Atlanta VOL. XCII NO. 33
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Atlanta Then and Now, Pages 14-17
A Collective Celebration
Jewish Atlanta will celebrate some of its most important nonprofit organizations and individuals at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30, at The Collective. Organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, the event not only brings together Federation, the Marcus Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family & Career Services, Jewish Home Life Communities and the Atlanta Rabbinical Association, but also sets a low barrier for entry with $10 tickets ($18 at the door). “It’s a great moment in Jewish Atlanta, and we want to celebrate, come together, share what we are all excited about and have some fun,” Federation CEO and President Eric Robbins said. The chief executives of the five organizations discuss community, and improv group Dad’s Garage will entertain. Federation will recognize its annual award winners: Eliana Leader and Benjamin Levy, Abe Schwartz Young Leadership Award; Viktoria Abelson, Gerald H. Cohen Community Development Award; Stephanie Wyatt, Marilyn Shubin Professional Staff Development Award; Eileen Snow Price, Mary and Max London People Power Award; and Robin Chanin, Tikkun Olam/Community Impact Award. Get tickets at jewishatlanta.org/ collectivefor the event, at B’nai Torah, 700 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs. ■
Photo by Eli Gray
150 and Counting
Gael Braverman helps The Temple bring the celebration of its 150th birthday to social media Sunday, Aug. 20. Atlanta’s first and largest congregation held services as early as 1862 and formally organized as the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation in 1867. More, Page 16
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INSIDE Candle Lighting �������������������������� 4 Sports ���������������������������������������������5 Israel News �����������������������������������6 Opinion ���������������������������������������10 Business ��������������������������������������18 Education ����������������������������������� 22 Obituaries ���������������������������������� 26 Marketplace ������������������������������ 28 Crossword ���������������������������������� 30
AUGUST 25, 2017 | 3 ELUL 5777
Book Festival To Be Packed With Politics The 2017 Book Festival of the Marcus Jewish Community Center will begin with a U.S. Supreme Court justice and end with a U.S. senator. In between, the festival’s 26th edition will feature a famous TV newsman, two former White House residents, a woman once portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence, Atlanta’s only Jewish mayor, one of Jewish Atlanta’s best-known machers and the most interesting man in the world. The lineup features the writers of 40 books at 33 events, all but one of them at Zaban Park in Dunwoody, from Saturday, Nov. 4, to Monday, Nov. 20. It all starts with one of the three Jewish justices on the Supreme Court, Stephen Breyer, talking about his 2015 book, “The Court and the World.” He also has “Against Segregation in America’s Schools,” an enhanced version of a dissent he wrote in a landmark case a decade ago, coming out in October. It ends with Sen. Al Franken (DMinn.), a former “Saturday Night Live” writer, speaking about his new memoir, “Giant of the Senate,” on closing night. A politically different, non-Jewish perspective comes Nov. 18 from former President George W. Bush’s twin daughters, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush, who have a memoir, “Sisters First.” Among other highlights: • Two Jewish Atlantans with life lessons worth recounting, former Mayor Sam Massell (“Play It Again, Sam”) on Nov. 9 and former Zep President Harry Maziar (“Story Selling”) on Nov. 17. • Inventor and home-shopping pitchwoman Joy Mangano, portrayed by Oscar winner Lawrence in “Joy,” on Nov. 13. • Jonathan Goldsmith, once Dos Equis’ “most interesting man in the world,” and bridesmaid-for-hire Jen Glantz at the Woodruff Arts Center on Nov. 14. • Former “CBS Evening News” anchor Dan Rather, who writes about patriotism in “What Unites Us,” on Nov. 19. Visit atlantajewishtimes.com for the full lineup. Tickets go on sale Sept. 1 at atlantajcc.org/bookfestival. ■
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AUGUST 25 â–ª 2017
MA TOVU
Trespassing for a Job I waited for the ax to fall. “Business has slowed down a lot during the last few weeks, and right now I simply can’t afford to keep you on. I feel terrible to do this to you, but I’m going to have to let you go. If anything changes, you’ll be the first one I call.” “That’s it?” I said, trying to rein in my fury. “No notice or anything?”
Shared Spirit Moderated By Rachel Stein rachels83@gmail.com
“I’m really sorry,” Chuck said, and I saw contrition in his eyes. “Hopefully sales will pick up and I’ll be able to call you very soon.” “Thanks,” I said curtly. If I had started my job search when I got home, I probably would have found a suitable position. But with the summer half over, what am I supposed to do? No one will hire me for such a short time. As despair was overtaking me, I had a brainstorm. Striding into Ta’am, I greeted Mark and Mrs. Burke with a smile. “Mrs. Burke, do you have a minute?” I asked. “Sure,” she said, showing me into her office. “I’m wondering if you have any openings for an additional worker,” I said. “Chuck’s business is down, and he basically can’t afford to have me on staff right now.” “Oh, that’s too bad,” Mrs. Burke said. “Well, I know you’re a great asset to any establishment. Chuck raved about you, and I heard compliments from his customers, too.” She paused. “If I decrease Mark’s hours, I can slip you in for some time,” she said. “That’s the only thing I can offer you.” Part of me is inclined to accept Mrs. Burke’s offer. After all, I was responsible for getting Mark the job. But there’s another part of me that feels guilty for even considering the idea, like I would be trespassing on someone else’s territory. Is it fair that I agree to employment that will diminish Mark’s hours? I welcome your suggestions. Respond to rachels83@gmail.com by Monday, Aug. 28, to have your ideas published. ■
AUGUST 25 ▪ 2017
“Dan, it’s great to see you!” Surprised, I whirled around in the bustling airport terminal. “Oh, hi, Chuck, how are you?” “It’s totally beshert that I ran into you,” said Chuck, my parents’ longtime friend. “I’ve been looking for someone to help me in the store. How would you like a job?” Wow, talk about miracles! On my way home from college for summer break, I wanted and needed a job. Like manna from heaven, this fell into my lap. Awesome! Plus, I like Chuck, and working in a Judaica bookstore sounded like a great opportunity. “That would be fantastic, Chuck,” I said. “What are the hours, and when do I start?” Chuck laughed at my enthusiasm. “You can start today if you’re ready.” Whistling, I went to collect my luggage and greet my parents, eager to tell them of this development. Working in Judaica Gems was everything I imagined it would be. The store was tranquil, and I enjoyed meeting people who wanted to deepen their Jewish knowledge. Some times were busier than others. In the interludes, I spent time devouring the books. A week later, Shirley Burke, who runs Ta’am, a kosher meat restaurant a few doors down, walked in. “Dan, good to see you,” she said. “Chuck told me you’re working here, and I thought maybe you can help me.” “What can I do for you, Mrs. Burke?” I asked. “Well, I’m looking for some help in the restaurant, and I thought maybe you would know of someone who needs a job. Do you have a friend who might be available?” I thought of Mark Banish, a good friend seeking a summer job. He was having a hard time with his search. “Mark is a great worker and a terrific people person. You won’t find a better man for the job,” I said. “Thank you, Dan,” Mrs. Burke said. “I really appreciate your help.” Sometimes Mark and I waved to each other as our paths crossed when we were coming to work or leaving for the day. It was a good feeling to know I had helped Mrs. Burke and my good friend — until everything imploded. “Dan,” Chuck told me one day, “you’re a great worker, and I appreciate all of your efforts. But I don’t have good news for you.”
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AUGUST 25 ▪ 2017
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JELF exhibit. The Jewish Educational Loan Fund’s history is featured in “The Legacy of the Hebrew Orphans’ Home” at the Breman, 1440 Spring St., Midtown. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors, $6 for students and educators, and $4 for children 3 to 6; thebreman. org or 678-222-3700.
FRIDAY, AUG. 25
Shabbat Live! The Marcus JCC’s Rabbi Brian Glusman, the Weber School’s Drew Cohen, local musician Michael Levine and others bring a musical celebration of Shabbat to Temple Kol Emeth, 1415 Old Canton Road, East Cobb, at 8 p.m. after Rabbi Glusman leads a children’s service at 6:30. Free; kolemeth.net or 770-973-3533.
SATURDAY, AUG. 26
Prehistoric party. Clothes from the 1980s are the proper attire for the Signature Event at Fernbank, sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s Under 40 Division and the Birthright Israel Alumni: Atlanta Network, at 9 p.m. at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 767 Clifton Road, Atlanta. Tickets are $15 (including one drink) in advance or $25 at the door; jewishatlanta.org/signature-event.
SUNDAY, AUG. 27
Kitchen tour. The Toco Hills Tour of Terrific Kitchens, presented by the Mount Scopus Group of Hadassah Greater Atlanta, visits eight new and renovated kitchens from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., starting at 1564 Nantahalla Court. Tickets are $20 before Aug. 24 and $25 at the door; paypal.me/mtscopus/20. Simcha expo. The Atlanta Party Connection Bar & Bat Mitzvah Expo pre sents more than 70 vendors from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North, 7 Concourse Parkway, Sandy
CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES
Shoftim Friday, Aug. 25, light candles at 7:54 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, Shabbat ends at 8:49 p.m. Ki Tetze Friday, Sept. 1, light candles at 7:45 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, Shabbat ends at 8:39 p.m. Springs. Free; register at bit.ly/2lM8eLk. CTeen Junior kickoff. Seventh- and eighth-graders are invited for fun, games and refreshments at 6 p.m. at Chabad of North Fulton, 10180 Jones Bridge Road, Alpharetta. Free; www. chabadnf.org or 770-410-9000. Bowling. The co-ed Atlanta Jewish Bowling League offers bowling at 6:30 p.m. at Bowlero, 6345 Spalding Drive, Norcross, to introduce people to the league. Free; RSVP to 404-667-7752.
MONDAY, AUG. 28
College loan webinar. The Jewish Educational Loan Fund (JELF) holds its semiannual online seminar about its interest-free loan program at 10 a.m. Free; register at jelf.org/webinar. Holocaust and Jim Crow. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum holds a panel discussion on “Religion and Public Life in the Holocaust and the Jim Crow South” at 1 p.m. at Georgia State University’s Troy Moore Library, 25 Park Place, downtown. Free; RSVP to ushmm.org/events/georgia-state. Infertility support. Licensed therapist Ashley Marx facilitates a Jewish Fertility Foundation support group at 7 p.m. at the foundation, 60 Lenox Pointe, Buckhead. Free; bit.ly/2wvo7PW.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 30
Big party. The Collective: A Celebra-
tion of Community features the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s annual awards, Dad’s Garage entertainment, and a panel discussion with the heads of five major organizations at 7 p.m. at Congregation B’nai Torah, 700 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs. Tickets are $10 in advance, $18 at the door; jewishatlanta.org/event/collective.
THURSDAY, AUG. 31
Submarine warfare. Retired Navy captain and submariner Barry Benator talks about life on subs and their role in major U.S. wars at the meeting of the Edgewise group at 10:30 a.m. at the Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Free for members, $5 for others; www.atlantajcc.org or 678-812-3861.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 10
Women’s health forum. Hadassah Greater Atlanta and partners hold a Gender Equity in Medicine program, including a panel discussion, at 12:30 p.m. at Congregation Or Hadash, 7460 Trowbridge Road, Sandy Springs. Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 at the door; www.hadassah.org/events/gem2017. Maximizing Medicare. Jewish Home Life Communities’ London Family Age Smart Lectures series continues with a panel discussion on Medicare featuring Dan Munster, Anita Alvarez Richards and Debbi Dooley at 2 p.m. at the William Breman Jewish Home, 3150 Howell Mill Road, Buckhead. Free; bit. ly/2uZbqsj.
Send items for the calendar to submissions@atljewishtimes.com. Find more events at atlantajewishtimes.com/events-calendar.
Remember When
25 Years Ago Aug. 21, 1992 ■ Atlanta’s first chapter of Parents of North American Israelis is being formed by Beverly Greenwald, who says she has lost patience with people offering sympathy that her daughter now lives in Israel. But she acknowledges that some people have bittersweet feelings about children or grandchildren making aliyah, so PNAI offers educational programs, an emotional support network and other benefits for a $20 annual membership fee. ■ The bat mitzvah of Rachel Ashley Eichholz of Atlanta, daughter of Arlene and Gary Eichholz, was held Saturday, Aug. 15, at B’nai Torah Synagogue. ■ Steve and Esther Horn of Atlanta announce the birth of a daughter, Erin Leigh, on April 20.
50 Years Ago Aug. 25, 1967 ■ Max M. Cuba, a prominent Atlanta civic and Jewish communal leader, was elected the president of the regional Jewish Children’s Service at its 91st annual meeting, held at the Standard Club on Aug. 13. JCS serves the five Southeastern coastal states and the greater Washington area. Under a no-interest loan program, JCS lent 57 students a total of $55,000 from 1961 to 1967. ■ The Bernard I. Ochs family of Atlanta has welcomed into their home a young Israeli student on her first visit to America. Tamar Yashkin, 18, will be in Atlanta through midDecember under the Eisendrath Exchange Program. ■ Sharon Silverstein, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Morris Silverstein of Atlanta, will become the bride of Philip Rosenberg, son of Mrs. Augusta Rosenberg of Brooklyn, N.Y., and the late Leo Rosenberg, on Aug. 26 at the Progressive Club.
SPORTS
Synagogue Softball Finals Set After a competitive, double-elimination tournament that saw 24 teams compete for glory in the Atlanta Men’s Synagogue Softball League, the finals are set for Sunday, Aug. 27, in the A, B and C divisions. Six teams — Congregation B’nai Torah, The Temple, Congregation Etz Chaim, Temple Beth Tikvah, Beth Tikvah 2 and Temple Emanu-El — remain to play for the league championships. In A, top-seeded B’nai Torah will compete in the finals for the 11th season in a row and will face The Temple, which nearly defeated B’nai Torah in the winners’ bracket semifinals Aug. 13. The Temple eliminated Temple Sinai in the losers’ bracket final Aug. 20 to advance to the championship round. Even though Young Israel of Toco Hills scored a combined 79 runs in its first three losers’ bracket games in the B league, the team couldn’t overcome a determined Beth Tikvah squad in the losers’ bracket final after scoring only six runs. Beth Tikvah will face Etz Chaim in the B final Aug. 27, a rematch of the winners’ semifinals Aug. 13, won by Etz Chaim. Emanu-El, the top-seeded team in the C division, made it to the final after being sent to the losers’ bracket by fourth-seeded Beth Tikvah 2 on the opening day of the playoffs Aug. 6. Emanu-El eliminated Congregation Beth Shalom, Temple Kol Emeth and Congregation Dor Tamid 2 en route to the final after going undefeated in the regular season. The three losers’ bracket teams — The Temple, Beth Tikvah and Emanu-El — must each win two games Aug. 27 to take the title. The championship games will have no time limit. ■
East Roswell Park 12:15 — Emanu-El vs. Beth Tikvah 2 (C championship) 1:45 — Emanu-El vs. Beth Tikvah 2 (Game 2 if necessary) 3:15 — B’nai Torah vs. Temple (A championship) | Etz Chaim vs. Beth Tikvah (B championship) 4:45 — B’nai Torah vs. Temple (Game 2 if necessary) | Etz Chaim vs. Beth Tikvah (Game 2 if necessary)
AUGUST 25 ▪ 2017
Aug. 27 AMSSL Championship Schedule
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ISRAEL NEWS
Israel Pride: Good News From Our Jewish Home World’s first injection of bone. Medical history was made at Emek Medical Center in Afula when semiliquid live human bone grown in a lab from a 40-year-old patient’s fat cells was transplanted into his arm by injection. The patient had suffered significant bone loss in his arm as the result of a car accident and underwent several unsuccessful surgeries. The procedure was part of an early-stage clinical trial of a tissue-engineering technology developed by Bonus BioGroup of Haifa. Holy Land high. Israel may soon start exporting cannabis to countries where marijuana is legal for medicinal use, under the recommendation of a government committee that received approval from the Ministries of Health and Finance. The committee recommended allowing the export of cannabis smoking products, oils, tablets and evaporation-based products from growers who meet certain quality standards for growth, production, storage, distribution and supply-chain security. Israel is one of the most advanced nations in researching and developing medical cannabis.
Smiling in Ghana. Omri Emodi, a craniofacial surgeon at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, and Zach Sharony, a plastic surgeon at Rambam, went to Ghana this summer on a mission with the U.S. humanitarian organization Operation Smile and over eight days repaired facial deformities in 155 people, ranging from a few months old to their 20s. Most of the surgeries repaired cleft lips and palates, but some addressed more complex deformities. Emodi got some of his training at the University of North Carolina.
Back to Buenos Aires. The Argentinean and Israeli national airlines have signed an agreement to begin flights between Buenos Aires and Tel Aviv. Aerolineas Argentinas President Mario Dell’Acqua and an El Al vice president met at the Argentinean Embassy in Tel Aviv to sign the agreement between the airlines. Flights will begin in September. El Al hasn’t flown to Argentina since Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was disguised as an El Al crew member and brought onto an El Al plane in Buenos Aires in 1960.
Meals for mudslide victims. Israel has delivered thousands of meals to Sierra Leone as the West African country recovers from a mudslide that devastated its capital, Freetown. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said enough food for 10,000 meals had been delivered. He added that Israel also plans to send medical aid. The ministry said the relief effort was being spearheaded by the Israeli Embassy in Senegal. The Red Cross estimates that 600 people are still missing, and the death toll of nearly 500 from the mudslide is certain to rise.
Innovation partners. The Israel Innovation Authority has selected five three-year franchise holders to operate its first Technological Innovation Labs for entrepreneurs. The Ham-Let Group will run a lab focused on the Industrial Internet of Things in the Ziporit Industrial Area. Shikum & Binui, Solel Boneh and Italy’s ENEL will run a Haifa Bay lab focused on smart infrastructure in construction, transportation and energy. Renault and Nissan will oversee a lab working on smart urban mobility in Tel Aviv’s Kiryat Atidim business center. Merck and Flex will run a lab in
Chaim Weizmann testifies before the U.N. Special Committee on Palestine on July 8, 1947.
AUGUST 25 ▪ 2017
Today in Israeli History
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Items provided by the Center for Israel Education (www.israeled.org), where you can find more details. Aug. 25, 1918: Leonard Bernstein, one of the most prolific composers and conductors in American history, is born in Lawrence, Mass., to UkrainianJewish parents. Aug. 26, 1903: “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” the most widely distributed anti-Semitic publication in history, is first published in Znamya, a Russian newspaper. The document is plagiarized from an 1864 French political satire, with the addition of references to Jews and Judaism. Aug. 27, 1892: The first passenger train arrives in Jerusalem from Jaffa as part of the first railroad project in the Ottoman-controlled Levant, the JaffaJerusalem railway line. Aug. 28, 1898: The Second Zionist
Yavne focused on advanced materials and innovative production processes for electronic devices. Frutarom will lead a Haifa lab developing raw materials for the food and beverage industries. From Gaza to Jerusalem. Ninety-one Palestinian children from the Gaza Strip visited Jerusalem on Saturday, Aug. 20, for the first time in their lives as part of a project organized by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The children, all age 14, paid a visit to two holy sites, al-Aqsa mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, as part of an exchange program between youths from Gaza and the West Bank. For 84 of the teens, it was the first time they ever stepped outside Gaza. As part of the exchange program, 38 children from the West Bank visited Gaza a few weeks ago, and the United Nations hopes to implement similar visits in the future. Compiled courtesy of ynetnews.com, israel21c.org, timesofisrael.com and other sources. Congress convenes in Basel, Switzerland. With 400 delegates, including Theodor Herzl’s father, the Second Congress is nearly double the size of the First Congress, held the previous year. Aug. 29, 1967: The Fourth Arab League Summit convenes in Khartoum, Sudan. Participants agree that all measures should be taken to regain lands controlled by Israel after the SixDay War and that the oil-rich countries will finance an increased Arab military presence in the region. Aug. 30, 1944: Rattled by numerous attempts on his life and fearing for the safety of his family, Harold MacMichael steps down as the British high commissioner of Palestine. Aug. 31, 1947: The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine, set up in April 1947, holds its final meeting. Its purpose was to investigate the causes of communal unrest and make political recommendations to curtail the violence.
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AUGUST 25 â–ª 2017
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ISRAEL NEWS
Jerusalemites Swarm to Summer Artists’ Fair At least 15 years have passed since I ventured down to the annual, exciting outdoor presentations by artists in the Jerusalem Sultan’s Pool and the park that runs just below Mishkenot Sha’ananim, the premier residence near the Old City Walls. In recent years the Artists’ Fair has grown to highlight international artists as well as Israelis. My friend in the artists’ colony itself is David Moss, the creator of a noted illuminated haggadah that is found in people’s homes and in the collections of major institutions. The Library of Congress has used its Moss haggadah several times. Last year the Moss volume was a part of the haggadah exhibit held at the Pitts Library of Emory’s Candler School of Theology, where Pat Graham has amassed a collection of almost 750 haggadot during his tenure as the director of the library. Now he is retiring. What is so exciting about David Moss is that he is creating Jewish art all the time. His posters in particular are found framed in homes around the globe.
His unusual use of Hebrew letters in artistic pieces has to be seen to be believed. He is one of the world’s specialists in micrography, building art with the use of tiny Hebrew letters.
Guest Column By Rabbi David Geffen
His shtender (the stand used by rabbis and others to study and daven) has long been sold out. In it are all the objects one needs to practice Judaism at home. The Artists’ Fair began about 35 years ago when Teddy Kollek, who was the mayor, wanted to create an opportunity for Jerusalem’s artists to exhibit in a fair in the city. The idea caught on, and the event has grown bigger each year. One of the draws is that every evening a famous Israeli singer performs. Rita was performing last night, but I did not have the energy to stay and hear her. The first shock at the fair is that everyone speaks Hebrew — adults,
children, soldiers, religious individuals and the unusually dressed. Once or twice I heard some English, but then the person went back to Hebrew — an oleh (immigrant) who has been in Israel for a goodly amount of time. In between the area where the Israeli artists have their displays and the international artists have their exhibits is the food court, which has one side for milk and one side for meat. Once you buy your food, you can eat anywhere you can find a seat. The biggest sellers were giant baked potatoes that could be filled with olives, corn and the best little pieces of chopped cheese mixed with Israel’s form of sour cream. While David Moss and I were standing in line, between 40 and 50 potatoes were sold. Why is this fair so important this year? A few weeks ago, Israelis — Jerusalemites in particular — were on edge because of tensions related to the Temple Mount. People stayed home. But after a few days they returned to their regular schedules. This fair gave Jerusalemites and others a chance to celebrate the summer and the upcoming fall and, for a good number, the High Holidays. I assume there were over 2,000
people at the fair the night I went, and probably 40 percent were children. Israelis were saddened about what occurred in Charlottesville, Va. The story has been covered widely by TV stations and newspapers. For most Israelis, this trouble is more evidence that anti-Semitism and hate groups are becoming even more virulent in their actions. It took a long time for President Donald Trump to be highly critical of those groups. My friends and I secretly watched the Klan burn a cross at the base of Stone Mountain in 1954. The hatred spewed out against African-Americans, Catholics and Jews. When we thought one of their guards had spotted us, we ran to our car as quickly as we could. Jerusalem has the right to be joyful, as do its citizens. We hope that the tensions of the past few weeks have eased. There is no known solution to the problems, but at least it is pleasurable to go out and enjoy yourself. We had a group of olim arrive today. My wife and I and our three children made aliyah 40 years ago; your chance is now. ■ Rabbi David Geffen, an Atlanta native, lives in Jerusalem.
How Labor Got Organized in Israel
AUGUST 25 ▪ 2017
With the rise in Jewish immigration to Palestine at the beginning of the 20th century, a greater need arose to train workers and create wage standards, especially as the immigrants were competing with less expensive Arab laborers for jobs. After years of fighting and division among political parties over how best to organize Jewish labor, the Histadrut, General Federation of Jewish Labor, was set up in Haifa in December 1920 to serve as a neutral, independent trade union to represent the interests of all Jewish workers in Palestine. The goals of the Histadrut were to ensure proper working conditions for laborers, allow them the right to strike if necessary and oversee the day-today labor market. As in today’s labor unions, members paid monthly dues to the organization in exchange for the services that were provided. As the singular representative of Jewish labor, the Histadrut became not only the most powerful labor union in 8 Israel, but also an important political
organization. Because of its size and strength, the Histadrut encompassed many
Guest Column By Rich Walter
divisions and businesses, including construction enterprises, credit and banking for its members, distribution of raw materials, marketing agencies, and a daily newspaper, Davar. One example of its impact on workers and the emerging state was the Kupat Holim Clalit (General Sick Fund). Established in 1911 by immigrant workers, Kupat Holim Clalit was funded by the contributions of the workers. Shortly after the Histadrut’s founding, it took over the fund. Even though similar health funds were created in the Yishuv, by the end of 1948 80 percent of those who had health insurance in the new state of Israel (only 53 percent of the population)
Israeli Government Press Office photo
David Ben-Gurion addresses Histadrut members at the cornerstone-laying ceremony for the Histadrut building in Jerusalem in September 1924.
were covered by Kupat Holim Clalit. In 1921, David Ben-Gurion was elected the secretary-general of the Histadrut. By 1927 it had 25,000 members, representing 75 percent of the Jewish workers in Palestine. While the Histadrut became a major economic and political force in both the Yishuv and the Zionist movement, it was challenged in the 1930s by the Revisionist Zionist movement, founded by Vladimir “Ze’ev” Jabotinsky. Jabotinsky’s followers felt that the Histadrut had become more interested in monopolizing labor than in promot-
ing better conditions for workers. The climax of the conflict between right and left within the Zionist movement was the Revisionist-perpetrated assassination of labor leader Chaim Arlosoroff in Tel Aviv on June 16, 1933. After the establishment of the state of Israel, the Histadrut expanded rapidly as the country absorbed many new immigrants. Just as it did during the British Mandate, the Histadrut played a key role in absorbing these immigrants into the economic life of the nation. One of the Histadrut’s original functions had been to protect Jewish labor from competition from cheaper Arab labor. However, by 1953, Israel had 185,000 Arab citizens. That reality necessitated a change in the policy that excluded Arabs from the Histadrut, despite the fact that Israel’s Arab minority was under a special military administration that would last until 1966. ■ Rich Walter is the associate director for Israel education at the Center for Israel Education (www.israeled.org).
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AUGUST 25 â–ª 2017
OPINION
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Our View
Israel’s ‘Silence’
AUGUST 25 ▪ 2017
Amid the widespread condemnation of the neoNazis and Klansmen who marched in Charlottesville, Va., and the justified criticism of President Donald Trump for his inability to clearly join in the condemnation, Israel has become a target. Initially, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was attacked, with some justification. After all, he likes to present himself as the leader of all the Jewish people, not just Israeli citizens (Jewish or not). In addition, he has not hesitated to wade into American political debates or to criticize the U.S. president when he saw Israeli or Jewish interests at stake, as in the struggle over the Iran nuclear deal in 2015. Netanyahu’s justification for criticizing President Barack Obama and for speaking to Congress was based on the refusal to let the Jewish people fall victim to another Holocaust. So when brown-shirted thugs marched through an American city while chanting anti-Jewish and Nazi slogans, with a few terrorizing a Jewish congregation at Shabbat prayer, the “never again” logic called for swift condemnation from that same Israeli leader. But just as outrage at Trump shouldn’t be conflated with criticism of the United States — or anger at any other democratically elected leader extended to his or her entire nation — so the criticism of Netanyahu should have gone no further. Leading Israelis did condemn the neo-Nazis and their parade of hate. Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky declared horror at the death of counterdemonstrator Heather Heyer and offered support for any threatened Jewish college student through Jewish Agency Israel fellows working with Hillel. Yad Vashem emphasized the need for vigilance against the hatred, xenophobia and anti-Jewish ideology that led to the slaughter of 6 million Jews. President Reuven Rivlin sent a letter to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations to express solidarity with American Jews, shock at Charlottesville, determination to oppose Nazi evil, and faith in democracy, justice and humanity. They did not call out Trump, but there’s no reason they should have. His response to a domestic issue is an internal issue and not the business of Israeli politicians or the leaders of other Western nations. British Prime Minister Theresa May, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, all of whom lead nations that know the destructive power of fascism, were unequivocal in their condemnation of racism, hatred and violence. None said anything about Trump’s tepid response. None inspired columns criticizing the silence or analyzing supposed rifts between their nations and the American citizens ethnically tied to them. Once again, Israel finds itself held to a different standard, to the extent that an official of the antiIsrael Jewish Voice for Peace wrote a foul column comparing Zionism to the racist white nationalism of alt-right leader Richard Spencer. Americans, Jewish or not, have the overwhelming support of Israelis and other freedom-loving people around the world against the advances of hate10 mongers. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. ■
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Intersectionality’s Wrong Turn But real criticism of intersectionality doesn’t Intersectionality is usually a dirty word in the focus on legal theories of discrimination. Instead, AJT because of its wide use to attack Israel, but I the issue is how intersectionality is used to compel a never knew its origins until the Netroots Nation “one for all, all for one” approach to activism. conference brought together 2,500 progressives in It’s intersectionality that justifies the Movedowntown Atlanta the weekend that the neo-Nazis ment for Black Lives, in and Klansmen descended its effort to counter police on Charlottesville. violence, improve socioParticipating in a Editor’s Notebook economic status and root panel discussion Friday By Michael Jacobs out discrimination, to morning, Aug. 11, were Rep. devote a few paragraphs in Keith Ellison of Minnesota, mjacobs@atljewishtimes.com its manifesto to attacking who was elected this year Israel in solidarity with to the No. 2 position on supposed Palestinian allies the Democratic National in oppression — driving away potential supporters Committee; Janine Jackson, the program director of in the pro-Israel community for no benefit. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, whose hammerIt’s intersectionality that supports the myth of ing at the “corporate media” is every bit as destructive U.S.-Israel police exchange programs sharing methto American democracy’s vital confidence in freedom ods of crushing minority populations — ignoring of the press as President Donald Trump’s charges of “fake news”; and Kimberle Crenshaw, who introduced that better training is one of the ways to reduce the likelihood of bad, violent decisions by officers. the concept of intersectionality in the 1980s and who It’s intersectionality that produces chants of joked that she has heard so much criticism of inter“From Palestine to Mexico, all the walls have got to sectionality that even she began to doubt its validity. go” when groups spontaneously gather at airports to She said the theory grew out of a workplace protest efforts to exclude immigrants and refugees discrimination case involving a General Motors — creating a false equivalence between a real barrier plant where black men got janitorial jobs and white women got secretarial jobs. But women weren’t hired that has succeeded in decreasing suicide bombings in Israel and a proposed one that would be no more for the janitorial jobs, and blacks weren’t hired for than an expensive symbol of division and distrust. the secretarial jobs, so black women were shut out. It’s intersectionality that leads to nonironic The courts, however, found that neither blacks cheers when a Palestinian-American declares that nor women as groups were discriminated, and the law didn’t provide a way to judge discrimination as a it’s impossible to be a feminist and a Zionist because Palestinian women count — overlooking the women combination of factors. repressed and abused in much of the developing Crenshaw rested her defense of intersectionality at that point, having demonstrated its common-sense world, including most Arab nations. So it’s intersectionality that will continue to be application to individuals subject to discriminaviewed and discussed negatively in this newspaper. tion because of layers of identity factors. Maybe Whatever its value in addressing discrimination, she stopped there because she’s a smart lawyer and the theory turns destructive when it forces people to knows to stop arguing when she’s ahead; maybe she recognized that her sympathetic audience just sought pass a series of litmus tests, including opposition to Israel, to help right any wrongs. ■ reinforcement for the belief in intersectionality.
OPINION
Standing With Support At the River’s Edge will be there for them. The congregation gifted each with travel-size Shabbat candlesticks. This is a time of transition for the teenagers and their parents (particularly for those whose homes will be noticeably quieter in their absence). I have come to appreciate our
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congregation’s custom in handling another of life’s transitions. When Kaddish was chanted in the synagogue where I grew up, the entire congregation rose, and those in a period of ritual mourning or observing a yahrzeit became indistinguishable from those around them. I also have visited congregations where only the mourners stand, visibly isolated in their grief. Our custom is that, at the beginning of Kaddish, the mourners rise. Yit’gadal v’yit’kadash sh’mei raba b’al’ma di v’ra khir’utei v’yam’likh mal’khutei b’chayeikhon uv’yomeikhon uv’chayei d’khol beit yis’ra’eil ba’agala uviz’man kariv v’im’ru. We may sympathize, but we cannot fully comprehend their loss. But when we get to this line — Y’hei sh’mei raba m’varakh l’alam ul’al’mei al’maya — the congregation rises and prays with them, in effect saying, “We recognize your grief, and we are here for you.” When my father died five years ago, during the shiva in our home, I stood, with my wife and children and our rabbi, feeling the pain of my loss, and began to recite Kaddish. When we came to that line — Y’hei sh’mei raba m’varakh l’alam ul’al’mei al’maya — and all those present, including fellow congregants and friends, stood up, I felt an energy, almost as if I were being propped up. Every time since, when I rise during Kaddish, I remember that feeling and the comfort of that support. When you come to paths that you cannot follow or must walk alone, some wistfully and others in grief, value the presence of those who stand and say, “We have been there, and we are here for you.” ■
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Moses guided the Israelites out of bondage and through the desert, encouraged them in their despair and chastened them for their wickedness, and yet the Divine barred him from crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Consider this as an allegory. We parent as best we can, aware that we make mistakes. Along the way, there are lessons to learn: We must let our children fall so that they learn to pick themselves up, we cannot take on their pain, and there is nothing we can do to remove the hurt of a heartache, a defeat, a rejection. Yet, after all these labors, we must stand at our own river’s edge and watch them cross alone (translation: help them set up a dorm room or apartment, then be invited, ever so gently, to give them a hug, a kiss, a wave — and leave). Our offspring must proceed alone, taking with them all of the hard-earned wisdom we have tried to impart and without all that we wish we had said and done to that point. We eagerly await reports about their lives outside our embrace (even if they remain inside the Perimeter). By happenstance, the Jewish calendar placed Deuteronomy 3:237:11, also known as Va’etchanan (“and I pleaded” in Hebrew), as the parshah ha’shavuah, the Torah portion for the week, when our congregation held its annual service to honor young men and women beginning the next phase of their lives after high school. This is a popular service, as many members have known these young men and women since they were small children. Boxes of tissues were passed around in advance. This year’s service was personally affecting, as our 18-year-old son, the youngest of our three children, was among those being sent off with blessings. The irony of Moses’ story — being allowed to look over but not cross the river with his flock, realizing that his days as their leader were ending — was lost on no one, particularly the parents. The rabbi, whose tenure began about the time these young people were born, told them that no matter how far they travel, the congregation
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OPINION
Hate in Charlottesville
AUGUST 25 ▪ 2017
Let’s be clear and unambiguous: The KKK, Nazis, white supremacists and their ilk are vile, evil, ignorant and despicable people. And those are their good qualities. Although constitutionally protected, they must bear much of the blame for the violence in Charlottesville, just by the fact that they got a permit and spoke/marched to inflame, intimidate, outrage and provoke others. Deliberately driving a vehicle into a crowd, killing one, injuring many, is murder. This terrorist must face the full weight of the law. Although a subject for another day, where were the police? Aren’t they supposed to protect the peace and keep hostile factions apart? All that said, other issues and facts are at play. Many of the counterdemonstrators came with clubs, concrete-filled soda cans and other implements to cause harm. Just because they appear at many anti-Trump rallies, let’s not close our eyes and pretend they are choir boys and girls. They must share some of the blame. New York Times reporter Sheryl Stolberg, tweeting live Aug. 12, wrote: “The hard left seemed as hate-filled as alt-right. I saw club-wielding ‘antifa’ beating white nationalists being led out of the park.” Despite the media meltdown, President Trump was right when he said blame falls “on both sides.” Not a moral equivalency nor equal sharing of the blame, but bearing some responsibility. That is undeniably true. Who in their right mind would attend a rally organized by fringe, evil haters knowing full well the possibility for violence is high? Black Lives Matter, Antifa and anarchists came armed and ready to rumble. They did not initiate the event but were willing participants in the mayhem. BLM and Antifa, outgrowths of Code Pink and Occupy Wall Street, are intolerant, violent haters too. These leftists and anarchists have a common thread of being virulently anti-Semitic and pro-Palestinian and encouraging the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. Many of their events and rallies use a “critical of Israel” litmus test for inclusion. In June at the Chicago Dyke March, Jewish women who carried rainbow pride flags with Stars of David were ejected, according to LGBTQ newspaper The Windy City Times. 12 They were told that the flag “made
people feel unsafe” and that the parade had a “pro-Palestinian” and “antiZionist” perspective. Award-winning Windy City Times reporter Gretchen Rachel Hammond was fired for outing this anti-Semitism in her story. The far left, in my opinion, is more dangerous than the far right. Why? Across the political spectrum, everyone condemns the Klan, Na-
Guest Column By Mitchell Kaye
zis and supremacists, as we should. However, BLM and similar groups are embraced by much of the Democratic establishment and media. They were welcomed (probably out of fear) by Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and have almost become mainstream. In Atlanta at the Netroots Nation convention on Aug. 12, a Democratic candidate for governor was shouted down and prevented from giving her speech. Not an outlier. It happens on college campuses every day when speakers are black Republicans, gay Republicans, conservatives or pro-Israel. Administration officials often cancel the speeches, citing the difficulty in guaranteeing the peace. It is freedom of speech only if you agree with them. An Israeli summed it up: “I’m a Jew. I’m an Israeli. The neo-Nazi scums in Virginia hate me and my country. But they belong to the past. “Their breed is dying out; however, the thugs of Antifa and BLM who hate my country (and America too in my view) just as much are getting stronger and stronger and becoming super dominant in American universities and public life.” As Jews and Americans, we must be vigilant against evil and those who seek to do harm. We must acknowledge that those on the extreme right AND left are no friend to Jews, minorities and peace-loving people. Charlottesville is a reminder that we must never let our guard down in exposing evil. Often it comes from the usual suspects, but increasingly and unfortunately new mutations of this disease are appearing from politically opposite factions. The enemy of our enemy is not always our friend. ■ Mitchell Kaye served five terms in the Georgia House of Representatives.
Hold Trump Accountable The president of a synagogue in Charlottesville described the scene. “For half an hour, three men dressed in fatigues and armed with semiautomatic rifles stood across the street from the temple,” wrote Alan Zimmerman, the president of Congregation Beth Israel. “Several times, parades of Nazis passed our building, shouting, ‘There’s the synagogue!’ followed by chants of ‘Sieg Heil’ and other antiSemitic language. Some carried flags with swastikas and other Nazi symbols.” Although he indicated that local politicians and police did not take seriously his concerns before the protest, Zimmerman said the Charlottesville community — Jewish or not — came together in profound ways for the synagogue. For example, a Navy veteran stood watch during Shabbat services on Friday evening and Saturday morning, and at least a dozen complete strangers stopped by to ask whether the congregants needed assistance. This Navy veteran knows what President Trump did not, and still does not, know. There is a real threat to the United States in not standing up to those who would denigrate people who do not fit their scheme of what the appropriate religion, creed, color or national origin should be. It takes all of us pulling together to create a society that welcomes everyone. That includes standing up to those who would denigrate others. Mr. Trump has thus far failed that test. One lesson to contemplate is that none of us makes it without all of us. Even the wealthy businessman who thinks he has achieved everything on his own has been aided by others in his rise up the ladder of success. He must depend on others: customers, partners, stockholders, employees, and the government that has provided security, transportation for goods, medical research, and so many other goods and services without which no one could be successful. For every white Southern peanut farmer, there is a George Washington Carver, the African-American biologist who promoted peanuts and helped that farmer succeed. Carver also developed techniques to improve soils depleted by repeated plantings of cotton. For all his contributions, he endured the continual interruptions of racism. Yet he undoubtedly helped the ancestors of many Confederate and
Nazi sympathizers in Charlottesville. Carver’s lesson of perseverance is lost on Mr. Trump. He cannot be bothered with the lessons of U.S. history. There are those who wish ill toward others because of religion, race, national origin, etc. Witness the chants in Charlottesville of “Jews will not replace us” and the Nazi “Blood and soil.”
Guest Column By Harold Kirtz
Mr. Trump, you must stand up for what is right. What is right is the opposite of what was demonstrated by the Nazi and Confederate sympathizers. Their overt racism and anti-Semitism must be rejected by not just the readers of this paper, but by everyone in a position of influence and power. I doubt Mr. Trump would like to be associated with the covers of three national and international magazines showing him using a Nazi salute or the KKK hood. But unless he changes, he will be forever linked to those images. I recognize it will be difficult for him to change his ways. He has shown racist activities and attitudes throughout his life. He has used the con to get his way throughout his business career. But unless he changes, he will go down as an unsuccessful and futile president. I just hope that he does not take the rest of us with him. We must oppose his current efforts and tactics at every turn. He must never get a free pass from any Jewish group. We must hold him accountable. Every time he and his Justice Department allow restrictions on voting rights, we must oppose all such legislative and procedural efforts. Every time he allows the environment to be diminished, he must be challenged. Every time he proposes policies that hurt the poor, the working class and the middle class, he must be opposed. We must also hold accountable all who are in Congress and in the administrative branch when they attempt to overturn policies that hurt Americans and to establish policies that disadvantage whole groups of Americans. You can call it the resistance. You can call it the opposition. You can call it standing up for the rights and responsibilities of all Americans. But act we must. ■
OPINION
Unity Shabbat Brings Solace After Violence tory often repeats itself in the targeting of Jews and other minorities. While the older generation lamented past injustices, a millennial woman took the opportunity to expand on her own ideological strife. Although she supports various groups
Reporter’s Notebook By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com
fighting for causes, she also feels conflicted about safeguarding her own values — noting, for example, that the Black Lives Matter movement has criticized Israel and accused it of training American police to kill black people. The millennial also cited in stances, however, in which minorities share similar concerns. On the one hand, they realize that anti-Semitism is on the rise, but they also know people who have been targeted for the color of their skin, which she said reinforces the notion of white privilege. Similarly, she acknowledged that when certain communities have limited exposure to others, the result often is hatred of the unknown. Both generations at the table agreed, however, that the events in Charlottesville served as a wake-up call to the Jewish community, indicating that Jews could no longer afford to remain silent in the face of antiSemitism. The millennial said it’s a struggle between being proactive with organizations such as the Atlanta Initiative Against Anti-Semitism and reactive in pretending that the issue does not exist. There was also agreement at the table that stepping out of your comfort zone and trying to understand the other can be a step in the right direction toward addressing hate. As the evening came to a close and participants thanked one another for sharing their personal reflections, they also took a moment to appreciate the opportunity to make friends while learning various perspectives and stopping the world, if only for a moment, to embrace Shabbat’s spirit of togetherness. ■
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AUGUST 25 ▪ 2017
For most, Shabbat is a time to focus on the present and leave the world behind. It is a time for individuals to contemplate their roles in society and how they are striving to to help make a difference. For many, the world caught up with them when neoNazis and American white nationalists took to the streets of Charlottesville, Va., chanting “Blood and soil” and “Jews will not replace us.” In an effort to find solace and preserve Shabbat, various organizations and community leaders came together to share personal reflections regarding the events that transpired. With the support of American Jewish Committee Atlanta’s ACCESS group, Temple Sinai was among many synagogues and other host sites that welcomed guests to speak on the matter Friday, Aug. 18, during a unity Shabbat dinner in partnership with the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, OneTable and Repair the World. Dedicated to celebrating diversity, the dinner strove to address deep divides within the community related to hate while strengthening cooperation among its members. To help guide the evening’s discussion, participants were asked to choose a table and sit among people they didn’t know. A short pamphlet at the tables outlined the planned conversation. Rather than follow the instructions, some groups dived straight into a dialogue, providing their own perspectives regarding cross-generational issues and the situation of Jews in the 21st century. The Together at the Table Shabbat participants at Temple Sinai varied in age, but most were old enough to recall injustices targeting minorities in the wake of War World II and the civil rights era. One person spoke about a grandfather who pulled a police officer off a horse because he was beating women on strike from a sweatshop. Forced into hiding after the incident and knowing that the authorities discovered he was Jewish, the man escaped only by paying off the cops. Similar stories from other participants led to the conclusion that his-
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ATLANTA THEN AND NOW
Trolley to Tour Jewish Atlanta’s Civil Rights History By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com
is free. These are the six stops on the tour:
For those who missed the Breman Museum’s historic Jewish Atlanta civil rights trolley tours this year, there are two chances early next year to learn about the local Jewish community’s impact on the civil rights movement. Scheduled for Feb. 21 and 25 and led by the Breman’s archives director, Jeremy Katz, the tour will visit six Jewish institutions that played a role in the fight for integration. “It’s a Jewish perspective on the civil rights movement,” Katz said. “Civil rights is typically seen through the lens of black and white, and this is kind of a third perspective. So we go to these different sites that were involved in both sides of the civil rights movement. Some were for, and some were against integration. It’s one of my favorite tours that we do.” Though coming at a time of increased focus on civil rights and Southern history nationally, the tour developed from the Breman’s new Historic Jewish Atlanta App, which has a section dedicated to civil rights. Thanks to a grant from the Georgia Humanities Council and trolleys provided by the Historic Marietta Trolley Co., the tour
Leb’s Deli
On July 18, 1962, a full-page newspaper ad for Leb’s Deli urged one and all to attend a celebration commemorating 13 years in business for the Jewish deli. A small group of AfricanAmericans and whites stood outside for three hours, but the deli refused to serve them. Owner Charlie Lebedin said he would serve African-Americans when other downtown restaurants did so. He later said he did not think demonstrators were being fair to make him a “guinea pig.” Leb’s integrated in 1964 after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, but it went out of business only a few years later. Today the former Leb’s is a Landmark Diner.
Peachtree Manor Hotel
Built in 1924 by Atlanta architect Neel Reid and his firm, Hentz, Reid and Adler, the five-story Peachtree Manor Hotel became the first integrated hotel in Atlanta after it was purchased by Marvin Goldstein in the 1950s. Today, the former hotel at 846 Peachtree St. in Midtown is a condo building.
The site of multiple civil rights demonstrations and sit-ins, Leb’s Deli no longer exists. The Landmark Diner occupies the former Leb’s location at the corner of Forsyth and Luckie streets.
Americana Motor Hotel Opened in June 1962 by Marvin Goldstein, the Americana Motor Hotel at 160 Spring St. was downtown Atlanta’s first integrated hotel. It also was downtown Atlanta’s first new luxury
The former Peachtree Manor Hotel, Atlanta’s first integrated hotel, is now a condo building.
hotel in more than 40 years and was crucial for Atlanta’s acquisition of the Milwaukee Braves in 1966 because Major League Baseball required an integrated hotel to accommodate visiting teams. Guests at the hotel over the years
Now a DoubleTree by Hilton, the former Americana Motor Hotel will soon revert to the American Hotel name, which it adopted about a decade after opening because of legal action by a Miami hotel with the Americana name. The retro name fits the hotel’s current throwback theme.
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ATLANTA THEN AND NOW
A fountain memorializes the spot where The Temple was bombed with an estimated 50 sticks of dynamite in 1958.
The former location of Prior Tire at the southwest corner of Peachtree and Pine streets is a parking lot.
ployees in sales positions in 1932. Goldstein was a member of Ahavath Achim Synagogue and served as president from 1942 to 1945. Today, the former location of Prior Tire at the southwest corner of Peachtree and Pine streets is a parking lot.
Prior Tire
Rich’s Department Store
Owned by native Atlantan Abe Goldstein and opened in 1920, Prior Tire became the first privately owned business in Atlanta to hire black em-
In 1960, Rich’s at 45 Broad St. downtown became a focal point of the civil rights movement. As the largest retail store in the Southeast, Rich’s was
The Temple On Oct. 12, 1958, a hate group bombed the northern side of The Temple in response to Senior Rabbi Jacob Rothschild’s outspoken support of the civil rights movement and integration. The bombing sent ripples through Atlanta, which called itself the “city too busy to hate.” Rather than intimidate Rabbi Rothschild and his congregation, the attack inspired community and government leaders to fight for social justice. In May, The Temple was honored with the 29th marker on the Georgia Civil Rights Trail. ■
AUGUST 25 ▪ 2017
included Richard Nixon, Nelson Rockefeller, Martin Luther King Jr., Elvis Presley and James Brown. The hotel is now a DoubleTree by Hilton, but after extensive renovations, the management plans to reopen with a throwback theme as the Americana sometime this fall.
the site of many sit-ins and boycotts. Activists including Martin Luther King Jr. thought that if Rich’s integrated, so would the rest of Atlanta’s merchants. Katz said Rich’s may have had the biggest impact of all on the civil rights movement. “JFK might not have been elected president in 1960 if MLK was not arrested at Rich’s in downtown Atlanta,” Katz said. “JFK, through some back channels, helped get MLK out, and that was right before the election. It swayed a lot of the black voters who had historically voted Republican because that was Lincoln’s party.” Rich’s former flagship store closed in 1991 and is now part of the Sam Nunn Federal Center.
The flagship Rich’s Department Store at 45 Broad St., a focal point of the civil rights movement, closed in 1991 and is now part of the Sam Nunn Federal Center.
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ATLANTA THEN AND NOW
Temple Birthday Bash Commemorates 150 Years By Rachel Fayne The Temple celebrated its 150th birthday with a party for the congregational family Sunday afternoon, Aug. 20. A large tent decorated with green and white balloons covered most of The Temple’s parking lot, and everyone, from young children with their parents to seniors, walked through the event. Temple volunteers dotted the crowd, offering birthday T-shirts, manning the ice cream and food stations, and socializing with the congregation. Los Angelesbased Oh No Stereo played pop covers while attendees got their Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q catered lunches and sat to enjoy the music. Although the celebration coincided with the first day of religious school, most Temple staff members were on hand to enjoy the festivities. Temple Executive Director Mark Jacobson and Rabbis Peter Berg, Lydia Medwin and David Spinrad met and chatted with friends and colleagues before enjoying lunch with their families beneath the tent. Rabbi Berg has written about using the sesquicentennial to look thoughtfully into The Temple’s past. “It’s a time for tremendous introspection as we look back on a small group of pioneers who started Atlanta’s now-thriving Jewish community,” he wrote. “Our history inspires our future.” ■
Photos by Eli Gray unless otherwise noted Stefanie, Ellie and Madie Aferiat hang out by the T-shirt table.
The Temple celebration covers much of the congregation’s parking lot.
Laurie Simon, The Temple’s engagement and outreach associate, lights the birthday cake.
Wendi and Maya Aspes show off the many ice cream options.
Rabbi Emeritus Alvin Sugarman and Senior Rabbi Peter Berg participate in the festivities.
Photo by Rachel Fayne
Temple Executive Director Mark Jacobson has lunch with daughter Marla Johnson and granddaughter Eden Johnson.
Justin and Ezri Bluth enjoy the Temple birthday party.
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Temple President Lauren Grien and Senior Rabbi Peter Berg address the birthday bash.
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ATLANTA THEN AND NOW
DoubleTree Returns to Civil Rights Roots Just off the beaten path between Centennial Olympic Park and AmericasMart downtown sits one of the most significant hotels to Atlanta sports history and the civil rights movement. In 1961, Jewish brothers Irving and Marvin Goldstein built the Americana Motor Hotel for $3 million with help from investors who included former Georgia Gov. Ellis Arnall and National Service Industries President Erwin Zaban. Opened a year later, it was downtown Atlanta’s first new luxury hotel in more than 40 years and had fine restaurants, a swimming pool and a swanky rooftop club. That same year, Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. had run for office on a promise to bring a Major League Baseball team to the city. After failing to reach an agreement with the American League’s Kansas City Athletics, Allen and other city officials pursued the Milwaukee Braves, and a 52,000-seat stadium was built in less than a year. But some things needed to change before the team arrived. The Braves were the first bigleague baseball team to come to the South, and Hank Aaron, the team’s best player, was African-American. After sit-ins and boycotts at places like Rich’s Department Store, Atlanta was slowly desegregating, but it still lacked an integrated luxury hotel downtown where visiting baseball teams could stay. With the support of Allen, the Goldsteins opened the Americana in 1962 as a fully integrated hotel, and the Braves relocated to Atlanta for the 1966 season. Born in Atlanta, the Goldstein brothers were the children of Jewish
immigrants from Russian Poland, and their experiences with discrimination and integration had deeply affected them. After serving in the Army Air Corps in Europe in World War II, Marvin Goldstein returned to Atlanta and started an orthodontic practice that was the first in the Southeast to take black patients in an integrated office. Goldstein treated the children and family of Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the families of other civil rights leaders. Marvin and Irving Goldstein were both dentists and volunteered at the Ben Massell Dental Clinic, serving needy patients both black and white. The Goldsteins started investing in Atlanta real estate in 1946, and they later purchased an apartment building in Midtown and converted it into Atlanta’s first integrated hotel, the Peachtree Manor Hotel. “The Goldstein brothers got into the hotel game by accident,” said Jeremy Katz, the archives director at the Breman Museum. “They purchased a building in Midtown and wanted to turn it into an orthodontist office, but they saw the room configuration and decided it would make a better hotel and opened the Peachtree Manor Hotel. Once that was successful, they decided to open the Americana downtown.” (The Saporta Report went into great detail May 2, 2016, about the history of the Americana, the Braves and the Goldstein Brothers to help mark the 50th anniversary of the first Major League Baseball season in Atlanta.) After many renovations and name changes that saw the Americana become a Best Western, Wyndham and Marriott, the 312-room hotel now is a DoubleTree by Hilton. Last year the hotel underwent a
The pool at the DoubleTree downtown features a vintage Airstream travel trailer.
The rooms in the DoubleTree have been renovated for a vintage look.
$12 million overhaul to refurbish and restore the hotel to its original retro style as a homage to its history and contribution to the civil rights movement. “A lot of developers looked at this hotel when it was on the market and ran away from it,” General Manager Ted Cobbs said. “There were so many problems, from the lack of exhaust air to the age of the plumbing and general configuration of the hotel. We’ve now addressed as much of that as we could find.” Sometime this fall the hotel will return to its original name while still being operated as a DoubleTree. The inside has been completely redone with midcentury modern furniture, and the
Rose
hotel’s largest conference room has been renamed the Marvin Boardroom in honor of Goldstein. To add to the throwback theme, a vintage Airstream travel trailer has been added to the pool area. Cobbs and the hotel staff are working with the Breman to add a display near the front of the hotel commemorating the Goldsteins’ contributions to the city and the civil rights movement. “We first approached this as making it a nice DoubleTree, but we realized there is too much history here,” Cobbs said. “Dr. Goldstein was really focused on improving the situation of all people. He wasn’t a civil rights activist necessarily, although that certainly fell into the area that he was focused on.” ■
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AUGUST 25 ▪ 2017
By David R. Cohen david@atljewishtimes.com
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BUSINESS
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Solopreneurs: Lone Soldiers of Business Many of us in the Diaspora raise our children to be Zionists. A portion of these kids after high school spend time in Israel. A much smaller portion decide to show solidarity with and support of Israel through service in the Israel Defense Forces. When these young adults from the Diaspora enlist in the IDF, they are called lone soldiers because they serve in a foreign country without family and friends close by. They go into the world of the IDF and Israeli society without knowing what to expect or how to navigate a complex bureaucracy of rules and laws. Thank G-d the state of Israel does all it can to help these neophytes succeed. I have coached a lot of people I equate with being lone soldiers. In business, the term I use is “lone wolf” or, more specifically, “solopreneur.” A solopreneur has a business model based on one person being the whole business. Most of them do not realize that what they are doing is not necessarily defined as a business. Much like lone soldiers entering
Israeli society, solopreneurs often start doing business without understanding
Coach’s Corner By Jason Adler JasonAdler@johnmaxwellgroup.com
how to build a business. By definition, a solopreneur takes the employee and team out of the equation and shortcircuits the cycle of business. Solopreneurs limit their potential by not using other people as resources. If this describes your work life or that of someone you care about, a few things can be done to maximize the potential of the person and business. First, you need the awareness that being a solopreneur is limiting your potential. The next step is accepting help. This help can come in many forms. The easiest way to start is to create a list of professionals with expertise in areas that aren’t your strengths. The people who make up your team could be a bookkeeper, an accountant, an attorney, a webmaster, a
virtual assistant and a business coach, to name a few. While none of them is your direct employee, all are on your team to make your professional work life easier and more productive and to help you grow and scale your business. How do you determine if you are a solopreneur? Ask yourself: • When you go on vacation, does your work come with you? • Are you working 10 to 12 hours daily with no one to help you? • Are you making a living but can’t seem to grow or scale your business? If any of that sounds familiar, you might be a solopreneur. Fear not, help is available. Take a lesson from our kids half a world away. Our lone soldiers rely on Israel and the Israeli people to make their time away easier and more successful. As a solopreneur, reach out to your community and friends. Your success is just a phone call away. ■ Jason Adler is a John Maxwellcertified executive coach (www. johncmaxwellgroup.com/jasonadler) helping people and their organizations hire and keep quality employees.
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Flying Doctors Chairman Honored as Award Finalist
Michael Altman, the managing director and private wealth adviser at Ameriprise Financial in Atlanta, is one of three national finalists for the Global Community Impact Award at the 11th annual Invest Michael in Others Awards. Altman Altman is being honored for his work with Flying Doctors of America, which will receive a $5,000 donation from the Invest in Others Charitable Foundation. If Altman wins his category, the donation will increase to $20,000. The peer-nominated Invest in Others Awards program recognizes the charitable work of financial advisers and financial services firms. There are five award categories for advisers and two for financial services companies. As a Flying Doctors volunteer, Altman leads medical missions to developing countries with medical professionals. He has served on the board of directors for 25 years and now leads the board as chairman and CEO. Since the early 1990s, the organization has treated more than 300,000 people in over 300 missions, most recently aiding Syrian refugees. The award winners will be announced at a gala Sept. 28 in New York.
Findling President-Elect Of Criminal Defense Group
Longtime Temple Emanu-El member Drew Findling of Atlanta was sworn in July 29 as president-elect of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers at the association’s annual meeting in San Francisco. The Findling Law Firm focuses on criminal defense in cases ranging from white-collar crimes to violent felonies. In recent years Findling has represented such well-known clients as Dennis Rodman, Shaquille O’Neal, Faith Evans, Mike Epps, Katt Williams, Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka Flame. He has lectured on such topics as the battered woman syndrome defense (which he developed), jury selection, forensic preparation for a criminal trial, opening statements, closing arguments and cross-examination. He recently was selected for the 24th edition of “Best Lawyers in America” for 2018 in the area of criminal defense-general practice. A life member of the NACDL, he is a 1981 graduate of Oglethorpe University and a 1984 graduate of the Emory School of Law.
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AUGUST 25 ▪ 2017
The DoubleTree – Atlanta Downtown
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AUGUST 25 ▪ 2017
LOCAL NEWS
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Beth Tefillah Changes So It Can Keep Growing
Stained Glass Graces Sanctuary
By Sarah Moosazadeh sarah@atljewishtimes.com
By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com
Congregation Beth Tefillah strives to offer an authentic Jewish experience anyone can enjoy and benefit from regardless of religious affiliation. “The most important thing is that people remain connected to their heritage and that we provide that forum for everyone,” said Rabbi Yossi New, who launched the congregation after arriving in Atlanta in January 1984 to start Chabad of Georgia. “Our future depends on engaging the next generation by offering a wide menu of services members can gravitate to, which may be a challenge but also something we are prepared to meet.” Since its establishment, Beth Tefillah has expanded on its campus along High Point Road. A replacement for its mikvah is being built, with an opening expected next spring, and the Jeff and Carla Youth and Education Center, which houses the Chaya Mushka Children’s House preschool and summer programs, was constructed two years ago. The congregation is planning to revamp its Hebrew school, invest in multiple programs for young families and increase volunteer opportunities, all under the Chabad of Atlanta brand. “We probably have the most diverse congregation in Atlanta, including individuals who are ultra-Orthodox to people who are not yet observant, which I believe reflects our philosophy and attitude toward embracing every Jew,” Rabbi New said. “There is no pressure or expectation for conformity at Congregation Beth Tefillah. There is fundamentally no distinction between one Jew and another within the organization.”
Sandy Springs has a new glow along High Point Road. Through the generosity of three congregants and New Jersey artist Maurice Mahler, Congregation Beth Tefillah’s sanctuary now shines with five stained-glass windows. “We used to have a view of scenic trees alongside the ark,” said the congregation’s aesthetics chairwoman, interior designer Debbie Derby. “When the school was built, stucco took over as our view. The windows seemed like a positive solution.” It took about a year to create the windows. After Mahler donated his artistic designs, Sunflower Glass Studio in Stockton, N.J., fabricated four windows expressing the themes of Israel’s seven species (grains, fruits, etc.), Shabbat and Torah learning. The fifth window, which has “Shema Yisrael” carved into the glass, was made locally by Atlanta Design Glass. Four more windows will follow when Beth Tefillah finds donors, Derby said. “L’dor vador, prayer, tzedakah and mikvah are all in the vision to complete the project.” The congregation’s Rabbi Yossi New said: “The stained-glass windows enhance the physical beauty of the sanctuary, casting a warm glow throughout the room. They also create a spiritual energy through the dreamy images that inspire thoughts of connectivity to the divine.” ■
Working to grow Congregation Beth Tefillah are (from left) Reuven Gartner, the COO; Susan Horwitz, the office manager; Chaya Morris, the director of finance; and Miriam Habif, the director of membership.
As part of an effort to expand membership beyond the current 400 families, the congregation has hired Chief Operating Officer Reuven Gartner and Director of Finance Chaya Morris, a certified public accountant. With a background in sales and marketing, Gartner hopes to streamline and professionalize the organization through greater use of technology. Whether “reserving High Holiday seating, submitting donations or paying dues, people will now be able to do so online,” Gartner said. “This will provide us more accuracy and transparency in the long run and greater ability to share resources.” Beth Tefillah’s logo also is changing because after almost 30 years it “does not represent who we are as a new shul and community,” Gartner said. “We’re a congregation that is always growing and reinventing itself while looking for opportunities to attract new members, which makes it really exciting.” He added, “I think most if not all synagogues should focus on how to involve children while providing an enriching and educational program toward Judaism.” ■
Shabbat is the theme of this window.
Torah learning is the theme of this window.
Two windows that mirror each other present Israel’s seven agricultural species.
Photos courtesy of Congregation Beth Tefillah
Four of the eight windows flanking the ark at Congregation Beth Tefillah now have stained-glass designs, while the other four windows await donors.
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
LOCAL NEWS Hadassah Seeks Top Cooks
Hadassah Greater Atlanta is hosting a cooking competition, “Almost Chopped,” and needs home cooks to register as chef-testants by Thursday, Aug. 31. The event on Jan. 21 will raise money for the awareness, research and treatment of debilitating neurological diseases such as ALS, Parkinson’s, Alz heimer’s and multiple sclerosis. Nominate yourself or another person by sending an email with contact information and a note about why you or that other person would be a good candidate to atlanta@hadassah.org. Put “Chef-testant” in the subject line. Four teams of two chef-testants will compete in two rounds of cooking. The challenge is for the chef-testants to take baskets filled with mystery ingredients, along with the tools provided, to create something that will wow the judges, who are among Atlanta’s top chefs. For more details, visit bit. ly/2wgOEQk, or contact Barbara Lang (404-667-8831 or barbphlang@aol. com) or Holly Strelzik (404-441-0093 or carotopp@aol.com).
Shofar for Shema Yisrael
Congregation Shema Yisrael: The Open Synagogue needs someone to blow the shofar at its first-day Rosh Hashanah service Thursday, Sept. 21. The person is needed for about 15 minutes around 12:30 p.m. that day. If you’re interested, call 404-9985410, or email Bob Bahr at now.readit@ yahoo.com for more information.
Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman also is a new member of the board of trustees. The National World War II Museum is about two blocks from the site of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, due to open in 2019.
Urbach Runs for Governor Marc Alan Urbach, who last year was a write-in candidate for president in Georgia, has announced that he is running in 2018 as a Republican to become Georgia’s first Jewish governor. The primaries for governor and other statewide elections are May 22. Among other policies, the former Gwinnett County history teacher advocates running the state’s public schools without federal funding or involvement, instituting a tax credit for businesses that fund college scholarships for students who commit to work for those businesses after graduation, teaching the Bible as an elective course in public schools, eliminating the state income tax and building a high-speed rail system crisscrossing the state. You can read more about Urbach and his approach to governance, which he argues is rooted in the U.S. Constitution, at www.marcurbach.com.
Atlanta Jewish Times owner and Publisher Michael A. Morris is one of 13 newly named trustees of the National World War II Museum. Morris is the only new member of the 60-person board from Georgia. About half the new members are from Louisiana — the museum is in New Orleans — and one, London resident Andre Villeneuve, is the first trustee from outside the United States. Villeneuve, a French Legion of Honor recipient, is the chairman of ICE Benchmark Administration. “Our board of trustees is composed of a strong group of proven leaders who truly support the museum’s mission to take visitors inside the story of the war that changed the world,” said James A. Courter, the chairman of the board. “I know that Andre’s level of experience, along with the experience of all the newly elected trustees, will bring insightful perspectives to our board and to our great museum.”
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Museum Board Adds Morris
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EDUCATION
Photos by Sarah Moosazadeh
Billy Jonas entertains students, families and faculty during the Davis Academy’s year-opening Kabbalat Shabbat on Aug. 18.
Rachel Hertz, Zoe Shapiro, Margo Kaye, Alexa Warner, Alex Newberg, Kady Herold and Emma Perlstein join in song and prayer during Kabbalat Shabbat.
Billy Jonas teaches a dance to third-grade teachers (from left) Caroline Patterson, Lea Artzi, Dana Richin, Jennifer Rainbow, Sharone Bolnik and Michelle Mittleman.
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AUGUST 25 ▪ 2017
Davis Academy Head of School Amy Shafron shares an interactive moment with students during a performance by Billy Jonas.
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Davis Academy students and parents kicked off a yearlong celebration of the school’s 25th anniversary Friday, Aug. 18, with a Kabbalat Shabbat featuring guest performer Billy Jonas. The students sang various Jewish prayers as faculty and staff performed alongside Jonas. “Many questioned the need or room for a Reform Jewish day school in Atlanta 25 years ago; however, years later, we have proven that it has enhanced not only the community, but almost a thousand graduates who continue to fulfill Davis’ experience in high schools, colleges and beyond,” Head of School Amy Shafron said. ■
EDUCATION
The scene in the early afternoon at the Epstein School is typical of schools and workplaces around metro Atlanta on Aug. 21: eyes shielded by special glasses, staring at the mostly eclipsed sun.
Having all of AJA on one campus brings first-day smiles to Levi and Bess Krasner (above) and to Devorah Chasen, Maayan Schoen and Nicole Dori (above right).
Epstein School second-graders (from left) Amelit Hall, Sari Grant, Isla Gingold, Talia Bock and Lali Stillman reconnect on the first day after their summer break.
Eye-Opening School Start Opening day arrived at the Epstein School (spread over Aug. 10, 11 and 14 for different age groups) and Atlanta Jewish Academy (Aug. 14) with great enthusiasm. For AJA, the 2017-18 school year marks the start of a new era of preschool through high school on one Sandy Springs campus. For both schools, the openingweek jitters and summer hangover had time to pass before a day celebrated with special events at day schools throughout the area: the total solar eclipse Monday, Aug. 21, which achieved about 97 percent totality in the Atlanta metro area. â–
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Joined by (from left) Morris Kogon, Ella Shulman and Ben Weinisman, Epstein School kindergarten teacher Juli Pollak begins the first day of school, as she does every day, with sharing in a community circle activity.
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Artist of Indigenous Peoples Spans the Globe Atlanta has a treasure in her ninth decade whose mission is to capture and preserve the heritage and culture of Native Americans and other indigenous peoples. Gracefully tall Dee (Dolores) Venzer feels that her paintings and sculpture have the effect of storytelling. From a Western dude ranch to an elephant ride at Tiger Tops in Nepal, the peripatetic Venzer’s portraits evoke humanity and emotion. A fine arts graduate of the University of Georgia, she had an advertising career at Rich’s Department Store downtown. There was only one Rich’s in those days. Venzer studied under one of Georgia’s most respected artists, Ouida Canaday, who founded Artists Atelier, which is still thriving. Share her exotic experiences. Jaffe: How have your travels influenced your art? Venzer: My mission is to capture these real people in the continuity of their culture and heritage. In America, I venture out west — New Mexico, Arizona. That surfaces a funny memory: In my naiveté at my first Native American powwow, I lugged the wrong camera and film and lost all the images. In New Mexico, I painted the chief, Thin Elk, who appeared in many movies. They are very regal people. One of my favorite pieces in the foyer is this collection of nine panels of portraits typical of the different cultures from my travels. Internationally, I highlight New Guinea; Kathmandu, Nepal; India; Africa; China; and Spain. It’s all so fascinating, like this Huli from Papua who was proud of his headgear, which is actually real hair interwoven with mats and flowers. They grow their own hair, enhance it, then shave. They wear one for every day, one for ceremonies.
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Jaffe: You had an inspiring teacher? Venzer: I took lessons and traveled for many years with Ouida Canaday. She was the president and one of the founders of the Piedmont Park Arts Festival, appointed by Governor Sanders as vice president of the Georgia Arts Council. I have her original “Chinese Faces” 24 sketchbook on textured orange paper.
She painted my portrait in 1974 and that of my late husband as a wedding gift. Jaffe: What is your role in the Artists Atelier? Venzer: I was one of the co-op’s founding principals over 20 years ago. We’re composed of 17 artists in a working studio gallery. It’s open to
Chai-Style Homes By Marcia Caller Jaffe mjaffe@atljewishtimes.com
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the public, and our original work sells at very reasonable prices. We originally started on Cheshire Bridge, then moved to Collier Road, now 800 Miami Circle. It’s a win-win for us to share space and such creativity five days a week. Come visit! Jaffe: Describe the various media you employ. Venzer: I sculpt in clay, like the huge warrior bust in the dining room. Sometimes it stays in that basic format. Others I have cast in bronze, like the two male and female Maasai warriors in the living room alcoves. Most traditionally, I use oil for portraits in a gallery-wrap format (painting around the side edges) and do not frame my work. I don’t want the image contained. One of my favorite oils is in the kitchen, “Vagabond King,” of a man I saw at a homeless shelter. Behind this 4-foot-wide window ornament is “White Lace Handkerchief,” an oil I did juxtaposed in several layers. So it’s all over the board in style and texture. Sometimes I use charcoal. Jaffe: What’s your relationship with the Booth Museum? Where else is your work shown? Venzer: I have paintings in the private and permanent Booth collections and on their website in an oral history segment. I originally sent them my portfolio (laughing) thinking it was just a local museum. (It is affiliated with the Smithsonian in Washington). After taking me on a tour, the director asked if I would be willing to show my work on some of the empty walls downstairs. I said, “I would be willing to display in the bathroom to get into
B this caliber facility.” I am featured in the “Booth Permanent Collection” book with “Camaraderie Moment” (2002 oil on canvas) of a Native American rodeo. If readers have not been, I encourage the short drive to Cartersville to see a true gem of a museum. Celebrities like Jack Nicklaus and Brooke Shields, who bought as a gift for Andre Agassi, collect my work. (After their breakup, I wonder who kept the art.) I won second prize in a Grumbacher (the purveyor of fine art supplies) contest, with the painting in my foyer, done in heavy gesso-ed acrylic, featured in their magazine. I flooded it with water to achieve rhythm and motion over detail; thus, it has many layers and stages. One of my career highlights was having a painting and reception at the Kennedy Center from an AARP competition where 40 pieces out of 900 were selected. It traveled the country for one year, then landed in the White House Conference Center. I also have paintings at the Forum Gallery in Delray.
Jaffe: What are things that you collect? Venzer: Years ago (1960s to 1970s), I worked with interior designer Louis Soloway at David Interiors. We found many eclectic treasures, like this 25foot Asian lacquer screen that was so large, we had to saw off the bottom to get it inside. Also, I adore this off-white sculpture of a life-sized, layered, acrylic draped cloth by the front door. This vivid, hand-embroidered throw from India brings back a memory when we were rushed out of the country because of a coup. They didn’t tell us until we were out of danger. Jaffe: What’s next for you? Venzer: Soon I’m off to Iceland, hopefully to witness the aurora borealis. I won’t paint it, as I do not do landscapes. I can’t improve upon Mother Nature. Basically, you could say I am a Northeast artist doing Northwest art. Jaffe: Last word? Venzer: I have a lot of treasures here. If I ever got organized, I’d be dangerous. ■
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A: Dee Venzer has Ouida Canaday’s original sketchbook of Chinese faces on orange construction paper. The two women traveled to China together twice, in 1982 and 1984. B: The Venzer painting “Camaraderie Moment,” a 2002 oil on canvas portraying a Native American rodeo, is featured in the book of the Booth Western Art Museum’s permanent collection. C: Dee Venzer poses in front of the portraits her mentor, Ouida Canaday, painted of her and her late husband as a wedding gift. The two sculptures are Venzer’s. D: In the dining room, the white Maasai warrior bust (left) balances three oil paintings of indigenous people — all by Dee Venzer. E: The Venzer oil painting “Huli Warrior” from Papua New Guinea shows off the subject’s matted wig. F: This portrait of a friend’s mother demonstrates Dee Venzer’s ability to capture emotion and sentiment. G: “White Handkerchief” is one of Dee Venzer’s first paintings. Her daughter supplied the window ornament that accents it. H: The foyer features a collection of nine paintings Dee Venzer did from various cultures and travels, as well as two of her sculptures. I: Dee Venzer won a Grumbacher contest with this painting in the foyer that she did in heavy gesso-ed acrylic. Venzer flooded the canvas with water to achieve rhythm and motion over detail. J: Some of Dee Venzer’s sculptures, such as this proud Maasai warrior, are cast in bronze.
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Irvin Cohen 86, Hilton Head, S.C.
Irvin Marvin Cohen, 86, of Hilton Head, S.C., passed away peacefully Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017. He was born Oct. 27, 1930, in Lincolnton, N.C., to Gussie and Saul Cohen, both of blessed memory. Irvin graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of Pi Lambda Phi. He graduated from Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I., and served as a naval officer for three years. He was in the ladies’ retail clothing business in Hickory, N.C. A lifelong Tar Heel, he was also an avid golfer, a sports enthusiast, a brilliant businessman, and a devoted father and grandfather. Irvin is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Doris; three daughters, Faye Kahn (David), Gayle Podhouser (Randy) and Susan Grunwald (Scott); grandchildren Sydney, Bailey and Zoe Grunwald, Jessica, Taylor and Samantha Podhouser, and Michael and Andrew Kahn; and sisters Madolyn (Dr. Ralph Geldbart of blessed memory) and Sarah O’Koon (Chuck). Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. Graveside services were held Friday, Aug. 18, at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs with Rabbi Jordan Ottenstein and Cantorial Soloist Mike Zuspan officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (www. lls.org) or the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation (www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org). Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
Sharon Fagin 72, Sandy Springs
Sharon Beth Velinsky Fagin, age 72, died Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017, from complications of nonsmoking lung cancer. Sharon is survived by her husband of 51 years, Howard Fagin; children Barry and Shelly Danz and Craig Fagin and Abi
www.atlantajewishtimes.com Auer; grandchildren Megan and Ryan Danz and Seth and Liza Fagin; and sister and brother-in-law Dianne and Don Jaslow. She was predeceased by her parents, Goldie Velinsky Morris and Paul L. Velinsky of blessed memory. Sharon was born and raised in Shreveport, La. She graduated from Byrd High School in Shreveport and received her undergraduate degree in education from the University of Oklahoma and master of arts from Oglethorpe University. She taught elementary education for 20 years, first at Luckie Street Elementary in Atlanta, then at Hightower Elementary in DeKalb County and first grade at Brockett Elementary in Tucker, DeKalb County. After her retirement, she was a substitute elementary education teacher at Heards Ferry Elementary in Sandy Springs, Fulton County. Sharon was a longtime volunteer at Temple Sinai. She loved coordinating the Temple Sinai Book Club and adult Hebrew classes. Previously, she also ran the gift shop and taught Sunday school for 12 years at Temple Sinai. In college, Sharon was active in Alpha Epsilon Phi. Sharon was also an active volunteer serving on telethons for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Sharon Fagin and Goldie Velinsky Morris Music Enrichment Endowment Fund at Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Atlanta, GA 30327, www.templesinaiatlanta.org, or the Aflac Cancer Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1577 NE Expressway, Suite A, Atlanta, GA 30329, www.choa.org/tributes. Funeral services were held Tuesday, Aug. 22, at Temple Sinai; burial followed at Arlington Memorial Park. Rabbi Ron Segal, Rabbi Brad Levenberg and Cantor Beth Schafer of Temple Sinai officiated. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
Leo Landman 87, Atlanta
Leo Thomas Landman, age 87, died Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017, in Atlanta. Leo lived most of his life with his family in Chicago, where he worked as a jeweler, eventually opening his own business, Landman Jewelers. Leo was an amazing storyteller and was known for his warm smile and hearty laugh. The only thing that made Leo happier than his Chicago Cubs winning the World Series was the love he had for his family. Survivors include his loving wife of 67 years, Marcia Goldstein Landman; son and daughter-in-law Richard and Ferne Landman of Chicago; daughter and sonin-law Bonnie and Ted Brand of Marietta; daughter and son-in-law Rhonda and George Flynn, Marietta, GA; brother and sister-in-law Sheldon and Toni Landman of West Dundee, Ill.; grandchildren Rebecca Landman, Jacob (Michal) Brand, Shana Brand, Miriam Brand, Molly Flynn and Connor Flynn; and great-grandchildren Ariel and Elan Brand. Leo was preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Molly Landman, and brother and sister-in-law Melvin and Marianne Landman. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF. org), the Alzheimer’s Foundation (alzfdn.org) or a charity of your choice in his honor. A graveside service was held Friday, Aug. 18, at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbi Joshua Heller officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
Betty Lipshutz
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Betty Beck Rosenberg Lipshutz, age 85, of Atlanta passed away Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017. She was born in Bessemer, Ala., to Adolph and Rema Beck Jr. She was predeceased by husband Robert Lipshutz, who died in 2010. Her first husband, Dr. Albert Rosenberg, died in 1971. She is survived by her children, Robert (Mary Ann Kennedy) and Nancy (David Sternlieb) Rosenberg; stepchildren Randy (Joanne), Judy (Ted), Wendy (Hank) and Debbie (Lois) Lipshutz; sister Billie Guthman; and grandchildren Aaron, Edward, Dana, Eliana, Sonya, Theodore, Allie, Barbara and Leah. Betty graduated from the University of Alabama with a B.A. in business; while there, she served as president of both her sorority, Alpha Epsilon Phi, and the business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi. After starting her career at Davison’s of Atlanta, she moved in and out of the paid workforce, serving, most notably, at the Washington, D.C., Office of Consumer Protection, the White House Council on Small Businesses, the Georgia Department of Consumer Affairs and Jacqueline Lassiter Associates.
OBITUARIES A private burial took place at Crest Lawn Memorial Park. A memorial service was held Tuesday, Aug. 22, at The Temple, 1589 Peachtree St., Atlanta, followed by a reception. Sign the online guestbook at www.edressler.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Temple, Weinstein Hospice or the charity of your choice. Funeral arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
Daniel Weiner 88, Sarasota, Fla.
Dr. Daniel Weiner, age 88, of Sarasota, Fla., passed away suddenly Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. He was born Dec. 15, 1928, to the late Max and Bessie (Charney) Weiner in Philadelphia. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, he worked in the Public Health Service with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta when he met Sheila, then they moved to Seattle before going into private practice in Atlanta. While in Atlanta, he became active in the Jewish community, serving on various boards, leading committees and presiding over the Hebrew Academy of Atlanta. Before entering retirement, Dan received his pilot’s license, allowing him to fly for pleasure. After traveling all over the world with his wife, he purchased a small plane, wherein he and Sheila would travel the United States on weekends and eventually landed and retired to Sarasota. When he came to Florida, he renewed his veterinary license and volunteered at Mote and the Pelican Man sanctuary, as well as emergency animal hospitals as a relief veterinarian. During all that time, he was an avid bridge player, both competitively and for enjoyment. He was preceded in death by his wife of 49 years, Sheila Barskin Weiner, and brothers Dr. Raymond Weiner and the Honorable Charles Weiner, both of Pennsylvania. He is survived by his daughter, Hilary Weiner of Rockville, Md.; a brother, Gershon Weiner of Savannah; close friend and companion Muriel Shindler of Sarasota; stepdaughter Janet Taylor Zwillinger, her husband, Dan Zwillinger, and their son, Kent Zwillinger, all of Boston; and several nephews and a niece. In lieu of customary remembrances, contributions may be made to Temple Beth Sholom, 1050 S. Tuttle Ave., Sarasota, FL 34237, or the Ryan School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 215-898-1480. Graveside services were held Tuesday, Aug. 15, at Temple Beth Sholom cemetery.
Lesser Service
A gathering to celebrate the life of Dr. Lanny Lesser will be held Sunday, Aug. 27, at 2:30 p.m. at Snellville United Methodist Church, 2428 Main St. E., Snellville. Lanny, who died Wednesday, Aug. 2, at age 72, was the father of Rabbi Joshua Lesser and Mishele Lesser, the husband of Sandra Lesser, and a member of both Temple Beth David and Congregation Bet Haverim. Instrumental to founding the first hospital in Snellville, Lanny asked that his memorial be held in Snellville. He taught Jewish end-of-life issues at Snellville UMC, and the family is grateful for the congregation’s hospitality in offering a sanctuary that can accommodate all those who will gather for the service.
Morris Buchman, 61, of Atlanta, brother of Martin Buchman, Lendy Fedors and Patrick Caldwell, on Aug. 2. Ellen Camner of Atlanta on Aug. 8. Beatrice Cohen of Atlanta on Aug. 5. Lawrence Cohn of Atlanta on Aug. 16. Sylvia Saks Cucher, 98, of Atlanta, Temple Sinai member and mother of Bobb Cucher and Fred Cucher, on Aug. 13. Anatoliy Elkin of Atlanta on Aug. 12. Charlotte Fleisher, 89, of Atlanta, mother of Mindy Fleisher Ward, Jodi Fleisher and Scott Fleisher, on Aug. 6. Diana Goldstein of Greensboro on Aug. 7. Sylvia Hunt, 86, of Boynton Beach, Fla., mother of Congregation Beth Shalom member Marcy Liberty, Jeffrey Hunt and Jennifer Weisberg, on Aug. 10. Chana Kurtzman of Sandy Springs on Aug. 5. Stephen Shind of Cumming, partner of Phyllis Keane and father of Samuel Shind and Ashley Shind, on Aug. 12. Carla Sobelson, 70, of Atlanta, daughter of Blanche Sobelson and sister of Neil Sobelson, on Aug. 3. Vivian Zisholtz of Atlanta on Aug. 4.
AUGUST 25 ▪ 2017
Death Notices
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Concert Will Counter Hatred With Music, Comedy By Kevin C. Madigan kmadigan@atljewishtimes.com A show to raise money for human rights organizations is coming to Atlanta on Monday, Aug. 28. Concert for America: Stand Up, Sing Out at the Ferst Center will feature the likes of singer Melissa Manchester, YouTube star Randy Rainbow and actress Sharon Gless. Atlanta-based students from the Broadway Dreams Foundation, including Audrey Kaye and Hannah Zeldin, also will perform. Concert for America was created by radio host Seth Rudetsky and writer and producer James Wesley. Rudetsky spoke to the AJT from Germany. AJT: What’s your goal with this show? Rudetsky: First and foremost, we want to cheer people up. There is a lot of darkness out there, and James and I want to put everyone in a great mood and give them energy and joy to go out and continue to be active citizens. We make the show really entertaining. For your Jewish readers who know the
olden days, my uncle was Ukie Sherin, who was a big Jewish comic back in the day and worked with Mel Brooks. So I have entertainment in my DNA. Alongside the entertainment is awareness. We’re benefiting five organizations that people know the names of but don’t necessarily know the details, so we have someone representing each one onstage, and we talk to them. It’s very casual, but it really shines a light on what each group does. It’s a passionate discussion that really inspires the audience to get involved. AJT: This concert is very timely, considering recent events. Comments? Rudetsky: The show is bipartisan, so it’s not specifically about what’s happening on either side. It’s more about what we can do to keep our American values like openness, acceptance and the courage to make positive changes. As a Jew, there’s basically nothing more scary than Nazis, and it’s not something I ever thought I’d have to fear in my own country. We’re very proud to have Richard Cohen, the president of the Southern Poverty Law Center,
speaking at our concert. They are at the forefront of fighting hate groups, and they used our April concert that featured Barry Manilow to announce their latest lawsuit against a major neo-Nazi. Cohen inspired everyone and made them feel protected.
ment assistance. She then watched our concert on ConcertsforAmerica.com and was so thankful because it reminded her that are so many people in America who believe in good and will work together to keep this country loving and supportive of everyone.
AJT: What are you hearing from audiences after the show? Rudetsky: It’s so wonderful to get feedback. We hear over-the-top praise comments from people who are there to see a concert of amazing music and comedy. For instance, people flipped out over Jessie Mueller from the Broadway show “Beautiful,” who sang a Carole King song at our first concert. Naturally, we decided to bring her down to Atlanta. Then we hear comments from people about how they really needed to be at the concert, how it lifted their bleak outlook. Because we live-stream on Facebook and our website, we get comments from everywhere. A woman wrote me from South Dakota, a teacher at a lowincome school. She was so sad on Inauguration Day, fearing for her students who really depend so much on govern-
AJT: Is it tightly scripted? What can the Atlanta folks expect? Rudetsky: Ha! We do not believe in scripts. If you listen to my SiriusXM show, you’d know that I love a very loose atmosphere. Atlanta is going to get an amazing mix of Broadway stars and pop stars, and we’re so thrilled to have the comic genius of Randy Rainbow. He has suddenly taken off and has hundreds of thousands watching his hilarious videos. I still don’t know what he’s going to do at the concert, but I’m sure it will be brilliant. ■ Where: Ferst Center for the Arts, 350 Ferst Drive, Midtown When: 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28 Tickets: $25 and up; concertsforamerica.com
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CLOSING THOUGHTS
AUGUST 25 ▪ 2017
Elul Serves As Powerful Marker of Time Rosh Chodesh Elul began Wednesday, Aug. 23. I’m approaching the new year on the Hebrew calendar by changing up the focus of my column. It remains New Moon Meditations, but I’ll be gearing it toward women and our role in keeping the flames of Judaism alive for ourselves and our families. It begins with awareness and self-care. Stopping to acknowledge the monthly new moon is a great start. I’ll start by sharing my experience as a founding facilitator of a Rosh Chodesh women’s spirituality group at a local temple. We had a core group of about 25 women, with additional friends coming and going as they could each month. I adored these women. Among them was my then-89-year old mother, now of blessed memory, who didn’t miss a meeting in the four years that I led it. The women ranged in age from 18 to 89, and on those nights that we gathered, there was no separation by age or life experience. Each woman brought her own light to the meeting, literally and figuratively. We began by lighting a candle to usher in the new month, remembering our matriarchs. We would each say our Hebrew name, daughter of our mother’s Hebrew name, daughter of our grandmother’s Hebrew name, etc., for as far back as each of us knew. I invite you to consider this practice as well. It marks the beginning of each month by setting it apart from all the other days and honoring the important women who have gone before us to pave the path. Then I offered a brief summary of the Hebrew month, with a related theme, which I will do here. We had a discussion, often engaged in making a craft or other experiential sharing, before ending with a meditation and refreshment related to the month. I’d love to make this a “thing” where we meet here monthly at the new moon, whether online or in the pages of the paper, in our virtual tent, to light a candle, quiet ourselves, focus on the essence of the month, join in shared experience and enjoy a refreshment. So here we go into Elul 5777.
Teshuvah Leads to a Different Path 30 During Elul, we concern ourselves
with turning away from thoughts and behaviors that took us off the mark during the year we’re completing. Repentance is only one aspect of the work to be done. It involves regret and making amends to Hashem and to our fellow humans. Beyond that is choos-
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Meditation Focus Envision how you’d like to spend your time in the coming year, in a more balanced way, on things that matter to you. Then enjoy an apple dipped in honey for a sweet year. ■
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ACROSS 1. Dances like Davis Jr. 5. One with one sign of kashrut 9. Larry, Moe and Curly, e.g. 14. “Why should ___ you?” 15. Contemporary of Isaiah 16. Like Efron 17. Like one needing a new parnasah source 19. Senator of Watergate fame 20. Mauna ___ 21. Jewish slaves might have had holes put into them 23. Name derived from Adam’s wife 24. She’s “The Divine Miss M” 28. Avner and Amichai 30. Way more than 5,777 years 31. Chills and fever 33. Best (wines) 34. Trent who criticized Carter over the Palestinians 36. Makes a rabbi 38. Ice cream alternative 40. “The Lord shall ___ to me another son” (Genesis 30:24) 41. “Of course!” 44. Like Primo Levy 47. Aussie actress Stone 49. Home for women who are almost certainly not Jewish 52. Praying to him won’t result in a shidduch 54. ___ Lanka 55. It was satirized in Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove” 57. Event that might be followed by a l’chaim 59. Super time? Abbr. 60. One going to MTA or YULA 62. Shesh, to a 44-Across 63. “___ like to call it” 65. Words that might be followed by “OK, bro, yer on!” — or how to solve this puzzle 70. Like Samson’s hair, for
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ing a path of thought or behavior to replace the misaligned one. Because the Jewish new year is such a powerful marker of time, let’s consider how you spent your time in the past year. As you reflect, what consumed the majority of your time? Were you caring for an aging parent or children, doing volunteer work, or pursuing a course of study? Did you work too much or not enough? Maybe time passed and you don’t feel as if you were in charge of it. Perhaps you feel as if you wasted time on things that didn’t truly matter to you. Maybe you spent too much time in service to others and forgot about caring for yourself, or it might be the opposite of that. Make a pie chart and divide it into the various ways you parceled your precious time. Suggestions for your pie slices include relationships (family, friendships); work (paid, volunteer, creation of a business); study; caring for others/self; play time with others/ self; and religious observance (Shabbat, prayer, services, study, social gatherings, rituals, holidays). What percentage of your time was spent indoors vs. outdoors? How much attention was paid to healthy meals, including planning, shopping, cooking and mindful eating? A hard look at your time management may bring up some anxiety. Let’s quell it.
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Dr. Terry Segal tsegal@atljewishtimes.com
“Hedge Your Bets”
By Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Challenging
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New Moon Meditations
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most of his life 71. Lady Liberty’s Lazarus 72. A good girl’s name? 73. Little laugh 74. Red and White 75. Kibbutz near Kiryat Shemona
Israel in 1961 37. It comes 13th, occasionally 39. Notable Bea Arthur costar 42. Redeem for some kesef 43. She was worshipped in Greece DOWN 45. Jolson and a king 1. Lhasa’s land 46. Easter preceder 2. Div. for Angels 48. “___ Abner” 3. Stick one’s head through 49. Make like Marcel the shul door, e.g. Marceau 4. Ahab might have ridden 50. Damon character first one in battle brought to the screen by 5. 1984 novel about the life Doug Liman of Ishmael (with “The”) 51. It could make a kittel look 6. “Ani ohev” in Latin like new 7. Garment for a high priest 53. His massive home run 8. Many an Ephron work totals weren’t exactly kosher 9. Israel Security Agency 56. Jose of Wilpon’s Mets 10. Capek’s 1920 sci-fi play 58. Dwellings for Jews 3,300 with the character Jacob years ago Berman 61. Where thousands of 11. Make like Jordan in 1967 Jews were brought after the 12. Rabbi Eiger and writer Temple fell Goldsman 64. Basketballer Bird 13. Solomon, e.g. 66. Meryl played her Jewish 18. Mate of Broderick’s therapist in “Prime” “Simba” 67. “And the bush ___ not 22. Get a mortgage consumed” (Exodus 3:2) adjustment from Leumi, 68. Rabbi Weiss of note briefly 69. Zionist youth movement 24. Nut that sounds like the house of G-d? 25. Sacrificial LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION sounds? L O O M S A M H E R B A L A R B A T R U A V E R S E 26. Many Jack V A C A T E Kirby creations S M A R T I E S A T E A V E R S A M S O N had an alter R I N G P O P S E N A B L E one A L S O R O T S 27. Like a S E E R S B O A T S C A L kibbutz, often I S I S N E R D S S I R E 29. Take back W A S T E S N A K E B E N lashon hara, in D A T I S H A I a way B A B Y R U T H A R C H E R 32. Carrie E L A N R Y E T A K E M E Fisher’s father A I R H E A D S M A S A D A 35. Like T R E R L E E A N I M A L Eichmann in S A L O N S H A D S Y N E 1
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AUGUST 25 â–ª 2017