Atlanta Jewish Times, Vol. XCI No. 31, August 12, 2016

INSIDE: BACK TO CAMPUS, PAGES 18-26 RISE UP

LOAD UP

Forget the old footprint; AEPi plans a dramatic new house at Georgia Tech.

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UGA students are meeting the needs of the homeless with twice-monthly backpack deliveries. Page 20

STUDY UP

Educational opportunities at the Weizmann Institute offer the chance to change the world.

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Atlanta INSIDE Calendar �����������������������������������4 Candle Lighting ���������������������� 5 Israel News ������������������������������6 Opinion ������������������������������������9 Local News ����������������������������� 13 Education ������������������������������� 18 Sports ��������������������������������������27 Marketplace ��������������������������28 Cartoon �����������������������������������28 Simchas ����������������������������������29 Crossword ������������������������������30 Deaths ������������������������������������� 31

VOL. XCI NO. 31

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AUGUST 12, 2016 | 8 AV 5776

SOLID CENTER Educators training with the Center for Israel Education learn that Israel is at the crossroads — maybe. Page 8

SHARED PAST Jews and Latinos explore their common immigrant experiences and their current electoral interests. Page 13

IN CONTROL Hadassah hears how the Iron Dome saves Israeli and Palestinian lives. Page 16

90 AT 14,000 FEET Rose Tucker celebrates a milestone birthday with a big leap of faith. Page 29

Photo courtesy of Stacie Graff and Ben Engelman

Face the Rainbow

More than 260 high-schoolers celebrated the Atlanta Council BBYO Color Me Kickoff at the Marcus Jewish Community Center on Sunday, Aug. 7.

The theme was a nod to the Color Runs, in which participants are intermittently doused in colored powder. In addition to three color stops, the afternoon featured music, games and catering from Waffle House. “We look forward to building on Color Me Kickoff’s momentum with other chapter kickoff programs and our first convention of the year on Aug. 26 to 28,” Atlanta BBYO Director David Hoffman said. BBYO is open to all Jewish ninth- to 12th-graders in the metro area. Visit atlantajcc.org/bbyo, e-mail bbyo@atlantajcc.org or call 678-812-3970 for more information.

Johnson Pursues Jewish Peace Initiative Rep. Hank Johnson thought he was going to speak just to Quakers, not opponents of Israel, when he talked about his recent trip to the West Bank and compared the settlement process to the work of termites July 25 in Philadelphia.

That explanation for how he joined a panel discussion titled “Progressive for Palestine: Is the US Ready to Rethink Policy on Israel?” came during an hour-long interview with the Lithonia Democrat on Wednesday, Aug. 3, amid his effort to repair relations with the Jewish community.

The congressman said he didn’t know the Quakers’ American Friends Service Committee and its co-host for

the session, the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement and do not endorse a two-state solution.

“We’ve worked with the Quakers on a number of other issues, and they invited me to speak,” Johnson said. “Quakers are peace advocates,” and he assumed they would back a two-state approach.

Johnson said he opposes BDS and is committed to a two-state solution.

He said that comparing the growth of West Bank settlements to the work of termites “was an ignorant remark. And now that I know about the history of insects, animals and things like that to describe

Jewish people, I’m mortified by my use of the term, not referring to people, but referring to the settlement process. … It was inappropriate, ignorant, insensitive.”

His view of the West Bank was influenced by a May trip with four other members of Congress sponsored by the Humpty Dumpty Institute. “I’m not trying to blame terrorism on the lack of a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he said. “But it’s clear that the growth of terrorism is aided and abetted by the frustration born out of the establishment of the state of Israel and the failure to solve the issue of a Palestinian state.” ■ • Interview excerpts, Page 14

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The Power of Words

For a writer, few things are more unsettling than staring at a blank screen, waiting for the words. Especially when a due date is pending and the pressure to produce something meaningful comes not just from within.

This column launched from a moment of divine inspiration that uncorked a stream of thoughts after a hiatus from writing. The columns since that eruptive one — about fulfilling our missions in life and serving G-d by using our strengths — have typically required more effort, though the results I hope are similar.

Earlier in my career I developed a series for a non-Jewish newspaper called “Faith in Motion,” about people who overcame major life challenges — sometimes hitting rock bottom — and went on to do something extraordinary guided by their newfound faith. I got to meet some of the most inspiring and humble people.

But why did it seem, based on my limited experience, that only non-Jews could be “born again” to connect so deeply with G-d and use that link as a springboard for goodness and healing?

Around that time I started discovering my own faith. Born and raised in a mostly nonobservant Jewish home, I began searching for something meatier and more authentic.

The past 10 years I have worked to tap into the depths of Torah and mysticism, discovering how mitzvot like Shabbat, kashrut and family purity can shape a person and a family.

I have learned the Jewish concept that our seemingly negative character traits are not a burden pulling us away from being more enlightened. Honing these particular traits is a powerful divine mission and can serve as a springboard to do something amazing.

I have also realized that being Jewish is about being a spectacular person and going beyond your nature. To give of your time and money until it hurts.

To be kind even if someone seemingly wrongs you. Through carefully chosen words, you have immeasurable power.

This month I was added to a WhatsApp group of Jewish women worldwide who have joined to learn and pray in the merit of one woman’s ill husband. She sought advice from a respected rabbi, who suggested that a woman who is going through tzaar (troubles) is given a special koach (life force). She was told to use that koach to get the women of Israel to work on eliminating lashon hara (gossip).

I was now part of a group of over 7,300 Jewish women, listening to daily passages from the book “Purity of Speech” by the Chofetz Chaim. As Rabbi Yehuda Zev Segal of Manchester said, “I have not seen a person who learned two (thoughts) a day in (proper speech) who hasn’t been helped with having children, finding a marriage partner,

Hand of Hashem

By Mindy Rubenstein editor@nishei.org

recovering from illness, earning a livelihood or properly raising children.”

Wow. As I turned to the Torah portion Matot in the book “Torah for Your Table,” I read about the same subject. It is through speech, the Torah says, that we give expression to the divine spark G-d breathed into us. It is through speech that G-d created the world. It is through speech that we, in our human way, send positive or negative energy.

My articles and columns are typically meant to inspire, whether they’re about my journey or the journey of others. I have written hundreds of articles for print and online publications, and people all over the world have left lovely comments and responses.

But this week was a wake-up call of sorts. As a writer, I may reach and inspire many people. But how are my words to the people who are closest to me? The ones I love the most and am most comfortable with? The ones who know how to press my buttons?

My words to them are not carefully prepared and edited. But maybe they should be. After all the moments the past decade studying mitzvot and Torah, learning to live and write like a religious Jewish woman, maybe the biggest and most important mitzvah was the one I gave little thought.

Reaching thousands of strangers pales in comparison with how I speak to my husband, my four children and my parents. I’m typically careful not to gossip or talk about other people. But are my words — when I’m in the heat of a disagreement or overwhelmed by the demands of children — ones that build up rather than tear down?

As King Solomon said, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

Whether filling a blank page or reacting to a bored 6-year-old who wants my attention, I’ll try to choose wisely. ■

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Installation. Union for Reform Judaism President Rabbi Rick Jacobs helps Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Sandy Springs, install Rabbi Sam Shabman during a 6:30 p.m. service. A congregational dinner, free with reservation, follows; templesinai.wufoo. com/forms/z1rmdc1j1dvpllw.

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Jewish mourning. Beyond Grief founder Marcy Leach and immigration lawyer Lauren Levin, who is studying Jewish chaplaincy, discuss “The Humanity of Jewish Mourning: Understanding Our Inheritance and Finding Your Path” at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Bet Haverim, 2074 LaVista Road, Toco Hills.

Free; www.congregationbethaverim. org or 404-315-6446.

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Established 1925 as The Southern Israelite Phone: (404) 883-2130 www.atlantajewishtimes.com 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

SATURDAY, AUG. 13

Tisha B’Av. The Temple joins Ahavath Achim Synagogue, 600 Peachtree Battle Ave., Buckhead, to commemorate the destruction of the First and Second Temples with Mincha at 7:30 p.m., the seudah shelishit meal and learning at 8, Ma’ariv and Havdalah at 9:15, and Tisha B’Av observance at 9:30. Free; aasynagogue.org.

Tisha B’Av. Temple Beth Tikvah, 9955 Coleman Road, Roswell, studies prophetic texts on the destruction of the Temple and chants from Lamentations at 8:30 p.m. Free; www.bethtikvah.com.

Tisha B’Av. Congregation Beth Shalom, 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody, reads from Lamentations by candlelight and sings of ancient Jerusalem at 9 p.m. Free; bethshalomatlanta.org.

Tisha B’Av. Congregation Anshi S’fard, 1324 N. Highland Ave., VirginiaHighland, begins its observance with Havdalah at 9:10 p.m. and Ma’ariv at 9:45 before the chanting of Lamentations at 10. Free; www.anshisfard.org.

Righteous Musical

“The Hiding Place” focuses on righteous gentile Corrie ten Boom and her family in the Netherlands.

Vision Baptist Church at 1125 Alpha Drive in Alpharetta is playing host to a musical drama about Corrie ten Bloom, a Dutch righteous gentile, at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 14.

“The Hiding Place” tells the story of how ten Bloom and her family led a resistance group against German occupation in Haarlem, Holland, from 1942 to 1944 and provided and arranged for the shelter of dozens of Jews from the Nazis.

The Calvinist ten Bloom family was betrayed and arrested at the end of February 1944. Corrie’s father, Casper, 84, died after 10 days of interrogation.

Corrie’s sister Betsie died in the Ravens-

bruck concentration camp in December 1944. Corrie survived, and after the war she wrote about her experiences.

Yad Vashem recognized Corrie ten Bloom as one of the Righteous Among the Nations in 1967, and Casper and Betsie ten Bloom received that recognition in 2007.

The performance by the Shining Light Players from Pensacola, Fla., is free, and Vision Baptist, which expresses love and appreciation for its Jewish neighbors and for Israel, encourages members of the Jewish community to attend.

For more information, call the church at 770-456-5881. ■

Tisha B’Av. Congregation Beth Jacob, 1855 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, holds Ma’ariv at 9:10 p.m., followed by the Book of Lamentations and kinot (sad poems), then Rabbi Ilan Feldman’s “A Brief Introduction to Tisha B’Av.” Free; www.bethjacobatlanta.org.

Free; newtocoshul.com.

Tisha B’Av. The New Toco Shul, 2003 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, holds Ma’ariv at 9:35 p.m., followed by Lamentations.

SUNDAY, AUG. 14

Tisha B’Av. The day of mourning at Congregation Beth Jacob, 1855 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, includes video presentations from the Orthodox Union, the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation and others, some with suggested donations. See the schedule at www. bethjacobatlanta.org.

Send items for the calendar to submissions@atljewishtimes.com.

Find more events at atlantajewishtimes.com/events-calendar.

Remember When

10 years ago Aug. 11, 2006 ■ Judy Marx has been announced as the new director of the American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta Chapter after longtime Executive Director Sherry Frank’s retirement. Marx, who has been the No. 2 official for the Atlanta Chapter and was one of the founders of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, will officially step into the role Sept. 1.

■ Sammy and Katie Rosenberg of Roswell announce the birth of their son, Max Benjamin. He weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces and was given the Hebrew name Moshe Benyamin.

25 Years Ago Aug. 16, 1991 ■ The FBI hosted a hate crimes symposium in Atlanta. It was one of nine regional symposiums held in response to

recent hate crimes legislation, passed with strong support from the Jewish community. Participants from across the Southeast educated themselves on the new regulations.

■ Mr. and Mrs. Stewart Aaron of Atlanta announce the engagement of their daughter Lisa Faye to Andrew Hal Schwartz, son of Dr. and Mrs. Harry Schwartz of Annapolis, Md. 50 Years Ago Aug. 12, 1966 ■ The Atlanta office of the National Conference of Christians and Jews has sent a request to all candidates for offices in Georgia in the forthcoming elections to subscribe to a Code for Fair Campaign Practices. The code includes a vow to condemn any appeal to prejudice based on race, creed or national origin.

■ The bar mitzvah of Joel Marshall Babbit, son of Mr. and Mrs. Burton M. Babbit, takes place Saturday, Aug. 20, at Ahavath Achim Synagogue at 9 a.m.

CALENDAR CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES

Devarim Friday, Aug. 12, light candles at 8:09 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 13, Shabbat ends at 9:05 p.m.

Va’etchanan Friday, Aug. 19, light candles at 8:01 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 20, Shabbat ends at 8:56 p.m.

New and prospective member coffee.

The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., Midtown, welcomes people interested in the Reform congregation for coffee and bagels at 10 a.m. Free; the-temple.org or 404-873-1731.

Orthodox panel. Rabbis Don Seeman, Naftali Estreicher and Yale New discuss “Is Orthodoxy Better Off United, Divided or Something Else?” at 6:30 p.m. at the New Toco Shul, 2003 LaVista Road, Toco Hills. Free; newtocoshul.com.

Olympic documentary. The short film “The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936” screens at 1 p.m. at the “Anne Frank in the World: 1929-1945” exhibit, 5920 Roswell Road, Suite A-209, Sandy Springs.

Free; holocaust.georgia.gov.

Picnic. Congregation Ner Tamid holds a 10th anniversary potluck picnic and barbecue from 1 to 3 p.m. at SwiftCantrell Park, 3140 Old U.S. Highway 41, Kennesaw. For details, events@ mynertamid.org or 678-264-8574.

Tisha B’Av lecture. Emory professor Deborah Lipstadt delivers her annual lecture at Young Israel of Toco Hills, 2056 LaVista Road, at 6:30 p.m. on the issue of “The Antisemite: A Typology.”

Free; www.yith.org or 404-315-1417.

Tisha B’Av lecture. Rabbi Ilan Feldman addresses “Tisha B’Av Is Almost Over: Now What?” at 7:15 p.m. at Congregation Beth Jacob, 1855 LaVista Road, Toco Hills. Free; www.bethjacobatlanta.org.

MONDAY, AUG. 15

Monster art. The Breman Museum, 1440 Spring St., Midtown, welcomes children ages 3 to 6 for an open-house art lesson between 10 a.m. and noon in the “Where the Wild Things Are” exhibit. Free for Breman members. For nonmembers, two children are free with each paid $12 adult admission; www. thebreman.org or 678-222-3700.

JNF golf. Jewish National Fund honors Alan Lubel, a past Southeast Region co-

president, at the ninth annual Sam P. Alterman Memorial Golf Tournament at the Standard Club, 6230 Abbots Bridge Road, Johns Creek, starting with registration and lunch at 1 p.m. Entry is $300 per player or $200 for those under age 35; jnf.org/golf2016 or 404-2368990, ext. 852 (Marcy Friedland).

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 17

Hate crimes discussion. The Anti-Defamation League holds a panel discussion after light refreshments at 6:30 p.m. at Alston & Bird, 1201 W. Peachtree St., Midtown. Free; atlanta.adl.org/event/ hatecrimespanel or 404-262-3470.

Falcons forecast. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank addresses the Atlanta Press Club over lunch at noon at the Commerce Club, 191 Peachtree St., 49th floor, downtown. Tickets are $30; info@atlpressclub.org or 404-577-7377.

FRIDAY, AUG. 19

South-side Shabbat. Chabad of Peach­ tree City, 632 Dogwood Trail, Tyrone, holds Shabbat 100, with the goal of 100 people at a Shabbat experience, at 7:30 p.m. The cost is $15 for adults, $10 for children and free for children under age 5, with a maximum of $50 per family. Register at bit.ly/29OQI61.

SATURDAY, AUG. 20

Divorce boot camp. A crash course for women considering or going through divorce, including legal, financial and emotional information and support, is offered at 10 a.m. at the Alpharetta Library, 10 Park Plaza, Alpharetta. Free; registration and information through Debbie Dorman, 770-377-4941.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 24

Prager speech. Columnist and radio host Dennis Prager talks about whether G-d belongs in America at 8 p.m. at Congregation Beth Tefillah, 5065 High Point Road, Sandy Springs. Tickets are $25; www.bethtefillah.org.

SATURDAY, AUG. 27

Big Event. Birthright Israel Atlanta and Federation hold the Signature Event at 9:15 p.m. at the Fernbank Museum, 767 Clifton Road, Atlanta. Tickets are $18 in advance, $25 at the door; jewishatlanta. org­/signature-event.

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

Tisha B’Av. The New Toco Shul, 2003 LaVista Road, Toco Hills, offers kinot (sad poems) and shiurim (lessons) throughout the day. See the schedule at newtocoshul.com.

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ISRAEL NEWS

Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home Music in Jerusalem. Featuring museums, displays, cafes and stages, the new Kikar Hamusica is on Yoel Moshe Salomen Street. The area serves as a tribute to musicians of all cultures and ethnicities and is meant to continue changing and growing just as music does.

Teva acquires Anda for $500 million.

Petah Tikvah’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries finalized an agreement to purchase Anda, the United States’ fourth-largest distributor of general pharmaceuticals. Teva CEO Erez Vigodman said, “One in six prescriptions in the U.S. will be Teva.”

Basketball camp unites youth. Amar’e Stoudemire put on his basketball peace camp in Jerusalem’s Malha Arena for children of all religions and ethnicities. Also in attendance were Israeli pro Omri Casspi and teammate Rudy Gay. Renovations for Knesset synagogue.

For the first time in 50 years, the synagogue that serves as a house of worship for dozens of government ministers and visitors each day will have major

renovations. The synagogue has had the same look since its construction.

Combat soldiers earn scholarships. Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot worked with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon to secure funding, along with nonprofit support, to provide scholarships for all needy combat troops. The plan requires soldiers to agree to dedicate one-third of their discharge deposit to their tuition.

Peres on Snapchat. Former Israeli President Shimon Peres, who just turned 93, remains up to date with modern technology. “Young people inspire me, and the most important thing for me is to hear what they have to say,” Peres said. He invited the public to follow him on Snapchat (Shimon_Peres).

Yad Vashem obtains Buchenwald flag.

The Nazi flag that hung over Buchenwald until its liberation in 1945 was recently donated to Israel. A French doctor, Robert Jacques, who served with the American liberators, reportedly found the flag. The son of the late

Israel Photo of the Week

Piven’s Entourage Actor Jeremy Piven, fresh off his second bar mitzvah celebration in Jerusalem, sits atop the United Hatzalah ambucycle donated as a gift to him by basketball stars Amar’e Stoudemire and Omri Casspi (standing behind Piven) at the entrance to the Western Wall Plaza on Friday, Aug. 5. “Just the idea that we can use what we do with this life for good is a gift,” Piven said. “And I thank you for this gift. Use it well.” Stoudemire launched a campaign in 2014 for United Hatzalah and raised nearly half a million dollars in one season. Dovi Maisel, United Hatzalah’s director of international operations, presented the ambucycle to Piven. Maisel said the vehicle will save more than 800 people per year.

Jacques discovered the flag recently.

cess. The City Council condemned RabRamat Gan builds LGBT center. A cen-

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

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Palestine Liberation Organization and the international community since, Israel has sought security measures to ensure the area’s permanent demili-

Guest Column

By Ken Stein, President Center for Israel Education

tarization, including the use of settlements to achieve that objective. Alon’s plan also called for Israel to retain its Jewish majority while in control of the area and to provide for an “independent national life/existence for the Palestinian people.”

Alon’s Basic Premises

• Peace with the Arab states and the Palestinians is possible and essential. Gone is the period in which a lack

bi Ariel’s statements and moved ahead.

ter for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual people has been in the making

Compiled courtesy of israel21c.org, jpost.

for years, but backlash toward Ramat

com, haaretz.com, ynetnews.com and

Gan Chief Rabbi Yaakov Ariel’s homo-

other news sources.

The Alon Plan for the Territories

This is the first of a regular series in which the Center for Israel Education will examine important documents from Israeli history.

Forty-nine years ago, Israeli Minister of Labor Yigal Alon proposed a strategic plan for the West Bank, which Israel had gained in the June 1967 war. The plan was presented to Prime Minister Levi Eshkol on July 26, 1967, immediately after the Six Day War. The Alon Plan was variously amended by subsequent governments and adopted as part of future coalition and party agreements.

The plan reflected a response to Israel’s strategic vulnerability from its eastern border with Jordan. Before the 1967 war, Israel was 17 kilometers (10½ miles) wide; after the war it was 65 kilometers (40 miles) wide from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River.

Over the years Israel has sought to control the West Bank area so that it would not become a territorial launching pad for attacks against Israel’s population centers in Jerusalem and the coastal plain.

6 In negotiations with Jordan, the

phobic statements quickened the pro-

of an agreement or continued hostilities can be beneficial to either side.

• The geo-strategic integrity of Eretz Israel will be preserved, and it will allow the marking of borders that would provide Israel with security and prevent future wars.

• From a demographic standpoint a Jewish majority will be kept/maintained, which would allow Israel to exist as a democratic Jewish state, based on the principles of the Zionist vision.

• The Palestinian People will be given the opportunity to realize an independent national life/existence without threatening the security of the State of Israel. It will provide them with the option to establish political relations with Jordan and/or the State of Israel.

Proposed Arrangements On Basis of Green Line • The eastern border of Israel will be the Jordan River and the line that divides the length of the Dead Sea that continues along the (British) Mandatory border along the Arava.

• An area which would be 15 kilometers wide west of the Jordan River will be annexed to the State of

Israel and will become an integral part of her. In the Judean desert region, including Kiryat Arba, the width of the area will be increased to 25 kilometers, and it will serve as a link between the Negev and the Jordan Valley.

• In the Jericho Region there will be a corridor between the East Bank of the Jordan River and the West Bank.

• There will be a passage between Judaea and Samaria and the Gaza District/Region that will provide connectivity for the populations in both sections and free passage to the Port of Gaza.

• The Jerusalem area as a whole will be annexed to the State of Israel.

• With regards to the areas in Judaea, Samaria and Gaza that are heavily populated by Arabs, Israel will negotiate with the inhabitants and the Arab states the preferable system of government that would be implemented there.

• As for the rest of the borders, only essential changes will be made. ■ Source: Yigal Alon, “The Alon Plan,” from “International Documents on Palestine, 1967,” edited by Fuad A. Jabber and published by the Institute on Palestine Studies in 1972.

ISRAEL NEWS Daily items of interest provided by the Center for Israel Education (www. israeled.org), where you can find more details about all of these people, places and things.

Aug. 12, 1944: Berl Katznelson, a leader in the Labor Zionist movement, died suddenly in Jerusalem at the age of 57. His advocacy for the creation of a labor-based society in Israel would form the basis of the Mapai party, which was created in 1930 and dominated Israeli politics until the late 1970s.

Aug. 13, 1995: Aharon Barak is appointed the president of Israel’s Supreme Court. During his term, he is instrumental in expanding the court’s power, especially in the protection of civil liberties and personal freedoms, often from government rulings or military actions.

Aug. 14, 1944: In a letter to Leon Kubowitzki, the head of the rescue department of the World Jewish Congress, U.S. Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy says John J. McCloy the War Department will not order the bombing of Nazi death camps because they are not a priority for U.S. military resources.

Aug. 15, 2005: The Israeli evacuation from Gaza begins as soldiers and policemen enforce the Disengagement Implementation, entering settlements and handing out evacuation orders.

Those who do not evacuate on their own are forcibly removed.

Aug. 16, 1966: Operation Diamond succeeds in obtaining a functional Iraqi MiG-21 fighter jet after the Mossad reaches out to disillusioned Iraqi Christian pilot Munir Redfa. Offered $1 million, Israeli citizenship for himself and his family, and guaranteed fulltime employment in Israel, Redfa accepts the deal and relocates his family after landing the Russian-made jet in Israel.

Aug. 17, 1898: The first Conference of Russian Zionists, bringing together 160 people from 93 cities and towns, is held secretly in Warsaw several weeks before the Second Zionist Congress is set to convene in Basel, Switzerland.

Aug. 18, 2000: Archaeologist Claire Epstein, who performed many surveys and excavations in Israel, including discovering the culture of the Chalcolithic period (4500 to 3300 B.C.E.) in the Golan, dies at home in Kibbutz Ginossar.

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

Today in Israeli History

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ISRAEL NEWS

Israel Edges Closer to Political Breakthrough

By Michael Jacobs mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com Israel could be on the verge of a political transformation that shifts the focus from security to the pocketbook issues that dominate other democracies.

Or maybe not.

That was the hopeful but uncertain message Hebrew University political scientist Reuven Hazan delivered at a Center for Israel Education dinner June 29. The Dunwoody event brought together Atlanta supporters of the center, founded and led by Emory University’s Ken Stein, with more than 80 educators attending the CIE’s annual summer enrichment workshop.

Hazan broke the 10 Knesset parties into blocs, with the hawks (led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud) on one side and the doves (led

by Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Union) on the other, with a strong group of centrists in between.

In 2013, a new centrist party, Yesh Atid, finished second with 19 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. In 2105, Yesh Atid dropped to 11 seats, but an even newer centrist party, Kulanu, grabbed 10, so

Center for Israel Education President Ken Stein speaks to the more than 80 educators attending the annual CIE summer workshop on its final day June 30.

the center rose to 21 seats.

The important thing about those parties, Hazan said, is that they have almost nothing to say about security.

Their focus is on domestic issues, such as government efficiency, improved education, and a better environment for small businesses and young people.

In fact, he said, half the voters in the 2013 and 2015 elections said domestic issues topped their concerns, and economic and social issues were twice as important as security in polls.

Half of Israelis are willing to cut

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defense to close the social and economic gaps, and three-quarters would cut funding for the settlements, Hazan said. All of that reflects a reality in which Israelis feel the nation is secure, but they’re nervous about the economy.

“You wouldn’t know any of this if you looked at the Israeli political map and saw Likud and Labor still focusing on security issues,” Hazan said.

You also wouldn’t know it if you only paid attention to Israeli politics during the elections — or only followed those elections through American media, which too often make the mistake of reporting on Israeli democracy as if its framework is the same as that of American democracy, Hazan said.

“You have to understand what’s going on in Israel to take the pulse in Israel, but elections are a snapshot every three or four years,” he said.

The lack of understanding of Israeli politics comes through when American Jews fret about Israel moving to the right or becoming less democratic. Hazan said neither claim is true, and he argued that the fact Israel, amid continual stress from enemies outside and terrorists and their supporters

within, has debates over whether to kick out members of the Knesset who stand with terrorists’ families shows that liberal democracy is thriving.

“Political debate is so much more open and so much more vibrant than anything I saw in this country before Trump showed up,” Hazan said.

The big question is whether Israelis can truly subordinate the security debate to domestic issues. Hazan said he’s typical: He is more worried about social and economic issues, but when he gets to a voting booth, his top concern is his child in the military.

“I think if we move away from security and begin focusing more on a domestic agenda, Israel will become more democratic,” Hazan said.

He explained that voters can’t hold politicians accountable for security policies because officials have no control over what Hamas, Hezbollah, the Palestinian Authority, Iran and others do. But when people are elected on a domestic agenda and fail to deliver, they have to answer to the electorate.

Such a shift, he said, “makes Israel more normal and more democratic.”

If, that is, it happens. ■

Fall of the Arab Spring?

When Hebrew University’s Reuven Hazan spoke to a Center for Israel Education gathering June 29, he discussed the “Israeli Summer” — a July 2011 echo in Tel Aviv of that year’s Arab Spring.

Aside from being amazed that tens of thousands of Israelis would crowd into a public square in the heat of July but wouldn’t bother to vote, Hazan was left uncertain whether the social and economic issues that drove the protests would rise to the top of Israeli politics.

If the effects of protests in a democracy are in doubt, it probably shouldn’t be surprising that we don’t know what the Arab Spring accomplished.

Several dictators fell, but as CIE President Ken Stein told the teachers from day and congregational schools attending the 15th annual CIE summer enrichment workshop June 30, “Dethroning autocrats does not mean dethroning autocracies. Transitions are messy, and they take time.”

The American Revolution, Stein said, didn’t end until the close of the Civil War nearly 90 years later. The Russian Revolution stretched into the 1930s. Iran’s 1979 revolution still awaits its final act. “How long,” Stein said, “until the population gets fed up?”

The Arab Spring happened in 2011 because of three major factors, Stein said: cronyism, or the popular belief that a small number of powerful people were treating the public treasury as private capital; a dramatic increase in Arab literacy, producing, for example, more than 800,000 college graduates a year in Egypt, most of whom can’t find the jobs they think they deserve; and a demographic wave that has resulted in most of the population in Arab countries being younger than 30.

All those young, educated, underemployed people facing a corrupt system produced the uprisings five years ago, and conditions haven’t changed.

Stein offered signs of Arab Spring success to look for, such as the evolution of a civil society that improves people’s lives and the development of an independent judiciary. Perhaps most important, watch for a peaceful transition between civilian governments.

“It’s not the first election that matters,” he said. “It’s the second.”

Meanwhile, Western nations can’t do much more than watch and wait.

History shows, Stein said, that outsiders who think they can change Arab behavior are naïve. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

OPINION

1,800 Years of Exile Focused Our Dreams and lead us back erect and proud, with our heads held high. We wished for national pride.

What should that dreamed-of homeland be? We hoped for the revival of the national home that existed before the Roman exile, including the re-establishment of the Temple.

Our hope, as expressed in prayers, was to return to the land of yore, to the

One Man’s Opinion

By Eugen Schoenfeld

land where we would resume proper Torah-commanded worship and offer the Temple sacrifices. Why did we seek to return to the old cultic practices?

We must remember that Jews are warned in the Torah that if we violate G-d’s commandments, the whole nation will be punished. Leviticus 26:23 proclaims: “And if you remain hostile to me and refuse to obey me, I will go on smiting you sevenfold for your sins, and punishment will include exile.”

For over a millennium in the holiday Mussaf services we recited this admission: “Because of our sins we were exiled from our country and estranged from our land.” And we did not subscribe to gemilut hasadim (acts of kindness) to atone for sins. We chose to believe in sacrifice. After all, we lost both Temples and the country for our ancestor’s sins.

The rabbis believed that the tocheychah (admonition) and teshuvah (penance) go hand in hand. Teshuvah returns us to the right path.

Therefore, it is understandable that our vision of the Israel to which we would return existed before our ancestors committed the sins for which we were punished and before the misuse of the Temple and its sacrifices.

To return to Israel, we prayed for the restoration of the Temple and the proper services, as well as for the punctilious observance of halacha, the rabbinic laws. We believed in ritualism and discarded the latter prophets’ dreams and aspirations for justice and for a world ruled by moral precepts.

This hope was reinforced by the coming of a redeemer — a new David,

a new warrior who would avenge our humiliation. We wished for more than just a return; we wanted a return with our heads held high.

By the middle of the 19th century this vision began to change. The post-Napoleonic period altered our perception of the Diaspora and thus our dream of Israel.

The Jewish enlightenment rose.

Jewish passivity was rejected. Still, we eschewed the kind of heroic action our ancestors carried out; by and large we preferred the idea of martyrdom.

Toward the end of the 19th century, with the rise of Zionism, Jews began discarding their belief in the coming of an avenging Messiah; instead we yearned to take an active part in our own liberation. The one constant was the desire to return to Israel.

Jews had discarded offers from Britain to immigrate to Uganda or Birobidzhan and create a Jewish country there. We still yearned for the land of Zion. We longed for a New Israel, one steeped in our history, a secular country imprinted with our spirit. ■ Next week: Modern Zionism.

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

This is the third of a four-part series examining the Jewish people’s eternal longing for Israel.

For two centuries after the Maccabean revolt, Israel embarked on a process of stabilization and economic growth. But Jews were immigrating to other lands, particularly Persia, Egypt, and Greek and Roman territories.

At the end of the first century B.C.E., it is estimated that 400,000 Jews lived in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, where the synagogue’s splendor almost equaled the Temple’s. The Jewish library was large, and its genizah (storage area) became a treasure-trove of first century post-biblical writing.

Even though the Jews assumed a more Hellenistic view and philosophy, as evidenced by Philo, they also used the Septuagint translation in the same manner as we use the English translation of the Bible today. And like the Jews in Babylon, they served an economic function in supporting Israel.

The longest period during which Jews were deprived of their own country began at the end of the Bar Kochba Revolt in 135 C.E. and lasted until 1948.

In a certain way, the expulsion must have been easier to withstand because Jewish communities in Asia, Africa and Europe served as models for how to maintain a Jewish way of life in cities with a non-Jewish majority.

Although Israel ceased to exist, the relationship between Jews scattered in many lands and their vision of Israel as a Jewish land did not fade away; instead, it became even stronger.

Before 135, Jews had a choice: They could live in another country or return to Israel. After 135, Jews had no choice but to become strangers in strange lands with the loss of their rights.

Their problems were exacerbated in the middle of the fourth century when Christianity became Rome’s official religion. Anti-Jewish laws were instituted, and a hostile attitude to Jews spread across the Christian lands.

Jews in the Christian world were confronted with official anti-Semitism.

There was hardly any hope for Jews to escape. Then previously tolerant countries began to become Muslim in 620, adding hostile environments for Jews.

Jews turned to their belief in the coming of a better world and messianic redemption. We hoped that the redeemer would take us back to Israel.

We prayed: Bring us back in peace from the four corners of the world,

AJT 9

OPINION

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

Our View

BLM Blather

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

A famous image from the civil rights movement features Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marching through Selma, Ala., with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. It’s a powerful representation of the support for black rights in the Jewish community, from The Temple’s Rabbi Jacob Rothschild to slain voting rights activists Mickey Schwerner and Andrew Goodman.

The past several months have demonstrated from Baton Rouge, La., to Falcon Heights, Minn., that the struggle for racial equality continues, and Jewish allies have marched alongside black protesters.

So it’s bitterly disappointing to see leaders in the Black Lives Matter movement push aside the Jewish community and embrace intersectionality — the idea that all people who see themselves as oppressed must make common cause against the powerful.

The Movement for Black Lives, which includes the Black Lives Matter Network, on Monday, Aug. 1, issued a “visionary agenda” for the transformation of the United States, and it paints one country as a global partner in oppression: Israel, “a state that practices systematic discrimination and has maintained a military occupation of Palestine for decades.”

Under a plank calling for slashing U.S. military spending, the platform labels Israel an apartheid state that bulldozes Palestinian homes, arrests children and conducts genocide against the Palestinian people. The platform urges cutting off aid to Israel and fighting anti-BDS state legislation.

Don’t bother looking for criticism of Palestinian terrorism, nor for support for a two-state solution.

The platform’s implication is that the “occupation” started in 1948. The solution: Israel’s elimination.

Sadly, none of that is new in the illogical effort to connect American blacks and Palestinians. The charges against Israeli range from the outrageous (apartheid) to the offensively ridiculous (genocide).

Take it from a people whose worldwide population still hasn’t recovered from the Nazi genocide against us in the 1940s: An ethnic group undergoing genocide doesn’t quintuple in size in 65 years.

It would be easy to ignore this platform; after all, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s refusal to end police training with Israeli experts reflects the attitude of mainstream political leaders.

But there’s a lesson in the small print.

Ten organizations are listed as working on policies related to this portion of the platform. They include the American Friends Service Committee and the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation — not coincidentally, the two sponsors of the anti-Israel event at which Congressman Hank Johnson used his infamous “termites” metaphor.

Johnson told the AJT he had no idea that he, an advocate of a two-state solution and opponent of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, was addressing groups committed to BDS and favoring a one-state solution: Palestine in place of Israel.

The Movement for Black Lives platform should solve that problem: Anyone invited by a group to speak about Israel or the Middle East can go to policy. m4bl.org/invest-divest and see whether the organization is listed there. If it is, stay away or risk becoming 10 grist for the Palestinian propaganda mill. ■

AJT

Cartoon by Dave Granlund, Politicalcartoons.com

4 Years Far From Jewish Home It’s time for a break from anything involving Paula got to see the rising threat firsthand elections because something much more important during her senior year at the University of Georgia, is happening: We’re delivering the second of our two where SJP’s Athens chapter has become much more sons to college this weekend for his freshman year. active, pulling stunts such as disrupting an apIf you read through this week’s Back to Campus pearance by two IDF veterans with heckling and a section, you’ll understand that while I’m relieved walkout (after eating the free pizza offered by Dawgs and excited Caleb has earned a spot at an engineerfor Israel — even student activists are students first ing school that looks like a perfect fit for him, I’m and can’t pass up free food). also anxious about the preservaMy older son, tion of his Jewish identity.

Josh, graduated with When I headed off to college Paula, but he shied Editor’s Notebook 29 years ago, it never occurred to away from activities

By Michael Jacobs me that support for Israel could involving Israel bemjacobs@atljewishtimes.com be an issue. The start of the First cause he felt pulled Intifada was still months away. in two directions: The student body at Tulane Unisocial justice and versity, then as now, was between Israel. As a result, he 25 percent and 33 percent Jewish. And we hadn’t didn’t take advantage of the many Jewish opportunientered an era where being a progressive Jewish ties at UGA, which is a shame for him and a concern college student could mean standing against Israel; for the community: How many Jewish millennials a real apartheid state, South Africa, was the focus of will drift away for good after striving to avoid four campus activism and boycotts. years of conflict at college?

Back then, Jewish parents worried that their No. 2 son, on the other hand, faces an old-school children would chose colleges that weren’t Jewish challenge to his Jewish identity: At the University of enough. Without a critical mass of Jewish students, Alabama in Huntsville, he’s stepping onto a campus without institutions such as Hillel and Chabad, with no Jewish support structure but a plethora of without the traditionally Jewish houses of Greek life, Christian groups (and Christians) of various flavors. those eager freshmen could lose all connections to The nearest Hillel is 100 miles away in BirmingJudaism by graduation day. ham. Chabad has a shaliach in Huntsville, but not But Paula Baroff, who has put her time as an close to campus. The city has synagogues, and, forAJT intern behind her to become the director of tunately, AJT contributor Ted Roberts (the Scribbler academic affairs for the Israeli Consulate, made on the Roof) and his wife live there. So Caleb will an interesting point about this new world of rising have somewhere to go for a Jewish connection; I only Palestinian activism and falling Israel support on hope he wants one from time to time. college campuses: Her biggest worries involve the Still, if the rising campus anti-Semitism reschools with the largest, most active Jewish populaported by the Anti-Defamation League and AMCHA tions because those are the places targeted by groups Initiative is a long-term trend and not a statistical such as Students for Justice in Palestine. blip, he might be better off the next four years as a In other words, when it comes to Jewish student rare but respected Jew among gentiles rather than identity, there may be weakness in numbers. part of a targeted crowd. ■

OPINION

A College Blessing And The Challenges Ahead “S.J.P. members insist they are anti-Israel, not anti-Semitic — a debatable distinction to those who cannot separate the state of Israel from their Jewish identity,” the Times said. On some campuses, SJP’s ranks include Jewish students who have achieved

From Where I Sit

By Dave Schechter dschechter@atljewishtimes.com

some measure of that separation.

When American Jewish Committee asked in August 2015, 53.8 percent of 1,030 American Jews surveyed said anti-Semitism on college campuses is “somewhat of a problem,” 20.4 percent called it a serious problem, and 23.7 percent said it was not a problem.

The Anti-Defamation League reported 90 anti-Semitic incidents on 60 campuses in 2015. For the same year, the AMCHA Initiative, a nonprofit that monitors campus anti-Semitism, cited 300 incidents on 109 campuses in 28 states. AMCHA’s website links to reports from a few hundred colleges and universities, including several in Georgia, and includes a page highlighting comments by Jewish students.

Those campuses are a fraction of the more than 4,700 two-year and four-year U.S. institutions. Nonetheless, incidents of campus anti-Semitism and protests against Israel, well publicized online, alarm parents and spark debate about how to respond.

“The sheer number of incidents are increasing at an alarming rate, particularly those involving the systematic and often violent suppression of Jewish students’ freedom of speech and assembly. And the link between antisemitic activity and anti-Zionism has become abundantly clear and is openly acknowledged with ever greater frequency by the perpetrators of these activities,” AMCHA warned in a report in late July about incidents during the first half of 2016 at schools with large Jewish student populations.

So, as our rabbi blesses these young men and women, you hope that as they enter the maelstrom that is freshman year, they grasp their roots and spread their wings and remember that they are not alone. There is a congregation standing behind them. ■

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

One of the most popular services in our congregation is the annual August blessing of young men and women soon to start college. Tissues are plentiful as many in attendance have known them since childhood.

Each student receives a travel set of Shabbat candleholders, an encouragement that their Jewish identity can help guide them in the next chapter of their lives.

Our rabbi tells the young people that they need not feel alone when unfamiliar surroundings and new routines contribute to fear or loneliness. This congregation is your home. We are here for you.

The parents hope they’ve given their offspring roots and wings: an awareness of who they are and where they come from and an eagerness to seize the opportunities that lie ahead.

Freshman year is full of challenges: roommates and dorm living; exposure to new cultures, beliefs and behaviors; and, of course, the professors, classes and work that come with the privilege of higher education.

Add to this mix combustible tensions between supporters of Israel and those backing the Palestinian cause.

“Many universities are grappling with how to balance students’ right to protest with Jewish students’ fears that their culture is under attack,” The New York Times reported Aug. 3.

Jewish students with an affinity for Israel may feel ill-equipped or unwilling to argue with activists whose rhetoric can blur lines across which criticism of Israeli government policies also questions Israel’s right to exist and, on occasion, veers into what its recipients consider to be antiSemitic abuse.

Then there are incidents ranging from swastikas and anti-Jewish graffiti (such as vandalism at a Jewish fraternity house at Emory University in October 2014) to disruption of Israel-related events sponsored by Jewish students (as at the University of Georgia in February this year).

Students for Justice in Palestine considers such disruptions a legitimate form of protest. The first SJP chapter was founded in 1993 at the University of California, Berkeley. Today there may be as many as 200 chapters, organized under the banner of National Students for Justice in Palestine.

AJT 11

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OPINION

Letters To The Editor

Trump’s a Demagogue

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

It is astonishing that Mitchell Kaye, a devout Jew, believes that Donald Trump is good for Jews and good for America (“Trump Good for Jews, Israel and America,” Aug. 5). Everything about the man is antithetical to the core values of Judaism and the American way.

Trump’s hateful exhortations are those of the classic demagogue. He plays to the fears and frustrations of people who see themselves as victims of a rigged economy. He attacks racial and religious minorities in service of the belief that if you tell a lie often enough, people will believe it. He says he alone can serve the needs of the underclass. His self-styled image of a savior should set off alarm bells for all peace-loving people and particularly for Jews, who have a memory or an understanding of the tactics used in the Nazi takeover of Germany.

Trump is good for Jews? His values and practices are contrary to every aspect of Jewish ethics. He mocks the disabled, disparages women, would bar Muslims from entry into the United States because of their religion, would round up and deport 11 million Mexicans, and would build a wall to exclude people he regards as undesirable.

He condones strong-arm tactics against protesters at his rallies.

Trump’s narcissism and instability render him unfit to serve as president.

He is so emotionally fragile that he insulted the family of a Muslim Gold Star family because he was incensed that they criticized him. Trump unleashed a sexist attack against Megyn Kelly because she referred to his vile remarks about women who disagreed with him.

How would he react to inevitable disagreements with leaders of other countries? We must assume he would bully, revile and alienate them, thus exposing us all to a devastating loss of international friendship and respect.

If he is engaged in bitter disputes with members of his own party, can he reasonably be expected to negotiate effectively with leaders of foreign countries?

Trump has been exposed as a serial liar and unethical businessman who dazzles followers with promises that he cannot keep, then ditches them with the fallout. He is the subject of multiple claims and lawsuits alleging fraudulent and unethical business practices.

Does a Jew want to identify with a man with his record and reputation?

Trump’s unstable and intemperate 12 behavior during the current campaign

AJT

dashes any hope that he would exercise cool and steady judgment in a moment of crisis. Would he have acted with the same patience and restraint exhibited

by JFK if he had been president during the Cuban missile crisis? Can a loose cannon be entrusted with access to nuclear codes and other military secrets?

The American public, and Jews in particular, should be very worried about a Trump presidency. Let us hope and pray that it never comes about. Better yet, let’s be sure to vote.

— David F. Rock, Sandy Springs

Trump Taunts Disturbing

This article (“Trump Backers’ AntiSemitic Taunts and Threats,” Aug. 5) greatly disturbs me. As a rabbi who supports Donald Trump, I say to writer Laura Silverman that I am one rabbi who will openly ask Trump’s people to reply to you with compassion and understanding. He has never met with me as I was promised, and I constantly defend him. But I fight the anti-Semites of the world, and my parents were in the concentration camps.

— Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg, Edison, N.J.

Separate Settlements, Israel

The recent article in your publication (“Settler ‘Termites,’ ” Aug. 5) continues the lie that being critical of the illegal Israeli settlements is being critical of Israel.

Journalism is about truth. The truth will allow the Palestinian people to live in peace in their own country and Israel to live in peace and security.

And it will allow them to live side by side with each other with love and respect. That is all anyone asks for.

— Barry George, Austin, Texas

Israel’s True Story

Like Rep. Hank Johnson, many people have adopted a narrative painting the Palestinians as innocent victims of Israeli aggression (“Settler ‘Termites,’ ” Aug. 5). Unfortunately, Israel has been less effective than her enemies in telling the story of her rebirth.

Palestine was a sparsely populated, largely undeveloped region of the Ottoman Empire. Its small Jewish population descended from families who did not go into exile after the destruction of the Second Temple. That population began increasing in the late 18th century with the birth of modern Zionism. The Zionists bought land and increased its productivity.

Most Palestinian “refugees” are descended from families who settled in the area only after Zionist activity began improving its economy.

The Ottomans fought World War I on the losing side, and their empire collapsed. Britain was given control of Palestine by the League of Nations and used 78 percent to create Transjordan.

In 1947, the United Nations, as successor to the league, voted to partition the remaining 22 percent into a Jewish state and a second Arab state, a plan accepted by the Jews but not by the Arabs.

Saying that the Arabs of Palestine were Southern Syrians who didn’t need a state of their own, several Arab nations went to war. They did not succeed in preventing Israel’s rebirth, but Egypt did grab Gaza, while Transjordan took control of the Old City of Jerusalem as well as Judaea and Samaria (dubbed “the West Bank” by Transjordan, which changed its own name to Jordan).

The Arab-initiated war displaced hundreds of thousands of Arabs. In the decade after the war, an equal (probably greater) number of Jews were forced from their homes in the Muslim countries of North Africa and the Middle East. The Jews were quickly absorbed and uplifted by Israel.

But the Arabs, most living within 100 miles of their birthplaces among people with whom they shared religion, language and ethnicity, were designated as a unique group and were denied citizenship and economic opportunity by most Muslim countries.

They and their descendants are the only refugee group allowed to pass the status from one generation to the next. They are also the only refugee group allowed to insist that the only solution to their plight is for them to be given the homes their forebears fled.

While Egypt and Jordan illegally occupied Gaza and the West Bank (1949 to 1967), no effort was made to establish a Palestinian state. Israel liberated the areas in 1967 after Jordan allied with Egypt and Syria in a war meant to destroy Israel. Israel’s offer to withdraw from much of the liberated territory in 1968 was rejected by the Arab League.

Similarly, Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas rejected proposals for a state in all of Gaza and 97 percent of the West Bank with shared governance in part of Jerusalem (2000/2001 and 2008).

Yet Abbas has no qualms in citing despair over the lack of progress toward a state as the excuse for attacks on Jews, a claim made more bizarre because he doesn’t intend to grant citizenship to the “refugees”; he insists that Israel must rehabilitate them within the Green Line (1949 armistice lines, also called the “pre-1967 borders”).

Clearly, Jewish “settlements” (on 2 percent of the disputed territory) are not the obstacle to resolving the con-

flict. They provide work for Palestinians and opportunities for Jews and Arabs to interact, a necessary first step toward “two states for two peoples.”

I urge AJT readers to do all they can to tell Israel’s story.

— Toby F. Block, Atlanta

Quote Johnson Accurately

I’m no big fan of Congressman Hank Johnson, and the AJT’s editorial in the Aug. 5 edition (“Settler ‘Termites’ ”) properly describes many of his woeful misunderstandings concerning Israel and the Palestinians. That said, he deserves to be quoted correctly.

While the AJT quoted Johnson accurately July 29 (“Rep. Johnson Sorry for Termite-Settler Remark”), the editorial Aug. 5 totally mischaracterizes Johnson’s termite reference. Unfortunately, other publications and national Jewish leaders and organizations similarly mischaracterized his statement, likely as result of an article published by the Washington Free Beacon with the headline “Congressman: Jewish Settlers Are Like Termites.” Johnson never said any such thing; he compared the settlements, not settlers, to termites.

This is no minor distinction. Here’s what he actually said: “There has been a steady — almost like termites can get into a residence and eat it up before you know that you’ve been eaten up and you fall in on yourself — there has been settlement activity that has marched forward with impunity and at an ever-increasing rate to the point where it has become alarming. … We’ve gotten to the point where the thought of a Palestinian homeland gets further and further removed from reality.”

While Johnson apologized for his “terrible metaphor,” the essence of his claim his undeniable and a fact the settler movement would agree with, albeit with delight as opposed to alarm.

I wholeheartedly agree that Johnson and others critical of the occupation should distance themselves from those who seek the end of Israel as a Jewish state and in particular those who support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.

But let us not fool ourselves. It is the stated goal of the settler movement to ensure the nonviability of any twostate solution, a solution advocated by the Israeli and U.S. governments.

Let’s also recall that Yitzhak Rabin discussed settlements in terms most of us would deem anti-Semitic had he been referring to the settlers. In 1976, he analogized the “settlement movement” to “a cancer in the social and democratic tissue of the state of Israel.”

— Shai Robkin, Sandy Springs

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LOCAL NEWS

Immigrant Experience Helps Unite Jews, Latinos

By Sarah Moosazadeh Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta CEO Eric Robbins finished his second day on the job by re-emphasizing his commitment to Atlanta’s diverse Jewish community.

“We need to make Atlanta the greatest city in the Southeast, and we do that by creating dialogues, learning about other cultures and creating key relationships,” Robbins said at the fourth annual Charla and Challah Jewish-Latino event Tuesday, Aug. 2.

Hosted by American Jewish Committee’s Atlanta Chapter and the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, attendees addressed Robbins’ point in greater detail by discussing immigration in today’s political climate.

The panelists were AJC National Legislative Affairs Director Richard Foltin, DeKalb County State Court Judge Dax Lopez and Univision Community Affairs Director Mariela Romero.

“There are a lot of commonalities between the Jewish and Latin communities,” said Lopez, who is a member of The Temple and a former GALEO board member. “They are both family-orient-

New Federation CEO Eric Robbins’ vision extends to the possibilities for Atlanta’s position in the Southeast.

Photos by Sarah Moosazadeh

Discussing Jewish and Latino interests in this year’s elections are (from left) Richard Foltin, Mariela Romero and Judge Dax Lopez.

ed, enjoy discussing politics and have moms who know how to dish guilt.”

He added, “Having an affinity towards another country also has a special impact.” While many Jews have strong ties to Israel, Latinos feel a similar kinship toward the places their families came from, such as Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Mexico.

“It is important for us to take these commonalities and build relationships with other communities,” Lopez said.

Those commonalities include the immigrant experience in America.

Jewish immigrants in the early 20th century sought to live in a coun-

AJC Atlanta Regional Director Dov Wilker

try free from persecution. Exclusion policies, however, kept out many before World War II and even prohibited Holocaust survivors from entering America after the war.

Today, immigration restrictions stand in the way for Latin Americans who seek new opportunities and a better standard of living. Various organizations work closely with the Latin community in the belief that Latinos are assets to the U.S. economy.

Immigration reform remains a key concern in the upcoming elections.

“People have valid concerns, but debates should be based on facts vs.

feelings,” Lopez said. “We need leaders to address fairness.”

Various groups’ passions could influence how Democrats and Republicans address immigration reform.

“The most pressing issue for Latin immigrants is attitudinal,” Lopez said.

“The world is shifting, and so are their beliefs in holding the other responsible.”

Grass-roots organizations and politicians seeking re-election present challenges, Foltin said. “New reforms passed by the Obama administration have not led to anything new and have had little impact on those who believe we are under siege.”

Lopez discussed his experiences in Georgia as a Puerto Rican Jew. “It was a culture shock for people in the Jewish community, who seldom acknowledge Jews from other cultures. They often approached me and exclaimed, ‘I didn’t know we had brown Jews.’ ” As Lopez traveled, he met people who shared that sentiment, often exclaiming, “You’re not like other Latinos.”

He cited immigration progress but said: “It’s still about who you know. The more we interact with each other, the better we get to know one another.” ■

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AJT 13

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LOCAL NEWS

‘I Do Not Seek to Blame Israel … for Every Problem’

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

The following are highlights of an hour-long interview Congressman Hank Johnson granted to AJT Editor Michael Jacobs at the Democrat’s Lithonia district office Wednesday, Aug. 3. For the full transcript, visit atlantajewishtimes.com.

AJT: What have been your experiences visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories?

Johnson: First, let me start by apologizing to you and to all of your readers for my very insensitive and ignorant remark. Ignorant is just unknowing, as opposed to stupid, but it was an ignorant remark. And now that I know about the history of insects, animals and things like that to describe Jewish people, I’m mortified by my use of the term, not referring to people, but referring to the settlement process. It just got way too close. It was inappropriate, ignorant, insensitive, and it offended and hurt a lot people. So my apologies — can’t extend them enough to the people who are my friends.

As far as my trip to Palestine, I was alarmed at the deterioration of conditions and the spirit of the Palestinian people, who want peace, but peace appears to be more and more unlikely, peace based on a two-state solution. It appears to be the prospects dwindling because of the ongoing construction and approval of new settlements. … I want to see peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis. I want to see peace come to the Middle East, and I feel that the Palestinian statehood issue is a driving force for much of the violence that we see emanating from that region. And I think if we can reach an agreement where there can be two states — one for the Palestinians, one for the Israelis — that would protect the Israeli state as a Jewish state. … This last trip was a trip to Palestine; we just came through Israel and went directly to Palestine and stayed there I think four or five days.

AJT

AJT: Whom did you meet with?

Johnson: We met with President (Mahmoud) Abbas, Mr. (Saeb) Erekat, and we met with bankers, businesspeople. We met with people in the education sector. We met with young people, students, and we toured. We also met with individuals involved with the criminal justice — well, not criminal justice, because it’s not criminal justice, it’s more military justice — we met with folks who deal with that.

AJT: How much did you talk about

14 the outbreak of individual terrorist at-

Israel is not a factor that contributes to the spread of radicalism, radical extremism. … I do not seek to blame Israel, the Jews, for every problem that exists in the world; that is incorrect.

Rep. Hank Johnson and his wife, Mereda, overlook Jerusalem in May.

tacks on Israelis?

Johnson: That was not a focus of this trip. … We did get insight about how Palestinian young people are being killed by Israeli security forces and settlers, and in their view, these are wholly unjustified killings that occur regularly, with frequency and with impunity. I will say that nothing justifies violence, and I’m a man of peace myself, so I don’t support the use of violence by Palestinians or by Israelis against Palestinians which is unjustified.

AJT: Your previous trip was in 2013 with J Street? When was your first trip?

Johnson: The first trip was in 2011, and it was an AIPAC trip. And my second trip was in early February of 2013; that was with the House Armed Services Committee. … Then the third trip was just about three weeks after that.

AJT: How did Israel and the Palestinians become an issue that you are concerned with?

Johnson: I’m concerned about human rights issues around the world.

The Israeli-Palestinian issue has been at the top, and it’s an issue that really screams out for attention and action.

AJT: Are there other regions you’ve been involved with trying to find peace?

Johnson: Yeah, Colombia, where there are Colombians and indigenous people of Colombia. We’ve paid a lot of attention in that area, and of late we have been working to stop human rights abuses in Honduras against environmental activists and others.

AJT: As someone on the Armed Services Committee, what’s your feeling about the new 10-year memorandum of understanding and how much military aid Israel should receive?

Johnson: Every vote that I’ve taken as far as military aid to Israel and any

other type of aid to Israel, I’ve always voted in favor of it. I don’t really know the particulars of the agreement that’s being negotiated right now, and we’ll see what the final product is.

AJT: You said in Philadelphia and hinted again today that you see a solution between the Israelis and Palestinians as being important to fighting terrorism. How would an agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians affect Islamic State attacking Nice or Paris or San Bernardino?

Johnson: Just because you solve the Israeli-Palestinian issue doesn’t mean that you will eradicate terrorism and the world will suddenly become more peaceful. It just removes one stumbling block to peace. We have to continue to use our hard-power assets to defeat our enemies who are trying to kill us. And we also have to work to stem the conditions of hopelessness that attract so many to become adherents to extreme ideas. …

I’m not trying to blame terrorism on the lack of a solution to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. I did not intend to convey that impression or that suggestion. But it’s clear that the growth of terrorism is aided and abetted by the frustration born out of the establishment of the state of Israel and the failure to solve the issue of a Palestinian state. …

Now, it’s not a coincidence that in that same area is born the extremist ideology, which is promoted, by the way, by the Saudis with their money. The Saudi Arabian monarchy derives its legitimacy from the promotion or from an ideology, Wahhabism, that they promote and spread. It’s Wahhabism that Muslim extremists base their activity on.

Now Wahhabism was first established back in the 1800s, long before the establishment of the state of Israel. … But, yes, it cannot be said that the conflict between Arabs and Palestinians and

AJT: How did you wind up speaking before that group in Philadelphia?

A large percentage of the people you were speaking to don’t want a two-state solution. They want a one-state solution, and that state isn’t Israel.

Johnson: The American Friends Service Committee, the Quakers — we’ve worked with the Quakers on a number of other issues, and they invited me to speak. I did not know; I assumed I was going to speak to a group of Quakers, and Quakers are peace advocates. They advocate for peace. Now I did not sense any one-state-solution people. … I think everything you can find about me, my writings, or rantings might be a word that you might use, they’ve all been strictly in favor of a two-state solution.

AJT: What is your feeling about the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel?

Johnson: I am not a proponent of the BDS movement.

AJT: I wanted to get more clarity on your thoughts about Israeli training of law enforcement.

Johnson: When law enforcement goes to a place like Israel, where conditions on the ground are different than they are here in America, one has to question the training and how it contributes to the mind-set of American law enforcement. And I think that’s a legitimate issue that law enforcement needs to be aware of and policymakers should be aware of and the American people should be aware of.

AJT: What else do you feel like you’ve learned from the reaction to what you said and meeting with various groups? What are you taking away?

Johnson: I take away from it, well, first, one has to strive to not offend people. Political correctness, which is something people dismiss, they talk about it and they say, “Oh, political correctness; you’re just being politically correct,” this was a great example of why political correctness is so important. And also what I’ve learned, what has been relearned by me, is that when you make a mistake, you own up to it immediately, and you apologize, and you move forward. ■

LOCAL NEWS Andrea Sneiderman, who was convicted in 2013 of perjuring herself in Neuman’s first trial about the nature of her relationship with him, is not scheduled to testify in this trial.

Black-Jewish Coalition Hits Black Lives Platform

At age 86, Sam Appel (second from right) runs the 10K Peachtree Road Race for the 39th time July 4, joined by Milton Crane, 85, also running the race for the 39th time, as well as Adam Appel (left) and Jake Cohen.

Neuman Back on Trial

Hemy Neuman is claiming “erotomanic delusions” caused him to gun down fellow Jewish community member Rusty Sneiderman outside a Dunwoody preschool in November 2010.

Neuman’s public defender, Duana Samson, argued in her opening statement at Neuman’s retrial Monday, Aug. 8, that those delusions caused him to believe there was more than actually existed in his relationship with Sneiderman’s wife, Andrea, who worked for Neuman at GE Energy in East Cobb.

DeKalb County Assistant District Attorney Anna Cross, however, said Neuman did have a sexual affair with Andrea Sneiderman and killed her husband in a coldblooded, carefully planned effort to have her to himself.

Neuman, the admitted gunman, was found guilty but mentally ill of malice murder during a trial before the same DeKalb judge, Gregory Adams, in 2011. He was sentenced to life behind bars without possibility of parole.

The Georgia Supreme Court threw out the conviction last year, finding in a 6-1 decision that Adams erred in letting the prosecution subpoena the notes of two mental health professionals who were hired by the defense to interview Neuman in jail before his trial. The Supreme Court said attorney-client privilege applied to the notes.

Neuman again is trying an insanity defense that argues he didn’t know right from wrong when he killed Sneiderman, but now he’s mentally healthy enough to go free.

Cross, meanwhile, wants the jury to reject the claims of mental illness and simply find Neuman guilty.

In his first trial, Neuman presented a clean-cut appearance, usually wearing a sweater. He now sports a full gray beard and a large white yarmulke.

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AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

The 39th’s Steps

The Atlanta Black-Jewish Coalition expressed dismay Monday, Aug. 8, over the political platform announced a week earlier by the Black Lives Matteraffiliated Movement for Black Lives.

“A Vision for Black Lives” accuses Israel, among other things, of being an apartheid state and of committing genocide against the Palestinians.

“It is both deplorable and deeply saddening that such an important movement that addresses issues of deep concern to the Black and Jewish communities has been hijacked by those who seek to isolate and delegitimize Israel,” the Black-Jewish Coalition said in a statement. “As supporters of a twostate solution that will bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians, we are troubled by the false parallels that the BDS movement has constructed comparing, inaccurately, the challenges of the Black community and those of the Palestinians. In addition, singling out the actions of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East and the only democratic ally of the United States in the region, will surely do nothing to resolve the problems that the Black community faces in the United States.”

The coalition expressed support for many of the points in the lengthy platform but said the denunciation of Israel “requires us to distance ourselves from the Movement for Black Lives.”

The Movement for Black Lives has more than 20 member organizations, and the platform has been endorsed by nearly 40 other groups.

While national mainstream Jewish organizations have criticized the platform, some of the groups on the progressive, activist wing of the Jewish community have reacted differently.

Bend the Arc, for example, said that because it focuses on domestic issues, it will continue to work with Black Lives Matter and support the platform’s “bold racial justice agenda.”

The Jews of Color Caucus, an affiliate of the pro-BDS Jewish Voice for Peace, endorsed the platform “in its entirety without reservation.”

Its statement went on to criticize Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed for rejecting ATLisReady’s demand that city police stop training with Israeli law enforcement. The caucus also singled out the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange for attack.

AJT 15

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LOCAL NEWS

Hadassah Women Practice Work-Life Balancing Act

By R.M. Grossblatt Technology can be a help and a hindrance to achieving work-life balance, according to a panel discussion Thursday, July 28, the last day of Hadassah’s 98th National Convention at the Marriott Marquis downtown.

Moderator Deborah Shendelman, a member of the National Hadassah Honorary Council who said she has juggled a Hadassah schedule for 40 years, chose to be at the beach and use FaceTime to connect with her three Atlanta-area panelists in planning the discussion. We don’t have to be physically present for everything, she said.

Panelist Katie Gordon, a public relations and marketing associate, said she’s on her phone too much and tries to put it away when she’s home. She’s not just being there, Gordon said, “but being engaging as a wife and mother.”

Shira Grossman, a former corporate lawyer who plans to return to the workforce, said: “We don’t use phones on the Sabbath. And (during the week) I try not to use it around my kids.”

Tricia Molloy, a motivational speaker on how to reduce stress and

achieve balance in work and home, sees carrying a phone around as still a novelty. “I have a dream that the pendulum of technology is going to go back and placing a phone on the table in a restaurant will be crass.”

For now, the author of “Working With Wisdom” suggested ways to achieve a positive mind-set and feel balanced. “There’s no such thing as perfect balance,” Molloy said. The objective should be to find harmony and fulfillment, which come from “making conscious choices to live a life you love.”

She encouraged everyone to let go of clutter to create space. “Know what to focus on and what to let go of. Little by little, we can release the physical, technical and emotional” clutter.

How do you know when you’re out of balance?

Grossman and Gordon mentioned anxiety. Molloy added stress, impatience and forgetfulness.

To be aware of the why of what’s going on, Molloy suggested a simple exercise: Write down all your areas of personal responsibility. These include work, family, health, finances, personal development, fun, spirituality and ser-

Photo by R.M. Grossblatt

Work-life balance panel moderator Deborah Shendelman stands behind panelists (from left) Shira Grossman, Tricia Molloy and Katie Gordon.

vice to others. Then assign numbers 1 to 10, denoting “where you are and where you want to be.”

She encouraged everyone to “write up a statement of your life’s purpose according to your values and gifts.”

Molloy recommended framing and reading that statement every day.

The Marietta resident also recommended repeating affirmations such as “I have more than enough time and energy to get the important things done.”

To increase energy, she promoted eating a healthy diet, drinking plenty of water and getting enough exercise.

To that list, she added spending time with social people, listening to soft music or writing journal entries.

People in the audience made other suggestions for achieving work-life balance.

A Hadassah delegate from California shared the 4 G’s from a friend who participates in a 12-step program: great, glitch, grateful and goal.

Every night, she explained, write down something that happened that was great, that was a glitch and for which you should be grateful, as well as a goal for the next day.

The stimulating session on ideas for balancing life led up to the convention’s closing plenary and awards ceremony for women who practice balancing work, home and volunteer activities every day. ■

Iron Dome Saving Lives

By R.M. Grossblatt

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

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Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system is an invention of necessity.

“There’s no way to find and destroy the PLO’s launchers because they’re putting them in kindergartens and hospitals, wanting the Israelis to kill their children … and look bad,” Natan Barak, the CEO and co-founder of mPrest, told hundreds of attendees at Hadassah’s 98th National Convention at the Marriott Marquis downtown Wednesday, July 27. So Israel had to think of a way to prevent Palestinian rockets from hitting their targets.

“The U.S. told us it would never work,” said Barak, whose company created the Iron Dome’s command-andcontrol software. “Thank G-d, we’ve been very successful.”

He said it took two years for the concept to get approval and another year to become operational. The success rate has risen from 85 percent to over 90 percent; the goal is 98 percent.

The mobile system has completed 2,000 interceptions, and Barak said the system’s effectiveness saves Palestinian lives as well as Israelis because “it reduces their motivation to fire on us.”

Photo by R.M. Grossblatt

Natan Barak (center) is joined by Israel Defense Forces soldier Mathew Schwartz and Schwartz’s mother, convention Chair Carol Ann Schwartz.

Those in command and control have to make sure “that we aren’t going to suffer from the interceptions,” Barak said. The challenges include a limited time frame, multiple targets, proximity to airports, the desire to minimize battle noise and debris, and the risk of interceptors interfering with each other.

Each interceptor costs $40,000, but Barak said the damage would cost much more if a rocket hit its target.

Barak showed interceptors destroying enemy rockets, drawing cheers from the Hadassah members.

“We’re in this to save lives,” Barak said, also referring to the work of Hadassah. “There’s nothing more important than trying to save a life with accountability and concern.” ■

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LOCAL NEWS

Be :-) With Social Media

By Arlene Appelrouth aappelrouth@atljewishtimes.com

By Arlene Appelrouth aappelrouth@atljewishtimes.com

End-of-life issues are often confusing, complex and messy.

Medical science has advanced to the point that machines keep organs functioning after body systems have shut down.

Respirators breathe for patients who cannot breathe for themselves.

How do you know when to pull the plug or when to be aggressive and keep people alive no matter what?

When someone you love is in intensive care, at death’s door, how do you know what the right choice is?

Where do you go for advice?

If your loved ones share their wishes and document their desires through advance health directives, the decisions are easier to make. But what if that difficult conversation never took place, and there is no document authorizing the next step?

Who should decide? Doctors? Your rabbi? You? A panel of seven experts discussed those issues during Hadassah’s National Convention at the end of July at the Marriott Marquis in downtown Atlanta. More than 75 people crowded the conference room to capacity to hear the opinions presented by the Hadassah Physicians Council.

The panel consisted of physicians, a lawyer, a social worker, a bioethics professor and a rabbi.

The Jewish religious prospective, presented by Rabbi Neil Sandler of Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Buckhead, is to do everything to preserve life, even if there’s a question about the quality of life being preserved.

“You may not do anything to hasten one’s death,” the rabbi said.

His was not the only opinion.

A Weinstein Hospice social worker pointed out that most people want their loved ones to die with dignity and not to be maintained on machines when there’s no hope of recovery.

Susan Hart Sandler, Rabbi Sandler’s wife, said people often focus on the quality of both life and death.

“We need to empower ourselves and our family members to die with dignity,” Sandler said.

She said Americans usually go to an intensive care unit to die.

“Today, more Americans die in hospitals than anywhere else,” she said.

When patients are kept alive in a state

Rabbi Neil Sandler says Jewish law is clear: “You may not do anything to hasten one’s death.”

“A living will is a useless document,” George Fox says, urging an advance directive instead.

she called “suspended animation,” knowing what decisions are the right ones to make is complicated for everyone involved. Doctors are not always skilled to make these decisions.

From a legal perspective, one thing is clear: As long as a patient can communicate, the decision belongs to the patient.

Atlanta lawyer George Fox, who is an adjunct professor at Emory Law School, emphasized the importance for everyone to have a legal document called an advance directive that specifies what medical interventions are wanted and which ones are not.

“Everyone needs to appoint a health care surrogate and to have an advance directive,” he said repeatedly.

“A living will is a useless document,” Fox said, surprising many in the room. “In order for family members to be allowed to make decisions, an advance directive must be on hand.”

One of the physicians on the panel said a problem that frequently occurs is that family members become confused by talking to all the doctors and other health care workers who visit the patient’s room.

“It’s important to get information from the doctor who is in charge and not from each and every specialist,” said Joel Policzer, who works with VITAS Healthcare, a large hospice organization. ■

It was the last day of the Hadassah National Convention when mavens came together with beginners in social media. The women, seated at seven round tables in one of the conference rooms in the Marriott Marquis on Thursday, July 28, were given a crash course in a session dubbed a “social media interactive boot camp.”

Some didn’t know the difference between Facebook and Twitter. Others were regular users of both. All were told the importance of using social media to spread Hadassah’s message.

“We want you to be ambassadors even though some of you are newbies,” said Erica Brody, Hadassah’s associate director of internal communications.

“No one starts out knowing how to do this. Everyone has to get used to using Facebook for Hadassah.”

Hadassah, with 330,000 members, has a Facebook page (www.facebook. com/Hadassah) with 5,000 subscribers.

“Did you know that 77 percent of the people on Facebook are women?”

Brody asked.

Quoting a Pew study, she said people ages 18 to 29 are online “all the time.” The older the people interviewed

by Pew, the less time they spend online.

The advice given about how to effectively use social media included using a logo “for identification and visibility” and taking a particular tone with Facebook posts.

“When sharing, say something. Be passionate. Add your voice. The more you engage when you share, the better it is. When you add your comments, always add a personal touch,” Brody said.

She also recommended using emojis, though many in the room were unfamiliar with those visual representations of emotions.

“Hover your mouse over the emojis. It’s kind of fun but not for everybody,” Brody said.

To spread the message of Hadassah or any organization through social media, consistency is important, she said. “Two or three times a day is ideal.”

The women were reminded not to expect any privacy on Facebook.

Brody’s final piece of advice was to always be polite when posting on social media. “Use good etiquette.” ■

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

Clarity Proves Elusive At the End of Life

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EDUCATION

Tech AEPi to Rebuild, not Renovate

By David R. Cohen david@atljewshtimes.com

A campaign to renovate the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house at Georgia Tech was so successful last year that plans have been altered to build the fraternity a new house instead of fixing up the old one.

The current house, which has stood at the corner of Techwood Drive and Bobby Dodd Way for more than 60 years, will be demolished next summer so construction can begin on a new building.

“With a whole new house we can really give the undergrads what they need for a 21st century college experience,” said Brian Banner, a 1992 AEPi alumnus overseeing the steering committee on the project. “If we only renovated the old house, it was going to be difficult to meet the new building codes and also give them all the features and amenities that college students need.

Now we get to start with a blank slate.”

The campaign has raised $1.3 million toward a new center for Jewish Greek life at Georgia Tech. Banner said the project will start next summer re-

gardless but the group is trying to secure an additional $400,000 to ensure all the features of the current design are included.

Those interested in contributing to the new AEPi house can visit www. aepi.org/foundation/donate-now and select “Zeta Housing Support Fund.”

The newly planned house will include upgraded amenities such as a 20 percent increase in average student room size, a modern kitchen with dining capacity for 80, and meeting rooms that will be shared with Hillel and other Jewish campus organizations for Georgia Tech’s 900 Jewish students.

The building will be able to house 40 AEPi members.

Warren Epstein, a 1956 Tech AEPi alumnus, and his architectural firm, Warren Epstein & Associates, have been hired as the architects for the project. Epstein lives in Atlanta and has overseen the building of AEPi chapter houses at Indiana and Purdue along with house renovations at Georgia Tech and Emory.

“The architecture of the new house is going to help us stand out and really raise the profile of the fraternity,” Ban-

In contrast to the original plan, which called for AEPi’s Georgia Tech chapter house to be gutted and rebuilt on the existing footprint, the new plan involves a complete demolition and dramatically different development of the site.

ner said. “Just like the old house was unlike any other on campus, this house is going to have its own character.”

The location of the fraternity, directly across from Bobby Dodd Stadium, makes it one of the most heavily trafficked plots on campus by both students and alumni.

Because of the prominent location, Banner said, AEPi International has committed to financing a new house in

order to better support the mission of providing a Jewish experience for college students and future Jewish leaders.

“In the fall thousands of people walk by the house every Saturday,” fundraising campaign chairman Stephen Raidbard said. “The nature of the world today seems to be that there are more and more critics of Judaism and Israel.

There’s always an Israeli flag flying at AEPi.” ■ Georgia Southern’s AEPi chapter plans weekly events for potential members leading up to rush week, then nightly events that week, which starts Sept. 5.

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

AEPi Flies at Ga. Southern

AJT 18

Jewish college students who take flight from metro Atlanta to Georgia Southern now have a fraternity where they can flock together in Statesboro.

Alpha Epsilon Pi received its charter Nov. 22, 2015, exactly two years after 13 Eagles launched their quest to start a chapter at Georgia Southern.

“Our brothers and I are interested in more than just finding Jewish men and bringing them together,” said Seth Yarus, a graduate of East Cobb’s Pope High who is a Georgia Southern junior and the chapter president. He said the 16 AEPi members are working with Hillel to build a Jewish community.

Yarus, a member of Temple Kehillat Chaim, was not one of the original 13 but said he was attracted by the fraternity’s values.

He estimated that Georgia Southern has 150 Jewish students.

To serve as many of them as pos-

sible, AEPi holds a Shabbat dinner on campus every other week; Yarus said the brothers get kosher food in Savannah. All students, faculty and staff, Jewish or not, are welcome.

The AEPi brothers also go out to lunch together each Wednesday.

Fraternity events mark the major holidays, and the silent We Walk to Remember march, followed by 24 hours of reading the names of victims, commemorates the Holocaust each spring.

AEPi doesn’t have enough members to have its own nest yet, so events are run from a house members rent.

Yarus said the goal is to get a house once the chapter is large enough.

Georgia Southern has rush each semester, so Yarus is hopeful of adding at least a few brothers twice a year to sustain and grow the chapter. “If we can continue to get more and more guys, it will be a lot easier.” ■

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EDUCATION

ZBT Honors Chapters at Tech, UGA, Alabama

By Jerry Cohen

Photos by David R. Cohen

ZBT Foundation President Bruce Weinstein says ZBT is so well recognized for its values that the fraternity often is invited to start chapters at schools with sparse Jewish populations.

ship at Georgia Tech and Georgia is not a new trend. The Georgia Tech chapter has been made up of mostly non-Jewish members since the 1970s.

ZBT maintains partnerships with Hillel and the Anti-Defamation League to further its goals of promoting Jewish heritage and education on campuses.

The fraternity is active as a source for anti-BDS information as well as antiSemitism prevention.

Said Bruce Weinstein, the ZBT Photos by David R. Cohen

Thick on the Donald Trump imagery, Mike Luckovich shows the crowd his idea for the next day’s newspaper cartoon: Russian President Vladimir Putin standing in Moscow’s Red Square while wearing a hat that reads “Make Russia Great Again.”

The Mind of Luckovich

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com

Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Mike Luckovich is getting along just fine with Donald Trump occupying the national headlines. In fact, he’s a bit overstimulated.

On Thursday, July 21, the longtime cartoonist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution helped kick off the 2016 Zeta Beta Tau International Convention in Atlanta with his thoughts on the Republican presidential nominee.

“Doing cartoons while Trump has been running is a bit like being married to a nymphomaniac,” Luckovich said. “At first it’s amazing, but then you get tired.”

Luckovich, who grew up in the Northwest and is a 1982 ZBT alumnus

of the University of Washington, later said he is “not a big Trump fan” and showed the crowd a few recent cartoons in which he depicts Trump in an unflattering light.

He also gave guests an insight into his day-to-day schedule, which he playfully said “goes from procrastination to panic every single day” and involves sitting in his office with the door closed for long periods as he tries to come up with cartoon ideas.

To close his session, Luckovich created a rough draft of an idea for his next cartoon, featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin in Red Square with a hat that reads “Make Russia Great Again.”

The final version of that cartoon was published the next day in the Journal-Constitution. ■

Banners honoring the three centennial chapters are displayed at the 2016 ZBT International Convention.

Foundation president, “ZBT does a very good job providing benefits and services to its members through mentoring, scholarships, leadership training and career networking activities.”

According to Weinstein, ZBT is so well recognized for its values and services, including community service, leadership development and Israel advocacy, that the fraternity often is invited to start a chapter even on a campus with a sparse Jewish population.

Weinstein said that at the University of Georgia, where ZBT has far fewer Jewish members than AEPi or TEP, the chapter boasts the strongest participation in Hillel activities on campus.

It may have taken the better part of 100 years, but students of all backgrounds are seeking out Jewish fraternities for their values and principles, a far cry from Jewish students forming their own fraternities because they weren’t allowed anywhere else. ■

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AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity celebrated the 100th anniversary of three local chapters — the University of Alabama, the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech — Saturday, July 23, as part of ZBT’s International Convention at the Hyatt Regency in Buckhead.

The three chapters were founded less than a year after the Leo Frank lynching in 1915.

From the beginning, Jewish fraternities provided the only chance at Greek life for their members because Jews were not welcome at the other fraternities until years later.

At the national level, ZBT strongly maintains its Jewish identity with a Jewish membership of about 85 percent. Jewish values and heritage are a central part of the ZBT creed and guidelines.

But of the three centennial chapters, only Alabama maintains a Jewish majority.

The Emory ZBT chapter, founded in 1996, also has a mostly Jewish membership.

The decrease in Jewish member-

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EDUCATION

Jesse Itzler Offers Lessons in High-Energy Living Glean some out-of-the-box inspiration from Jesse Itzler, co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks, exrapper, extreme athlete and successful entrepreneur.

Itzler co-founded Marquis Jet, which he sold to Berkshire Hathaway and its NetJets subsidiary, and ZICO Coconut Water, which he sold to Coca-Cola. He is raising four children with wife Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx. He also is a motivating, positive, introspective and humble whirlwind of a man.

Basketball star LeBron James said Itzler’s book, “Living With a SEAL: 31 Days Training With the Toughest Man on the Planet,” was “hilarious.”

Itzler is speaking at a sold-out fundraiser for the Jewish Educational Loan Fund on Tuesday, Aug. 30, at Flourish in Buckhead. You can join the waiting list for tickets at jelf.org/itzler.

riences make it easier to deal with it.

My occupation or what I do for a

Jaffe: Reading your bio, I would infer that you are a daredevil.

Itzler: No, not really. I want to create an environment or pattern to challenge myself. Life gets hard. Expe-

Jaffe: What is left for you to achieve on your bucket list? I know you have jogged 100 miles in 24 hours.

Itzler: I have business goals also, but my physical goals are to master

Itzler: I was the youngest of four — sounds funny for someone 48 years old. It was a happy childhood. We were allowed a lot of freedom but with an iron fist. We had space and boundaries. We always had family dinner together. My mother had a cowbell (laughing). When she rang that bell, we all promptly returned home!

Also, my mother would not fly on a plane, so we took family road trips.

Jaffe’s Jewish Jive

By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com

living is building a life résumé. I don’t dwell on victories. I look for the next challenge. The harder, the more alive I feel. I am not one to quit. I push past discomfort. Yes, my occupation is to squeeze every ounce out of life.

Jaffe: Why do you support the Jewish Loan Educational Fund?

Itzler: I think it’s a great cause to see how one’s dollars directly benefit others. I want to help and inspire the students who have benefited.

Jesse Itzler says his occupation “is to squeeze every ounce out of life.”

Israeli krav maga (a martial art) and bike ride cross-country.

Jaffe: You are rearing four children under the age of 7. What is your philosophy toward that?

Itzler: I let each child experience his/her own journey. I want them to be able to handle difficult things, observe me using good habits and doing positive things.

Jaffe: That’s ironic since you were in the aviation business. What healthy living tips can you share?

Itzler: I eat nothing but fruit before noon. I was greatly influenced by a book by Harvey Diamond, “Fit for Life.” By the way, cereal is a marketing ploy. I am anti-big-breakfast.

Jaffe: Leave us with some words readers may not know about you.

Itzler: That’s a tough one. I’ve been 30 for the past 18 years and will continue that for many more years. I do wish I had time to read more.

Jaffe: I see your mother was an educator. What was your home life like?

Jaffe: You don’t rest much.

Itzler: That is correct. ■

UGA Students Pack Up Care for Homeless

By Rebecca McCarthy

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

Growing up in Dunwoody, Zack Leitz didn’t see many homeless people unless his family headed downtown for a Braves game. But when he arrived at the University of Georgia two years ago, he found that “you can’t go into downtown Athens, day or night, without being confronted by tons of homelessness,” he said. “You want to help but may not always know how.”

He saw a video of a couple handing out backpacks filled with necessities to homeless people, and he decided he could follow suit. He wanted each backpack to cost less than $20. By calling family members and friends, Leitz raised $450, enough for 22 backpacks.

He filled the backpacks with clothes, toiletries and food, returned to Athens, and, on April 8, 2015, handed them out in downtown to people who looked as though they needed them. “It was a very moving experience,” Leitz said, “to know you were giving someone something they could really use.”

The Dunwoody High School graduate’s act of tzedakah led to the launch of the Backpack Project, a student-run 20 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

AJT

Zack Leitz (center) and other student volunteers distribute backpacks to the homeless in Athens.

Its many volunteer staff members, all of whom are UGA students, have distributed more than 500 backpacks in Athens and Atlanta.

The Backpack Project distributes backpacks in various ways. Volunteers approach people on the street and hand them backpacks, and they work with community partners to distribute backpacks at soup kitchens and homeless shelters. “No matter what, though,” Leitz said, “the most important thing to every staff member of the Backpack Project is hand-delivering every backpack and building personal relationships with the people we serve.”

The Backpack Project operates year-round and makes summer and winter versions of the backpacks to

provide the supplies that are most needed for each season.

The project also creates men’s and women’s backpacks to provide the specific supplies that are most useful to every recipient.

As with Leitz’s initial backpacks, the limit on the value of the contents remains $20, though every pack contains more than 40 items.

At 20, Leitz is a member of Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity and a junior at UGA, where he’s double-majoring in finance and management in the Terry College of Business. He attends services at Hillel or Chabad in Athens and is a member of Temple Sinai in Sandy Springs.

In addition to his studies and fraternity activities, Leitz works many hours a week on the Backpack Project.

“It’s a big commitment of time from everyone on our staff,” he said.

He added that everyone is happy to dedicate the time because of a shared passion for helping the homeless.

Athens has a plethora of nonprofit organizations, including ones that help people receive the assistance they need to get out of homelessness. Others help with various addictions or offer job training. The Backpack Project

is different, Leitz said, “because we try to serve the homeless where they are today. And we get to know the people we serve. I love the work we do and the people we serve.”

The Backpack Project distributes homeless care backpacks twice a month, every month. The organization also hosts community events benefiting the homeless throughout the year.

The Backpack Project wants others in the community to get involved by hosting drives to donate backpacks and supplies, by donating money to buy those items, and by telling friends and family about the work the students are doing.

Leitz, recognized this year as one of the Reporter Newspapers’ 20 Under 20, and the other students have structured the organization so that it can keep going after they graduate from UGA. On staff are freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, which means that people can learn how the group works before they’re the ones in charge.

You can learn more about the project, sign up for email updates and make donations at www.thebackpackproject. ngo. You can also follow the Backpack Project on Facebook. ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

Weizmann Alters World One Discovery at a Time Although Chaim Weizmann is known as the first president of Israel, his life as a scientist may be even more significant to the founding of the state.

About 50 people gathered at Congregation B’nai Torah on Thursday, July 28, to hear about the Weizmann Institute of Science, the science research institute in Rehovot, Israel, that Weizmann founded and where he worked and lived until his death.

The story of Weizmann’s scientific contributions during World War I — discovering a method of industrial fermentation to produce large quantities of acetone important to the British war effort and befriending Arthur Balfour of the Balfour Declaration — was the first of many things that garnered reactions of awe from the audience.

Mark Kotler, the executive director, leadership giving, for the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science (www.weizmann-usa.org), wowed the audience with a presentation about the discoveries made by scientists at the Weizmann Institute.

“These breakthroughs are leading to inventions that improve human life on our planet,” Kotler said, reflecting the Weizmann Institute’s motto: “Science for the benefit of humanity.”

“Five out of the top 25 prescription drugs have their roots in Weizmann science,” Kotler said. “No one can claim so many drugs in the top sellers in the world.”

He went on to explain some of the discoveries and contributions of Weizmann scientists.

They have two treatments in U.S. clinical studies that are having high success rates treating cancer.

They have created hybrid crops that produce more protein and require less water to help provide “a secure and abundant food source for the world.”

Campus Hunger Targeted

Challah for Hunger has launched the Campus Hunger Project, a national advocacy and research effort targeting the problem of food insecurity on college campuses.

In its first year, the project will train 80 student volunteers from 40 colleges to research food insecurity among college students and the responses of college administrators.

The project is a collaboration between Challah for Hunger and MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger.

“The issue of hunger on college

Photo by Hugo Mendelson via Government Press Office

Chaim Weizmann, shown in 1949, was a scientist long before becoming Israel’s first president.

They are working on a flu vaccine that uses a new method to destroy the virus so that it could kill a variety of strains and last up to 10 years.

They have devised a sniff test to predict autism in babies with over 80 percent accuracy, enabling early diagnosis and intervention.

They have discovered that each person’s individual microbiome and genetics affect metabolism, leading to encouragement for people to create tailor-made nutrition plans.

They have been able to create stem cells from skin cells with a 100 percent success rate in less than one week, with possible implications for scientists around the world.

They have been able to regenerate heart tissue for patients who have damaged hearts from heart attacks.

They have discovered the structure and function of the ribosome, which could lead to new antibiotics against superbugs and made Professor Ada Yonath the first Israeli woman to win a Nobel Prize in 2009.

They have used alternative energy in streetlights for developing countries.

The list went on. campuses is one that is hidden in plain sight, and since college is so expensive, people tend to assume that students can afford healthy meals,” said Carly Zimmerman, the CEO of Challah for Hunger, whose chapters bake and sell challah to raise money for local anti-hunger charities and for MAZON. “The cliché of the college student who survives by eating ramen is becoming more and more of a reality.”

Philadelphia-based Challah for Hunger has 80 college chapters, including the University of Georgia and Emory University. ■

Kotler explained that the prolific and impactful research results from seeking out and hiring the best people and giving them the freedom to investigate what interests them. Collaborative projects between Weizmann scientists and other scientists around the world are also an important factor.

He said the philosophy at Weizmann is “to hire the most brilliant and courageous scientists nationwide and allow them to follow their curiosity where it takes them.”

Tal Nudelman, the Israel advocacy chair on the board at B’nai Torah, invited Kotler to speak after hearing a presentation from him in November.

“Our mission is to increase action and awareness of Israel in our congregation through speakers and cultural engagements,” he said.

Nudelman was impressed that the discoveries Kotler highlighted in Sandy Springs were completely different from the last presentation he saw.

The focus when discussing Israel is often on politics and security, Nudelman said, but hearing about a different side of Israel is important.

“We don’t talk enough about the

marvels in technology,” he said. “It’s just an aspect of the country that needs to be promoted so people can see how important Israel is to the world.”

The Weizmann Institute’s discoveries are only a part of its influence.

The Feinberg Graduate School, where all classes are taught in English, accepts worldwide applicants for doctoral and master’s programs. The fellowship program is free for students.

The institute also has programs for high school students and undergraduate students to explore research with scientists in the areas of their choice.

The Davidson Institute branch of Weizmann runs science, math and technology educational programs for children across Israel.

In the end, Kotler encouraged participants to find out more about Weizmann and choose research they might be interested in supporting.

He said current programs are funded through the Israeli government, scientific grants and private donations, and funding could be used to create new programs. He also invited Atlantans to put Weizmann on the itinerary of their next trip to Israel. ■

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

By Tova Norman

AJT 21

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

Introducing Emory’s New Intro to Religion

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

How would you introduce college students to the study of religion? I’m serious. What would you do with the intro course in this day and age?

Let’s hope you wouldn’t preach your own religion.

Maybe you would take the “world religions” approach and do a round robin: Week 1, Hinduism; Week 2, Christianity; Week 3, Islam; and so on.

Maybe you have a more theoryoriented bent and would cover the great thinkers of the study of religion: Rudolf Otto, Émile Durkheim, Mircea Eliade and so on (it’s a longer list than you might imagine).

Or you might take the approach we have used at Emory the past decade or so, try to combine the two, and introduce the study of religion to students via two traditions: Hinduism and Judaism, for example, or Buddhism and Christianity.

Our department, like many, is under pressure from multiple directions. From above (the administration), to provide metrics that prove our worth in the overall economy of Emory College. From beyond the campus (parents and politicians), to make the education that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars worth something in the pursuit of a good job.

We realize there is a perception, especially about those of us in the humanities, that it is time to move on from the navel-gazing of the 20th century to the career-building imperatives of higher education today.

Intellectual commitments and pursuits are at play in this period of stress and transformation, and we are reassessing the basics of what we do in a department of religion, especially in

AJT 22

terms of the fundamental staple of any college department: the intro class.

Guest Column

By Gary Laderman

We are starting from scratch, with faculty experimenting and discussing obvious questions in a college setting: How do we best equip students with knowledge and skills that are valuable in their transition to adults, that have applicability in the larger world, that can contribute to their role as informed citizens who will confront religion everywhere they turn?

This year my friend and colleague Eric Reinders and I are giving it a go, drawing from our different fields (his is the history of Chinese religions and Christianity in China, mine is American religious history and cultures) and our shared graduate training in religious studies many years ago in an early maverick department at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

We are throwing caution to the wind and taking a leap of faith into — current events. What better way to introduce students to studying religion than the lively, messy, contradictory, scandalous, enlightening, unpredictable, contemporary world we live in?

We hope the following course description will draw the students.

Maybe a few will take other religion courses or, G-d help us, become majors.

Religion 100 You can’t understand the world today without reference to religion.

Your GO TO Specialists for all YOUR REAL ESTATE Needs RE/MAX AROUND ATLANTA David Shapiro Jon Shapiro DShapiro@remax.net JonShapiro@mindspring.com 404-252-7500 404-845-3065 404-845-3050 www.jonshapiro.com

Every day religion is in the news. There are religious “extremists” and “fundamentalists,” religious arguments about sex, death, civil rights and human rights. There are arguments about symbols such as the Ten Commandments and cartoons of Mohammed. Religion is infused in political rhetoric. Presidents are sworn in with a Bible.

Why study religion? Does this pursuit have any practical value, relevancy to your career goals or monetary payoff, or is it, in every sense, “a complete waste of time”?

If you pay closer attention to the pervasive role of religion in our world today, you can’t help but be persuaded that the study of religion may be the most important course you take.

More challenging than “Why study religion?” is the “what” question.

Just what is religion? Can it be defined, or is it something like what Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart wrote in 1964 about obscenity: “I know it when I see it”? (As you can imagine, a favorite quote in religious studies.)

In addition to heightening your awareness of the centrality of religion in the world today, this course aims to open your mind to “religion” in less traditional senses, to examine phenomena that are not usually considered religious but that might be seen through the lens of religion, such as natural disasters, sports, Dragoncon, celebrity and rock concerts.

We think that to see religion more clearly in our world, it is best to start by confusing the boundaries of what counts as religion, blurring the lines between the sacred and the profane.

The class is a thematic introduction to religious studies, but the themes will be determined by current events over the course of the fall semester: globally, nationally, locally and

on campus. These events will include the national election (with its religious references, apocalyptic possibilities, rituals and myths, etc.).

Sadly, we can expect to focus on some terrorist event or natural disaster, and we will examine how grief is processed through religious rituals in public. We will examine the Tibetan shrine at the Carlos Museum — to understand the shrine itself better, but also to think about the display of religions in museums and the media.

The round of holidays on the calendar — Labor Day, Veterans Day and of course Halloween — will provide us with data to discuss and analyze. As noted, other topics will emerge to keep us on our analytical toes.

What is perhaps most critical to the success of this course, and a fundamental requirement to participate in this class, is a simple word: respect.

“R. E. S. P. E. C. T.,” as Aretha Franklin sang in the song we hope some of you have heard. Respecting diversity, respecting the speech of others, respecting the dignity of all students (and even faculty), and respecting the pursuit of knowledge as not simply a matter of opinions, but as practice that is based on research, reflection and respectful conversation.

This isn’t about political correctness, but intelligence and sensitivity. Having a civil discussion in the classroom about a volatile subject — perhaps the most volatile subject — is challenging and exhilarating and will give you skills to live with what is an unavoidable fact of the world we live in: religious differences. ■ Gary Laderman chairs Emory University’s religion department. A version of this column originally appeared on The Huffington Post.

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

Tennessee Hillel Head Denies Rise in Anti-Semitism

Leaders of the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at the University of Tennessee have a history of offensive tweets.

minded group of bigots,” the watchdog told The Algemeiner.

In 2012, Knoxville SJP member Mohamed Ali, who also ran for the position of MSA public relations director, praised Adolf Hitler in a tweet, calling him “a boss.”

In 2015, university SJP head Stori Nuri tweeted an anti-Semitic joke: “Jew test: throw a pen and if they pick it up

they’re a Jew.” SJP’s Welsh in 2011 posted an image of Hitler and referred to him as “The original Emo Kid,” a slang term that is sometimes used to describe people who do not care what others think of them.

“We all have an obligation to publicize this vile bigotry,” Canary Mission said. “If we ignore it, it will grow, it will

become something more dangerous.”

Speaking to The Algemeiner, Oleshansky said her Hillel office was “a bit concerned” when the campus SJP chapter was founded.

But Hillel and SJP talked and agreed that “violence is never the answer; it is not productive to anybody,” Oleshansky said, adding, “So far, that’s been the case at UTK.” ■

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

The Hillel director at the University of Tennessee says recent reports that anti-Semitic behavior has increased at the school have been overblown.

A campus watchdog group that monitors anti-American, anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activities on college campuses, Canary Mission, told The Algemeiner in early August that a “cesspool” of anti-Semitism and racist behavior was being spread by members of the university’s branches of Students for Justice in Palestine and the Muslim Students Association.

But Deborah Oleshansky, the director of the University of Tennessee Hillel, said that not only has she not seen or heard of a rise in conflict between student groups, but that Hillel and the other groups have remained cordial in their relations.

“I do not think this article is representational of campus,” she said. “We have luckily been mostly quiet and civil with strong connections between student groups.”

Oleshansky said that as recently as February, Hillel partnered with the Muslim Student Association for a comedy event called Stand Up for Peace.

In March, when the Judaic studies program at the university brought in a speaker to talk about Israel, a group of SJP students held a silent protest and walked out of the lecture, Oleshansky said.

“It was a very quiet, civil and nonviolent protest,” she said. “Exactly the way you would hope students would behave to engage in their right to free speech and protest.”

The Canary Mission named six people in Knoxville who are “responsible for the dissemination and active promotion of anti-Semitic and racist ideologies,” The Algemeiner reported.

The students named in the story are Eyad Hijr, a 2016 graduate with ties to MSA; Mohamed Ali, a sophomore and member of SJP, MSA and the antiIsrael boycott, divestment and sanctions movement; Hesham Annamer, a sophomore affiliated with MSA; Stori Nuri, a junior who is the president of SJP, co-president of MSA and a supporter of BDS; Jordan Welsh, a BDS supporter who connected to the UTK SJP’s Facebook page; and Afeef Youssef Kamah, a student connected to MSA. Through the Canary Mission, the UTK chapter of SJP has morphed into an “echo chamber of hate speech,” in which each offending post by one of its members is reposted and retweeted to its followers.

“We have never seen such a like-

AJT 23

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

Hillel, Chabad Welcome Students to Campus

By Eddie Samuels With thousands of first-time and returning students settling into college campuses across Georgia and the nation, Hillel and Chabad look to fill important spaces in the lives of Jewish students.

Rabbi Russ Shulkes, the executive director of Hillels of Georgia, said backto-school season is a key time to get students involved. “We do our best to identify every Jew on campus,” he said.

“Then we go about contacting them and seeing what their interests are and what role we can play.”

Hillel International, which publishes a college guide twice a year, including statistics on the campuses with the most Jewish students, facilitates the identification process by inviting parents to notify the organization of incoming freshmen at www.hillel.org/ college-guide/jewish-college-bound.

Campus Hillel directors then will try to connect with students before they even reach campus.

While social media play a large role in recruiting efforts, Rabbi Zalman Lipskier of Chabad at Emory said word

Kennesaw State students show off their Chabad T-shirts in 2015.

of mouth remains a powerful tool in his organization’s attendance at events.

“Just like students tell each other the best place to go out on a Thursday night or the best restaurant in the area, they hear about our events from fellow students.”

He said the greatest appeal of Chabad is the comfort it provides students. “We don’t have great strategists or marketing teams, but we focus on creating a warm, embracing home away from home for our students. It’s somewhere they can decompress and get away from the social pressures on campus.”

Hillel is a large part of the lives of Jews on college campuses around the

globe, and Rabbi Shulkes said the reason it’s so important is that it plays two particular roles in the lives of students.

“The first aspect of Hillel is that it establishes a Jewish community on campus,” he said. “It gets Jewish students involved in Jewish life, Israel life and campus life.

“Second, it establishes what students will do after college. If a student goes through four years of school without attending a Jewish event, it’s extremely unlikely they’re involved in Jewish life after graduating.”

The one thing tying the myriad of events Hillel offers together is Judaism, which Rabbi Shulkes noted means vastly different things to different students. The Jewish community is diverse, and the staff and programming at Hillels of Georgia reflect that diversity.

One of the largest struggles for new Jewish college students is identity, Rabbi Lipskier said.

“In addition to stress and the normal difficulties of college students, Jewish students are often looking for meaningful Jewish experiences, which we try to provide,” he said. “We view

ourselves as their extended family and do our best to make sure they have a place in which they can be themselves.”

With new students arriving on campus throughout the state, Hillel is launching two weeks of orientation programming for freshmen.

“The events vary greatly from campus to campus,” Rabbi Shulkes said. “We have barbecues and whitewater rafting trips and take students out for ice cream and coffee. Our goal is to foster that Jew-to-Jew network on our campuses.”

Rabbis Shulkes and Lipskier said they understood that going to an event at Hillel or Chabad for the first time can be intimidating, especially for students who don’t know anyone there.

“One of the goals of college is to challenge yourself,” Rabbi Shulkes said. “We do our best to identify every Jew on campus, so it’s our job to make sure if you’re intimidated but want to go to an event that you don’t have to go alone.”

He added, “We’ve literally had a student who had to have her hand held to get her to that first event, but she was glad she went.” ■

UCF Rises as Fla. Option

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

By Eddie Samuels

AJT 24

The spring issue of Hillel College Guide lists the universities with the largest Jewish student populations.

Vying for the top, with such expected contenders as the University of Florida, Rutgers University, New York University and the University of Maryland, is the University of Central Florida, founded in Orlando in 1963.

Based on the estimates submitted by campus Hillel offices, Central Florida had 6,000 Jewish students last year, about the same as NYU, just behind Florida (6,500) and Rutgers (6,400), and just ahead of Maryland (5,800). By comparison, the University of Georgia had an estimated 1,400 Jewish students, and Emory University had 1,300.

“It’s not unusual for Atlanta kids to go to Florida for college,” said Sam Friedman, UCF Hillel’s assistant director. “Right now most of them are still going to Florida and Florida State, but with the opportunities at UCF for Jewish life on campus, we’re becoming a more attractive option.”

Friedman, along with the UCF Hillel’s engagement associate, Danielle McKinstry, made a trip to Atlanta in

late July with the primary goal of meeting students who would be arriving at UCF in a few weeks to ease their transition. The visit also aimed to make more Atlanta-area students aware of the school as a strong Jewish option.

Their journey included stops at Camps Ramah Darom and Coleman and at close to a dozen synagogues.

“It’s not enough for us to wait for students to come to us,” Friedman said.

“It’s really about us making ourselves available to the students.”

McKinstry said the visit was about making students feel comfortable reaching out to Hillel when they get to campus. An active participant during her University of Connecticut days, she wants to help students get involved.

“We want people to know who we are,” Friedman said. “We want the Atlanta Jewish community to know we’re available. We are not a synagogue; we’re your Jewish home on campus.”

McKinstry said that aside from the obvious opportunities for Jewish life, there are some perks to reaching out to a school’s Hillel. “I tell new students to go to your Hillel and find the engagement associate because we will take you out for a free cup of coffee.” ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

Preparing for College Admissions Changes College

Applications

Admitted Acceptance Rate

The Admissions Game

Barnard

7,071

1,131

16%

By Dr. Mark L. Fisher drmarkfisher@yahoo.com

Boston University

57,416

16,650

29%

Brown

33,380

2,919

9%

Columbia

36,292

2,193

6%

Cornell

44,966

6277

14%

Duke

32,202

3,319

10%

Emory

19,924

4,927

25%

George Washington

25,541

10,942

43%

Georgia Tech

30,520

7,630

25%

Georgia

23,000

11,500

50%

Harvard

39,041

2,037

5%

Johns Hopkins

27,095

3,098

11%

Maryland

30,289

14,569

48%

Pennsylvania

38,918

3,661

9%

Princeton

29,303

1,894

6%

Yale

32,145

1,972

6%

ing that one of seven colleges that interest you wants the writing section.

You’ll have to take either the ACT or SAT all over again.

The message is that a student needs to know the testing requirements of the colleges being considered.

Applying for financial aid, including the HOPE scholarship in Georgia?

That process has changed.

Families need to know that the Free Application for Student Aid and the College Profile (used mostly by private colleges) can be submitted beginning Oct. 1. In the old days, the date was Jan. 1.

For this school year, you will use “prior-prior” year financial information as the base year. That means families will use 2015 financial information in filling out FAFSA. It is easier to use that information because the 2015 income tax returns have been completed months before you start the FAFSA or College Profile.

This change takes guessing and estimates out of the picture and avoids the necessity of corrections when those estimates are not in sync with your tax return.

Furthermore, you can use the Internal Revenue Service Data Retrieval Tool to import verified IRS tax returns into the FAFSA. Many highly selective colleges are filling their incoming classes to an increasing degree through their early application dates, including early decision, various early action plans and other priority deadlines. Will your chances be better for an acceptance?

You need to study the statistics for a given college.

The moral of the story is that “earlier” becomes a key word in the admissions process.

Seniors, I hope you have started the entire admissions process. As an educational consultant, my counseling in the past began with juniors, but now sophomores and even freshmen have begun the process. ■ Mark Fisher is a college and career consultant at Fisher Educational Consultants (www.fishereducationalconsultants. com) and a consultant for the College Planning Institute (www.GotoCPI.com).

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AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

Life will not be the same for high school seniors this fall.

But before we look at the changes in the college admissions process, let us see what happened this past year.

What are one’s chances for admission based on the acceptance rates for universities’ Class of 2020?

To the right are some of the statistics for colleges where many Jewish students apply.

Wow! Look at those numbers. Gee, except for a few schools, my chances are not so good.

No, that is not true. There are many fine colleges where you can receive a solid education and that have statistics more to your liking.

The question is not the football team’s record or its recruiting class.

The question is whether a particular college is a good fit for you. Is this a college where you can grow as a student and a person?

There are so many questions to ask when reviewing a college. Sorry, it is not just the name of the school. Successful adults have come from a variety of colleges across the country.

When seniors this school year apply to college, they will have a lot to be concerned about.

While students are familiar with the Common Application, used by around 600 colleges, they are not familiar with the Coalition application; it has never been used. And not all the schools in the Coalition are using the application this year; 58 are.

Most of the colleges using the Coalition application are also using their own applications or the Common Application this year, but one popular out-of-state university for local students, the University of Maryland, is using the Coalition application only.

You must complete the Coalition app for Maryland even if it is the only college on your list requiring the new application.

In the past, the writing section of the ACT was optional; the SAT writing was not optional. The change is that the SAT writing section is now optional, starting with the test administration last March.

But if any of the colleges to which you are applying wants the writing section, you must take the ACT and/or SAT with that section.

You don’t want to skip the writing section, then learn while you’re apply-

AJT 25

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

EDUCATION

Israel Knowledge Prepares Kids for College This year Jewish students at the University of California, Irvine tried to attend a screening of Jerusalem U’s film “Beneath the Helmet,” a comingof-age story about five Israeli soldiers.

They were met by an angry mob chanting, “Intifada, intifada, long live the intifada,” and other anti-Israel venom. Police escorted the Jewish students away “for their own safety.”

In response, Jerusalem U — with Hillel, AEPi, Chabad, StandWithUs, Students Supporting Israel, Hasbara and others — spearheaded a followup screening on campus. The Irvine community showed up in full force, and we scored a victory for free speech, turning the tables on Israel’s opponents. This type of response to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement on campus seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

Our kids may have a Jewish education through Hebrew school, camp or youth group, and it may have included learning about Jewish culture, holidays and other important topics.

But how many understand the burning issues surrounding Israel today?

How many of our children know how to respond to anti-Semitic or antiIsrael rhetoric on campus? How many

4

of them know the facts? With a 45 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents on college campus, we need to know the answers to these questions.

Guest Column

By Hadara Ishak

It was not long ago that Georgians had never heard of BDS or SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine), but the reality is different today.

Emory and the University of Georgia both have had deceptive Apartheid Weeks, and Georgia State has had “anti-occupation” speakers. At UGA, SJP disrupted an Israeli soldier’s speech and staged a walkout during a StandWithUs/Dawgs for Israel event.

This is happening in our back yard.

Many cities have adopted the “not here” or “it’ll pass” mentality, but an AMCHA Initiative study found that there were nearly 100 more anti-Semitic incidents in the first six months of 2016 than in that period in 2015.

Campus incidents opposing Israel’s right to exist nearly tripled.

Now they’re starting to focus on high schools.

To be fair, not every campus is

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

QUESTIONS

AJT

One of the newest faces at the Israeli Consulate General to the Southeast in Midtown is native Atlantan Paula Baroff, a Yeshiva Atlanta High School graduate who got her bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication in May. After working as an intern for the Atlanta Jewish Times, she became the consulate’s director of academic affairs in early July. She replaced Lucas Dear, who moved across the office to become the director of public affairs after Stefani Newman left the consulate in the spring.

Baroff, who frequents Congregation Ariel, took a few minutes Friday, Aug. 5, to answer our Four Questions.

AJT: What drew you to this job at

26 the consulate?

Baroff: I spent my whole college career working for Israel advocacy in a variety of ways, so I had strong connections to Israel as a country as well as Israeli advocacy, so I naturally wanted to go into that as a career. When I got offered this job, it was right up my alley.

AJT: What are your job responsibilities?

Baroff: I’m the director of academic affairs, which means I handle all universities in our district. So I handle meetings between faculty and the diplomats, and then I myself have relationships with faculty and students and Hillel directors, and I make sure that they know I’m available for resources. So basically I’m the primary contact between the consulate and the universities. …

I’ll be traveling out of state a good

explosive, and not all anti-Israel criticism is anti-Semitism. But there is a line often crossed, and our kids need to feel safe and knowledgeable enough to recognize that line.

So we must do everything possible to educate them about Israel before college. As it stands, we’ve found that many Jewish students get to campus and feel resentment toward Israel.

They don’t want to be affiliated with anything connected to Israel because they’re made to think it’s not politically correct, and they feel threatened.

Much of the reason is that these students just don’t know enough or understand all the factors involved.

It’s important that kids are not blindsided by the conversations taking place on campus. They should understand the significance of tactics like the Apartheid Wall and be able to recognize when professors spew anti-Semitic rhetoric. We must never let Israel-haters be the source of our children’s Israel education.

To address this challenge, Jerusalem U has created a film-based Israel education curriculum to prepare junior high and high school students for campus life. We also have online classes for college students to provide knowledge, awareness and confidence.

Kids spend a great deal of their day looking at screens. That is why

film and video — on Facebook, YouTube and elsewhere — are the most effective ways to reach our kids.

An important aspect to our success is that we form partnerships with Jewish and pro-Israel organizations to provide quality Israel education.

When we come together, we are stronger and can make the greatest impact.

Our unity also sends a clear message to our kids that we support them and want them to be empowered and ready for the future. As a community, especially in the current campus and global environment, it is imperative that we put politics aside and show the next generation that we not only support Israel, but also understand its strengths and weaknesses in depth.

Thanks to one of our partners, our material is available at no charge to Jewish organizations in Atlanta. We hope you’ll encourage your kids’ youth groups and day schools to sign up for our education this fall.

Regardless of whether they choose to engage in the conversation on campus or on social media, our children should at least have a solid foundation of knowledge they can use to make informed and educated decisions. ■ Hadara Ishak is an associate producer and the director of international engagement for Jerusalem U.

Paula Baroff, Director of Academic Affairs for the Israeli Consulate amount. It is based in Atlanta, but we represent all of the states equally (as of Aug. 15, the consulate’s territory consists of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri). So I’m planning meetings with colleges in North Carolina right now.

AJT: What advice can you offer to incoming college freshmen who are pro-Israel?

Baroff: Get involved as soon as you can, and that way, not just so that you’re part of a group, but so you learn how to be pro-Israel on college campuses. And also be proactive when it comes to supporting Israel, and not just in a blatantly pro-Israel way. Bring attention to connections Israel has with the United States in terms of technology and medicine and things like that.

AJT: What do you see as the biggest issues you’ll have to deal with this year?

Baroff: Most likely there will be pushback when diplomats go to speak at college campuses. I won’t directly have to deal with that at the talks themselves, but I do have to deal with the aftermath and the environment in general I think, like building relationships. …

Basically, any universities that have a large and active Jewish population are the ones we tend to worry more about because they also tend to have a bigger anti-Israel backlash. …

I want the Jewish community, whether they’re in college or have kids who are in high school still, to know that we’re available for resources, and I want to be updated on anything that’s going on. ■

SPORTS

Synagogue Softball Reaches Semifinals Another exciting weekend of play in the Atlanta synagogue softball league saw three teams advance to the double-elimation tournament’s finals.

Beth Tefillah, Young Israel and Temple Sinai 2 clinched spots in the A, B and C league finals, respectively.

The remaining teams in contention are B’nai Torah, Or VeShalom, The Temple, Chabad, Etz Chaim, Or Hadash, Beth Tikvah 2, Kol Emeth and Beth Shalom.

In the second week of playoffs Aug. 7, nine-time defending A league champion B’nai Torah defeated Dor Tamid 8-7 to move on to a quarterfinal match with Or VeShalom on Aug. 21.

The Temple lost an equally close game to Beth Tefillah in the winners bracket, 9-8, and will play the winner of B’nai Torah and Or VeShalom.

In the B league, Etz Chaim beat Gesher L’Torah 13-10 and top-seeded Beth Tikvah 15-9. The team now gets a rematch against Chabad on Aug. 21; the

two squads went to extra innings in the first round.

Meanwhile, in the winners bracket, Young Israel continued its tournament dominance with a 20-5 victory over Or Hadash.

The C playoffs saw Sinai 2 knock top-seeded Beth Shalom out of the winners bracket 16-10. Beth Shalom will face the winner of Beth Tikvah 2 and Kol Emeth for a finals berth. ■

American Jews Shine in Rio

• Anthony Ervin (swimming) — Ervin, 35, is the oldest male swimmer on Team USA and is competing in his third Olympics (2000, 2012, 2016). He was replaced in the 4x100 freestyle relay final Aug. 7 in favor of Ryan Held but still earned a gold medal.

• Merrill Moses (water polo) — Moses is competing in his third Olympics (2008, 2012, 2016) and is the team’s oldest member at 39. The water polo team is 0-2 in group play as of Aug. 9.

• Eli Dershwitz (fencing) — Dershwitz, 20, is one of two U.S. men’s saber fencers in Rio. His first match in the round of 32 was set for Aug. 10.

• Monica Rokhman (rhythmic gymnastics) — Rokhman, 19, grew up near San Diego and is the daughter of Russian immigrants. ■

East Roswell Park

1 — Chabad vs. Etz Chaim 2:15 — Or Hadash vs. winner of

Chabad/Etz Chaim 3 — B’nai Torah vs.

Or VeShalom 3:45 — Beth Tikvah 2 vs.

Kol Emeth 4:15 — Temple vs. winner of

B’nai Torah/Or VeShalom 5 — Beth Shalom vs. winner of

Beth Tikvah 2/Kol Emeth

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

The United States has seven Jewish Olympians in Rio: • Aly Raisman (gymnastics) — Competing in her second Olympics, Raisman is the captain of the women’s gymnastics squad, which qualified for the team final Aug. 7 while she reached the individual all-around final.

• Nate Ebner (rugby) — Ebner, who plays for the New England Patriots, is the only active NFL player to make a U.S. Olympic team. His father, Jeff, played rugby for the United States in the 1989 Maccabiah Games.

• Zach Test (rugby) — Test is the United States’ career leader in tries scored in the World Rugby Sevens Series and was part of U.S. team for the 2009 and 2013 Maccabiah Games.

Aug. 21 Schedule

AJT 27

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SIMCHAS

Skydiving Grandmas Celebrate 90th Birthday

By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com Huntcliff Summit resident Rose Tucker loves planes, so to celebrate her 90th birthday she jumped out of one with neighbor Nesie Summers.

Tucker, who turned 90 on July 20, was inspired by former President George H.W. Bush’s 2014 skydiving jump to celebrate his 90th birthday.

“I’m not scared of heights,” Tucker said. “I learned to fly a number of years ago with my husband, who was a Navy pilot. When I was a kid, I used to play with toy airplanes instead of dolls, and Amelia Earhart was my heroine.”

Tucker and Summers, who is a sprightly 84, each tandem-jumped

Rose Tucker (left) and Nesie Summers prepare for their 14,000foot jump out of a plane.

Nesie Summers is accompanied on the way down during a tandem jump.

Rose Tucker celebrates her 90th birthday by jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.

from 14,000 feet at Skydive Spaceland in Rockmart on July 30. Tucker said it wasn’t that hard to persuade her friend to jump with her.

“I just kept talking about going, and she got excited,” Tucker said.

“I wasn’t afraid at all,” Summers said. “It was fantastic.”

Their adventure was not without its critics. Tucker’s son Robert worried

about his mother jumping out of an airplane but eventually gave his blessing and drove her to the jump site. Summers’ daughter Lesli Schwartz was also concerned but supportive of her mom.

“I think it’s great,” Tucker’s grandson Evan said. “She’s been wanting to do this for a long time.”

The two friends have each lived at Huntcliff Summit the past few years

and take pride in staying active. Summers is an avid swimmer and works out at Huntcliff’s gym regularly, while Tucker enjoys going to movies and dressing up in costumes.

If skydiving is on your bucket list, Tucker has a bit of advice.

“Try it,” she said. “You only live once. There’s nothing to be afraid of — at least I don’t think so.” ■

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

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CLOSING THOUGHTS OBITUARIES – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE A BLESSING

CROSSWORD

The $5 Heist

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

There was this one particular afternoon, not unlike any other beautiful fall afternoon in the Bronx. We’ll get to this soon enough. But first …

I was brought up in a neighborhood where diversity and respect for elders were parts of life. My family, and we numbered many more than the average, were also proud members of the many families who belonged to a long line of public school believers. I don’t think I knew of such an idea as a private school.

I did not know the Catholic school down the street was private. I must have believed it was not any different from my public school, except that everyone was Catholic, the students could have nuns as teachers, and they got to wear cool uniforms.

(Remember, anything different to me was cool, and we believed in the bubeh meyseh, or old wives’ tale, that nuns could bring you good luck.)

Five days a week, Monday through Thursday after public school and again on Sunday mornings, I went to Yiddishe shule (Jewish school). It was similar to Catholic school with a few exceptions: Everyone was Jewish, we had no nuns, and, much to my little girl dismay, there were no uniforms.

The school was a renovated storefront on the other side of Crotona Park on Boston Road and could accommodate only one grade at a time, so as we moved up in grades, our classes were held later and later into the evening.

Crotona Park was a major park frequented by kids, families and lovers. The park boasted large playgrounds, boulders that seemed like mountains, and tall and fat trees with branches that seemed designed for us kids to climb. There were huge lakes and miles of walkways with wooden benches for resting or daydreaming.

When I was around 6 years old, too young to walk that long way by myself, my older cousin and then a babysitter would walk me to and from class. Gangs roamed the area, more to protect civilians than to attack us. It was actually quite safe.

When I was old enough to walk by myself, around 10 years old, I would always leave home a little early so I could roam the park before class. I loved the monkey bars, the seesaw, the high slide and the swings.

My favorite scar is under my chin.

My cousin and I were seesawing, and she jumped off. I came down with a 30 thud and opened a gap in my chin that

AJT

www.atlantajewishtimes.com

“Laughing on the Outside”

By Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Medium

required stitches. No matter. It was the best of times. Seriously.

Back to the beautiful fall afternoon in the Bronx.

I always kept some money in my shoe. This particular afternoon was no exception. On my way home from class, I always felt I deserved to be rewarded for going to school while my friends were hanging around the block, having a great time playing My

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Name Is with a Spalding or Double Dutch with jump ropes.

I am sure some were in the schoolyard playing basketball or watching others play. Some were rollers­kating. I was in Yiddishe shule.

What better reward than some sweets? The candy store had a huge variety to offer me. If memory serves, Baby Ruth bars were comparable to winning the gold at the Olympics.

I left our apartment and headed toward the park. I noticed three older girls on a bench, girls I’d never seen in the park before, relaxing (or so I thought) and smoking (a bad sign I ignored, even though the intuition angel was jumping on my shoulder).

I walked as if I had control of my body, which I didn’t or I would have asked said body to stop shaking.

I made eye contact, smiled (why be impolite?) and kept on shaking while walking toward my destination.

They came up behind me: “Where ya’ goin’, girlie?”

“To after-school class.”

“Got any money for after-school class?”

“It’s free.”

One of them announced to the others: “Bet she has money for a drink in this after-school class of hers.”

“Well, do you have any money?” I took off my shoe and gave them my $5.

They laughed hysterically as one of them said: “Hey, I never thought of that hiding place. We have to remember to check the shoes next time.”

Would you believe they thanked me for not making them beat me up, then left, still laughing?

I, on the other hand, held back my tears, kept shaking until I finally got to school and never told a soul I was a victim of a $5 heist. Until now. ■

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4. Author Levin 7. Siddur on your phone, e.g.

10. Pose (to a rabbi) 13. Possible request from this paper’s editor: Abbr.

14. It’s a candle 15. First word of “Scarborough Fair” 16. Piece on Disraeli, for short 17. Right-wing U.K. protest group that’s pro-Israel 18. Some characters in Spielberg’s “The BFG” 19. Like one receiving the Israel Prize 21. Reading of Prophets 24. King Solomon had a magnificent one 25. Gunk in Reitman’s “Ghostbusters” 26. It makes Lee’s Banner turn into the Hulk 28. Staffs (the INS Lahav) 29. ___ Hadibrot 30. Book that predates the siddur 32. The IDF’s HaKirya, e.g.

33. Hachnasat Orchim words 34. Sounds of hesitation by those who don’t speak Hebrew so well 35. Plug-___ (some Babylon downloads) 37. Ryan Braun admitted to using (at least) one: Abbr.

38. Reinsdorf’s Bulls, on the scoreboard 41. Israeli mount that’s also a Melbourne school 43. City east of Be’er Sheva 44. Prideful song 47. David of “NYPD Blue” 49. ___ Hara 50. Musician Brian who’s anti-Israel 51. Rabbi Kaplan or Minister of the Interior Deri

at Teddy Stadium 29. Monkey of Scott Weinger’s “Aladdin” 31. ___ Hanasheh 33. Channel that gave a lot of coverage on Debbie Wasserman Schultz 35. Sound some might make if offered kosher locust 36. Jonathan Tropper or Jonathan Kellerman, e.g.

38. Like the worst villain 39. Part of the new year 40. 1997 Lisa Loeb hit 41. Moses spent some time there 42. “Oy” alternative when erring 43. TV Stark who’s a rodef 44. They make a kosher candy line with fish gelatin 45. Zurer of “Shtisel” 46. “Mila 18” and “The Haj,” e.g.

47. It’s not kosher from a sturgeon 48. Passionate states (in Ecclesiastes, perhaps) 53. Frozen Klein’s treats 55. Titus built a notable one 56. Poh 58. Commandment pronoun

52. Like Fox (clothing) sales 54. Closing ceremony 57. Not kosher 59. City on Guanabara Bay 60. Compass heading 61. Seinfeld voiced one in 2007 62. Word before Kodesh 63. Transport made by Qoros 64. Jewish school in Riverdale, N.Y. 65. Extra periods for Casspi, for short 66. Tref home?

67. Joel Silver produced “48 ___” 68. “Tevye ___ Milkman”

DOWN 1. Shalom or shamayim predecessor (in song) 2. Szold’s Women’s Zionist Organization of America 3. Like Joshua, as a leader 4. It should be tithed 5. Jephthah probably felt it 6. Solo that means “lioness” in Hebrew 7. Ahava spa sound 8. Elisha to Elijah, e.g.

9. Phnom ___, home of Cambodia’s Chabad 10. Israel, as a study locale for many 19-year-olds 11. Miller who played Nancy CH A T A N Schultz in A D A R I “Foxcatcher” I D L E R 12. ___ A V HaKodashim CH A G S A 20. TV A E R N financial B R A CH A adviser Suze A I D A 22. Not D E S I something M U you’d want flat S H I P S in the Negev M O R O C 23. Greeting from Kermit or E M E T L E N O Louis Nye T R E K 27. Walkways 1

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CLOSING THOUGHTS

Why I Drive on Shabbat I believe that my adult children, Chanie, Joey and Ben, have made their peace knowing I drive on Shabbat.

I started driving on Shabbat recently because of debilitating illness, transgressing the strict Jewish law I have observed for decades.

As my grandchildren, raised not to ride on Shabbat, arrive at their teens, the time has come for me to explain.

This is the explanation I have given them. For the strict constructionists of halacha, it has many flaws.

Regardless, a few weeks ago I told them the following, now expanded for the more mature, discerning reader.

You have certainly noticed that I am no longer able to walk to shul on Shabbat and holy days. I hope you also notice that riding and driving on Shabbat still tear at my conscience and make me suffer much grief.

As you have seen, my legs have gotten quite weak, primarily from nerve problems and my diabetes. The pain in my legs is nearly unbearable, even when I walk just a block.

So each Shabbat I face this choice: Do I walk, drive or stay home from shul? I have decided to drive, but just to do divine work. No mall or deli.

I know that many great rabbis say even this is forbidden. But I have made my peace with driving on Shabbat to help in a crisis, praying and counseling with the critically ill and his/her family, responding to a death, visiting an infirm community member. I am routinely summoned to use my rabbinical calling to help hurting people face their crises and grief.

Then there are the times of celebrations in our family: a bris, a bar or bat mitzvah, an aufruf, joyous times.

As a Jew, as a person of fast faith, I know that I dare not overrule G-d.

But I also dare say that from Torah to Talmud to the ongoing rabbinic tradition, we get a fairly sharp picture of G-d’s personality: merciful, gracious, patient, kind, truthful, forgiving sin and pardoning it (Exodus 34).

It becomes obvious that He beckons us to be at the side of the sick, the fettered, the hungry, the naked, the wounded and the suffering. Just read Isaiah 58: “Do not turn away from your own flesh and blood.”

G-d is loving and forgiving, not wrathful and seeking reasons to gig us.

So I do “violate” G-d’s law. Some-

Guest Column

By Rabbi Marc Wilson

how, I feel He understands and forgives.

It would be hard to comprehend why it would be better to serve G-d by sitting alone in an empty house.

I feel a gaping wound in my heart just thinking about being absent from Sophie’s bat mitzvah or Simmy’s bar mitzvah. Would that make anyone feel more honored, especially G-d?

The essential question: What best honors G-d and His creations?

Would G-d be more beloved and happier if He saw us sitting alone and miserable while our loved ones daven, dance, sing and renew friendships just three miles away?

Or bring a smile or a tear to a dying friend?

I hope you will keep all this in mind and not feel badly toward me when I drive to an event that enhances a divine command. Someone once said, “There is the Torah of the ‘head’ and the Torah of the ‘soul.’ ” I do not recommend my solution to anyone else. Your conscience, your relationship with G-d, your priorities must guide your path.

I have made my peace. I am ready to greet my critics with respect and honor. I understand your position, even if you may not understand mine.

I write simply to explain. ■ Rabbi Marc Wilson is a community organizer and founder of MeetingPoint in Greenville, S.C.

Death Notices

Stanley Goldstein of Sandy Springs on Aug. 8.

Bertram Gumble, 88, of Manheim Township, Pa., father of Congregation B’nai Israel member Karen Kalins, Georgia Meier and Devan Grove, on July 31.

Martin Schneider, 79, of Dunwoody, Temple Sinai member, husband of Barbara Schneider, and father of Eric Schneider and Hal Schneider, on Aug. 7.

Carole Wolfe, 75, of Woodstock, mother of Congregation Ner Tamid member Wendy Meyer, on Aug. 1.

AUGUST 12 ▪ 2016

OBITUARIES

AJT 31

AJT

32

AUGUST 12 â–ª 2016