS, MS Dr. Jonathan Gluck DDS, MSD 2002 Richard Jones Road A-200 615.269.5903 drgluck.com

ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY

DR. TODD A. RUBIN, M.D. Specializing in Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics 615-342-6300

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT GHERTNER & COMPANY Homeowner Association and Condominium Management Full Service and Financial Management Property Management since 1968 615-255-8531 www.ghertner.com

PSYCHOTHERAPY & COUNSELING IRA HELDERMAN, PhD, LPC Psychotherapy for Individuals, Adolescents, Couples and Families nashvillepsychotherapyandcounseling. com Please contact: 615-473-4815 or ira.p.helderman@vanderbilt.edu

REAL ESTATE

FRANKLIN PARGH 615-351-7333 franklin.pargh@compass.com LANA PARGH 615-504-2685 lana.pargh@compass.com www.pargh.com Instagram: @theparghteam

JACOB KUPIN C - 615.440.6673 O - 615.279.5310 Jacob@TheKupinGroup.com We’ve got your back!

www.zeitlin.com Residential & Relocation Specialists

JESSICA AVERBUCH CEO, Zeitlin Sotheby’s International Realty 615-383-0183 (bus.) 615-294-9880 (cell) jessica.averbuch@zeitlin.com www.jessicaaverbuch.com LORNA M. GRAFF Broker, GRI, CRS, ABR 615-794-0833 (bus.) 615-351-5343 (cell) lorna.graff@zeitlin.com www.lornagraff.com NAN SPELLER Broker, GRI, ABR 615-383-0183 (bus.) 615-973-1117 (cell) nanspeller2014@gmail.com JENNIE ZAGNOEV Affiliate Broker 615-383-0183 (bus.) 615-838-2048 (cell) jennie.zagnoev@zeitlin.com

Jackie Roth Karr, REALTOR® www.JackieKarr.com Jackie.Karr@corcorangroup.com Mobile: 615.330.9779 Office: 615.250.7880

SPORTING GOODS TEAM NASHVILLE Your Running/Walking Swimming Headquarters 3205 West End Ave. Nashville, TN 37203 615-383-0098

TRAVEL SERVICES Expredia Cruise Ship Centers A Full Service Travel Agency Alan Cooper: Office: 629-202-8945 www.cruiseshipcenters.com/AlanCooper 7081 B Hwy 70 S / Kroger Shopping Ctr.

TREE SERVICES

Preserving the Natural Beauty of Trees and Shrubs. Specializing in the care of shade and ornamental trees and shrubs for residential and commercial properties. Serving Nashville since 1978. 615-373-4342 www.druidtree.com

• February 2023

PASSOVER ISSUE COMING MARCH 2023

A time for the Jewish Community to prepare special foods and celebrate this meaningful time of year. Be sure to be a part of this annual issue. Publication date March 1, 2023 Deadline for ads February 15, 2023 Contact Carrie Mills, Advertising Manager 615-354-1699 e-mail carrie@nashvillejcc.org fax 615-352-0056

28 February 2023 •