INSIDE: STUDY UP FOR SHAVUOT, PAGES 6-9 FUN TIME
KISS, TELL
With the Famous Abba’s help, kids can join the holiday learning even if it doesn’t last all night. Page 6
THE RULES
Rabbi David Geffen explains how our custom of throwing the Torah kisses has roots in pagan practice. Page 7
Baseball helps Chabad Intown’s Dena Schusterman understand the importance of life’s rule book. Page 8
Atlanta INSIDE Calendar �����������������������������������4 Candle Lighting ����������������������4 Opinion ���������������������������������� 10 Education ������������������������������� 14 Technology ���������������������������� 16 Business ��������������������������������� 18 Israel News ���������������������������� 21 Health & Wellness ���������������26 Arts ������������������������������������������27 Cartoon �����������������������������������28 Obituaries ������������������������������29 Crossword ������������������������������30
VOL. XCI NO. 23
WWW.ATLANTAJEWISHTIMES.COM
JUNE 10, 2016 | 4 SIVAN 5776
TECH TALK
Sales are in the cloud, kosher’s at your fingertips, and we’re all coping with the problems of screen time. Pages 16-17
No Place Like Graduation Photos by Paula Baroff
Atlanta Jewish Academy Student Council Co-President Daniella Sokol kicks off the AJA Upper School commencement May 31 by reading from a classic — Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” — while her co-president, valedictorian Abby Stein, watches. Later, Nicole Nooriel enjoys the moment before accepting her diploma from Associate Head of School Paul Oberman. More from AJA’s high school and eighthgrade graduations and the Davis Academy ceremony, Pages 14-15
NO TIME TO REST
For 60 years Colgate Mattress in Atlanta has helped the next generation get a good night’s sleep. Page 20
DELAY THE GAMES?
Over 200 experts say it’s unethical to hold the Olympics while Zika is raging. Page 26
ROLL CAMERA
FilmTribe makes time for Torah study amid cutting-edge digital production. Page 28
Time to Sign Up for LimmudFest
R
egistration is open for LimmudFest, a three-day festival of Jewish thought, arts, culture, life, learning and teaching in the North Georgia mountains. LimmudFest 2016 will bring together hundreds of Jews from all backgrounds and of all ages Labor Day weekend, Sept. 2 to 5, at the Ramah Darom Conference and Retreat Center. Visit limmudse.org/register-now to sign up. Registration includes kosher meals and accommodations that range from $180 to $800 per person. Scholarships and day rates are available.
Limmud originated in England more than 30 years ago, and now events are held by chapters worldwide. The event celebrates a quest for Judaism through endless exploration and lifelong learning. Incoming Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta CEO Eric Robbins was one of the leaders in bringing Limmud to Atlanta and has compared his vision for Federation to the Limmud model of community without hierarchy. LimmudFest is not aligned with any Jewish denomination, and participants range from Orthodox synagogue mem-
bers to the unaffiliated. Limmud drops such titles as rabbi, doctor and professor, and everyone is on a first-name basis. Since 2009, Limmud Atlanta + Southeast has held LimmudFest at the 122-acre Ramah Darom retreat center in Clayton, which features a lake, a heated swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts, two waterfalls, and multiple gathering spaces for prayer, discussion and learning. The volunteer-staffed event includes Camp Ramah@Limmud for children ages 5 to 12 and GanLimmud for children 4 and under. ■
Atlanta’s Fin
Outside P
Catering For L
Book Your
Atlanta’s Finest Persian Cuisine
Outside Patio ( )פטיו בחוץ Full Bar ()בר מלא Catering For Large And Small Events ()קײטרינג לארועים גדולים וקטנים
Book Your Next Holiday Party ()שרײן את מסיבת החגים שלך
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
SufisAtlanta.com I 1814 Peachtree St NW I Atlanta, G
AJT 2
SufisAtlanta.com I 404-888-9699 1814 Peachtree St NW I Atlanta, GA 30309 Under new ownership.
MA TOVU
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
Bat Mitzvah Lesson
O
n Sunday, June 5, we celebrated our daughter becoming a bat mitzvah. She is our oldest, so other than two brit milahs, this was our family’s first simcha. Over the years my husband and I have transitioned through the spectrum of religious observance. Though our Jewish education as children was minimal, during our marriage we have studied with rabbis and religious families from Miami Beach to Brooklyn, Lakewood to Atlanta, implementing new mitzvahs and making Judaism and Torah part of the essence of our lives. So planning our daughter’s bat mitzvah — a name sometimes given to the event rather than the person it celebrates — got me thinking about the paradox of religious expression. For my bat mitzvah class, as for many other Jewish children, that milestone also marked what seemed like the beginning and the end of our Jewish education and connection. Our daughter, on the other hand, attends a Jewish school and has spent nine years, several hours a day, studying Torah, the prophets, Jewish history and Hebrew and learning the daily prayers, along with science, math, language arts and other secular subjects. Now that she is officially a daughter of the Torah, all the laws she has learned are officially part of her. It is interesting that the root of halachah means “to go forward.” I had often thought the laws held us back in some way. But it is just the opposite. Our daughter’s bat mitzvah date was not just a day on the calendar devoted to a portion of the Torah. Now the entire Torah is hers, as it has been ours for thousands of years and generations of Jewish women.
In her portion, Bamidbar, we begin the fourth book of the Torah, also known as Numbers, for G-d commanded that a census of the Jewish people be taken. Through this counting, G-d reminds us of how precious we are to Him, that we are all part of His master plan, and because of that, we all count.
Hand of Hashem By Mindy Rubenstein editor@nishei.org
teem. Rather, we are counting our very identities. When the Jewish people are counted, the core of our Jewishness, possessed by all Jews equally, is stimulated and brought to the surface. This spark is responsible for the remarkable phenomenon among Jewish people who, throughout history, were threatened with death if they refused to renounce their Judaism. History has shown that even nonobservant gave up their lives instead. Why? Because the Jewish core is
always alive. When the G-dly spark comes to the surface, any Jew will naturally feel that his Jewish identity is so important that he is not willing to compromise it even for a moment. Once we are unified in our service to G-d, our uniqueness can shine, and our mission can come to fruition. May we all merit to know who we are and to feel good about ourselves as individuals and as part of the Jewish people, from generation to generation as part of His master plan. ■
G-d gives each of us unique gifts, talents and missions. Just as no two people look exactly alike, no two souls are exactly alike. Each individual has a purpose that only he or she can fulfill. As parents, our role is to help our children recognize and develop these strengths. I am busy with life and don’t often take the time to tell my children about the virtues I see in the them. During my speech to my daughter, I shared those virtues with her, as well as with her friends and family. The bat mitzvah celebration was a chance for us to come together after her years of study and immersion in Jewish rituals and laws — at school and, more important, at home. It was a special day denoting her opportunity to embark on a life filled with meaning and connection to her heritage, her Torah and G-d. Hasidic thought explains that the census, or counting, recorded in the parshah was a profound event that touched on the core of the Jewish spirit. When a group is counted, everybody is equal. No one is counted twice. What are we actually counting? It is not our personalities, our talents, our wealth, our knowledge or our es-
Proactive ERISA Lawyers Protecting Your Business
270 Carpenter Drive, Suite 325, Atlanta, GA 30328
Visit Our Newsletter at http://www.hallbenefitslaw.com/category/hr-alerts Call us at (678) 439-6236 or email at admin@hallbenefitslaw.com Mention Our Ad for a Free Consultation
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
• Affordable Care Act • Executive Compensation • Health and Welfare Benefits • Retirement Plans
A single audit by the IRS, DOL, or HHS can cripple your business. Hall Benefits Law helps you determine where your business stands before ERISA non-compliance triggers an audit. We nimbly respond to active compliance matters stemming from participant complaints or class actions. Let Hall Benefits Law show you the road map to compliance. We are Building Better Business Benefits, right from the start.
Walter Parker, Anne Tyler Hall, and David Hall
AJT 3
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
CALENDAR Atlanta
THURSDAY, JUNE 9
PUBLISHER
MICHAEL A. MORRIS
michael@atljewishtimes.com
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER KAYLENE LADINSKY
kaylene@atljewishtimes.com
ADVERTISING
Senior Account Manager
JULIE BENVENISTE julie@atljewishtimes.com Senior Account Manager
BRENDA GELFAND
brenda@atljewishtimes.com Account Manager
SARAH MOOSAZADEH sarah@atljewishtimes.com Sales Assistant
SARAH SKINNER
sskinner@atljewishtimes.com
MARKETING
Braves talk. Dan Schlossberg speaks about and signs copies of “Fourteen Flags: When the Braves Ruled the Diamond” at 5 p.m. at Congregation Beth Jacob, 1855 LaVista Road, Toco Hills. Free; 404-633-0551 or bethjacobatlanta. org/events.
CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES
Bamidbar Friday, June 10, light candles at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, June 11, Shabbat ends, Shavuot starts at 9:32 p.m. Sunday, June 12, second day of Shavuot starts at 9:33 p.m. Monday, June 13, Shavuot ends at 9:33 p.m. Naso Friday, June 17, light candles at 8:33 p.m. Saturday, June 18, Shabbat ends at 9:35 p.m.
Mikvah for addiction recovery. The Metro Atlanta Community Mikvah, 700A Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs, in partnership with Jewish Family & Career Services, holds a program at 7 p.m. on mikvah as a ritual tool in addiction recovery. Each participant gets a certificate for a free immersion. Another session a week later is for families and other supporters. Free; www.atlantamikvah.org.
Marketing & Communications Director
STACY LAVICTOIRE stacy@atljewishtimes.com
EDITORIAL Editor
MICHAEL JACOBS
mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com Associate Editor
DAVID R. COHEN
david@atljewishtimes.com
Contributors This Week ARLENE APPELROUTH
MORT AND EDIE BARR PAULA BAROFF • RABBI DAVID GEFFEN YONI GLATT • JORDAN GORFINKEL ELI GRAY • R.M. GROSSBLATT LEAH R. HARRISON • ZACH ITZKOVITZ MARCIA CALLER JAFFE BENJAMIN KWESKIN • BERNIE MARCUS RUSSELL MOSKOWITZ MINDY RUBENSTEIN DAVE SCHECHTER DENA SCHUSTERMAN TERRY SEGAL DOV WILKER
CREATIVE SERVICES Creative Design
DARA DRAWDY
CIRCULATION
Circulation Coordinator
ELIZABETH FRIEDLY
efriedly@atljewishtimes.com
CONTACT INFORMATION GENERAL OFFICE 404.883.2130 KAYLENE@ATLJEWISHTIMES.COM The Atlanta Jewish Times is printed in Georgia and is an equal opportunity employer. The opinions expressed in the Atlanta Jewish Times do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper. Periodicals Postage Paid at Atlanta, Ga.
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
POSTMASTER send address changes to The Atlanta Jewish Times 270 Carpenter Drive Suite 320, Atlanta Ga 30328. Established 1925 as The Southern Israelite Phone: (404) 883-2130 www.atlantajewishtimes.com
AJT 4
THE ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES (ISSN# 0892-33451) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY SOUTHERN ISRAELITE, LLC 270 Carpenter Drive, Suite 320, Atlanta, GA 30328 © 2016 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES Printed by Walton Press Inc. MEMBER Conexx: America Israel Business Connector American Jewish Press Association Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce Please send all photos, stories and editorial content to: submissions@atljewishtimes.com
Relationship film screening. Chabad of Atlanta screens “The Lost Key,” revealing the secret of Jewish sexuality and intimacy, followed by a discussion with filmmaker Rabbi Manis Friedman, at 7:30 p.m. at Atlanta Jewish Academy, 5200 Northland Drive, Sandy Springs. Tickets are $10 each or $18 per couple; bit.ly/1TPsFor.
FRIDAY, JUNE 10
Pool party. The Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody, invites the community to welcome Shabbat at the pool and splash park at 5 p.m., with blessings at 6. Free; www.atlantajcc.org.
SATURDAY, JUNE 11
Braves book signing. Dan Schlossberg signs copies of “Fourteen Flags” before and during the Braves’ game against the Chicago Cubs at 4:10 p.m. outside the Braves Museum & Hall of Fame inside Turner Field. Game tickets start at $15, while the book is $25; braves.com.
MONDAY. JUNE 13
Orthodox discussion. Young Israel of Toco Hills, 2056 LaVista Road, hosts
a panel discussion on “The Future of Modern Orthodoxy” at 6:45 after a 5 p.m. siyum to celebrate the completion of the Torah. Free; www.yith.org or 404-315-1417.
TUESDAY, JUNE 14
tion Bet Haverim, 2074 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, screens the documentary “Salam Neighbor” at 7 p.m., followed by a discussion with International Rescue Committee Executive Director J.D. McCrary. Free; bit.ly/1VnoJMs.
Babyccino. The mom-and-tot classes at Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta, focus on creation at 10:30 a.m. This week’s topic is man. The cost is $12; j1sinasohn@aol. com or www.chabadnf.org.
Discussion group. Parents and other relatives of LGBTQ people are invited to a regular SOJOURN-organized discussion group at 7 p.m. in East Cobb. Free; rebecca@sojourngsd.org for details.
Blood drive. Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs, holds a blood drive from 4 to 8 p.m. Free; bit. ly/1X6kp5w or 404-252-3073.
LGBTQ webinar. SOJOURN’s Robbie Medwed joins Keshet and the ACLU for a panel discussion online about LGBTQ civil rights at 1 p.m. Free; register at www.surveymonkey.com/r/PDPCBVR to get the website sign-in information.
Refugee film screening. Congrega-
THURSDAY, JUNE 16
Send items for the calendar to submissions@atljewishtimes.com. Find more events at atlantajewishtimes.com/events-calendar.
Remember When
10 years ago June 9, 2006 ■ Temima High School for Girls presented an original production in the mode of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” substituting the story with that of Ruth and Naomi. All of Temima’s 58 students participated in the production. ■ Nathaniel and Adrienne Strohl of Atlanta announce the birth of their daughter, Hannah Lee, on Dec. 20, 2005. 25 Years Ago June 14, 1991 ■ Volunteers are needed for resettlement work with incoming Soviet refugees in the Jewish Family Services program. There will be an Adopt-a-Family orientation for new volunteers Tuesday, June 25. American Jewish families
are matched with incoming Soviet families for friendship and support. ■ Mrs. Fay Lewitz of Gadsden, Ala., announces the engagement of her daughter, Charlene Sue, to Irwin Brett Galanti, son of Rachel and Morris Galanti of Atlanta. An August wedding is planned in Atlanta. 50 Years Ago June 10, 1966 ■ Zaban Park is open to Atlanta Jewish Community Center members on a full-time basis. Cold beverages and light snacks can be purchased at the swimming pool counter, and Zaban Park pool will be under supervision of highquality staff. There are still hundreds of center members who have not seen this resource, and all are urged to visit. ■ Mr. and Mrs. Ralph H. Gross announce the engagement of their daughter, Patricia H. Gross, to David Lester Bergman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Bergman of Atlanta. The wedding will be held July 3 in Atlanta.
AJT
5
JUNE 10 â–ª 2016
SHAVUOT
SHAVUOT fun 5776
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
On the first day of Shavuot, we read the following from Parshat Yitro: In the third month after leaving Egypt the Jewish people arrived at Mount Sinai. At Sinai, HaShem told Moshe to tell the people that if they listen to HaShem the people will be His beloved treasure, a kingdom of ministers, and a holy nation. The people were commanded to sanctify themselves and prepare for receiving the Torah. Thunder and lightning and a heavy cloud and shofar blasts preceeded HaShem’s giving of the Torah and then He said the Ten Commandments: to know HaShem, not to recognize other gods, not to take His name in vain, to sanctify the Shabbat, to honor one’s father and mother, not to kill, not to commit adultery, not to steal, not to bear false witness, and not to covet. The entire people saw the thunder and flames, the sound of the shofar and the smoking mountain and they trembled and stood from afar. HaShem commanded the Jewish people to build an altar for offerings.
WORD FIND
Can you discover the Secret Message? Find and circle the bold, italicized words from the Torah summary in the Word Find. Write the unused Word Find letters in the spaces below to spell the Secret Message. Have fun!
M T
H A R O
T
H
E
N H
O S
H O O
T
H
E
R
F
R D B
E
A R W R
T
H
I
H O O K
Which one is different? Hint: Har Sinai
SHOFAR
THUNDER
LIGHTNING
CLOUD
SMOKE RAIN
CROSSWORD Complete the crossword by translating each Hebrew word into English. Use the reference from parshat Yitro, read on Shavuot, for help. 1
2
4 7
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
8
AJT 6
5
6
3
ACROSS 2. ( שם20:7) 5. ( מצרים20:2) 7. ( שור20:14) 8. ( חמר20:14) DOWN 1. ( יום20:8) 3. ( ארץ20:4) 4. ( כבד20:12) 6. ( נתן20:12)
A E M A N
N
A
F
R D B
R O
F
O Y O R B U
R
T
H H N W T D U O
A S
R A
F
C O V
spot the difference
Y
L
O R
I
A W A S E
A
H
E
E
A R
S
N
E
E
E
T
T
E
I
L
D
E
T
A N
L
C H U
L G
I
V O
N D O O
T
SECRET MESSAGE
S
___ ______ ___ _____ ______ ___ _____ ___ _____
gematria
______ חג השבועות = חג:
ק xב
מ ÷ד
ס +ל
ג +ב ה
כ xה
א ב ג ד ה ו ז ח ט י כ ל מ נ ס ע פ צ ק ר ש ת 400 300 200 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10
9
WORD CMRLESAB
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
(scramble)
YPETG
TABSABH
TENVSEH
TERHA
ATRFHE
EORTMH
Hint: The 10 Commandments
CANDLELIGHTING IN JERUSALEM 8:27 P.M. weekly chinuch podcast - OVER 100 posted! parsha + chinuch < 5 minutes www.thefamousabba.com/podcasts
Brought to you by:
© 2016 The Famous Abba
www.thefamousabba.com
Check your answers at: www.thefamousabba.com/shavuot
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
SHAVUOT
How We Learned to Kiss the Torah splendor and my heart hath been secretly enticed, and my mouth hath kissed my hand, that also would be a crime to be punished by the judges, for
Guest Column By Rabbi David Geffen
I should have denied the G-d on high” (Job 31:26-28). The kissing of idols was a common heathen practice, as can be learned when G-d spoke to Elijah: “I will spare seven thousand in Israel — all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him” (Kings 19:18). Hosea (13:1-2) also describes the practice: “Whenever Ephraim spoke, men were in awe; he was a prince in Israel. But then he worshipped Baal, and for his guilt he died. And still they go on sinning, making metal gods of silver, idols in human form, the craftsman’s work — and these they call their ‘gods,’ and men at a sacrifice offer kisses to calves.”
“Laying the hand on the mouth” is also described as the highest degree of reverence and submission to a superior. It was a mark of respect in the presence of kings and people high in office. In these instances, the hand was not merely kissed and then withdrawn from the mouth, but held continuously before or upon the mouth. We glean from various books in the Bible evidence of such behavior. Ancient sculpture also depicts scenes of respect to royalty. In monuments of ancient Egypt and Persia, there are scenes of a king seated on his throne, and before him is a person standing in a bent posture with his hand laid on his mouth as he addresses the sovereign. It has been explained that the particular reason for this act of placing the hand on the mouth was to prevent
the breath of the subservient from reaching the face of the superior. This was the ultimate conventional mark of respect and homage to a superior. We have the beautiful custom of kissing a religious book or kissing the Torah by first placing a tallit on the scroll, then kissing the tallit. The custom of Sephardic Jews is to raise a finger toward the ark or Torah and then kiss the finger. This practice is observed by men and women. Men also raise the corner of the tallit toward the ark or Torah, then kiss the tallit. Whatever its origin, the custom of throwing kisses today is a charming, graceful gesture. ■
The particular reason for this act of placing the hand on the mouth was to prevent the breath of the subservient from reaching the face of the superior.
Rabbi David Geffen, a former Atlantan who lives in Israel, adapted this column from a piece he wrote in the 1990s when a congregation he served in Scranton, Pa., dedicated a new Sefer Torah.
HOST YOUR MITZVAH, WEDDING & SOCIAL EVENTS at the Newly Renovated Wyndham Atlanta Galleria!
Three Elegant Ballrooms
From your lavish affair to an intimate gathering, we can accommodate up to 200 of your closest family and friends! Contact our Professional Planner Dana Cates at dcates@wyndham.com for a tour & quotes. SAVE 10% OFF STANDARD PRICING BY MENTIONING YOU FOUND US IN THE JEWISH TIMES! • Experience our 10 Million Dollar Renovation! • Complimentary Parking & Shuttle Service • Great location right off 285 on Powers Ferry
6345 Powers Ferry Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30339 (770) 955-1700 www.wyndhamatlantahotel.com
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
A
s we celebrate receiving the Torah during Shavuot, it’s interesting to realize that the practice of throwing kisses to the Torah originated as part of pagan religious worship. Even the word “adore,” which we regard as associated with “amorous,” is related to this type of worship. The word “adoration” has the dictionary definition of “act of paying honor to a divine being; act of addressing as a god.” The derivation of the word is from the Latin ad (to) and os, oris (mouth), which literally signifies the application of the hand to the mouth — that is, to kiss the hand. The act of throwing a kiss came from the ancient practice of making signs of reverence to a statue of a god. If the statue was low enough, people would kiss the figure. When the statue was too tall, they would kiss their hands and wave toward the idol. We encounter incidents in the Bible that address the practice. Job alludes to the faithless ones in these verses: “If I beheld the sun when it shines or the moon which moved in
AJT 7
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
SHAVUOT
Shavuot Study Options
S
havuot, the holiday celebrating the giving of the Torah, is traditionally celebrated by studying all night (to make up for our oversleeping at Mount Sinai) and eating dairy products (for at least seven possible reasons). Here are some of the study options open to the community this Shavuot, which starts Saturday, June 11, and ends June 13. Check with your own synagogue for other plans. • Ahavath Achim Synagogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave., Buckhead — AA is working with the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival, American Jewish Committee and ACCESS for all-night education and cheesecake from 6:30 p.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday. With such presenters as Steve Chervin, Paul Root Wolpe and Sunmoon Pie, topics include Jewish spiritual music, Catholic-Jewish relations and the BDS movement against Israel. aasynagogue.org/ worship/holidays.html. • The Kehilla, 5075 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs — The Ten Commandments are the focus throughout the night as the keys to unlocking your greatest inner self. After the Ma’ariv service at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, the first class is at 10 p.m., followed by dinner at 10:45 and classes from 11:30 until 5 a.m. The cost is $15 for members, $18 for nonmembers and $5 for children ages 2 to 12; www.thekehilla.org/shavuot. • Congregation Beth Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody — Beth Shalom has a rapid-fire approach to all-night study with a series of 30-minute sessions, including Hugh Mainzer on a unified Jewish commu-
nity, Ed Aqua on intermarriage, Rachel Lazarus on Dinah and Jeff Lazarus on Revolutionary War financier Haym Solomon. The first class is at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by Havdalah, then more study. Free; bethshalomatlanta. org/shakin-up-shavuot. • Congregation Bet Haverim, 2074 LaVista Road, Toco Hills — Bet Haverim holds a Spiritual Summit on Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The day begins with a silent breakfast before a service involving sacred text, prayer, meditation, chant and other spiritual practices. Free; bit.ly/1XZrc0y or 404315-6446. • Congregation Shearith Israel, 1180 University Drive, Morningside — Shearith Israel and Limmud Atlanta + Southeast combine to provide a variety of learning options Saturday night, including environmental sustainability, beekeeping, yoga, cheese making and food justice, with such presenters as Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder, Ross Mansbach and Howie and Ari Slomka. The schedule starts with Mincha at 7:30, then a dairy meal, Ma’ariv at 9, study at 9:30, dessert at 10:30 and more study at 11. Free; bit.ly/1sGMZxE. • Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian Hills Parkway, East Cobb — Allnight Shavuot study begins at 8:45 p.m. Saturday, with services at 9:30 a.m. Sunday and Monday (including Yizkor). Free; etzchaim.net. • Congregation B’nai Torah, 700 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs — Rabbis Joshua Heller and Eytan Kenter talk with legal experts about the intersection of Jewish and
American law Saturday night. Mincha is at 7:30, and, after light refreshments, a session on the rights of the accused starts at 8:15. After Ma’ariv at 9:15, breakout sessions are at 9:30, followed by ice cream at 10:30 and the closing session at 10:45. Free; www.bnaitorah. org/shavuot-events-june-11-13. • Chabad of Cobb, 4450 Lower Roswell Road, East Cobb — “Late Show With Rabbi Silverman” on Saturday night starts with two political hot topics: Rabbi Ephraim Silverman with a Jewish perspective on firearms at 10:30 and Rabbi Tzvi Kilov on the chassidus of the populist political movements led by Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Then study until you drop from 12:30 a.m. on. Free; www.chabadofcobb.com/ Shavuot2016. • Congregation Beth Jacob, 1855 LaVista Road, Toco Hills — Saturday night learning sessions include lessons from Rabbis Ilan Feldman, Yechezkel Freundlich and Binyomin Sloviter. For details, www.bethjacobatlanta.org/ shavuos. • Young Israel of Toco Hills, 2056 LaVista Road — Two Yeshiva University scholars, Rabbi Jeremy Wieder, the rosh yeshiva, and Chaviva Levin, an expert on medieval Jewry, offer pre-Shavuot lessons at 7:15 and 8:40 p.m. Saturday, then lead all-night learning, which starts at 11:45 p.m. with a discussion on the possibility of Torah and morality conflicting. Free, www.yith.org. • New Toco Shul, 2003 LaVista Road, Toco Hills — The all-night learning starts at midnight Saturday with sessions led by Rabbi Michael Broyde,
Rabbi Jake Czuper, Nachi Friedman, Rabbi Eric Levy, Rabbi Shlomo Pill and Rabbi Don Seeman. newtocoshul.com. • Congregation Ner Hamizrach, 1858 LaVista Road, Toco Hills — Allnight learning begins at 12:30 a.m. Sunday. Free; www.nerhamizrach.org/ times.html. • Kollel Ner Hamizrach, 1255 Bramble Road, Toco Hills (Cohen residence) — A special class for women, “Taking the Message Home,” starts at 6 p.m. Sunday. Free; www.kollelnh.org. • Congregation Anshi S’fard, 1324 N. Highland Ave., Virginia-Highland — A dairy dinner at 9:45 p.m. Saturday is followed by a Torah discussion about the shooting of the gorilla at the zoo in Cincinnati at 11:15, a cheesecake break at midnight, and a discussion of reincarnation at 12:15 a.m. Dinner is $18; RSVP to info@anshisfard.org. Anshi’s “Good Shabbos, Atlanta” game is held during Shavuot services around 10:45 a.m. Sunday. Free; www.goodshabbosatlanta.com. • Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta — Allnight learning runs from 11:59 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday, with an ice cream party and dairy brunch accompanying the reading of the Ten Commandments at 11 a.m. Sunday. Free; www.chabadnf.org. • Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs — Services at 10 a.m. Sunday are followed by lunchand-learn session featuring blintzes, cheesecake and a discussion of contemporary interpretations of the Ten Commandments. ■
Batter Up: Playing by the Torah’s Rules
T
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
here is a story told about a bar mitzvah boy. It was 1955, and this young boy was living in Brooklyn. His parents arranged for him to have a private audience with the Lubavitcher Rebbe to receive a blessing in honor of his upcoming day. They drove to 770 Eastern Parkway, the small Hasidic community in Crown Heights that was struggling to recover from Stalinism and the Holocaust, but this was an all-American kid, born and bred for baseball. The Rebbe greeted them with his comforting handshake, asking them to please take a seat. The Rebbe briefly blessed the boy that he 8 should grow to become a source of
AJT
pride to the Jewish people and his family. As they turned to leave, the Rebbe surprised the family with a question to the boy: “Are you a baseball fan?” The boy replied that he was. “Which team are you a fan of, the Yankees or the Dodgers?”
Guest Column By Dena Schusterman
The Dodgers, replied the boy. “Does your father have the same feeling for the Dodgers as you have?” No.
“Does he take you out to games?” Well, every once in a while my father takes me to a game. We were at a game a month ago. “How was the game?” It was disappointing, the 13-yearold confessed. By the sixth inning, the Dodgers were losing 9-2, so we left. “Did the players also leave the game when you left?” Rabbi, the players can’t leave in the middle of the game! “Why not?” asked the Rebbe. “Explain to me how this works.” There are players and fans, the young baseball fan explained. The fans can leave when they like — they’re not part of the game, and the game could, and does, continue after they leave. But the players need to stay and try to
win until the game is over. “That is the lesson I want to teach you in Judaism,” the Rebbe said with a smile. “You can be either a fan or a player. Be a player.” The above story is told on Chabad. org by Dovid Zaklikowski. To me as an all-American gal, this story is significant for the lesson the Rebbe is teaching us about the daily life of a Jew and the rules a player follows in the game. I thought about this story most recently when reflecting about the holiday of Shavuot. Shavuot is its own holiday as much as it is a culmination of the Passover events. My thoughts about Shavuot began as well with an incident that occurred on Passover. While back home in California for
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
the holiday, I was reminiscing with a grade school classmate of mine whom I had not seen in 20-plus years. We were discussing the stress of some parents in the Northeast over the shortage of seats in Jewish private schools. My friend waved off the whole ordeal with these words: “If the parents followed the rules, their children would get into the schools.” Her comment was off the cuff but irked me. Was it the concept of following the rules for parents? They (and I) have to follow rules? Um, I thought, we are adults; we make up our own rules. Or was it what I perceived as her insensitivity to the families struggling to find the right school for their children? Had I been living outside the traditional Orthodox community for so long that I had become uncomfortable with the notion of conformity and rule following? Had the liberal, American, free-thinking, creative-expression, learn-your-own-way, take-what-youlike-and-leave-what-you-don’t, modern Jewish community rubbed off on me? As I left my friend and walked the beautiful streets of my childhood neighborhood in Hancock Park, I started thinking about rules and my earliest memories of playing games. Baseball is the American pastime, and it is all about the rules. Even when our children play in a league, there are rules and uniforms. Baseball takes a rookie and turns him into a high-paid, disciplined professional with his sites on his team reaching the World Series. A pitcher does not free-form throw at will, nor does a baseman bring his comfy chair to a particularly hot game. The rules are clear, and the rules are followed — or you are out of the game. But the players are in it because they love it, they understand it, and they feel it — as the Rebbe pointed out, perhaps even more than the fans. The holiday of Shavuot is a little less known than Passover. There is no grand haggadah to recite, shofar to blow or sukkah to erect. Its most significant practices are to eat dairy foods, stay up all night studying Torah and hear the Ten Commandments. Shavuot is celebrated on the 6th of Sivan to remember the giving of the Torah in the Sinai 49 days after the Jews left Egypt. It is the day we became a nation, the day we were finally uplifted from our slave mentality, ready to be a free people, the nation of Israel. Really, it is the culmination of what began with yetziat Mitzrayim (leaving Egypt), characterized by fleeing slavery and being subservient to
human whim, and going toward a new life, a free life, a life filled with meaning and purpose. Shavuot is the apex of the journey toward freedom, receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai from G-d through Moses. If you do not have Shavuot, how does the story of Egypt and Pharaoh end? Do the Jewish people ride off into the sunset by way of the split sea? Why is freedom hard? Why do we need the Torah to help us leave a slave mentality and become a Jewish nation? It is learning a new way to be. On Shavuot, we received the guidebook for this way of life: the Torah. There is the common challenge to observant practice, but didn’t the Jews leave one slavery only to enter into another one, enslaved to G-d and His Torah? There’s the answer to my discom-
fort in speaking with my friend. I fell into the mistake of thinking that rules and protocol are what keep us down and submissive. Then I remembered it is quite the opposite: The rules afford us the ability to succeed, to know our boundaries, to push them, to reach them, to question them but to know they are there for our preservation. As the famous maxim states, “More than the Jews have kept the Shabbat, the Shabbat has kept the Jews.” It is not about blindly following rules, but taking them and integrating them into our lives, deepening our understanding of the why of the Torah and the who of G-d. It is about internalization, taking the commandments and connecting to them in such a way that they become our own. As a result, we should be further from the slave
mentality and closer to betterment of ourselves and our environment — l’taken ha’olam (tikkun olam), as is stated in the Aleinu prayer. Ultimately, it is about taking the responsibility of being a player seriously by being a serious Jew. Chag sameach! Please join me Sunday, June 12, to hear the Ten Commandments at 11:30 a.m., followed by brunch, at Chabad Intown, 928 Ponce de Leon Ave., Atlanta. Or visit your favorite synagogue. ■ Dena Schusterman is a mother of eight, the rebbetzin of Chabad Intown, the director of the Intown Jewish Preschool and a wife. She spends her time writing and interacting with, teaching and mentoring the people in her community. A version of this article appears in Atlanta’s Nishei magazine (nishei.org).
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
SHAVUOT
AJT 9
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
OPINION
Our View
Sticky Rice
N
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
ational Security Adviser Susan Rice was the highest-ranking U.S. official at the American Jewish Committee Global Forum from Sunday to Tuesday, June 5 to 7, so it’s tempting to parse her remarks for any sign the Obama administration plans a final push for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Sadly, that search is in vain, though Rice took the stage just three days after Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up his participation in a Paris conference meant to jump-start the moribund peace process. Here’s what Rice said about the Paris meeting: “Secretary Kerry has just returned from a gathering of foreign ministers in Paris, where the United States and all other participants underscored that a negotiated two-state solution is the only way to achieve an enduring peace. A solution cannot be imposed on the parties. But we continue to urge them to undertake meaningful actions on the ground that are consistent with their rhetorical commitment to two states.” Rice preferred to relive the Iran debate of last summer and celebrate its “undeniable” results while making the easily deniable claim that this administration “will not let Iran off the hook.” Rice couldn’t resist doubling down on the goal of making Iran the signature foreign policy achievement of President Barack Obama. It doesn’t matter that it’s far too soon to know whether his approach of speaking loudly and leaving the big stick at home will lead a reform-minded, Western-leaning Iran or an expanded Iranian hegemony in the Middle East. But all the Iran talk was merely posturing for posterity, just as Rice’s nostalgia for neighborhood seders and b’not mitzvah as a child in Washington was merely for entertainment. For real policy the final seven months of the administration, Rice produced one bit of valuable news: In the negotiations over a long-term memorandum of understanding regarding U.S. military aid to Israel, Obama is offering “a significant increase in support” through 2029 “even in these days of belt tightening.” She didn’t put a number on that boosted aid, and we still lean toward a mutually beneficial phase-out of the aid in favor of the seeding of special-purpose U.S.-Israeli venture capital funds, as proposed by former Israeli Ambassador Yoram Ettinger. But as long as the current system is seen as the best way to guarantee Israel’s security, more is better. The unaddressed question is the price of the increased aid. What does Obama want? We might find a clue in Rice’s strong condemnation of West Bank settlements: “Settlement activity corrodes the prospects for two states. It moves us toward a one-state reality. Israel’s future as a Jewish, democratic state is at stake.” All of that is true, and Israel shouldn’t flinch when it hears the truth. But if this administration or its successor wants to help advance a two-state solution, it must practice what Rice preached to the United Nations: Drop the “unbalanced and counterproductive focus on Israel.” Stop blaming one side for the lack of progress. Try offering substantive proposals to bring the Palestinians and Israelis to the table, and keep the focus 10 on the future instead of resting on Iranian laurels. ■
AJT
Cartoon by John Cole, The Scranton Times-Tribune
Toward a Shared Society
M
ohammed Darawshe delivered a valuable Israel finish the journey? Darawshe preaches patient lesson Monday night, June 6, on coexischanges that gradually break down separations. tence vs. a shared society in Israel. Problem: Israel has separate educational It’s a shame only about 40 people gathered at systems for Jews and Arabs, and student busing is Congregation B’nai Torah to hear him — perhaps be- impossible. Solution: Bus teachers so that Jews learn cause he’s not Jewish, perhaps because the ever-confrom some Arabs and Arabs learn from some Jews. troversial New Israel Fund sponsored the event and Such exchanges are reaching 60,000 Israeli students supports his nonprofit organization, Givat Haviva. a year and can be scaled up. But Darawshe is an Israeli, Problem: Arabs, an Arab, a Muslim. His family 21 percent of the has lived in the same village for population, were Editor’s Notebook 800 years and 28 generations. 3 percent of the By Michael Jacobs He is committed to an IsTechnion’s students rael where his four children will 13 years ago. Solumjacobs@atljewishtimes.com want to remain and thrive. He tion: Assign Jewish doesn’t want to be welcomed as a upperclassmen as stranger; he wants to be treated mentors to new as an equal by his fellow citizens. Arab students so they don’t drop out for social reaDarawshe, the director of planning, equality sons, and provide a prep school process for students and shared society for Givat Haviva, said he supwho just miss admission. Now Arabs make up 23 ported coexistence until the outbreak of the Second percent of Technion students, including 30 percent Intifada shattered the concept. Within months, he in computer science and 50 percent in medicine. said, 182 coexistence organizations shrank to 27. Problem: Jewish and Arab towns have no Darawshe said a horse and a rider can coexist connections and are strangers. Solution: Pair up and be happy with their roles while one is riding the neighboring towns and have them choose mutuother. But after the ride, one is going to eat hay in a ally beneficial projects they can do together, in the stable, and the other is going to eat steak in a castle. process establishing lines of communication. “Coexistence is not good enough,” he said. Such examples of practical progress will help A shared society aims for actual equality. Israel live up to its vision and Judaism’s principles. The discussion of the lack of equality between It’s important to understand that Darawshe was not here to talk about Israeli-Palestinian peace. He is Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens wasn’t pleasant, focused on what is happening within Israel. but it also wasn’t mindless Israel-bashing. Darawshe Maybe building an Israeli society Arabs can wasn’t trying to attack his country any more than take pride in, as opposed to one that meets the lower civil rights leaders in the South in the 1950s and standard of being superior to other Middle Eastern 1960s were trying to tear down the United States. nations, will pave the path to peace; maybe not. It He pointed out that the Israeli government, in a doesn’t matter because whatever happens with the 2003 report and in a 2007 statement by then-Prime non-Israelis living between the Jordan and the MediMinister Ehud Olmert, acknowledged systemic, terranean, Israel has a responsibility toward its own institutional discrimination. But if admitting the citizens — all of them. ■ problem gets you halfway to a solution, how does
OPINION
Counting Jews and More vacations are planned, the pool beckons. Would September or October have been better? Federation hopes that if results are available in the fall, they can aid in communal planning for the months, if not the years, ahead. For example, what services are needed in areas where the Jewish population has increased markedly in the past decade? What programs are
From Where I Sit By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com
desired by intermarried parents? And what will attract the millennial generation to greater engagement with the existing communal structure while encouraging these young people to create their own avenues of religious and cultural expression? Getting the answer to this last question right is critical to Federation maintaining its central position in the Jewish community and proving that it can be relevant in the lives of millennials, whose patterns of participation and philanthropy differ from those of their elders. These were among the issues I addressed in a March article about challenges facing Federation. They are among the issues greeting Eric Robbins as he begins work as Federation’s chief executive. Novel approaches implemented by other Jewish communities to address the millennial question were the subject of a recent posting by the Jewish Federations of North America. Federation’s target areas, its highest priorities for responses, are not surprising: North Fulton (Roswell/ Alpharetta/Johns Creek), East Cobb (Marietta/Kennesaw), intown (ranging from Grant Park to Toco Hills), Sandy Springs/Dunwoody and Buckhead/ Brookhaven. There are geographic limitations. Peachtree City is within the initial ZIP codes to be surveyed, but not Dallas. Cumming is included, but not Dahlonega or Rome. By the way, Federation is distributing tens of thousands of cards to promote the survey, but don’t bother trying to identify the faces inside the Star of David. They’re just stock photos selected to represent various possible constituencies in the Atlanta Jewish community. ■
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
W
ere you here 20 years ago? When the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta conducted a community survey in 1996, the Jewish population was an estimated 76,800. What about 10 years ago? By the 2006 survey, the Jewish community had grown to 119,800, an increase of 56 percent in a decade. Have you come in the past decade? Knowing how many Jews live in Atlanta (and where they live) is important, but Federation and scores of other Jewish organizations also want to know what services and programs those Jews need and want. Where previous community surveys were done by telephone, the 2016 edition launched at IamJewishAtl.com on Monday, June 6, and will be online through the end of the month. The message from Rene Kutner, Federation’s vice president of marketing: “If you are age 15 and older, you are Jewish or live in a Jewish household, we want to hear from you.” Answering the questions in full takes about 20 minutes. While demographic data will help create a “who are we” profile of the Jewish community, “we’re asking a lot more whys and not just the what,” Kutner said. “It’s a lot more comprehensive. … There was a conscious decision made that knowing how many Jews live in Atlanta isn’t really pertinent if you don’t know what to do with them, if you can’t provide the right services for them, if you don’t know where they are, what they’re looking for.” If you have any relationship, no matter now slim, with a congregation, agency, organization or school serving the Jewish community, you should have been made aware of the survey. “Affiliated means you feel you have a Jewish community in which you can participate,” not just that you belong to a synagogue, Kutner said. To create a well-rounded report, at least 2,500 responses are needed. The Melior Group, the Philadelphia firm contracted to design the survey, has done similar work for other Jewish communities. Once the findings have been reported to Federation, they will be shared with some 100 congregations, agencies, organizations and schools — most, but not all, recipients of funding from Federation. June may not be the best time to conduct such a survey. School is out,
AJT 11
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
OPINION
Why I’m With Trump
A
s a backer of former Republican presidential candidates, I now stand in support of Donald Trump because the fate of this nation depends on sending him, and not Hillary Clinton, to the White House. I know Donald Trump, but we’re not close friends. However, I believe he will begin on Day 1 undoing the damage done by President Barack Obama. I stand ready to help him at every turn. Like many, I am deeply concerned about the U.S. Supreme Court. When Trump recently released his list of potential appointees, I grew confident in his resolve to keep our court balanced. Even more important: Clinton would push the court leftward for generations. She must be stopped. But I draw more from lessons learned when we founded The Home Depot in 1978 than from the contentious GOP primaries of 2016. I genuinely believe that if we started The Home Depot today, we would fail because of the hurdles government, especially the current administration, places in front of small-business owners. I never forget The Home Depot’s small-business roots: We started as a small business with four stores in Atlanta. I think of the banker who nearly lost his job by taking a risk and giving us a line of credit when we started.
He didn’t just look at our balance sheet; he believed in our character and determination. Government regulators
Guest Column By Bernie Marcus
don’t allow this under Dodd-Frank — a law Hillary Clinton wants to make far worse. And going public under SarbanesOxley, a Clinton favorite? Not the company we built, nor thousands of other businesses like ours the nation will never know because they died at birth, strangled by faceless bureaucrats and politicians who erroneously believe that government can do it better. Yet the risks we took in the 1970s have resulted in millions of jobs — not just at The Home Depot, but at our suppliers, our vendors and even our customers’ businesses. Investors believed in us, and the government did not stop us. We could not do this today, for the same reason so many Americans have dropped out of the workforce, their wages have been stagnant, their health care is a mess, and our economy has stalled: Obama/Clinton-style government is getting in the way. I have never seen our government as hostile to free enterprise, especially
small business, as it is today. It is driving overregulation, over-taxation, overlitigation and overspending. These overs are killing small businesses, which create the majority of new jobs in America. Politicians like Obama and Clinton, aided by the media and academia, have peddled a dangerous sentiment that government can provide for Americans better than the private sector. That’s not just false; it’s likely the nexus of Trump’s massively popular slogan, “Make America Great Again.” We saw it firsthand. The vast majority of early Home Depot associates did not have a college education. But they worked hard and were paid with salaries and stock options. Those options made many people wealthy and fueled our robust growth. One young man started with us at 17 years of age, bringing carts in from the parking lot. Ultimately, he became a regional president. Imagine Americans vilifying this young man, who became a millionaire and earned every penny of it. What makes America great? Risk, preparation, hard work and a young man’s willingness to shag carts from a parking lot because he has faith that he and his family can be great. Donald Trump is right: To inspire more of these men and women, we must make America great again. Record-breaking numbers of Republican primary voters agree. They
overwhelmingly want Donald Trump to lead this sea change, and we believe he can. But he needs to stand on our shoulders; he cannot do it alone. One of the greatest lessons we took away from The Home Depot is to always listen to your customers. Without their input, we surely would have failed. Republican leaders must listen to their customers — their voters — and they have spoken clearly. As Americans, the choice is abundantly clear: If you want four more years of President Obama, vote for Hillary Clinton; if you want to take the country in a new direction, vote for Donald Trump. Make no mistake: Republicans who refuse to stand behind their party’s nominee are electing Clinton, whether they cast their ballots for her or not. I have a message for the #NeverTrump crowd: Enough already. Donald Trump is our presumptive nominee, and it is time to get over wishing it were not so. If you don’t, change your social media hashtag to #HillaryGOP. As a GOP donor who stood steadfastly behind Jeb Bush and who has contributed to candidates for a generation, I urge all Republicans to stand up and be counted in support for Donald Trump. ■ Bernie Marcus is co-founder of The Home Depot and chairman of the Marcus Foundation. This piece originally appeared at RealClear Politics.
Mourning Two Non-Jewish Community Heroes
R
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
arely do the pages of the Atlanta Jewish Times recognize or profile non-Israelis who are not Jewish, and considering the paper’s roots, this makes perfect sense. But there are times that call for recognizing the heroes among us who are of another faith. We are mourning the passing of Mary “Mother” Hughes and Dr. L.S. “Narsi” Narasimhan, pillars of their respective communities who are virtually unknown in Jewish circles. Despite their unfamiliarity to us, many have benefited from their numerous mitzvot. Mother Hughes, who passed away at age 102, was renowned for her volunteer work. On her 100th birthday, she was profiled by WSB-TV 12 for marking the special day, as she did
AJT
every other day, by delivering boxes of clothes to children in need. In another small but consistent
Guest Column By Dov Wilker
act, she helped American Jewish Committee. Each year she joined leaders from the Atlanta business community to serve on the tribute committee for our National Human Relations Award dinner, honoring a member of Atlanta’s business community. She would send hundreds of handwritten letters asking corporate leaders to support our community by supporting AJC. Dr. Narsi had a sudden heart at-
tack and passed away a few weeks ago. He was the backbone of the Indian community and always sought to connect professionals from a variety of industries. It was as if his sole purpose was bringing people together — any and all people, no matter their race, creed or color. He was a constant champion of Indian-Jewish relations, always encouraging AJC to arrange more opportunities for members of the Indian and Jewish communities to serve and celebrate in tandem. An alumnus of AJC’s Project Interchange, his resolve was strengthened by his participation in this AJC-sponsored visit to Israel in 2006. Both Mother Hughes and Dr. Narsi were prime examples of the value and benefits of simple bridge-building. Both deeply believed that by commu-
nicating and networking we can find common ground in friendship and shared democratic values. For each, it was never self-serving, but rather an appreciation of the bigger picture — the forest, not the single tree. If not for their persistent efforts, I am sure our relations with Atlanta’s African-American and Indian communities would not be what they are today. Undoubtedly many other nonJewish heroes are not known to us. That makes it even more important to recognize these “relationship engineers” as significant role models. They deserve a respectful farewell and shout-out from the Atlanta Jewish community. ■ Dov Wilker is the regional director of AJC Atlanta.
AJT
13
JUNE 10 â&#x2013;ª 2016
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
EDUCATION
Photos by Paula Baroff
The AJA Class of 2016 listens to the d’var Torah from Aharon Davidson.
Shira Solomon accepts her diploma from Associate Head of School Paul Oberman.
Valedictorian Abby Stein
Salutatorian Greg Shapiro
AJA Graduating Seniors Up for the Count By Paula Baroff
J
ust three days before he died, Muhammad Ali made an impact on the graduation of 23 teenagers who are too young to have seen him light the flame at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, let alone seen him fight. Delivering the d’var Torah at the Atlanta Jewish Academy Upper School graduation, held Tuesday night, May 31, in the auditorium of the AJA Lower School in Sandy Springs, Aharon Davidson concluded with a paraphrase of a quote from the former heavyweight champ: “Don’t count every day. Make every day count.” Davidson drew parallels between counting toward graduation and counting the Omer. Instead of count-
ing down the Omer, we count up — as we should do in life. “Throughout high school I was always counting down,” he said. “This year I realized the value of my Jewish and secular education I was getting here, and I started counting up.” Every day should be another step toward something, he said. “Begin every day with this in mind: What can I do today to make myself a better person?” The ceremony’s keynote speaker, David Bokman, also encouraged the graduates to become more self-aware. “The best way to know ourselves deeply is to ask ourselves deep questions,” the Enneagram expert said, referencing the students in a class he taught about the spiritual personality
system based on ancient Kabbalah. Salutatorian Greg Shapiro took years to even let himself ask such questions. “I felt a sense of entitlement so grotesque, I convinced myself I knew the world,” he said of his younger self. However, as he grew in maturity and as a person, he began to allow for selfreflection. “I began asking people how they were feeling — becoming an overall better person.” This reflection brought him closer to Judaism and taught him humility, in turn letting him become more the person he wants to be. “That’s the goal of high school, isn’t it?” he said. “Sure, we are getting ready for college. But the main purpose I found is to get ready for life.”
Abby Stein, the valedictorian, spoke about what she called the worst day of her life. After passing out in front of 20 people from donating blood, she received four rejection letters that crushed her dreams of being an Ivy League student. While those emotions are still raw, she said she is beginning to see how that day may lead to better things. “We do not always know what is best for us.” Stein said she and her classmates will remember high school for the close friendships they formed and the personal interests they developed rather than the conclusions of Ivy League schools. “May we all continue to find our homes in the bonds we’ve created between us and in the passions that continue to define our life.” ■
AJA Congratulates 39 ‘Human Becomings’ By Zach Itzkovitz
N
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
early all 700 seats of Atlanta Jewish Academy’s auditorium in Sandy Springs were filled Wednesday, June 1, as Head of School Rabbi Pinchos Hecht welcomed patrons and students to the graduation of 39 former eighth-graders, two thirds of whom will continue at AJA’s Upper School next school year. Four awards distinguished some grads from their peers: • The Keter Shem Tov Award went to Josh Anderson and Eliana Dosetareh for deeds that “earn them the respect and affection of their fellows and their community.” • The Hadassah Chesed Award “for care for one’s fellow man and love for our homeland, Israel,” was awarded to Aidyn Levin. • The Head of School Award was 14 presented to Eitan Linsider, Hannah
AJT
Photos by Zach Itzkovitz
The mortarboards go flying as the new graduates celebrate.
Solon and Sophie Steinberg. • The Ephraim Frankel Award for “scholarship, leadership and menschlichkeit” went to Zach Mainzer and Aden Dori. In an expressive presentation, members of the Class of 2016 reflected on their time at AJA with their words and bodies, performing an abstract, veiled dance using a backlit screen to create shadow puppets of their forms — flowing and distorting with the creases in the sheet.
A backlit sheet to form shadow puppets helps the Class of 2016 reflect on the years at AJA.
The students invoked Kabbalah and the Book of Ruth in trying to understand their ongoing task as Jews, as described by the ceremony’s guiding maxim from Rabbi Tarfon in Pirkei Avot: “It is not your responsibility to complete the task, yet you are not free to withdraw from it.” Part of the task may be rejecting complacency. AJA’s board president, Ian Ratner, mentioned investing in new science labs and library renovations and refus-
ing to accept that current facilities are satisfactory or that current fundraising is sufficient. Leah Summers, the associate head of the Greenfield Early Childhood and Middle School at AJA, implored her former eighth-graders not to develop into human beings, but to always accept new tasks and new perspective as perpetual “human becomings,” never satisfied with mere existence and sustenance. ■
EDUCATION
Photo by Paula Baroff
Twins Isaac and Caroline Goldman enjoy their graduation from the Davis Academy.
Photo by Paula Baroff
Davis Academy Associate Head of School Drew Frank issues a diploma to Austin Margol.
The Davis Academy middle school gym serves as a graduation site for the last time.
Davis Grads March Into Future of Questions By Paula Baroff
T
he Davis Academy Class of 2016 marked the end of a graduation tradition Thursday night, June 2, making a grand entrance beneath a line of tallitot held by teachers and staff members before sitting in the front of the middle school gymnasium. A new auditorium will be ready when next year’s eighth-graders graduate, but alumna speaker Leah Michalove said she remembered walking down the same aisle and sitting in the same seats eight years earlier. “I was cooler then,” the Rhodes Scholar and new Emory University graduate joked. “My hair was purple under my white hat.” Michalove spoke directly to the graduates, emphasizing the importance of asking questions in Judaism and suggesting they should bring that practice into their lives as they begin high school. “We gained the name Am Yisrael when Jacob physically struggled with G-d,” she said. “We are challenged to constantly struggle and question.” She gave examples of different types of questions and the importance of each: “Physics is the science of hows, but so too is empathy. Through hows we learn without passing judgment.”
Michalove told the Davis graduates that although they may not remember specific Hebrew terms, historic dates or vocabulary words, they will always remember how a Jewish education taught them to ask questions and become activists. “My wish for you, Davis Class of 2016, is that your questions compel more questions.” In that spirit, the Class of 2016 presented a video in which the graduates asked plenty of questions — perhaps not as philosophical as Michalove’s, but a moving tribute to their years at the school. The presentation was made entirely by the students, and they interspersed their baby photos with both funny and emotional responses in the hallway to questions such as “What was the funniest moment at Davis?” and “How would you describe our grade?” Several members of the administration spoke to the graduates and their parents, thanking them for the opportunity to nurture their students and their commitment to the school. The majority of the graduates had attended Davis since kindergarten. After receiving their diplomas, the new graduates sang Shehechiyanu and danced to the Israeli song “Shir La’Ahava.” ■
Buy 6 GET 6 Bagels FREE
10% off
Catered Kiddush Lunches Over 50 People Booked
6355 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd., Sandy Springs, GA – 678.585.3445 “New Store across from Costco” 11770 Haynes Bridge Rd., Alpharetta, GA – 770.569.1009 4620 Kimball Bridge Rd., Alpharetta, GA – 678.240.0205 www.bagelboyscafe.com
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
Emory graduate and Rhodes Scholar Leah Michalove, a member of the Davis Academy Class of 2008, urges the new Davis graduates to ask questions and become activists.
Having flipped their tassels, members of the Davis Class of 2016 are officially graduates.
AJT 15
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
TECHNOLOGY
Staccato Software Accelerates Sales By Paula Baroff
E
ntrepreneur Mike Scher had a steady and comfortable job when he decided to start a company. After years of developing a method for sales cold-calling, he created his own software and launched Frontline Selling, an Atlanta-based company that now has international clients. “There’s a different mind-set that happens when you’re working for yourself than working for someone else,” he said about being an entrepreneur rather than having a 9-to-5 job. “You have to go with your gut feeling in terms of what kind of business it’s going to be, how to engage with customers,” he said. “You just focus on the outcome. It all seems to come together.” Scher said that starting a company is risky but rewarding, especially when it is based on a system and software you developed. His method for cold-calling came before the software, Staccato. He searched for existing applications to launch the method, but none of them was right. So he developed his own. “Most salespeople would agree
that it is the right approach to take, but most applications do not accommodate it very well,” Scher said. He recently launched Staccato Pro as a cloud application for When Mike Scher better business-tocouldn’t find software for his sales system, business sales. he made it himself. He realized over the years that so many organizations were not selling as well as they could simply because they were lacking a standard system, and his worked remarkably well. “Salespeople typically guess their way through the process and don’t repeat it over again,” Scher said. “We actually studied the very problem and, over time, 1.8 million outreach efforts. The method is really just a result of what we discovered in the study.” His method, a standardized topdown approach, works better for organizations being cold-called, Scher said, because it helps them socialize or get the word out across the organization.
PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE MONTHLY MEETING OF
The Jewish Breakfast Club with featured speaker
MARTY KOGON Lifetime of Achievement Award Winner, Founding Partner Pull-A-Part, LLC
Wednesday, June 15th 7:30 am – 9 am
7:30 am Reception • 8:00 am Program
Being held at Greenberg Traurig 3333 Piedmont Rd NE #2500
Reservation Required RSVP at JBC@atljewishtimes.com
$15.00 cash payment at the door
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
We require a reservation because the breakfast is catered and we need to be able to plan. Kosher dietary laws observed.
AJT 16
JBC
Jewish Breakfast Club
He said he hasn’t had any major setbacks, but he has had to deal with the constant challenges of starting from scratch. “The most difficult challenge is just in terms of growing a company. You take it from an idea, and then you have two employees, then three, then five,” he said. “We have to create clarity of where we are going. You can’t just have an idea and run with it. You have to have an idea, run with it and make sure everyone knows.” Scher said his own method has been helpful in terms of getting the word out to other organizations about the company. He has a big market opportunity and plans on growing organically. With worldwide clients he is still based in Atlanta and has seen the area’s tech industry growing as well. “It’s still in its infancy,” he said. “It’s grown dramatically over the last five to seven years, but when you look at technology in other cities, they have pretty significant technology hubs.” While Atlanta’s tech scene has a long way to go to catch California, “it’s steadily growing, and there’s a lot of smart people here in terms of universi-
ties and talent pool, an educated workforce. Those are good for a growing and thriving technology marketplace.” This talent pool, Scher said, has to be unafraid to be entrepreneurs. It is scary being “on the high wire without a net,” as he has been, but fear can be a great motivator. “It’s amazing what you can do when you know that failure is not an option. When it isn’t an option, you will come up with the right idea and work harder than anybody.” Scher said it is worth getting through the fear to chase an idea and grow the company. “There’s a lot more reward than just the financial. There are the rewards of building something and creating jobs,” he said, mentioning that Frontline Selling now has 75 employees. Scher thinks it’s important that young people know they can take similar risks and become entrepreneurs themselves. “Believe in whatever it is your product or service is. You’ve got to believe you want to be the best you possibly can be, whatever that is. And just work harder than anybody else. Those three ingredients can take you to amazing places.” ■
With PlateJoy, Kosher Nutrition’s a Click Away By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com
H
ealth-conscious Atlantans who keep kosher now have another option for eating right. Personalized nutrition service PlateJoy and online grocer Instacart have partnered to offer same-day delivery of groceries and meal plans. PlateJoy this year launched a kosher plan, one of the few meal kit delivery services to offer a kosher option. PlateJoy was founded in 2012 by 28-year-old MIT graduate Christina Bognet. The company is a tech-enabled personalized nutrition startup that determines exactly what you should be eating each week based on your healthy eating goals and preferences. Subscribers take a quiz about favorite ingredients, allergies, family size, weight-loss goals, schedule and dietary restrictions. PlateJoy then generates a meal plan with a shopping list designed to reduce food waste and cost. “Even though meal delivery options are becoming more diverse, the reality is that few companies are
serving the kosher community,” said Bognet, the CEO. “We realized there was a need for something that makes healthy, kosher cooking as easy as ordering takeout.” A sample kosher plan includes strawberry yogurt for breakfast, Greek falafel salad for lunch, and quinoa and caramelized onion tacos for dinner. Now that PlateJoy is working with Instacart, Atlantans who keep kosher can have the items on their custom grocery lists delivered any day of the week within one hour. “The PlateJoy and Instacart integration is the equivalent of your fairy godmother and your personal nutritionist grocery shopping for you every week, magically placing the right things in your fridge, and sending recipes and nutritional support to your phone,” Bognet said. A membership to PlateJoy costs $59 for six months and includes recipes with tailored portion sizes for the entire family, cooking tips and access to a personal nutritionist. Instacart charges around $7 per delivery, plus the cost of the groceries. ■
TECHNOLOGY
Why UX Is Critical
L
et’s examine UX, or user experience. According to Nielsen Norman Group, a leading evidence-based UX research, training and consulting firm, “User experience encompasses all aspects of the enduser’s interaction with the company, its services and its products.” You want potential customers to have a positive experience on your website. For this to happen, you must be well versed on the needs and goals of your target audience. The initial focus for strong UX is to ensure you provide exactly what your audience needs. If a potential customer comes to your website and doesn’t find what he wants within seconds, he likely will leave for good. You can have the most userfriendly site on the Internet, but if you don’t provide what your audience is seeking, you’ve missed the mark. That’s not to say that having a simple, clean, easy-to-use interface is unimportant. User interface is a key component of UX and can have a measurable impact on your website. Here are five tips to enhance UX: • Make sure your site has a fast load time. If visitors have to wait more than two seconds for your page to
fully load, you have lost them. Today’s tech-savvy audience is accustomed to immediate presentation of the content they want. Pingdom.com is a site we use to test page load times. Custom WordPress themes can add to the load time, so be sure to streamline the
Guest Column By Mark Itzkovitz mitzkovitz@webtechemail.com
implementation if you use a theme. • Make sure that website users can easily tell where clickable links are. If it’s not clear where to click to get to valuable content, site visitors soon will find the content elsewhere. • Use lists and bullets so the content is organized and easily consumed. • Make sure the UI is consistent throughout the site, and use industrystandard elements so the site is easy to navigate. • Test your site regularly for broken links to avoid 404 errors. If a user gets a 404 error message, which means the page linked to is broken or does not exist, your site will lose credibility, and your visitor will leave and probably not return. ■
By Zach Itzkovitz
J
ewish Family & Career Services explored the effects of digital media on teenage brains with a screening of “Screenagers” at the Marcus Jewish Community Center on May 22. The film offers potential solutions to the problems of extensive screen time for kids, parents and communities. The documentary features a study in which some baby mice are exposed to digital media on screen, and others are not. The mice exposed to screen time developed fewer cells in the areas of learning and memory, suggesting that the same may be true for humans. The filmmakers spoke to parents and teens about the ways in which they’ve tried to limit screen time. One boy in “Screenagers” says that when he and friends go out to eat, they place their phones in the middle of the table, and the first to check a phone pays for the meal.
“Regulating away and pulling your attention away is such an important skill for your kids to develop,” said Lori Wilson, a clinical psychologist and pediatric neuropsychologist at JF&CS. Wilson was joined in a panel discussion after the screening by Lynn Mandelbaum, a social worker with the Galloway School, and Max Rubenstein, the founder of Game Givers. Rubenstein, a student at Galloway, spoke about the challenges his parents face in regulating his screen time. “It’s really difficult for my mom when I’m off on social media or Net flix or whatever and I need to be doing homework,” he said. “She can’t take away my laptop because I have all my homework on the laptop.” “Screenagers” also details the rise in popularity of violent video games. The film’s director, physician Delaney Ruston, said first-person shooter games were developed by the military to decrease sensitivity to shooting people. ■
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
Families Try to Focus On ‘Screenagers’ Danger
AJT 17
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
BUSINESS
Eagle Star Gala Highlights Israel Connections
A
crowd of 250 convened in the Lobby Ballroom adjacent to the Twelve Hotel in Atlantic Station on Thursday night, June 2, to celebrate the 15th annual Eagle Star Awards for Conexx: America Israel Business Connector. Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul, resplendent in white bucks and seersucker suit, was enthusiastic in the cocktail hour about his attendance at the past several Conexx events. “We are doing great work with Israel- and Sandy Springs-based companies. Sandy Springs has a sister area in the Western Galilee of 11 communities, including Akko. We expect an Israeli delegation in September for idea sharing in technology, health care and tourism.” After a hearty doublesided buffet, the audience experienced a somber moment when Mark Cohen accepted an award on behalf of the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management and paid tribute to Taylor Force, the Vanderbilt student who was fatally stabbed by a
terrorist while on a university trip to Israel in March. Guy Tessler, the president of Conexx, extolled the organization’s reach the past two years amid spiraling growth in the Southeast: “It’s not just Atlanta, but Gainesville, Birmingham, etc. We are opening new doors and inspiring minority Arabs to get involved in the Start-Up Nation … and urging women to get involved in Conexx. We are looking for more unique ways to expand, like sports, dining and entertainment ideas for interchange.” A video began the introduction to hardworking Anita Zucker, the recipient of the 2016 Tom Glaser Leadership Award: “To know her is to love her. Her
Photos by Michael Rosser except where noted
The double-sided buffet is beautifully displayed.
Relaxed billionaire Anita Zucker mixes with the crowd.
Jaffe’s Jewish Jive By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com
talk results in action, tikkun olam and major inroads into improving education.”
Serving Atlanta for Over 65 Years!
Jane Robelot interviews Anita Zucker.
Tom Glaser, for whom Conexx’s Leadership Award is named, extols Anita Zucker.
Zucker, whose parents were Holocaust survivors, said, “Our family came initially to Jacksonville with basically nothing.” Jane Robelot, a former news anchor who also covered the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, was an upbeat emcee who settled into a one-on-one interview with Zucker. Zucker, the only billionaire in South Carolina, was commanding yet understated in a simple black dress and pumps. With values based in faith, family and education, she emphasized research and sharing — “connecting Tel Aviv to the University of South Carolina, Weizmann Institute to Roper Mountain Science Center (in Greenville, S.C.), and the Technion and beyond.”
A former schoolteacher, Zucker took over as CEO and chair of the InterTech Group with her son, Jonathan, when her husband, Jerry, a chemical engineer and entrepreneur, died in 2008. She stressed Charleston’s growth — 25,000 new jobs expected in the next five years — and the importance of women getting involved to make an impact. Zucker, who has cousins in Atlanta and Israel, is on the board of trustees of her alma mater, the University of Florida. At the dessert reception after the presentations, Zucker said: “I am proud of the work South Carolina does with higher education, projects and innovation. The key is Israeli companies being co-located in our state and abroad.” ■
• Enjoy the Lowest Prices Around! • Incredible Selection, including those Hard to Find Items • Expertise in Wine Selection and Pairing • Party and Event Planning
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
• Good Old Fashioned Customer Service
AJT 18
BUCKHEAD: 2161 Piedmont Road Atlanta, GA 30324 | 404-881-0902
DORAVILLE: 5877 Buford Hwy Doraville, GA 30340 | 770-458-3272
Mark Cohen accepts the Innovative Academic Partnership With Israel Award on behalf of Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
Photo by Marcia Caller Jaffe
Alan Lubel poses with Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul, who says an Israeli delegation is coming to his city in September to discuss business opportunities.
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
BUSINESS
Hand-to-Hand Networking
Young professionals group launches at Breman Home By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com
J
ewish Home Life Communities has launched YAD, a young professionals networking group designed to complement existing programming. The group held its first meeting Thursday, June 2, at Srochi Hall in the William Breman Jewish Home. Longtime Jewish Atlanta business leader Sid Kirschner was the featured speaker. Kirschner, the executive vice president and chief philanthropy officer of Piedmont Healthcare, imparted knowledge from his years working in education, health care and philanthropy. Among his pearls of wisdom: • “Surround yourself with people who know more than you. It takes a team to achieve great things.” • “People see what you do even when you think they aren’t looking. Always set a good example.” • “Look for a good reason to say yes, but know when to say no.” • “Be a great listener.” In his 60-year professional career, Kirschner’s roles have included head of school of the Davis Academy; chairman and chief executive officer of Northside
Hospital; chairman, president and CEO of National Service Industries; and president of the Electric Motor Division of General Dynamics. His philanthropic work includes serving on the boards of Jewish Home Life Communities and Camp Kudzu. Allison Hahn, who works as a development associate at the William Breman Jewish Home, is heading up the networking group and is hopeful it will find a place among Atlanta’s wealth of young professional organizations. “We don’t want to compete with other young adult groups and divisions,” she said. “We just want to make
Photos by David R. Cohen
Left: Sid Kirschner addresses the debut meeting of YAD. He began his remarks by saying, “This is your first meeting; I hope it isn’t your last after I speak.”
people aware of Jewish Home Life Communities and what we do. It’s just another place to give back and get involved.”
The nonprofit organization provides health care and wellness services to older adults in metro Atlanta, as well as education and support to their families and the community. Hahn said the mission of YAD is to get young people more involved with the organization and to bridge the gap between generations. “We want to make sure that the next generation follows in volunteering and giving back,” Hahn said. “We have music events. We have bingo games. We have friendly visits. The residents love to see dogs come. There are many opportunities to volunteer.” ■
Raychel Robbins this spring joined the team at Teach for America Metro Atlanta as the director of development. The Peachtree Corners resident and former Congre- Raychel Robbins gation Beth Shalom board member has held positions in the education and nonprofit sectors and has a master’s degree in educational leadership. As a consultant, she has helped small nonprofits with campaign creation, annual giving, major gifts, corporate relations and partnerships, large event planning, team building, human dynamics, board and leadership development, and strategic planning. Robbins is a past president of the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival and a volunteer with the Georgia Aquarium. She is married to Peter Scourtis and has three stepchildren, Killian, Nolan and Arden.
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
Robbins Joins Teach for America
AJT 19
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
BUSINESS
Colgate Mattress Makes Mark a Crib at a Time By Benjamin Kweskin
W
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
hat is striking when you meet any of the many Wolkins working at familyowned and -operated Colgate Mattress is that they are all modest, soft-spoken and even reluctant to speak with a reporter — it was not until the end of the interview that they said Colgate was honored for continued service by the state of Georgia in a proclamation a decade ago. Founded on Ponce de Leon Avenue in 1955 in the area of what is now Ponce City Market, the three-generation manufacturer of crib and toddler mattresses has been boosted in recent years by Martha Stewart, who bought a Colgate mattress for a grandchild and later featured them on an episode of her TV show, and by placement in the 2014 Bill Murray comedy “St. Vincent.” President Alan Wolkin, son of founders Sol and Anne Wolkin, remembers when he began working with his father in ninth or 10th grade. “My father taught us we first needed basic skills in order to climb the ladder; we need to get our hands dirty with everyone else. So he had me start by sweeping,” Alan said. Sol was known for personal and professional ethics and served in England during World War II, having enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941. After the war, he was active with the Jewish War Veterans and “went to every reunion he could,” Alan said. Back from Europe, Sol first worked in several textile companies in New York state. After realizing he could do better on his own and learning about opportunities in the South, he borrowed $1,500 from his brotherin-law and moved to a small apartment with his young family in Morningside, where they lived for many years. He opened his small factory with one sewing machine and a couple of employees. In the late 1960s Colgate acquired the building that is now Paris on Ponce across the street from the home of the minor-league Atlanta Crackers. As youngsters, Alan and his sister played on the railroad tracks, where they saw the transients, and in the factory, where they watched the machines and their bookkeeper mother, the “fastest stenographer I ever saw,” Alan said. “She once told me that one of the IBM typewriters was too slow for her.” Colgate has been an industry 20 pioneer, being first with polyurethane
AJT
Richard Wolkin, now Colgate Mattress’ vice president, promotes his parents’ products as a toddler.
Representing the second and third generations of the Wolkin family at Colgate Mattress are (from left) Vice President Richard Wolkin, national sales manager Dennis Wolkin, operations manager Brent Wolkin and President Alan Wolkin.
This contraption, called CJ, is a Colgate creation to test the durability of mattresses.
mattresses, foam crib mattresses, dualfirmness mattresses and organic mattresses. “We always give the customers the best quality for their money spent,” said national sales manager Dennis Wolkin, Alan’s son. “The consumer and retailer know they’re getting better value and better product.” Vice President Richard Wolkin, Alan’s brother, said the family practices in business reflect the Jewish values instilled by Sol and Anne. “It’s a Jewish value to have high standards and to produce high-value products. This is important for us. For example, we take pride in the durability of our cribs, which is one of the most important purchases a parent will make, since babies will be there more than anywhere else — more than a stroller or car seat.” Atlanta in the 1950s and 1960s was a very different city, but the Wolkins said Colgate’s policy inside the workplace was one of equality. For example, there weren’t separate bathrooms for “whites” and “coloreds,” and Sol took his children to watch Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral procession in 1968. Alan said his mother made a point to sit in the back of the bus with her
children. One of Atlanta’s first gay bars was next to Colgate’s Ponce de Leon factory, and for many years Colgate had a gay secretary. Vice President Richard Wolkin, Alan’s brother, said: “We just did not care. I did not even know he was gay until someone told me one time by chance. We just never even thought about it.” In the 1980s, Colgate stood out from its competitors by using a label with a glossy picture of babies of different races. “We wanted our products to be for everyone,” Richard said, “not just certain groups.” Alan said: “We don’t care who is who here. When it comes to our employees, we care about someone doing the job right — that’s all. We consciously try to be fair and ethical according to precepts in the Torah. My father taught us to be charitable, and he led by example. Even if he did not have much, he’d go into his pocket if he had to.” Those Jewish values carry through outside business for Colgate and the Wolkins, who are active in the community from the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta to the Marcus Jewish
Community Center to several synagogues. Alan noted that his father contributed to Israel’s defense during one of its early wars. Colgate has partnered with KIDS Fashion Delivers and provided people who fled Hurricane Katrina with mattresses and pads once they arrived in Atlanta. Colgate also gives to SIDS research, the Rebecca’s Tent women’s shelter and the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta. Colgate has roughly 40 employees, not counting its salespeople and consultants. Most have worked there at least a decade, and some for several decades. An employee who died recently had been with Colgate for 45 years. Dennis and Richard said their manufacturing employees are true craftspeople who, like the Wolkins, work their way up from the bottom with in-house training. When Colgate ran out of space on Ponce, the employees were shown potential locations, and the company chose their favorite site in Cabbagetown, which was the most convenient because of its proximity to highways and public transit. That plant has Colgate in position to compete in an era of big-box stores, Internet retailers and U.S. companies that have moved manufacturing overseas, and to handle the uncertainty of global trade, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Richard said “could cause an influx of products that are substandard and not subject to the same regulations we are. We have our own standards we don’t want to compromise — and haven’t. On the other hand, it could be good for us, but we just don’t know yet.” Fostering local, national and international relationships has helped sustain Colgate, which has worked with local companies New Baby, Happy Mango and Georgia Baby and was among the first vendors for Bye Bye Baby. Though many domestic manufacturers have opted to move overseas, it is clear that Colgate has no intention of following suit. ■
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
ISRAEL NEWS
Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home
Monthly relief. Livia, which has raised more than $675,000 on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo despite having of goal of just $50,000, is a wearable device that provides instant relief from menstrual cramps and lasts up to 15 hours on a single charge. The device, produced by Tel Aviv-based startup iPulse Medical, uses electrical pulses to block pain receptors. Female journalists who received free Livia devices to test have described it as a life-changing technology. Research into 3D organ printing. Israel’s Office of the Chief Scientist has awarded 5.6 million shekels ($1.5 million) to Collplant in Ness-Ziona. The money will help finance projects such as the development of plant-based collagen and formulations intended for use as bio-ink for the 3D printing of tissues and organs. Egyptian artifacts returned. Israel has returned two colorful sarcophagus covers from the 16th and 10th centuries B.C.E. to Egypt amid warming relations between the countries. The artifacts were stolen and shipped to Dubai, then to London and Israel. They were found in a shop in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israeli food festival in Japan. The Israeli Ministry of Economy held the first Israeli food festival in 25 Costco stores across Japan. A separate Israeli food festival took place in Vietnam in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Aid to Sri Lankan flood victims. Israel has sent $20,000 worth of supplies to Sri Lanka in response to recent floods and landslides that killed over 100 and drove 650,000 people from their homes. Israeli aid included water pumps, solar lighting kits, LED flashlights and 50,000 water purification tablets. Electric road in Tel Aviv. A road in northern Tel Aviv will be one of the first to test under-the-road electric charging beds. Rosh Ha’Ayin-based ElectRoad’s technology will charge electric cars and buses as they drive.
Beer with SodaStream. Lod-based SodaStream has launched a home beer system, the Beer Bar. It produces a beer called Blondie with an alcohol content of 4.5 percent using sparkling water and a unique beer concentrate. A 1-liter Blondie bottle yields 3 liters of beer. Walking for Israel in Toronto. Some 20,000 people participated in Toronto’s 46th annual Walk With Israel fundraising event, eclipsing last year’s record of 17,000. The event raised $1.1 million. New Israeli islands? The Herzliya municipality is looking to build two artificial islands along the Israeli coastline. One island will be for
housing and the other for an airport for domestic flights. Tel Aviv is preparing plans for an island on which to build an international airport. The world’s toughest smartphone. After more than two years of research and development in Tel Aviv and Sweden, Sirin Labs has unveiled its military-grade “unhackable” security smartphone. Called SOLARIN and costing more than $14,000, it is made up of over 2,500 components to achieve connectivity across any continent. Most innovative startup in China’s Silicon Valley. Israeli tech startup Gemsense beat 200 Chinese companies
to win first place at the Second China Fair for Innovation and Technology in Shenzhen City. Gemsense also won third place in the virtual reality section and will represent Shenzhen City in China’s national finals. Ancient amulet discovered. Tenthgraders participating in an archaeological excavation at the ancient site of Tzipori discovered a 3,300-year-old Egyptian amulet. The scarab is from the time of Ramses — the period of the Exodus. Scarabs were usually burial amulets but also were worn as rings. Compiled courtesy of verygoodnewsisrael. blogspot.com and other news sources.
DISTRICT 3 SPECIAL ELECTION RUNOFF
ADVANCE VOTING INFORMATION Saturday, June 11, 2016 • 8:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday, June 13-17, 2016 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Hammond Park, Round Program Building 6005 Glenridge Drive The following families Support Joe Houseman and Endorse his campaign Mr. Chuck and Bonnie Berk Dr. Bruce and Carol Greene Mr. Jeff and Elizabeth Langfelder Dr. Ron and Maxine Rosen
Mr. Dale and Susan Schwartz Mr. Eric and Lisa Vayle Mr. Andrew and Shawn Tavani Mr. Roger and Vicky Frysh
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
Israel’s first re-transplanted kidney. Surgeons at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva took out the kidney of a woman who had died of a stroke and transplanted it into her brother. The kidney had been transplanted into the woman in an operation nine years earlier. It was the world’s fifth such operation and the first between relatives.
www.joehouseman.com | joe@joehouseman.com
AJT 21
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
ISRAEL NEWS
Smiling Through Aliyah’s Bureaucracy By Edie and Mort Barr Edie and Mort Barr made aliyah from Atlanta on March 30. Part 1 of their story appeared June 3.
M
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
aking aliyah is much easier today than it was 30 years ago when we first made the effort. Nefesh B’Nefesh, based in Jerusalem, partners with the Jewish Agency for Israel (Sochnut) and is partly financed by the Israeli government. It is well structured to facilitate aliyah from North America and the United Kingdom. We opened an online file with NBN in January 2015 and uploaded the requisite application information, including proof of being Jewish (a letter from our rabbi), U.S. passports, birth certificates and health declarations. Further, to prove we no longer resided in Israel but left after two years in 1986 and lived full time in the United States, we had to supply a list of entries and exits to and from Israel and evidence of continuous employment in the United States the past 30 years. We then contacted the Jewish Agency in Miami to manage the aliyah application and set up a personal interview. Although Atlanta does not have an aliyah desk, we didn’t need to go to Miami; one of the Israeli representatives based at the Marcus Jewish Community Center met with us. Approval under the Law of Return should have been automatic and rapid. But after 10 months and numerous phone calls and emails to Miami, the only feedback we received was that because we made aliyah 30 years ago and were classified as former A1 (a special temporary resident status for Americans to facilitate Israeli citizenship in three years without losing U.S. citizenship), our case was special and required review by the Professional Committee of the Misrad HaKlitah (Absorption Ministry) to determine our new status and rights. So we appealed to Nefesh B’Nefesh to investigate on our behalf, and within three weeks our approval was granted in November. We were given the status of oleh (immigrant) with most of the rights offered to olim chadashim (new immigrants): • Sal klitah, a monthly stipend for six months to help with initial living expenses. For us, it totaled 29,400 shek22 els, or about $7,500.
AJT
Here’s what the Barrs’ street in Ramat Beit Shemesh looks like when the jacarandas are in full bloom.
The synagogue across the street from the Barrs’ home includes English in its services.
• Basic government medical insurance on arrival, although we are purchasing supplemental insurance as well. • A 67 percent discount on property taxes on our apartment for one year. • A modest reduction in import taxes for a new car. • A free one-way flight to Israel on El Al with Nefesh B’Nefesh. • A free taxi ride to our home in Ramat Beit Shemesh from Ben Gurion Airport. • The ability to bring three suitcases each on the aliyah flight. The two rights we needed most of all, however — exemption from Israeli income tax on our passive American income for 10 years and the right to bring in our household possessions from Atlanta without paying import duty — would need to be determined and managed by us only after we moved to Israel. Apparently this was the Catch-22 penalty for having made aliyah 30 years ago but never having become citizens. Our in-between classification placed certain burdens on us. It therefore made sense to make
aliyah a few months earlier than planned so we could open the file with Meches (the Finance Ministry’s import duty section) to gain clarity before we shipped our personal belongings. Nefesh B’Nefesh helped us to get on an aliyah flight in March and greeted us at the Newark airport with special luggage tags, hats, flags and reassurance. NBN arranged that we would get our citizenship papers (teudat zehut) at Ben Gurion Airport when we landed. It took less than three hours to process us at the airport in Israel; 30 years ago it took eight hours. As we left the Ben Gurion arrival area, we were greeted by a group of young people with songs and words of welcome and encouragement. It was good to be home at last, this time as Israeli citizens. For two millennia the Jewish people prayed daily to return to the land of Israel. Three times a day we petitioned the Almighty: “Gather us from the four corners of the world, bring us upright to our land, return in mercy to Jerusalem, Thy city, and dwell in it as Thou promised.”
The Barrs have a sleek, modern kitchen.
On every Yom Kippur and Passover, we fervently voiced the hope that next year would find us in Jerusalem. Now we are home. What a lovely ring these words have: We are home. At the beit knesset (synagogue) on our first Shabbat after making aliyah, Mort received the Levi aliyah to the Torah, and when he finished, the entire congregation burst out in song with the verse from Jeremiah 31:16: “And there is hope for your future, says the Lord, and the children shall return to their own border.” When we opened a bank account at PAGI (Bank Poalei Agudat Israel, part of the First International Bank of Israel), the banker with whom we spent at least 1½ hours filling out paperwork said he had a gift for us. Where else in the world would that gift be a beautiful tallit carrying bag. What a country! The Real Fun Begins Want to know about the first set of administrative duties of a new Israeli citizen? The ups and the downs of Israeli bureaucracy? We had our citizenship papers but not our new immigrant booklet, called teudat oleh. That is the official recognition of new immigrant status and is necessary for receiving your rights as an oleh. To obtain it, we needed to go to the Misrad HaKlitah office in Beit Shemesh. We also needed to open a bank account before that visit so that our stipend could be deposited monthly. To our dismay, the Absorption Ministry needed to send our records to the Beer Sheva office because that was where we had registered in 1984. We assumed the worst and worried
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
ISRAEL NEWS wonderful people at Nefesh B’Nefesh, we are on our way to a smooth klitah (absorption).
A friendly Finance Ministry clerk has helped the Barrs avoid import duties in moving their furnishings to Israel.
The Barrs live here in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
that weeks would pass before anything happened. To our pleasant surprise, in three days we had our booklet. Surprise No. 1. Happy day! Next, we had to register for our national health insurance at Bituach Leumi (National Insurance). This, we thought, would be a mere formality. Not so. Even though the Jewish Agency had ruled that we would get our health insurance coverage immediately, the autocratic Bituach Leumi clerk in Beit Shemesh decided that we should be treated as returning citizens, ignoring our status as new immigrants, and that we must wait six months. We had to provide many documents to prove we were actually living here now and were forced to fill out a four-page application in Hebrew. Our application was sent to the main office in Ramle to be evaluated. A black hole was about to engulf our health insurance. We thought this would be easy. Surprise No. 2: It was not easy. But Nefesh B’Nefesh again came to the rescue. We contacted NBN’s government advocacy department, and it is correcting the error. We expect our approval to arrive any day now. Next, we went to Meches in Jerusalem to see whether we were entitled to bring in a shipment without taxes. We were expecting all kinds of trouble. To our pleasant surprise, the employee there was so sweet and happy that we made aliyah that she just signed us up for the duty exemption, no questions
asked. Surprise No. 3: This should have been difficult but was easy. Happy day No. 2. Now we needed our Israeli driver’s licenses. We were required to get an eye test from an approved optometrist and a doctor’s confirmation to verify fitness to drive. We anticipated the necessity to take at least one driving lesson and a road test, but we were hoping we could just renew our old licenses from 30 years ago and forgo the rest. Miracle of miracles, they did it for Edie. She now has an Israeli license. But because Mort takes oral medications for diabetes, he was required to go to the licensing office in Jerusalem and submit a doctor’s note that he is safe to drive. The licensing office doctors now have to review his case. We’re hoping it will not take more than a month to determine Mort’s status. He has a year to convert to an Israeli license. Then we went to the city property tax department, the water company, the electric company and the gas company to ensure that the bills were in our name and charged to our new bank account. Finally, we applied for our senior discount cards. Seniors get discounts at museums and on public transportation by showing their senior cards. Of course, Israel is now modifying the card, so we anticipate a long delay before receiving the senior cards. All in all, we are doing well, and with the help of volunteers and the
Banks in the United States used to offer free toasters for new accounts. In Israel, this tallit bag is the reward the Barrs received for opening an account at Bank Poalei Agudat Israel.
rected ancient homeland. We remind ourselves that Israel’s success defies rationality and by any benchmark must be deemed miraculous. What a privilege to be alive and here at this time. ■ Mort, who retired as the director of technology at Colgate Palmolive, is a former executive director of Congregation Beth Jacob and the founder and former CEO of the Jewish Interest Free Loan of Atlanta. Edie, who retired from a career as an activities director in assisted living and volunteered at the Naturally Occurring Retirement Community, Berman Commons and at the Carlton, is a former president of the Mount Scopus Group of Greater Atlanta Hadassah, served on the GAH Board and was active in the Beth Jacob Sisterhood.
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
Edie Barr stands near the new rug that leads to the couple’s apartment.
Giving Thanks Exiled and scattered throughout the world for 2,000 years and suffering endless cycles of persecution and mass murder, climaxing with the Holocaust, we Jews miraculously resurrected a nation-state. We transformed deserts into gardens and created a democratic, technologically and agriculturally innovative oasis in a region in which primitive barbarism reigns. Israel enabled an ingathering of exiles from all corners of the world, providing a haven for survivors of the Holocaust, refugees from Arab persecution, Jews from underdeveloped countries such as Ethiopia and over 1 million from the former Soviet Union. Out of this melting pot Israel has created one of the most vibrant and resilient societies in the world. How exciting it was to celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day) as Israeli citizens. Watching the Israel Air Force flyby brought happy and proud tears to our eyes. We give thanks to the Almighty for enabling us to be blessed and privileged to live in freedom in our resur-
AJT 23
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
LOCAL NEWS
SOJOURN Plans More Transgender, Youth Support By Paula Baroff
T
he Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender & Sexual Diversity has announced a new mission and strategic plan to expand its reach. The plan includes a new mission statement — “Advancing LGBTQ affirmation and empowerment across the South” — and a comprehensive strategy for accomplishing the goal of “LGBTQ inclusive communities inspired by Jewish and universal values.” The growth involves people and programming. SOJOURN plans to add several members to its board to more authentically represent the people it serves. New programs will focus on diversity and understanding within the context of the LGBTQ community. The strategic plan comes a year after the U.S. Supreme Court established same-sex marriage as legal nationwide and after several years of battles in state legislatures in Georgia and other Southern states over the line between religious rights and gay and transgender rights.
Rebecca Stapel-Wax
“Basically, it is our first very focused opportunity to lay out our future. This is what our stakeholders have said is most important to them,” said Rebecca Stapel-Wax, the executive director of SOJOURN. “We found that this plan really allows us to be more effective and create change considering the social atmosphere right now for LGBT people and their allies, especially in the South.” SOJOURN’s expansion in terms of representation will focus on transgender issues because board members have determined they have too little transgender representation, but the organization also anticipates hard work
Ner Tamid Rabbi Retires
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
Rabbi Thomas Liebschutz is retiring from Congregation Ner Tamid after 51 years as a Reform rabbi, the past eight with the Marietta congregation. Ner Tamid announced the rabbi’s retirement, effective June 30, in its weekly e-newsletter Thursday, June 2. “During the past eight years it has been my privilege to serve the congregation as its rabbi in various capacities,” Rabbi Liebschutz said in the announcement. “I will always cherish the relationships and experiences shared during the period.” The rabbi, 79, came out of retirement to work with Ner Tamid after he and his wife, Marilyn, moved to the Atlanta area to be near a daughter and grandchildren. He signed a two-year contract extension a little more than a year ago. Ner Tamid will discuss his retirement and the future at its annual meeting Sunday, June 12.
Emanu-El Member Wins $1,000 for Garden Isaiah
Sandy Springs resident and Temple Emanu-El member Denise Spiegel is one of three winners of an international contest run bun by HGTV’s Property Brothers, Jonathan and Drew Scott, in 24 conjunction with the release of their
AJT
Denise Spiegel meets the Property Brothers, Jonathan Scott (left) and Drew Scott, during their book tour stop in Kennesaw in April.
book, “Dream Home,” this spring. The Scotts asked: “If we gave you $1,000 towards your dream, what would you do with the money?” Spiegel’s answer: Donate the money to Garden Isaiah, a 16-bed organic food garden on the grounds of Temple Emanu-El in Sandy Springs. The garden last year produced nearly 1,300 pounds of organic produce, which was donated to the Community Assistance Center in Sandy Springs. The brothers gave Spiegel the $1,000 prize for Garden Isaiah, but she wasn’t satisfied with that donation. “I decided to ask my friends and
countering general anti-LGBT sentiment. “We are very involved in the antiLGBT bills, and we are advocating very strongly for a comprehensive equality bill across the country,” Stapel-Wax said, explaining that while SOJOURN doesn’t lobby, it makes it a priority to inform people about legislation and support certain bills. While legislation is high on its list, SOJOURN’s real mission is countering the culture itself that leads to anti-LGBT bills. SOJOURN does that by partnering with congregations, workplaces and communities to try to open dialogue and help people learn about other lifestyles and cultures. “If people were to meet somebody — it’s hard to hate someone when you know their story. This is an opportunity for people to have dialogue, and there is humanity in everything, in diversity. It is really not something to fear, but something to celebrate.” Stapel-Wax said SOJOURN makes a difference at a grass-roots level. “Success looks very different in different family to match this wonderful gift from the Scott brothers,” Spiegel said. “We received an additional $2,200 from friends and family to bring the total raised to $3,200. … I am thrilled with the outcome.” The money will be used to purchase a shed, a tiller, fruit trees, berry bushes and garden tools. As a contest winner, Spiegel got to talk with the Scotts by Skype, and they were excited to hear how she leveraged the money. Emanu-El started Garden Isaiah after Bill Bolling, who was the executive director of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, gave an inspiring talk during Yom Kippur services in 2004 and challenged the congregation to help end hunger.
Friedland Helps Honor Employer in New York David Friedland presented the Birch Family Services Legacy Award to outdoor retailer REI on Thursday, May 12, for its commitment to individuals with disabilities. Alex Jarman, the manager of REI’s flagship store in New York’s SoHo neighborhood, accepted the award. Friedland, who grew up in the Atlanta area, has worked for REI in New York for two years. He is the son
places,” she said, noting that even the work with two large Reform synagogues in the Atlanta area, The Temple and Temple Sinai, involves very different approaches. “How we approach every community is that it is theirs. We are a resource or a guide to enhance the inclusion practices they are eager to do, but they do not necessarily know how.” A big concern is LGBT youth, and along with transgender issues, that will be an area SOJOURN looks to grow. A Jewish youth retreat with a “Southern twist” is being planned to provide an opportunity for community to youths who may not live among many LGBT people. “Our youth focus is really building more community,” Stapel-Wax said. SOJOURN always operates from a Jewish point of view not just for community, but also for perspective about the dominant culture, she said. “Coming from a Jewish perspective allows for us to take that on and really dissect the problem with that interpretation of how we see the world and who should be given equal rights.” ■
David Friedland (right) presents the Birch Family Services Legacy Award to REI’s Alex Jarman on May 12.
of Susan and Lance Friedland of Alpharetta and has a brother, Sam, and a sister, Mariah. He graduated from Mill Springs Academy in Alpharetta. Birch Family Services’ New Frontier Program has taught him to negotiate the New York subway system, live and thrive in his own studio apartment, and take advantage of all the city has to offer. Friedland volunteers at Bidawee, an animal shelter, and runs with Achilles, a running group. He is involved with the Manhattan Jewish Community Center’s Adaptations programs and the Upper East Side Friendship Circle.
SPORTS
Atlanta Men’s Synagogue Softball League – Week 2 Beth Tefillah 10, Ariel 9 B’nai Torah 16, Ariel 3 B’nai Torah 19, Sinai 4 Beth Tefillah 12, Sinai 6 Or VeShalom 12, Temple 8 Dor Tamid 5, Or VeShalom 4 Dor Tamid 13, Ahavath Achim 6 Temple 14, Ahavath Achim 9 Chabad 12, Young Israel 5 Gesher L’Torah 11, Emanu-El 9 Etz Chaim 19, Beth Jacob 4 Or Hadash 11, Beth Tikvah 10 Kol Emeth 18, Beth Tikvah 2 13 Temple 2 15, B’nai Torah 2 12 Sinai 2 13, DTEC 2 6 Beth Shalom 17, Beth Tikvah 2 6 DTEC 2, B’nai Torah 2 – Rain Delay Temple 2, Sinai 2 Rain Delay
June 19 Schedule
Terrell Mill 3:30 – Kol Emeth vs. Temple 2 | Beth Jacob vs. Or Hadash 4:45 – B’nai Torah 2 vs. Temple 2| Etz Chaim vs. Gesher L’Torah East Roswell Park 12:15 – Ahavath Achim vs. Ariel | B’nai Torah vs. Dor Tamid 1:30 – Beth Tefillah vs. Temple | Or VeShalom vs. Sinai 2:45 – Young Israel vs. Beth Tikvah | Emanu-El vs. Chabad 4:00 – DTEC 2 vs. Beth Tikvah 2| Beth Shalom vs. Sinai 2
Tech Out; Draft Next Georgia Tech’s baseball season ended Sunday, June 5, after the Yellow Jackets went 2-2 in the NCAA Division I tournament, with both of the pitching wins credited to Tech’s star Jewish pitching duo from Alpharetta and Johns Creek High School. Tech head coach Danny Hall chose not to start ace Brandon Gold, a Davis Academy alum, in the opening game of the double-elimination, four-team Gainesville (Fla.) Regional on June 3. That decision backfired when Connecticut scored seven runs in the second inning against Zac Ryan and reliever Ben Parr and held on for a 7-6 win. Gold picked up the win when Tech eliminated Bethune-Cookman the next day, 12-3. Gold gave up three earned runs on seven hits with four walks and five strikeouts in seven innings. “Even though Brandon didn’t have his best stuff, he really battled and gave us innings, which we needed desper-
AMSSL Standings - Week 2 A Division
Wins
Losses
Beth Tefillah
3
0
Dor Tamid
3
0
Temple
2
1
B’nai Torah
2
1
Sinai
1
2
Or Veshalom
1
2
Ahavath Achim
0
3
Ariel
0
B Division
3 Wins
Losses
Chabad
3
0
Or Hadash
3
0
Beth Tikvah
2
1
Gesher L’Torah
2
1
Young Israel
1
2
Etz Chaim
1
2
Emanu-El
0
3
Beth Jacob
0
3
C Division
Wins
Expires August 15, 2016
Coming Soon, July 2016
Losses
Beth Shalom
3
0
Kol Emeth
2
1
Beth Tikvah 2
2
2
Dor Tamid/ Etz Chaim 2
1
1
Sinai 2
1
2
Temple 2
1
2
B’nai Torah 2
0
2
THE SONENSHINE TEAM Atlanta’s Favorite Real Estate Team
DEBBIE SONENSHINE STAR NEWMAN KATIE GALLOW ately,” Hall said. Gold ended the year with a 9-3 record and 2.48 ERA. His longtime teammate, closer Matthew Gorst, got the victory Sunday against Connecticut, 7-5, although he also wasn’t at his best. Gorst gave up his third earned run of the year, ending a streak of 22 innings without surrendering an earned run, and suffered his first blown save in the eighth inning. But Tech scored two runs in the top of the ninth, and Gorst retired the Huskies in order in the bottom of the inning to raise his record to 2-1 with 12 saves and an ERA of 0.55. Neither Gold nor Gorst was available to pitch that night, however, and Florida eliminated Tech, 10-1, and advanced to a superregional meeting with Florida State. Because they are juniors, both Gold and Gorst are eligible for the Major League Baseball draft, set to start at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 9. Neither is projected to be taken in the first 10 of the 40 rounds.
Top 1% of Coldwell Banker Internationally Certified Negotiator, Luxury, New Homes and Corporate Relocation Specialist #1 Sales Associate in Sandy Springs Office Voted Favorite Jewish Realtor in AJT, Best of Jewish Atlanta
#2 Team Coldwell Banker Atlanta
Debbie Sells Houses BEST BUY in Dunwoody with AMAZING Backyard!! • Low Maintenance 4-Sided Brick Home • Hardwoods Throughout Main & Master • Updated Kitchen w/ Granite and SS Appliances Open to Great Room • Large Laundry Room/Mud Room on Main • 5 Bedrooms/ 4 Full Baths / 1 Half Baths • Romantic Master with 2 HUGE Walk-in Closets Plus Office/Gym
Dunwoody $649,900 $625,000 • Finished Terrace Level Has Bar/Media Room, Rec Room, Bedroom & Full Bath • Large Entertaining Deck Overlooks Flat, Grassy Backyard Perfect for Play • Active Swim/Tennis Neighborhood • Priced for Quick Sale!
direct 404.250.5311 office 404.252.4908
Debbie@SonenshineTeam.com | www.SonenshineTeam.com ©2014 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Operated By a Subsidiary of NRT LLC.
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
June 5 Results:
AJT 25
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
HEALTH & WELLNESS
When Child Becomes Caregiver Life’s marathon gives us the chance for closure By Arlene Caplan Appelrouth aappelrouth@atljewishtimes.com
W
atching parents age can be filled with suffering, fear and demands — for the one who is aging and for the one who, like it or not, is transformed from child to caregiver. In our death-denying culture, aging, illness and death are perceived as depressing. Because these subjects make people uncomfortable, it’s common for the elderly and their adult children to avoid creating a strategy for the eventuality of death. Congregation Beth Jacob and Weinstein Hospice in May presented a two-part workshop on kibud av v’eim (honoring your mother and father), “Navigating the Journey From Child to Caregiver,” drawing nearly 30 people to Beth Jacob on two Sunday mornings. Geriatric social worker Jenifer Firestone, who works for Weinstein Hospice, made a comprehensive presentation about four major topics May 15: housing options, health care decisions, legal protections and emotional survival strategies for the caregiver. Firestone, who moved to Atlanta
Zika Letter Targets Rio
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
An open letter written by New York University bioethicist Arthur Caplan and three other academics and signed by more than 200 experts, including Emory University bioethicist Paul Root Wolpe, urges that this year’s Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro be moved or delayed because of the dangers of the Zika virus. “The Brazilian strain of Zika virus harms health in ways that science has not observed before,” reads the letter, released Friday, May 27. “An unnecessary risk is posed when 500,000 foreign tourists from all countries attend the Games, potentially acquire that strain, and return home to places where it can become endemic. … It is unethical to run the risk.” The letter, written by Caplan, Lee Igel of New York University, Amir Attaran of the University of Ottawa and Christopher Gaffney of the University of Zurich, emphasizes the uncertainties related to the virus and the miserable public health situation in Rio. Regarding the virus, the letter says that based on early studies of the virus, it’s plausible that Zika causes neuro26 logical problems beyond microcephaly
AJT
Photo by Arlene Caplan Appelrouth
Weinstein Hospice geriatric social worker Jenifer Firestone and Congregation Beth Jacob Rabbi Ilan Feldman address questions about adult children caring for aging parents.
five years ago to be available to her parents here, characterized the journey of becoming a caregiver as “hard and sad and painful.” She referred to the “Silver Tsunami” of society because 44.7 million Americans were over 65 years old in 2013. It’s predicted that by 2040 nearly 28 percent of the U.S. population will be over 65. Older people need help with cookin newborns and Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. As for Rio, the letter says the incidence of the virus is high in that part of Brazil while the city suffers from poor sanitation and a failing effort to eradicate the mosquito that carries Zika, Aedes aegypti. That mosquito was eliminated from Brazil in the 1950s, so the letter’s signers argue that a postponement in the Olympics would provide an opportunity to prevent the virus by controlling the mosquito. As of Monday, June 6, one Atlantan had joined Wolpe in signing the letter: Ford Vox of the Shepherd Center. Three Israelis also had signed: OB/GYN Itamar Netzer of the Rambam Health Care Campus and geneticist Dina Reveh and sociologist Avad Raz of Ben Gurion University. The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rejected the call to change the schedule of the Olympics, arguing that the estimated half-million people traveling to Rio for the games are statistically insignificant compared with the populations already exposed to Zika in almost 60 countries. The affected nations include the United States,
ing, eating, bathing, dressing, getting around and managing medications for many years. Who takes care of the aging population? According to AARP, 40 million people who provide 37 billion hours of help are primarily people “on the side” or family members. Firestone said the average caregiver is a 50-year-old married woman who works full time and provides an average of 19 hours of care to parents each week. Firestone knows what those caregivers are going through. Her 95-yearold father is deaf and depressed and has a difficult time walking. Taking care of an older parent is time-consuming. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Firestone said. “I’ve learned a lot from watching my parents. They make enormous demands on our time, energy and bank accounts as their aging disrupts our personal and professional lives,” she told the workshop participants, most of whom were already grappling with the responsibilities of caring for their parents. The challenge, Firestone said, is where at least three babies have been born with Zika-caused microcephaly. Because the Olympics from Aug. 5 to 21 are outside peak mosquito season in Rio, a Swedish epidemiologist quoted by National Public Radio estimated that only about one in 31,000 people attending the games will be infected with Zika — 16 people in total. Thomas Frieden, the director of the CDC, said that even if the Olympics were canceled, 99.75 percent of the risk of Zika’s spread would remain.
Lieppe Wins Burson Award
Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital cardiologist William Lieppe in late May received the hospital’s annual E. Napier “Buck” Burson, Jr., MD Physician Award of Distinction, St. Joseph’s highest honor for physician service. The award is named for a World War II veteran and Dunwoody resident who was a leader in gastroenterology. Recipients are selected for their adherence to the Sisters of Mercy philosophy and contribution to the Mercy mission in Atlanta, contribution to the quality of medicine at Emory St. Joseph’s, and leadership of the medical staff. A Sandy Springs resident, Lieppe
“getting past the morbid part to be with them in their misery.” Mira Bergen, a hospice volunteer for 28 years, is the Beth Jacob congregant responsible for bringing the program to the Toco Hills synagogue. The workshop has been presented at other synagogues. Contact Weinstein Hospice at 404-352-4308 for more information. On May 22, Beth Jacob Rabbi Ilan Feldman talked about Jewish law and how to interpret it in regard to end-oflife decisions. Rabbi Feldman spoke to the group about the opportunity adult children have when they find themselves in a caretaking role. “The design of life is we are cared for by our parents when we are born, and we care for them at the end of their lives,” he said. “This gives us the opportunity to forgive them, let go and realize the love you have for them. It allows us to get complete.” Fulfilling the command of kibud av v’eim, Rabbi Feldman said, “is how we honor our parents and also our own lives. When we do this, we are taking our life seriously as we honor the source of all life.” ■
Burson Award winner William Lieppe is joined by his family: (from left) daughter Alex, wife Randee and son Josh.
joined the Emory University School of Medicine faculty in 1978 and began practicing full time at St. Joseph’s Hospital in 1982. He is a pioneer in the treatment of aortic stenosis using the transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure, a minimally invasive procedure that enables doctors to place a valve inside the heart without stopping the heart or opening the chest. Lieppe performed the first TAVR at Emory St. Joseph’s in 2011. “Physicians are the core of everything we do, and over the past 35 years Dr. Lieppe has demonstrated his tireless commitment to Emory St. Joseph’s and patients in our community,” said Heather Dexter, the hospital’s CEO.
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
ARTS
Sex, Booze and Caviar By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com
nearly insatiable sex drive, “The Romanovs” is surprisingly fun, thanks to Montefiore’s excellent writing. No matter what, don’t skip the footnotes. They fill out the stories of some of the fascinating supporting cast in this three-century, Kardashian-like romp and allow Montefiore to apply some of his historian’s flair. When you’re rolling with “The Romanovs,” count on a wild ride. ■ The Romanovs: 1613-1918 By Simon Sebag Montefiore Alfred A. Knopf, 816 pages, $35
Mikvah and Recovery from Addiction Come join Caryn Hanrahan, RN, BSN, MACoM VP Thursday, June 16th 7:00 – 8:30 PM MACoM 700 A Mount Vernon Road • Atlanta, GA 30328 Open to family and support people for those in recovery
404-549-9679
Come see us at Ticknors Men’s Clothiers, Atlanta’s newest spot for high end casual, sportswear, and quality men’s tailored. Located on the upper level (next to Mayor’s jewelers) Ticknors carries finer brands such as Robert Graham, Bugatchi, Tommy Bahama, and Coppley clothing. Ticknors Men’s Clothier • Phipps Plaza 3500 Peachtree Rd. NE #2012A
Atlanta, GA 30326-1222 (404) 946-5808
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
J
ews have not had much luck with royal dynasties. We have been slaughtered, oppressed and exiled by Roman emperors, Middle Eastern caliphs, Iberian kings and queens, and assorted other European rulers. But at least since 1492, no dynasty has had a bigger effect — almost entirely negative — on the Jewish people than the Romanovs, who ruled Russia and its growing empire from 1613 to 1917. They abided if not encouraged pogroms, wiped Poland off the map, gathered Jews within the Pale of Settlement and expelled Jews from the nation. We tend to view the entire dynasty through various external perspectives: • After the horrors of the Soviet Union, the post-tsar “Evil Empire,” we look back at Nicholas II as a tragic figure who would have been better than Lenin, Stalin and so forth if he hadn’t fallen under the spell of Rasputin or been sucked into World War I. • We think of the two greats of the 18th century, Peter at the start and Catherine at the end.
• We watch Napoleon’s desperate, broken French army retreat from Moscow after running out of time but never space against Alexander I. If that list doesn’t ring a few bells and perhaps get you thinking about other Romanov moments — from wars and rivalries against Sweden, Poland, Turkey, England and Japan to serfdom, hemophilia and the battleship Potemkin — you should stay away from “The Romanovs,” Simon Sebag Montefiore’s massive, meticulously researched and documented group biography. Montefiore is not writing a comprehensive history of Romanov Russia. Instead, much as Suetonius took us inside the private lives of the Caesars, so Montefiore goes behind closed Kremlin and Winter Palace doors by using journals, letters and other archival materials, many never before published but liberated by the fall of Soviet communism. To avoid writing something approaching the scale of Edward Gibbon’s “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” Montefiore just assumes his readers know the world and domestic history buffeting the tsars. This is not the book to read to
learn why Napoleon failed, what drove the popular uprisings of 1905, why Jews were scapegoated in pogroms, and how Russia grew from a rump nation in chaos when the first Romanov tsar, Michael I, was handed the crown as a boy in 1913 into the largest nation in the world by the time Nicholas II abdicated to his brother, Michael II, 304 years later — only for Michael to abdicate a day later and end the dynasty. But if you want to learn about who these royals were, how they mixed dedication to the Russian Orthodox faith with a bottomless thirst for vodka and
AJT 27
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
ARTS
A Tribe Is Born in Atlanta’s New Hollywood By R.M. Grossblatt
F
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
ilmTribe Entertainment is celebrating its first anniversary in its new location on Atlanta’s famous Zonolite Road. This side street, just off Briarcliff at the entrance to the Morningside/Virginia-Highland neighborhood, is filled with artsy and healthconscious establishments, marketing companies, even a nature preserve with walking trails. And now it has FilmTribe, a film production, post and visual effects company, the dream of Elan and Yelena Hertzberg, who are adding to the vision of Atlanta as the new Hollywood. Elan, born in New York, lived in many states and Israel before his family settled in Los Angeles. He found a passion for film when he saw “Cinema Paradiso,” which won the 1990 Academy Award for foreign language film. “It encompassed all the elements that a good movie should have,” Elan said. Even before he graduated from Beverly Hills High School, he was a regular on production sets, working for his aunt, a set designer. At 17, he was accepted into the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., graduating with a bachelor of fine arts in film. For over 20 years Elan has produced TV commercials, high-end branded content projects and music videos for clients such as Apple, CocaCola, Walmart, Target, NASCAR, Range Rover and the U.S. Navy. In 1988, Yelena, born in Belarus, moved to Los Angeles with her family. She graduated from Otis College of Art and Design with a B.F.A. in fashion design. She began her career as head designer for BCBG Max Azria, leading to jobs with other major L.A. fashion houses. Then, like her husband, Yelena was drawn to the film industry. She
AJT 28
Photos by R.M. Grossblatt Yelena and Elan Hertzberg are the founders of FilmTribe.
styled wardrobes for TV commercials, music videos and print. In 2005 she founded Yelena Design, a graphic design, image consulting, branding and event planning company. The cost of living and the quality of life were two major incentives for the Hertzbergs to move to Atlanta with their children in 2011. “I still strangely believe that the traffic (in Atlanta) is not as bad as L.A., although I do live five minutes from our office,” Elan said with a smile. Proximity to Toco Hills and synagogues is an asset for him and others to arrive at morning and evening services on time. Creating balance during the day, staff members regularly meet in the conference room for Torah lunchand-learns. In May 2015, the Hertzbergs teamed up with Scott Italiaander, Allen Lipis and Bryan Scibelli to form FilmTribe and realize their dream. “It is the perfect time for a company of our caliber to be based in Atlanta,” Elan said. Lipis invested in the company because he knew of Elan’s career as a respected and sought-after line producer. “Elan always wanted to be a director,” Lipis said. But he’s not the only di-
Rabbi Ariel Asa watches as Elan Hertzberg secures a mezuzah at the back door of FilmTribe’s headquarters.
A Torah study session at FilmTribe involves (from left) Rabbi Ariel Asa; Yaakov Daniels, head of business development; Elan Hertzberg; and Isaac Italiaander, an intern in mechanical engineering from Miami University in Ohio.
rector at FilmTribe. The company hired eight award-winning directors, whose work can be seen at filmtribeatl.com. FilmTribe also has satellite offices in L.A. and Barcelona. “We specialize in cutting-edge visual content, incorporating complex VFX shots and full post services for feature films, TV commercials, music videos and corporate projects,” Yelena said. They’ve dropped cars from helicopters on snowy mountaintops, raced Range Rovers on the Bonneville Salt Flats and captured footage of 18 fighter jets. They’ve worked with 100-person crews and budgets of all sizes. Scibelli, executive vice president and head of digital for FilmTribe, is a master of all things digital. Scibelli studied computer science and graphic arts at Youngstown State but left the IT field for 3D animation and VFX. He trained and worked with the best in his field and in 2004 founded Cinemanix, a VFX and post-production company. Scibelli’s clients include MTV, NASCAR, Walmart and HBO. On Thursday, June 1, Elan and Rabbi Ariel Asa affixed mezuzot to the doorposts of FilmTribe’s colorful headquarters.
“We want to bring our ethics and moral values into our business practice,” Elan said. Yelena outlined FilmTribe’s mission: “We know we impact our society through visual messaging. So we use The Force wisely. And we do our work for everyone with the highest levels of quality. And business integrity. With an eye on social responsibility. Plus, we’ve promised the Jedi High Council that we would protect and serve and continue to do our best work.” FilmTribe’s logo is a bow and arrow. Its tag line is “We shoot it. We kill it. Your audience eats it up.” “We’re all about being straight shooters both in our work and in how we conduct our business,” Yelena said. She added that FilmTribe is unique because it is a one-stop shop that takes care of all the details, from live-action shooting to full post production. “We’re talking new Hollywood visual impact without the old Hollywood overhead or ego.” “We at FilmTribe are extremely excited to bring a new caliber of innovative production right here in Atlanta,” Elan said. “It changes the client perception that you need to go to L.A. or New York for that level of quality.” ■
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
OBITUARIES
Helen Alperin
William Breman Jewish Home’s Bernard Howard Memorial Fund in her honor or to the charity of your choice. As she always said, “it doesn’t matter where you give; just give.”
Helen Goldman Alperin — loving mother, bubbe, great-grandmother, wife, sister, aunt, and prolific artist and crafter — died peacefully Thursday, June 2, 2016, surrounded by family after living a full life for nearly 89 years. Her beloved husband, Joe, died in 2007 after a wonderful 57 years of marriage. A native Atlantan and graduate of Girls’ High School, she was the first in her family to go to college; in fact, her father closed the family grocery store for the only time outside the Jewish High Holidays to attend her graduation from Agnes Scott College. She was the Sisterhood president at Beth El Synagogue, where she and Joe were among the earliest members; a lifetime Hadassah member; and a board member at Ahavath Achim Synagogue. She was able to express her love and pride for Atlanta as a longtime tour guide for Guidelines Atlanta. She painted china weekly for 20 years, sewed, needlepointed, and continued to knit and crochet for MUST Ministries, Grady Hospital and Chemoflage until the last weeks of her life. She leaves behind her children and their spouses: Michele Alperin and her husband, Steven Sheriff; Harvey Alperin and his wife, Mindy; and Cheryl Beer and her husband, Bob. She is also survived by grandchildren Jacob Alperin-Sheriff and his wife, Bina, Aliza Alperin-Sheriff, Jamie Lazar and her husband, Jeff, Lauren Alperin, and Arielle and David Beer; great-grandchildren Nava Alperin-Sheriff and Becker, Remy and Dustin Lazar; her sister, Sylvia Friedman, and brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law Herbert and Ann Alperin and Martin and Benita Alperin; and many nieces and nephews. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. Donations may be made to Weinstein Hospice, the Kidney Foundation or a charity of your choice. Graveside services were held Friday, June 3, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs with Rabbi Neil Sandler officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
Marshall Serwitz
88, Sandy Springs
Joy Chase
76, Atlanta
Mr. Marshall Serwitz, age 76, of Atlanta died Friday, June 3, 2016. Survivors include his loving wife of 55 years, Ann Serwitz; daughter and sonin-law Drs. Carolyn and Gary Fish; son and daughter-in-law Micah and Tammy Serwitz; daughter and son-in-law Ruth and Dr. David Radin; grandchildren Rachel and Eliana Fish, Mitchell and Jason Serwitz, and Julia Radin; and extended family. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation at Emory University. A graveside service was held Sunday, June 5, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
Death Notices
Bernard Gouss, 95, of Atlanta, father of Temple Sinai member Donna Weinstock, Deva Gouss and Richard Gouss, on June 2. Sidney Levinson of Atlanta, husband of Roslyn Levinson and father of Peter Levinson and David Levinson, on June 4. Fanny Meisler, 87, of Mobile, Ala., wife of Bert Meisler and mother of Temple Sinai member Lori Edlin, Benjamin Meisler and Martin Meisler, on May 30. Lewis Mercado, 79, of Atlanta, husband of Alice Mercado and father of Bobby Mercado, on June 5. Arnie Parker, 79, of Sarasota, Fla., husband of Gladys Parker and father of Temple Kol Emeth member Larry Parker and Bonnie Higgins, on May 27. Susan Shapiro of Newnan, wife of Larry Shapiro, on June 5. Odded Zamir of Stone Mountain, father of Temple Sinai member Donna Sherman, on May 30.
Surrounded by loving family and friends, Joy (Garson Howard Kunian) Chase, 92 years old, passed away in her sleep on Saturday, June 5, 2016. A lifetime resident of Atlanta, Joy was born May 13, 1924, the youngest of Frank and Gussie Garson’s three children. She married Bernard Howard on Dec. 3, 1943, and was blessed with four children: Jackie, Gary, Neal and Clark. Joy and Bernie were married until his passing in 1989. Joy had a love for her friends, travel and serving the Atlanta Jewish community. She was the first (and only) female president of the Atlanta Jewish Home for the Aged and helped to organize and found the Temple Couples Shelter in 1984. Widowed in her mid-60s, Joy went on to find love two more times: with her second husband, Sonny Kunian, in 1994 (until his death in 1997) and her third husband, Art Chase, in 2009 (until his death in 2011). Joy was also preceded in death by her mother, father, and brothers Arthur and Dan Garson. Her sister-inlaw Charlotte Garson survives her. Until her last day, Joy lived a blissfully happy life with a positive attitude and smile on her face. She truly lived up to her name. Joy is survived by her four loving children, Jackie, Gary, Neil and Clark. She was grandmother to 10 grandchildren — Adam, Miles, Heather, Samantha, Ross, Todd, David, Rebecca, Stephanie and Grant — and great-grandmother to 13 greatgrandchildren — Jacob, Zack, Danielle, Erin, Gabe, Morgan, Allison, Sloane, Rachel, Simone, Sydney, Gillian and Jonathan. Per her wishes, Joy was cremated. A memorial service was held for family and friends at The Temple on Peachtree Street on Tuesday, June 7. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
92, Atlanta
AJT 29
CLOSING THOUGHTS OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING
Sivan: Past, Present and Future
R
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
osh Chodesh Sivan began Tuesday, June 7, launching the third of the Hebrew months. Threes are very symbolic in Judaism, as are sevens. There are three pilgrimage festivals: Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot. On the 3rd of Sivan, the Israelites prepared for three days, called the Three Days of Separation, to receive the Torah. HaShem gave the three-part written Torah — the Torah, Prophets and Writings — to Moses, the third child born in his family, after Miriam and Aaron. HaShem divided the Jewish people into three groups: the Kohanim, the Levites, and the rest, as Yisrael. Three also represents the past, present and future. During Sivan we commemorate being given the Torah by G-d at Mount Sinai on Shavuot, culminating the counting of the Omer for 49 days after the second night of Pesach. We walk back through our history along with our ancestors, who took the sevenweek journey of body, mind and spirit. The Jewish people had the task of integrating their prior experience of life with the new one. Connected to their past but no longer a part of it, they were charged with embracing the past, transcending their present, and integrating everything into the new, expanded consciousness of the future that Moses and Aaron brought. Because I promised to use familiar images to relate to these events, the ritual of graduation comes to mind. College graduates are from all different backgrounds. They may have families who didn’t receive higher education or, like many of us, those who grew up without technology. Some have technologically advanced families. While they remain connected to their family systems, they become the catalysts for new systems that are both inclusive and transcendent. Philosopher Ken Wilbur explains his concept of inclusion, transformation and transcendence as a critical component of evolution in his book “A Brief History of Everything.” The keynote speaker at graduation ceremonies invites the graduates to look back at the path they have walked toward the day of receiving of their diplomas, expands their consciousness, and urges them, as links to the future, to forge greater paths 30 ahead. We, too, have a sacred obliga-
AJT
tion to stay connected to our past, integrate it with our present world, and become links to keeping Judaism alive and relevant to future generations. Sivan’s Hebrew letter is zayin; Zodiac sign, Gemini; tribe, Zevulun; sense, walking; and controlling limb, left foot.
CROSSWORD 2
3
4
The Hebrew letter zayin looks like a crown. This holds the energy in place at the top of the head, as does a mortarboard at graduation. Gemini, represented by twins, presents an ongoing struggle between the head and the heart. Those born under this sign are intellectual, great communicators, quick-witted, interesting and enthusiastic. They’re talented but also get bored quite easily, following their hearts into different realms and changing their focus often. They excel in careers that offer constant change and opportunities to communicate but don’t do well with repetitive tasks. This challenges us to tell the stories of our past and be creative in our communication as we connect the heart and head of our history to future generations. The tribe of Zevulun was given land on the coast of Israel; they were seafarers and merchants. They bridged the gap between the world of spiritual quests and material possessions. The sense of walking is highlighted as it reminds us of the pilgrimage of our people and our own paths ahead. The controlling limb of this month, the left foot, is on the feminine side of the circuitry of the body, which tells us to include the spiritual, nurturing and emotional aspects of the story, along with the facts and rituals. Meditation focus: Imagine you are being given the Torah today. The rituals and practices have been handed down through the generations, yet many now are inclusive of female, gay and lesbian, and transgender Jews. Those with disabilities are acknowledged and included, as are those from interracial and interfaith unions. As the conduit from the past to the future, what will you hand down to the generations to come? ■
5
6
7
8
9
10
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 24
21
25
22 26
32
31 36
44
Dr. Terry Segal tsegal@atljewishtimes.com
“On The Shavuot Menu”
By Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Manageable
1
45
33
13
30
35 40
43 47
58
48 54
53 59
63
64
49
55 60
65
50
51
71
72
56 61
66
67
68
73
74
75
76
77
78
ACROSS 1. *Fringe band 5. *Where the Arizal is buried 10. Seinfeld’s Del ___ Vista 14. 73-Across who had a unique sea experience 15. “Would I ___ You?” (Eurythmics hit with a Steven Bauer music video) 16. “Soon,” to Shylock 17. Kosher Yellowstone residents 18. Scott Feldman’s Astros teammate Rasmus 19. Where one might get discounted “Fiddler” seats 20. Evil body part 22. Wilpon’s Mets’ div. 23. It’s a sin? 24. *(Brad) Garrett’s one-time co-star Ray 27. Trei ___ 29. Word after “Viva” in an Elvis hit 31. You might use one to learn Talmud or pray 32. Tolkien creature that would enjoy Beit Keshet Forest 34. Spielberg-produced “Back to the Future” films, e.g. 36. Lauer of “Today” 38. ___ Od Milvado 40. (Helen) Hunt’s TV husband 41. Picture words, or a hint to this puzzle’s starred clues 44. What many a Hapoel Haifa player might have on his knee 47. 55-Down abbr. Israelis adjust to in the U.S. 48. Like the Torah’s depth 52. Cormac McCarthy novel made into a movie produced by Steve and Paula Schwartz 54. Initialized phrase for a yenta 56. Jerusalem’s Dolorosa 57. Org. that dropped the ball when it came to Madoff 58. Seleucid or Davidic 60. Tzitzit part 62. One might be forgiven in a Jubilee year 64. Sumac who played the
12
29
34
42
52
62
28
39
46
57
11
23 27
38
37 41
New Moon Meditations
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
69
70
30. Neighbor of Isr. 33. Behavioral quirk Hoffman showed in “Rainman” 35. Schreiber in “Defiance” 37. Unseen “Fiddler” antagonist 39. Jeff Halpern’s sports org. 42. “I’m ___/I know it” (Dylan line) 43. Decline, like Shabbat 44. Ben Yehuda and Bialik: Abbr. 45. *What Koufax threw on a good day 46. Get (like mishloach manot) 49. “___ Kill” (film in which Tanya Roberts is a Bond girl) 50. Break a commandment 51. Game kids can play outside on Shabbat without an eruv 53. Six ___ (1967 affair) 55. See 47-Across 59. Strike down, biblically 61. Probable activity for Pharaoh after the Red Sea 63. *Alison of “Mad Men” and “Community” 65. ___ question (say part of Ma Nishtana) 67. Small, uninvited one in a sukkah 68. Where Sarah Hughes won Olympic gold: Abbr. 69. Name of two biblical books, for short 71. Possible cry when figuring a puzzle’s theme 72. Dudi Sela avoids it
Roxy with Danny Kaye 66. What the Rothenberg firm might do 67. ___ Hu 68. *Like Alain de Botton and Meyer Guggenheim 70. Rheon who plays Ramsey Bolton on Benioff’s “Game of Thrones” 73. Prophet 74. “Taxi” mechanic 75. “Boyz ___ Hood,” 1991 film Siskel gave two thumbs up to 76. One of knowledge in Eden 77. *Trio with the album “Disraeli Gears” 78. *Animal to Azazel Down 1. “Shalom” 2. Possible response to a post by thefatjewish on Instagram 3. Like a schlump 4. 2010 Will Gluck-directed Emma Stone film 5. Stereotypical letters from a Jewish mother? 6. Israeli national park in America? 7. “The Most Happy ___” (Loesser musical) 8. “Mixed, ___”: Rabbi Eric Yoffie’s April description of Sen. Bernie Sanders’s record on Israel 9. Dreidel, e.g. 10. *Mikvah, basically 11. Convert who wrote a 1 2 3 4 Targum S O D O 14 12. *Bungalow E L I O 17 13. Seder M A L H responses: Abbr. 20 I M U S 21. Nazareth to 23S I T 26 27 Tiberias dir. M E N 32 23. Bris sounds I 35 36 37 24. Sacrifice G U I L 41 instead of Isaac E N D 44 45 25. Zeidy, in M I S H 50 Germany A 54 55 56 26. How long J E W I Ahaziah ruled for 59E X A L 28. The Gestapo 62S P R E 65 made several T O N E
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 5
6
M T
15
I
7
R
8
O
L
M A
L
L
A
I
L
E
T
A
A
C
H
S
H
A 24
T
18 21
42
B
46
E
B
U
R
E
D
U
R O
22
I C
S
H
D
L
S
L A
47
P 43
S
I
A
P
S
N
L
M
I
N
Y
E
R
A
A
S
H
60 63 66
57
39
O
H M A
51
S
H O
R
H
13
T
19
H
S
R I
O
O
12
R
I
38
I
P
T
33
11
A
M M E
I
E
10
M E
16
E
L
T
25
E
28
9
A
S
P 61
A
64
N 40
N 29
D
34
A
I
N
31
L
E
N G
S
48 52
B
E
G
N O 58
30
49
T
53
N
A
E
M A
N M A
P
N
M A
A
L
E
P
N
E
S
67
I
www.atlantajewishtimes.com
MARKETPLACE FINANCIAL SERVICES
GENERATOR SERVICES
COMPUTER SERVICES
fakakta computer? I’ll drive to you!
When it comes to finding your perfect home, it’s important to have options. The same is true when deciding on your mortgage. That’s why we offer a wide variety of mortgage options to fit your particular needs:
• • • •
→ Desktop & Laptop Repair → Home/Business Networking → Performance Upgrades → Apple Device Support → Virus/Spyware Removal
Purchases and Refinances Conventional, FHA, & VA Jumbo Loans with no PMI 100% Financing for Doctors
Fast Appointment Scheduling Reasonable Rates All Services Guaranteed
404-954-1004
Jay Givarz
Senior Mortgage Banker
678-522-2343
jay.givarz@lionbank.com NMLS# 203728
RECOVERY RESOURCES
damon.carp@gmail.com
Generator Sales & Service, Inc. www.perkinselectric.com
COMPUER HOUSE CALLS
770-251-9765
24/7 Power Protection Hands Free Operation | Professional Installation
Voted #1 by Atlanta Jewish Community
770-751-5706
GENERATORS 24/7 POWER PROTECTION
www.HealthyComputer.com
VET SERVICES • • • • • • •
PC, MAC, iPhone/iPad Service Home & Commercial Service Virus/Malware Removal Laptop Screen Repair Data Recovery/Forensics Wireless Corporate Networks We beat competitor pricing!
As Seen On
It’s Time to Call for Help!
Dr. Mitzi Schepps, DVM
404.579.7806
vet@wellwag.com • www.wellwag.com FLOORING
CARPET • HARDWOOD
Acupuncture for your pet in the comfort of your home.
VIDEO SERVICES
LAMINATE LUXURY VINYL PLANK
Power up. Technology should simplify.™
Beautify Your Home And We Will Donate 5% To Your Favorite Organization
I T S O LU T I O N S
In-Home Shopping Or By Appointment At ADAC, Atlanta, Ga Or Alpharetta Showroom.
IT
IT SOLUTIONS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
877.256.4426
www.dontsweatitsolutions.com
Reliable and quality. Best value in Georgia! Licensed and insured. 14 years experience. Call us! 678-431-6233 www.homecare4momndad.com.
GARY M. ROSEN • 770-891-9252 gmrosen@strathmorefloors.com www.strathmorefloors.com
FOLLOW THE ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES ONLINE.
Visit our website www.AtlantaJewishTimes.com for More of What You Need.
JUNE 10 ▪ 2016
SENIOR CARE
AJT 31
AJT
32
JUNE 10 â&#x2013;ª 2016