29 minute read
OPINION
Before the storms rolled through a cou- ple of Sunday nights ago, I went outside to survey my kingdom.
To protect my health I am barred from leaving the premises, other than the occasional walk around the block, so my kingdom extends from where our driveway meets the street to the backyard fence.
On this night, a couple of hours be- fore sunset, I watched the sky darken early as the clouds moved briskly and the trees swayed in a stiff wind out of the southwest. And I listened to the birds.
When you live in an urban or subur- ban environment, the light from houses and streetlights can obscure the stars in the night sky. Likewise, the din from the interstate about a mile away usually com- petes with nature’s soundtrack. Until re- cently, that is, when the volume of traffic receded, making it easier to hear the cho- rus, including the owl at night. I had not thought much about this until the after- noon I used my phone to take my mother and sister, who live in downtown Chicago, on a tour of our back yard: the kiwi plant draped over a basketball hoop, an azalea in bloom, bees buzzing about the blueber- ry bushes, the blackberry and raspberry vines appearing healthy, and the tomato, basil, eggplant, and corn growing steadily upward in the garden box.
My mother, who currently is restrict- ed to her apartment on the 43rd floor of a senior residence, asked that I stop talking so that they could better hear the birds chirping in the background. So I propped up the phone on a table and left her with a view of the yard and the natural sound of its inhabitants.
Therein lies one of the likely lessons of our current situation, discovering the value in things we otherwise might take for granted.
One thing that no one will take for granted moving forward is health, per- sonal as well as that of family and friends. Any such inclination I might have had ended about a year ago with a cancer di- agnosis. I freely express gratitude for the skills of my surgeon and the dedication and good humor of the nurses who ad- minister my treatments.
Dave Schechter
From Where I Sit
By chance, my wife discovered an unopened N95 mask in our carport shed. I donated it to my regular nurse. When she called to say thank you, I replied that it was in my best interest that she be healthy.
In the aftermath of 9/11, Americans heralded the “first responders,” the police officers, firefighters and emergency medi- cal technicians who rushed toward the collapsed World Trade Center towers in New York City.
Today, the talk is of “front line workers,” particularly the nurses, doctors and the less-heralded hospital employees, from the laboratory techs to the mainte- nance crews, who quite literally work in harm’s way.
The cheers for these men and wom- en, in their nondescript scrubs with plas- tic name tags, that have echoed nightly in midtown Atlanta, are at least (if not more) deserved than those usually reserved for “heroes” who kick, hit, throw, carry and shoot a ball.
Since the second week of March, most of my working hours have been spent in my office writing articles about the impact of COVID-19 on the Jewish community. Meanwhile, my two canine co-workers, happy to leave the daily tu- mult to the humans, behave as if my pri- mary role is to open and close the sliding glass door to the back yard and to serve their dinner on time.
That “dark, ominous, threatening storm cloud,” as I called COVID-19 in my last column, has yet to pass, and remains a threat, irrespective of those who behave as if they can talk this peril into the past tense.
When Queen Elizabeth II addressed the subjects of her realm about COVID-19, no one missed the significance of her saying “We will meet again,” invoking the 1939 song “We’ll Meet Again,” made popu- lar by the singer Vera Lynn, which served as an anthem of hope as Britain endured its darkest hours of World War II.
The relevance of the lyrics in our cur- rent situation is inescapable:
We’ll meet again Don’t know where, don’t know when But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day Keep smiling through Just like you always do ‘Til the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away. ì
OPINION Call to Preserve Jewish Atlanta’s Response
Atlanta Jewish Federation records, Ida Pearle and Joseph Cuba Archives for Southern Jewish History at The Breman Museum // The Morris Hirsch Clinic, circa 1950. In 1911, Morris Hirsch, a founder of The Temple, established the clinic, providing outpatient medical services to the less fortunate. In 1956, the clinic became The
Ben Massell Dental Clinic, providing free dental care to those in need.
The Ida Pearle and Joseph Cuba Archives for Southern Jewish History at The Breman Museum, the largest repository for Jewish research in the region, is calling on the Jewish community of Atlanta to preserve the history we are all currently living through.
People typically do not assign historic value to the items we create through our daily activities until many years later. All too often, important records get tossed away or lost in the clutter of our busy lives. When history is misplaced, future generations lose the ability to interpret and learn from our experiences.
This is a call to all members of the Jewish community: Rabbis, preserve your sermons; Jewish professionals, document the work of your organizations; and lay leaders, keep a journal of your thoughts and actions. These are significant items with real historic value. Some of the most accessed materials in the archives at The Breman Museum are meeting minutes, bulletins, correspondence and diaries. They help researchers gain insight into the operations of organizations and the worldview of people living through times of crisis. Understanding how the Jewish community coped and overcame challenges today can help future generations better prepare for similar episodes that will inevitably arise years from now.
The Jewish community of Atlanta is strong and resilient. It has overcome numerous past challenges and COVID-19 will be no different. The community response to the crisis is remarkable and already worthy of documenting. Jewish Atlantans should take pride in raising millions of dollars overnight for the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, organizing volunteers to deliver groceries to those most at-risk, and the countless organizations that have quickly adapted to the new normal by making rich content available through virtual platforms in order to keep us culturally enriched while safely observing social distancing.
It is the mission of the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum to connect people to Jewish history, culture and arts. As The Breman Museum is temporarily closed to help flatten the curve, all donations must be made electronically. To offer physical objects, please send images and dimensions. An appointment will be made to transfer objects to the archives when it is safe to do so.
Thank you for being historically conscious while we live through unprecedented times. Stay safe and healthy. ì
To help with this mission and aid the preservation effort, contact Jeremy Katz, senior director of archives, at jrkatz@thebreman.org.
Jeremy Katz
Joseph Franco Papers, Ida Pearle and Joseph Cuba Archives for Southern Jewish History at The Breman Museum // Atlantan Joseph Franco, right, and actor John McBride dressed in Renaissance costumes for a documentary made in 1950 by the CDC for use in medical schools and hospitals about the Italian doctor who invented the word “influenza.”
Seventy-one years after Israel fought for its independence,
Magen David Adom is helping the country battle a different enemy.
The coronavirus pandemic is indeed a war. Even if Israel can keep mortality rates for those infected to 1 percent, it will still mean the death of more than 30,000 people — more than all of Israel’s wars combined.
Magen David Adom has been on the front lines against the coronavirus, but the fight has taken an extraordinary toll on MDA’s resources. We need your support to keep saving lives. Observe Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s independence day, by keeping the people of Israel strong.
Give today to our Coronavirus Emergency Campaign at afmda.org/corona-campaign
Michael A. Morris
Publisher
There is light at the end of the tunnel. It is not too bright quite yet, but we are at least beginning to talk about the when and how we will get back to normal (no comment on Georgia’s timetable specifically). Like all crises of this magnitude, it will take time, patience, perseverance and an adjustment. I do personally believe that we will normalize more quickly than usual. I do believe the economy will come back more quickly than from a typical recession.
Why will we normalize more quickly? Because we have not been under duress for an extended period of time, like from World War II or from the Great Depression. We have not gotten set in our patterns over months or years. Instead, we are all itching to get back to the things we love to do, and there is not rampant destruction around us. I think most of us are sitting at the start line awaiting the signal to begin again.
Why will the economy bounce back more quickly than normal? Again, we have not been in this hiatus for a significant period of time. While some businesses, tragically, will not return, most are still poised to reopen as soon as it is safe. Many, possibly most (but not all) of the unemployed, furloughed and laid off have positions waiting for them.
The economy has experienced a hiccup, not a long-term, tragically disruptive halt. The economy hit a brick wall, not because of typical economic cyclicality, but because of an external threat. We do not have to counter a mounting tsunami surge that has been building slowly and dragging us down with significant cycli
cal momentum behind it. We have the potential to go back to normal with relative speed and alacrity.
But that, my friends, is just one person’s opinion.
The past six weeks have challenged almost all of us. Only a few people have experienced a similar phenomenon, and that would have been in excess of 75 years ago. For some of us, this period has been more traumatic than for others; therefore, I don’t want to suggest there have been any silver linings. However, in the future, I do want to be able to look at some of the positive things that have occurred or that I have been able to accomplish.
I have been able to spend quality time with my kids that I have often postponed because of a busy schedule. We have played games together, cooked and, of course, taken long walks. This is time spent that I will never regret, and it will most likely never come to pass again. I can only hope that my dog understands that I have not moved back home permanently! I know he will miss his hourly walks (or maybe he will breath a sigh of relief). In addition, I am eating healthier than I have in years. I am exercising more and taking long walks that give me the opportunity to think and regroup, but alas, I just might be having an extra drink or two at night. One thing I certainly have enjoyed: I have connected (by telephone) with cousins and friends I have not spoken to in years; let’s call it a virtual family reunion. I do admit, I am ready to eat out, visit my parents and take a trip (further than the nearest grocery store)! But I hope, years from now, I can remember more of these things than some of the tougher decisions that had to be made over the past few weeks. Stay safe. Stay healthy. We are nearing the end of this tunnel. I saw a sign in my neighborhood I particularly enjoyed: What a year this week has been! ì
The Lowdown I Bet You Didn’t Know …
Clark Howard
Atlanta is chock full of interesting movers and shakers, some bent on creativity, empire building, activism, some on just plain having fun and living the good life. Lean in to hear some off the cuff remarks about what makes Clark Howard tick.
Native Atlantan Howard is a household name as he shares his professional and personal life as a consumer advocate, family man, cancer survivor, radio personality, columnist, and all-around good guy.
From silver spoon to penny pincher, he describes his journey of growing up in a prominent Atlanta family when finances devolved, prompting him to get to work at an early age and understand the value of money. Selling his travel agency and retiring at 31, Clark entered the spotlight as a consumer action advocate, New York Times best-selling authorand talk show host, doling out practical advice as a money expert.
A member of the National Radio Hall of Fame, Howard analyzes everyday calculations such as where to order eyeglasses, how he bought his wife’s diamond ring (Costco), and “fast food math,”the efficiency of combining patties from two burgers.
He is involved in the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Christmas Kids Gift Drive and the Georgia State Defense Force. Whether on the Howard Stern show or shopping at CVS, he is always gracious to fans. Many were disappointed when he declined to run for mayor.
He is now obsessed with his fitness tracker’s step count, pacing the house at night to hit his daily target. Learn more about this local celeb.
Jaffe: Truly the best bargain I ever landed was… Howard: Atlanta to Honolulu for $176 round-trip on United Airlines in 1997.
Jaffe: The best advice my dad gave me … Howard: Life is 99 rounds. Sometimes you get knocked down. Lick your wounds, get back up and go on.
Jaffe: The last time I cried … Howard: When my grandson was born. He is at preschool at the Marcus Jewish Community Center where my daughter was as a child and where I was also as a baby.
Jaffe: If I had one more talent… Howard: I would play NFL football.
Jaffe: My most exotic vacation... Howard: Traversing South Africa. I traveled from Port Elizabeth to a game reserve called Hlosi, then along the Garden Route and on to Cape Town and Camps Bay.
Jaffe: I have been told I look like … Howard: Jerry Seinfeld.
Jaffe: The last time I danced … Howard: At my wedding. Nobody ever wants to see me dance or hear me sing.
Jaffe: My most unusual job was …
Howard: Working in collections for
IBM to pay my way through grad school. I was surprisingly good as a bill collector.
Jaffe: My kids say … Howard: I am too cheap and have the worst jokes.
Jaffe: My last fashion disaster …
Howard: Happens today and every day. I dress with zero fashion and usually wear what my staff describes as the “Clark A-form.”ì
BUSINESS Investing During a Coronavirus Pandemic
By Marcia Caller Jaffe
Some check the market indexes upon arising and throughout the day.
Nerves abound as we all know the questions: How long will this last? Will the dollar be devalued? Should I invest in Zoom, jigsaw puzzles, aviation, online education, oil?
In his shareholder letter, Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, stated, “Resilience is about much more than withstanding a sudden shock to markets – it also means understanding and addressing long-term structural changes. … The world will get through this crisis. The economy will recover. And for those investors who keep their eyes not on the shaky ground at our feet, but on the horizon ahead, there are tremendous opportunities to be had in today’s markets. … That is not to say the world is without risk, nor to suggest that the market has reached its bottom. It is impossible to know…”
Level-headed millennial Kenny Baer, a Certified Financial Planner with Baer Wealth Management in Marietta, has been published in Investment Advisor Magazine, NerdWallet, Ignites, FundFire, and Chattahoochee Plantation Living. He weighs in:
Jaffe: Have your clients been calling you for reassurance?
Baer: I wouldn’t say an avalanche, but certainly we are getting concerned callers. To alleviate fears, we show that volatility like we are currently experiencing was modeled in the original financial plan. We stress test the plan against current market conditions. We are also sending out weekly emails and Ken Baer quotes Nobel Laureate Paul Samuelson, saying investing should be more of a long game instead of a quest for a quick return.
hosting live webinars. During these times, I would rather over communicate. We are providing the prescription (information), but letting the client decide on the dosage.
Jaffe: How do you respond to alternate strategies? Metals? Betting against the market?
Baer: That is gambling, not investing. We firmly believe that capital markets will reward long term investors. I am reminded of my favorite quote by Nobel Laureate Paul Samuelson, “Investing should be more like watching paint dry or watching grass grow. If you want excitement, take $800 and go to Las Vegas.”
Metals have an extremely high volatility and low expected return; it is not something that we believe in.
Jaffe: Does it make sense to invest in companies now like cleaning products or delivery services?
Baer: It always makes sense to invest in good companies with good long-term outlook. Does it make sense to buy those companies today because you think they are in a good position to take advantage of what is happening with COVID-19? No, all the benefit those companies expect to gain has been factored into the current price. The “market” is all-knowing, all of the information publicly available goes into the current price of the company or stock.
Jaffe: If a stock is in free fall, how do you decide when to cash out?
Baer: If you own individual stocks, the best question to ask is: “Why did I buy that stock in the first place?” If that reason is still valid at a lesser price, there is no reason to sell. Based on your situation, you should consider buying more. If you bought the stock and the reasons for your purchase have changed due to some underlying issue, then you should have already sold.
Another good quote is: “The market can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent.” Essentially you might be the only person in the world who really knows that XYZ company should be at $100 per share. Just because you think it, doesn’t mean it will ever get there.
On the other hand, private investor Reg Regenstein, who constantly studies the markets, said several days ago, “The stock market is now very irrational, literally going down 2,000 points in one day, up 3,000 the next, then down 2000, with no apparent reason, no major breaking news to justify it.
“The best minds on Wall Street cannot predict what the market is going to do today or tomorrow, they cannot even say why it did what it did yesterday.
“I think computers using ‘algorithms’ are responsible for making these big moves, based on arcane data no one else understands. One day, Apple’s iPhone manufacturing plants and stores in China were closed because of the coronavirus, and the stock price was up over $3. It has sunk since then, but it was insane that it held up for so long, being largely dependent on China.”
Regenstein throws out a strategy for portfolio protection without selling stocks and paying a capital gains tax. “Bet some money that the market will go down. You can do this by ‘selling short’ stock indexes, that track the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Nasdaq, and the S&P 500.
This means, theoretically, if an average declines by 10 percent and you are short, you will make 10 percent on your shorts, but you have to be nimble and ready to cover your short before the market bounces back, which it could do very rapidly.”
He continues, “Most brokerage firms are advising their clients to ride out the current plunge, and they may be right. But I suspect that they have instructed their brokers NOT to encourage people to sell, or short stocks, because this would accelerate the plunge. This may well be the buying opportunity of a lifetime.” Regenstein poses that depressed stocks such as Apple, Home Depot, Microsoft, Disney and other great companies have been beaten down and should recover quickly after this. “Some moments I think the market is about to recover, others, I think it will reach new lows.”
Note that Regenstein is an amateur and suggests checking with financial advisors before taking action: “Just saying, there may be choices out here.”
In a March 31 Atlanta Business Chronicle, article Genesis Capital founder Jonathan Goldman mused, “We will look back on this as a 1,000-year flood.” ì
Amateur active investor
Reg Regenstein muses that current market fluctuation and unpredictability might present the buying opportunity of a lifetime, or maybe a selling one.
By Laura Schilling
The wealth management industry is finding creative ways to connect with our clients during this time of social distancing. Instead of seeing our clients face-toface, most advisors use FaceTime, Skype, Webex or a Zoom-like technology to conduct business meetings remotely, trying to keep them as personal as possible.
Advisors are also helping their clients navigate the Coronovirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. There is an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) that typically guarantees a $10,000 payment (and you do not have to pay it back). Due to the fact that so many people are applying, they have run out of funding. If you qualify, we recommend submitting your application in case they make more money available.
The Payroll Protection Program (PPP) is a great program for those that have employees. Even if you are self-employed, you may apply. This program has rules on whether the money you receive is forgiven or not. However, this program also ran out of money within days of accepting applications. The PPP requires you to apply through a bank. If you have a banking relationship, we recommend reaching out to the bank. If you do not, we recommend building a relationship now with a community bank to help submit your application in case a second round of money opens up. Advisors are helping their clients complete the forms as well as working with their bankers to make sure the questions are answered accurately.
As you know, the markets are volatile now. Before COVID-19 the market was looking very strong. Now that COVID-19 brings such uncertainty in how long people will be working from home, unemployment figures are up and businesses are losing money, the market has dropped materially. Interest rates and oil prices dropping have been big factors too.
Advisors are trying to stop clients from panicking and leaving the markets at a low. You will hear many advisors talking about not timing the market. If clients are now finding themselves unemployed, how large is their rainy day fund? Do they need liquidity? How is their risk tolerance?
On the other hand, when the market is down, it is a buying opportunity. So advisors are assisting their clients in what to purchase. Advisors are doing a lot of dollar cost averaging since no one knows when the market low is at this point. Dollar-cost averaging is buying an investment a little at a time.
Advisors are also informing clients to update their estate planning documents and/or get estate planning documents if they do not have any yet. A lot of states have allowed attorneys to start signing estate planning documents (last will and testaments, trusts, financial
powers of attorney and advance directives for health care) remotely. Each state has its own rules to navigate. Georgia is allowing us to do remote estate tax document signings. Attorneys are setting-up Zooms with the clients, two disinterested witnesses (no one named in the documents, usually members of our team) witnesses and the attorney/notary. Once the client signs in front of all of us on Zoom, the documents are scanned and each person witnesses and notarizes at their remote location. The negative is that after the shelter-in-place is over, we will need to re-sign the documents again in person. The positive is for those who do not have estate documents, we can finalize them during this time.
If you are unsure what to do with the government loans, you are worried about the market volatility and/or need estate planning documents, you should reach out to an advisor today. ì
Laura K Schilling is a wealth manager, estate planning attorney and owner of Financial Innovations, www.financialinnovations.biz and www.estateinnovations.biz.
By Chana Shapiro
Sometimes it’s all about having the right knowledge in the right place at the right time. That’s what happened to Jacques Elfersy upon learning of the dwindling supply of hand sanitizers as COVID-19 rapidly spread. He hoped he could use the chemical components of his company’s standard products to create a hand sanitizer that would prevent contamination.
Elfersy’s Atlanta-based international business, SiShield Technologies, focuses on the research and development of antimicrobial products, which are long-lasting, odor-free, alcohol-free and invisible. These water-based products are used in home building, consumer packaging, textiles, hospitals, schools and environmental remediation.
With the alarming shortage of available sanitizing products, SiShield began receiving calls asking if they made anything on a personal-use scale that would be effective against COVID-19.
SiShield had never made hand sanitizers, nor was it on its “to do” list; howev
Two or three squirts of Mistify rubbed into your hands before they touch germs will last for eight full hours, even if you wash your hands during that time, Elfersy said.
Elfersy was an Israeli soldier before becoming a chemical engineer.
er, in response to the emergency, Elfersy hoped he could invent something quickly that was different from what was already on the market. “I realized that everybody must focus on hand-washing, but what if it would be a long time before you could
get somewhere to wash your hands?” Elfersy directed SiShield to access and tweak its formulas to provide a solution. “I welcomed the challenge to see if I could produce something unique, based on our company’s expertise. We decided to immediately work on a new protective sanitizer.”
His wife, Amy, owner of Aimee Jewelry and Fine Art Gallery, cleverly named the invention “Mistify.”
“Some of the places we service are surprising,” Elfersy said, laughing. “We now work with businesses in Dubai and Egypt, and they know I’m a Jew. It doesn’t matter because I help them. They use our expertise to create products locally.”
But what’s so special about creditcard-sized Mistify?
Elfersy explained. “Two or three squirts of Mistify rubbed into your hands before they touch germs will last for eight full hours, even if you wash your hands during that time. With that length of effectiveness, you can prevent a full day of contamination and cross-contamination. It’s odorless, with no sticky residue.” With a smile, he added, “It’s non-abrasive and also a skin moisturizer that prevents dryness, and each container provides 50 uses!”
Elfersy’s journey into chemistry and related inventions seems to be as destined as his new product.
He grew up in Morocco in a traditional Jewish family as one of nine children. As a pre-teen in 1962, Elfersy, his parents, eight siblings and grandfather managed to immigrate to Israel, where they settled in Petach Tikva. He studied mathematics and economics at Hebrew University, but his studies were interrupted when he served in the Yom Kippur War. In 1974, he joined his brother in Canada, where he studied civil engineering at McGill University in Montreal, eventually becoming a Canadian citizen and always maintaining his strong Jewish connections and observance.
In 1974, at a Jewish-Israeli social event in Montreal, Elfersy met Amy Rothstein, a native New Yorker who had moved to Canada to teach French in two Jewish day schools. In less than a year they were engaged. They married in 1976 in New York and returned to Montreal where Amy taught and Jacques worked as a project manager at a major design and steel fabrication company.
That is until 1985, when the challenging climate and even more challenging politics led the couple to leave Canada. A week before Purim, with their 3-year-old son, they moved to Atlanta, which they had visited on occasion. They loved the social ambiance, beauty and temperate weather, soon becoming active members of the Sephardic Congregation Ner Hamizrach.
In Atlanta, Elfersy was first employed as a project manager by a subsidiary of Dow Corning, where he immersed himself in the chemical side of engineering. In 2002 he started his own company, SiShield Technologies, which incorporates the unique properties of silicone. Along the way, he developed seven patents and, without advertising, grew an international clientele, including Hong Kong, China and Korea.
Devastating events often lead to unforeseen discoveries, and timing can be crucial. The arc of Elfersy’s life proves it. ì
Mistify sanitizer can be purchased at SiShield.com or by calling 404-636-8900.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jewish family-owned Colgate Mattress, based in Atlanta, has shifted the focus of some of its factory employees from handcrafting crib mattresses to creating masks to be donated to Shepherd Center.
The masks are a collaborative effort across the company, including hospital outreach, mask design, sewing and manufacturing. Together, the Colgate family expected to donate about 3,000 masks by mid-April.
“When COVID-19 began impacting our community, we knew we had to help,” said Colgate Mattress Vice President Richard Wolkin. “As a manufacturing facility, we have the unique ability to repurpose some of our supplies for masks. We have worked tirelessly to manufacture a mask that can be utilized to better protect our community.”
Colgate Mattress, believed to be the nation’s oldest family-owned manufacturer of crib mattresses and accessories, is committed to supporting its local
Bethany Diver, Shepherd Center’s supply chain manager, center, holds masks donated by Colgate Mattress. She is joined by Jamie Shepherd, Shepherd COO;
Mimi Wolkin and husband Richard, vice president of Colgate Mattress.
Atlanta community in response to the shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers.
Shepherd Center is a private, notfor-profit hospital specializing in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury; brain injury; stroke; multiple sclerosis; spine and chronic pain; and other neuromuscular conditions.
Over the course of three days, Colgate Mattress developed a mask prototype and accelerated manufacturing efforts to produce about 500 masks a day.
“We’re grateful for and inspired by local businesses such as Colgate who have pivoted on their own business model to help organizations during this time,” said Sarah Morrison, president and CEO of Shepherd Center. “We’re grateful to Colgate for committing to keeping our community safer. Community support is always vital, but even more so during this challenging time.”
Wolkin said of Colgate Mattress, “We’ve been a part of the Atlanta community for 65 years. Through our maskmaking efforts, we’re honored to give back to the community that has given us so much in a small way.” ì
Lawyer Named Volunteer of the Year
Tax Attorney Richard C. Litwin of Litwin Law was named as a 2019 Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta Volunteer of the Year.
Litwin was one of six attorneys recognized for outstanding volunteer pro bono efforts, at PBPA’s March 11 reception at King & Spalding. PBPA matches attorneys (based on their particular expertise) with local nonprofits in need of free legal counsel. Through PBPA, Litwin helped nonprofits facing state and local tax issues. He represents individuals and businesses in state and local tax matters.
Litwin deals with a variety of issues that arise during audit and during protest and appeal to the Georgia Tax Tribunal and to local governments. For over 30 years, and as a recognized Super Lawyer since 2008, Litwin has devoted his practice to multistate tax, state and local tax, and tax controversies. He has chaired the Atlanta Bar Association Tax Law Section and State Bar of Georgia’s Taxation Law Section and co-moderates the Georgia Department of Revenue/Tax Bar Liaison Committee.
Litwin and his family – wife Pam, and daughters Meryl and Kara – have been members of Temple Sinai since 1997. ì Richard Litwin was named the
PBPA Volunteer of the Year.
L’chaim, we are now open full time and following all CDC and ADA updated
Covid-19 recommendations.
Former Sandy Springs restaurateur Bruce Alterman is using his business acumen to guide other small businesses during the global health crisis. As a volunteer with SCORE, the nonprofit arm of the Small Business Association, he is offering mentoring services to restaurateurs, business owners and those considering opening a business. SCORE is believed to be the nation’s largest network of experienced volunteers, mostly business executives, business owners and retired business executives who want to share their knowledge with others.
“Most people who contact SCORE are just starting out with their business and are seeking direction about where to go next,” Alterman said. “This is my opportunity to help them and share what I’ve learned over my career. All of the people I work with are so appreciative.”
In two weeks alone, despite significant changes in local economies, Alterman said seven of his virtual mentoring sessions have been with people interested in bringing more business to
Bruce Alterman is a volunteer mentor during COVID-19 through SCORE.
the area, including a couple who want to open a new restaurant. “Never in a million years would I have dreamed that we would be where we are today,” he said.
Bruce and his wife, Sally, formerly owned and operated The Brickery Grill & Bar. For 24 years, the Sandy Springs institution employed 40 people and served more than 2,000 customers a week. It was a community gathering place with long-term customers. During that time, Bruce was also extremely active in the Sandy Springs community, volunteering with various groups and organizations and serving on the Sandy Springs Hospitality & Tourism board of directors. When the couple lost their lease in 2015 and closed The Brickery, they enjoyed retirement for a short while, but Bruce started missing working with the public, helping people and being involved in his community.
He heard about SCORE through his father-in-law, who had volunteered with the organization, and decided to get involved. Through his volunteer work with SCORE, Alterman has mentored more than 100 people in the community, including brothers Bruce and Scott Bogartz, owners of Bogartz Food Artz. ì
