The Observer Vol. 88 No. 4 – April 2023 by Jewish Observer

www.jewishobservernashville.org

Vol. 88 No. 4 • April 2023

10 Nisan - 9 Iyyar 5783

Sylvan Park Becomes Latest Neighborhood to Fall Victim to Hate: Community Responds with Show of Unity, Support, Love By BARBARA DAB

n a recent chilly Sunday morning, residents of Sylvan Park woke to learn that five homes in the West Nashville neighborhood were vandalized overnight. The homes were spray painted with swastikas and messages of hate. One home also had what appeared to be a flag torn down, another had gay pride banners burned. It’s the latest in a string of antisemitic and racist incidents that began last summer and now it appears things may have escalated to the level of hate crime. Criteria for what constitutes a hate crime varies by state, and the federal government has its own definition. According to the state of Tennessee website, a hate crime is: A crime committed by a perpetrator who intentionally selected the person or the property that was damaged or otherwise affected by the crime, in whole or in part, because of the perpetrator’s belief or perception regarding the race, religion, color, disability, sexual ori-

Neighbors help clean swastikas and hate speech off a home in Sylvan Park.

entation, national origin, ancestry, or gender of that person or the owner or occupant of that property. The police recovered footage from one of the homes’ Ring doorbell cameras and are investigating. Law enforcement said they remain hopeful they will be able to track down the perpetrators.

The message from the community in the wake of the crimes is clear. Lizzie Harvey is one of the homeowners whose home was vandalized. “When something like this happens, it affects the whole community, and we are not going to be silent.” Rather than immediately clean the mess off their brand-new house, Harvey

and her husband, Oscar Anderson, quickly took to social media to plan a neighborhood cleanup of the graffiti on their home. By Sunday afternoon, dozens of people showed up to not only clean, but to join together to comfort and support each other. Harvey and Anderson provided art supplies for the children to create signs of unity, love, and inclusion. Anderson said, “We are an inclusive neighborhood where everyone is welcome.” Most of those who came were not Jewish, but still the sight of the hate messages and swastikas was shocking. Neighbor Carrie Rogers said, “We were stunned. My jaw dropped and I was speechless. This is disgusting and should not be permitted anywhere. This is a very diverse neighborhood, where we love everyone.” Rebecca Kuduru, who is Jewish, said her children attend Akiva School, and the incident made her fearful and confused. “I think maybe I should take down our Akiva sign from our yard, but I was told to leave it as a show of support. I Continued on page 2

Jewish Federation, The Temple, and Local Partners Help Afghan Ally Make Daring Escape to Freedom By BARBARA DAB

he Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, in partnership with The Temple, Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE), the offices of immigration attorney Greg Siskind, state lawmakers, and Jewish community volunteers, secured the freedom of an Afghan ally left behind after his family escaped to the United States. The escape ends 18 months of trauma, fear, and separation, and just a couple of weeks ago, the family was finally reunified. This family’s story of courage and resilience in the face of immeasurable challenges began in the summer of 2021, during the invasion of the Taliban in Kabul. In a last-minute frantic race to the airport to board a plane out of the fallen city, one member of the large extended A Publication of the

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Family members await the arrival of Javid, who was left behind in Afghanistan.

Temple volunteer Ruth Thomas, with Abdullah, checks for arriving flights.

family was pushed to the ground. Javid, watched in horror as the doors to the boarding area shut in front of him

with his family on the other side. An American soldier stationed at the airport tried to help, but in those final moments,

Luciana Berger to Speak in Person About Antisemtism in the UK and What it Cost to Her to Speak Out, page 3

Four Perfect Pebbles: Clinging to Hope in Bergen-Belsen, page 9

the only way to keep the family safe was to continue moving forward, leaving Javid behind. What followed was many months of evading the Taliban who had already announced a fatwa, or death threat, on Javid’s life. After making his way to Pakistan, and while in hiding, with the assistance of Nashville’s Jewish Federation, he began the lengthy process of securing a visa and completing the necessary paperwork to come to the United States. Finally, after several days of travel, Javid arrived in Nashville, into the loving embrace of his family. The success is due to a year-long effort by the Jewish community and its partners, to assist three families by providing critically needed services, including helping to Continued on page 10 Home & Garden Special Section page 25

Community Relations Committee Standing up to, and Educating About, Antisemitism By DEBORAH OLESHANSKY

ecently, Observer editor Barbara Dab and I were interviewed by a local television station to discuss the rise in antisemitic activity locally and around the country. Dedicating an entire hour to this topic is an indication of how serious and far reaching this situation has become, and the concern it has caused not only to us in the Jewish community, but also to our friends and neighbors. When the hour program was over, we had only scratched the surface of what is happening and how we are responding. In general, it is more productive to address issues proactively rather than reactively, but the fast and furious nature of these current actions has forced us to do both simultaneously. We had to react to the distribution of vile antisemitic propaganda, and plan programs to address this multi-faceted dilemma through public engagement and education. Over the coming months we will have a series of events to address antisemitism globally, historically, and in current

culture. Our first guest will be Luciana Berger, former member of the British Parliament Labour Party, on Monday, April 17. Berger resigned from Labour in 2019 under former chief Jeremy Corbyn, whom she accused of not doing enough to stamp out institutional antisemitism in the party. Unlike many of our political leaders who often double down after being called out, the Labour Party made a significant change. Under the new leader, Kier Starmer, the party has recognized the antisemitism allowed to fester in the past and it has committed that Corbyn will not be allowed to stand as a Labour candidate at the next election. On Sunday, April 23, we will have our community Yom HaShoah commem-

oration service at the Gordon Jewish Community Center. The service will include musical selections and reflections by local students and will conclude with a tour of the Nashville Holocaust Memorial by Marsha Raimi. The three-part series concludes on May 16 with author, Dara Horn. She will speak about her book, “People Love Dead Jews,” which has received both critical and cultural acclaim. Mark Oppenheimer, author of “Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood” writes about Horn’s book, “To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle, George Orwell told us. Dara Horn has engaged that struggle, and in People Love Dead Jews she explains why so many prefer the mythologized, dead Jewish victim to the living Jew next door. It’s gripping, and stimulating, and it’s the best collection of essays I have read in a long, long time.” Community members are invited to participate in a book read and discussion leading to the program with Dara Horn. For information about the book read, please

contact Carolyn@jewishnashville.org All these upcoming programs are the tip of the iceberg of our ongoing work to educate and address antisemitism and how it is affecting all of us. Our relentless determination to fight back against those who mean us harm is perhaps part of why we have faced these challenges for so many thousands of years. We simply refuse to run and hide, give up or go away. We are here. We are proud. We will stand up to the bullies. We will not give in to the harassment and intimidation. We will survive. As we prepare for the Pesach holiday, may we remember the wisdom of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: “The Jewish people have been around for longer than almost any other. We have known our share of suffering. And still we are here, still young, still full of energy, still able to rejoice and celebrate and sing. Jews have walked more often than most through the valley of the shadow of death, yet they lost neither their humour nor their hope.” Am Yisroel Chai. •

In Israel, Leslie Kirby, President of Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, shares concern for divisions that judicial reform debate is causing in Israel & among Jews worldwide During special 24-hour fly-in, North American Jewish leaders urge for immediate compromise, say continuing to move the bills forward as currently formulated is causing harm that will not be easily repaired.

ewish Federation of Greater Nashville Board president Leslie Kirby was one of thirty Federation leaders representing communities across the United States and Canada who took part in an extraordinary, 24-hour visit to Israel to express their concerns with Israeli leaders on the proposed judicial reforms and to convey the implications these changes will have on the North American Jewish community. In a joint statement the leaders released, they said:

Leslie Kirby, second row, fifth from right, pictured with JFNA leaders from around the country with Israeli president Isaac Herzog, first row, seated center

“While each of the parties has, to one extent or another, committed itself to seeking compromise, no process other than President Herzog’s efforts are underway at the intensity required to achieve success. It is our view that the time for compromise is now.

Continuing to move the bills forward as currently formulated is causing harm that will not be easily repaired.” They continued, “We did not advocate for a specific plan, but we did note that the essence of democracy is both majority rule and protection of minority rights. This balance is preserved through establishing checks and balances between legislative authority and an independent judiciary. We urged that a clearly articulated system of checks and balances be in the final plan. We appreciate the efforts of President Isaac Herzog to carefully develop compromise proposals with leading experts of widely differing views. His work should form the basis of a final agreement. We urge all sides to immediately engage with him on this basis.”

Sylvan Park

Continued from page 1 just don’t know what to do.” Kuduru’s mother, Ilene Mason, said it was hard to believe something like this could happen in her neighborhood. “I’ve been here three years, and never imagined something like this. It is so shocking.” During the cleanup event, Harvey read a statement from the Sylvan Park neighborhood group, which read in part: “…We reject and refuse any fruitless attempts to derail and distract us from sustaining this hospitable, safe, and positive place to be good neighbors. We will never choose the ways of anger, hatred, or disrespect…We are building our lives and friendships here and like a tree standing by the water, we shall not be moved.” This latest incident follows a recent “Day of Hate” that was planned nationally by white supremacist groups. News of the planned day stirred up fear within the Jewish community, and spurred law

April 2023 •

Sylvan Park community joins in calling out hate crimes.

enforcement to step up patrols throughout the city. Despite the threat, no major incidents were reported. In fact, social media was filled with messages of support from around the world and in Nashville. The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville’s Instagram page on that day read, “As white supremacist groups try to organize antisemitic activities…the Federation and the community stand strong to show there is no place for hate.”

Children create messages of love and inclusion during community cleanup of hate crime vandalism.

According to the Anti-Defamation League’s Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2022, antisemitic incidents rose 36% in 2022 over 2021, and is the highest level since the agency began reporting in 1979. Antisemitic vandalism, like the incident that occurred in Sylvan Park, rose by 51%.

During the fly-in, Kirby and other members of the delegation met with President Isaac Herzog, Minister Nir Barkat, opposition leader Yair Lapid, MK Benny Gantz, MK Simcha Rothman, MK Danny Danon and other members of the Knesset from the coalition and opposition, as well as senior business leaders who oppose the reforms. Last month, Jewish Federations of North America sent a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid expressing their concerns over aspects of the reforms and urging the two sides to accept President Isaac Herzog’s proposal. To read the full text of the joint statement issued by the delegation go to https://cdn.fedweb.org/fed-42/2/ JoinStatementFederations.pdf • In the wake of the Sylvan Park incidents, both Governor Bill Lee and Mayor John Cooper issued statements condemning the crimes. Governor Lee’s read: “The Governor strongly condemns anti-Semitism, white supremacy and hate of any kind. We understand local law enforcement is investigating and reiterate that acts of hate have no place anywhere and will not be tolerated in the state of Tennessee.” And Mayor Cooper’s read: “Nashville stands united against the hate and bigotry these disgusting acts represent. Grateful to Chief Drake and his team for their ongoing work to track down those responsible and hold them accountable. We will not tolerate antisemitism or discrimination of any kind in our city.” Anyone with information about the crimes, please contact Nashville Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463, or The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville at www. jewishnashville.org. •

Luciana Berger, Former Member of Parliament to Speak in Person About Antisemtism in the UK and What it Cost to Her to Speak Out By BARBARA DAB

hat is the cost for standing up to antisemitism? For Luciana Berger, just 28 years old when she was first elected, it cost her a prominent role in England’s Parliament, and forced her to resign from her party. “During my time in Parliament, I saw seven people convicted in the UK for the sort of antisemitism and the death threats they directed towards me,” she says, “Five of them came from the far right and two came from the left.” The attacks, says Berger, began at a high-profile music event where a man began calling out antisemitic threats. “You couldn’t make this up,” she says, “It was all the tropes, and it was at the end of the evening, and he said he ‘f-ing’ hated Jewish people.” The result was a conviction, community service, and jail time for tweets he posted that rose to the level of hate speech in the UK. But what followed, says Berger, was an online escalation between a hate group in the United States and in the UK. “The British police said at its peak over a three-day period, I received 2,500 messages across all various social media platforms that included the hashtags #filthyjewbitch.” Berger says the incident led Twitter to begin investigating best practices and led its leaders to admit they had never seen anything like this. Berger says it was a particularly dark period for her. “You couldn’t really discuss this with family and friends because it was so bad. I made the decision to join public life, they did not.” And the c

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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.

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attacks kept coming. She mother to two young was the target of continuchildren, which she ing social media posts, says is her top priority. including some that were Professionally she runs a pornographic and viosmall communications lent. All this while seven firm in the UK, focusing months pregnant. on nonprofits, and doing Perhaps the toughsome crisis communicaest time was dealing tions and public affairs. with antisemitism from As a volunteer she chairs inside her own party. the UK Maternal Mental “To experience it form Health Alliance, which my own party was the represents all organizaworst,” she says. She Former Member of Parliament tions that work in the landed on the front page Luciana Berger will speak area of perinatal menof the UK Times in the about antisemitism and the tal health. She is vice wake of an investigation high cost of speaking out on president of the Youth April 17th, 7pm at the Noah into antisemitism within Liff Opera Center. Leadership Council in Labour. “There was a dosthe UK, where she is sier of cases put together where it found involved in youth mental health projthe party should have reported incidents to the police because they met the criminal threshold, and the Labour party hadn’t told me or the police about physical threats against me from a member of my own party.” She also received a hand delivered letter from supposed supporters filled with threats of violence. By BARBARA DAB It was then that Berger left Labour, headed at the time by Jeremy Corbyn, s Passover is just days away, I want to whom she accuses of not doing enough take a few minutes and share some to address the antisemitism in the party. reflections. This year has been both chalShe recently rejoined Labour under new lenging and rewarding in ways I could leader Keir Starmer but has no immedinot have foreseen when we last opened ate plans to re-enter the world of politics our Haggadahs. in the same way. “There are many ways The Covid pandemic, while not yet people can contribute to our national in the rearview mirror, is evolving into public life. We’ll see what the future a new normal. People continue to be holds in terms of what I might do next,” infected, but thanks to vaccines and she says. medications, most of us will be able to Today, Berger stays busy being a recover. This year, our seder table with be full once again with old and new friends. Corrections Policy Sadly, antisemitism continues to rise. In the past year, our community locally The Jewish Observer is committed to has seen flyers littering people’s homes, making corrections and clarifications promptly. To request a correction or banners defacing interstates and bridgclarification, call Editor Barbara Dab es. Most recently, the incidents escalatat (615) 354-1653 or email her at ed to trespassing and vandalizing homes barbaradab@jewishnashville.org in Sylvan Park with swastikas and hate speech, I too, live in the neighborhood. Seeing the swastikas and other hate mesEditorial Submissions Policy sages made me sick and I will not forget and Deadlines the sight of my husband, the son of Holocaust survivors, visibly shaken at the The Jewish Observer welcomes the subsight. Homeowners at one of the vanmission of information, news items, feadalized homes responded by inviting the ture stories and photos about events community to participate in a cleanup of relevant to the Jewish community of the hateful graffiti. And what resulted was Greater Nashville. We prefer e-mailed submissions, which should be sent as an outpouring of support, love, and unity. Word documents to Editor Barbara And recently, I was privileged to Dab at barbaradab@jewishnashville.org. witness the reunion of an Afghan famPhotos must be high resolution (at least ily with a father/brother/son who had 300 dpi) and should be attached as jpegs been left behind. After a year of hiding to the e-mail with the related news item from the Taliban, thanks to the supor story. For material that cannot be port of the Jewish Federation of Greater e-mailed, submissions should be sent to Nashville, The Temple, and many, many Barbara Dab, The Jewish Observer, 801 volunteers, this brave soul was rescued Percy Warner Blvd., Suite 102, Nashville and brought to freedom right here in TN 37205. Photos and copy sent by

ects for the community. She is vice president of the British Association of Counselors and Psychotherapists, sits on the advisory boards of the Union of Jewish Students, and the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute. And she chairs the Environmental, Social, and Governance Committee of a US Corporation and is one of a few female ESG chairs in the world. Berger hopes to inspire a younger generation of women to speak out about antisemitism and will speak about her experiences in Nashville on April 17, as a guest of The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville. The event is open to the public and is being held at the Noah Liff Opera Center. For information or to register, contact Carolyn Hecklin Hyatt at carolynh@jewishnashville.org, or visit www.jewishnashville.org/shinealight. •

Editor’s Note…

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.

Nashville. The scene at the airport when he finally was able to hug his family will remain with me forever. When we retell the Passover story, we talk about liberation from slavery in Egypt. The Hebrew word for Egypt, mitzrayim, means “a narrow place.” We read about our people escaping the narrowness of slavery for the freedom of the desert. The events of this past year make me think about that notion of traveling from the narrowest of places to freedom. Facing antisemitism, evading death threats, and suffering from Covid feel like those narrow places. But vaccines, community embrace, and in the case of the Afghan family, literal freedom, are liberation. This year, when we sit down with our loved ones to the seder table, let us all think about the challenges we faced, the liberation that comes from getting through, and reflect on the stories yet to be written. I am always grateful for the opportunity to tell the stories of our community through this newspaper. I try never to take for granted the richness of our lives, and the gifts that you all share in these pages. May you all have a joyous, meaningful, and happy Passover. •

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• April 2023

Jewish Agency for Israel advocates for advancement of pluralism in Israel By ZOE BELL

o celebrate Israel’s upcoming 75th anniversary, executive members of the Jewish Agency for Israel hosted a webinar Feb. 26 to discuss the agency, the Jewish people, and the commitment to advance pluralism in Israel. Yaron Shavit, the deputy chairman of the executive for JAFI, began the conversation by sharing his story after an introduction by Deborah Oleshansky, the community relations director for the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, and Michal Becker, the Federation’s engagement director. Shavit introduced the concept of pluralism — a philosophy that people of different beliefs, backgrounds, and lifestyles can coexist in a society. Shavit, who was born in Israel, said Israeli society is “united in diversity.” He currently lives in Mevaseret Zion, a suburb in Jerusalem, according to JAFI’s website. His parents are from Poland and Czechoslovakia and his wife’s mother is

from Yemen. “We actually are a very pluralistic family ourselves,” Shavit said during the event. Though the government in Israel is currently right-leaning and Orthodox, Shavit spoke to the success of the Reform movement. Eleven percent of the Israeli public said they identify as Reform and/ or Conservative, per the 2017 Dialogue Institute Survey. The survey also found that 63 percent of the Israeli public indicated that they prefer non-segregated prayer, meaning that men and women can pray in the same space. Nearly three-fourths of secular Jews in Israel reject the claim that Orthodoxy is authentic Judaism. “We’re building our own Reform movement,” said Shavit, who served as chairman of the Reform movement from 2008 to 2012 and president of the 38th Zionist Congress. He added that this pluralistic growth in Israel is all due to JAFI’s Religious Streams Funding, which ensures that Jews everywhere are welcome in Israel, no

matter how they worship. Every year, the Jewish Agency allocates nearly $2.7 million to Israel’s Reform, Conservative, Modern Orthodox and Haredi movements to sustain religious diversity and inclusion. The “streamline” funding was created in response to Parliamentary bids in the mid-1980s that would restrict eligibility for the law of return in Israel — legislation that allows every Jewish person to immigrate to Israel and become a citizen. Shavit said the worldwide Jewish population is currently 15.2 million — people who were either born to a Jewish mother or converted to Judaism. The law of return applies to 25.3 million people due to the grandchild clause, the 1970 amendment that expands the law of return to anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent. “There is more than one way to be Jewish,” Shavit wrote on one of his presentation slides. Shavit introduced some of the Jewish Agency’s programs that connect to Jewish peoplehood, including Kol Ami Jewish

Peoplehood and Leadership Academy. “One of the examples is Kol Ami, which is a residential, educational and training program in Israel of pre-army or gap year students from Israel and from the rest of the world, bringing them together on a six-month program, building friendships for life,” said Shavit. He also listed Partnership2Gether, an initiative that aims to connect cities in the U.S. with regions of Israel; AmiUnity, a program that encourages Israeli children and teens to learn about the global Jewish world and feel a sense of belonging, and Shlichim, a group of emissaries that provide a living connection to Israel. “The most common slogan that they’ll be coming back with is telling us, ‘We went as Israelis; we came back as Jews,’” said Shavit of Shlichut activity. “Many of them discovered their Judaism and their ability to take ownership of their Jewish life and [find] meaning within their life as well as communities and our congregations.” • zoe@jewishnashville.org

Appellate Court Hears Arguments in State Funded Discrimination Case: Knoxville couple continues their fight to adopt child in foster care By BARBARA DAB

t has been over a year since Liz and Gabe Rutan-Ram began their journey to becoming parents. The Knoxville couple located a child in foster care in another state and began the process of completing a state-mandated home study and parenting training. They reached out to Holston United Methodist Home for Children, the only agency in their area that could provide those services for out-of-state placements. The agency is funded by the state of Tennessee to provide foster care and other services on behalf of The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. The couple was ultimately denied services because they are Jewish. The Rutan-Rams, who were not available to be interviewed because of their ongoing case, along with six other taxpayer plaintiffs, filed a lawsuit against the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. The lawsuit, filed in state court, states that DCS violated the Tennessee State Constitution’s religious freedom and equal protection provision by contracting with an agency that engages in religious discrimination. The judicial panel ultimately ruled the plaintiffs do not have the right to pursue the case, and it was dismissed. The plaintiffs, who are represented

by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, filed an appeal, and oral arguments were given in Tennessee’s Court of Appeals in March in a hearing at Belmont University College of Law. Gabi Hybel, Americans United Madison Legal Fellow, argued the case in court. She says that although the Rutan-Rams were most directly affected, there are also broader issues facing them and the taxpayer plaintiffs, “They were the ones discriminated against. They were the ones who were denied services because they are Jewish. But the Rutan-Rams and all the taxpayer plaintiffs have the right, we argue, to come into court and say ‘This violates our conscience. Our tax dollars which we give to the state are being used to discriminate.’” Although this case is focused specifically on religious discrimination as it relates to adoption, Hybel says her organization has seen a rise in religious discrimination cases more broadly. “We’re seeing a lot of backsliding on a lot of progress that we made. We spend a lot of time thinking about how we can hold the line to protect the rights of everyone to practice any religion they wish, or to no religion. And that’s getting harder.” Americans United Associate Vice President and Associate Legal Director Alex Luchenitser attributes the trend to a growing polarization. “There is more

Liz and Gabe Rutan-Ram filed a lawsuit alleging religious discrimination in the state of Tennessee. Their appeal was heard last month.

backsliding in part because the country has become more polarized. And part of it is the decisions by an increasingly conservative Supreme Court that have encouraged attempts to use religion as a basis for discrimination.” And Hybel adds this trend is not geographically specific. In addition to this case, she represents clients with employment discrimination complaints. “In the cases I work on, so in addition to this Rutan-Ram one, people who want to

sue their religious employers for discrimination and then are told they can’t sue because it’s the right of religious institutions to discriminate. And we’re seeing employers all over using that argument.” As the Rutan-Rams’ case winds its way through the court system, they continue to wait and hope to expand their family through adoption. They currently are providing a permanent placement for a teenage girl and hope to adopt her, but as Hybel argued in court, the couple believe services provided by the state are not the same quality as those of the private agency. “When they look out to future at what comes next and the possibility of fostering again, it’s frustrating that there are so many unknowns and the fear that they’re going to again experience that same discrimination.” A ruling in the appeal, according to Hybel, could take three to six months, but might even drag on longer. In the meantime, all the plaintiffs continue to wait. But Hybel makes clear the importance of remaining focused on the core issue. “I think what the state tries to do is lean into the technicalities and to slice and dice what’s going on here. I think that’s all an attempt to ignore what’s really at stake and that’s that the Rutan-Rams experienced state-funded discrimination. They were turned away because they are Jewish.” •

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re you looking for a Mah Jongg game? Come solo or with friends to join Mah Jongg guru Michelle Tishler and the Gordon JCC in partnership with Asian and Pacific Islanders of Middle

Tennessee for the Flower Power Mah Jongg Tournament happening May 10 from 11am-3:30pm. The fun-filled tournament day will include noshes, coffee, lunch, prizes, and some surprises.

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

April 2023 •

The tournament is open to novice and new players as well as advanced players. Novice and new players must be able to play two to three games in 55 minutes and advanced players must be able to play four games in 55 minutes. The games will be played with the National Mah Jongg League rules, 13 tiles, and the 2023 NJML card.

Tickets are $55 for members and $60 for non-members. Register online at nashvillejcc.org/social Register by April 28. No refunds after May 5. Questions? Contact Michelle Tishler, musiccitymahjongg@gmail.com A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association of Middle Tennessee. •

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• April 2023

Rae Hirsch and Ben Russ will be honored at JFS annual Chesed Dinner on May 11

ae Hirsch and Ben Russ are the recipients of Jewish Family Service’s 2023 Chesed Award, given each year to acknowledge the contributions the recipients have made to the Jewish and broader Nashville communities. Chesed is Hebrew for “loving kindness,” and occurs when the command to “love your neighbor as yourself” is fulfilled. The Jewish community of Nashville couldn’t be luckier to have Rae and Ben as neighbors, as they are prime examples of what Chesed means in the Nashville Jewish and broader community. Rae and Ben live and breathe the essence of Chesed. “They both share their talents freely with so many organizations both in the Jewish and broader community,” said JFS Executive Director Pam Kelner. “One of the aspects I love most about the Chesed Award is the opportunity to share with the entire community what our amazing honorees have done to impact the quality of life for so many in our community. Everyone always leaves the Chesed dinner inspired by what our honorees have accomplished, and Rae and Ben will definitely inspire.” Having learned from her parents the importance of commitment to the Jewish community and philanthropy, Rae took on leadership roles in many areas of the Nashville community. She was on the Board and Executive Committee of the Temple, where she chaired the Membership and Beautification Committees and co-chaired the Temple Arts Festival for nine years.

Rae Hirsch and Ben Russ are recipients of Jewish Family Service’s 2023 Chesed Award. They will be honored on May 11 at the annual Chesed Dinner.

Rae served as co-president of the Nashville section of the National Council of Jewish Women. Over the years, she has chaired numerous NCJW committees, including several turns at the helm of NCJW’s Ways and Means. Rae’s involvement in the Jewish Federation included co-chairing the Ladies’ Philanthropy Program when Nashville hosted the Federation’s North American General Assembly; the Ladies’ Night Out; and the Women’s Campaign event. She actively served on the board for JFS, co-chairing the Chesed Dinner and the Annual Campaign for several years. She remains an active participant in the Chanukah Project—now a family affair, as she passes her values on to her grandchildren by involving them in the endeavor. Rae’s most recent volunteer involvement has been with Gilda’s Club, where

she serves on the Board, on the Program Committee, and where she has chaired the Gilda’s Red Door Bash Fundraiser for two years. When reflecting on her involvement with JFS, Rae said, “It has been an honor to dedicate my time and efforts to JFS. I am proud to be involved, in any way that I can, with the incredible programming and services which JFS provides to those in need in our community. I hope that my participation will serve as an example of Tikkun Olam for my children and grandchildren.” Ben has been deeply involved in numerous Jewish organizations in the Middle Tennessee area including the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, where he served on the Board and as the Chair of the Grants Committee. He is currently Secretary of the Board of Congregation Ohabai Shalom and is also the current President of the Nashville Drug Court Support Foundation. The Chesed Award is not the first received by Ben. In 2017 he was also recognized with the Sandy Averbuch Young Leadership Award by the Jewish Federation and was recognized in 2015 by The Temple with their 3 generations of Leadership Award. Ben is past president of the Jewish Family Service Board. While on the Board he was an active participant, chairing the Annual Campaign with his wife, Marissa Moses Russ. During his JFS presidency, Ben guided the agency through a Strategic Planning process as well as taking on the yeoman’s job of updating

the HR Manual. When asked about his involvement with JFS, Ben said, “I have dedicated time over the years to JFS because it is an important, efficient, and meaningful organization that has a commitment to serving all segments of the Jewish community through a plethora of services. For those reasons, it was and is an easy agency to support and it was my honor that they entrusted me with a leadership role which I thoroughly enjoyed. “ The awards will be presented to Rae and Ben at the annual JFS fundraiser dinner that will take place on Thursday May 11, at the Gordon Jewish Community Center. The Chesed Dinner will begin with a reception at 6:15 p.m. with kosher dinner following at 7 p.m. Tickets are $150 per person. For more information or to make reservations, contact Pam Kelner at (615) 354-1644 or RSVP online at https://jfsnashville.org/ ways-to-help/chesed-dinner/. The Chesed Dinner is the primary fundraiser for Jewish Family Services, one of Nashville’s oldest social service agencies. Last year JFS served more than 1,800 individuals through its 21 services and programs in the areas of adoption, counseling, psychotherapy, financial assistance, senior services, information and referral, and family life and community enrichment. For more information about JFS, contact Pam Kelner at (615) 354-1644 or visit the JFS website at www.jfsnashville. org. •

Federation Staffer Eitan Snyder Appointed to Nashville Young Leaders Council By BARBARA DAB

ommunity service and leadership is nothing new for Eitan Snyder, community engagement associate for The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville. He comes from a family with a long history of volunteerism and service. In fact, his parents met through United Jewish Appeal’s Young Leadership Cabinet. “You might say I literally owe my life to Jewish Federation,” he says. Since those early years, both parents have been involved in a variety of leadership roles in the Greater Washington Jewish community including his father’s 20 years of service on the national board of AIPAC. Now, Snyder is carrying on that family tradition through his work and as a young community leader. Snyder was recently chosen to participate in Nashville’s Young Leaders Council, an organization founded

more than 35 years ago to participated in the program, train and foster a new genincluding Hayley Levy, board eration of nonprofit leaders. member for The Jewish The cohort of 120 particiFederation. She says, “I learned pants represents a broad cross so much from participating in section of corporate, civic, Young Leaders Council a few and volunteer backgrounds. years ago. YLC encouraged The program includes weekly me as a young leader to get trainings and culminates in a involved and give back to the year-long internship at a nonwider community. I believe I profit organization. was the only Jewish participant Snyder says what is most Jewish Federation of in my cohort. I was honored to significant is the network of Greater Nashville’s nominate Eitan to participate people who are dedicated to Eitan Snyder was in the program. I hope other giving back to the commu- recently chosen to par- Jewish young professionals will nity. “The participants rep- ticipate in Nashville’s apply and participate in the Young Leaders Council resent the exact intersection future.” of people I don’t currently know,” says Snyder was born and raised in the Snyder, “There are people beyond the Washington D.C. area and graduated from Jewish community in areas like healththe University of Miami Frost School of care, and other fields.” Music. While there, he was a student leader In total, 3,000 young leaders have at the university’s Hillel organization. After

graduation, he worked at the University of Southern California Hillel Foundation as one of Hillel International’s Springboard Ezra Fellows for Jewish Education. While there, he developed an internship program for nine student engagement interns that engaged over 200 students, including starting a Persian Club of Hillel. Also, during his tenure at USC, Hillel saw a 57% increase in student engagement, and was awarded a Top 5 for highest growth in engagement worldwide. One of the highlights of the program is the internship opportunity. Snyder says, “I am excited to learn more about how to be a board member, and in turn, how to manage board members in my role with Federation.” He is looking forward to bringing Federation to the table at YLC and says, “I am honored to participate and can’t wait share my experiences with our community.” •

Purim in Dubai was celebrated at Chabad of Nashville with joy and laughter, fun and happiness, by adults and children of all ages, and all walks of life.

April 2023 •

Commentary Antisemitism in our backyards? By RABBI YITZCHOK TIECHTEL

t feels like Germany in the 1930s again. But this time it’s in Nashville and it’s 2023. Just a few weeks ago, various hate groups have declared the Shabbat of Feb. 25, a “National Day of Hate” targeting Jews specifically. Jews were concerned, feeling vulnerable, and even afraid. Why is this happening? Why are they picking on us hard-working, innocent Jews more than on any other minority? Are we truly that evil? Has the world really learned nothing at all after all we’ve already been through?! Admittedly, these groups are trained to push the limits of the law, but largely to stay within its broad confines. They want to provoke us to react—to debate them, to insult them and, G-d forbid, to use violence in response to their deplorable actions, all while they gleefully film and livestream the event to present us in a poor light to the rest of the world. In just a few days, we will celebrate the Festival of Passover, a time which commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. For close to a period of 100 years, the Jewish people experienced bondage and slavery, pain and torture, and the slaughtering of thousands of Jewish babies in Egypt, all led by the chief antisemite of his time King Pharaoh. Why this hatred, why has this antisemitism been so prevalent over the many generations, and especially in our times? I would like to share with you a profound idea that sheds light on the scourge of this hatred. Through unlocking the depth and relevance of an enigmatic Talmudic teaching, we uncover the spiritual source of antisemitism and how we can conquer it. In an impassioned sermon delivered on Purim 1962, the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson of blessed memory, a man who was the spiritual leader of our generation— clarified the true cause for antisemitism and empowered us with the tools to block it at its core. He quoted an enigmatic statement in the Talmud (Kiddushin 33b) which states

that the reason antisemites attack the Jews is our violating the sin of “Possessing False Weights.” When purchasing a pound of produce or meat, we assume that the measurements are precise. But when one party is deceitful, they will use a false weight to measure the product to their advantage. The Torah prohibits us from even owning an imprecise weight, never mind using one in a devious transaction. The Talmud’s statement seems to make no sense. Why on Earth would possession of inaccurate weights have any connection at all with antisemites attacking us? But the Rebbe’s explanation put it all in clear perspective. As modern-day American Jews, we tend to have double standards in the balance of material and spiritual pursuits—we will leave no stone unturned in our attempts to support our financial needs, but when we discover that kosher meat is slightly more expensive than treif, suddenly we get cold feet. We wouldn’t be caught dead using an old iPhone, yet we have no qualms about using our grandfather’s Tefillin because we “can’t afford” to buy a new pair. We are sure to be fluent in Shakespeare, the Wall Street Journal or, at the very least, all the movies that came out in the past 30 years, but when it comes to Talmud, Torah, or our Jewish heritage, we’ve barely given it 10 minutes of our attention. We’ll vigorously endure a painful gym membership to ensure the health of our bodies, but we don’t even bother to ask what the needs of our souls are. We’ll “religiously” pursue every cruise and vacation, but we can count on one hand the number of times we’ve visited the Holy Land and her sacred sites. We wouldn’t miss out on a Bruce Springsteen concert for the world, but Shabbat in Shul is something we squeeze in only if nothing more interesting is happening. Our kids will be given the finest education in nothing less than Ivy League schools, but their Jewish education suddenly ended in their early teens. It is these double standards that we all exercise in our personal lives that are the cause of the double standards in how the

gentiles perceive us! When we carry “false weights” within ourselves—giving undue prominence to our material pursuits and the needs of our bodies over our spiritual interests and the needs of our souls—the nations of the world hold us to a far harsher standard than they use against anyone else. It is important that we are scrupulously honest, not just in the external physical world but also in our internal spiritual world, for they are intrinsically connected. But when we have a double standard within ourselves, the nations of the world judge us by a double standard too. Instead of reacting to the hate, let’s approach this challenge with wisdom, character, responsibility, and poise. Let’s not allow the haters to define us; it’s up to us Jews to define ourselves. Being Jewish is not just about facing antisemites; it’s about embracing our Judaism, our Torah, and our unique and holy mission upon this Earth. It’s time for us to declare that we’re not just Jewish because they hate us but rather because He chose us! Let’s deliberately put our fingers on the other side of the scale weighing it down towards Mitzvahs and Torah and our G-dly mission on this Earth. If there’s a mitzvah that you don’t usually do, commit to doing it today, just to counter the unequal weights. And if you don’t fully believe in it yet, then do it for the team! Foster unconditional love of our fellow Jews by calling a friend that you

haven’t spoken to in a while just to wish them a Shabbat Shalom. Light Shabbat candles on Fridays before sunset, with the special blessing, and if you don’t yet regularly honor the Shabbat with Kiddush wine, bring out your cup and recite the Kiddush over it, surrounded by friends and family. Pick a mitzvah that you don’t normally do and take it on today, just to get our national scales back in the balance. Let’s counterbalance their hate for us, with our love for each other, and love for our G-d, with even more passion than they hate us! Let’s replace fear with bold faith, joyously recalling that it’s not the antisemites who control the agenda but rather our beloved Father in Heaven who is yearning for a relationship with us, His beloved children! “Never Again” means we will never cower to the bullies. We will never hide our faith but double down instead, with a depth of faith and the courage of our convictions. Because if we don’t respect ourselves then how could we possibly expect them to respect us? Wishing our Nashville Jewish community, a Passover of changing gears from antisemitism to pro-Semitism, becoming a true Light to the Nations, and help eradicate antisemitism, as we live our lives as a proud Jewish people. • Rabbi Yitzchok Tiechtel is the Rabbi at Congregation Beit Tefilah Chabad, and the director of Chabad of Nashville

Celebrating Israel’s 75th Birthday

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Not Your Father’s Klezmer Band appearing at West End Synagogue April 23, 2023

West End Synagogue Celebrates Israel’s 75th Birthday with a Concert

n April 23, West End Synagogue will celebrate Israel’s 75th birthday with a concert by a multi-generational band - Dor L’Dor — from Knoxville that bills itself as “Not Your Father’s Klezmer Band.” The band is making its Nashville concert debut. Israel, like the United States, is a “melting pot” made up of many people from multiple countries, cultures, histories, religious and non-religious viewpoints, languages, and musical traditions. Klezmer music, a Yiddish contraction of the Hebrew for instrument “kley” and song “zemer” is an amalgamation of music from Eastern European synagogues and communities, European folk music, Roma “Gypsy” peoples, and diverse musical influences, including classical and pop. One melting pot will be used to celebrate another melting pot.

Israel was established on May 14, 1948, when a provisional government proclaimed a Declaration of Independence. This date corresponded to the fifth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar. Israel’s 75h birthday this year begins on the evening of April 25, and continues through the evening of April 26. The entire Nashville community is invited to celebrate Israel’s 75th birthday with a performance by Dor L’Dor on April 23, at West End Synagogue, beginning at 6:30PM. Tickets may be purchased at https://tinyurl.com/ WESDorLDorConcert. Tickets are $75 for those over 32, and $54 for young professionals and others less than 32. Gold Patron packages are available for $1,000, and Silver Patron packages are available for $540. •

Multi-generational band of musicians and singers from Knoxville makes Nashville concert debut. Music includes multiple genres and languages Tickets are available at: https://tinyurl.com/WESDorLDorConcert Scan the QR to sample music: Hallelujah - Dor L’Dor with Kelle Jolly and Will Boyd

3810 West End Ave, Nashville, TN

• April 2023

Vanderbilt Chabad conquering Antisemitism through Unity By HALEY GOCHNAUER

ntisemitism is known as the oldest hate. If antisemitism is considered old, why does society still battle Jewish hatred in today’s world? Vanderbilt University’s Jewish community has been an active participant in fighting Jewish hate. Vanderbilt Chabad, a Jewish organization on campus brought to the university by Rabbi Shlomo Rothstein and Nechama Rothstein, has made significant strides in diminishing antisemitism through educating and reunifying students. This past fall, a Vanderbilt football coach posted a hurtful and insensitive comment on social media that deeply wounded the Jewish community on campus. Vanderbilt Chabad was dismayed to discover the antisemitic behavior conducted by a Vanderbilt staff member. Various Jewish students and alumni reached out to Chabad expressing their uneasiness and concerns about evolving antisemitism at the university. While the Vanderbilt football coach’s remarks negatively affected the Jewish community, Vanderbilt Chabad was eager to amend division between Vanderbilt athletics and Vanderbilt’s Jewish population. This semester, Vanderbilt Chabad took initiative to fight antisemitism by bringing a Holocaust survivor to speak to students on campus. Chabad partnered with Stories that Live, a fellowship program that connects college students with Holocaust survivors, to host Sami Steigmann, a survivor and motivational speaker, to share his story, information about the Holocaust, and how to combat modern Jewish hate. Chabad organized a large lecture in which Steigmann provided his insights to an overflowing auditorium of students. Furthermore, Steigmann’s lessons functioned as a great opportunity to educate the Vanderbilt football team and staff about Jewish history and discrimination. Vanderbilt Chabad scheduled a meeting with the entire Vanderbilt football department. The staff was enthusiastic about meeting with the organization and extended their all-team meeting to bring in Steigmann. The players were attentive and actively engaged in the talk as Steigmann asked them questions. After the speech, the team and staff, including the football coach who had posted the upsetting comment, expressed their genuine appreciation for Steigmann and his valuable message. David Seigel, a member of the team, stated, “As a Jewish

football player, it was amazing to have Sami come and talk to the team. He gave an meaningful speech to us about unity.” Chabad invited the entire department to Chabad’s central event with Steigmann happening the following day. The main event took place on Feb. 22 at Vanderbilt University’s Sarratt Cinema. Vanderbilt Chabad devoted a great deal of time and energy to ensure the success of Steigmann’s lecture. Chabad’s student executive board collaborated with their general board to market and promote the event to various communities on campus. Chabad additionally guaranteed the involvement of Greek life through arranging brief sessions with fraternities and sororities during their chapter meetings. The organization was truly committed to creating change at Vanderbilt through education and unity. Vanderbilt Chabad’s hard work and dedication was rewarded with a large attendance of both Jewish and non-Jewish students. Prior to the event, Chabad had to limit attendance to 300 as they reached the maximum capacity for the auditorium. Yet, students who did not RSVP still attended along with several of the football players and their coaches. The line to check in to the event wove throughout the entire first floor of the Sarratt Student Center. One could physically feel the excitement and anticipation that filled the building. In total, there were 372 members of the Vanderbilt community present to learn and grow by listening to Steigmann’s lecture. The attendance was a major accomplishment for the organization as it demonstrated the students’ commitment to becoming educated on the ongoing battle against antisemitism. The smooth operation of the event can be attributed to Chabad’s executive board and members of the general board. These students assumed responsibility to ensure the event went smoothly. They tracked attendance, assembled and worked the refreshment tables and schmooze stations, and served as ushers. Chabad would like to recognize executive member Joshua Weingarten for arranging the livestream and recording of the event. The organization is truly appreciative of all the members who assisted with the logistics. Chabad President, Haley Gochnauer, opened the event with words of welcome and announced the significance of the event in terms of the Hakhel year, a year that occurs once every seven years

Sami Steigmann spoke before a packed auditorium at Vanderbilt University.

April 2023 •

pictured l. to r. Rabbi Shlomo Rothstein, Max Perry, Steigmann, Sarah Fischer, Haley Gochnauer

Sami Steigmann pictured center, with Vanderbilt football coach Clark Lea, right, Rabbi Shlomo Rothstein, and members of the football team

on the Jewish calendar that encourages everyone to unite. The Hakhel year is a great opportunity to promote friendship, unity, and gathering. Chabad brought the university’s community together in the spirit of Hakhel. After the introduction, Max Perry, a general board member, and Sarah Fischer, an executive board member, began the moderated conversation with Steigmann. They asked Steigmann about his experiences, his motto in life, and ways to overcome Jewish hate. One lesson Steigmann shared is the importance of fighting hatred in unison. He discussed how the Holocaust began with the othering of Jews and that today’s society is witnessing this trend again as numerous communities are anti-Jew and anti-Israel. Steigmann proclaimed that all people, not just Jews, have a responsibility to fight and end Jewish hate in the same way that Jews have a responsibility to fight and end other forms of hatred. He expressed the effectiveness of our society fighting all types of oppression together. Throughout his lecture, Steigmann emphasized the necessity of taking action to establish unity. Sarah Fischer said, “Sami and his story has empowered me to not be afraid to speak up and fight any form of hatred.” Steigmann’s messages were truly inspiring and unifying for Vanderbilt’s community. Chabad is dedicated to ending Jewish oppression and hate. The organization fights this battle through teaching students ways to achieve understanding. By

hosting Steigmann, Chabad effectively created a safe space where Vanderbilt students and staff could join together to fight antisemitism. Max Perry said, “It was incredible to welcome Sami to our community dedicated to stand against hate.” Vanderbilt Chabad confronted antisemitic actions on campus through providing their community with a chance to learn and understand Jewish life. Rather than condemning the football program, Chabad mended the bridge by reaching out and offering Vanderbilt football a learning opportunity which they enthusiastically embraced. Hayden Moses, a football player who attended the event, stated, “I think that Vanderbilt football taking such an active approach to Chabad’s event not only shows our support for the Jewish community, but our openness in learning and growing as a team alongside members of our community. Chabad’s ability to take a negative situation and use it as a learning opportunity highlights their leadership and integrity.” Eric Freiman, a Jewish football player alumnus, asserts that, “Chabad took the exact right way to approach this, as the organization found a way to improve students’ understanding of Jewish history.” In all, Vanderbilt Chabad successfully brought awareness to antisemitism and gathered the university’s campus together in unity. The best way to stay in touch with what is happening at Chabad is to follow us on Instagram - @ChabadVanderbilt! •

Nashville Holocaust Memorial Offers Tours for Yom HaShoah By MARSHA RAIMI

or the first time in its 16-year history, the Nashville Holocaust Memorial is offering five docent-led tours of the site beginning with Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, on the 27th of Nisan, falling on April 18, and ending with Nashville’s community-wide commemoration service on Sunday, April 23. In preparation for Vanderbilt’s Alternative Spring Break working with Holocaust survivors in Chicago, student co-leaders Jacob Smith and Angela Yan scheduled a tour in early March of the Memorial, located on the grounds of the Gordon Jewish Community Center in Bellevue. They and six other students with diverse backgrounds were led by Delilah Cohn. Jacob sent this appreciation while the group was en route to their Alternative Spring break:

Nashville’s Holocaust Memorial is offering five docent-led tours from April 18 – April 23.

“Stepping out of our Uber at the JCC, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. Delilah’s warm smile at the entrance to the Memorial trail assured us we were in good hands. The path itself was quite beautiful and moving. The art and pre-recorded narration provided a somber foundation for our learning. Delilah gra-

ciously recounted her high schooler father’s escape following the reporting of his anti-Nazi political cartoons to the Gestapo. Her deep, personal account of the events that were summarized at a high level by the recordings created a well-rounded and emotional understanding of the Holocaust that will empower us to better serve Chicago Survivors. The culmination of our tour was the Memorial Plaza. After taking a moment to fully absorb the powerful torn book sculpture, we took time to independently read through the names engraved on the stone pillars behind it. Although this moment of reflection marked the conclusion of the tour itself, it was not the end of our visit. We spent about half an hour relating the themes of othering and dehumanization that resulted in the Holocaust to contemporary and per-

sonal contexts. Delilah encouraged our entire group to participate and engage in ways our education curriculum had never come close to, and it was truly incredible to participate. We’re all very grateful for the thoughtfulness of our tour guide and the people who created Nashville’s Holocaust Memorial. Our time there was truly a moving experience, and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone.” Tour schedule: Tuesday 4/18, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm with Marsha Raimi; Friday 4/21, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm with Debra Carmichael; Saturday 4/22, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm with Marisa Mayhan; Sunday 4/23 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm with Delilah Cohn, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Commemoration Service inside JCC, 3:00 – 4:00 pm with Marsha Raimi. Registration preferred. Email NashvilleHolocaustMemorial@ gmail.com. •

Four Perfect Pebbles: Clinging to Hope in Bergen-Belsen C

habad of Nashville will host Holocaust survivor, Marion Blumenthal Lazan for a special evening, as she tells the story of “Four Perfect Pebbles.” A story that Anne Frank might have told had she survived. Lazan did survive to tell her story. She survived the concentration camps and death trains of the Holocaust in Germany and Holland during World War II. She survived, and married, and has welcomed children and grandchildren into a world not always filled with good memories. Lazan will share her story and memories on Tuesday, April 25 at 7:30 PM. Lazan was planning to come in person to Nashville to share her fascinating story, yet her husband’s health is ailing, and she will share her story to the Nashville community, via a Zoom seminar. This is a story she has shared with more than a million students and adults over the past 25 years, yet this will be her first time speaking to the Nashville Jewish community. Lazan first spoke publicly of the emotional and physical abuse she, her mother, father, and brother endured at the hands of the Nazis at her synagogue in 1979. Her rabbi had asked her to share during Holocaust Remembrance Day. “I was very reluctant to do so, to speak in front of people. But I agreed. That meant I had to sit down and write down all the thoughts I had suppressed for so many years. It was quite difficult,” she said. When teachers in the audience heard her story, they wanted her to come share at their schools. The first was in Brooklyn, New York. “It was very difficult, but it went very well.” Since then, she has shared her story before audiences all around the world. It has become a mission. “We are running out of time. It’s got to be done now,” she said. Today’s school children are the last generation that will hear of the horrors of the Holocaust first-

Holocaust survivor Marion Blumenthal Lazan will speak via Zoom on April 25, 7:30pm

hand from survivors, said Lazan. Her story conveyed a message of perseverance, determination, faith, and above all, hope. But it is a story filled with fear and suffering. She said her life in Germany in the 1930s was good. Her father had a successful shoe business in a small town. Her parents, older brother and grandparents lived above the shoe store. But things changed in 1935. The Nazi Party announced new laws which excluded German Jews from Reich citizenship and prohibited them from marrying persons of German or related blood. Additional ordinances disenfranchised Jews and deprived them of most political rights. “Jews were not allowed into theaters, into parks or into swimming pools. All public schools were closed to Jewish children,” she said. “Then there was the evening curfew for the Jews. Jews were only allowed to shop during specific hours of the day. And non-Jews were not allowed to shop in Jewish owned stores. Non-Jews were not allowed to associate with Jewish people,” said Lazan.

Her parents decided to leave the country. She was four years old when her family received the necessary papers for immigration to America. Unfortunately, those papers would not be used until 10 years later. Then came Nov. 9, 1938, and “Kristallnacht,” the night of broken glass. “The Nazis and their many followers smashed the windows and store fronts of Jewish-owned stores. Jewish establishments, synagogues and Jewish books were burned and destroyed,” said Lazan. “This was the beginning of the Holocaust.” That night her father was taken away and sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp. He was released 10 days later because his papers were in order for immigration to America. In January 1939, she and her family left for Holland where they waited at a detention camp, hoping to sail to the United States, but they were delayed until May 1940, when the German Army invaded Holland. All their belongings were destroyed, and their future grew darker. In 1944, Lazan and her family were taken by train to the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen, Germany. “I remember it was a bitter cold, pitch black rainy night when we arrived at our destination. I was nine years old.” She was placed in a section called the “Star Camp” where they had to continue wearing the yellow star they were issued back in Holland. The star labeled them Jewish. A detailed and gripping narrative of her time in the detention and concentration camps is told in her book, “Four Perfect Pebbles,” named for the game she played in her imagination to cope with the unbelievable conditions and events. “We, as children, saw things that no one, no matter the age, should ever have to see,” said Lazan. She imagined if she could find four perfect pebbles of almost the exact same size and shape, her family would remain

whole and survive. In the spring of 1945, after six and a half years of mental torture and physical abuse, Lazan and her family were liberated by the Russian Army. On April 23, 1948, Lazan, her mother and brother arrived in Hoboken, New Jersey. A Jewish relief organization found a home for them in Peoria, Illinois. Lazan’s resilience kept her going during the dark days in the concentration camp. In addition to the four perfect pebbles, Lazan imagined that one day she would have her three B’s again. Those three B’s represented everyday comforts and necessities too often taken for granted. “The first B represented a bed. I knew that someday I would once again have my very own bed with a real mattress, clean sheets and enough blankets to keep me warm,” she said. “The second B represented a bath. Warm water, soap, a clean towel and with that would come toothpaste and a toothbrush of course. “The third B was bread. I knew that someday I once again would have enough bread so that I would never again go hungry,” said Lazan. Imaginary games were her survival techniques, her survival skills. “No one is spared adversity. No one is spared hardship. We all have to overcome obstacles at one time or another. “But with perseverance, with determination, with faith, and above all, with hope, one can overcome just about anything and everything, said Lazan. Lazan said her mission is to share her story with people of all faiths, and the horror of the Holocaust must be taught, studied, and kept alive. “Only then can we guard it from ever happening again. This is what’s important.” To purchase tickets for this inspiring and personal event with Marion Blumenthal Lazan, please go to chabadnashville.com/ fourperfectpebbles •

• April 2023

Nashville Chapter of Hadassah 2023 officers and board members.

Nashville Hadassah Installs New Board

he Nashville Chapter of Hadassah held its annual Installation of Officers and Board on Feb. 28 at the GJCC. The evening was organized by board member Marsha Jaffa, who also provided many of the delicious dessert selections. The installation ceremony was conducted by Edria Ragosin, a past president of both the chapter and Southern Region. The new board is chaired by Co-Presidents Mindy Drongowski and Beth Wise. To join or learn more about the chapter, please email nashville@hadassah.org Incoming Officers: Co-Presidents: Mindy Drongowski and Beth Wise Vice Presidents - Programming: Judith Abromowitz and Natalie Hochman

Afghan Continued from page 1 acquire the essential expedited humanitarian parole status. Leslie Kirby, president of The Jewish Federation, says, “In a time of hyper-partisanship, it is remarkable to see so many people come together, across walks of life, across the political aisle, across generations, to do incredible good. This is truly a miracle – but it was a miracle made possible by an enormous amount of dedication, hard work, and perseverance. I’m incredibly proud of the work of the Nashville Jewish community, but also grateful. This work made us stronger and better as a community as well.” The process to bring Javid to Nashville was long, grueling, and dangerous, and involved the coordinated work of an entire community, including United States Senator Bill Hagerty. According to Michal Becker, Director of Engagement for The Jewish Federation,

Vice President - Fundraising: Margaret Levine Vice President - Membership: Geri Siegel Treasurer: Beth Wise Recording Secretaries: Judy Book and Hanna Book Corresponding Secretary: Ruth Klar Incoming Board Members: Advocacy Chair: La Quita “Q” Martin Certificates Chair: Paula Kholos Communications: Julia Motis Evolve: Pamela Abromowitz JNF Chair: Ruth Pressman Life and Legacy: Deana Goldstein Members at Large: Merle Born and Marsha Jaffa Records Administrator: Barbara Olsher Immediate Past President: Deana Goldstein

“It has been our absolute honor to be there for this family that went through so much to get here. It has been also an incredible experience to see so many people in our community mobilize to give their time, their skills, and their compassion and kindness to people who came here burdened with such devastating trauma. We realized how much power we have when we work together, with our partners, toward such an important goal. However, this process also made us realize how much effort and resources were put into reuniting this one family, and this made us wonder what happens to all those people who are not as lucky to get such help. “ Over the past year, teams of volunteers have assisted the families with doctor appointments, enrolling children in school, shopping for basic items at Walmart or Kroger, and helping with meals. Volunteers spent countless hours navigating American systems and bureaucracy. Javid’s family was helped by the

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

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

10 April 2023 •

Nashville Hadassah Partners with Momentum

he Nashville Hadassah Chapter is proud to announce that we have been chosen as one of four Hadassah chapters in the country to partner with Momentum, a global movement focused on the greatest influencer, the Jewish mother. Pam Abromowitz is the community leader for this highly subsidized journey in self-discovery to Israel from Oct. 23- Nov. 1, 2023. Applicants need

not be a member of Hadassah, but need to be raising Jewish children under the age of 18 in the home. As a Momentum trip alumna, Pam can provide additional information and assist with the application process. This will be a year-long journey that is limited to 10 participants. Please contact Pam Abromowitz at nashville.momentum@gmail.org for more information. •

team from The Temple, headed by Rene Kasman and Ruth Thomas. According to Kasman, “This has been one of the most gratifying projects I have ever worked on. It was inspiring to see so many members of our community willing to step up to help reunite this family. It truly took a village to make it happen: volunteer lawyers, doctors, staff members from our senator’s office, our Temple congregation and Clergy, the Jewish Federation. But it was especially the determination of the family that made this happen. No matter how much success they achieved in the past year, from getting jobs and a car to moving into a brand-new home, this remained the most important goal

for them...to bring their family member, whose life was still in danger from the Taliban, safely to the United States.” Humanitarian parole allows people who provided service to the American government, like Javid, and his family, to obtain a visa to come to the United States. But humanitarian parole visas have an expiration date, typically lasting one or two years. If people are unable to obtain a green card or political asylum, they face the possibility of deportation back to Afghanistan and back into the hands of the Taliban. At the end of the day, though, this is a story about family, and about one community joining together to ensure the well-being of a family. After the excitement of the reunion, the family insisted everyone who accompanied them to the airport return to their home to share a meal. Kasman and Thomas were among those guests. “We gathered in a circle in their living room and held hands for a prayer led by the matriarch of the family, the grandmother. This coming from a country that is now telling these women they are not fit for jobs or an education,” says Kasman. And that small moment highlights both the pain and the promise for those who fled the Taliban regime. Kasman says, “One of the first things the newly arrived father told me at the airport was that his dream was for his six-year-old daughter to be able to go to school. I share that dream with him. For all the women and children in the family. I hope they all will now have the opportunity to experience life fully and fulfill their potential.” •

• April 2023

Akiva and JMS Students Take Part in National Butterfly Project

tudents from the Jewish Middle School and Akiva School joined together in mid-March to take part in a local adaptation of The Butterfly Project, a national campaign to fuse arts education with Holocaust study as a means of cultivating empathy and social responsibility in children. The Butterfly Project began in 2006 at the San Diego Jewish Academy as a way of memorializing the 1.5 million children murdered during the Holocaust. Inspired by “I Never Saw Another Butterfly,” a collection of poems, letters, and drawings by children imprisoned at the Terezin Concentration Camp, the program hopes to have contemporary children from around the globe create and install 1.5 million ceramic butterflies in memory of those lost children. Education about the Holocaust is a complex opportunity. Not only do students need to learn about the memory and historical record of the Holocaust, but educators are tasked with addressing many of the contextual challenges that are still very relevant today. Persistent antisemitism, xenophobia, and threats to our values and beliefs are all issues we face today. Holocaust education creates an opportunity to examine these problems and foster critical thinking, social awareness and responsibility, and personal empathy. Here in Nashville in 2006, at the urging and under the leadership of local survivors, the Nashville Holocaust Memorial was erected and dedicated on donated land from the Gordon Jewish Community Center. Deborah

Oleshansky, the community relations director at the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, says, “The decision to add The Butterfly Project to the existing memorial was made a little over a year ago.” Collaborating with local artist and creator of the original memorial, Alex Limor, a tree was designed and installed at the start of the path leading towards the memorial. As butterflies are created, they will be installed between the tree and the memorial. Oleshansky said, “The project began with Akiva and JMS students, and the long-term plan is to expand the program and invite any and all Nashville community groups who want to participate to tour the memorial and take part in designing butterflies.” Oleshansky explains the decision to bring the project to Nashville, pointing out, “It is a means for Holocaust education, but also a way in which to teach social justice, build empathy, and ultimately combat antisemitism. The butterflies will be a visual symbol of our proactive work against bigotry and hate.” Akiva and JMS students had the

chance to sit down with Limor and learn about the design and development of the Nashville Holocaust Memorial, as well as the addition of the new tree. Students each received a biography about a child who was killed during the Holocaust and created a butterfly in their memory. Nechemya Rosenfeld teaches Holocaust Studies at Akiva School and Jewish Studies at the Jewish Middle School. Rosenfeld says that this project “served as a kinesthetic and artistic way of helping students comprehend the immensity of 1.5 million children lost. Creating their own butterflies and getting a sense of how many more need to be made to reach the 1.5 million goal was powerful. The project takes history and brings it into the present and the future.” Rosenfeld adds, “As we approach Pesach and the students learn about our responsibility to remember our history and tell it over, The Butterfly Project was a timely and ideal opportunity for our kids to take part in this mitzvah and create their own permanent reminder of our collective memory, and the hope we have

moving forward.” Co-Head of School at the Jewish Middle School, Rabbi Daniel Hoffman, echoes Rosenfeld’s point, “We often learn about the horrific proportions of the Holocaust — the number of lives lost is staggering, and a number that is so hard for children to relate to. When each student received and read a name and story of one child who perished in the Holocaust, it created a moment of connection. The butterflies they painted memorialize those specific children whom our students now know, and will remember, in some small way.” The butterflies created by Akiva and JMS students will be presented at this year’s Yom HaShoah memorial service on April 23, from 2:00-3:00pm at the Gordon JCC, and will be on display during the community-wide Yom HaShoah service, led by Akiva’s 6th grade class, on April 18 at 8:00am. The project will remain ongoing and anyone who is interested in participating can reach out directly to the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville for more information. •

Radnor Lake Part II: The Eaglets Have Landed By MELISSA SOSTRIN

he long wait is over. On day double chai-36 days after their eggs were laid- at least two eaglets have hatched. My two young charges, L and M, were with me two days before, and as we were heading to the aviary, we found Ranger Steve Ward on a trail above and parallel to Otter Creek Road with his high-powered telescope set up. He patiently adjusted it for the boys and seconds later L exclaimed, “Wow, you can see its eyes!” Steve predicted that the babies would hatch in 24 hours, and he was right. Spend even just a little time with him and you get an appreciation for his dedication to and respect for the birds under his watch in the wild and in the aviary. “This is the conservation story of our lifetime,” Ward told WKRN in 2022. “American bald eagles were endangered species until 2007. And here we are 15 years later, and you got one nesting less than eight miles from the Capitol of Tennessee.” There are signs all over reminding us how seriously bald eagle protection is taken with possible imprisonment or fines up to $250,000. And since new nests have a 50 percent mortality rate the rangers were not taking any chances. They did not set up a nest cam which could have caused the parents to abandon the nest, and last spring two eaglets hatched, one of which is still inhabiting Radnor Lake State Park. Though these days, the Tennessee

12 April 2023 •

Baby eaglets just hatched at Radnor Lake.

legislature is in the news for its controversial, divisive laws, last year the “Leg” was roused to pass a joint resolution welcoming the eaglets, wishing them the best in their fledging efforts, and thanking Ranger Steve and his staff for what they have done to make this “miracle” available for public viewing. I’m not sure that it is a “nes,” but it is a nest “gadol,” about five feet in diameter and over a couple of feet tall. Another avid bird watcher with a telephoto lens told the boys that after the eaglets were born, we would be able to see a lot more fishing by the parents as last year’s eaglets enjoyed large-mouth bass among other Radnor delicacies. High on a hill, three-quarters of a mile up a paved road, at the Barbara J. Mapp Aviary, a

dead fish sat in a pool of water in the vulture enclosure. Like the other six birds housed there, the vulture had been injured in the wild, unable to fly because it had been shot. The others – three bald eagles, a golden eagle, a great horned owl, and a red-tailed hawk – had been hit by cars or shot. On the day we visited, access to the golden eagle had been blocked as she had laid eggs and was very protective even though they were not viable. I told L and M to ask their parents about that. One can get quite close to the enclosures which is a great privilege. Because the birds are sensitive, visits are limited to six hours a week. Inside the education center are tanks of turtles and snakes, and the boys were given the opportunity to hold a corn

snake and a six-foot rat snake. One of the boys remarked how strong their muscles must be for them to hold their heads up. Shout out to the women dressed in ranger green who, when asked by a concerned mom if the middle cage was supposed to be open, expressed shock and replied, “Oh, no!” She then followed up saying, “Just kidding, I don’t work here.” Fear not, there are no snakes in that exhibit. The rangers take their work seriously, and just to be permitted to have the birds Steve had to spend 600 hours with someone already trained to do so. In Deuteronomy 32:11, Moses says, “He was like an eagle arousing its nest, hovering over its young.” However, some scholars suggest that it was a reference to vultures. Ranger Steve thinks that the vulture is one of the most misunderstood birds of prey. We see them hovering around dead animals, perched ominously in movies, yet they are vital to ecosystems as their disposal of carrion prevents the spread of bacteria and disease. The Torah presents it as loving and caring, and the long devotion of the vulture to its young symbolizes God’s dedication to us. Down at the lake the devoted eagle parents will spend the next 90 days feeding their young until they are able to fledge and hunt for themselves. In about a week or so we should be able to see the little ones popping their heads up waiting for their parents to pass over them with meals. See you out there! •

Happy

PASSOVER On behalf of the Board of Directors and Staff at Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, we wish you and your loved ones Chag Pesach Sameach.

Dr. Leslie Kirby President

• April 2023

We're looking for an exceptional executive director for our synagogue

NowGen Hosted Blood Drive in Honor of Anniversary of 2-Year-Old’s Leukemia Diagnosis By ZOE BELL

Memphis' Conservative Synagogue since 1955/5715 Beth Sholom is a rapidly growing, warm, and inclusive community of 270 families who are dedicated to each other and to living Jewish lives. Our new executive director will enjoy the enthusiastic support of our Rabbi and professional staff, as well as our members. To learn more about this opportunity, click the QR code or write to Judy Bookman, co-chair, Search Committee, at judy@judybookman.com. bsholom.org

14 April 2023 •

hen Courtney Bruns and her husband took their son, Jackson, to the clinic for a check-up, the two-year-old proudly showed off the custom-made red Converse on his feet. He told the desk receptionist that he had gotten new shoes. While Jackson may outwardly seem like any other happy toddler, he has undergone far more blood transfusions and hospital visits than most kids his age. Jackson was 17 months old when he was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia — a cancer that affects the blood cells — in February 2022. “It was a lot of disbelief at first; it’s hard to get news like that,” Bruns said of the diagnosis. “Imagine you have a toddler who has such a serious illness. So it was very overwhelming and terrifying.” Jackson is doing much better now, Bruns told The Jewish Observer Nashville during a phone interview, adding that his hair has begun to grow back in the recent months. To celebrate Jackson’s one-year anniversary of being diagnosed with leukemia, his family hosted a Red Cross blood drive with NowGen, a program for young Jewish professionals. The blood drive took place March 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Gordon Jewish Community Center for Nashville-area residents. Bruns and the other organizers of the event said their

Two-year-old Jackson Bruns was diagnosed with leukemia last year, and is doing better thanks to blood donation.

goal had been for at least 30 donors to sign up to donate blood. “Throughout this past year, Jackson Continued on page 17

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, Rachel Appelbaum. Tell us your story. Where are you from? How did you end up in Nashville? Hello Nashville! My name is Rachel Appelbaum, MD, and I moved to the area approximately seven months ago. I know it is soon to say, but Nashville is already starting to feel like home. I have lived in the South for the majority of my life. I grew up in Georgia, just north of Atlanta. From a young age, I had an interest in science and a passion for helping others, these two drivers as well as an inspiring teacher led me to medicine. My training from medical school to residency to fellowship has taken me up and down the East coast, but I am honored to now call Nashville home. I am an acute care surgeon at one of the local hospitals which includes trauma, surgical critical care, and emergency general surgery. Being at an academic institution, I have the incredible opportunity to educate the next generation of providers as well as participate in research. My current research focuses on quality and process improvement as well as clinical outcomes work to advance our field. I have found my career path extremely challenging at times, but incredibly rewarding. Ultimately, my

Meet this month’s newcomer, Rachel Appelbaum.

patients are my motivation to do more with each day, and I feel honored to serve our community. What has your Jewish story been like up to this point? How did you get involved in Nashville’s Jewish community? My Jewish journey began at a young age. When my family moved to Georgia, I was six years old, and I was lucky to live in the same home until I left for college. We lived in a large neighborhood with several families that attended the same synagogue. Since our extended family lived in other states, these families became our local family and we immediately felt a sense of community. We spent many Jewish holidays together and we would often carpool to Sunday school each week. When I turned 13, I experienced an incredible year of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs including my own. Moving to Nashville, I first got involved with the Jewish community by attending local Friday night services and a newcomers Jewish Federation event. Both experiences helped me meet key individuals in my Nashville Jewish journey. If I had to describe the Nashville Jewish community in one word, I would say welcoming. From my first contact at Friday night services to attending High Holy Day services and being invited to Yom Kippur break-fast by a member of The Temple I happened to be sitting next to, I feel adopted by the community and I am grateful for the outpouring of

Writers of the Lost Ark A

support and connection. I have been very impressed by several organizations in the city that actively bring young Jewish professionals together, opportunities of which I haven’t had before. I am excited for what Nashville has in store! How has your experience been in Nashville so far? Any notable memories or experiences? My experience in Nashville thus far has been incredible. From attending a bluegrass festival and a Predators game to exploring the farmers markets, moving to Nashville has been memorable. One amazing memory would have to be New Year’s Eve this year. I am a University of Georgia graduate and the SEC Championship happened to fall on the same night. My friend from college and I spent the evening surrounded by fellow alumni, cheering our team on to victory. Little did we know karaoke was to follow, and let’s just say Nashville karaoke is no joke. It was a night to remember to say the least! GO DAWGS!! What do you love about being Jewish? I know I mentioned it previously, but I would say the sense of community. Being Jewish, there is an immediate sense of understanding and common experience when you meet fellow Jews. Whether you grew up reformed or conservative, keep kosher, are just ethnically

Jewish, or maybe you are still exploring what being Jewish means to you, you are Jewish and welcomed as you are. I value connection, and the unspoken foundation of being part of the Tribe is meaningful beyond words. What do you love about being Jewish in Nashville? Over the years, my career path has taken up much of my time and journey, but moving to Nashville not knowing anyone has given me the opportunity to reconnect with my Jewish roots and experience an immediate sense of community. What does the next year look like for you? Is there anything that you are still looking to do or experience in Nashville? This year I plan to focus on wellness, which to me means making the most of life for the health and happiness of myself, my family, and my community. I want to continue to explore Nashville specifically the food, music, and outdoor scenes. Getting back into tennis would be a plus! I have been impressed by the restaurants, bars, concerts, and park systems I have experienced, but I know my adventures so far only scratch the surface. This year I am also focused on building my network and continuing to form connections. 2023 is off to a great start! •

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monthly meeting of writers from Nashville’s Jewish community meets every month at The Temple.

By RUTH THOMAS

Are you reading a book? No. I am reading the meandering puddle on the path after a rain as I walk through the Pine forest. I am reading the smile on your face, The lift of your cheekbones that make your eyes crinkle, As you look at me. I am reading the faces on the news, of children, Gaunt and scared, Who I cannot reach out to comfort. What I see touches my soul and

becomes part of me. My boundaries are as thick as I choose them to be. As I see, I feel, and I know. What seems to be on the outside is as much inside, Making me what I am. This Happened at the Most Recent WRITERS OF THE LOST ARK Meeting

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The meeting was almost over. We were sharing our creative pieces based on the writing prompt – “Two friends Continued on page 16

ArgentTrust.com • April 2023

Creative Writing Corner By ZOE BELL

his month, in honor of Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, we are featuring two pieces by a young poet. Sutton Korn, 14, is in the eighth grade at Ensworth School. She lives in Nashville with her family and attends Congregation Micah. We interviewed Sutton to learn more about what inspires her. What do you like to do in your free time? I play lacrosse and soccer and I also like to read and write. I can tell you like to write! So, do you consider yourself a writer? Yes, I really do. I don’t write poetry that much; I do more fiction, short stories, but I do write poetry sometimes. I’ve tried to write a book; it’s a work in progress. What’s your book about if you don’t mind me asking? It’s about this girl who lives far into the future where everyone lives in Antarctica and it’s like a whole new society with a monarchy and just like different stuff happens. What inspired you to write about the Holocaust for your English assignment? Well, it was a pretty direct assignment. We’re reading “Hitler Youth” by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. The book has many pictures and my English teacher, Mr. Corzine, [gave us] a packet of 30 pictures and told us to pick two. I picked a picture of boys in a classroom with a framed portrait of Hitler behind them, and another picture of prisoners in Germany. I wrote each of the poems on them. It was a whole class [assignment], but we kind of had a lot of freedom with it. Other than your English teacher, obviously, who is the target audience for your poems? I don’t know exactly. I’ve just always felt a personal connection to the Holocaust because I’m Jewish and I’ve been reading about it for a really long time since I was nine or 10. I’ve just read so many accounts of it, both memoirs, fiction and loosely based on real people to actual people. I felt like it was an opportunity to put a voice to all the things I’ve been hearing, like a different perspective. This is a really big topic for someone who’s reading it at the age of nine. So how did you grapple with that? People talk about learning about the Holocaust like a whole thing at a specific time, but my parents taught me about it very gradually, like when I was little, [I knew] the word ‘Holocaust’ and that it was bad. And then as I got older, I slowly learned more and more details. I mean, I’ve always been a pretty big reader and I’ve never been restricted to what books I read. So, I definitely wasn’t planning on reading violent things, and when I was younger, it was historical fiction — other authors have done a good job of making it toned down so a younger audience can process it. Those books didn’t really add in depth the more horrible part [of the Holocaust], but kind of like the precursor. As I got older, I would get more and more in depth, like learning more of what actually happened with the more horrible aspects. Why do you believe it’s still important to talk about the Holocaust today? There’s kind of two parts. Part of it, I think, is because it was so many real people and real stories and real memories that [were] lost. And to talk about it now is to remember and honor everyone who died and make sure that we never forget, but also to make sure that nothing like

16 April 2023 •

that could ever happen again. Because, obviously, you never want something so horrible to happen again, as it’s important to never forget. You know, a bunch of our readers are going to read your poems in the April issue. What do you hope they get out of your poems? One [poem] was from the perspective of the people who were being told the Nazi propaganda and one was the perspective of people who are suffering from the Nazis. And it’s really important to remember the people who died and suffered and how horrible it was, but also how easy it was for everyone else to go along with it. The innocent people who were victims of the actual persecution and the people who were told the propaganda and went along with it are two sides of the same coin because they were both victims; some people had everything taken and other people just their free will. I don’t know exactly how to phrase it, but it’s just important to remember that horrible things don’t happen without other people turning aside. Do you have anything else to add that we might not have already covered? Really, I was just a little bit shocked that people would want to read [my poems]. I mean, I imagined being published for a long time; I never really thought it would happen so soon. I wrote it for an English assignment. I was pretty shocked … I just thought so many people would think [my poetry] was okay. He is Always Watching We sit at attention Facing forward, always forward But His eyes bore holes through the backs of our heads Pencils scratch The teacher drones on and on And He is always watching We leave the room, but He appears in the next one Framed proudly on the back wall Staring us down, waiting for mistakes, for weakness, for any bad behavior He is just ink and paper, wrapped in metal or wood But He looms over us like a God And He is always watching We leave the room, and head outdoors To what should be a wonderful safe haven from the troubles of the Vaterland But His presence sits in the trees and hides beneath the clear water of the river He watches from our neighbor’s eyes and hears from our neighbor’s ears Neighbor turns on neighbor, child turns on parent, friend turns on friend He sends a swastika to separate the brothers and sisters of Germany He makes us watch as wisdom is burned in the center of town He makes us watch as windows are smashed and our boots crunch on shards of glass He makes us watch as ugly triangles of paint are smeared across the homes and shops of our neighbors and friends He makes us watch as our fellow Germans are beaten and shot in the street He makes us watch as the skeletons of the subhumans are marched through our towns, separated from us by the black ink on their arms, the stripes adorning their tattered rags, and the flesh and soul that is missing from their bodies He makes us watch as our fathers, our friends, and our brothers are sent to die

for the Vaterland He makes us watch, but we rejoice in it all We wear His clothes, we say His name Raising our arms towards Him and Heaven alike He is just a man, but He looms over us like a God And He is always watching They Took First they took our homes Our houses and businesses, our livelihoods and friends They crammed us behind the high walls of the ghetto as we slowly starved, sickened, and disappeared Then they took our pride We were worth nothing more than our ration cards, and the labor that our bodies could perform But there were always more of us, always more, no matter how many starved in the street They took our pride, so we took the ration cards off of dead bodies Praying that Adonai would forgive us, praying that He would understand Shema Yisrael, Hear O’Israel But Israel did not hear our cries Then they took our children We were showed the long lists of names Their young bodies were crammed into cattle cars They never came back Their ghosts haunted us as our strength faded away Then they took whatever we had left Cramming us into cattle cars, so many bodies we could barely breathe Some couldn’t breathe at all They died where they stood, and could not even fall over Then they took our families, our parents and brothers and sisters and spouses and cousins and everyone We went right, they went left As suffocating clouds of smoke drifted out

Writers Continued from page 15 meet for the first time in years.” (A writing prompt is a topic or idea offered to spark creativity.) I had brought a “guest” to the Zoom meeting, and when it was almost over, someone asked me, “Is your guest going to answer the prompt?” I smiled and said “Sure.” I turned to my guest and requested: “Write a poem about two friends meeting after many years.” Within three seconds this was the result: Two friends met after many years, A moment to cherish, filled with cheers. They hugged and laughed, reminisced and joked, Like they had never been apart or provoked. One had a potbelly, the other a beard. Both had aged but their friendship not smeared. They talked about old times and new, Sharing stories both false and true. One had a fancy job, the other none. But their friendship was still number one. They joked about their love lives and exes, Their failures and their successes.

of the giant chimneys and the doors to the gas chambers sealed shut They separated us Gender, age, skills, everything that could set us apart Then they took our clothes, our shoes, our watches, whatever we had Dumped into piles as we moved on Stepped into the showers and held our breath Thanking Adonai when only cold water came out Adonai Elohainu, Adonia Echad; Adonai is our god, Adonai is one Then they took our humanity They took our hair and needled our arms with numbers We were not people any longer, we were numbers now We were animals that were crammed into cattle cars We were animals who stole from the dead We were animals who stood still as stones as our brothers were murdered before our eyes There were few things that they could not take from us They could not take our brotherhood We dragged and held onto those who were too weak to stand, Propped them up for roll call as they counted our bodies one by one They could not take our will to survive We learned to stand in the back of the line for soup We wanted the little bits of meat that sank to the bottom of the pot They could not take our faith as we prayed Baruch Shem Kavod Malchuto L’olam Va’ed Blessed is God’s majesty forever and ever We are His people, but were not blessed We suffered, but not as much as those people it hurts to remember Not as much as those whose names we can barely speak But speak we must We are the survivors, so we say these words We say that We Remember We say Never Again • As they said their goodbyes, they made a vow. To never let so much time pass again - no matter how. Life may take them in different ways, But their friendship would endure for all their days. At first the group was quiet. When they started to comment, I interrupted and said, “Before you go any further, let me introduce my guest, the latest advance in artificial intelligence, ChatGPT!” Most of us already use artificial intelligence or ‘AI’ on our various electronic devices. The difference in the newly developed ChatGPT is that it can compose poetry and essays and even write code that we thought only a human could do - all within a minute or two. There are pros and cons for ChatGPT’s usage and regulation. There are promises of efficiency and speed in accessing data along with other positive results but there is also fear of job takeover, uncertainty of authorship, and a myriad of other problems. Will it be used for good or bad? What will happen to creative thinking? Only time will tell. Clearly, ChatGPT will not be invited to our other meetings. Check ChatGPT out for yourself at openai.com. •

‘You’ve always got some kind of support’ with BRA Nonprofit organization provides community for breast cancer survivors who meet in Gordon JCC By ZOE BELL

fter Mary Dono underwent a mastectomy and lumpectomy, she felt she had nowhere to turn for mental health services related to her breast cancer. Dono, 73, said a mammogram in January 2022 showed a “suspicious” growth on one breast, confirmed to be cancer two weeks later. She had two surgeries that May. Dono talked to a neighbor who worked as an OB-GYN about some of her medical tests, but said she had little guidance about how to proceed beyond the medical aspect of breast cancer. “ …Once you’ve gone through the launchpad to surgery, once you’ve had the treatment — whatever it is that they do for you — it’s kind of over, but breast cancer involves a lot more than just having a cancer or having a problem,” said Dono. “The medical community kind of drops you. I even had to ask my oncologist what they do for mental health; it was never even offered to me.” She found community through Breast cancer Recovery in Action, a nonprofit organization in Tennessee, and has been involved for nearly a year. Run by breast cancer survivors, BRA is a program aimed to help other survivors recover and navigate their post-diagnosis worlds.They meet regularly in the Gordon Jewish Community Center. Nancy Brown, co-founder of BRA, said the program is divided into four core components: emotional wellness, nutritional health, exercise, and education. Each is specifically geared toward people in treatment for, in recovery from, or living long term with breast cancer. The nineweek emotional wellness component is a small group setting of at least five survivors. “The thing that surprises the most people that they love the most is our small group,” said Brown, who founded BRA in October 2021. “We use a curriculum called ‘journey to wholeness’ and it talks about that basically all humans have eight feelings and they’re neither good nor bad. After a diagnosis, it’s very common to go through all of the stages of grief, so we talk about the loss and the sadness and the anger and all of the different things. We talk about body image and what we find is that everyone brings their own life story to their diagnosis… and so we talk about those life stories.” Dono’s neighbor said her childhood best friend was a breast cancer survivor and member of BRA. She encouraged Dono to talk to her friend, but Dono was hesitant to open up about such a personal aspect of her life. “I never really got to the point where I felt I wanted to talk to a stranger,” said Dono. “It’s just kind of hard.” Dono took the leap of faith and picked up the phone. After a heartto-heart conversation with one of the co-founders, she decided to join BRA. “Sometime within those nine weeks — I don’t remember exactly — I had lost that freaked out feeling I had from [my] diagnosis and started to feel a little bit more calm,” said Dono. “ …This was the safe space I needed.” Finding a support system Members not only have the opportunity to talk through their emotions openly, but also form a bond with fellow survivors.

“It’s wonderful when you have a great family and community support system, but nobody really understands what it’s like unless they’ve walked in those shoes,” said Brown. “When you have a community of survivors — people who have actually heard those words, ‘You have cancer’ and understand that it can be a life-threatening event — it just forms a community that’s not like any other.” Support systems look different for everyone. When Dono was first diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2022, her operating team told her to get her support team together. “‘Who’s that?’ Well it’s your surgeon and your surgeon’s nurse and your oncologist and all the team members who do all the testing, and then you’ve got your family and you’ve got your friends, you’ve got your relatives,” said Dono. “I said to the group, ‘I’m just amazed. I’ve told so many people I have cancer; I haven’t heard from most of them.’ It’s like I was a non-person now.” She said that sentiment was echoed by “all” the others in the group, including one member whose sister will not talk to her about cancer. “I think, really, that the human condition is that people just want to be heard and seen and to be listened to,” said Brown. “We do that by sitting in a small group or one-on-one with someone and saying, ‘You are valid. You are worthy and however you feel is how you feel.’” Staying active in recovery Regular exercise is proven to reduce risk, recurrence, and mortality of breast cancer, per the American Institute for Cancer Research. Brown said all of the athletic trainers at BRA have a Pink Ribbon certification in breast cancer exercise recovery. “Each person works to their ability,” said Brown. “So, we might have somebody who is doing stretches, range of motion exercises with no weight at all. We might have somebody else who has progressed to doing some light weight. Other people may already be able to use heavier weights.” She added that members meet regularly in the JCC’s group fitness room and wellness room, where they use weight machines, dumbbells, resistance bands, or their own body weight for core exercises. Dono said she takes a hormone replacement medication that removes the estrogen from her body as part of her cancer treatment. The medicine brought back menopausal symptoms and reduced the cushioning around her joints, which makes some movement difficult for her. “Some days one knee hurts; some days both knees hurt,” said Dono. “Some days one hip hurts; some days both hips hurt. Some days it’s one hip and one knee. Some days it’s all. The thing that I find the most difficult to do is a lunge.”

Members of Breast Cancer Recovery in Action meet at 11 locations, including at the Gordon Jewish Community Center.

She said when the group was doing a set of lunges, one of the trainers showed Dono an alternative exercise she could do using a chair. The movement targeted the same muscles without the pain, Dono said. She exercises with a trainer twice a week and knows she would be welcome every single day if she so chose. Looking to the future Brown said she hopes to expand BRA beyond its current 11 locations and find corporate sponsors to help with this growth. “We want to be as many places as we can possibly be,” said Brown, adding that she requests donations, but there is no membership fee to join BRA. “You know, we kind of just jumped into this with a hope and a prayer with no funding.” She said she also wants to help increase access to information about breast cancer and breast cancer recovery beyond the metropolitan Nashville area. “One of our biggest goals was to take it further and to go into more rural areas to

serve more…” said Brown. “I have some very good friends who are [of] Ashkenazi Jewish descent and so I know that there’s a big need for something like that within the Jewish community, so we worked together to bring it to the JCC. But then, African American women have a really high incidence of breast cancer and they’re usually diagnosed at a later stage, so we want to work with those people and get out into more rural areas where people don’t have access to the things that you would find in a larger city.” Increasing access to BRA will unite many more survivors like Dono. “I’m so thankful that we have Breast cancer Recovery in Action because there really [aren’t] a whole lot of programs like this to choose from,” said Dono. “It’s very important. Like I said, it picks up where medical care is lacking — where they fail or where they let you go or drop you or just move on to your every six months or every year [checkups]. It fills in the gaps to that and they are always there for you.” •

Blood Drive

end in May 2024, according to Bruns. Ward-Carriles said Jackson’s prognosis is favorable, with a 90 to 95 percent success rate, and he is receiving “top-notch care” at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital during his monthly visits. Bruns said she is grateful for all the donors who gave blood in Jackson’s honor, especially since she and her family live outside of Nashville. “I think it’s touching because most people in the [Nashville] Jewish community probably don’t even know us since we’re out in Gallatin…” Bruns said. “The fact that people would be willing to donate their time and their blood to honor our child is very touching and heartwarming.” • zoe@jewishnashville.org

Continued from page 14 received a number of blood products that ultimately helped to save his life,” Bruns wrote in an email to NowGen. “We want to encourage as many people as possible to donate blood because that small contribution may help save a life like Jackson’s.” She said she wanted to do something to give back to the community on a larger scale. “Every time we go into the hospital, we see signs saying there’s a [nationwide] shortage of blood, so we just don’t want anybody to ever be faced with the situation where they can’t get the blood they need to save their loved one’s life,” Bruns said. Scott Ward-Carriles, Bruns’ brother, started a GoFundMe for Jackson’s leukemia treatment, which is estimated to

Read more about Jackson’s story on CaringBridge, an online journal where his mother, Courtney, documents his journey with leukemia.

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

• April 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

Rabbi Tiechtel to complete Tractate of Talmud There is an ancient and widespread custom for the firstborn to fast on the day before Passover. This fast commemorates G-d’s kindness towards the Israelite firstborn; when G-d slew all the Egyptian firstborn males He spared their Jewish counterparts. This fast is treated leniently. Thus, if there is a festive meal held that relates to a mitzvah, for example, the celebration of a circumcision or of a siyum (the completion of a tractate of the Talmud) the firstborn son participates in the meal rather than fasting. It is therefore customary to arrange for a Siyum, which is the completion of the study of a tractate of the Talmud to take place in the synagogue after morning prayers on the fourteenth of Nissan. The firstborn sons who are present (and anyone else who is interested in enjoying some refreshments...) participate in this festive meal and, having broken their fast, are free to eat for the rest of the day. On Wednesday morning, April 5, the morning before the Seder, Rabbi Yitzchok Tiechtel will be making a Siyum, celebrating the completion of 130 pages on the Talmud of Nazir, following the morning service at Congregation Beit Tefilah Chabad. It will be followed by a light breakfast snack thus giving the firstborns the opportunity to partake in a meal of a Mitzvah and permitting them to break the fast of the first born. For more information go to www.chabadnashville.com

A Cliff Note Seder at Chabad Chabad of Nashville invites the Nashville Jewish community to its 23rd annual Community Passover Seders, which will take place in the magnificent ballroom of the Genesis Campus for Jewish Life. On Wednesday, April 5 at 7:00 PM, Chabad will host a Cliff Notes Family Friendly Seder. It will be an interactive family Seder, a warm, fun and thought-provoking event, which includes a Passover Experience in a Royal setting, handmade Shmurah Matzah for each Seder participant, an abundance of exquisite wines for every palate, an elegant royal dinner, which will include authentic gefilte fish, Bubby’s Passover Brisket, and array of salad and side dishes, catered by one of Nashville’s premiere chefs. Reservation can be made at chabadnashville.com/seder

A Chassidic Seder for the Inquisitive Mind On Thursday, April 6 at 8:00 PM, Chabad will host “A Chassidic Seder for the Inquisitive Mind.” This will be a full Chassidic Seder with many insights to the Haggadah and various Chassidic tales and melodies, and a exquisite Seder feast. This will be a learning Seder, where participants will delve into the deeper meaning and dimensions to the Passover Exodus and make it personal to their own lives. This Seder will take place in the Bernard Ballroom at the Genesis Campus for Jewish Life, 95 Bellevue Road, and will be catered by one of Nashville’s premier chefs. There will be a limited number of seats and first come, first serve. Reservations can be made at chabadnashville.com/seder

Get your own personal Shmurah Matzah for your Seder In honor of Passover, Chabad of Nashville is giving out a free Passover Shmurah Matzah for your Seder. All you need to do is email your name and contact information chabdnashville@gmail.com and you will receive your free Matzah gift box for your Seder. For more information call Chabad at 615-646-5750.

Sell your Chametz with Chabad for Passover 2023 According to Jewish Law during Passover all types of Chametz (leavened foods) are prohibited to be owned anyone of the Jewish faith. So, what is one to do with all of the leavened food in their home during Passover?

18 April 2023 •

The rabbis in ancient biblical days have come up with a solution. One can authorize their rabbi before Passover to sell their Chametz to a non-Jew, who is permitted to own it during Passover. After the holiday is over, the Chametz is sold back to the rabbi, and one is permitted then to benefit from it. Rabbi Yitzchok Tiechtel at Chabad of Nashville is offering to sell the Chametz of anyone wishing to fulfill this special tradition for Passover, thus taking Passover 2023 to the next level. Go to chabadnashville.com/chametz by April 3 to fill out the online form to sell your Chametz for Passover.

Chabad to host the Moshiach Seudah Passover begins with a meal and now ends with a meal. On the last night of Passover, on Thursday, April 13 at 7:00 PM, Chabad will host the Moshiach Seudah (the Messiah’s meal). All are invited for the traditional feast, inspirational stories, songs, matzah & four cups of wine. In anticipation of the future redemption with Moshiach. Instituted by the Baal Shem Tov 300 years ago, the traditional Moshiach’s meal includes the eating matzah and the consumption of four glasses of wine, toasting to a futuristic era of redemption. The Baal Shemtov would make a festive meal at the close of the holiday, dedicated to the coming of Moshiach. Since then Jews throughout the world come together on the last day of Pesach to celebrate this unique custom. For more information go to www.chabadnashville.com

Chabad to host two TGIS celebrations in April 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, April 14 and on Friday, April 28 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

@ 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, Twitter, 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 intentions, 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, as moving as they are participatory. Come early and schmooze with us starting at 5:30 PM! Light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments are 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 roundtable discussion on current events facilitated by Rabbi Flip and Dr. Bob Smith.

April Events: A Night of Laughs: Congregation Micah’s Annual Fundraiser Featuring up-and-coming comedian and Jewish Southerner, Ariel Elias: Saturday, April 1, at 6:30 PM

Mel Brooks once said, “Humor is just another defense against the Universe.” In 2023, with antisemitism on the rise and much of the world at odds, there’s no doubt our community could use a little more humor. RSVP at www.congregationmicah.org/ laughs. Continued on page 19

At Our Congregations… Continued from page 18

Micah Reads: Monday, April 3, and Monday, May 1, at 7 PM on Zoom

Education Director Julie Greenberg leads the discussion on the book The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict in April and The Tunnel by A.B. Yeoshua in May. All are welcome.

Second Night Seder: Thursday, April 6th, at 6 PM

Early bird pricing (through March 26): $50 for member adults, $70 for guest adults, and 20$ for children ages 4-12. Pricing March 26 – 31: 60$ for members, 80$ for guests, and 25$ for children ages 4-12. All children aged 3 or under are free. Kindly register by Friday, March 31. Register at www.congregationmicah.org/seder. *While we never want to turn anyone away from attending our Seder, we must make adequate plans for our meal service

Sports Trivia: Tuesday, April 11, 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.

Caring for the Aging Parent: A Series: Tuesday, April 11th, at 7 PM over Zoom

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 Mindfulness of Stress Relief: Wednesday April 19th from 6-7 PM on Zoom

Judy Itzkowitz and Rabbi Laurie lead a guided session focused on improving how you balance stress in your life. RSVP at www.congregationmicah.org/events.

Women’s Circle: Friday, April 21 at 12 PM

Rabbi Laurie challenges your intellect on Judaism and other relevant topics. All are welcome. Bring a friend. Lunch will be provided. RSVP at www.congregationmicah. org/events.

Voices of the Generations: Thursday, April 27, at 11:30 AM

Julie Kohner speaks on her parents’ Holocaust story. RSVP at www.congregationmicah.org/events.

Guest Speaker Rabbi David Ellenson: April 28 -30

Rabbi David Ellenson will be the Scholar-in-Residence at Congregation Micah and West End Synagogue April 28-30. He will be at Congregation Micah on Friday evening, April 28th for Shabbat services at 6 pm and at West End Synagogue Saturday morning, April 29th for Shabbat services at 9:30 am and kiddush lunch to follow. Rabbi Ellenson will speak on the following topics: “The State of Israel and Modern American Jewish Discourse: Can there be Civil Communal Discussion?” and “Learning from Ethically Compromised Individuals – What Does Jewish Tradition Say?” or “Judaism and Cancel Culture!” Congregation Micah and West End Synagogue thank the Jewish Federation of Middle Tennessee for generously sponsoring this event.

@ Sherith Israel Congregation Sherith Israel will once again be hosting its annual community Pesach Seders. The“Traditional Seder” will take place on April 5 at 7:15 PM, led by Rabbi Saul Strosberg and friends, and the “Heimishe Seder” will take place on April 6 at 7:45 PM and will be led by Cantor Dov Rosenblatt and family. The meals will be prepared by Sova catering, and the cost is $40 adults, $24 children (5-12) $140 families. Reservations can be made online or through the Shul office. After March 27, cost is $45 adults $30 children.

@ The Temple April 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 April

Our Shabbat Services will be held in person at The Temple. You can also watch via zoom from thetemplehub.org. Friday, April 7th ~ 6:00 PM Friday, April 14th~ 6:00 PM Friday, April 21st~6:00 PM- FAMILY SERVICE WITH BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS & MAZEL TONES Friday, April 28th ~ 6:00 PM – BLUE JEAN SHABBAT

Golden Lunch Bunch

Will meet at Temple from 11:30-1:00pm on April 4th with entertainment by Bill Schleuter April 18th with entertainment by Bryan Cumming 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

Hike and Havdallah April 15th

Where and When for the Hike? Meet at the top of the steps at the end of Belle Meade Boulevard at 3:45 PM with the hike of the 2.5 mile white trail to begin at 4:00 PM. If you are not hiking, please meet us for Havdalah at the stone gate entrance to the park at 5:30 PM. Who? All ages! Bring friends and family. For more information or questions, please contact Anne Davenport at adavlaw@comcast.net

Women’s Torah Study April 13th, 20th & 27th 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 April 13th, 20th & 27th 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! April 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th 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.

Temple Talent Show

Join us for an afternoon of talent and fun! April 1st at 4:00pm with Havdallah to follow at The Temple

Hang out and Help, Temple Together, the new group for people 35-50

Hang out and Help, Temple Together, the new group for people 35-50, wants to hang out with you while doing some good for the community. Join us to wrap diapers at the Nashville Diaper Connection! Saturday, April 1st from 12:30-2:30pm Email Sheri@templenashville.org to reserve your sport.

Spring Sounds Fundraiser

Join The Temple for our Spring Sounds Fundraiser on April 30th at 5:30pm. Cocktails, Farm to Table Dinner and Live Musical Performances by Nashville Songwriters. Go to thetemplehub.org to purchase your ticket.

Writers of the Lost Ark First Wednesday of the Month April 12th 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 20

• April 2023

At Our Congregations… @ The Temple Continued from page 19

Passover at The Temple Congregational 2nd Night Seder on April 6th at 6:00pm. Led by our Temple Clergy

$45 for adults • $10 for children (3-11) • $55 for all non-member guests. We hope you’ll join us for this festive, family-friendly evening. RSVP at TheTempleHub.org or by mailing a check to The Temple. Go to TheTempleHub.org or TempleNashville.org to access the Zoom link.

LGBTQ+ and Allies Seder

Men’s Torah Group (in person)

Join us Thursday, April 20, at noon for our Torah class for men. We continue with our study of the Second Book of Kings and will enjoy lunch together.

Birthday Shabbat

Join us on Shabbat morning, April 29, for a special celebration of our April birthdays. The main service begins at 9:30 a.m. and a kiddush sponsored by the synagogue will follow. Our 2nd -7th graders won’t want to miss Junior Congregation from 10:3011:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome.

Sisterhood Shabbat at West End

LGBTQ+ and Allies Seder on Saturday, April 8th at 6:00pm. A fun, music-filled seder experience for the LGBTQ+ community and allies. $36.00 per person. Seder Led by The Temple Clergy. RSVP by Monday, April 3, at TheTempleHub.org or by mailing a check to: The Temple, 5015 Harding Pike, Nashville, TN 37205

Saturday, May 13 at 9:30 a.m. Save the date for Sisterhood Shabbat, a completely WES women-led Shabbat service with Sisterhood sponsored kiddush luncheon to follow! Email clarksummitgal@gmail.com if you’d like to get involved. There are so many different roles available, from reading a Torah portion, to opening/closing the ark, to getting an Aliyah, to reciting your favorite prayers. See you there!

Passover Shabbat Morning Study and Service with Yizkor

Sisterhood Challah Sales made by Melissa Sostrin

Saturday, April 8th- 9:30am Study Session and 11:00am Service and Yizkor. Both In-Person at The Temple or virtually via thetemplehub.org.

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

Sign up on the Google form linked below or text Jessica Kullock at 615-881-4455 by WEDNESDAY AT 9:00 p.m. each week to pre-order for pickup Friday during synagogue office hours. Flavors: Plain, chocolate, cinnamon, cinnamon raisin, zaatar, poppy seeds, sesame, bag of 8 challah rolls. Plain is $7/each, the rest are $8/each. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfhQUa6iflZvg8gP-sOaREXK8JNGloMceEBkuvUynahkVdt8A/viewform?fbclid=IwAR1jz_oKOT8Df3E82W7iNu8TX_ G70Nc3bOXOEJ25r73efxnvQT3ATFijvC0

Erev Pesach Community Seder

Shacharit (in person)

@ West End Wednesday, April 5, at 6:00 p.m. Join us for a 6:00 p.m. service followed by a communal Passover Seder. All are welcome! Please RSVP by March 31.

SOCIAL ACTION DAY

April 16. Join WES members in volunteering at several sites around Nashville for Social Action Day. Register by March 31. RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/socialactionday23

Dor L’Dor Concert for Israel’s 75th Birthday

Dor L’Dor Concert for Israel’s 75th Birthday: Sunday, April 23, at 5:30 p.m. Join us at West End Synagogue as we celebrate Israel’s 75th birthday with a concert by Dor L’Dor, a “not your father’s klezmer band”. Tickets available at https://tinyurl.com/ WESDorLDorConcert

Scholar in Residence

Join us on Shabbat, April 29, as we welcome Rabbi David Ellenson who will be lecturing about contemporary Jewish identity. Rabbi Ellenson is the Chancellor Emeritus of the HUC-JIR and is the author of several books and papers. He will share a sermon during services and then teach a class after kiddush lunch.

Beit Miriam 1st Grade Community Program for Israel’s 75th Sunday, April 30

Junior Congregation (for 2nd-7th graders)

Saturday, April 8, 22, and 29, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Followed by a congregational Kiddush lunch. The main service begins at 9:30 a.m.

Our minyanaires are always looking for more people to strengthen the only egalitarian minyan in town! Sunday services will be at 9:00 a.m. and Monday-Friday will be at 7:00 a.m.

Kabbalat Shabbat

You are invited to join us for Kabbalat Shabbat on Fridays in person (or on Zoom) at 6:00 p.m. As part of our Friday night services, we are currently studying Jewish ethics through an in-depth reading of Pirkei Avot.

Morning Shabbat services

You are invited to join us Saturday mornings in person (or on Zoom) at 9:30 a.m. Great davening, insightful learning of the Torah portion and a yummy (and nutritious!) kiddush lunch once services are over!

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 are exploring a new tractate: Sotah. Come and join us!

Torah study

Join us for breakfast and study of the weekly parasha with Nechemya Rosenfeld every Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. following morning minyan at 7:00 a.m.

Community Listings East Side Tribe

Music and Me

Join us for a Shabbat on April 28th from 6:30 to 8:30 to meet new people and relax after a long week. RSVP on Eventbrite to receive the location. Email us if you’d like to be a future host, you don’t need to live on the East Side! We provide the food, wine and dessert and you provide the space! Our Shabbats are the last Friday of the month, and we look forward to meeting you! Check us out on instagram @eastsidetribenashville

Learn and Lunch with Moises Paz of Cura for Care and Steve Ringel on “To Everything a Season.”

Nashville Jewish Film Festival

Sunday, April 16, at 10:00 a.m. For parents with infants and/or toddlers. Join us for a morning or music and movement with song leader Hera Lynn Scher Zagier. Email spaz@westendsyn.org by Friday, April 14 to RSVP.

Wednesday, April 19, at 11:00 a.m. Reservations required, catered lunch following the presentation.

Women’s Torah Group (on Zoom)

Join us on Wednesday, April 19, at 11:00 a.m. Rabbi Joshua leads our study of the book of Deuteronomy.

20 April 2023 •

NJFF Announces dates for 2023 season The dates and venues for the 2023 Nashville Jewish film Festival have been announced by Fran Brumlik, Managing Director. The festival, which is again hybrid will begin on Wednesday October 18 at the Belcourt Theatre and will continue the following dates: • Thursday October 19 at Belcourt • Saturday October 21 at AMC Bellevue • Monday, October 23 (matinee at the JCC) • Thursday, October 26 Belcourt, • Saturday, October 28 at AMC • Sunday October 29 matinee at JCC • Thursday November 2 at Belcourt. Virtual screenings will be available on October 24,25,31 and Nov. 1.

LET’S TALK RETIREMENT! (…because it’s not just about the money!) Start Your CURIOUS LIST By LORETTA SAFF

henever my husband says things like, “I need some toothpaste,” “What happened to all the batteries?” and “Who used up all the paper towels?” I usually answer with “If you mean that you want me to pick up some things the next time I go out, please, MAKE A LIST! What lists do you make? Here are some of mine: 1. a ‘things to buy’ list 2. a ‘things to do” list 3. a ‘passwords’ list [shh – it’s hidden somewhere (sometimes I forget where), and it’s written in my special code (which sometimes I get wrong …)] 4. a ‘best new restaurants in Nashville’ list, 5. a ‘don’t forget these birthdays’ list,

SAMPLE CURIOUS LIST Second Language Card Games Choir Gardening Hot Air Ballooning Song Writing

Sailing Safari Theatre Painting Family Tree Stock Market

and 6. a ‘BUCKET’ LIST’ Where do you keep your lists? Do you remember to bring that ‘things to buy’ list with you when you go out? I do, sometimes - if I can find it! So, since I’m all about Retirement and trying to help you have a successful one, here’s an idea for a new important list, A ‘Curious’ list! Hmm.. now, aren’t you curious about a Curious List?

Dancing Scuba Diving Foreign Culture Write a book Antiques Musical Instruments

A Curious List is a list of things you are curious about! Basically, it’s a list of ideas that ‘caught your attention’ to consider doing or learning about some day. Some things could just fall into the category of ‘maybe.’ Others could be things you want to explore further to determine if it’s worthy of your time. Here’s one above. This is different from your BUCKET LIST. Your ‘bucket list’ is a list of experiences or achievements you want to accomplish during your lifetime. It seems to come with pressure to begin working

on it or feel the guilt about it. You think ‘ok, already, get on with it’ each time you look at it. Not so with the CURIOUS List. The Curious List offers you no real commitment because the items can simply be something you once came across and wanted to pursue some day. RETIREMENT can be that perfect “SOME DAY!” There is a secret about the Curious List. It reminds you that you should always want to keep doing and learning. One of our basic human needs is that of personal growth. This list will be full of ways for you to experience, grow, and learn in retirement. So, whether you are retired or not, and regardless of whether you keep it electronically or with a pen and paper, start your Curious List NOW. That way, if some days you find yourself turning into a five-year-old who says, “I don’t know what to do,” you can get out your Curious List and start exploring. • Happy Passover, Loretta loretta@coachingwithloretta.com

Health and Wellness Corner By SHERRI HOLZER

assover is fast approaching, and while stocking up on traditional holiday staples like matzah and kosher wine is a must, there’s one often-overlooked item that can elevate your eight-day celebration: granola. That’s right, granola. Although it may not be the first food that comes to mind for Passover, granola is a versatile addition to any seder table. Imagine sitting around the Passover table, retelling the story of the Exodus, and suddenly feeling a pang of hunger. You glance around at the matzah and bitter herbs and wonder if there’s anything else to snack on. This is where granola comes in: crunchy clusters, sweet dried fruit, and wholesome ingredients that make it the perfect snack to munch on while recounting the miracles of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt.

However, not all granolas are created equal. Many are made with highly processed inflammatory oils and are high in sugar. That’s why it’s essential to find a recipe that is both delicious and nutritious, like one that includes ground flax and hemp seeds for added protein and fiber. This way, you can enjoy it in moderation without sacrificing taste or health. So, if you’re looking to add a little sweetness to your Passover celebrations this year, consider making some homemade granola. It may not be the most traditional food, but it’s a delicious and nutritious way to satisfy your sweet tooth.. And who knows, it just might become a new Passover tradition for you and your family. PESACH GRANOLA TIP: If you’re attending a seder, why not bring a thoughtful and practical gift? Fill a mason jar with your homemade granola and give it as a gift to your host or hostess. They might even surprise you by serving it in a little bowl next to the gefilte fish!

Ingredients 1/3 cup Dried Unsweetened Cranberries 2 cups Matzo (crumbled) 1/2 cup Pecans (chopped) 1/2 cup Almonds (chopped) 2 Tbsps Ground Flax Seed 3 Tbsps Hemp Seeds 2 tsps Cinnamon 1 tsp Ground Allspice 1 Pinch Kosher Salt (one large pinch) 2 Tbsps Brown Sugar 1/2 cup Walnuts (chopped) 1/2 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut 1/4 cup Honey 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Instructions 1. Mix together the dry ingredients – matzo through coconut ﬂakes – and set aside. 2. In a small saucepan over low heat, stir together the honey, sugar, vanilla, olive oil, and spices until the sugar is dissolved. 3. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry, stirring so that all of the matzo is well coated. Add a big pinch of salt and stir to incorporate. 4. Preheat the oven to 300° F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper 5. Spread the mixture on the baking sheet. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Check the granola every 7 minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn. When the matzo is dry and toasted and the coconut is golden, remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the granola cool completely – it will crisp up even more as it cools. Mix in the dried cranberries and enjoy! •

Holocaust survivor memoirs as an open-hearted celebration of life and love amidst unrelenting chaos and destruction. Beck was what the Nazis identified as a “Mischling,” the child of one Christian and one Jewish parent. This left him in somewhat of a limbo state, neither banished from Germany nor a full citizen thereof. He lived in the margins, first visibly and then underground. That a gay Mischling teenager not only remained in Nazi Berlin and survived the Holocaust but also acted as a resistance leader is astonishing. But, as the memoir’s back cover has it, that he endured all with “an open heart, with love and without vitriol, and has written about it so beautifully is truly miraculous.” I must agree. We follow Beck from his birth and childhood through the years of the

Holocaust and, in a very brief Epilogue, beyond. He combines a frank recognition of his own homosexuality from a young age and his parents’ acceptance with the rise of Nazi antisemitism, a far more important and complex “problem.” He is direct, his language full of good humor and wit as he explains sexual awareness alongside life in an interfaith household – a factor that would become important to the survival of family members, for the Christian relatives aided the Jewish during the years of greatest need. Like some other survivors, Beck finds himself drawn to his Jewishness as a means of defense against the hatred all around him. He becomes a Zionist and a resistance worker almost simultaneously, laboring to find hiding places and Continued on page 22

Matzoh Granola

People of the Books An Underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin by Gad Beck (translated by Allison Brown), University of Wisconsin Press, 1999. Reviews by ELYCE RAE HELFORD

nternational Holocaust Remembrance Day is held each year on Jan. 27, to commemorate the date when the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the Red Army in 1945. I value the focus on global awareness, as the Holocaust was neither exclusively European nor exclusively a Jewish tragedy. Nonetheless, Israel has an additional, national Memorial Day on each 27th

of Nisan (which usually falls in April). The day is called Yom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laG’vurah (usually translated as “Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day”), known colloquially as Yom HaShoah. We are encouraged to commemorate the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and the Jewish resistance during that period. This year, Yom HaShoah falls on the evening of April 17 to the evening of April 18. To practice this act of recognition and remembrance, I like to spend a week before the date reading (often rereading) an apt survivor memoir. If you find yourself similarly inclined, I would like to take this opportunity to make a recommendation. Gad Beck’s “An Underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin” is, from my perspective, unique among

• April 2023

Heart of the Matter Kvetch in the City By PAM KELNER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE

erving as the Executive Director of Jewish Family Service lets me see over and over how our amazingly special Jewish community comes together so often to support one another, in good times and in bad. Last year, for the first time in my 18 years living in Nashville and 13 years heading JFS, I found myself on the receiving end of the community’s embrace in my moment of need, especially from JFS. My father, of blessed memory, had been diagnosed with cancer. He lived 900 miles away. I am fortunate to work in an agency whose board and professionals prioritize taking care of oneself and one’s family. After all, our name is JEWISH. FAMILY. SERVICE. From the get-go, my board and my staff recognized how important it was for me to go up to New Jersey to care for my father as he started the chemotherapy treatments. They were fully supportive. Anyone who knows me knows that I am an optimist and always look for the silver linings. The silver lining of the COVID lockdowns was that the JFS workflow was set up to accommodate remote work. I was able to fly up to New Jersey and, over the course of several weeks, do the majority of my work from there. Had this happened prior to COVID we simply would not have had the infrastructure to work remotely. I would have had to choose between doing my job and caring for my dad. I did not have to choose. But it wasn’t just the technology that made this possible. It was also the people--JFS’s

officers and board members, and all my co-workers. I especially want to thank my dear colleague, Toni Jacobsen, who among other things runs JFS’s Caring for the Caregiver Support Group. When I was balancing work and parental care in New Jersey, Toni would call me every few days to check in, to ask how I was doing, and to see if she could help me think through decisions or process difficult emotions. If you found yourself far from home, caring for a sick parent halfway across the country, who would you call for help? You may not realize this, but any city of a certain size will have a Jewish Family Service. When my dad was going to be discharged to rehab, I got in touch with the local JFS and asked them, “What are the best rehab facilities in the area.? If this was your dad, where would you go?” They gave me exactly the information I needed—just like our Nashville JFS does, answering over 500 Information and Referral calls every year, helping with questions just like this one. I thank my staff and board from the bottom of my heart for enabling me to be there for my father during his illness. Because you enabled me to carry my office in my laptop and to be there by my father’s side, I have no regrets. I was able to give my father the support and love just like he had given me for the first 53 years of my life. Gerald Ely was an incredible man, who filled the role of both my dad and mom for most of my life, as my mom passed away when I was nine years old. You will probably be reading this column close to the one-year mark of my beloved dad’s English yahrzeit, April 4th. Although every day since his passing is hard, OUR Nashville Jewish community has made it easier for me to bear. And for that, I thank you. •

Nashville Jewish Book Series April Events By SHARON BENUS, GORDON JCC ADULT AND COMMUNITY WIDE PROGRAMS DIRECTOR

pril is here, which means we are getting close to the end of this year’s Nashville Jewish Book Series. But luckily, we still have a few programs left. Join the Gordon JCC, Nashville Jewish Book Series, Vanderbilt Department of Jewish Studies, and the Vanderbilt Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies on Monday, April 3 at the Parthenon for a conversation with Allison Schachter. Schachter is a professor of Jewish Studies, English, and Russian and East European Studies, and Chair of the Jewish Studies Department at Vanderbilt University. She teaches and publishes widely on modern Jewish literature and culture. Her books, “From the Jewish Provinces, Selected Stories of Fradl Shtok,” which she co-translated, and “Women Writing Jewish Modernity,” 1919-1939 (Northwestern University Press, 2022), which was a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award, will be topic of the conversation moderated by author, creative writing professor at Vanderbilt, and Nashville Jewish Book Series committee member, Nancy Reisman. The discussion will be wide-ranging about translating stories from Yiddish,

22 April 2023 •

women writers and artists, and the history of Jewish culture from the perspective of women. Schachter stated that, “Too often modern Jewish history is narrated as a story of how Jews became men, by adopting the norms of non-Jewish masculinity. We’ll talk about what modern Jewish culture meant for women.” The backdrop of Athena at the Parthenon is a perfect setting for this conversation. Prior to the discussion, attendees will enjoy non-alcoholic beverages from Killjoy, Nashville’s first specialty alcohol-free beverage shop. Doors open at 6:30 PM with conversation beginning at 7PM. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased at nashvillejcc.org/schachter. Join the book series again on Thursday, April 20 at 7PM for a free virtual discussion with “The New Yorker” cartoonist David Sipress, whose book “What’s So Funny? A Cartoonist’s Memoir” recounts his hapless place in his Upper West Side Jewish family in the age of Sputnik and JFK. Sipress’ autobiography is a fascinating story which at its core delves into creativity and how it has guided his life. Sipress has been a staff cartoonist at The New Yorker since 1998. He’s published nearly 700 cartoons in the magazine in addition to other publications. Benjamin Benus, Professor of Art Continued on page 24

By CARRIE MILLS

ecently, in my newly found unfolding relationship with TDH (Tall Dark Handsome), I became acutely aware of what romance truly looks like as an over-60. Since I’ve only been dating him for just about three months it threw me a little off guard when he offered me the keys to his place, “the bachelor pad.” Now, back in the day, I would have been all in! I would have been, “Wow! This is great. Experience has taught me, it actually takes a while to know someone and with my history of jumping in too soon, I thought it certainly can’t hurt to go slow. If anything, something good will only get better. While I am older, and dying at any minute is more likely than when I was younger, I still think going slow is the way to go…at least for me…and so, I immediately told him no thank you. And anyway, why would I need them… at least, at this point in time? Still, when he offered me the keys, I allowed myself to linger in the momentary joy of knowing he trusts me and was obviously into me being a part of his life in a more intimate way. Until the real reason came out and killed all the joyous fantasy of being wanted and quickly revealed the reality of dating a “slightly” older man. Because, when I replied no and stated it seemed out of order since I had yet to meet his significant friends or children and words of love had still to be exchanged and that it was way too soon in my book…his answer was (jokingly?), “Well, if I die in my apartment I’d want someone to find me.” Dating in my sixties is obviously the new 666. When I came to, I looked at him and said, “How about giving your keys to your children?” He replied, “They don’t live in town.” That was when I realized I was actually having this conversation in real time. With the thought of finding my new beau dead, any romantic notion of intima-

People of the Books Continued from page 21 then, with the guidance of leaders of the Hechalutz (or pioneer movement) that eventually became the Relief and Rescue Committee, to help as many people as he could escape to Palestine. Within these years of concealment and struggle, Beck details the risks and tragedies he faced along the way. He smuggled and blackmailed as well as used his youthful body to gain important silences and active support, never expressing resentment or trauma. This may be a coping strategy, of course, for it is difficult to imagine being so untouched by what we would call harassment and sexual assault today. At very least, Beck makes plain that this is not the core of his survival narrative, and we would do wrong to reject his perspective. The most heartbreaking story in the short narrative (only 165 pages) is Beck’s first experience of love as a teenager, with the gentle, affectionate Manfred Lewin. The two were fast friends, and this became more intimate over time, though Beck is certain that Lewin was not gay. They petted and snuggled and felt secure and happy together. Ultimately, Beck links this to

cy went out the window and the idea of discovering a cold corpse came crashing in. For some crazy reason all I could think of at that moment was the scene from “Schitt’s Creek” where David and his sister are standing in the bedroom in some dive hotel that is to be their new shared room in their new dive hotel home and they started arguing over who should sleep in the twin bed closer to the door because the one who sleeps closer to the door would most likely be the one to get murdered first. “You sleep closer to the door David!” “No, you sleep closer to the door; you get murdered first!” The whole “I’d like you to have the key to my place” conversation reminded me while meeting TDH has made me feel like I am 16 all over again on the inside…the reality of dating in the over 60 category has proven otherwise on many other fronts. For example… First, there is the constant, endless, barrage of medicine, joint pain, and overall health decline conversations. Every conversation seems to end with the sentence, “You may want to see a doctor about that.” Add to that, the fact that apparently going to bed by nine is the new sexy. Add to that, going out past nine brings up question of the fact that who wants to drive at night anyway. Add to that, teeth guards, ear plugs, eye masks, and all the other contraptions one wears to sleep are not exactly conducive to being in the mood. All I’m really in the mood for is getting the house temperature correct so that sleeping through the night without getting up a million times to change the thermometer or going to the bathroom a zillion times sounds like the kind of dream I long for. Did I mention snoring? Even with all that, it’s exciting to think love is still possible at any age. So, as I wait and see how my romance unfolds with TDH, I’m reminded the most important key in life is not about having the key to each other’s front door but the key to each other’s hearts. • the bonds forged by all the young men he knew: “We were all united by a strong sense of solidarity. We were oppressed and persecuted, and we had no desire to become people who discriminated against others” (56). But there was something particularly sweet and special in his bond with Lewin, made even more poignant by the fact that Lewin did not survive, choosing to die with his family than escape with Beck. Reading the details of their final parting is truly moving, and we are privileged to see even more in the United States Holocaust Memorial’s exhibit of the little remembrance book Lewin made for Beck during their short time together. Each time I revisit this book – to think about, reread, or teach it, I am reminded of both the brevity of life and the fullness with which even the worst of it can be lived. As Foreword writer Frank Heibert posits, “Gad Beck is a master in the art of living,” and the world is better for his having lived to write about it. • 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.

April in the Galleries: Featuring the Work of Karen Bernstein, Brenan Sharp, Marla Faith, The History of the Jewish Press exhibit T

he Janet Levine March Gallery will feature the work of Karen Bernstein. Bernstein is a Nashville-based fiber artist who produces modern quilts. She received training in studio art and art history at Brandeis University. Her work has been included in the book “New Wave Quilt” by Mitsumura Suiko Shoin and in the Autumn 2022 issue of “Art Quilting Studio” magazine. Bernstein’s pieces explore color, light and pattern in fabric to create painterly effects. Her “River Run” series explores the four seasons around a river theme. The large, free-standing pieces are hung in custom-made wrought iron frames in the design of Japanese tori gates. Bernstein’s “Words of Wisdom” series explores famous phrases, with the colors of the pieces evoking the word images, while her “In the Beginning” series again explores colors using shapes that are reminiscent of the beginnings of life on earth. The JLMG2 Gallery will feature the work of Brenan Sharp. Sharp tackles Pop Art and Fauvism with the whim of his brush, throwing in the occasional statement for good measure. He feels reinvention is the key to staying fresh and tries to do so with every new show. Sharp’s artistic pursuit has been described as “a delicate assault on popular culture” by the Nashville Scene, where he won Nashville’s Best Local Visual Artist three times. After living in Chicago, he has returned to Nashville where he is once again showing his art in the J Galleries. The Sig Held Gallery will feature the “History of the Jewish Press” exhibit with work by several local and non-local artists. The exhibit focuses on American Jewish Press Association’s history and artwork inspired by the Jewish publications across the country, with artists using the actual papers to create statements concerning the importance of a free, inclusive press in this country and around the world. The Senior Lounge Gallery features the work of Marla Faith. Faith grew up in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago. She attended Bard College in New York’s

Avadim, by Karen Bernstein

Nesting, by Marla Faith

Eakin Elementary, and Harpeth Hall School. Shorter teaching assignments include USN, Templeton Academy, O’More College of Art, and currently the Waldorf Homeschool group, and private adult lessons. The title of her current exhibit is “The Female Spirit: Figures, Real and Imaginary.” The House Gallery continues to feature the “Under One Roof” collaborative exhibit. The Art Reception will be

Vanishing Histories, by Steven Blicher

Hudson Valley, and The Kansas City Art Institute, before receiving her BFA in painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and her MS in Museum Leadership from Bank Street College in NYC. She has directed art education programs at The Art Institute of Chicago, The Guggenheim Museum, Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, NY, and Cheekwood in Nashville. Since moving from NY to Nashville in 1990, she has had long-term positions teaching art (& art history) at Currey Ingram Academy,

Brian Jones, by Brenan Sharp

Wednesday, April 12th from 6 – 8pm. The exhibition dates are April 1-30th. 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. •

Crawford Funeral Home

Art on the West Side Returns at the Gordon JCC By SHARON BENUS, GORDON JCC ADULT AND COMMUNITY WIDE PROGRAMS DIRECTOR

Local and regional artists will exhibit and sell their work at Art on the West Side, a juried art show at the Gordon Jewish Community Center co-chaired by Betsy Hoffman and Missi Freidenberg. More than 40 artists – painters, sculptors, jewelry makers, ceramicists, watercolorists, and printmakers – will be on hand to chat with guests about their process and artwork. This year, we had an extraordinary number of new artists apply and are pleased to welcome them to Art on the West Side. There will be stunningly intricate linoleum prints by Sarah

Bogdal, a 2018 graduate of Watkins College of Art who enjoys the challenge of carving with a knife to create lines, marks and squiggles which form the relief print. Marci Hirsch of Memphis will be joining the show with her beautiful handmade jewelry which she creates using metalsmithing techniques. Wee Ng will be displaying his incredible oil paintings all which convey different narratives. The two-day event begins on Saturday, April 15 from 6-9PM with a cocktail reception. The suggested price is $10. Entry on Sunday, April 16 is free, and the show is open to the public from 10am-4pm. A percentage of all sales from Art on the West Side benefit art programming at the Gordon JCC. •

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2714 Grandview Avenue Nashville, Tennessee 37211

(615) 254-8200

www.crawfordservices.com • April 2023

Lifecycles B’rit Mitzvah Henry David and Ruby Jane Kammerman

Henry David and Ruby Jane Kammerman will celebrate their B’nai Mitzvah on Saturday, April 1, at 11 a.m. at The Temple. Henry was born on July 8, 2009, and Ruby was born on November 22, 2010, both in Park Ridge, Ill. Their parents are Martin and Amy Kammerman. Their grandparents are Martin and Gloria Gonzalez of Pensacola, Fla., and the late Harry and Janice Kammerman of Staten Island, N.Y.Henry is a seventh grader and Ruby is an eighth grader at Meigs Magnet Middle School. Henry enjoys video games, Boy Scouts, aviation, biking, piano and travel. Ruby enjoys drawing, writing fiction, violin, reading, astronomy and traveling. For Henry’s mitzvah project, he is working with the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America to support

Jewish service members overseas by collecting non-perishable foods, snacks and other items. For Ruby’s mitzvah project, she is working with Unicyle, the school uniform recycling nonprofit to collect new socks for students in need.

Peyton Horowitz

Peyton Horowitz will become a Brit Mitzvah on Saturday, April 15, at 10:30 a.m. at Congregation Micah. Payton is the child of Marc and Jackie Horowitz, the sibling of Kyle Horowitz, and the grandchild of Shelly and Judy Horowitz of Florida. A seventh grader at Spring Station Middle School, Peyton enjoys reading, art, music (specifically the flute) and math. For a Mitzvah project, Peyton will be volunteering with the Gentle Barn, an organization that facilitates rehab and care for animals.

Alex Krakauer

Alex Krakauer will become a Brit Mitzvah on Saturday, April 22, at 10:30 a.m. at Congregation Micah. Alex is the child of Mark and Maria Krakauer and the sibling of Madeline

Condolences to the family of Stephen Aaron Bender who died on March 16. He was the husband of Barbara Bender; father to Allison Bender and Michelle Bender; grandfather to Kyra Frank, Joey Frank, Leo Rappoport, Sebastian Posada, Daniela Posada and Sofia Posada. Donations may be made in Steve’s memory to Congregation Micah or to Pancreatic Center Action Network.

Leven; and son, David (Tammy) Lanson; six grandchildren, Alexi, Mikaela, Sari, Jeremy, Andrew and Alex. Upon moving to Nashville Diana wanted to work within the Jewish community. She was a beloved and long-time staff member of the Jewish Federation until her retirement. Diana was a loving wife, mother and grandmother and was a deeply caring and warm person to all. A service will be held on April 23 at Sherith Israel in memory of Diana. The community is invited to share memories, music, and food. Contributions in memory of Diana may be made to Sherith Israel.

Diana L. Lutz

Sherry Mannes

Obituaries Stephen Aaron Bender

Condolences to the family of Diana L. Lutz who died on March 8. She was preceded in death by her parents Morris and Dorothy (nee Stern) Gerecht; brothers and sister-in-law, Harold (Susan) Gerecht and Sanford Gerecht. She is survived by her husband, Sheldon Lutz; daughters, Karen (Zack Marell) Lanson, Michelle (Robert)

Books Series Continued from page 22 and Design History at Loyola University in New Orleans will be moderating the conversation. For more information and to register go to nashvillejcc.org/sipress. The Nashville Jewish Book Series

Condolences to the family of Sherry Mannes who died on March 9. She was predeceased by her husband, Cantor Fred Mannes, formerly cantor at West End Synagogue.

Queenie Miller

Condolences to the family of Queenie Miller. 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. •

Krakauer. A seventh grader at Brentwood Middle School, Alex enjoys playing the violin, rock climbing, hiking, fishing, building Legos and spending time with friends, family and Carl, the family dog. For a Mitzvah project, Alex is volunteering with the Harpeth River Conservancy, an organization whose mission is to restore and protect clean water and healthy ecosystems for rivers in Tennessee.

Hannah Leonia Mackler

Hannah Leonia Mackler will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, April 22, at 11 a.m. at The Temple. Hannah was born on April 22, 2010, in Nashville. Her parents are Rabbi Shana and James Mackler. Her grandparents are Sammy Goldstein and Bill Yahner of Orlando, Fla., Carol and Neil Lisnow of Boynton Beach, Fla., Don and Judy Mackler of Chattanooga;, and the late Sandra Goldstein (z”l) of Boca Raton, Fla. A seventh grader at University School of Nashville, Hannah is an avid mountain biker and rock climber and enjoys spending time with friends and family. For her mitzvah project, Hannah has raised money and collected donations for the Oasis Center Bike Program and clothes to support Just Us at Oasis, providing a safe place and support for

Linda Cohen Pounds

Condolences to the family of Linda Cohen Pounds who died on February 22 after a short battle with brain cancer. She was born October 16, 1948. Linda was predeceased by her husband, Fredrick “Britt” Pounds, and her parents, Stanley and Fannye Cohen. She was the most wonderful, caring, involved, and loving mother to Bethany and Zachary, and the best, most loving Nana to her four grandchildren, Jackson, Carson, Lana and Raegan. Linda spent 37 years as a special education teacher with Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. She made such a difference in so many lives and was always the number one advocate for her students. After she retired she spent her days doing pottery and working in her incredible garden. Linda is survived by her daughter, Bethany (Kevin) Komisar; her son, Zachary (Bridget) Pounds; her grandchildren: Jackson Komisar, Lana Komisar, Carson Pounds and Raegan Pounds; her siblings, Michael Cohen, Alan (Teri) Cohen and Carol Cohen; nieces, Alison (Mike Poole) Cohen and Stephanie (Adam Keats) Cohen, and nephew, Max Weinstein; great niece, Lia Cohen-Poole; and great nephews, Mack Cohen-Poole, Lyle Keats and Theo Keats; cousins, Lauren (Mike) Cooper, Jeff Cohen and Corey Cohen. Donations can be made to Alive Hospice 1718 Patterson St. Nashville, Tn 37203 or Temple Ohabai Shalom.

Richard Rothberg

Condolences to the family of Richard Rothberg who died on March 1. He is survived by his wife, Johanna; daughter, Laura (Adam) Little; grandson, Jacob Little; and brother, Jamie Rothberg.

Janet Wallach

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

24 April 2023 •

Condolences to the family of Janet Wallach, 90, who died at home in Kingston Springs on March 4. She was preceded in death by her devoted and adoring husband, the love of her life

LGBT young people experiencing homelessness. She also collected clothing and volunteered with Unicycle, a school uniform recycling program supporting Metro Nashville Public Schools’ students and the HERO (Homeless Education Resource Office) program.

Sydney Lasher

Sydney Lasher will become a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, April 29, at 11 a.m. at The Temple. Sydney was born on July 14, 2010, in San Francisco, Calif. Her parents are Andrew and Melissa Lasher. Her grandparents are Ellen and Berry Wagenberg of Livingston, N.J., Patricia Lasher and Richard Jacobs of Baltimore, Md., and Janiece Longoria, wife of the late Stephen Lasher, of Houston, Tex. A sixth grader at University School of Nashville, Sydney enjoys sports, hanging with her friends, skiing with her siblings, Abe and Rae, summers at Camp Pinecliffe and snuggling with her dog, Gordie. For her mitzvah project, Sydney is supporting immigrant families via The Temple’s partnership with Nueva Vida Church by volunteering at their food pantry and collecting diapers and gently used sports equipment for donation. • David H. Wallach. Janet is survived by her children, Eileen Wallach (late Rick Dewey), Michael Wallach (Enid) of Delray Beach, Fla., Peggy Wallach Tsoutas (Nicholas) of Sydney, Australia; five grandchildren and three great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. The family expresses gratitude to her caregivers: Adriana, Rene and Lisa and to family and friends. Donations may be made to Alive Hospice (https://www. alivehospice.org/get-involved/give/) in her memory, or Jewish Family Service, Attention: Toni Jacobson Discretionary Fund.

Marjorie Weber Zager

Condolences to the family of Marjorie Weber Zager, 91, passed away peacefully at her home in Nashville on March 13. Marjorie was born in Chicago, Ill., to Dr. H. Frederick Weber and Sylvia Weber. She moved to Nashville at age 9 and never left, attending West High School and Vanderbilt University, where she met her late husband, Arnold Zager. Together, Marjorie and Arnold raised two daughters, Lori and Jodi Zager. Marjorie immediately left behind her northern roots; Nashville was everything to her. She loved nothing more than welcoming newcomers to the city, originally through Welcome Wagon and later through her work at The Temple. Late in life, Marjorie was senior coordinator of The Temple, visiting seniors all over the city. She loved her job, and never retired, claiming that her seniors needed her, many of whom were several years her junior. Marjorie is predeceased by her sonin-law, Dr. Edward H. Gaston. She is survived by her daughters, Lori and Jodi; her son-in-law Mark Liebman; her grandchildren, Haley and Emily Gaston and Alexandre Liebman. She will be missed by her many friends at Richland Place and the Nashville Community. Donations may be made to The Temple Caring and Concern or The Temple’s “The Golden Lunch Bunch”. •

ADVERTORIALS

Home & Garden ISSUE APRIL 2023

• April 2023

For 4 generations, it’s been our family’s mission to protect yours. Thank you, Middle Tennessee, for allowing us to serve you since 1925. - Jeffrey J. Zander, CIC and the team at Zander Insurance TERM LIFE | ID THEFT | HOME | AUTO | BUSINESS | EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

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At Clarendale at Bellevue Place, we’ll set the stage for success. All you have to do is continue living a vibrant life made for the spotlight. With unprecedented hospitality and endless opportunities to rock your retirement years, you’ll always be treated like a star. Our worry-free lifestyle offers: • An active social calendar • Resort-style amenities • Restaurants and shopping within walking distance at One Bellevue Place • Beautifully landscaped grounds and walking trails • Full-service, anytime dining with regionally inspired dishes always on the menu • Access to a continuum of care, if needed Learn more and experience what a showstopping future looks like when you schedule a visit. ClarendaleAtBellevuePlace.com | 615-258-6364 INDEPENDENT LIVING | ASSISTED LIVING | MEMORY CARE web ClarendaleAtBellevuePlace.com | 7632 Highway 70 South | Nashville, TN 37221

26 April 2023 •

ADVERTORIALS

Always the Right Move Our Aging in Place (AIPS) Team works with clients and their families to assist with the next steps along the journey. That journey can be right where you are, relocating to a new home, ready to experience the ultimate in retirement or just a little organizing to enjoy the space you already have. We deliver an individually tailored and personalized plan designed to meet your needs. No two journeys are the same. Aging is part of life, and we love partnering during those transitions. Our focus has been on the 50+ age group, but our teams enjoy assisting anyone of any age. Embracing the dynamic is totally key! Our teams are filled with kindness, compassion and care. We look for areas to partner and give back. We are about the whole transition. We’re just a phone call away @ 629.999.2477. Teaming up with a little help and support can make the process feel like it was totally worth it and asking yourself, “why did I wait so long”. Stop by our website www.aginginplaceservices.net to learn more about who we are, our projects and our client stories.

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Senior Living With a Clear Focus on Health and Beauty Senior health is so important at Clarendale at Bellevue Place. Naturally, a healthy lifestyle starts with a well-designed, safe and secure apartment, but it’s the beauty of experiences and amenities that help residents stay active and involved in life. With Health & Wellness Navigation™, the trained wellness Navigation team partners with residents to anticipate needs and address them—from day-to-day nutrition, fitness and life-enriching activities to preparation and follow-up for hospital care. All eight dimensions of wellness are key at Clarendale at Bellevue Place. The team helps to ensure that everyday life encompasses all of them—physical, emotional, social, intellectual, vocational, environmental, spiritual and health services. Between the skilled professionals and on-site amenities, health and wellness are practically guaranteed. There’s an on-site fitness center with professionally-led exercise classes and the latest strength and cardio equipment, as well as a full-service salon. Plus, residents enjoy an ever-changing menu of dining options, including nutritious meals to suit any taste and diet requirements. The Clarendale at Bellevue Place staff always finds ways to keep residents entertained, enlightened and engaged. Your senior health and beauty lifestyle option is nearby at Clarendale at Bellevue Place—just 13 miles southwest of downtown Nashville at the intersection of I-40 and US 70 South in the exciting development of One Bellevue Place. Call 615-258-6364 or go to ClarendaleAtBellevuePlace.com to learn more about this independent living, assisted living and memory care community. Continued on page 28

EVER WONDER WHERE THE PEOPLE WITH ALL THE ANSWERS, GET ALL THE ANSWERS?

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401 Commerce St., Suite 1250 • Nashville, TN 37219 615.245.4070 | cathy.werthan@marcumllp.com

• April 2023

ADVERTORIALS Continued on page 27

Druid Tree Service Springtime ushers in a time of rejuvenation; a new beginning. A wake up to the certainty that it’s time to again enjoy nature’s bountiful beauty of flowering trees, shrubs and flowers. Breathe in the scent of lilac and viburnum, allow the vibrant, pink cherry blossoms to transport you to, and take solace in the fact that spring, without fail, has sprung again. At Druid Tree Service, we are specialists in preserving the natural beauty of your trees and shrubs. We believe your yard should be an oasis, deserving of the utmost care and attention. From specialty hand pruning of boxwoods, yews and ornamentals, to shade tree maintenance, our arborists offer professional care for landscapes of any size. As you spend more time at home, you may observe that your landscape could use an expert eye on the beautiful space you envision. We can help you through our consulting arborist’s stewardship plans. Alleviate the worry of hazards in your trees, by having our consulting arborist conduct a hazard tree assessment. Spring is an important time to identify pests and nutritional deficiencies in your plants. At Druid, our consulting arborist conducts a plant pathology assessment to identify concerns and make recommendations for pest and fertility issues. Druid has proven experience controlling specific pests and diseases, including the devastating Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), to insure the health and wellbeing of your trees and shrubs. Druid is family owned and has been caring for trees and shrubs in the Nashville area since 1977. We look forward to caring for your trees. Give us a call at 615-373-4342 or email us at office@druidtree.com.

Artist Carrie Mills It is undeniable that art adds immeasurable dynamics to a home. Whether its purpose is purely décor or immensely personal, art helps a home feel like a home. With that in mind, why not consider a custom, one of a kind, piece of art to add to not only your home, but to the life of your family. A piece of art that tells a story that you want to tell that can be passed on for generations! Contact Carrie Mills to create a piece of art made just for you. Visit her website at www.carriemills.com

Jackie Roth Karr With a stellar reputation grounded in her faith, Jackie Roth Karr along with her teammates at Partners in Grimes of Corcoran Reverie, are your trusted Real Estate advisors in the greater Nashville area. Her emphasis on the local community has rewarded her with a proven sales record while maintaining an unmatched level of service. Collectively, Partners in Grimes has over 47-years of combined service and has successfully closed over $123M in closed real estate sales for their clients. Jackie’s brokerage, Corcoran Reverie is a thoroughly modern real estate company built on traditional values of service, integrity, market expertise, and neighborhood fluency. “Not only did the brand and mission speak to me on so many levels but joining Partners in Grimes was adding the special sauce on top. We knew we would make the perfect combination of strengths for this team to serve the needs of buyers and sellers, both in Nashville and around the world,” Karr continues. “Working to accomplish our shared vision of being matchmakers for our clients with the property they envision, with integrity, knowledge, and probably fun and a few laughs, alongside Chris, John, and Joey & Larissa is something that I’m very excited about.” For the past 22 years, Jackie has enjoyed being co-director for the Nashville Jewish Film Festival. As a Nashville original and a huge lover and patron of the arts, Jackie enjoys supporting the Nashville Ballet, the Nashville Symphony, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, Frist Museum, and the Nashville Zoo. Of all of her successes, she is most proud to be a mom to two incredible sons. Whether you’re buying or selling, Jackie is poised to turn your reverie into a reality. www.JackieKarr.com

Creekside Garden Center Creekside Garden Center was established in 1992 by two lifelong friends and Nashville natives. Todd Estepp and Phillip Gentry decided to take their experience in landscaping and create a local nursery that would be a familiar and friendly spot for Nashvillians to buy the highest quality products at affordable prices. The name comes from the garden center’s unique location, nestled between a fork of Richland Creek in the heart of Belle Meade. Even though Creekside carries top of the line plants, trees, shrubs and herbs, Phillip and Todd take great pains in maintaining a casual and relaxed atmosphere, where very often they are on a first name basis with most of their customers. If they don’t know you, they really want to! So be sure to introduce yourself and ask as many questions as you need. Continued on page 30

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28 April 2023 •

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• April 2023

ADVERTORIALS

Sprintz

Continued from page 28

The Pargh Team

Sprintz has been a Middle Tennessee favorite for home furnishings since 1981. Our two beautiful, family owned, galleries in Nashville and Cool Springs carry the largest selection of living room, bedroom, dining room and outdoor furniture in Tennessee – brand name furniture in every shape, color, material and style at prices that beat even the largest furniture chains. Our huge showrooms are a treasure trove of inspiration for the home decorator with many unique and one-of-a-kind accessories and rugs artfully displayed throughout, and our experienced and talented staff of interior designers can help you in-store and in-home with all of your design needs. We also stock a vast selection of the best mattress brands like Sealy Posturepedic, Stearns & Foster and Tempur-Pedic. Our Sleep Specialists, with over 60 years of combined experience, will help find the perfect mattress for you. You will find what you’re looking for at Sprintz, and, with our huge warehouse, we always have thousands of items in stock, ready for immediate delivery.

Spring time is in the air and April kicks off the busiest time of the year in real estate; Spring Market! Trying to decide when to sell? If so, you likely want to time it just right so you can get the most out of the sale of your current house and know you’re making a good investment when you buy your next home. You may not realize that the opportunity to get the best of both worlds is already here. Here’s why. The number of homes on the market is still low. Today’s limited supply of houses for sale is putting sellers in the driver’s seat. There are far more buyers in the market than there are homes available, and that means purchasers are eagerly waiting for your house.

Hunt Memorials Charlie Hunt began working in the family business, Hunt Memorials, in 1982 after graduating from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. “After graduating, I considered several career paths, but I was curious about my family’s monument business,” says Hunt, who earned a degree in history. “My father made me go through an interview for a job. He asked me what my qualifications were…what I could do for the company. After a year in the shop, Dad asked me to do some sketches of monuments, and I quickly found my niche. What started as a temporary foray into the monument business became a permanent career, and my designs became an integral part of the company’s growth.” What you may not know, Charlie is also a stone carver and sculptor. He has been very active in the Nashville Art Scene. JW Hunt Stoneworks is the name of his sculpture business, in honor of his grandfather, John William Hunt who started Hunt Memorials. His garden art and sculptures grace many notable Nashville homes and gardens, along with Cheekwood and other commercial venues. Make sure to stop by his booth at Art on the West Side coming up April 15-16, 2023. •

Listing your house now makes it the center of attention. And if you work with a real estate professional to price your house correctly, you can expect it to sell quickly and likely get multiple strong offers this season. The Pargh Team.

HUNT MEMORIALS, INC 4807 GALLATIN PIKE | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

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

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!

Learn more about the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville at

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30 April 2023 •

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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

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 11 Music Circle S Ph. 615-665-9200 • www.robinsins.com

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

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

CARE GIVER

INSURANCE/MEDICARE

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

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

• April 2023

32 April 2023 •