Atlanta Jewish Times, No. 23, June 19, 2015 by Atlanta Jewish Times

N.Y.-BOUND

After 12 years at Congregation Etz Chaim, Rabbi Paul Kerbel is leaving for a Long Island synagogue. Page 6

UN-CONVICTED

CONEXXION

The Georgia Supreme Court overturns Hemy Neuman’s conviction for killing Rusty Sneiderman. Page 19

To learn more and request an at-home screening kit, visit JScreen.org

Longtime COO Guy Tessler wants to accelerate Conexx after his promotion to president. Page 21

Atlanta VOL. XC NO. 23

JUNE 19, 2015 | 2 TAMMUZ, 5775

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Kosher Goes Upscale For Atlanta Fest By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

Big Night for Deutsch Family Photo by Ruby Grossblatt

Rabbi Menachem and Dena Deutsch pose with their daughter Malka the night of her graduation from Temima: the Richard & Jean Katz High School on June 11. Rabbi Deutsch was honored during the ceremony for his role in founding the Jewish high school for girls in Toco Hills. Graduation coverage, Page 22

GOOD DEAL

The Bridge Club of Atlanta hopes to raise $50,000 from its Longest Day event to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. Page 7

COWBOY LIFE

Riding back out of the sunset of history this week are some of the Jewish settlers who helped make the Old West a little less wild. Page 25

Calendar

INSIDE

2 Education

Candle Lighting

3 Cartoon

Israel

9 Simchas

Opinion

10 Obituaries

Youth

16 Crossword

Business

21 Marketplace

hrow out the gefilte fish and bring on the caviar: Chabad of Georgia is bringing the finest in kosher food to Atlanta. To give the area’s kosher cuisine a boost up to the top national tier, Chabad will host its first Kosher Food & Wine Atlanta festival Thursday, Aug. 27, at the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot downtown. An extensive selection of food and wine will be available from local, national and international vendors. “A lot of people think of kosher as Manischewitz and gefilte fish,” said Rabbi Isser New, one of five event chairs. “With the emergence of more kosher opportunities, we felt it was the right time to have an event where people can experience the totality of the raised level of kosher in the world and in Atlanta specifically.” Kosher Food & Wine Atlanta is an extension of Chabad-sponsored events in London, New York, Miami and Los Angeles that seek to change the perception of kosher food. The upscale festivals spotlight local cuisine and bring in acclaimed wine and spirits from around the world to show the viability of going kosher. Atlanta’s edition has 17 vendors lined up so far and will honor Added Touch Catering’s Sandra Bank. It’s “an event that you don’t want to miss,” event co-chair Rabbi Levi Mentz said. “It’s going to be a very high-end, hip, trendy evening. Once everyone comes, they’re going to be counting down the calendar, waiting till next year.” ■

CALENDAR ONGOING

Hollywood in the camps. “Filming the Camps — John Ford, Samuel Fuller, George Stevens: From Hollywood to Nuremberg” runs through Nov. 20 at the Atlanta History Center, 130 W. Paces Ferry Road, Buckhead. Admission to the museum is $16.50 for adults, $13 for students and seniors, $11 for children 4 to 12, and free for members and younger children; www.atlantahistorycenter. com or 404-814-4000.

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History of Jewish Atlanta. The Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown, presents “Eighteen Artifacts,” an exploration of Atlanta’s Jewish history, through Dec. 31. Admission to the museum is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors, $6 for students and educators, $4 for children 3 to 6, and free for members and younger children; thebreman.org or 678-222-3700. Mixed media. Chastain Arts Center and Gallery drawing instructor Ben Smith exhibits 14 works in mixed media with pencil, ink, watercolors, acrylic and spray paint at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs. Free; www.templesinaiatlanta.org. Holocaust exhibit. Kennesaw State University’s “Parallel Journeys: World War II and the Holocaust Through the Eyes of Teens” is on loan at the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust, 5920 Roswell Road, Suite A-209, Sandy Springs, through Aug. 25. Free; holocaust.georgia.gov.

SATURDAY, JUNE 20

Dining for myasthenia gravis. A portion of the proceeds from diners at Napoleon’s Grill, 2836 LaVista Road, Decatur, between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. will benefit the Georgia State Chapter of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America. RSVP to 770-427-3441. Cohen and Cooper. Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper share the stage at 8 p.m. at the Cobb Energy Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Cumberland. Tickets start at $75, with VIP packages available; ac2live.com, ticketmaster. com or 800-745-3000.

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

MONDAY, JUNE 22

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Alzheimer’s fundraiser. The Bridge Club of Atlanta holds bridge games all day, starting at 7 a.m., to raise money as part of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Longest Day. Entry is $10 per game; www.bridgeclubatlanta.com.

FRIDAY, JUNE 26

Community Shabbat. The Kehilla,

CALENDAR CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Parshah Korach Friday, June 19, light candles at 8:33 p.m. Saturday, June 20, Shabbat ends at 9:35 p.m. Parshah Chukat Friday, June 26, light candles at 8:34 p.m. Saturday, June 27, Shabbat ends at 9:36 p.m.

TUESDAY, JULY 7

Class on faith and fame. Bob Bahr teaches a six-week class, “The American Idol — Faith and Fame in the Twentieth Century,” focusing on showbusiness icons Charlie Chaplin, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and Oprah Winfrey. Sessions July 7, 14 and 21 meet at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church, 805 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs; sessions July 28, Aug. 4 and Aug. 11 meet at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs. Registration is $49; www.olli.emory.edu.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8

Supreme Court review. The AntiDefamation League brings together legal scholars Erwin Chemerinsky and Frederick Lawrence with Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick to discuss this year’s big high court rulings online at 1 p.m. Free; www.adl.org/supremecourtreview. Spy games. Daniel Silva, the author of the Gabriel Allon spy novels, speaks about the latest entry, “The English Spy,” at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus Jewish Community Center, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Tickets are $24 for center members and $29 for nonmembers, including a signed first edition of the novel; www.atlantajcc.org or 678812-3981.

FRIDAY, JULY 10

Shabbat dinner. Congregation Or Hadash, 7460 Trowbridge Road, Sandy Springs, welcomes the community to a hamburger and hot dog dinner with Friday night services. Free; www.orhadash.org or 404-250-3338.

Holocaust film. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum brings “Projections of Life: Jewish Life Before World War II” to the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust, 5920 Roswell Road, Suite A-209, Sandy Springs, at 1 p.m. Free; holocaust.georgia.gov.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15

Refreshment for body and soul. The Kehilla, 5075 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs, offers Kabbalah, dinner and cocktails with a lecture by Rabbi Karmi David Ingber on Judaism and the power of laughter at 7 p.m. The cost is $12 for members, $15 for nonmembers; thekehillaorg.shulcloud.com/kabbalah-and-cocktails.

FRIDAY, JULY 17

Starry Shabbat. Temple Kol Emeth holds services in East Cobb Park, 3322 Roswell Road, at 7:30 p.m. Free; www. kolemeth.net.

Corrections & Clarifications • In the May 29 article “FIDF Gala Disrupted,” it was reported that one of four people planning the disruption, Hasan Jubran, was denied entry to the event. That claim came from protest organizer Jim Chambers. Friends of the Israel Defense Forces says that claim was false; Jubran simply was a no-show May 19.

Atlanta History Center

filming

John Ford Samuel Fuller George Stevens

from Hollywood to Nuremberg

Through November 20, 2015 Hollywood directors John Ford, George Stevens, and Samuel Fuller created American cinema classics, but their most important contribution to history was their work in the U.S. Armed Forces and Secret Services. An exhibition by the Mémorial de la Shoah, Paris, France.

• The June 12 article “Torah Day Unleashes 51 Universes” connected Rabbi Ilan Feldman with the wrong synagogue. He is the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Jacob.

AtlantaHistoryCenter.com/Filming Send items for the calendar to submissions@atljewishtimes.com.

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

SUNDAY, JUNE 28

Rolling down the Hooch. The Sixth Point is going tubing on the Chattahoochee River. Meet at $10 River Tubing, 4349 Abbotts Bridge Road, Duluth, at 1 p.m. Cost is $11 by cash or check or $11.50 by credit card; www.facebook. com/events/1603276903282307.

SUNDAY, JULY 12

Summer splash. Greater Atlanta Hadassah’s Ketura Group holds a pool party and barbecue with veggie burgers, kosher burgers and hot dogs for adults only from noon to 4 p.m. at the home of Melanie and David Feingold. The cost is $10 per person or $5 for prospective members; RSVP by June 24 to Ellen Frank at ebfrank619@gmail.com or 404-502-4997.

George Stevens and his crew, France, 1944 © Courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills, CA

5075 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs, holds a community dinner at 8:15 p.m. after Shabbat services at 7:15. Dinner is $12 for members, $15 for nonmembers; thekehillaorg.shulcloud.com/community-dinner.

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LOCAL NEWS

Less Campaign, More Money?

Federation to condense next year’s fundraising By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

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At 48, Marla lives independently and is herself an active community volunteer, Rosenberg said. “Marla lives a true Jewish Life, attends services, keeps a kosher-style home and enjoys all holidays.” Rosenberg spoke after Federation handed out four awards: • Abe Schwartz Young Leadership Award, Abbey Flaum and Erica Gal. • Gerald H. Cohen Community Development Award, Erica Katz. • Mary & Max London People Power Award, Jodi Mansbach and Eric Robbins of Limmud Atlanta + Southeast. • Marilyn Shubin Professional Staff Development Award, Jewish Home Life Communities Chief Financial Officer Neelam Rahatekar. Federation also is developing a new generation of lay leaders with the help of the Joyce and Ramie Tritt Family Foundation Leadership Institute, Feinsand said. Learning to develop a shared vision and a communal agenda in the institute’s first class are Lauren Abes, Ted Blum, Steve Cadranel, Michael Kogon, Debbie Kuniansky, Robert Leven, Mark Satisky, Lori Kagan Schwarz, Mark Stern, Jordan Tritt and Nancy Weissmann. ■ Photos by Scenesations Photography

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

ederation will condense next year’s annual campaign into an intense four months to create more energy and excitement and free up fundraisers to spend more quality time with donors throughout the year, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta Chairman Howard Feinsand said during the organization’s annual meeting Tuesday, June 9. The annual campaign, now being chaired by Betty Sunshine, needs to be reinvigorated because unrestricted giving has grown little in recent years, and Federation lost more major donors than it gained in 2014-15, Feinsand said. “We’ve succeeded in moving the needle in many ways,” he said, but the stagnant unrestricted giving has limited Federation’s ability to address needs identified by the community and advance the organization’s mission. Feinsand said fundraising did increase markedly during the year because of donations to Federation’s priorities for Jewish continuity: Jewish camp attendance, Birthright Israel and the PJ Library. Federation President and CEO Michael Horowitz said the final fundraising total for 2014-15 is expected to be just under $20 million. That figure includes more than $15 million for the unrestricted annual campaign and the three stated priorities, plus donations for such purposes as disability awareness and inclusion, the Gaza war emergency fund, the Ukraine crisis fund, solidarity with the French Jewish community and unrestricted endowments. Federation also collected about $25 million for donor-advised funds and received earnings on an investment portfolio topping $200 million. Among the year’s highlights

Horowitz cited: • Federation’s first community mission in almost a decade took 230 people to Israel, more than 100 of whom had never visited Israel. • Federation responded to an evaluation of overseas responsibilities by launching programs to increase Jewish travel from Atlanta to Israel and other nations. • More than 700 Atlantans are going on Birthright this year, including 120 on Federation’s own trips. • More than 300 kids are going to Jewish camp for the first time, including 33 with disabilities. • Federation launched the Jewish Abilities website at atlanta.jewishabilities.org. • Lori Kagan Schwarz and Temple Rabbi Peter Berg have agreed to chair a committee examining how to engage teens in Jewish life after they become b’nai mitzvah. “Each one of us experiences Federation in a different way with different priorities,” Feinsand said, and one of the organization’s ongoing priorities is do a better job of telling the stories of donors’ impact. Rachael Carp Rosenberg served as an example of telling Federation’s story when she told how the organization has been a part of her life since she moved to Atlanta from the North Carolina mountains 58 years ago. “Our commitment, and what we received from Federation in return, has changed our lives,” Rosenberg said. Most important are the programs and support Federation, working with agencies such as Jewish Family & Career Services and the Marcus Jewish Community Center, has provided to help Rosenberg’s youngest child, Marla, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 5 in 1972 and was left wheelchair-bound.

A: Abbey Flaum (left) and Erica Gal share the Abe Schwartz Young Leadership Award. B: Jodi Mansbach (left) and Eric Robbins receive the Mary & Max London People Power Award from Leanna Rinzler for their work with Limmud. C: Federation CEO Michael Horowitz poses with Erica Katz, the winner of the Gerald H. Cohen Community Development Award. D: Jewish Home Life Communities CEO Harley Tabak accepts the Marilyn Shubin Professional Staff Development Award from Marilyn Shubin on behalf of his CFO, Neelam Rahatekar. E: Federation CEO and President Michael Horowitz and Chairman Howard Feinsand flank Rachael Carp Rosenberg after her story of nearly 60 years of giving to and receiving from Federation. (Photo by Michael Jacobs)

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LOCAL NEWS Atlanta

State James A. Baker III’s public rebuke of Israel at the 1990 Annual Meeting of the Atlanta Jewish Federation. “Fits of temper are no substitute for policy,” Keyes said.

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SYLVIA WAHLBERG

10 Years Ago June 17, 2005

■ Thirty-two teens prepare to depart on the third summer trip of Etgar 36. They come from 17 cities, including Atlanta. Over 36 days, they will travel cross-country by bus and airplane, stopping to tour civil rights sites in the South, to run the bases at Wrigley Field, to discuss the war on drugs at a synagogue for former addicts, and to listen to the nonstop noise in Las Vegas and the quiet of the Grand Canyon. ■ The bat mitzvah ceremony of Ariella Axler of Atlanta was held Saturday, May 28, at Congregation Beth Shalom. 25 Years Ago June 22, 1990 ■ Former diplomat Alan Keyes denounced Secretary of

■ Vivienne and Ralph Kurland of Atlanta announce the birth of a daughter, Ilana Mallory, on May 9. The grandparents are Anne and Heime Geffen of St. Catherines, Ontario, and Gloria and David Kurland of Buffalo, N.Y. 50 Years Ago June 18, 1965 ■ Professor Martin Buber, the world-famous Jewish philosopher, educator, and foremost interpreter of Hasidic thought to the Gentile world, died Sunday morning at his home in Jerusalem. Thousands attended his funeral. ■ Mr. and Mrs. Max Levine of Charleston, S.C., announce the forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Sandra Ray, to Kenneth Allan Kaufman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Saul Kaufman of Atlanta.

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LOCAL NEWS

Kerbel Bound for New York

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

ongregation Etz Chaim Rabbi Paul Kerbel has found a new job as the associate rabbi at Temple Beth Sholom in Roslyn Heights, N.Y. Rabbi Kerbel, who has served as associate rabbi at the Conservative synagogue in East Cobb for 12 years, will move to one of Long Island’s largest Conservative congregations July 15. He will join Senior Rabbi Alan Lucas, who has been at Beth Sholom for 21 years, and Cantor Ofer Barnoy, who has served the 725-family congregation for 14 years. “With the appointment of Rabbi Paul Kerbel as associate rabbi we have completed an outstanding leadership team,” Rabbi Lucas wrote in an email. Rabbi Kerbel’s wife, Melissa, will stay in the Atlanta area through the summer to wrap up her job as development director for the Jewish Educational Loan Fund. Etz Chaim will hold a farewell event for the Kerbels in August. The couple’s two sons and daughter-in law and Melissa Kerbel’s mother live in Manhattan, so the move will put

them a short train ride away. Etz Chaim revealed last year not only that its senior rabbi, Shalom Lewis, planned to move to emeritus status in 2017, but also that Rabbi Kerbel would be leaving. The son of a Jewish communal professional, Rabbi Kerbel said he looked at jobs around the nation in agencies such as Federation, Jewish community centers, Hillel and the Jewish Theological Seminary, but “I really love being a pulpit rabbi.” The New York position is the third in a row in which he will serve as the No. 2 rabbi at a congregation, after four years in Cleveland, Ohio, and his time

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in East Cobb, totaling 16 of his 30 years in the rabbinate so far. “It’s a comfortable role for me,” Rabbi Kerbel said, adding that at Beth Sholom, as at Etz Chaim, his job will include leading the religious school and adult education. Being a congregation’s associate rabbi also has afforded Rabbi Kerbel the opportunity to become a communitywide leader. “Rabbi Kerbel is authentic. I have known him since our USY days” in Florida in the 1970s, said Jay Kaiman, the executive director at the Marcus Foundation. “He cherishes the pulpit and embraces community. It has always been a calling for him even as a teen. We were lucky he pursued this calling and did not give up on us. His most important lesson to us is the way he lives his life and touches lives.” In the general Jewish community, Rabbi Kerbel was one of the leaders of the Atlanta Rabbinical Association, which he helped strengthen through increased professional development and Jewish learning and a partnership with Emory University’s Tam Institute of Jewish Studies. Programs such as an ARA pastoral study day at Jewish Family & Career Services, a community workshop on bullying, and a hunger summit positioned the association to receive a grant from the Marcus Foundation. Rabbi Kerbel became heavily involved in the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. He chairs the Rabbinic Campaign and serves on the Campaign Cabinet and board of trustees. He recently was named the chairman of Federation’s Israel outcomes committee, overseeing Federation’s funding for the Yokneam/Megiddo region of Israel; core support to the Jewish Agency for Israel and Jewish Joint Distribution Committee; and involvement in religious pluralism, security and social welfare programs in Israel. Rabbi Kerbel helped develop Etz Chaim’s collaborations with AIPAC,

Left: Rabbi Paul Kerbel meets with students in Yokneam, Federation’s partnership zone in Israel, as part of his leadership role within Federation. Center: Rabbi Paul Kerbel has worked closely with other Atlanta-area clergy, such as Rabbi Neil Sandler of Ahavath Achim Synagogue. Right: Melissa and Paul Kerbel will be closer to their children and her mother in New York.

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces and Federation and promoted a strong connection between his congregants and the people and land of Israel. At Etz Chaim, Rabbi Kerbel has supervised the religious school and youth programs and coordinated adult learning. He said he is proud of the synagogue’s USY chapter, which has produced at least two dozen regional officers and six international officers during his time there. “I am so proud of our youth leaders and hope that I have played a small part in their Jewish education and love for leadership and creating vital teen programs,” he said. The international officers include USY’s current international president, Hailee Grey, and two of his own sons, Sam and Judah. The adult and family programs Rabbi Kerbel created at Etz Chaim include Shabbat in the Park; Friday Night Live; Coffee, Cake and Torah; Emory at Etz Chaim; and, with adult education chairwoman Elyse Shaw, Lilmode adult classes. “I remember when he gave his interview sermon at Etz Chaim, and he knew I was a member, and he gave me a big shout-out. The only problem was I was not there in the pews,” Kaiman said. “I know I was not his best congregant, but we both know we will continue our wonderful long friendship.” Rabbi Kerbel said, “My goal as a rabbi was always to connect my congregation to the world of Jewish learning, Jewish action, and care and support for the people and land of Israel and Jewish communities in need and distress around the world.”■

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LOCAL NEWS

Trying to Outbid Alzheimer’s

Bridge Club of Atlanta aims to raise $50K on Longest Day By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

ant a cure for the Monday blues? The Bridge Club of Atlanta (www.bridgeclubatlanta.com) is hosting a full day of bridge Monday, June 22, as part of the Longest Day, a nationwide fundraiser against Alzheimer’s disease. Festivities begin at 7 a.m. and continue until 8 p.m. at the Sandy Springs club. More than 400 people are expected to attend and play bridge during the Longest Day. More than a week before the event, the Bridge Club had raised $38,000 of its $50,000 fundraising goal through sponsorships and donations. All the money will go toward Alzheimer’s prevention, research and treatment. “This event is important to me because my mom was diagnosed a few years ago with Alzheimer’s,” said Jewish community member Sam Marks, the owner of the Bridge Club of Atlanta. “Many people have a family member or

This is the second year the Bridge Club of Atlanta has participated in the Alzheimer’s Association’s Longest Day fundraiser. The club and its players raised $28,000 last year.

know someone with this horrible disease. It really impacts everybody.” The Longest Day is a national event held by the Alzheimer’s Association. It stretches from sunrise to sunset to symbolize the challenging journey faced by people with the disease and their caregivers. The Bridge Club of Atlanta first participated in the Longest Day last year when it raised $28,000, the fourthlargest amount of any club in the country.

Participants can play in one or all games during the day, with $2 from every paid $10 entry going directly to the Alzheimer’s Association. The Bridge Club of Atlanta has been open three years, and Marks said around 50 percent of players are Jewish. Marks, who grew up in Augusta, is a member of Young Israel of Toco Hills. He said bridge is a game the Jewish community has always embraced. “From the early days of bridge,” he said, “Jews have always been a much

larger percentage of players than their percentage of population. Some of the top bridge players of all time — Edgar Kaplan, Oswald Jacoby, Eddie Kantar — are Jewish. It’s an intellectual, competitive game. Israel has done very well in world competition, and one of the top pairs in the world right now is Israeli.” In addition to the games all day June 22, the Bridge Club of Atlanta also will hold a silent auction with over 100 items. “It’s going to be fun,” Marks said. “The Alzheimer’s Association has chosen our club out of all the thousands in the country to film during our event and make a video about the Longest Day.” ■ What: Alzheimer’s Association’s Longest Day Where: Bridge Club of Atlanta, 4920 Roswell Road, No. 33, Sandy Springs When: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, June 22 Information: www.bridgeclubatlanta. com

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Emergency Care’s Fast Learners Student EMTs at Emory named region’s top EMS By Cady Schulman cschulman@atljewishtimes.com

tudents who volunteer as emergency responders for Emory University’s Emergency Management Service may see themselves as inadequate compared with their professional counterparts at agencies throughout metro Atlanta, but the recent regional Emergency Medical Service of the Year award for Emory EMS is a reminder that the student first responders are the same as full-time emergency medical technicians. In winning the award, Emory EMS beat out agencies such as those serving Gwinnett, Fulton, DeKalb and Douglas counties. “They have the same training and the same licensure,” said Rachel Barnhard, the Emory EMS director. “They’re really good EMTs, and I think this kind of helps solidify them. They are the same as any other EMT practicing around them. It’s a big confidence

builder.” It wasn’t the only award Emory EMS won this year. Emory’s chief of EMS, Morgan Taylor, was named the region’s EMT of the Year. “There are thousands of EMTs in our region; we won two awards,” said Barnhard, a lifelong member of Temple Kol Emeth in East Cobb. “We’ve never won any awards in our region. That was a really big deal for us.” Emory EMS had never even been nominated for the EMS of the Year award. “It puts the spotlight on us,” Barn-

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hard said. “You want to make sure you continue to do really good things. It energizes them to continue doing good things and that what they’re doing is being noticed.” Four of the five command staffers for Emory EMS are Jewish. In April, the four students plus an EMT who is Jewish but not on the command staff traveled to Barnhard’s home for her family’s Passover seder. “That keeps us pretty close, which is kind of cool,” Barnhard said. In addition to running calls on the Emory campus and to surrounding businesses, the college’s EMTs do a lot of community outreach, such as checking blood pressure at events and setting up a table during the campus’s Wonderful Wednesdays to tell passersby what resources are available to them and when to call 911, among other topics. The EMTs also conduct CPR and first-aid training throughout the year; help out with blood drives; talk to Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and children at day care centers about EMS; and are working on a research project with Emory University Hospital. “They wonder, is that reaching people? Do people care? Are we doing a good job?” Barnhard said. “I think this helps them see that, yes, they’re doing a good job.” While Emory’s EMTs run calls

Top left: Emory EMS Director Rachel Barnhard celebrates commencement in May with new Emory graduates. Top right: This year’s Emory EMS unit is the region’s Emergency Medical Service of the Year. Bottom: Rachel Barnhard holds the EMS of the Year award at the Region III award ceremony May 16.

just like full-time first responders, there are major differences. A county agency may have the same EMTs and paramedics for years, while Emory’s student-run agency sees EMT and command staff turn over every one to three years. “The maximum amount of time we’ve had anyone on command staff is two years,” Barnhard said. “It takes quite a while for someone to make it to command staff. Our command staff is new almost every year, and EEMS is new at least every three years. We fluctuate a lot with our capabilities. It’s totally dependent on the group. We have a great group for the next year.” Barnhard has led Emory EMS as its full-time director since 2009 — the first person to hold that position. She also teaches the college’s EMT classes. “I think the thing I really enjoy the most is that as an organization we really love EMS,” she said. “Our people are really inspired. They want to do a good job. And they’re doing it solely out of a desire to serve.”■

ISRAEL

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home

Israeli and Irish scientists fight cancer together. The second joint symposium took place this month between Dublin’s Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute and Israel’s Weizmann and Technion institutes to enhance joint Israeli-Irish research into cancer and inflammatory diseases. The research is taking place even though Ireland is considered a hotbed of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. Safer flying. Haifa-based Elbit Systems is using sensors from Tel Aviv startup LifeBEAM in a helmet system called Canary for airplane pilots. Globes says Canary monitors the pilot’s physiology, sends an alert if the pilot is facing a health crisis, and can help engage the autopilot if the pilot cannot. U.N. to cooperate with Israel in space. The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs has signed an agreement with Israel for cooperation in space. The agreement, signed in Vienna, is part of preparations for a world conference on space that will be held in Jerusalem in October. U.S.-Israeli Fulbright scholars. This year 65 students from Israel and the United States will study in each other’s country under the auspices of the Fulbright Program, which awards scholarships to top students for undergraduate to postdoctoral work, as well as to teachers, professionals, scientists and artists. Pulsed light kills bacteria in milk. Researchers at Tel Aviv University have shown that pulsed light kills the listeria bacteria that cause many deaths each year among consumers of infected milk products. Using pulsed light once a day makes it unnecessary to refrigerate milk. Celebrating Einstein’s centenary. On the 100th anniversary of the publishing of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has unveiled a statue to the physicist. Einstein was one of the founders of the university and was nominated to be

the first president of Israel. Israeli security for Dropbox. Israel’s Adallom is taking the vital role of ensuring cybersecurity on the Dropbox for Business platform, the company’s high-end product aimed at enterprise customers. Dropbox has over 300 million users around the world, who upload and store documents, photos, videos and more. Sterile flies to save Balkan fruit trees. BioBee, located at Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, has won a contract with the International Atomic Energy Agency to supply 400 million sterile flies to protect citrus trees along the border of Croatia and Bosnia. The nuclear-sterilized flies repel the Mediterranean fruit fly, a pest that has wreaked havoc in the Balkans. Making advertising revenue for Facebook. If you wondered where Facebook gets its income, one of the answers is Ramat Gan-based Bidalgo. As one of the few official Facebook marketing partners in Israel, Bidalgo expects as much as $100 million in revenue in 2015 from selling ads for Facebook. “Golden era” for British-Israeli trade. “The past few years have been a golden era for Anglo-Israeli business,” British Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Sajid Javid said during the annual British Israel Business Awards event. Javid, self-described as a “proud British-born Muslim,” told the audience, “I share Israel’s love for freedom and democracy.” Israel’s fast-moving mandolin player. The hectic May itinerary for Israeli mandolin virtuoso Avi Avital included concerts in California, several German cities, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Salisbury, England, and Lancut, Poland. In 2010 he was the first solo mandolin player to be nominated for a Grammy Award. Bon Jovi is coming to Israel. Bon Jovi, one of the most successful U.S. bands ever, will perform in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park on Oct. 3. It will be Bon Jovi’s first performance in Israel. Jerusalem mayor breaks up fight. Nir Barkat, the mayor of Jerusalem, used his hands-on approach again to restore peace in the capital when he broke up a traffic-related street fight while pedaling on his bicycle to work. He separated two men who were hitting each other, then waited until police arrived.

In February, Barkat tackled an Arab terrorist who had stabbed a bystander near Jerusalem’s City Hall.

the terrorist organization Hezbollah were seen holding up a banner reading, “We Want Moshiach Now.” ■

Hezbollah gets the message. A Chabad poster attached to balloons drifted from Israel into Lebanon. Members of

Compiled courtesy of verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com, israel21c.org and other news sources.

Israel Photo of the Week

Changing the Global Community

ROI Summit participants get inspired during the Jerusalem event June 7 to 11. The ROI Summit gathered 150 Jewish agents of change from 32 countries to discuss how to “change the Jewish landscape” and hear from Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, Israeli social entrepreneur Adi Altschuler, author Joshua Foer and others. Afterward, the participants were inducted into a global network of young Jews dedicated to social entrepreneurship, innovation and Jewish continuity. The summit is the flagship program of ROI Community, a Schusterman Family Foundation initiative that works to engage a new generation to shape the Jewish future.

1915-2015 It’s been 100 years! Isn’t it time to finally exonerate Leo Frank? Leo Frank 100th Yahrzeit Service, Sunday, August 16, 2 pm Frank lynching site: Frey’s Gin Mill and Upper Roswell Road Rabbi Steven Lebow Ravlebow@aol.com Face Book: Rabbi Lebow: “Leo Frank: Falsely Accused, Wrongly Convicted...”

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

Israeli shrub treats diabetes. Researchers at the Judea Research and Development Center have discovered that the Israeli shrub Chiliadenus iphionoides increases sugar absorption and reduces blood sugar levels. They are trying to isolate the active ingredient to make an accessible diabetes treatment.

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OPINION

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Our View

Postwar Fog

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

he last days of spring brought a new threeprong front in the war of words that followed last summer’s Operation Protective Edge. The first shots came June 12 with the public release of preliminary findings from the High Level International Military Group — 11 American, German, British, Italian, Spanish, Australian and Colombian former military leaders — into the Israel Defense Forces’ conduct of the war last summer. The group, financed by the Friends of Israel Initiative, visited Israel and had broad official access May 18 to 22. What the military experts concluded is what we would have expected from any objective review: • Hamas committed war crimes by targeting Israeli civilians, using civilian human shields, and launching rockets from and basing military forces in schools, hospitals and mosques. • Israel met or exceeded its responsibility at all levels of command to observe the laws of armed conflict, even though that observance cost Israeli lives. • Mistakes were made, and some individuals violated military law, as happens in every conflict. Palestinian officials, of course, dismissed the military group’s findings, emphasizing that the funding for the report came from a pro-Israel organization and that the military ex-officials visited only Israel and thus received only the Israeli perspective. The official Israeli government assessment of the war came out June 14. Including some Palestinian sources, the report echoes the military leaders’ conclusions, asserts that Israel went beyond international standards to avoid civilian casualties, and places the blame for the conflict and civilian deaths on Hamas for starting the war, violating cease-fires and putting civilians in the line of fire. Israel directly challenged claims that most of the Gazans killed in the 50-day war were civilians. A U.N. report in March said 1,563 of 2,256 Palestinians killed were civilians, but Israel found that 936 of 2,125 Palestinian deaths were combatants and 761 were civilians, with the remaining 428 dead uncertain. Again, Palestinian leaders dismissed the report. Israel issued its own report in part to counteract the anticipated criticism and anti-Israel bias in a report due from a two-person U.N. Human Rights Council commission. Claiming that the resolution creating the investigative panel and the original leader of that panel, Canadian William Schabas, were biased, Israel refused to cooperate with the investigation. Schabas, who has said he would be happy to see war-crimes charges against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, eventually resigned from the panel, but he emerged to criticize Israel’s war report as inadequate. Israel’s justifiable decision not to help yet another U.N. organization paint Israel as evil and a pariah of course ensured that the assessment would be one-sided. As of this writing, the U.N. panel had not released its report, so we can’t comment on it except to say that we would be surprised if it didn’t present a laundry list of supposed Israeli crimes. As happens in every Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this verbal fighting will resolve nothing, and existing 10 beliefs will only harden on all sides. And so it goes. ■

AJT

Something to Argue About Lawton showed that the need to get an argument Clive Lawton jokingly used himself as the example of the ultimate Limmud speaker during a train- over with is not very Jewish. Most of us, those who ing session for would-be Limmud Atlanta + Southeast haven’t gotten a traditional yeshiva education, reflect the influence of secular society in our view of arguleaders Sunday night, June 14. But the way he entertained, delighted and edu- ments as a way to reach a solution instead of apprecicated revealed how the Englishman has helped ating the value of ongoing, respectful disagreement. It’s only when we let spread Limmud around the our guard down — mayworld in 30 years. be because we’re among You can read Lawton’s Editor’s Notebook friends, maybe with the Limmud lessons on Page 17, By Michael Jacobs help of glass or two of but he also offered insights mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com wine — that most of us about leadership and the seem to enjoy our arguJewish people. ments for their own sake. We discussed the conI couldn’t help thinking of an episode of “Frasier” trasting leadership styles of Moses (bold, heroic, decisive, my-way-or-the-goat-path certainty) and Aaron in which Frasier and his father watch a Jewish woman and her mother engage in a brutal, tear-filled ar(populist, responsive, cautious, less principled). Lawton talked about some of the ways we Jews gument, then hug and leave happy. The Cranes try to have gotten off track. “Loving folk and including folk copy the argument and wind up miserable, unable to is what the Jewish people should do, and we’re very master arguing as a form of loving family interaction. I wonder whether the magic of Jewish argument bad at it.” We’re good at arguing, of course, but Lawton holds the key to countering the assimilative danraised the idea that one way assimilation erodes Jew- gers of intermarriage. Camps, trips to Israel and day schools are wonderful, but maybe all we need is to ish continuity is by distorting the way we argue. One of Limmud’s core values is a belief in “ar- overhaul religious schools to concentrate on developguments for the sake of heaven,” a phrase from the ing the Jewish art of arguing without needing to win. The concept is so foreign to most non-Jews that Mishnah. Those are good arguments, and they never a couple of Friday night family dinners in which fullend because both sides have merit. It’s not a surprising viewpoint for a people whose on argument served as the main dish would break up historical name refers to wrestling with G-d and who the large majority of interfaith couples. Any non-Jew revere a religious text, the Talmud, focused on end- who could hold his or her own rather than being repelled would reveal a Jewish neshama (soul), regardless rabbinic disagreements over rules. The other kind of arguments, the bad kind, don’t less of upbringing and the past few generations of last because they’re all about winning. The two sides family history, and would be a wonderful candidate don’t begin with a belief in each other’s good in- to be part of the Jewish people’s future. Of course, if you disagree with me, I’m happy to tentions, and aside from the drive to win, the overargue about it. ■ whelming desire is to bring the argument to an end.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Installing the Tent Poles of Our Future

y youngest daughter, Hannah, is halfway through the first session of Camp Barney, and she and I could not be happier. She has been waiting for camp to begin all year, and I know she wakes up each morning excited for the day’s activities, especially since she gets to spend the entire day with her best friends and essentially no parental oversight. For me, I know she is immersed in Judaism and loving every minute of it. That is a hard combination to find, but it is something that the Jewish community needs to cultivate for Jewish identity to remain strong from this generation to the next. There are two major players in this space: Jewish sleepaway camp and Taglit-Birthright Israel. Both make being Jewish hip and relevant, both affect our kids’ long-term commitment to Judaism, and both affect tens of thousands of kids, teens and young adults each year. Jewish sleepaway camp entertains over 70,000 kids each summer, and Birthright trips involve over 25,000 teens and young adults each year. These are big and important

numbers for our Jewish community. When you talk to alumni 25 years later or more, you discover that the impressions are lasting. My mother, just this week, recounted songs she sang at Camp Laurelwood (in Connecticut) some 65 years ago. Birthright alumni universally claim that their

Publisher’s Letter By Michael A. Morris michael@atljewishtimes.com

trip changed their lives as well as their perspective on Israel. Those two organizations are important and are well known, but our community needs more. An emerging organization that is having a positive impact on Jewish commitment in thousands of teens a year is AEPi. AEPi is now one of the 10 largest fraternities in North America. It has more than 10,000 undergraduates on over 180 campuses. While some chapters offer more Jewish programing than others, about 2,000 students, representing virtually every chapter,

attend one or two of a dozen Jewish leadership programming retreats each year. Why? Because AEPi makes Jewish leadership training engaging and relevant to student life, and they get to attend with their friends. What is important, however, is that the brothers who have involved themselves with leadership training at AEPi have proved to be more motivated Jewish young adults. AEPi’s research has shown that they tend to stay engaged in Jewish activities immediately after graduation, they think Jewish when they are dating, and they quickly join other Jewish organizations to balance their work life. There are many smaller and local organizations as well. The Atlanta Scholars Kollel offers a program called Yad B’Yad (the name is not unique to ASK) at several private schools in Atlanta. Some of my daughters have been through four years of meetings during high school. This specific program does not provide the immersion that a retreat, trip or overnight camp delivers, but it does provide continual engagement with Judaism that is fun and relevant (which studying for a bat mitzvah doesn’t necessarily offer). Lydia, another daughter of mine,

says she goes to every Yad B’Yad class because it is fun, she is with friends, and while they are learning, there is no test! There are more good programs out there, and we need to cultivate them. In two weeks, the AJT will unveil our list of 25 innovators in the Atlanta Jewish nonprofit world. Some of the organizations represented, or programs highlighted, are working with kids and teens in precisely this fashion. I will not spill the beans, but when we announce our list, you will see several student-based organizations. This is our future. Our children have a choice in their involvement with Judaism; it is unfortunately not a given. As parents and teachers, we need to become creative. We need to motivate engagement. We need to support camp and Birthright, but we also need to look at innovative strategies to make Judaism relevant and engaging. We need to take an in-depth look at our 25 innovators and their programs, see what is working, and promote more of their approaches. As I continue to shepherd your Atlanta Jewish Times, I hope to continue to offer new and exciting engagement opportunities for our community. ■

xcuse me. I hear you talking and you make your points strenuously, but which Israel are you talking about? I often want to interrupt discussions and ask that question. What do you mean? Israel is Israel. It’s not that simple. If you ask “Do you support Israel?” I want to know which Israel you are talking about. Unless it’s clear which Israel is being talked about, conversation may degenerate to argument, using slogans written on bathroom walls (or, if you prefer, in online comment sections). There is the quasi-fairy tale many of us were raised on in Sunday school, contrasted with the Israel that exists today: diverse ethnically, culturally, racially, politically and economically and home to roughly 43 percent of the world’s Jews (themselves diverse religiously). So, which Israel are you talking about?

Do you mean Israel “the Jewish state” or the Israel whose citizens are 75 percent Jewish but also 17 percent Muslim and fewer than 2 percent each Christian and Druze — or, put another

From Where I Sit By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com

way, 75 percent Jewish and nearly 21 percent Arab? Do you mean Israel the Jewish nation or Israel the democracy, and are these (with a nod to Gershom Gorenberg) opposing or complementary terms? Do you mean Israel within the 1949-1967 armistice lines or post-1967 Israel, which includes control of territory that much of the world refers to as the West Bank but that many Jews call the biblical lands of Judaea and Samaria? Do mean the Israel of the status quo with regard to the Palestinians or the Israel of a two-state solution or the

Israel of a one-state “solution”? Do you mean the Israel of Tel Aviv beaches and nightlife and Jerusalem holy sites or the Israel of “settlements” in disputed West Bank territory, border checkpoints and a separation fence? Do you mean the Israel that encourages all Jews to make aliyah or the Israel in which non-Orthodox Jews are discriminated against in matters of marriage, divorce and conversion? Do you mean the Israel world-renowned for its medical and high-tech sectors or the Israel in which nearly 22 percent of the citizens live in poverty away from the hotels that cater to tourists? Do you mean the Israel that American Jews hold fervent opinions about or the Israel that more than half of American Jews have never stepped foot in? Do you mean the Israel in which citizens carry on a 24/7 debate about every aspect of life in their country or the Israel that American Jews talk about, the one in which openly discussing some issues can be problematic?

Do you mean the Israel that suggests American Jews make aliyah or refrain from offering advice or the Israel that receives billions of dollars in U.S. aid and counts on American Jews to lobby their elected representatives on its behalf? Do you mean the Israel that calls itself (and is) America’s greatest ally in a difficult region or the Israel that sometimes behaves as if it takes American support for granted? Do you mean the Israel that brings us such naches or (and) the Israel that can cause us such tsuris? Little about Israel is black or white. Many of the “or” statements above could be “and” or “and/or.” Discussing these and other issues is important in itself because it means we care. Each of us has our own personal Israel, and no two will be the same. So, which Israel are YOU talking about? ■ Dave Schechter is a veteran journalist whose career includes writing and producing reports from Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East.

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

Which Israel Are You Talking About?

AJT 11

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

Unmasking the New Israel Fund

wo very different events took place in the Jewish community of Atlanta on June 8. The first: a board meeting of Israel Bonds, an organization committed to investment in Israel and the Jewish state. The second: a discussion hosted by the New Israel Fund, an organization committed to divestment in Israel as well as delegitimizing Israel and the Israel Defense Forces in the international community. What is sad is that the second event was hosted at Congregation Shearith Israel, and no synagogue, Jewish organization or individual supporting Israel can also support an organization like NIF. NIF has done a great job the past few years to try to hide the truth from the broader Jewish community about its overall goals. The problem for NIF is that it cannot change or hide the facts in the public domain, and it’s time to unmask NIF for what it really is: an organization dedicated to and supportive of the boycott, divestment

and sanctions movement, as well as an organization that continually supports those who try to undermine Israel at the United Nations, in the European Union and before other international bodies. A quick look at the NIF website (www.nif.org) would have one believe that it opposes the BDS movement in “general,” yet NIF spokeswoman Naomi Paiss recently noted that NIF-

Guest Column By George Birnbaum, Hank Sheinkopf and Ronn Torossian

funded organizations “have the right to make their own decisions.” A close look at the organizations that NIF funds clearly shows how NIF is helping to promote BDS and undermine Israel. Two of those organizations, Adalah (which received over $1.6 million from NIF) and Physicians for

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JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

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Human Rights (which received over $700,000 from NIF), were instrumental in helping the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative for children and armed conflict recently recommend including the IDF on the black list of countries and bodies accused of systematically compromising the welfare of children, alongside al-Qaida, Boko Haram, Islamic State, the Taliban and others of the most egregious hu-

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man rights violators of our time (www. i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacydefense/72860-150528-un-envoyput-israel-on-blacklist-for-harmingchildren). Another recipient of funding from NIF, +972 Magazine (which received over $125,000 from NIF), regularly features stories that accuse Israel of being an apartheid state and taking part in ethnic cleansing. Other NIFsupported groups, such as Mossawa (which received over $700,000 from NIF), continually refer to the creation of the state of Israel as a “disaster.” NIF even supports groups in Israel that are considered to be anarchists by the Israeli police. The deputy Tel Aviv district commander, Brig. Gen. Yoram Ohayon, was quoted by Yedioth Ahronoth, a leading newspaper, as saying that anarchists funded by NIF are behind the recent violence during what were intended to be peaceful protests by the Ethiopian community. Two of these anarchists organizations, Hamaabara and Lo Nechmadim, are singled out by NIF (www.newisraelfund.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/nif-annual-report-2013. pdf) as “giving voice to public engagement” in Israel and hence being worthy of NIF support. There is a simple reason why well-regarded organizations such as Birthright refuse to partner with NIF and why Knesset Deputy Speaker Yoni Chetboun said NIF was bent on “erasing the Jewish identity from the Jewish state”: NIF funds and supports groups that harm the IDF, promote BDS and try to undermine the Jewish nature of Israel. Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled recently that the finance minister may

“impose fines and withhold funding from Israeli NGOs calling for boycotts of businesses in all or parts of Israel” and has the power to file lawsuits against those nongovernmental organizations. Justice Hanan Meltzer described boycotts as “political terrorism.” Petitioners in court who sought to overturn the law against boycotting Israel were NIF-sponsored organizations, including Gush Shalom, Adalah and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel. Two billionaire Jewish Americans and major political donors, Republican Sheldon Adelson and Democrat Haim Saban, held a high-profile conference the first weekend of June, gathering countless Jewish organizations and leaders to discuss the need to stand united against boycotts of Israel. While they acknowledged domestic political differences, Adelson and Saban said that “when it comes to Israel, we are absolutely on the same page.” Leading Israeli politician and former Finance Minister Yair Lapid said this month that the BDS movement “is actually a puppet in a theater operated by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.” He also described BDS supporters and leaders as “out and out antiSemites.” We publicly urge synagogues and Jewish organizations to stop hosting events on behalf of NIF. We also urge donors to NIF to stop funding NIF’s boycott of Israel. Any boycott of the state of Israel is horrible and helps to make all of Israel a demonized pariah. Those carrying out the boycotts see all of Israel as “occupied.” We stand with Haim Saban and Sheldon Adelson, and we stand with both right-wing and left-wing members of the Knesset in saying that a boycott is unacceptable and that anyone who supports the state of Israel must not support any boycott of Israel. ■ George Birnbaum is an international political consultant and the partner of Arthur Finkelstein. Birnbaum formerly served as chief of staff for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hank Sheinkopf is the CEO of Sheinkopf Communications and a leading Democratic strategist. His clients have included former President Bill Clinton. Ronn Torossian is CEO of 5WPR, one of the 20 largest independent PR firms in the United States.

OPINION

Offend the Boycotters: Buy Israel Bonds disasters — Nepal, Japan, the Philippines, Haiti and more — who rapidly receive vital supplies and essential medical care from Israeli emergency response teams. While it might seem tempting to engage BDS advocates, who cynically

Guest Column By Izzy Tapoohi

ignore the most egregious abusers of human rights, head-on through Internet forums or verbal confrontations, the most appropriate response is this: Every call for divestment should be met with an investment in Israel’s economy through Israel Bonds. Investing in Israel Bonds defeats the BDS goal of weakening Israel’s economy by doing the exact opposite: helping to keep it strong. In 2014, the Israel Bonds organization, which has been a cornerstone of Israel’s economy since 1951, exceeded $1.1 billion in U.S. domestic sales for the second consecutive year. Significantly, 84 percent of all retail sales in 2014 were transactions under $25,000, demonstrating an ever-growing trend of individual investors becoming stakeholders in Israel’s economy through Israel Bonds. During this time of geopolitical uncertainty, hypocritical double standards, and calls for divestment and boycotts, an investment in Israel Bonds is a definitive and personal response to the actions of those who wish Israel harm. ■ Izzy Tapoohi is the president and CEO of the Development Corporation for Israel (Israel Bonds). This column originally appeared at The Times of Israel.

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Let Us Hear From You The Atlanta Jewish Times welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns. Letters generally are 350 or fewer words; guest columns can run up to 700 words. Send submissions to mjacobs@ atljewishtimes.com, and please include your town of residence and a phone number. For columns, we usually include a photo of the writer. We reserve the right to edit submissions for clarity, style and accuracy but will not change the meaning.

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

We all know the old adage “the best defense is a good offense.” In the era of boycott, divestment and sanctions, investing in Israel’s economy has become our greatest form of offense. While it has long been a sound financial decision, today investing in Israel takes on added relevance as an expression of confidence that the country’s economic resilience will continue despite geopolitical instability and BDS tactics. Through every challenge, Israel’s economy remains an outstanding example of innovation and progress The statistics speak for themselves: Israel’s 2014 fourth-quarter growth was 7.2 percent, double initial projections. The country’s debt-to-GDP ratio — a key indicator of the strength of the economy that helps determine credit ratings and interest payments — decreased by 0.5 percentage point to 67.1 percent. This is lower than many developed countries. The U.S. debt-toGDP ratio is 105.6 percent. The Euro Zone average is 107.7 percent. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average is 94 percent. For a small country like Israel, which has no real export markets in its region and is constantly in a state of heightened military preparedness, this is a considerable accomplishment. The success of Israel’s economy infuriates BDS advocates. Their response includes boycotting Israeli products, companies and social institutions, divesting from corporations that do business with Israel, demanding that companies and institutions rid their portfolios of Israel Bonds, and sanctioning Israel in various diplomatic and economic forums. These actions raise the question of who actually wants Israel boycotted. Certainly not individuals around the world benefiting from Israel’s lifesaving advances in science and medicine. Certainly not the millions of people using made-in-Israel technology to make their daily lives more engaging and productive. And certainly not the distressed citizens of nations afflicted by natural

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LOCAL NEWS

Up Close With Dr. Steven Jaffe

Shedding light on rearing emotionally healthy children

am not related to nor had I ever met Steven Jaffe, one of Atlanta’s leading child/adolescent psychiatrists, until our recent interview. I wish I had, as I always tease that in my next life I want a spouse who is a CPA, car mechanic, veterinarian and psychiatrist. The past four decades, Jaffe has treated thousands of children from his office in Sandy Springs, his professorships at Emory and Morehouse, and his leadership of various addiction programs. His warmth and enthusiasm led him through his training at Johns Hopkins, Albert Einstein, UCLA, Harvard and Emory. He speaks all over the world, primarily on teenage addiction. Jaffe, a New York native, sports a polished green stone talisman from New Zealand and a red hamsa bracelet for good fortune. All his bases are covered — except, stylishly, no socks.

Dr. Jaffe: By the time they get to me, they usually have gone through traditional talk therapy, and psychopharmacology might be the best option. I am very much into parents and patients being in an alliance with me. I welcome their research and

Jaffe’s Jewish Jive By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

AJT

MCJ: A lot of doctors get labeled

14 as “pill pushers.”

involved? Dr. Jaffe: Six percent of highschoolers smoke marijuana daily. We need to reclassify pot so we can do more research. It definitely is not good for the brain of someone under 23. Kids start to escape stress or follow others using drugs. But above all, teens drink, smoke pot and use drugs because it’s fun. Smoking marijuana does impair driving. An alcoholic runs red lights; a pot smoker stops at green lights. The real epidemic today are opiates — pain pills — especially OxyContin [$50 a pill]. When that habit becomes too expensive, they turn to heroin, which is cheap. Yes, Jewish kids also! For the past few years we have an epidemic of heroin addiction in white middle- and upper-class suburban families. This has resulted in the sharp increase of deaths due to accidental overdose. A young heroin addict once told me, “It’s like an angel comes down and wraps me in a warm blanket.” MCJ: So how do you help them? Dr. Jaffe: I help direct one of the best substance abuse treatments: the Insight Program. Here teens learn to connect and experience having fun without drugs and alcohol.

MCJ: Why did you select this field? Dr. Jaffe: Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my younger [by 11 years] brother and knew I wanted to work with children. Also, I was not very good at lab work and found general pediatrics monotonous. I had a wonderful child psychiatry experience and knew that this was where I belonged. A famous genetics professor once posed, “Is what you’re doing asking the questions you want to ask?” In child psychiatry I felt I could ask the questions and might even find some answers. MCJ: Let’s get right to it. Is there much more mental illness among children today? I hear of so many diagnoses of ADHD, bipolar disorders or depression that were not on our radar a few years ago. Dr. Jaffe: Perhaps. Much of the increase may be because the stigma of mental illness has been lifted. Parents, especially Jewish parents, are more concerned with getting their children help. Also, we are better able to diagnose and treat mental problems in children.

emotional problems? Dr. Jaffe: No, I’m not aware of any research that supports that. Jewish parents have always emphasized education. Throughout our history (even if the parents were impoverished), the children were taught to read so they could be knowledgeable of the Torah. Also, thinking and questioning issues of emotional life contributed to Jews being introspective and open to looking at psychiatric problems. Conversely, today’s kids have enormous pressures. I think it’s a tragedy

Psychiatrist Steven Jaffe wears a red hamsa bracelet for good luck.

that there is so much emphasis on test performance, which distracts from emotional growth. I would conjecture that this was the nexus of the Atlanta teachers cheating scandal.

want them to know as much about the problem as I do. Then we can look at possible treatments. MCJ: Do you find that Jewish children have more addiction and

MCJ: So my generation’s parents were too strict. My peers swung the other way to indulge and be friends with our children. Now my children are striving not to spoil their children. Dr. Jaffe: We need a balance between love and boundaries. Our teens need to know they are worthy of love, and they need to emotionally connect with their parents. They need limits so they have a face-saving excuse to avoid high-risk situations. When a teenager says, “Trust me,” the proper response is “Show me.” Saying no can be a loving action. Also, hugs are important. MCJ: Drugs — why do kids get

MCJ: Why do you think your lectures are in demand? What really is your gift? Dr. Jaffe: I started out as an anxiety-ridden, introverted child. I sought advice from smarter people and became an overachiever. I wanted to teach and learned to give very informative, humorous talks. Above all, I have been credited for lecturing where my enthusiasm and love of working with teens is apparent. MCJ: Do you ever get weary of hearing hours of people’s dramas and hardships? Dr. Jaffe: The old joke is “Who listens?” The real answer is no. Every patient I see is unique, and the challenge is how to help them. MCJ: Here’s a quote from 1667 from the Earl of Rochester: “Before I was married, I had three theories about raising children. Now I have three children and no theories.” ■

LOCAL NEWS

THE BUCKHEAD OFFICE CONGRATULATES

Music Magic Emerges From Bipolar Battles

Psychiatrist Kogan peers into the genius of composer Robert Schumann By Kevin Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com

psychiatrist made beautiful music while exploring its link to mental illness in a lecture and performance Tuesday, June 9, at Skyland Trail in Brookhaven. The venue is a mental health treatment center, and the presenter was Dr. Richard Kogan, who is both a renowned psychiatrist and a concert pianist who trained at Juilliard. Kogan’s musical expertise is in the classical pantheon, and his focus for this presentation was on 19th-century German composer Robert Schumann. Kogan noted an association of genius with madness that goes back to the ancient Greeks. “Research suggests mental illness is greater in populations of artists than in the general population. Tchaikovsky was chronically suicidal and depressed. Beethoven was paranoid with delusions, and Rachmaninov dedicated his second piano concerto to his psychiatrist.” Kogan added, “It seems perverse to stigmatize a group whose members have made such extraordinary contributions to civilization.” Schumann “is the best illustration of the blurred boundary with insanity,” Kogan said. He cautioned that retrospective diagnoses of historical figures create their own problems. “I have enough trouble getting the diagnosis right with living, breathing patients.” But Schumann made his job easier because he was a voluminous letter writer who also kept extensive diaries for virtually every day of his adult life. “He had what we in 21st-century language would call bipolar disorder,”

Kogan said. “There was no language for that in the 19th century. Huge chunks of his life were given over to depression. In his last years he didn’t compose at all. Balance that against the undeniable creative advantages in which bipolar disorder magnifies everyday human life experiences into largerthan-life proportions.” Bipolar sufferers can feel intense anguish and ecstasy, fits of rage, and unrestrained emotion. “They draw on this kind of intensity for inspiration. Aspects of hypermanic states are conducive to increased energy and goaloriented activity, sharpened thinking, and a decreased need for sleep.” Normally shy and withdrawn, Schumann during his manic periods would become confident and gregarious, make jokes and puns, and spend money he didn’t have. During one episode, he announced he would compose an opera, which was way beyond the scope of his abilities. These periods would last days, weeks or even months but would always end with a crash. Playing several of Schumann’s pieces on the piano to illustrate his points, Kogan said the composer’s work represented an astonishing array of music — capricious, anguished, whimsical, with abrupt transitions — which is why Schumann’s contemporaries had so much trouble absorbing it. “It’s really important not to overromanticize mental illness. Most depressed people are just far too paralyzed to write a novel or a symphony, too disorganized to put together anything that’s coherent,” Kogan said. “But some have access to another world, and I think they are motivated in some ways to create.” ■

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Photos by Kevin Madigan

Psychiatrist and concert pianist Richard Kogan explores the music and the madness of Robert Schumann.

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JUNE 19 â&#x2013;Ş 2015

YOUTH

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16 Check your answers to the Super Shabbat Sheet for Korach at atlantajewishtimes.com/2015/06/super-shabbat-solutions-for-korach.

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LOCAL NEWS

Registration Open for LimmudFest Seventh-annual gathering set for Labor Day weekend

riday, June 19, is the deadline for early-bird registration for the seventh-annual LimmudFest retreat. The Limmud Atlanta + Southeast event is Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4 to 7, at Camp Ramah Darom. It includes Shabbat and Selichot. LimmudFest is one of three multiday North American conferences of the Limmud network, which has spread to more than 60 nations since its founding in Britain 30 years ago. The festival attracts Jews of all backgrounds and ages for lively, open learning sessions and worship. Participants choose from more than 70 workshops, discussions, speakers, musical performances, arts, text study, Jewish culture and ritual, all planned by Limmud’s volunteers. Anyone who registers may propose a session. “No other place in Jewish Atlanta looks like Limmud,” board chair Nina Rubin said. “We are a crossroad for singles, young families with kids, Gen Xers, millennials, boomers and beyond.” The speakers and presenters are a mix of internationally recognized scholars and locals, including: • Midrash scholar Yaffa Epstein from Israel’s Pardes Institute. • Leah and Ari Sollish of Chabad

Intown. • University of Georgia professor Richard Elliott Friedman, author of “Who Wrote the Bible?” • Peter Geffen, the founder of KIVUNIM, an organization that brings

through work on body image and gender identity. • Ruth Abusch-Magder, rabbi in residence of Be’chol Lashon, an organization devoted to the Jewish community’s diversity, and editor of its blog on

Above: Camp Ramah @ Limmud is an option for children ages 5 to 12. Right: LimmudFest offers participants more than 70 options for learning during the weekend.

teens and college students to Israel to build lifelong connections. • Brooklyn foodie Liz Alpern of The Gefilteria. • Storyteller and Limmud favorite Janie Gracken. • Billy Planer, the director of Etgar 36, a civil rights travel program. • Helene and Michael Kates, the Baal Shem Tones. • Tamara Cohen of Moving Traditions, which promotes self-discovery

MyJewishLearning.com. LimmudFest is not aligned with any denomination, and participants range from Orthodox synagogue members to the unaffiliated, united by a desire to craft their personal Jewish journeys. LimmudFest drops such titles as rabbi, doctor and professor, and everyone is on a first-name basis. “We’re a comfortable place for every level of Jewish observance,” Rubin said. “Limmud makes it work with love

and respect for all.” The Camp Ramah Darom staff will run Camp Ramah @ Limmud for children ages 5 to 12. “My daughter looks forward to LimmudFest all year long,” said ModernTribe owner Jennie Rivlin Roberts, a past chair of LimmudFest. “She loves her Limmud friends and especially the Havdalah bonfire, complete with kosher s’mores.” Ramah’s recreational options, including swimming, boating, hiking and rock climbing, are open to participants when they aren’t in sessions. The dining room porch serves as a site for schmoozing during the day and a bar for ages 21 and older at night. Registration includes all kosher meals and lodging, which ranges from camping ($180 per person early bird, $199 regular) to staying in a deluxe motel room ($540 early, $590 regular). Visit www.limmudse.org/limmudfest.html for full registration information. ■

Limmud Founder Guides Latest Volunteers

f you attend LimmudFest and spill coffee, don’t expect one of the volunteer staffers to clean your mess. “Limmud expects adults to behave like adults,” Clive Lawton, one of the founders of the Limmud movement in England 30 years ago, told the fourth training session of Limmud Atlanta + Southeast’s 2015 young adult development group Sunday night, June 14. Lawton, making a brief visit to Atlanta after a training program to Chicago, wanted the dozen 22- to 30-yearolds training to be Limmud leaders to understand that their role is not to be service staff and that all attendees should participate, not just consume. Limmud, a Hebrew word for learning, is “spreading like a rash all over the world,” Lawton said. The values-driven, nondenominational movement promises to help participants take one more step on their personal Jewish journeys. “Limmud ought not to be superfi-

cial. It ought to be deep and moving,” Lawton said. Limmud’s volunteer-organized events give participants options for learning and give the learners, not the teachers, the power. Lawton said it’s hard to keep track in the nonhierarchical movement, but there are 80 to 85 Limmud groups now, including 17 in North America. “It’s not the British Empire, but the sun doesn’t set Photo by Michael Jacobs on Limmud,” he said. Eliana Leader listens as Clive Lawton offers leadership insights to Limmud’s YAD group. He said the YAD initiative is among the reasons She said a key moment on her path that Limmud Atlanta + Southeast is a to Limmud leadership was a training good Limmud. Other groups will try to session Lawton led two years ago, and emulate YAD to address the problem of she hoped he would spark something how to train the next leaders. similar in the Atlanta YAD group. “We are looking to support a But first Lawton had to help the committed and prepared generation YAD members recognize what makes of emerging young leaders who will Limmud special, although it is not a strengthen the Atlanta Jewish commu- fixed thing. “Every time you think you nity,” Eliana Leader, who directs the have it in a bag, break the bag open.” YAD program, said in May.

Limmud is driven by a set of values, not rules or structure. The organization is continually being broadened and flattened to incorporate more volunteers without creating a hierarchy. People can jump into Limmud and grab leadership positions within weeks, in part because the leadership is not limited, Lawton said. “There’s never a time to say we’ve got enough now.” He said Limmud needs to be “porous and flexible and baggy and loose.” The international movement intentionally lacks local control. Anyone who wants to start a Limmud and will comply with the values is welcome to use the name, Lawton said, and while Limmud will offer support and advice, it will not provide answers. Each group must chart its own course, even on such basic decisions as whether volunteers wear identification, enabling people to find them for help, or blend in, encouraging the ideal of everyone at Limmud being equal participants. “Atlanta,” Lawton said, “is a beauti17 ful example of the creature.” ■ JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

AJT

LOCAL NEWS

The ’90s Rule

The second-annual Color War held by the Sixth Point (thesixthpoint.org) drew 24 participants to Brook Run Park in Dunwoody on Sunday, June 7, for a three-team competition: yellow, representing the 1970s; blue, 1980s; and red, 1990s. Each team was judged on its mascot, poster, and parody song (“Winnin’ the Game” to the tune of “Stayin’ Alive” for the 1970s, “We’ve Got You Beat” to the tune of “We’ve Got the Beat” for the 1980s and “Livin’ La Vida Roja” to the tune of “Livin’ La Vida Loca” for the 1990s). They also competed in a potato sack race, a water balloon toss, a dizzy bat relay, a three-legged race, a tug of war and penny wars. Judges awarded points at their discretion for team spirit, color- or decade-themed snacks, and pretty much anything else they wanted. The red team claimed the victory for the 1990s. ■

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Below left: Competing for the blue (1980s) team in tug of war are (from left) Michael Mooney, Leah Fuhr (face blocked), Stacey Breier, Jami Rechtman, Rebecca Shaw and Marina Alberhasky. Right: Playing tug of war for the red (1990s) team are (from left) Leanne Cossin, Sarah Goodman (face blocked), Debra Spector, Yael Jacknis, Matt Steinberg and Evan Alberhasky.

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

Middle left: Yellow (1970s) team members (from left) Kamy Simian, Maxine Bier, Aaron Karp, Michelle Fox, Megan Weiss and Heather Rosenheck work on the team poster. Middle right: Kamy Simian and Michelle Fox sport their silly yellow costumes. Bottom left; They’re not quite heroes on a half-shell, but blue team members (from left) Jami Rechtman, Stacey Breier, Marina Alberhasky, Michael Mooney, Rebecca Shaw, Atoosa Arfa and Leah Fuhr are masked like the 1980s icons Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Bottom right: Competing for the victorious red team are (from left) Dana Spector, Matt Steinberg, Jackie Nix, Sarah Goodman, Yael Jacknis, Leanne Cossin and Evan Alberhasky.

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Neuman’s Murder Conviction Toppled

iller Hemy Neuman had his murder conviction overturned on a 6-1 ruling by the Georgia Supreme Court on Monday, June 15. Neuman, who admitted fatally shooting fellow Jewish community member Rusty Sneiderman outside a Dunwoody preschool in November 2010, has been serving a life sentence without possibility of parole since being found guilty of malice murder but mentally ill in DeKalb County Superior Court on March 15, 2012. The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office said the state will retry Neuman, and he will remain behind bars unless he persuades a judge to reverse a 2011 ruling denying him bond. Neuman claimed that he had an affair with Sneiderman’s wife, Andrea, who worked for him at GE Energy, and that delusions led him to believe he had to kill Rusty Sneiderman for the good of the Sneiderman children. The murder case led Neuman’s wife, Reli, to divorce him, and Rusty Sneiderman’s parents and other relatives declared their belief that Andrea Sneiderman had a role in the death. She was charged in 2013 with 13 counts related to obstructing the murder investigation and lying at Neuman’s trial, although DeKalb prosecutors dropped a murder charge against her. A jury convicted her in August 2013 of nine charges, including perjury, for which she served 10 months in prison of a five-year sentence. Her trial was packed with connections to the Jewish community, such as references in email to the Marcus Jewish Community Center and Yom Kippur; a mention that the Sneidermans met at Hillel at Indiana University; discussions about sitting shiva; and Chabad of North Fulton Rabbi Hirshy Minkowicz’s testimony for the defense. Although her record will be cleared after she completes parole in 2017 if she commits no other crimes because she was convicted as a firsttime offender, she appealed for a new trial. Her attorneys argued in part that her testimony didn’t prevent Neuman’s conviction and so shouldn’t be judged as criminal, but she lost the appeal in Superior Court in February. Neuman argued before the Supreme Court on Jan. 20 that his conviction should be overturned in part because the prosecution used Sneiderman’s perjured testimony, but the

court refused to address that issue. Instead, in an opinion written by Justice Carol Hunstein, the majority focused on attorney-client privilege. In preparing his insanity defense, Neuman’s lawyers had forensic psychiatrist Julie Rand Dorney and psychologist Peter Thomas meet with the killer in jail. They were working for the defense and were never intended to appear in court as expert witnesses. But the prosecution subpoenaed the notes and other work materials the two mental health experts submitted to the defense team. The Supreme Court justices found the two doctors in effect became prosecution witnesses. The prosecution argued that any extension of attorney-client privilege to the doctors was waived when the defense used an insanity plea. But six of the seven justices disagreed. “The privilege is not waived if the expert will neither serve as a witness at trial nor provide any basis for the formulation of other experts’ trial testimony,” Hunstein wrote. The court also found that the evidence from the two doctors hurt Neuman. Prosecutors used that evidence to counter testimony from defense experts and quoted from Thomas’ notes in closing arguments to support the idea that Neuman was faking mental illness. The jury even asked to see those notes during deliberations. Justice Harold Melton disagreed with the ruling on the basis of a disclosure form Neuman signed once when he met with the two doctors in jail. The form states in part: “The examination is not confidential, nor is it for the purpose of treatment. Anything we discuss in the examination may be included in the written report or may be disclosed in court. Therefore, nothing is off the record and anything you say or do during the evaluation is not a secret.” The majority decided that because the form specified that the meeting resulted from a referral from Neuman trial attorney Robert Rubin, it did not waive attorney-client privilege. Melton argued that the form should be taken at face value. Its declarations that anything discussed could be used in court and would not be confidential, as well as the fact that the previous examinations were discussed at that meeting, should mean that attorney-client privilege did not apply. ■

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LOCAL NEWS

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LOCAL NEWS

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Circle of Special Life

Friendship Circle benefits volunteers and those with special needs By Fran Memberg fmemberg@atljewishtimes.com

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

ickelle New experienced a negative childhood incident she knows her young children won’t have to deal with. In her native Australia, she encountered a special-needs child. “It was strange, the unknown. I was terrified of her,” New said. As a teenager, she turned in the other direction and was a volunteer with the Friendship Circle, a Jewish organization that brings together children with special needs and teenagers for fun and friendship. “I wanted to get over the fear,” New said. Now New is the director of Atlanta’s Friendship Circle. “I see the importance of getting involved as a young child,” she said. “My kids are growing up associated with people with special needs.” Each of the 79 Friendship Circle locations worldwide is operated by the local Chabad-Lubavitch center and supported by the local community. Five thousand special-needs children and 11,000 teen volunteers have benefited from the program. New launched Atlanta’s Friendship Circle at the beginning of 2011 with help from her husband, Yale New, who grew up in Sandy Springs and is the son of Chabad of Georgia’s Rabbi Yossi New. They live in Toco Hills with their nearly 2-year-old daughter and 6-yearold son. The couple lived in Australia for one year after they married, and when they moved to metro Atlanta, New started the local Friendship Circle. Yale New helped with fundraising, and Rickelle New made presentations at Jewish day schools and Jewish clubs at public schools. Word of mouth spread, and today the special-needs population participating in Atlanta’s Friendship Circle is about equally split between children and adults. The youngest is 3; the eldest is 65. Some 70 individuals with special needs participate, and the teen volunteers number 120. Until this year, New juggled all Friendship Circle tasks: participant and volunteer recruitment, programming ideas, and execution. Now Chaiky 20 Lipskier is the program coordinator,

AJT

and Menucha Sperlin is the volunteer coordinator. New focuses on managing the organization as a whole, including new program development, finding more families to participate, and establishing goals other than the general target of creating an exclusively Jewish community where special-needs children and adults feel welcome. She said she would like to start an adult volunteer group. Top left: Rickelle New leads Atlanta’s Friendship Circle with the support of Among many husband Yale New and many others. pro grams, New has Top right: Jennifer Freedman, who planned monthly graduated from the Weber School birthday parties in May, says that volunteering around activities such with the Friendship Circle puts her own problems in perspective. as bowling, pottery and Middle right: Volunteer Brooke, 16, miniature golf. Jewish and special-needs child Sammy, 5, holiday programs ofparticipate in a Friendship Circle event. fer hands-on fun for Bottom right: Volunteer Sara, 17, and Joey, children to prepare for 15, enjoy Friendship Circle programming. holidays. Adults with spegregation Or Hadash rabbis. Mindy cial needs can attend cooking classes Weinberg said the program helps her co-sponsored by Jewish Family & Cason socially. “He has no regular peers reer Services, and the Jewish Experito hang out with. His teen friend [a volential Learning Program offers adults unteer] at Friendship Circle is his only with special needs a monthly opporsocial outlet.” tunity to gather for pizza and learning Weinberg said her son enjoys the about Jewish topics of interest. monthly birthday parties and learning Mark Benator, 65, of Dunwoody about Jewish holidays. “We know he’s has attention deficit disorder/attention happy there.” deficit hyperactivity disorder and has The Weinbergs, who live in Sandy participated in the Friendship Circle Springs, have enjoyed meeting other for about two years. parents whose children attend the “It’s great. I have friends in it and Friendship Circle and like the expandmeet new people, and my niece is now ed programming. a volunteer,” said Benator, who lives inEast Cobb resident and new Weber dependently in a townhouse with two School graduate Jennifer Freedman other special-needs adults. has volunteered one on one through He works at Alon’s Bakery and the Friendship Circle for two years Market and is a licensed real estate with a 7-year-old who was nonverbal agent. but now speaks. He said skills he has learned at the Freedman sees her interaction Friendship Circle and other Jewish speas offering friendship to a girl who cial-needs programs through the years doesn’t have too many friends. have helped him “concentrate to do my She has taken her volunteerism to job.” heart. “It puts everything into perspecMindy and James Weinberg’s tive. My issues aren’t as serious as they 12-year-old son is on the autism specseem,” Freedman said. “It’s given my trum. They learned about the Friendlife new meaning and helped me deship Circle from one of their Concide to work with special-needs kids.”

New said the Friendship Circle for the teens isn’t just learning about special needs. “It’s about inclusion and how volunteers learn about giving and love. They learn from the special needs as well as vice versa.” The special-needs participants who are verbal tell New about their favorite Friendship Circle activities, how they are growing in self-confidence and how they are learning tools to make friends outside the group. What does New like hearing? “I love my friends at Friendship Circle.” ■

BUSINESS

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hile 50 may be the new 40 in terms of lifestyle, vitality and longevity, it’s important to take a more earnest and pragmatic approach toward your longterm financial health in your 50s than you may have in your 40s. Retirement may have felt far away a decade ago, but now it’s approaching rapidly. Many people in their 50s also feel the financial pressure of being part of the “sandwich generation,” a growing group of individuals who simultaneously support their adult children and aging parents in addition to saving for their own financial goals. Here are a few financial tips for people who are in their 50s: • Organize your financial priorities. Saving aggressively for retirement should be at the top of your list. You likely still have other financial obligations, but it is critical that you don’t put retirement on the back burner. Try to find a balance between funding your family members’ needs, such as college or assisted living expenses, and your personal savings. These decisions are often difficult and even overwhelming, but a written financial plan with guidelines for you and your family can make them easier. • Kick your savings into high gear. If you’re saving for retirement but have the ability to increase the amount you’re contributing to your 401(k) or IRA, do it. Know the maximum contribution you may make each year, adjust what you’re saving accordingly, and ensure you’re taking full advantage of your company’s matching program. If your savings are lacking, don’t panic, but recognize you might have some catching up to do. The good news is that after age 50 you can make catch-up contributions to most retirement plans. • Calculate what you’ll need for retirement. Set aside some time to determine the expenses you’ll likely incur during retirement. Keep in mind that the financial impact of health care and long-term care can be sizable and that with the average lifespan increasing, you may need to rely on your retirement savings for 30 years or longer. Though they shouldn’t replace the advice of a professional adviser, online resources like a retirement savings calculator can provide a baseline to get you started. • Be realistic. Retirement may

be a possibility for you within five or 10 years, or it could be more distant. Regardless, now is the time to evaluate what you will spend your money on once you’ve retired and to discuss your retirement plans with your family. If you have a spouse or significant other, set goals together and make sure your plans are aligned. Consider where you might live and whether you

Guest Column Contributed by Allen Shpigel www.ShpigelFinancialGroup.com

plan to travel or work part time. If you find that your retirement expenses are largely out of reach, adjust your savings, or make some decisions about how you’ll prioritize your goals. • Anticipate bumps in the road. Your role as a parent and a child is never-ending, but as your family grows and changes, so should the level of financial support you provide. Have candid conversations with any family member you’re supporting financially and set realistic expectations. If your adult children or aging parents need help making healthy money decisions, provide advice, but resist opening your pocketbook if it will put your own financial security in jeopardy. Also, be prepared for changes that might affect your plans, such as an early retirement offer or unexpected illness. While these can be difficult to prepare for, examining scenarios and establishing contingency plans can help ensure you’re always financially secure. Your 50s could bring many milestones, such as becoming an empty-nester or a grandparent or dealing with the death of a parent, and all these things could affect your finances. If you aren’t working with a financial adviser, consider doing so. A professional can help you navigate the complexities of estimating what you’ll need and help you organize, plan and save, regardless of what comes your way. ■ Allen Shpigel is a financial adviser and chartered retirement planning counselor with Shpigel Financial Group, a financial advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. He specializes in fee-based financial planning and asset management strategies and has been in practice 12 years.

Tessler Promoted To President of Conexx By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

Tessler said his focus must change from operations to strategy. He sees a need to develop new processes and proConexx spent months searching grams to increase revenue and thus infor a new leader but in the end didn’t crease capacity and push Conexx into have to look far, promoting Chief Oper- “spiral growth.” ating Officer Guy Tessler to president. He has ideas about that growth. “We went through a rigorous Tessler said he would like to see search process and vetted over 50 more programs that bring together candidates for this position,” said Joel larger U.S. and Israeli corporations and Neuman, a Coca-Cola North America expand their relationships in scope vice president and senior managing and intensity. counsel in his final month as Conexx He wants to bring more groups on chairman. “Our process reinforced that missions to Israel, both in state and reGuy was the best person for this role, gional groups serving Conexx’s Southand we’re so glad he will remain with eastern turf, and he hopes to bring Conexx and [we can] continue to take more Israeli companies to programs in advantage of his wealth of knowledge the Southeast. and incredible connections with both He said one area that’s ripe for Israeli and American new U.S.-Israeli conbusinesses.” nections is the autoA Haifa native motive sector, which raised in Jerusalem, is growing rapidly in Tessler has been with the Southeast with Conexx since 2007, companies such when it was still as Kia, Hyundai, known as the AmeriPorsche, Mercedescan-Israeli Chamber Benz and Volvo. of Commerce, South“This is a trend east Region. that is happening, “It’s a great com- Guy Tessler, who was a paratrooper, and there are Israeli has experience with Falcon West pliment and a great companies that serve Security and Investigations in Los recognition that I’ve Angeles and the Israel Association of the automotive inbeen probably doing dustry,” Tessler said. Community Centers in Jerusalem. some good during He said some of them the time I have been are operating in the here,” Tessler said of the promotion. Southeast, such as ARKAL Automotive He succeeds Shai Robkin as the in Auburn, Ala., and A.L. Industries in Sandy Springs-based business connec- Spartanburg, S.C. tor’s top professional. Robkin replaced Tessler said Conexx is evaluating longtime leader Tom Glaser in summer staffing based on budget and needs, so 2013 and led the organization through it’s not clear whether he will hire a new last year’s name change before an- COO. “Obviously we are a small organinouncing his departure late in 2014. zation, so it’s all about teamwork and Having a second change of lead- being able to share responsibilities.” ership along with the name change in The team, which includes Vice less than two years after Glaser was in President Barry Swartz, marketing charge for 22 years raised some doubts coordinator Julie Jacobson, Israel repabout Conexx’s long-term viability, Tes- resentative Bracha Shlomo and office sler said, so it’s crucial for him to pro- manager Shelley Samach, will have vide stability while ensuring the orga- help from former Chairman Andre nization’s legacy. Schnabl, who has agreed to serve as a Conexx couldn’t risk a third search strategic adviser to help explain Confor a leader any time soon, he said, so exx’s mission and vision. he had urged the executive committee Schnabl has credibility in the busito make the right decision for the long ness and Jewish communities and is a term. That’s why the search process strong spokesman for Israel, Tessler took six months. said. He expects Schnabl to help attract “Assuming good health, my plan is funding and grow membership, includto stick through it and see the organi- ing young adults and women. zation grow and prosper,” Tessler said. “I think this is a great asset,” TesIn shifting from COO to president, sler said. ■

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

Checklist for Your 50s

AJT 21

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

Photos by Ruby Grossblatt Top left: Congregation Beth Jacob Rabbi Ilan Feldman (right) presents an award to Rabbi Menachem Deutsch for his role in founding Temima. Top right: The Temima graduation crowd in Congregation Beth Jacob’s Heritage Hall honors Harold Stiefel, the outgoing president of Temima’s board. Middle left: Rabbi David Silverman (left), the dean of the Atlanta Scholars Kollel, and Rabbi Menachem Deutsch, the former director of the kollel Middle right: New Temima graduate Malka Deutsch shares her celebration with parents Rabbi Menachem and Dena Deutsch and some of her siblings. Bottom right: Joel Marks speaks at the Temima graduation on behalf of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. Bottom left: Rabbi Menachem Deutsch (left) and Federation representative Joel Marks

Brought to Tears By Profound Holiness By Mindy Rubenstein mrubenstein@atljewishtimes.com

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

hursday, June 11, I attended the graduation ceremony of Temima High School. Ten girls completed a chapter of their lives, and we were all there to celebrate their accomplishment. But this was unlike any graduation I have ever witnessed. There was something magical about the ceremony. After leaving, I got into my car and wept. At first I attributed the tears to feeling as if I would never be as holy as those girls. They received an amazingly complete and wholesome education, learning how to connect with G-d and how to channel both their positive and negative character traits to walk a holy path. They spoke with confidence and eloquence and fear of G-d. They spoke about dressing modestly in an age when society makes it challenging. They spoke about giving up small things for a greater reward. These are unlike any teenagers 22

AJT

I have ever known. It was like entering another world, one that is authentic and pure and complete. The school’s principal, Rebbetzin Miriam Feldman, seems to see each of those girls right through to their souls, realizing what is uniquely beautiful about each of them and drawing out their strengths in an incredible way. I have heard many good things about the school, but Thursday night I was able to see why people find Temima to be so truly special. And it makes me so grateful that we moved hundreds of miles to live here. As somewhat recent baalai teshuvas, my husband and I have worked to bring Torah and holiness into our lives. It hasn’t always been easy. Though our formal Jewish education was lacking, we are working to ensure that our children’s is not.

So why the tears? “I, too, cry my heart out at these graduations, so I know what you are talking about,” a rabbi told me when I shared my experience with him. “For me, they are religiously elevating experiences.” He added: “I suspect you were in touch with something profound and huge, and that is why you cried. I doubt it was because of your feelings of inadequacy, though it sometimes shows up that way.” Indeed, now I know why people are drawn to the Temima graduation ceremony, even if they aren’t directly connected with one of the graduates.

We were in the presence of holiness, girls who get what it is to be a Jewish woman, who know the language of the soul, who know, at a young age, what it is to persevere during the test of life and to grow close to the Creator. At these graduations, souls are laid bare. It was a profoundly moving experience to see it. ■

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EDUCATION

Temima Honors Founder at Graduation School sends 10 women of valor into the world By Mindy Rubenstein mrubenstein@atljewishtimes.com

The Class of 2015

The

Malka Deutsch Raizel Dwek Channah Goldberger Gavriella Shoshana Greenberg Adina Horvath Rochel Khoshkerman Rivka Lindenblatt Chana Malka Lipschutz Photo by Ruby Grossblatt

Temima founder Rabbi Menachem Deutsch celebrates the graduation of daughter Malka.

Day School down LaVista Road. He remarked on Rabbi Deutsch’s unending humility despite his power, reliability and successful leadership. He said Rabbi Deutsch is blessed with the “Midas touch,” though G-d does the touching while he serves as His agent. “True humility is not thinking about yourself less,” Rabbi Feldman said. “It is thinking less about yourself.” Joel Marks, the vice chairman of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, noted that the Temima website says the school’s mission is to “enable each student to reach her full potential as a committed, G-d fearing Jew and a productive member of society.” “Imagine where we would be as a Jewish people” if we all took those words to heart, he said. Sending girls to Temima is “an investment with infinite returns,” Marks added. Seven of the 10 graduates gave moving speeches that were specific to their own interests and experiences but connected flawlessly to their faith

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in G-d and their character refinement. The powerful speeches drew gasps of enthusiasm, tears and applause. “There is no event that I would rather be recognized than at the Temima graduation,” said Rabbi Deutsch, whose third daughter, Malka, was graduating. “I cry every year,” he said of the ceremony, known in the community

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he 10 graduates of Temima High School — poised with nervous smiles while gripping red roses — marched in a processional through the 100 or so guests at Congregation Beth Jacob on Thursday night, June 11. Aishet Chayil (Woman of Valor), a special Shabbat song for the Jewish woman, played in the background, a tribute to what these young women will become when they set the tone of love, spirituality and personal growth for all those around them. The words are found in the Book of Proverbs. Outgoing board President Harold Stiefel was the first to address the crowd, encouraging the girls to thank their parents, reflect and be proud. “After tonight, these girls are going out” into the world, he said. Rabbi Ilan Feldman of Congre gation Beth Jacob, who had to catch a plane to Phoenix for his grandson’s brit milah, spoke about and introduced honoree Rabbi Menachem Deutsch, who was instrumental in launching and growing Temima. Rabbi Feldman noted that Rabbi Deutsch, who led the Atlanta Scholars Kollel for 25 years, “built and strengthened every Torah institution in Atlanta,” including the Toco Hills eruv, the mikvah, Congregation Ariel in Dunwoody and the finances of Torah Day School. He founded Temima, a girls high school with no building, no staff, no support and no money. Temima just finished its first year in a new, state-of-the-art building on the campus of Beth Jacob after years in temporary classrooms next to Torah

for its emotional impact. He spoke of the magic of Temima, which “captures the minds and souls” of its students. “To everyone who helped build this school, I am eternally and humbly grateful,” he said. “Temima is the perfect place for a complete education … wholesome, balanced, healthy and nurturing.” Indeed, the Hebrew word “temima” means complete. Rebbetzin Miriam Feldman, the head of school, said the girls’ “precious lives are about to take flight. … Where would we be without G-d, who has been with us every moment of our lives?” She added: “We’ve gone through a lot together, ups and downs.” As she and Jean Katz, who helped fund what is officially the Richard & Jean Katz High School, handed out diplomas, Feldman read a short poem she had prepared for each girl, encapsulating her unique strengths in a few heartfelt words. “Each girl is a different world,” she said. ■

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EDUCATION

Brickman Recalls Battle To Expose Emory Bias By Zach Itzkovitz

scattered. In an initial attempt to reprimand the school, Brickman showed r. Perry Brickman recounted that 65 percent of Jews in Emory’s denuncovering anti-Semitism in tal school had either been flunked out Emory University’s dental or forced to repeat a year. When that information reached school during an appearance Sunday, Buhler, he resigned. That was it — no June 7, at the Atlanta Jewish Academy. “In 1943, right in the middle of acknowledgment and no apology. In 2006, Brickman attended an World War II, the American Dental Association sent its highest-paid indi- exhibit, “The Faces of Emory,” which vidual, Dr. Harold H. Horner, and his included student statistics from 1948 to staff around the country to assess each 1961. It revived his frustration. After five years, Brickman preof the 39 dental schools in the United sented a short film to States,” Brickman said. Emory Vice President “There were only three Gary Hauk. The film dental schools in the showed brief interviews South at that time.” with Jewish victims of Horner released Emory’s discrimination. a report finding that “They were going 24 percent of dental to apologize,” Brickman students in the United said. “They said, ‘We States came from New don’t want to publicize Jersey or New York. this before it happens. He judged that more We want it really to hapthan one-third of dental pen big.’ ” students were “largely of Facing pressure a foreign extraction and from history professor belong mainly to one Deborah Lipstadt, Hauk racial group.” With the Emory’s discrimination didn’t stop blessing of the Ameri- Perry Brickman from becoming publicized the school’s formal apology after a can Dental Association, a successful oral surgeon. private apology. Horner advised dental “They wanted to schools to enact quotas for students from the Northeast — break the story their way,” Brickman quotas that were disproportionately said, “and she knew the person at The New York Times. They broke it that applied to Jews. John E. Buhler was the dean of way.” On Oct. 12, 2012, Emory President Emory’s dental school from 1948 to 1961. Brickman uncovered the applica- James Wagner formally apologized at tion Buhler used for admission, which the Woodruff Library. A film composed asked students their race and offered of brief interviews with Jewish former the options of “Caucasian, Jew, or Oth- students, “From Silence to Recognition,” was screened, and Lipstadt took er.” Brickman’s efforts to publicize part in a panel discussion on Emory’s and rectify the discrimination were anti-Semitic practices. ■

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6/9/15 2:57 PM

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NATIONAL NEWS

Wild, Wild Kvetch

History often overlooks the Jews of the Old West people who were Irish tended to be in the same neighborhood. The Polish were in the same neighborhood.” t was 24 years ago that Lisa SimpBut plenty of Jewish men left their son explained why her substitute mark in the West, to the extent that the teacher’s cowboy costume was fac- Western States Jewish History Associatually incorrect. She was right until her tion has proclaimed the period of 1849 third point, when she remarked that to 1899 in the Wild West to be the third her teacher was Jewish. golden age of Jewish history, after the “And, for the record, there were a time of King Solomon and the 13th cenfew Jewish cowboys, ladies and gentle- tury in Muslim-ruled Spain. men,” Mr. Bergstrom replied. “It was a time when we were free Two stereotypes about the Old to do the best we could, using our intelWest that have survived through the ligence, creativity, hard work ethic and decades are the idea that cowboys were Jewish Values,” according to the assotough and adventurciation’s online Jewish ous and the belief that Museum of the Amerithere weren’t many can West. “During this Jews. In fact, the West period we found ourwas where unmarried selves in a totally free, Jewish men headed in capitalistic society.” the 1800s when they The museum webcouldn’t find good jobs site says Jews flourLeft: Levi Strauss invented a in New York or Chicaished as merchants at merchandise category when he go. Because few Jewish used the tent canvas he brought to all levels and became women were out West, California to create denim pants. sheriffs, marshals, Jewish men tended to mayors, legislators and marry gentiles, includ- Right: Shown in the 1880s in Tucson, even an American InNathan Benjamin Appel, a German ing Native Americans. dian chief. immigrant who was the first Jewish “Several things One of the most settler in Arizona, was typical of happened because of famous Jewish WestJewish men in the Old West: He that,” said Jim Dun- was a merchant and a lawman, and erners is Levi Strauss, he married a Catholic woman. ham, a special projects who created denim director and historian jeans. Strauss traveled at the Booth Western Art Museum in to California with canvas during the Cartersville. “Because of the influence 1849 gold rush. of the community or their wives, even He planned to turn the material if they kept dietary laws, they tended into tents for miners, but when he arnot to build synagogues, and they tend- rived, he discovered that the miners ed not to have too much of an impact didn’t need tents — they needed pants. publicly. They were very quietly prac“Their pants were getting ripped,” ticing their religion.” Dunham said. “Back in those days, That’s why historians have left out most pairs of pants were made out of Jewish men when writing about the wool or some kind of homespun cotOld West, Dunham said. “They tend to ton. They were down on their hands get lost in the shuffle.” and knees, and they were ripping holes Back in the 1800s, Jewish people in their knees.” commonly worked in merchandising, So Strauss dyed his canvas indigo clothing manufacturing, banking and and turned it into trousers with reinother small businesses. Ethnic groups forced knees, creating the first jeans. tended to live together far more than “They called them Levi’s,” Dunham they do in today’s United States. said. “He literally brought a whole new “People don’t simply go to the Pol- industry that had never existed before. ish community to live or the Jewish It’s a great story.” neighborhood to live,” Dunham said. Because miners were the first to “In the 1850s in any major U.S. city, wear Levi’s pants, it took a while for the when you gravitated from the Old jeans to spread to cowboys, who viewed World, it was because you wanted a miners as beneath them, Dunham said. new life. A lot of people left poverty. But around the start of the 20th cenThey left sickness. What they did, of tury, cowboys and wranglers realized course, was they joined relatives, and that the toughest pants they could wear they tended to move into the neighbor- were Levi’s dyed canvas pants. hood. It was a natural thing that all the “Now any time you go to a rodeo

ethnic background, (but) or function where there if you want to see Wyatt are horses, all the cowboys Earp’s grave, you have to go are wearing blue jeans,” to a Jewish cemetery outDunham said. “It was the side San Francisco,” Duninventive, creative Jewish ham said. businessman who came up An earlier Jewish piowith the idea first.” neer was Joseph Simon, There’s also a Jewish who immigrated to the connection to the famous United States in 1740 at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. age of 28. One of the first In 1877, Wyatt Earp — fur trappers, Simon traded the Pima County, Ariz., depglass beads for cloth, steel uty sheriff and Tombstone This book, purportedly city deputy town marshal, written by Wyatt Earp’s knives and iron pots. He best known to history for Jewish wife, is believed then traveled the Susqueto be a hoax. hanna River to trade those that famous shootout — household items to Native married Josephine Marcus, the daughter of a Jewish baker in San Americans for fur. “He was part of the first trappers Francisco. Marcus met Earp while travand first traders that went out west and eling around the West as a dancer. The Earps were married for close established the West,” Dunham said. to 50 years, Dunham said, and Earp, “He was an interesting guy. He learned despite his Methodist and Presbyterian how to trade with the Indians.” For more on Jewish people in the heritage, was buried in the Jewish Hills of Eternity cemetery in Colman, Calif., West, read the book “Jews of the American West,” edited by Moses Rischin and where his wife’s family had a plot. “He doesn’t come from a Jewish John Livingston. ■

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JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

By Cady Schulman cschulman@atljewishtimes.com

AJT 25

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NATIONAL NEWS

Israel’s Pivot to Asia By Bob Bahr

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

ttendees at this month’s American Jewish Committee Global Forum in Washington were primed to hear another gloomy assessment of Israel’s standing in Europe and the chilly relationship between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. What many were not prepared for was the news of the warm, rapidly developing relationship between Israel and the leading nations of Asia, particularly India and China. Attendees at the Global Forum heard an upbeat, off-the-record assessment of Asia’s future by a leading Israeli foreign trade specialist and an analysis of the warm relationship between Israeli leaders and India’s recently elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Former U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman Jr. quoted a top Israeli diplomat as saying Israel’s relationship with China is among its top four diplomatic relationships. The Obama administration’s pivot toward Asia has been more than matched by Israel’s own economic and diplomatic offensive in the East. Ambassador Mark Sofer, the deputy director general of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the head of the Asia-Pacific division, said, “One would be hard pressed to find a country in Asia, other than the Muslim nations and North Korea, where Israel doesn’t have an excellent relationship.” China, for example, has become the largest foreign investor in Israel’s economy. Technology draws heavy investment, but everything’s up for grabs. Shoppers who get Tnuva cheese

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Photos by Bob Bahr

Top left: Atlanta attendees of the AJC Global Forum include (from left) Ronnie Van Gelder, Merle Horwitz and Debbie Neese Top right: (From left) Sherry Frank, Sylvia Gort and Linda Davis attend the AJC Global Forum. Bottom left: Lois Frank and Jonny Blank (right) join AJC Atlanta Director Dov Wilker at the Global Forum. Bottom right: Jon Huntsman Jr. says Israel sees China as one of its four most important diplomatic relationships.

at Costco in Dunwoody are buying a product from an Israeli dairy company controlled by Chinese investors. China is second only to the European Union among Israel’s trading partners. In a little over 20 years, Israeli annual exports to China have skyrocketed from $50 million to $10 billion. New direct flights between China and Israel are targeted to bring 100,000 tourists to Israel in the next two years. If anything, things are looking even brighter for Israel in India. “We have in India now the most instinctively pro-Israel prime minister in the country’s history, and that opens up great opportunities,” Sofer said. Previously, as the head of the heav-

ily industrialized Indian province of Gujarat, Modi encouraged billions of dollars in Israeli investments in everything from thermal and solar power to pharmaceuticals and water desalination. Two semiconductor plants being built for $10.4 billion have an Israeli company as an investment partner. A defense relationship between Israel and India began in 1999. Today, with $1 billion in purchases, India is the largest customer for Israeli defense hardware. Israel and India are developing a joint air defense system, and India in October chose an Israeli antitank weapon over a similar U.S. system. Sofer told the AJC forum: “What we have is this unique opportunity to

take this transition from coach class to business class and hopefully to bump it up to first class.” What makes all this possible is a cultural context that invites Israeli participation. Each year thousands of young Israelis, fresh from military service, spend months traveling in Delhi, Goa and the Himalayas. In this rapidly developing relationship, the United States, both as a government and as a source of capital, has played an important role. “In Pakistan,” said Sadanand Dhume of the American Enterprise Institute, “the relationship between the U.S., Israel and India is slyly referred to as ‘the American Kosher Delhi,’ where you have the growing links between Silicon Valley, Israel and Bangalore.” These ties have been helped along by nongovernmental organizations such as the AJC, whose Asia Pacific Institute has worked for a decade to cultivate contacts among India, IndianAmericans, American Jews and Israel. Last month India announced that Modi will soon become the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel. Sofer said: “With Mr. Modi and his party, particularly, there is a much greater comfort with this relationship being completely out in the open. It is less a love affair and more of a marriage.” Still, this unpredictable arc of understanding is about economics and national necessity. As Ehad Cohen, the director general of the Foreign Trade Administration at the Israeli Ministry of Economy, said: “Israel has no choice but to pursue partnerships and investments in these markets. By 2030, 40 percent of the world’s economic output will come from China and India.” ■

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ARTS

Better Know a Bagel: Brooklyn Bagel Bakery & Deli Perfection in the hunt for Atlanta’s best

eeding the bagel cravings of Atlanta’s northern suburbanites, the Brooklyn Bagel Bakery and Deli in Johns Creek is one of Atlanta’s most popular places to enjoy a bagel and coffee or a deli sandwich and a Dr. Brown’s cream soda. I visited this bagel hot spot at the urging of an AJT reader who said that Brooklyn Bagel bakes fantastic bagels and makes the best pickle he has ever eaten. Atmosphere Walking up to the Brooklyn Bagel Bakery on a Sunday morning, I found the spacious patio and tight interior of the shop bustling with activity. The popular Newtown Dream Dog Park is across the street, and worn-out dogs rested under the oversized umbrellas outside the bagel shop. Inside, the eatery feels as if it were taken straight out of New York and dropped into the expansive suburb that is Johns Creek. In true New York fashion, you order your nosh at one end of

the counter and pick it up at the other end. No table service here. Verdict: Bagels A bagel bakery is only as good as its bagels, and the Brooklyn Bagel Bakery has some of the best in the business. The doughy, soft bagels are large but not too filling and are lightly seasoned with perfect consistency throughout. These bagels are best served toasted as part of one of the deli’s signature sandwiches. I enjoyed the Uptown bagel with thinly sliced red onion, capers, cream cheese and a heaping portion of freshly sliced lox. Brooklyn Bagel also serves traditional New York-style flat bagels, which are also excellent. Verdict:

Left: The popular Golden Harbor scrambler platter with a side of Israeli salad Right: Brooklyn Bagel Bakery and Deli is inside the Haynes Bridge Village Shopping Center in Johns Creek.

to eat on its own. Specialty egg scrambler platters are also popular; they consist of eggs scrambled with various toppings and served with a bagel and cream cheese on the side. I witnessed quite a few customers order the Golden Harbor (lox, eggs and onion) scrambler. Verdict:

Spreads Just like the bagels at Brooklyn Bagel, the schmear here is about as good as it gets. Offered in a variety of house-made options, such as scallion, jalapeno and lox, the cream cheese is light, easily spread and good enough

Overall The first perfect score in our Better Know a Bagel series was an easy choice. Brooklyn Bagel Bakery is an authentic deli where you can enjoy a terrific bagel and friendly service in

Good Stories, Great and Small

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com

wo recent works of fiction by locals — a Jewish native writing about her hometown and a Dunwoody transplant writing about Israel — are reminders of how much talent we have in the Atlanta area. Natalie Grude Harrington’s “High land Avenue” is an unassuming book, from its simple cover and its claim to be a novella to its modest scope of one day in the life of an 88-year-old man. One day can be epic, of course, as James Joyce showed in the story of another Jewish man, “Ulysses.” But the power and sweetness of Harrington’s story come from its simplicity. “Highland Avenue” is about Sam Robkin, a man based on the author’s father. He’s a widower who lives alone on St. Charles Place, stubbornly refusing to leave his house of half a century to move in with his daughter. On an April morning in 1995, he’s feeling better than he has in some time, and he decides to go for a walk. The

only action is his progress up to Highland Avenue and over to Virginia Avenue, then his struggle back as his age and health try to stop him. There’s drama in those final blocks, but you shouldn’t read “Highland Avenue” for the action or even for the sweet, refreshing interactions Sam has during the stops on his journey. You should read this book for the memories Sam relives as he shuffles along. In just more than 120 pages, Har rington gives us a personal history of more than a century of Jewish Atlanta. I arrived in Atlanta only a decade ago, so nothing Harrington writes about connects with me personally. But it’s still entertaining and fascinating to read about a Jewish merchant in Fayetteville driving a horse and cart into the city 20 miles each way for kosher food, or Friday football games at Boys’ High, or car hops riding on bumpers at the Varsity, or the evolution of VirginiaHighland businesses. I’m sure it all hits close to home for many of you, but it should be a pleasant walk down memory lane for all.

“Forever, Indeed” by John Jedlicka takes a much longer walk through a much wider swath of Jewish and world history. Jedlicka, a native New Yorker and Dunwoody resident who is not Jewish but has a solid grounding in classics, delves into a mystery related to the Dead Sea Scrolls, specifically the Copper Scroll. It involves the siege and mass suicide at Masada, all the oil in Saudi Arabia, and the love between a poor Jew and a kidnapped Arabian princess. All of those things from the first century C.E. are connected to what develops into a modern spy thriller involving assassins, terrorists, the Mossad, the Vatican and shadowy Swiss-based oil interests known as the Gray Men. The mix of biblical mysteries with modern intrigue naturally brings up thoughts of Dan Brown’s overheated novels “The DaVinci Code” and “Angels & Demons.” But Jedlicka’s story is both more original and more realistic, which is to say that the plot doesn’t depend on any global conspiracies or

an easygoing, welcoming atmosphere. There was nothing I didn’t like here. I especially recommend this shop for dog owners, who can take their pups across the street to Newtown Dream after enjoying a bagel or two. Verdict: Next time: Bagelicious in East Cobb ■ Previous Ratings • Soho Bakery and Deli: 4/5 • Art’s Bagels & More: 4.5/5 • Goldberg’s Bagel Co.: 4/5 • The General Muir: 3.5/5

murderous cabals within the Catholic Church. As long as you’re willing to accept the power of fate or destiny or love or divine intervention to bring together the key descendants in the right places after two millennia, you should enjoy the story Jedlicka has crafted. The characters are likable, and the plot is intelligent if a bit predictable. As a bonus, Jedlicka uses his characters’ twisted family histories to illustrate some big ideas about the interconnections of Judaism, Islam and Christianity in the Middle East. Today’s Israeli soldier just might be the direct descendant of yesteryear’s Arab princess, and that Lebanese terrorist might trace his lineage back to a Jewish merchant. ■ Highland Avenue By Natalie Grude Harrington $14.95, Kudzu Editions, out now Forever, Indeed By John J. Jedlicka $14.95, BookLogix, out now

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

AJT 27

SIMCHAS

Wedding

Baer-Goldman Diane Baer and Harvey Baer of Dunwoody announce the marriage of their daughter, Mandy Baer, to Scott Goldman, son of Alan and Marci Goldman of Roswell. The ceremony and reception were held April 19, 2015, at Primrose Cottage in Roswell. The bride graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management and now works in the accounting department at JAS Forwarding in Sandy Springs. The groom graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and is the owner of Goldman Technology and IT Consulting Co. in Roswell. After a honeymoon in Costa Rica, the couple are living in Roswell.

Engagement

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

Golman-Freedman

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Nancy and Wayne Freedman of Atlanta announce the engagement of their son, Eric Daniel Freedman, to Blair Gilian Golman, daughter of Lori and Rick Golman of Dallas, Texas. Eric is the grandson of Betty Jacobson of Atlanta and the late Harvey Jacobson and Marcia and Arnold Freedman of Sarasota, Fla. Blair is the granddaughter of Delores and Donald Golman of Dallas and Norma Teiber of Dallas and the late Bill Teiber. Eric graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor of arts in international affairs and earned a juris doctorate from the University of Miami. He is a lawyer with the Chimpoulis, Hunter, & Lynn law firm in Davie, Fla. Blair is also a University of Georgia graduate, earning a bachelor of social work with a minor in Spanish. She received her master’s in social work and a minor in business administration from Columbia University in New York. Blair is the career program manager with the Posse Foundation in Miami. An October wedding in Miami is planned.

OBITUARIES

Lillian Cohen 99, Atlanta

Lillian Cohen, age 99, of Atlanta died Friday, June 12, 2015. She was preceded in death by her husband, Morris Cohen. Lil defined the word matriarch. Not one to sit on the sidelines, she truly enjoyed life and lived it to the fullest. She will always be remembered for her love of family, sharp wit and spirit of adventure. Born in Forsyth, Ga., to Bessie and Abraham Bloom, she graduated from Mary Persons High School, where she was captain of the girls basketball team and editor of the school newspaper and was voted most likely to succeed. She worked in Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., before returning to Forsyth to help run the family dry goods store. During that time she attended Draughns Business School. On New Year’s Eve 1945, Lil met Morris “Maish” Cohen. After a three-month courtship, they were happily married for 25 years. They bought a home in Morningside, Atlanta, where they raised their three children and where she resided for 69 years. Lil worked alongside Maish at the family drugstore, Silverman’s Pharmacy, until it burned down in 1972. In addition, she worked for the Consulate General of Israel in Atlanta, Heery and Heery, and the Atlanta Jewish Community Center, retiring at 75 years old. Lil was an avid Zionist and an active member of Hadassah, for which she served as regional president and led several tours to Israel. She was also a member of Ahavath Achim Synagogue and supported Habitat for Humanity. Lil loved to travel and meet new people. Her trips took her around the world and across the United States. Her home was always open to family and friends and new and different people. Her Sunday brunches were famous for lively political debates. Lil took up snow skiing at the age of 60, and she loved the ocean, playing bridge, the Atlanta Braves, and vodka tonics. Lil was predeceased by her sister, Ethel Steinberg, and brother, David Bloom. She is survived by a daughter, Margie Eden of Atlanta; a daughter and son-in-law, Esther Cohen and Peter Klein of Boulder, Colo.; a son and daughter-in-law, Arthur and Jennifer Cohen of Atlanta; grandchildren Jason and Ginny Eden, Brent and Sara Eden, Danielle Napolitano, Misha Cohen, Tai Cohen, Misra Cohen-MacGill, and Aria Cohen-Klein; and great-grandchildren Jack, Bates, Oliver and Miles Eden. The family gratefully thanks Lil’s loving caregivers, Pat Green, Twanda Dunlap, Denise Buchanan and Salma Furbush, for their loving dedication and service. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. Graveside services were held Sunday, June 14, at Greenwood Cemetery with Rabbi Neil Sandler officiating. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Hadassah and Habitat for Humanity. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

Arlene Levin 95, Atlanta

Death Notices

Harold Goldmacher, 82, of Roswell, husband of Iris Goldmacher and father of Ellen Waggener and Sharon Goldmacher, on June 5. William Schwartz, 84, of Marietta, Congregation Etz Chaim member, husband of Anne Schwartz, and father of Robin Kennedy and Herbert Schwartz, on June 12.

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

Arlene Levin passed away Sunday, May 31, 2015. Arlene was born Oct. 19, 1919, in New York City, the daughter of Rose and Robert Engle and the younger sister of Russell Engle. She was married for 30 years to her beloved Frank Levin, who passed away too young at the age of 54. Arlene leaves to cherish her memory her loving family: her two children, Laurel Neels of Atlanta and David Levin and wife Cory Davis of Washington state; grandsons Forrest Levin and Isaac Levin and wife Ariana; and niece and nephews Michelle Bisson, Eileen and Darryl Engle, and Larry Engle. Arlene will be missed deeply by her loving family, extended family and friends.

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CLOSING THOUGHTS OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING

Tammuz: Illuminating Brightness in Summer

JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

osh Chodesh Tammuz, the fourth month on the Hebrew calendar, falls on Wednesday, June 17. There are no holidays this month; it’s a time of mourning, spirit cleansing, and recalling events that were emotionally out of control. The singing, dancing and worship of the Golden Calf occurred on the 17th of Tammuz, and Moses smashed the tablets in the heat of his anger. More than 1,000 years later, that same date marked the beginning of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. The 17th is a day of fasting and begins three weeks of mourning, ending on the 9th of Av. We’re not supposed to give in to our unbridled passions, buy new clothes, get married, party or cut our hair. But how many people associate those very things with the start of summer? These traditions are often left to Orthodox Jews to continue. To keep Judaism strong, we need to observe all of our traditions in some form, not just those that appeal to us or are fun. How can mainstream Jews acknowledge the importance of Tammuz? It’s a little rhyme to ask ourselves this month. Looking to the Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation), we see the following: The Hebrew letter for Tammuz is chet, which translates to sin or transgression but also references life. The Zodiac sign is Cancer, represented by the crab. Those born under this sign are loyal, often powerful, and connected to friends, family and home. They are sensitive beings, sometimes with a hard shell while remaining soft inside. They may use the claw to hold on to the past, people or things longer than necessary. Cancer is a water sign, connected to emotions. Cancers are aware of their physicality, are honest and responsible, and are justice seekers who gain security through material things. When out of balance, they may become self-absorbed in their feelings, but when aligned with themselves and HaShem, they can be compassionate toward others. The Cancerian view is often black and white. They walk like the crab, to the right or to the left. They are also seed planters who can nourish the world. We are charged with balancing the energies within 30 us. The sun can scorch seeds that are

AJT

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CROSSWORD “Kosher Kuisine”

By Yoni Glatt Editor: DavidBenkof@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Medium

not watered, but too much water can wash them away so they cannot take root. We must regulate both extremes, recalling Moses’ fiery temper while being mindful of flooding emotions. Cancer’s ruling planet is the moon, linked to Shechinah, the divine

New Moon Meditations Dr. Terry Segal tsegal@atljewishtimes.com

feminine. Throughout each month she is hidden and revealed. We are given many opportunities to practice our own balancing acts. Tammuz and Av (summer months) and Tevet (a winter month) are considered dangerous months in which mistakes can have far-reaching consequences. The sense in Tammuz is sight. This has several interpretations. We must see clearly. When the sun is too bright, we squint, which narrows our vision. When it’s too dark, our pupils dilate, and we open our eyes wide. To stay focused and balanced, we must look outward to others, inward to ourselves and to G-d. This is how judgment transforms to mercy. We must especially find G-d when it’s dark and search out hidden blessings, even when we think there are none. The tribe is Reuben, whose name comes from the root “to see.” Although he was Jacob’s first son, he was demoted for not controlling the heat of his lust when he lay with his father’s concubine. His actions had a long-lasting negative impact on his relationship with his father, reminding us that mistakes can be forever damaging. The controlling limb is the right hand. The index finger points to the direction of focus. When we read from the Torah, we use a yad, a small silver finger, to move along each word. At a Jewish wedding, the groom places the unbroken band on the bride’s right index finger. We need to use this finger to point ourselves to the right path. Meditation Focus If you were to correct your vis ion, in what areas of your life are you shortsighted, nearsighted or far sighted? What actions can you take to achieve a vision that includes looking inward, outward and toward G-d? ■

ACROSS 1 Kind of teshuvah? 5 Sector for many Israeli startups 9 Unkind lawyer kind 14 Bar mitzvah, e.g. 15 Not like Sarah or Esther 16 Sophia who starred as “Judith” 17 One in 60, perhaps 18 ___ Nazi 19 Bug found in Israeli tofu in March 2015 20 Combs one’s hair like The Fonz 22 Turn over (as in land) 24 Musically, they come after dos and res 25 Kosher cuisine 26 Kosher cuisine 28 Eisenstaedt item: abbr. 30 Chemical in some Ahava products 31 Like Yemenite food 35 Head of Hebrew University? 38 Kind of El Al pilot, at times 42 Kosher cuisine 45 Great Talmud Rav 46 Great Talmud Rav 47 The main characters in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” for example 48 Scottish bocher 50 School for the little ones 52 Kosher cuisine 57 Answer like Cain to God 62 Nasser’s org. 63 Don’t ___ your esrog 64 Kosher cuisine 65 Charge usurious rates 67 Challah unit, e.g. 69 Like Casspi after a double-overtime game, perhaps 70 Baby Moses reached for one, according to a midrash 71 Spanish for the Yiddish double first name Zev Wolf 72 Soon, to Shylock 73 Joseph’s brothers, once

74 “That shyster!” is one 75 Craves latkes DOWN 1 Like a November morning in Jerusalem, perhaps 2 Jamie Geller calls it “an easy, dairy-free way to add richness and flavor to your dishes” 3 Where old seforim might be stored 4 Robin who featured Melissa Gilbert on an episode of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” 5 Jacob and an angel got into one 6 Flaw of several Jewish kings 7 Make like an unshechted chicken 8 Like some kids on Simchat Torah 9 Many on the morning of Shavuot 10 Ad ___, like a shidduch 11 Pleasant hamantashen feature 12 Something found in the City of David 13 Kosher cuisine 21 Its only Jewish community is in Nairobi 23 Asian capital popular with Israeli backpackers 27 Rachel’s sister, et al. 29 Something a bold gonif might do 31 Genre for Matisyahu, at times 32 Patriarchs 33 Jew follower 34 It’s like cholent 36 G-d’s brightest creation is one 37 Make like Esau in the field 39 An instrument Guster

uses, for short 40 The Mishnah says it cannot be used to light Shabbat candles 41 Mossad-like org. that was dissolved in 1945 43 Movie character who wears a black breastplate 44 Like Hamas 49 CPAs, essentially 51 ___ it (be chutzpadik) 52 Kosher cuisine 53 Biblical woman from Bethlehem 54 Caribbean island whose Chabad is in the city of Noord 55 Relaxes on the Eilat beach 56 Item found in a sweatshop 58 Analyze, in the Diamond District 59 It can be used to spread lashon hara 60 Ohio birthplace of astronaut Judith Resnik 61 Many tour Israel in the summer 66 New Jew 68 Simian nuisance to Gilbert Gottfried’s Iago

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AJT 31

SPORTS

Bosnia Beats Israel 3-1

srael lost 3-1 to Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday, June 12, damaging its chances to qualify for soccer’s European Championships for the first time. Israel took a 1-0 lead in the 41st minute on a thunderous, short-range volley from Tal Ben Haim after a corner kick, but the lead lasted only a minute before Edin Visca scored. An Edin Dzeko penalty kick gave Bosnia a 2-1 halftime lead, and Visca clinched the win with a goal off a rebound in the 76th minute. Israel fell into a tie for third with Cyprus with nine points from six games in Group B. Bosnia has eight points. Wales leads the group with 14 points, and group favorite Belgium is second with 11. Andorra has lost all of its games. The top two teams qualify for Euro 2016 in France. The third-place team reaches a heads-up playoff for a spot. Facing road games against Wales on Sept. 6 and Belgium on Oct. 13, Israel’s best chance to finish third is to win at home against Andorra on Sept. 2 and Cyprus on Oct. 10 while Wales and Belgium sweep Cyprus and Bosnia. ■

Week 3 Synagogue Softball Standings Standings A Division

father's day

spending here would be well worth the price of admission. if there was one.

B’nai Torah

Sinai 1

Or VeShalom

Ahavath Achim

Beth Tefillah

Temple 1

Dor Tamid 1

Chabad

B Division

Ariel

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Beth Tikvah 1

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Etz Chaim

Gesher L’Torah

Young Israel

Beth Shalom

Dor Tamid 2

C Division JUNE 19 ▪ 2015

Georgia Aquarium is a not-for-profit organization, inspiring awareness and conservation of aquatic animals. *While supplies last.

AJT 32

File Name: 15AQUA1392_ATLJewishT_FathersDay_FA Client: Ga Aquarium Desc.: Atlanta Jewish Times - Father’s Day Guide

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Or Hadash

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Kol Emeth

Bet Haverim

T 1