NEXT WEEK: ROSH HASHANAH
THEN AND NOW
Keeping the Jewish Southeast Connected Since 1925 PAGES 14-23
REPUBLICAN FORUM
CANDIDATES SPEAK AT A FORUM HOSTED BY THE REPUBLICAN JEWISH COALITION OF ATLANTA. POLITICS, PAGES 8-9
TOCO HILLS
THROUGH THE WORK OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS, THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS BECOME A HAVEN FOR JEWS. THEN & NOW, PAGES 14-15
CHAI STYLE ART
KREMER & SHAPIRO MERGE HOUSEHOLDS IN A BUCKHEAD LOFT THAT SHOWCASES GLOBAL ARTWORK. ARTS, PAGES 24-25
VOL. XCIII
AUGUST 31, 2018 | 20 ELUL 5778
AJT "Now" see back cover for
AJT "Then"
NO. 34
PUBLISHER MICHAEL A. MORRIS michael@atljewishtimes.com
MANAGING PUBLISHER KAYLENE LADINSKY kaylene@atljewishtimes.com
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Contributors This Week BOB BAHR DAVE SCHECHTER FRAN PUTNEY LOGAN C. RITCHIE JAN JABEN-EILON MARCIA CALLER JAFFE RACHEL FAYNE DR. TERRY SEGAL
THIS WEEK
This Is Us Like the widely popular TV series that flashes from past to present, our then and now issue takes you back to the beginning of some of our Atlanta Jewish communities, including Toco Hills and Bainbridge in southwest Georgia. We interview two vivacious centenarians about their keys to longevity and growing up in Atlanta’s budding Jewish and cultural landscape. Or VeShalom’s Dan Maslia shares how he developed a map of a 20-squareblock area in which the majority of Atlanta Jews lived in the early 20th century, including many OVS members. Then there are the celebrations of history: Alon’s 25th and Temple Sinai’s 50th. And our coverage of the historic events around town: the rededication of the Leo Frank memorial in Marietta and the grand reopening of Congregation Beth Itzhkak’s Bukharian synagogue with its elaborately crafted décor. In more then and now, we interview model Martha Jo Katz, whose 1961 wedding in Fitzgerald, Ga., is part of the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum’s
family papers collection. Reporting on what is now history, Michael Seiden of WSB-TV is this week’s Jews in the News spotlight. He has covered ice storms and now infamous shootings in Washington, D.C., Charleston and Orlando. In a rare barrier-breaking event, a documentary based on Jewish actresses who helped pioneer the movie industry in India brought members of Atlanta’s Jewish and Muslim communities together. Also finding their common ground were the GOP candidates running for office in November. They participated in a political forum sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition of Atlanta and the Fulton County Republican Party. Culinary news comes this week by way of Georgia Tech offering kosher food for the first time in its history to students who keep kosher, and to entice others to attend the prestigious college. And in time for the high holidays, our very own creative & media director, Deborah Herr, shares her culinary artistry after attending a challah making program led by the Atlanta Scholars Kollel.
From Alon’s mouth-watering creations to our recipe for challah for the holidays, this then and now issue is sure to satisfy your appetite for the sweet flavor of the Atlanta Jewish community and its remarkable history. ■
CONTENTS LOCAL NEWS ���������������������������������� 4 POLITICS ������������������������������������������ 8 ISRAEL NEWS ������������������������������� 10 BUSINESS ��������������������������������������� 11 EDUCATION ����������������������������������� 12 EDITORIAL ������������������������������������� 13 COVER STORY ������������������������������ 14 THEN & NOW ��������������������������������� 18 CHAI STYLE ART ������������������������� 24 SPOTLIGHT ����������������������������������� 26 COMMUNITY ��������������������������������� 27 LIFE CYCLES ��������������������������������� 29 CALENDAR ������������������������������������� 30 KEEPING IT KOSHER ������������������ 32 BRAIN FOOD ���������������������������������� 33 MARKETPLACE ���������������������������� 34 CLOSING THOUGHTS ����������������� 35
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LOCAL NEWS Shalom Bollywood Brings Muslims and Jews Together By Bob Bahr Three Jewish actresses who long ago helped pioneer the movie industry in India unwittingly also helped, in a precedent-shattering program Sunday, to bring Atlanta’s Jewish and Muslim communities closer together. The actresses are long gone, but last Sunday’s showing of the documentary, “Shalom Bollywood” at an Islamic center in Norcross helped create a rare occasion for the two communities to get together for an entertaining afternoon of mutual understanding. The film also was screened at this year’s Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The program was introduced by Rabbi Brad Levenberg of Temple Sinai in Sandy Springs, who is also a board member of the AJFF. He pointed out that the Reform movement, of which he is a part, “believes we are G-d’s hands for good in this world and we seize every opportunity we can to fix the brokenness we see around us.” The screening took place at the Jamatkhana community and worship center of the Ismaili branch of Islam. It was believed to be the first time in the nearly 19-year history of the AJFF that such an
Keynote speaker Rabbi Brad Levenberg of Temple Sinai, and Munir Meghjani of the Ismaili Center in Norcross.
interfaith program has been mounted. The event was part of a recent series the AJFF developed to use film as a bridge between the Jewish community and audiences that might be unfamiliar with Jewish history and culture. In June, the AJFF partnered with the Atlanta Black-Jewish Coalition for a screening about the life and work of the late former mayor of Atlanta, Maynard Jackson. That same month they produced their ambitious Cinebash evening about the career of the legendary film graphics designer Saul Bass. It was aimed at a younger mainstream demographic that may not have been familiar with the film festival. Earlier this month the festival helped inaugurate the new Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center with a
Photos courtesy of Daemon Baizan and Atlanta Jewish Film Festival // Kenny Blank and
Murad Abdullah, president of the Ismaili Council for the Southeastern U.S.
family-friendly community event built around baseball. It featured a showing of the documentary, “Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel,” which had been an audience favorite during this year’s festival program. It’s all part of what AJFF Executive Director Kenny Blank has described as the festival’s attempt to redefine yearround what Jewish cinema can be in Atlanta. He believes film can be a great cultural experience that can also have a universal appeal to the cultural consumer. “That means partnering with organizations and places you wouldn’t expect to see the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival —- and yes, to expect the unexpected,” Blank said. As an initial interfaith partner, the
Ismaili community was likely a wise choice. Only about 15 million of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims are Ismailis, but it is among the most progressive and forward-thinking movements within the faith, and a consistent voice for change in the Muslim world Under the leadership of the Aga Khan IV, who has led the Ismailis for more than 60 years, the movement has among its goals the elimination of global poverty, the promotion of women’s rights, and, in a distinct departure from more traditional Muslim movements, the advancement of secular pluralism. It’s the belief that modern life should not be under the control of any religion and that no government, anywhere, will favor one religion over another. That’s something that Munir Meghjani fully endorsed at last Sunday’s screening. He is both a lay leader of the Norcross Ismaili center, and serves on the Muslim Jewish Coalition of the American Jewish Committee in Atlanta. As he put it, “I love being a part of an interfaith movement that can help people show that we are different, and that there is beauty in that difference.” ■ For tickets and more information, www.ajff.org.
Georgia Tech Goes Kosher By Roni Robbins roni@atljewishtimes.com Jewish students at Georgia Tech who keep kosher no longer have to stick with vegetarian or dairy meals on campus. When school started Aug. 20, they were able to choose from kosher food options now available through campus dining services. During the first week, the 30 meals for kosher students even sold out one day, said Eithan Martinez, a board member of Chabad at Georgia Tech, who campaigned for kosher food on campus. “You don’t know how good this feels,” said Martinez, a sophomore computer science student from Venezuela and recently, Miami. Without kosher options last year, he and other kosher students either ate vegetarian in the cafeteria or drove 20 minutes to find kosher options. He knows at least 35 foreign students in a group chat who were in the same situation and commuters who waited until they returned home to eat. Now Martinez and others can eat on campus with their non-Jewish friends. Though Hillel and Chabad at Tech 4 | AUGUST 31, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES
serve kosher food at their events, some of which draw big crowds, Chabad pushed this summer for the campus dining services to make kosher food available. “Parents of students and alumni are really excited,” said Shifra Sharfstein, codirector of Chabad of Downtown Universities: Georgia Tech and Georgia State. Georgia Tech has about 450 Jewish undergraduates and 100 Jewish graduate students, Hillel reports. Sharfstein said Martinez brought the issue to the attention of Chabad, saying that some students who were keeping kosher stopped because it became tough to find appropriate options. She cited an example of a student who left Tech after a year “when it was simply too difficult to live a religious life on campus. He implored us to bring kosher to campus. We’ve had many students call us about coming to Georgia Tech and when we told them there was no kosher food, they simply turned down their Georgia Tech acceptance.” Georgia Tech was already providing Halal (permissible) food for Muslim students, so it was quick to agree to bring in kosher food for Jewish students too,
Sharfstein said. The Kosher Gourmet, which also delivers to Emory University, brings the kosher food to the student union, including sandwiches and dessert. Martinez said he hopes the options can be expanded, along with the number of locations on campus students can buy kosher food. “We were surprised at the number who are taking advantage,” Sharfstein said. She keeps in touch with 30 students who are interested in the kosher meals through WhatsApp. Jewish professors also benefit from the kosher food options, she said. “This new initiative will most likely change the face of Jewish Georgia Tech, inviting more kosher students to campus.” Rabbi Russ Shulkes, executive director of Hillels of Georgia, didn’t think kosher food was needed on Tech’s campus, but hopes the availability will “serve the larger demographic of Jewish students than what was served before.” In comparison to Georgia Tech, there are around 1,000 Jewish students at Emory University – about 20 percent of the student body – at least 30 of whom keep
Eithan Martinez was successful in bringing kosher food to Georgia Tech.
kosher. Less than 20 students signed up for kosher food at Emory and less than 15 took advantage of the food on campus last year, Shulkes said. Hillel at Tech has a Bagel Break every Tuesday that attracts at least 80 students, Shulkes said. He believes they probably come for socializing rather than kosher food. Georgia State has more Orthodox students than Georgia Tech, so he wondered if Chabad plans to bring kosher food there too. “We would absolutely love to,” Sharfstein said. “We’ve had many requests, mostly from Georgia State parents. We need to make sure it’s successful at Georgia Tech and assess the demand. It’s a commuter campus. It’s a little more difficult to pull it off at Georgia State, but if there’s a demand, we want it to happen.”■
LOCAL NEWS
Rededication of Leo Frank’s Memorial By Dave Schechter In Deuteronomy is found the instruction: Justice, justice you shall pursue. The rededication of a memorial was but one step in the decades-long campaign to gain justice for Leo Frank, who was lynched on Aug. 17, 1915, in the Marietta woods near where Roswell Road intersects Interstate 75 today. The memorial, which the Georgia Department of Transportation removed four years ago because of road construction, now stands anchored in a sidewalk in a grassy area carved out by GDOT. Those in attendance on the morning of August 23 came to remember the evil perpetrated a short distance away. “Leo Frank was innocent. And those four words have eluded polite conversation in Atlanta and in Marietta for over a century,” declared Rabbi Steve Lebow of Temple Kol Emeth. The memorial had been located across Roswell Road near Frey’s Gin Road. It was close to where Frank, the 31-year-old Jewish superintendent of a
6 | AUGUST 31, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES
Photos by Dave Schechter // Patricia Meagher, Georgia Historical Society communications director; Jerry Klinger, Jewish American Society for Historical Preservation president; Shelley Rose, ADL Southeast deputy director; and Rabbi Steve Lebow stand before the plaque.
downtown Atlanta pencil factory, was hung at daybreak following his kidnapping overnight from the state prison in Milledgeville. Frank was to have spent the remainder of his days there after Gov. John Slaton, in one of his last acts in office, commuted the death sentence Frank received. A jury found him guilty of the
April 26, 1913, murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan, who worked at the factory. Those planners and executioners of the lynching included leading citizens of Cobb County. Lebow, whose Reform congregation is located a few miles from the memorial, is a vocal advocate for a complete exoneration of Frank. He was granted a limited pardon by the state in 1986 on the grounds that he was denied a fair trial and that the state failed to protect him in prison. “You know, we have a saying that ‘justice delayed is justice denied,” Lebow told those assembled. “And Frank has had his justice delayed. He’s still guilty in the official records of the state of Georgia. Yet every historian, every politician, and every prosecutor knows that Leo Frank was innocent.” The restored memorial reads: “Near this location on August 17, 1915, Leo M. Frank, the Jewish superintendent of the National Pencil Company in Atlanta, was lynched for the murder of thirteen-yearold Mary Phagan, a factory employee. A highly controversial trial fueled by societal tensions and anti-Semitism resulted in a guilty verdict in 1913. After Governor John M. Slaton commuted his sentence from death to life in prison, Frank was kidnapped from the state prison in Milledgeville and taken to Phagan’s hometown of Marietta where he was hanged before a local crowd. Without addressing guilt or innocence, and in recognition of the state’s failure to either protect Frank or bring his killers to justice, he was granted a posthumous pardon in 1986.” Below those words are those who erected the marker: the Georgia Historical Society, the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, and Temple Kol Emeth.
The placement of the memorial is a sign, Lebow said, that the state of Georgia and the Georgia Historical Society “tacitly understand” that Frank was a victim, and not the killer. “So, we are slowly moving in our community to realize the horrors of lynching toward all, but also the ultimate exoneration of Leo Frank,” he said. Following the ceremony, as a crepe myrtle tree provided by the Southeast regional office of the Anti-Defamation League was planted several feet from the memorial, some in attendance took their turn placing a shovelful of dirt into the hole. Frank is buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery in the New York borough of Queens. His Atlanta-native widow, Lucille Selig Frank, never remarried and died in 1957, and her ashes are buried between her parents’ graves in the Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta. A little more than two miles west of the Leo Frank memorial, in the Marietta City Cemetery, is the grave of Mary Phagan. The organizers of the rededication ceremony – Lebow, the ADL, and Jerry Klinger, JASHP president – also ordered a floral wreath to be placed at Phagan’s gravesite. Klinger has been Lebow’s partner in efforts to restore the memorial. He called Lebow “a courageous individual” for his ongoing efforts to gain Frank formal exoneration. Klinger, a retired financial services executive who lives near Washington, D.C., paid for the Leo Frank memorial. He’s done the same for markers in 30 states and five countries that recall noteworthy events and people in Jewish American history. In his remarks, Klinger announced that GDOT has approved his plan to also place on that site a marker made of black
LOCAL NEWS Allison Padilla-Goodman, director of ADL Southeast region.
Photos by Ronen Schechter // Wreath provided by Jerry Klinger, Rabbi
Lebow and ADL for Mary Phagan at her gravesite.
Georgia marble that reads: “In respectful memory of the thousands across America denied justice by lynching; victims of hatred, prejudice, and ignorance. Between 1880-1946, ~570 Georgians were lynched. ADL, Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, Rabbi Steven Lebow, Temple Kol Emeth” That memorial will be 36 inches tall, 14 inches wide at its base and six inches in depth, and will be dedicated later this year. “I realized we had an opportunity to transform the meaning of this location beyond Leo Frank, to transform it into something of national significance,” Klinger said, calling it the first memorial in the United States dedicated to all victims of lynching. [Note: The National Memorial for Peace and Justice,” which opened April 26 in Montgomery, Ala., along with an accompanying museum, “is the nation’s first memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved black people, people terrorized by lynching, African Americans humiliated by racial segregation and Jim Crow, and people of color burdened with contemporary presumptions of guilt and police violence,” according to the memorial’s website.] In his remarks, attorney Dale Schwartz recounted the story of how the limited pardon was gained. In those years, as a member of the ADL’s Southeast region board, Schwartz was the lead counsel for the pardon application process. In 1982, 83-year-old Alonzo Mann, who had worked at the factory as a boy, told the Nashville Tennessean newspa-
per that he had seen another worker at the pencil factory, Jim Conley, carrying a girl’s limp body and that Conley had threatened him not to tell. In December 1983, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected an appeal that Frank be exonerated, saying that his innocence could not be proved beyond a shadow of doubt. On March 11, 1986, the board granted a posthumous pardon “without attempting to address the question of guilt or innocence and in recognition of the state’s failure to protect the person of Leo M. Frank and thereby preserve his opportunity for continued legal appeal of his conviction, and in recognition of the state’s failure to bring his killers to justice, and as an effort to heal old wounds.” Schwartz, now a prominent immigration attorney, recognized Lebow’s efforts. “Rabbi Lebow really has never let us slow down in trying to get Leo Frank exonerated.” “We hope that those who come to this green space in the future and read the story of the events that took place here in 1915 not only gain a greater understanding of what happened here, but also come away with an understanding of the role that historical markers play as an educational resource,” said Patricia Meagher, GHS communications director. The memorial rededication ceremony that began with a prayer by Rabbi Daniel Dorsch of Congregation Etz Chaim in Marietta ended with the chanting of “El Maleh Rahamim” by Cantor Barbara Margulis of Temple Kehillat Chaim in Roswell and the Kaddish recited by Lebow. ■
Jerry Klinger is president of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.
Left: Senior Rabbi Daniel Dorsch, Congregation Etz Chaim. Right: Rabbi Steve Lebow, Temple Kol Emeth.
ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES AUGUST 31, 2018 | 7
POLITICS RJC Holds Republican Political Forum
Chuck Berk, co-chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition of Atlanta, at the Republican candidate forum in Sandy Springs on Aug. 26.
Chuck Berk, co-chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition of Atlanta, had a couple of questions for the audience at the new City Springs complex in Sandy Springs. “How many of you in this room are supporters of Stacey Abrams? How many of you would like to see her elected?” Berk’s questions about the Democrat nominee for governor elicited chuckles, but no raised hands. And with that, the 175 men and women attending the Aug. 26 candidates’ forum sponsored by the RJC and the Fulton County Republican Party heard from the four men atop the GOP ballot in this November’s election.
First up was current Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who is seeking the top job. “We have never been at a more critical time in a gubernatorial election,” said Kemp, who faces Abrams in the race to succeed two-term Republican Gov. Nathan Deal. Touting the successes in business and technology development under Deal, Kemp asked, “Why do you want to go on a different path? Why do you want to go from having a small, efficient government that has us the best state in the country to do business in and go to a big government model that will cause you to raise taxes and will no doubt lower that business ranking?” “This is literally going to be a fight for the soul of our state,” he cautioned.
Secretary of State Brian Kemp, the Republican candidate for governor, addressing the Aug. 26 forum.
Audience members at the Republican candidate forum held at the City Springs Studio Theatre in Sandy Springs.
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Kemp assured the faithful that the necessary resources will be available. “You have seen the flow of outside money,” he said, referencing the funds Abrams has raised from outside Georgia. “And you’ve also seen it doesn’t matter how much they’ve got. As we say out in
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the country, it ain’t going to be enough, because we’re going to raise the money we need to and we’re going to work just as hard as they are.” Targeting what Republicans see as an Abrams vulnerability, Kemp said, “It’s important, particularly for people in the Jewish community that traditionally are Democratic voters, to know this is not your traditional Democratic candidate for governor. This is someone that’s hanging out with Linda Sarsour and is being funded by people like George Soros.” Abrams was photographed in January at a women’s rally in Atlanta with Sarsour, a Palestinian-American activist and organizer of the women’s march in Washington, D.C., the day after President Trump’s 2017 inauguration. Sarsour is also a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. Soros, whose financial support of various liberal causes has made him a frequent target of conservatives, has made the maximum allowable contributions to Abrams’ campaign. “As governor, I’m going to continue to carry the legacy [of former Republican Governors Purdue and Deal] by purchasing Israel bonds. I’m going to take an economic development trade mission to Israel in my first term,” said Kemp, who added, to applause, that “I’m going to continue to fight and spread the message that Israel has a right to exist as a state and will not invest in companies that support BDS.” Kemp noted that while Abrams was minority leader in the Georgia House, she voted against a 2016 measure – which passed and Deal signed into law – that bars the state from doing business with the companies that support BDS. Abrams explained her vote on the grounds that it
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would set a precedent of the state deciding which boycott efforts to support. “We’re in a tough situation right now because we’ve been in power for 16 years,” Kemp said. “We’ve got the greatest story to tell, and we’re going to do that. But we also cannot get complacent and think that everybody believes that story when there’s this other message that’s out there.” The last Democrat elected governor was Roy Barnes, who served 1999 to 2003. “It sounds great to have universal health care, and that’s what Stacey Abrams says she wants to do, but she’s not saying how much it’s going to cost. And she is saying she’s going to have to take your tax dollars to do that … instead of giving it back to you, like I want to do,” Kemp said.
Geoff Duncan, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, speaks to the forum hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Fulton County Republican Party.
Former state Rep. Geoff Duncan, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, picked up on Kemp’s theme about outside influences on the election. “I don’t think Georgia is ready for
POLITICS any liberals to be in control of our state government,” Duncan said. “I think this state …. cares too much about innocent lives, cares too much about smaller government instead of bigger government … cares too much about lowering taxes instead of looking for ways to increase taxes.” “Unfortunately, we’re not just running against Democrats in Georgia. We’re running against Democrats all over the country, including Hollywood. And they’re coming with everything they’ve got,” Duncan said. “This is the battleground, right here in Georgia. … This is the battleground and we’re going to prove that we’re right.”
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, who is seeking to secure his seat for another term, addresses the forum.
Brad Raffensperger, the Republican candidate for secretary of state, speaks at the City Springs Studio Theatre in Sandy Springs.
State Rep. Brad Raffensperger, who wants to succeed Kemp as secretary of state, discussed an issue popular with the Republican base. “My commitment to you is to make sure that only Americans vote in our elections,” Raffensperger said. He added that he supports updating Georgia’s voter rolls on a regular basis and cited a ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States upholding actions taken by Ohio officials. Noting that Georgia uses 16-year-old voting machines, Raffensperger said, “We need to have something with a verifiable paper audit trail.” He also used the occasion to mention a letter that he received in February 2017 from Ambassador Judith Varnai Shorer, Israel’s consul general to the Southeast in Atlanta, thanking him for introducing a House resolution promoting ties between Georgia and Israel.
Attorney General Chris Carr is running to retain his seat after his appointment by Gov. Deal in 2016, following the resignation of Sam Olens. Carr said that while Washington chief of staff for Republican U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson and then commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development for Deal, he accompanied both men on trips to Israel. Carr noted that the attorneys general of many states have gotten involved in federal issues. “We believe, however, in the principles of federalism, that the federal government has its role. The state government has its role. Local government has its role and we need to stay in our own lane,” he said. “I have confidence in Georgians to take care of clear air, clean water and health care,” he said. Carr listed issues he considers priorities: child sex trafficking, the opioid crisis, elder abuse, cyber crime, and the proliferation of criminal gangs. Along with several Republican General Assembly candidates and the father of an absent candidate, who spoke briefly at the end of the program, was Joe Profit. The former Atlanta Falcons running back is challenging Democratic incumbent Rep. Hank Johnson in Georgia’s fourth Congressional district. “I’m tired of hearing insults when I talk about the fourth district and Hank Johnson. I won’t embarrass you,” Profit said. ■
Photos by Ronen Schechter // The audience at the Aug. 26 Republican candidate
forum held at the City Springs Studio Theatre in Sandy Springs.
ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES AUGUST 31, 2018 | 9
ISRAEL PRIDE Good News From Our Jewish Home
The latest wave of olim from North America arrived in Israel this month.
Israel Welcomes Latest Group of American Immigrants
The latest wave of new immigrants from North America – 238 Olim, including 57 future Lone Soldiers – arrived in Israel Aug. 15. They came on a special aliyah flight chartered by Nefesh B’Nefesh, joining some 2,000 people immigrating to Israel the same way this summer. Onboard were 30 families, 90 children, and three sets of twins. A special welcome ceremony for the new Olim was held at Ben Gurion Airport upon the flight’s arrival and included more than 1,000 guests, friends, family members and Israeli dignitaries, including Aliyah and Integration Minister Sofa Landver, an immigrant from Russia, and Dr. Michael Oren, deputy minister in the prime minister’s office and a U.S. immigrant. This specially chartered flight was generously sponsored by Denver local
Today in Israeli History
Aug. 31, 1947: The U.N. Special Committee on Palestine, formed four months earlier, meets for the final time. Its majority report, endorsed by eight of the 11 nations on the panel, calls for Palestine’s partition into two states with an economic union. The minority report, backed by Iran, India and Yugoslavia, calls for a federation of Jewish and Arab states. Sept. 1, 1915: Chaim Weizmann, who is credited with playing a key diplomatic role in the issuance of the Balfour Decla10 | AUGUST 31, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES
Heidi Rothberg in coordination with Jewish National Fund-USA and facilitated in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah & Integration, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel, JNFUSA and Tzofim-Garin Tzabar. The group arrived on the second of two charter flights of the year. NBN will bring over 2000 immigrants to Israel this summer. In 2018, more than 70 years after the Holocaust, the world’s largest Jewish population lives in Israel. This figure represents 43 percent of world Jewry.
TMS as a treatment for major depression in 2008 and expanded the use to include TMS for treating pain associated with certain migraine headaches in 2013. Brainsway’s Deep TMS technology uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain and has already been applied in thousands of cases worldwide for clinical studies. It has also been enthusiastically embraced by leading research institutions worldwide, with over 60 clinical trials held across the globe.
Israeli OCD Treatment Can Be Sold in U.S.
On Aug. 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved marketing of the Brainsway Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation System for treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder. OCD is a common, chronic and longlasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, recurrent thoughts and behaviors and feels the urge to repeat over and over. OCD is typically treated with medication, psychotherapy or a combination of the two. Although most patients with OCD respond to treatment, some patients continue to experience symptoms. An Israeli company, Brainsway is dedicated to developing advanced technology solutions for the treatment of a variety of brain disorders, including OCD. The FDA permitted marketing of
ration more than two years later, is appointed as an honorary technical adviser to the British Admiralty on the supply of acetone, an important ingredient in the manufacture of the military explosive cordite. Weizmann, a chemist in Manchester, England, has developed an improved process for acetone production. Sept. 2, 1935: An estimated 80,000 mourners, roughly a quarter of the Jewish population of the Land of Israel, line the streets of Jerusalem for the funeral of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, who died of cancer the previous day. Rabbi Kook, who made aliyah in 1904, was appointed the British Mandate’s first Ashkenazi chief rabbi in 1921. Sept. 3, 2011: More than 450,000 Israelis take to city streets around the country in what is billed as the March of the Million, part of a summer of social
Brainsway’s OCD treatment received FDA approval to be sold in the U.S.
Changes in Nitrogen Metabolism Might Spell Cancer
Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science, with colleagues from the National Cancer Institute, have shown that in many cancers, the patient’s nitrogen metabolism is altered. This produces detectable changes in the body fluids and contributes to the emer-
justice demonstrations focused on affordable housing and relief from the high cost of living. Sept. 4, 1975: Israel and Egypt sign the Second Disengagement Agreement, brokered by U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, in Geneva. The deal includes Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai’s Abu Rudeis oil fields and Mitla and Gidi passes and the creation of a U.N.-monitored buffer zone. Sept. 5, 1972: Palestinian terrorists with Black September kill two Israeli Olympic team members and take nine others hostage during the Summer Games in Munich. The nine hostages and five of the eight terrorists are killed during a German rescue attempt at the Munich airport. Sept. 6, 2007: In Operation Orchard, conducted with U.S. knowledge, an Israe-
gence of new mutations in cancerous tissue. The study’s findings may help with early detection of cancer and predicting the success of immunotherapy. When the body uses nitrogen, urea, a nitrogenous waste substance, is produced in a chain of biochemical reactions that take place in the liver. Urea is expelled into the bloodstream and later excreted in the urine, called the urea cycle. In previous research, Dr. Ayelet Erez of Weizmann’s Biological Regulation Department showed that one of the enzymes in the urea cycle was inactivated within many cancerous tumors, increasing the availability of nitrogen for the synthesis of an organic substance called pyrimidine, which, supports RNA and DNA synthesis, and cancerous growth. In the new study, Erez’s team identified precisely defined alterations in other enzymes of the urea cycle, which together increase the availability of nitrogenous compounds, which lead to increased pyrimidine levels in the tumor and predispose the cancer to mutations. When the researchers made changes in the expression of urea cycle enzymes within mice's colon cancer tumors, they had lower urea levels in the blood, as well as detectable pyrimidine levels in the urine than the control group. After surveying the medical records of 100 pediatric cancer patients treated at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, the researchers "found that on the day of their admission to the hospital, children with cancer had significantly decreased urea levels in their blood, compared with documented levels of urea in healthy children of the same age,” Erez says. ■
In 1972, the Israeli Olympic team poses with the cast of a Munich performance of "Fiddler on the Roof."
li airstrike secretly destroys a suspected nuclear reactor at the military site of Al Kibar in northeastern Syria. ■ Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (www.israeled.org), where you can find more details.
BUSINESS Randi Zuckerberg brings Sue’s Tech Kitchen to Atlanta.
Zuckerberg’s Sue’s Tech Kitchen A Foodie Lab
Randi Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media and sister of Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is bringing Sue’s Tech Kitchen pop-up to Atlanta next month, according to Atlanta Inno. Sue’s Tech Kitchen is an “interactive edible experience” using technology to inspire children to embrace skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The pop-up will take place Sept. 14-16 at Emory Point, 855 Emory Point Drive. The kitchen is a “tech-fueled wonderland for the mouth and the mind,” according to its website. It was designed by a NASA scientist and features technology from “all corners of the modern imagination.” The national tour offers a sneak peek at the treats and tech under development in the kitchen’s lab. Visitors can enjoy such hands-on exhibits as 3D-printed s’mores, robots controlled by candy, edible chemistry experiments and treatdropping drones.
Hawks Join NBA eSports Teams
The Atlanta Hawks are joining esports, according to Atlanta Inno. The NBA 2K League, which began as the “eLeague” last year, announced that the Hawks would join three other NBA teams: the Brooklyn Nets; Los Angeles Lakers; and Minnesota Timberwolves, for the league’s second season in 2019, Esports Insider reported. The Hawks team will be called Hawks Talon GC and be part of the first official esports league run by a U.S. pro sports league. Last year, each game was broadcast for live-streaming on Twitch TV, attracting about 300,000 viewers. The 2K League held a live draft at Madison Square Garden in New York for its inaugural season. Each of the 17 teams drafted six players, all of which were required to have contracts with teams and salaries between $32,000 and $35,000, according to Esports Insider. Each team also had to relocate players to their home cities. Weekly matches were held at the NBA 2K League Studio Powered by Intel in Queens, N.Y. The four new teams, like the original 17, have committed to participate in the league for three years. The goal is to get 30 teams participating over the next few years, Brendan Donohue, NBA 2K League managing director, told Sports Business Daily, Esports Insider reported. ■ Business Briefs are compiled by Atlanta Jewish Times Staff. ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES AUGUST 31, 2018 | 11
EDITORIAL
Atlanta’s Alexander Muss High School in Israel Alumni and Friends to Celebrate Famed Educator Yossi Katz on September 6th
For 46 years, Alexander Muss High School in Israel (AMHSI-JNF) has been transforming the lives and minds of Jewish teenagers from across the country. And for 38 of them, Yossi Katz was at the heart of it, inspiring students and giving them invaluable lessons. The chance to honor Katz is the impetus for Atlanta’s celebration of AMHSI-JNF. Alumni from the past 40 years will gather on September 6 at 7:00 p.m. at a private residence to visit with Katz and to relive the experiences that shaped their lives. The celebration will highlight the impact of the program and provide insights to those families considering an exceptional immersive high school program for their teens. Katz was born in Philadelphia in 1956. He was a leader from a young age, having been involved with United Synagogue Youth and spending more than 15 summers at Camp Ramah in the Poconos as a camper, counselor and division head. Atlanta resident Bonnie Feig Cook, who spent over a decade at AMHSI-JNF, explains the significance of the study abroad experience and the unique bonds these teachers form with students. “I worked for the school in several capacities from 1977 until 1988 …I was consistently in awe of the impact that teachers like Yossi… had on the young people who were fortunate to have the experience.” Jacqueline Morris, a Jewish educator and alum of AMHSI-JNF said, “Muss was one of the most meaningful experiences in my life, being able to learn about the Jewish history and touching it at the same exact time was amazing. It created and shaped my love and passion for Israel which I now try to pass on to my students and my friends.” Parents and teens alike have come to value the incredible program AMHSI-JNF. Atlanta-based parent Reece Cohen, whose son attended this past summer explains, “Jackson’s experience with AMHSI-JNF was more than I could ever expect. …I knew that it was an experience of a lifetime based on the lack of calls and texts. He did text us with about a week left that he did not want to come home.” Over the years, teens who came to learn from across the United States, and many of which attended Atlanta’s own Weber School, were taken seriously by Katz. This is evidenced by his current and ongoing communication with countless alumni, some of which has lasted for decades, not to mention the expected attendance of over 100 people at the upcoming retirement event on September 6. And when the time came for Katz to dedicate his book, A Voice Called – Stories of Jewish Heroism, he honored the memory of Michael Levin, a former student and friend who had passed away too early. For information on attending, contact Beth Gluck, Atlanta Executive Director, at bgluck@jnf.org, 404.236.8990 x851.
12 | AUGUST 31, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES
EDITORIAL
Publisher's Note Home Depot is celey that Home Depot, Bernie Marcus ebrating its 40th anniBernie Marcus and and Arthur versary this year. Quite others had already Blank the milestone for one donated. "then" don of Fortune 500’s youngOne highlight of Home Depot est and most successful the night was bringaprons. companies ever – that ing the original senior is not in technology. executives together, Home Depot started in including Bernie Mar1978, opened its first cus, Arthur Blank, four stores in 1979, and Pat Farrah, Ron Brill went public in Septem- Rudy Giuliani, Arthur Blank, Ken Langone, Pat Farrah, Bernie Marcus, and their investment and Frank Siller at the Tunnel to Towers Foundation gala (also right). ber 1981 for $12 a share. banker, Ken Langone. Today, after splits, one share has grown to 342 shares, Many other notable executives were in attendance: Lareach valued at $200 this week (1 share at $12 is now val- ry Smith, the first general counsel of Home Depot unued at $68,000; a $1,000 investment is now worth over der Marcus; Rick Mayo, one of the two original buyers $5 million merely 40 years later). for Home Depot in 1978; Mitch Hart, a founding board An interesting piece of trivia: The first name con- member; Bryan Fields, head of real estate under Marcus; sidered before settling on Home Depot was Bad Bernie’s Craig Menear, the current CEO; and Frank Blake, the imBuildall, with a yellow motif. I wonder how that would mediate past CEO. The camaraderie during the evening have affected its growth? Anyway, I am not sure if Home was amazing. I don’t think this group has shared a stage Depot had any formal celebrations, but together in decades. the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers FounThe pinnacle of the evening, however, of giving $250 million to veteran causes over 10 years. dation had a dinner, and it was a marvelwas the successive speeches by Marcus, This gift sparked an additional $3 million in donations ous look back at Home Depot’s founding, Blake and Menear. Marcus spoke about that evening. A good night for Home Depot; a wonderful accolade growth and moral compass. how he created a culture of giving back to Marcus and Blank, who personally support veterans’ The event took place in New York City, to the communities in which Home Depot causes passionately; a meaningful evening for the Siller which is why many people in Atlanta didn’t thrives. He shared the genesis of how Home Foundation; and a big win for our respected, revered hear about it. Before I get to the event itDepot employees became first responders and treasured veterans. ■ self, let me give you a brief description of in their hometowns during times of hurthe Siller Foundation. Stephen Siller was a ricanes, floods and other crises. THEN | APRIL 21, 1978 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES firefighter in New York City and had gotten Michael Employees are known for bringoff the late shift early in the morning on Morris ing generators, tools, tarps, wood, Sept. 11, 2001. Before he made it all the way Publisher batteries and most importantly, home to Brooklyn, he heard over his scanmanpower, in times of need – with ner about a plane and a fire at the Twin Towers. He knew no expectations of being paid for material or this was going to be a big situation and immediately at- labor. Blake was given the credit for bringing tempted to turn his truck around, but the traffic going these same principles used in times of crisis back into the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel was already at to bear in hiring and support of our military. a standstill. He didn’t receive a formal call from his pre- Home Depot hires veterans and reservists; cinct; he did what almost every firefighter and police they support the families of their reservists officer would do; answer the public’s call to duty with- when they are on active duty; and they support out hesitation. He got out of his truck, strapped on 60 the families of service men and women when pounds of gear, ran through gridlock in the tunnel, and they are killed or catastrophically wounded. then across lower Manhattan to the Twin Towers, where Home Depot is a model Fortune 500 company he shortly lost his life saving others. Let that snapshot in the support and betterment of our military sink in for a moment. personnel. In Blake’s words, the number one Stephen’s brother, Frank, created the Siller Founda- principle at Home Depot is “do the right thing.” tion to honor his brother with the intent of helping first Finally, Menear spoke about how Home Depot responders. A main focus of the Foundation is build- is building on Blake’s work; enhancing the ing smart homes for catastrophically wounded first re- veteran and military programs to current day sponders and service men and women. (A catastrophi- needs; shifting the focus of the Home Depot cally wounded veteran is typically considered a person Foundation to major support of our veterans; to have lost three or more limbs.) The Siller Founda- and announcing an additional $1.5 million tion has thus far been grant to the involved in creating a Siller Foundatotal of 75 homes. The tion. This made gala dinner this year the company’s used Home Depot’s total gifts to the 40th anniversary as a Siller Foundaleverage point to raise tion $10 million money to build more and brought homes; it was also a Home Depot Bad Bernie’s Buildall was the first identity the company thank you for the moncloser to its goal considered before settling on Home Depot. ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES AUGUST 31, 2018 | 13
THEN & NOW Toco Hills, Then and Now To a newcomer, it might seem that the vibrant, bustling, well-structured Orthodox Jewish community in the Toco Hills neighborhood, home to young professionals, families and Holocaust survivors alike, has been long rooted in Atlanta. But in fact, it took decades to develop. Steve Gilmer, who opened one of the city’s first kosher groceries, The Kosher Gourmet, in 1983, says that many people have no idea. When con- Fran M. struction recently forced Putney walkers to inconveniently cross the street, Gilmer said he remembers when there were no sidewalks at all. “They don’t realize how far we’ve come,” he said. “The community has blossomed over many years due to the growth of Beth Jacob and what Rabbi Emanuel Feldman started.” When Beth Jacob’s leadership purchased the land on Lavista Road to construct the new synagogue building for the growing congregation in the early THEN | DECEMBER 2, 1993 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES
14 | AUGUST 31, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES
1960s, there were no Jews at all in the area, let alone Orthodox Jews. Geographically, the area along and around Lavista Road between Briarcliff and North Druid Hills roads was a developing area in DeKalb County. Rabbi Ilan Feldman has been spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Jacob since the retirement 27 years ago of his father, Rabbi Emanuel Feldman. “When my family moved into Toco Hills, my brothers and I played on construction sites and in the tributaries of Peachtree Creek,” recalled the younger Feldman. “Lavista Road was a state highway elevated from the land around it, almost like a train bed, so we had to walk on a gravel siding when walking to and from synagogue on Shabbat.” And in those days Beth Jacob was an Orthodox congregation in name only, Feldman said. Creating a true Orthodox synagogue “was an active vision,” he said. “My father was addressing a generation of people who needed to Ameri-
Photo by Fran Putney // Lydia Schloss,
A 1980s photograph of Rabbis Emanuel and Ilan Feldman, who helped make Orthodox Toco Hills what it is today.
canize themselves and become indistinguishable. His theme to them was that you can be a normal American and yet be an observant Jew. My father emphasized slow, incremental growth. The synagogue managed to create an atmosphere of fun, warmth and unity.” As people began to embrace a Torahcentered life, some moved into the neighborhood, and by the 1970s, it became more common to see people walking to shul on Shabbat.
Jodi Wittenberg and Tzippy Teller are co-owners of The Spicy Peach in the Toco Hills Shopping Center.
By the 1980s, the need for neighborhood Jewish schools became apparent. Through the efforts of families and religious leaders, Torah Day School of Atlanta was founded in 1985. Temima High School for Girls came a decade later, and in 2002 Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael became a local option for Orthodox boys. In 2003, TDSA built and moved into its current 10-acre campus on Lavista Road, and by 2015, students at Temima (now called Temima, The Richard & Jean Katz High School for Girls) attended classes in its new 18,000-square-foot building, after years in portable trailers. Today celebrating its 30th year, the Atlanta Scholars Kollel emerged in the late 1980s as an important institution serving both Toco Hills and greater Atlanta as a place for dedicated Torah scholars and as an important source of community outreach programming. By all accounts, one of the most impactful additions to the Orthodox community was the creation of the Toco Hills eruv in 1992. An eruv is an area enclosed by a wire boundary that essentially mixes households and public areas, which enables observant Jews to carry out activities otherwise forbidden on the Sabbath. “The eruv transformed the landscape on Saturday,” Feldman said. “Before that, it used to be a walking neighborhood for men. Now you could bring young children to shul, host each other, and visit. It wasn’t necessary before then because there wasn’t the critical mass that needed it.” The 1990s also brought the addition of a free-standing mikvah (ritual bath) as well as new synagogues, including Congregation Ner Hamizrach, a Sephardic Orthodox congregation, and Young Israel of Toco Hills, a Modern Orthodox congregation. Rabbi Adam Starr arrived in Atlanta in 2008 from New York to assume the spiritual leadership of Young Israel. Like many of the smaller shuls in Toco Hills,
THEN & NOW
Photos courtesy of Beth Jacob
Rabbi Ilan Feldman as a child in front of his father Rabbi Emanuel Feldman (cener) at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Beth Jacob synagogue on Lavista Road in 1961.
Young Israel met for many years in a converted home on Lavista Road, but as testimony to the community’s growth, Young Israel celebrated Rosh Hashanah 2014 in its long-awaited new synagogue building (located, ironically, on the block between Christmas and Merry lanes). A decade ago, he recalled, Young Israel had a membership of roughly 150 families compared to about 225 today, with at least a dozen joining just this summer. “The big blessing of our congregation is the amount of children,” Starr said. “On Shabbat mornings, there are strollers everywhere, youth everywhere – from high school kids to little babies. It’s a blessing to see such a bright Jewish future.” Access to kosher meats and groceries, restaurants and stores offering Jewish ritual items and other Judaica is vital to the neighborhood. And while once there were just a few options in the area, such as The Kosher Gourmet and Chosen Treasures, which continue to serve the community, now there are many. Gilmer said that because of the market’s growth, some of his biggest competition comes from Kroger, Publix and Costco, which sell kosher foods, meats and wines, including for Passover. Lydia Schloss, Tzippy Teller (Schloss’s daughter) and Jodi Wittenberg are co-owners of The Spicy Peach, which sells a large variety of groceries, gifts and specialty items, including kosher ethnic foods like Mexican and Thai. Schloss described the “amazing” community reception when the store opened in the Toco Hill Shopping Center in January 2014. Despite a snowstorm, “It was jam-packed. People were so excited,” she said. Now customers come from all over the South, and the business is soon to enter the ecommerce market, Schloss said. Today, with its complete infrastruc-
Photos courtesy of Young Israel // Exterior of
Congregation Young Israel of Toco Hills (above), pre-construction demolition and sanctuary (right) completed in 2014.
ture and amenities for an Orthodox life, Toco Hills attracts people of all ages from all over, and no longer suffers from what Feldman called the “brain drain,” where young people would leave Atlanta to begin their careers and start families in established Orthodox communities such as New York, Los Angeles or Detroit. For a neighborhood that once had no Jews, today Toco Hills is home to a diverse Jewish community, including at least a half-dozen congregations representing various types of Orthodoxy, as well as Congregation Bet Haverim, a Reconstructionist congregation that bought Young Israel’s former building. Feldman and Starr say it’s important to have a collaborative community no matter where one attends shul. Last year, for example, Toco Hills congregations put out the welcome mat for Hurricane Irma “refugees” from Florida needing Sabbath-observant communities. And in June, it was in Beth Jacob’s Heritage Hall that the community worked together to achieve a world record for assembling the largest Israeli flag ever from cookies, a project that raised more than $100,000 for nonprofits in Israel. This year Beth Jacob is celebrating its 75th anniversary. When asked what that milestone feels like for him, Feldman answered: “It’s like -- how does it feel to breathe oxygen? It’s all I know. It’s not separate for me. As a rabbi serving the community I grew up in, it’s exceptionally meaningful to me to serve the people I’ve know my entire life, or generations of them. It just feels very rooted.” A relative newcomer to Toco Hills, Starr observed, “What’s really most beautiful here on a Shabbat morning around 11:30 or so when the synagogues are letting out along Lavista Road is everyone wishing each other good Shabbos, Shabbat shalom … it’s a beautiful thing.” ■
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THEN | APRIL 2, 1993 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES
THEN & NOW
OVS Founders Map Details Century-Old Jewish Atlanta By Rachel Fayne The project began 20 years ago when Congregation Or VeShalom member Dan Maslia’s son handed him a map of Jewish Atlanta from almost a century ago. Houses and structures of the time were delineated, and the map detailed the area from Memorial Drive south to Bass Street, then east to An image of the popular Peachtree Capitol Avenue before heading north. Street in 1887. It looked slightly different more than 100 years ago. It was a 20-square-block radius of the history of where Jews had lived in the Image courtesy of the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum 1900s, and it even included Turner family or person lived on each street. The Hebrew Benevolent Temple sits on Pryor and The front page of the directory Field. As a native Atlantan, Maslia’s He was able to see that his father had Richardson streets in the late 19th or early 20th century. displays photos of OVS residences interest was peaked, and his research moved four times within the area and from the early 20th century. began. Now, two decades later, the Or locate each home in which he lived. The research yieldVeShalom Founders Map Project is available for anyone tories with all the streets and houses in Atlanta,” Maslia ed about 350 Sephardic homes and propelled Maslia to who would like to see it. said. “We started with the year 1918, and we looked for continue his investigation. He eventually also developed This map of Atlanta’s south side represents the area books and directories from that area. We didn’t know an alphabetical listing of everyone who lived in those where the majority of Jews lived in the early part of the what we were really doing yet, so we took photos of each houses and compared much of his research to the 1934 20th century. Ashkenazim were the first to arrive, but page we thought might be useful with our cell phones. census of OVS congregants. Many of the buildings go more Sephardim came to the area in 1906. When Maslia When we were done, we had about 500 to 600 pages.” back much further though. The project went as far back began researching the people who lived in that area, Having been born in Atlanta and living here for as to profile the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation, the he knew that quite a few Jewish families were there al- much of his life, Maslia was familiar with many of the predecessor of The Temple, between Pryor and Richready. It wasn’t until he did further investigation that names and families found in his research, particularly ardson streets and the Hebrew Orphans Home that he realized how big this project could possibly be. “My those of congregants of OVS. He began to place those spanned the entire block of Washington Street. Also wife and I decided to visit the Breman Museum and the names and streets of OVS members from the years of visible is The Standard Club from 1905 on Washington Atlanta History Center, and we started to find the direc- 1918 to 1941 on a spreadsheet and plotted where each Street, originally the mansion of William C. Sanders. It
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moved in the 80s to Johns Creek. The map project has elicited the attention of people not only from OVS, but from the larger Jewish community and Atlanta. Many of the families profiled and their relatives, including Maslia and his family, are still living in the area today. “People have been contacting me,” Maslia said. “People who lived in that area have been interested to see where their friends or their friends’ families lived. Many of my Ashkenazi friends called me and recognized some or their businesses or their relatives’ businesses. It’s a nice feeling.” The Atlanta History Center, the history department of Georgia State University, and the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum have copies of the lists, and Maslia has published his collection. In conjunction with the OVS history committee, he has made the map with all of its findings available for purchase. An accompanying booklet containing the exact addresses of more than 150 OVS members who arrived in Atlanta beginning in 1906 is also available. Because of the interest and success of his first publication, Maslia is now working on his second. He’s identifying businesses within that 20-block radius, and at 425 businesses so far, he’s close to completing the research. The project has taken the better part of two years, but will be finished within five or six weeks and be available shortly after that. “We did this primarily for the benefit of the people who lived there, but also for their children and their grandchildren to see where they lived,” Maslia said. “There are so many synagogues. Starting from 1918 to 1941, this is where we all were. It’s a glimpse for all those people into another era. It’s our history as Jews.” ■ To buy the map and booklet for $28, contact OVS Executive Director Adam Kofinas at 404-633-1737.
THEN & NOW
Temple Sinai Reaches the Big 5-0 By Logan C. Ritchie
Temple Sinai’s first confirmation class.
Legend has it that a couple After he got of dads were sitting on a back married, Deitch porch, watching their kids play in “did the tour de synthe yard. They wondered aloud if agogue. Sinai still their young sons would one day felt like home. It has grow up, stand on the bimah and the right balance of become b’nai mitzvah. The longer spirituality and inthey talked, the faster they realtellectualism.” ized that Atlanta needed a differDeitch and his ent kind of Reform synagogue. brothers are still The year was 1968. active at Temple Rabbi Richard Lehrman speaks on the chilly winter At the time, The Temple was Sinai. David led day in 1973 when Temple Sinai broke ground. the only Reform synagogue in the environmental the area. As a classical Reform congregation in the late time when he saw that the clascommittee, while 1960s, The Temple was not performing b’nai mitzvah. Daniel taught Sunsical Reform movement was not Alfred Messer, an Emory psychiatrist, and James fulfilling the needs of its youngday school for 20 Smulian, a businessman, gathered 30 people to discuss er members. In the creation of years and Jonathan Adult education has always been a priority at Temple Sinai. the formation of The New Northside Congregation. The Temple Sinai, he attempted to helped with sound families of Milton Deitch, Joel Goldberg, Arthur Hey- provide a place of refuge from engineering. Joel man, Gary Metzel and Ron Rosen were all involved in the systems and pressures of the modern world.” taught Sunday school and serves on the archive comthe earliest days. Congregants say it was a gray, drizzly day when mittee. In 1968, the United States was in a tumultuous state. they hiked up a muddy hill at Dupree Drive to see the “It really is a living congregation that reinvented itRobert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. were as- unveiling of a new life. Carrying umbrellas and pushing self over and over again. The foundation of the egalitarsassinated that year. The Vietnam War was in full swing. strollers, new members faced the cool winter weather to ian congregation in 1968 has evolved over time. It is in Race riots filled the streets of New York, Washington, birth Temple Sinai. our DNA that these were important values,” Joel Deitch D.C., and Detroit. It has been 50 years since the small havurah was es- said. “With openness, teamwork and durability Sinai is Jews in Atlanta reflected that restlessness. A com- tablished by the Union of Reform Judaism. Fifty years of adapting as the world around us changes.” ■ munity meeting held by the founding families, some building community, raising members of The Temple and Ahavath Achim Synagogue, money, accepting members attracted more than 120 people. The word spread about and establishing an Atlanta a new Reform congregation forming with Rabbi Rich- institution. ard Lehrman – coming off his two-year contract as The Bonnie Aronin recalled Temple’s assistant rabbi – and people were captivated. teaching religious school Rabbi Jacob Rothschild from The Temple gave his classes in an open concept blessing. floor plan. Seventh-, eighthWithin a month, 145 families joined the congre- and ninth-grade students gation, renamed Temple Sinai. Lehrman led Shabbat came during the week for eduservices at Birney Elementary School on Northside cation, and a 10th-grade conParkway, and attracted Jews from Buford Highway to firmation class was formed. Southwest Atlanta. “I’ve watched the commuBy fall 1968, Temple Sinai’s religious school classes nity come full circle. So many began with more than 400 children. kids who grew up at Temple Each synagogue member interviewed by AJT re- Sinai came back to Atlanta to called that Lehrman was a charismatic leader. “Lehrman join as adults,” said Aronin, was bright, well-learned, and a good teacher. He was a whose grandson had a bar great presence,” said Arthur Heyman, charter member mitzvah at Temple Sinai in and past president. 2016. “One of my former stuJan Epstein and her husband, Warren, were char- dents is now my eye doctor.” ter members and Jan was its first female president in Son of founders Milton addition to co-founding The Davis Academy. She said and Sara Deitch, Joel Deitch the founding principles of Lehrman were simple: Get reflected on growing up at to know all members; perform b’nai mitzvot; and no Temple Sinai. plaques or dedications permitted so each member felt “The founding memequal in the community. bers put in a lot of hours and “He captured us. We became instantly involved. meetings to make this thing Then we had to make a decision about belonging to two successful. Its success came synagogues.” from it being a labor of love,” Just 10 years after the founding of Temple Sinai, said Deitch, recalling a feeling Rabbi Lehrman died at age 41. It was a tragedy that of pride that his mother and struck the entire community, and the only time in 50 father were building a comyears Temple Sinai conducted a rabbi search. munity from the ground up. His obituary in the Nov. 16, 1979 issue of The South- “I belong here. It fits, it’s comern Israelite reads: “Rabbi Lehrman came to Atlanta at a fortable, it’s light.” ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES AUGUST 31, 2018 | 19
THEN & NOW
Jewish Bainbridge Small Town Beginnings Ed Wolffe and Dr. Robert Grollman have been friends since they were 3 years old, living in Bainbridge, Ga. Now in their mid-70s, Wolffe lives in Roswell and Grollman in Sandy Springs. They often eat Friday night dinners and go on vacations together. When the popular Sandy Springs restaurant, The Brickery, was open, they’d run into another former Bainbridge resident, Sarah Gail Ehrlich Hytowitz, who lives in Johns Creek. Growing up Jewish in a small Georgia town, sharing common, Rabbi Irvin Ehrlich and the late Rabbi unique and historical experiences, Joseph Friedman at Temple Beth El. created lifelong relationships for these now longtime residents of Atlanta. In 1950s Bainbridge, there was They may not get back to Bainbridge “nothing to dislike or hate or fear,” says very often, but they stay in close con- Wolffe. “We never locked the doors. It tact. Wolffe frequently talks to his sister, was a simpler time.” His parents never Roslyn Palmer, a 32-year veteran of the explicitly told him what to do with his Bainbridge City Council and president life, but there were “silent nudges.” They of Temple Beth El. And Grollman occa- wanted him to marry a Jewish girl, go to sionally sees his brother, Joseph “Jody,” in college and not live in Bainbridge. He met Bainbridge. his (Jewish) wife Barbara “Bainbridge was a great and they were members of place to grow up,” says Temple Emanu-El in Sandy Grollman, a dentist who Spring for years while their has volunteered with the children were growing up. Ben Massell Dental Clinic Hytowitz and her husfor more than 40 years. “We band, Allan, are celebrating had an active congregation their 45th year as members when I was growing up and of Temple Sinai. She says a good-size cemetery. But it they attend services nearly would probably be tough to Jan every Friday night and her live there after living in a husband enjoys Torah study Jaben-Eilon metropolitan area,” says the on Saturdays there. Their former Temple Sinai memmembership predates Rabbi ber. Phil Kranz’s leadership at Sinai. Wolffe was born at Piedmont HospiHytowitz’s relationship with Kranz tal, “when it was on Piedmont Avenue,” started in Bainbridge. “In 1968, we didn’t and lived with his grandmother in Atlan- have a rabbi at Temple Beth El,” she says. ta while his father was in the Army until “We would go to Albany for high holiday he moved to Bainbridge at age 3. He re- services. My brother was studying to be calls a peak of maybe 10 Jewish children a rabbi at Hebrew Union College and at in a 3-year-old age group at Temple Beth one point we asked them to send us a El. So when he visited his aunt in Savannah over two summers to take Hebrew lessons before his bar mitzvah, it was an overwhelming experience. “There were thousands of Jewish kids. They were all like me!” To this day, he still remembers the song blasting on the radio at the time: Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog.”
Ehrlich Drug Store, 1945.
student rabbi. Phil Kranz came to Bainbridge for two weeks. He and my mother really connected.” There have been Jews in Bainbridge for decades. The Ehrlich family, particularly, has a long history in the southwest Georgia town, Hytowitz recounts. “Abraham Ehrlich was a peddler who fought for the South in the Civil War. My grandfather had a pharmacy where my father and brother also worked. Now it’s a Chinese restaurant.” Although she moved to Atlanta in 1972, her ties with Bainbridge remain strong. “We talk about growing up there all the time. We could go outside and play. If you stood on our front porch, you could see the synagogue and we were close to my father’s store.” Because she was the only Jewish child of her age growing up, in kindergarten she became close friends with 17 other girls who have continued to vacation at the beach together every summer. She’s the only Jewish member. “I am immensely involved with that group. I still have a tremendous connection to Bainbridge.” Still, she says the best thing about living in Atlanta is her ability to experience Judaism more fully. In her 30s, she
Ehrlich home on Shotwell, then and now. 20 | AUGUST 31, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES
had a bat mitzvah. “I’m Jewish and I want to continue being a Jew, so we’ll stay in Atlanta.” There’s one big difference between Jewish life in small towns vs. large cities, says Lee Shai Weissbach, professor of history emeritus at the University of Louisville. “Negotiations,” he underlines. “In large cities, if there’s an argument between congregants at a synagogue, a group just breaks off and starts a new congregation. In small towns, there are just not enough Jews to support more than one congregation, says the Philadelphia-based author of “Jewish Life in Small-Town America: A History,” who studied communities of anywhere from 100 to 999 Jews. The tight-knit Bainbridge Jewish community has other historical ties. Grollman and Wolffe’s fathers, both active in the local Lion’s Club, were in the same district as Jimmy Carter. “We knew him even before he ran for governor,” says Grollman, referring to the future Georgia governor and U.S. president. “I’ve got all kinds of correspondence from Jimmy Carter to my family, letters that they had written back and forth before he was president and even while he was president,” Grollman recounts in the testimony he gave to the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum Esther and Herbert Taylor Jewish Oral History Project of Atlanta. Even as the world has changed over the decades, so has Bainbridge. As Jody Grollman points out, he has a Walmart less than two miles away. “So, I don’t need to move” to a big city, he laughs. Palmer brags about the recent major announcement that gun manufacturer Taurus USA is moving its corporate headquarters to Bainbridge from Miami. “It will mean 300 to 350 jobs here. They’ve already started the ground work and it’s due to open in 2020.” So much for small-town living! ■ This is the second in a series of articles about Jewish life in small towns, sponsored by Atlanta-based Jewish Community Legacy Project. Watch for the next story about Atlanta Jews who grew up in small Georgia towns.
THEN & NOW
Local Beauty Martha Jo Katz Looks Back investing $2,000 to $3,000 in a dress or $900 on one blouse was the high end … perhaps equivalent now to a ball gown for $10,000. Jaffe: Some folks think that modeling is very glamorous, easy work. Can you evoke a fun memory? Katz: I recall shooting a TV commercial in a thin silk dress in freezing temperatures. I was dashing in and out of the nearby running car to be by the heater.
Martha Jo Katz, then (left) and now.
Martha Jo Katz’s name is synSol Kent, a Jewish man from Columbus, onymous with beauty and Southern Georgia, who was the Rich’s director of graciousness. Her wedding in Fitzgerald, fashion. He put on fabulously produced Ga., (1961) is part of the William Breman runway shows, most notably Fashionata, Jewish Heritage Museum’s “Martha (starting in 1967) which culminated at Jo Felson Katz’s Family the Fox Theatre and benefitPapers.” In 1966, she became ted charities. We did shows Atlanta’s fashion doyenne at The Standard Club; and modeling for Rich’s and even The Temple donor other top-flight events luncheon was a fashion ranging from those at The happening. Standard Club to the Fox Theatre Project Runway. Jaffe: For which de“Being in Sol Kent’s annual signers did you model? Rich’s Fashionata was like Katz: Perry Ellis, Marcia a Broadway show.” Follow Halston, Pauline Trigère, Katz’s career as she orgaAnne Klein, and Bill Blass. Caller Jaffe nized Atlanta’s models into Interestingly I had no agent a professional collaboration, then on to and dealt directly with the fashion the hotel event planning business and houses. Subsequently I helped form the volunteerism. Atlanta Model’s Guild where our rates were negotiated. Jaffe: How does a small-town girl like you from Ocilla, Georgia, develop Jaffe: What do you recall about into a Halston beauty? Phipps Plaza 50 years ago, in 1968? Katz: I was always in front of an auKatz: The Gimble family (original dience. I even had the Virgin Mary part owners of Saks Fifth Avenue) sent down in the school Christmas play (laughing). I Harry Berkowitz three weeks prior to loved to dance: the polka, country music, the store’s grand opening. We had a you name it. I was a majorette and drill series of private parties ... those were the team leader. days with the Seligs, Zabans, OberFast forward to Atlanta in 1966 after dorfers, and Reisers – stylish Atlanta having my second child, I ambled into women. Rich’s and filled out an index card for modeling. Two weeks later I got a call Jaffe: What are some of the trends to come in to do a hat show for Frank you experienced? Olive. Katz: There were the “Twiggy” thin years with individual eyelashes put on Jaffe: That was your springboard? top and bottom. Then there was intense Katz: Yes, then I did TV commerblue eye shadow. Mostly we were into cials for Rich’s and expansions for their couture, classic suits and formal wear Lenox and Perimeter stores. I allied with that endured the test of time. In 1981
Jaffe: What’s professional life like for you now? Katz: I retired from this kind of work in 1983. I kept “in the game” with exciting events like opening the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead and appearing in [Southern] Seasons Magazine. I do “lifestyle” modeling like starring in a TV commercial for Cox [Communications]. Of course, I had a long career in the event planning/hospitality business for the Swissôtel and InterContinental Hotel. I chaired “Wine, Women and Shoes
Atlanta” to raise money for women’s cancer research and treatment. Perhaps my most rewarding job these days is chairing the opening night gala for the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. There are two phrases from fashion icons that describe Katz: “Fashion fades, style is eternal,” said Yves Saint Laurent, and “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous,” according to Coco Chanel.■
William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum
The 1961 wedding of Martha Jo Felsen to Jerry Herbert Katz, flanked under their chuppah by Devara Felson Goodman and Morris Katz.
ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES AUGUST 31, 2018 | 21
THEN & NOW
Alon’s 25 Years: A Feast for the Senses By Marcia Caller Jaffe
kets of the world to bring artisan-quality, reasonable food to Atlanta. What we have here is a full ‘experience.’” His culinary knowledge and passion are manifested in his execution of so many “made from scratch” gourmet items. Every salad dressing, soup, spread, bread, pizza, and dessert is guarded under his watchful eyes. Balshan admits to “breathing down employees’ necks” to assure that every recipe is followed and served
Alon Balshan dreamt of bringing his vision of Parisian pastry and homemade breads to a dining market concept in 1992, when Atlanta was ripe for clean Mediterranean style food. With a “light” $48,000, he opened the Alon’s Morningside location, followed in 2008 by the expansive Perimeter destination. “I knew I Alon Balshan serves food with had an immediate hit passion and thought. He opened 25 when I saw the same years ago on a modest budget and ladies come back three laid the building’s tile himself, but times in 24 hours. Fast now has more than 170 employees. forward 25 years, alproperly. most everything you see here is homemade, even the marmalade, … probably Jaffe: How would you describe the more so than any other market,” Balshan “vibe” at Alon’s Perimeter versus Mornsaid. ingside? “In Israel I learned about European Balshan: Morningside is a tiny pastries in the coffee shops of Holocaust neighborhood café and market with survivors. I have traveled the great mar- warm brick decor. Our customers there
Photos by Angie Moser // Balshan grew up in Israel studying European pastries in coffee shops (dessert case pictured left). Greek salad (right) with feta cheese complementing the fresh ingredients.
are very loyal, many foodies. Here at Perimeter we have much more space (5,000 sq. ft) and see a lot of businesspeople throughout the week. It’s a “happening” and complete experience: the lighting, the warm ochre terra cotta walls, …. wafting aromas. Jaffe: You grew up in Ashdod, Israel. How did your home life influence your art? Balshan: My Egyptian mother was always cooking. Her best dish was molokeya: beef, bones, garlic, coriander, cumin, chopped greens similar to mint leaves, over rice. She put turmeric in everything to add color. Now we know how it is touted as an anti-inflammatory. I served in the IDF and went to culinary school in Herzliya. My parents wanted me to be a doctor or violinist (laughing). I came to Atlanta in 1986 and worked for Engelman’s Bakery. They were very supportive and helped with my green card. I looked around Atlanta and saw an opening in the market for the quality food experience that Alon’s provides. Jaffe: The word “artisan” is used a great deal. What makes your pizza “artisan”? Balshan: “Artisan” means top quality and made with great care. Before I added pizza to the menu here four years ago, I went to Italy to study the ovens, dough, the flatbreads … every detail. We make our own sourdough crust in-house (takes two days). I serve a juicy thin pizza that’s almost gooey in the center, but blistered around the edges. It’s like eating pasta. My theory is that pita and pizza are interconnected as Italy was once ruled by Arabs. A pizza made in Jaffa will be different than one made in Milan. The bigger the loaf, the cooler the oven.
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We heat for only 90 seconds! Jaffe: Do you do anything special for Jewish holidays? Balshan: We have year-round holiday menus (for take out). Our Rosh Hashanah menu features chicken soup, matzah balls, tzimmes, round challah (even honey wheat), kale salad with miso dressing, hand-chopped chicken liver, brisket cooked with red wine, apple sponge cake, strudel, babka, dozens more items. Our “Shana Tova” gift basket is the perfect hostess gift. We have a terrific Break the Fast menu. Note that we are not certified as kosher; but I serve no pork products. Even my sausage is made from lamb. Jaffe: How do you accommodate dietary requests? Balshan: I am gradually rolling out gluten-free items like bostock French pastry, a brioche with almond cream. Next, we will work on sandwiches. We start with an idea, but figuring it out and executing it to perfection is the challenge. Clean food is my signature … almost everything you see here is fresh with natural coloring. There may be two cans in the whole kitchen – coconut milk and crushed tomatoes. Jaffe: Where do you see Alon’s in the next few years? Balshan: Our business model also includes wholesaling baked goods to over 60 restaurants, and desserts like macaroons to Whole Foods. We cater small and middle-sized events: b’nai mitzvot, weddings (under 200), corporate spreads, Emory events, house parties. I am opening a 20,000-sqare-foot facility on Peachtree Industrial. I have thought of every detail in efficiency and cleanliness like epoxy flooring. Other than that, I am very impulsive and do not like long-term planning. Here’s what I’m looking forward to: every Friday at 3 p.m., my Israeli buddies come here for my hummus. That’s THE BEST compliment! ■
THEN & NOW
Two Local Jewish Centenarians: All About Contentment Much has been written about the and children. Jaffe: How did you spend your young trends and keys to longevity. One study last year (“Life Expectancy in the U.S. is Lag- adulthood? Berlin: I was a volunteer Red Cross ging,” World Economic Forum) predicts nurse “driver.” We went to that the average South Korean jails to get blood from priswill live six years longer than oners. Interestingly we only the average American. Others got it from the executive(“Eating to Break 100,” April type white collar criminals. 2015, Eliza Barclay) address the I got a teaching degree and Blue Zones – parts of Greece, taught third grade at James Sardinia, Japan, and Costa Rica, L. Key Elementary School. I and Loma Linda, Calif.– where married late. I just couldn’t there are pockets of remarkable get him to agree to it so easlongevity based on diet, walking ily (laughing). and social interaction. Marcia Sacks: I was in the CanaWhat does Judaism tells us Caller Jaffe dian Army and served durabout old age? With Abraham Jaffe's Jewish Jives ing the war in England, Italy living to 175 and Moses, 120, Deuteronomy 34:7 states that their “eyes and Holland. I drove tow trucks to recover were undiminished and vigorous.” Hasidic wrecked vehicles. Rabbi Nachman Breslov said that “Jews are Jaffe: Do you have a special diet/exerforbidden to feel old.”And as we wish others good tidings, we say, “May you live to cise regime that keeps you healthy? Sacks: I had a heart attack in 2011, 120!” Two unrelated high-functioning cente- which slowed me down a little. Now I do 75 narians, Sarah Berlin at the age of 104 and push-ups a day and lift 10-pound weights. I Ralph Sacks at the age of 100, shared their avoid a lot of sugar, but basically eat what I want. wisdom and memories. Berlin: For 30 years I walked three Jaffe: What do you recall about the miles every day. I take vitamins. I eat what I want to also. early days in Atlanta? Berlin: We lived by Oakland Cemetery Jaffe: A huge predictor of longevity is in Grant Park. Our store sold work clothes and was at Five Points, Decatur Street. At- family history. Did either of your parents lanta was a “hick town.” Street cars. No live a long life? Both: Not at all. Quite the contrary. buses that I recall. Sacks: Coming from Canada in 1948, Jaffe: How about hobbies? we were shocked by Georgia segregation. Berlin: I play canasta, attend lectures My wife was puzzled by the label “colored” on water fountains. She was literally not and current events discussions. I like opunderstanding the white porcelain of the era. I used to be a good cook. My specialties fountain base. Around 1960 we started to were potato salad (my secret is pimientos see changes at restaurants and theatres. and the right pickles) and mandel bread. We lived on Ponce De Leon right next to the Funny story: I volunteered at Emory Hospipopular Ponce City Market. tal for 40 years and made mandel bread for the cardiologists. The docs used to say, “My Jaffe: What was Jewish life like? wife sure did like those cookies if you can Sacks: Rabbi Harry Epstein was at make some more.” Ahavath Achim downtown, where the Sacks: I still attend Sabbath services bimah was in the center. He was transi- weekly. I love classical music and read the tioning the congregation from Orthodox daily newspaper. I do enjoy my cocktails. I to Conservative. Another memory was the have a drink before dinner – vodka, bourrabbi was always fighting with Cantor [Jo- bon, or rye. I do not like scotch or gin. I esseph] Schwartzman. pecially enjoy the open bar wine events we My wife was head of early childhood have here. education at the Atlanta Jewish Communi ty Center within the Jewish Alliance downJaffe: Describe the state of mind that town, then moving to a Buckhead location, has sustained you? which was in a mansion. This was before Berlin: I smile all the time and never the AJCC building on Peachtree. complain. Berlin: My father, Charles Leffkov, Sacks: That’s right. I am content. I a tailor at Muse's, was one of the original think longevity is luck. charter signatures for Ahavath Achim Synagogue in 1900. His name is on the cornerJaffe: Leave us with a laugh. stone. At that time, there were 115 original Berlin: When I was a young lady, I male members, not counting the women went into Boomershine Pontiac to shop for
Ralph Sacks, 100 and Sarah Berlin, 104 reflect on Atlanta "then" and their time "now."
Factors that can make a difference: • Family tree of longevity
a car. I told the salesman that I had to ask my dad. He said, “Just take the car. Here are the keys and see if he likes it.” So I drove off. That’s how people did business back then. Sacks: When I turned 100, I gave up driving. I applied for a legal ID card anyway, and they sent me a renewed driver’s license, valid until 2025! ■
• How fast you can walk-1.33 feet per second. • Social engagement • Moderate worriers live longer and take less risks. • Self-critical folks don’t do as well. • Overweight women live longer vs. lean men. • If men make it to old age, they tend to be healthier, but 85% of the centenarians are female.
What we are learning about aging: “One out of three babies born today will see their 100th birthday.
“Clues and Surprises for Longevity” by Paula Scott (July 25, 2018) as reported by “Caring Home.”
A decline in smoking is a major factor.” Office for National Statistics, June 14, 2016 THEN | SEPTEMBER 2, 1994 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES
ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES AUGUST 31, 2018 | 23
The full wall painted screen in the guest bedroom is inlaid with mirrors.
Photos by Duane Stork // Ray Ann Kremer and George Shapiro hold
primitive wood artifacts in front of paintings by Ida Kohlmeyer (Tulane/Newcomb professor) and Burton Callicott (Cloud Bands, 1974), a former professor at the Memphis Academy of Art.
Chai Style Art
From Memphis to New Guinea W
hen Ray Ann Kremer merged households space has the vibe of something in a Manhattan Soho with George Shapiro, they threw out the loft or our BeltLine. Shapiro: We like the red brick, exrules, culminating in a standout collecposed pipes and beams which highlight the tion of art empowerment. Under Kremer’s art. The 14-foot ceilings lend openness with watchful eyes, their Buckhead loft is replete the stark white walls as a backdrop to the with memories, hard to miss exotica, and art. We got in on the design stages of our the clarity of light. These seniors traveled building. the globe to collect art and experience othKremer: If you like your things, they er cultures. “I’ve always had a fascination will find a way to work together. I’ve always with non-Western art,” Kremer said. “We related art to perception. We all see things spent three weeks circumnavigating New differently. We relate to color and design Guinea, the second largest island in the because we see it in our own way. I like to world. Their culture is about fishing and Marcia mix primitive, contemporary and antiques. sweet potato farming. No roads, no run- Caller Jaffe ning water, no electricity. Their art is basic Jaffe: Describe your fascination with indigenous and spiritual.” Overseeing the Atlanta skyline, the Kremer-Shap- places. Kremer: We are interested in experiencing differiro patio spans 18 feet by 50 feet. Guests are greeted by a painting on plywood by ent cultures. Art is only one aspect. When we travel to remote areas, we understand Thornton Dial. A painting by Nigerian chief Z.K. Olorunthat they have basically nothing in the way of tools and toba (Yoruba Group) is above the front door. supplies. That’s why there are wood carvings and not Jaffe: Here we are in the heart of Buckhead, yet this metal from Oceania and parts of Africa. Wood deterio24 | AUGUST 31, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES
Guests are greeted in the KremerShapiro loft by a painting on plywood by Thornton Dial.
rates and thus, we don’t have ancient pieces from those places. From Mali we have the dogon wood “Woman With Churn.” We had a circuitous experience in Oceana attempting to bring back a wooden piece through the Sydney airport. Australia is very careful about insects coming into their country. Ultimately, the sculpture had to be shipped here and put in the freezer to kill the possibility of bugs. Shapiro: The Malaysian rice god is a wood sculpture made to protect the rice paddies. There is such a mixture here; the living room lamp is made from a 200-year-old Spanish vase. Jaffe: You are best known for arguing and winning a federal jurisdiction cable TV case in the U.S. Supreme Court. What’s your role in accumulating these worldwide treasures? Shapiro: Let’s just say I have done my share of carrying art and carved canes through the mud and hills. In my study, I have a Navajo sand painting from Spokane and a 1960s Navajo rug from Arizona. A totally different flavor. Jaffe: What are some of the most unusual pieces you have? Kremer: The metal Haitian “Adam and Eve” gaze outdoors from the kitchen. The most unusual may be the “The Comfort of Prayer,” a life-size chair by Richard Dial. Only three were made, and one is in the Museum of Modern Art.
ARTS
Memphian Carroll Cloar’s “T Boys and Brothers and Sisters ” with names of the children printed on the back, was sold to Kremer after a New York gallery show and MLK’s assassination.
We have two found metal pieces by Charlie Lucas. The dramatic glass woman at the entrance is “Afro Doll” by Gavin Heath from Cape Town, South Africa. The wood box by Po Shun Leong is intriguing. We have a Henry Easterwood textile mounted very high up in the powder room. At the time he was the only non-architect to win the Pritzker Prize (endowed by the famous Jewish Chicago family). In the china cabinet we have pieces by Picasso and Denmark’s Bjorn Wiinblad. Jaffe: Who are some of the artists you collect?
Kremer: This follows my journey from Colorado via Memphis to Atlanta. As an art student in Denver, one of my paintings is in our master bedroom directly opposite fellow student Bob Grimes’ oil. He was the only student whose works were accepted in the Denver Art Museum. Both are colorful abstracts. “Cloud Bands” (1974) is by Burton Callicott, a former professor at the Memphis Academy of Art. Jason Williamson also from the Memphis Academy, did “Caged Lion.” Ida Kohlmeyer (Tulane University/Newcomb College professor) uses exuberant colors and shapes. There is an Indonesian wood carv-
The china cabinet houses the far left and middle objects by Picasso and (far right) by Denmark’s Bjorn Wiinblad.
Ray Ann loves these imaginative spiritual figures from the Sepik River in New Guinea. Note the exposed loft ceilings.
The metal Haitian “Adam and Eve” gaze outdoors from the kitchen to the expansive, skylined patio.
“The Comfort of Prayer” is a life-size chair by Richard Dial. Only three were made, and one is in the Museum of Modern Art.
ing of Hindu gods, Rama and Sita. The kitchen painting “Floral” by Memphis and Arkansas artist Mary Sims brings the tangerine shades into our sunny breakfast nook. The woodcut “Noel” also in the kitchen is by Memphis artist Edward Faiers. Locally we have two pieces by Judaic artist Flora Rosefsky, who did our ketubah (wedding certificate) in her inimitable style. She let me have a good deal of input. Jaffe: Share the saga of how you acquired this Memphis piece by Cloar. Kremer: Fifty years ago, I wanted to buy this piece by Carroll Cloar, “T Boys and Brothers and Sisters,” where the painting’s back had names Cora Lee, Willie B, Bulah, Lurline, Scooter and Starve-
This dramatic glass woman is “Afro Doll” by Gavin Heath from Cape Town, South Africa.
ster. He was not very prolific and needed it to go to New York for a gallery show. I could not afford his gallery prices, so off it went to New York. It did not sell because MLK was assassinated. Months later he told me my painting had returned. Jaffe: Where are you off to next? Kremer: We’re taking our youngest grandson to Tanzania. It has become our special gift for all of our grandchildren’s b’nai mitzvahs. We’ve taken them one at a time to Turkey, Thailand and the Galapagos, Spain, Peru, South Africa, Botswana and Zambia. My goal is for them to experience another culture and for us to have a special time together. That way George isn’t toting all the art! ■
A colorful painting by Nigerian chief Z.K.Oloruntoba ( Yoruba Group) is above the front door. ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES AUGUST 31, 2018 | 25
SPOTLIGHT
Jews Behind the News
WSB’s Seiden Shares Harrowing Adventures program at Walton High There’s a new televiSchool, WHS-TV, where I sion journalist in town. covered sports, but as a JewMore than just a naturally ish kid, I knew Zaban would charismatic persona, East be the last stop in my basketCobb native Michael Seiden ball career (laughing). After recently joined WSB-TV as a high school, I headed west general broadcast reporter. to study journalism at AriSeiden generates his own zona State University’s Walleads and sets the bar for ter Cronkite School of Mass “on your feet” thinking and Marcia Communication and Jourliving on adrenaline. “I’ve Caller Jaffe nalism. There, I balanced covered ice storms, children trapped in schools, EF5 (Enhanced Fujuta a full class load, jobs with the campus scale) storms (exceeding 200 mph) with radio and television stations and even a people crawling out of mobile homes ... full-time media position with the Arizoall with a producer’s voice in my earpiece na Cardinals. telling me to keep talking. With only an Jaffe: How did your circuitous route hour’s notice, I was sent to D.C. to cover the Congressional softball shooting, the bring you back to Atlanta home base? Seiden: I paid my dues. deadly church shooting in Charleston, I sent out a bunch of DVDs of my and the PULSE nightclub massacre in Orwork to local markets and landed my lando. This is a part of history.” first gig in Beaumont, Texas (they actuJaffe: Growing up in Atlanta, was ally have a synagogue), where I spent your narrative always to be in broadcast- two years and earned less than $20,000 a yr. It was the place where I ‘cut my ing? Seiden: Yes! I was in a terrific teeth.’ Next stop: Oklahoma City (three
Seiden felt he was close to danger many times chasing weather disasters.
Michael Seiden is energized being on air with breaking news. The Walton High School grad often generates his own stories by networking in communities.
synagogues). For three years, I covered all sorts of natural disasters –tornadoes, earthquakes and wildfires. From there, I moved on to Miami. (Too many synagogues to count – no longer the token Jew!) Miami is a breaking news machine, but it was always my dream to come back to Atlanta (June 2018). Jaffe: You’ve had some harrowing adventures. What are some of your scariest brushes with danger? Seiden: Last year, I covered Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. ... My life was on the line. While most people were fleeing, we were driving straight into danger. We didn’t sleep for days, surviving only on Red Bull and beef jerky, with no running water or electricity, but our struggles could not compare to those of the victims. Jaffe: How do you evaluate the current state of the news industry? Seiden: It is changing daily. The world doesn’t want to wait until 6 p.m. to get their news. They want it immediately, which is why we’ve put a huge emphasis on digital. Every day, we’re breaking big stories on multiple platforms, like Twitter and Facebook. It’s exciting, but extremely challenging at the same time. Jaffe: Being live on air has some special “narcissistic” components. Seiden: Yes, haha. Ten years ago I had to learn how to do my own makeup. I remember how mortified I was while I stood at the MAC Cosmetics counter. Even today, my wife picks out my clothes. We work with consultants who critique us on everything from our storytelling to our appearances. There is nothing natu-
26 | AUGUST 31, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES
ral about speaking into a camera with a burning building in the background. In Georgia, I dress more conservatively than I did in Miami, where ties were a “no-no” and even shorts were acceptable, depending on the story. Jaffe: How would you evaluate your own particular strengths? Seiden: I am laser-focused and driven; but more importantly, I really care. I’ve covered tragedies where victims wander the streets, showing us pictures of lost family members and begging for our help. Those heartbreaking moments really stick with you. While I have to maintain my composure while reporting, I’m also a human being. Behind the scenes, I keep peoples’ numbers and follow up to see how they are doing.” Jaffe: Do you see yourself down the road as a national news anchor? Seiden: It’s been a wild ride and I’m very happy to be back home in Atlanta. I have a wife and a 2-year-old son, so the life of a network anchor/correspondent would be tough because you’re always on the road. That being said, I do admire the network guys, like David Muir, Lester Holt, Anderson Cooper and Chris Cuomo. I watch a lot of news and really respect journalists who hold people accountable. Jaffe: Leave us with an outrageous assignment. Seiden: While working in Miami, I received a call from the desk, telling me that I had two hours to get to the airport for a flight to Anchorage, Alaska, to investigate the family of the Fort Lauderdale airport shooter. It was January and I didn’t even own a pair of gloves. Talk about adrenaline … and frostbite. ■
COMMUNITY Blue Dove’s Jewish High Holidays Initiative By Leah R. Harrison In the hope that our synagogues will continue to shine a light on substance abuse and mental health issues in our community, The Blue Dove Foundation has created the Jewish High Holidays Initiative. A thoughtfully composed resource, the Toolkit is a practical reference guide that can be downloaded by area rabbis and congregation leadership for ideas, talking points and discussion during this contemplative time. It contains background, tools, references, inspirational applications and liturgical parallels that are particularly poignant this time of year. The Initiative contains sample excerpts, such as a portion of a Kol Nidre sermon on mental health regarding healing and making safe places for those struggling to emerge and seek the help they need, by Rabbi Stacy Friedman of Congregation Rodef Sholom in San Rafael, Calif. It also includes provocative liturgical selections by Temple Sinai’s Rabbi Brad Levenberg, such as one on Mi Chamocha and the connection of go-
Blue Dove Foundation 5779 edition kippot, available on the Blue Dove Foundation website, show support for #QUIETINGTHESILENCE around mental health and substance abuse.
ing from slavery to freedom as related to addiction and “the journey of recovery.” Another speaks of the blast of the shofar to awaken us to “offer renewed attention to those struggling in our midst” and rouse us to action, or to answer the call with “Hineni,” here I am. There is also a “Mi Shebarach for Those in Recovery” by Rabbi Levenberg. The full text of all excerpts can be downloaded from the Blue Dove Foundation website as well, at www.
thebluedovefoundation.org/resources/. There both Atlanta and national versions of the Toolkit may be found. The Initiative also includes ideas for text and prayers that can be connected to the topics of mental health and addiction, thoughts on “framing the issue,” and even a PDF of a flyer that can be included in high holiday communications. Area and national resources are listed, and ways each of us in the community
can be of support to anyone afflicted. Finally, mental illness and substance abuse statistics are provided, as well as a section on the consequences of lack of treatment. Thanks to a generous donor, the Blue Dove Foundation has produced and circulated white linen kippot bearing the Blue Dove logo. The foundation is asking Atlanta area rabbis, lay leaders and key staff members to wear them throughout the holidays to spark conversation and show unity with and support for the foundation. The Jewish High Holidays offer many opportunities for our rabbis and synagogue leadership to speak about matters of importance to us, our families, and our community. The Blue Dove Foundation’s High Holidays Initiative provides a springboard for topics of thought and discussion that resonate with us all. ■ For more kippot for your synagogue or in a show of personal support, they may be purchased for $5 each at the Blue Dove website, www.thebluedovefoundation.org.
Soul Popping Jazz with Michael Feinstein AJT: Any projects you can tell us about that are taking place off-stage? Feinstein: I’ve always been interested in the connection of music to healing. I’ve been doing a lot of spiritual work, connecting the ability to heal with music and sound. It is becoming more prominent in my life. Everybody has power and ability that they do not understand how to manifest. It’s important to being alive in this time to tap into power in this volatile world. Working with friends and individuals to do healing modalities, I’m open to where the spirit takes me. Music is the primary focus of my life; this is just a new way to express it.
By Logan C. Ritchie When Michael Feinstein takes the stage in Atlanta Sept. 6 for “Shaken & Stirred: Feinstein & Friends,” he’s sure to wow audiences with sensational vocals and piano genius. Feinstein is a multiplatinum-selling, five-time Grammy nominated recording artist. Don’t miss Feinstein and his seven-piece band at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre as he sings classics by such greats as Al Green, Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder. The AJT caught up with Feinstein about eating vegan in Atlanta and how Judge Judy convinced him to get married and performed the ceremony. AJT: Did you grow up in a musical home? Feinstein: My father was an amateur singer. My mom was a tap dancer. There was always music in the house, always music at extended family gatherings. I sat down at the piano at 5 years old and starting playing. It seemed natural to me. It was all by ear; I couldn’t read music at 5. It felt natural to me, although it was unnatural to everyone else. I never practiced. Eventually I quit lessons because I just wanted to play for fun, and I taught myself. Later I tried violin thinking that,
Michael Feinstein, set to perform in Atlanta show Shaken & Stirred, on September 6.
if I can play piano, maybe I can pick up any instrument. It wasn’t true. AJT: What do you think about playing in Atlanta? Feinstein: I’ve been playing in Atlanta for 30 years. I love the eclectic and sophisticated nature of the audience. Atlanta is a cosmopolitan city and has always welcomed me with widely open arms. AJT: Where do you hang out in Atlanta?
Feinstein: When I’m in Atlanta I am working, so there’s no time for hot spots. Being a vegan, I try to hit some of the good vegan restaurants. R. Thomas' is a favorite. It is open 24 hours, so I can take people there after the show. AJT: Who would you like to perform with, dead or alive? Feinstein: Oh, my favorite singer is Ethel Waters [the first African American singer to be nominated for an Emmy]. She was the creator of American popular singing.
AJT: Leave us on a fun note. How did you get Judge Judy to marry you? Feinstein: I met her through a mutual friend at a party and her husband, Jerry Sheindlin, my partner, Terrence, and I clicked. We were friends for a while. Then when the opportunity came for marriage equality in 2008 in California, Judy said, ‘I want to marry you.’ Terrence and I wanted to wait until there were the same rights [nationally]. Judy insisted, ‘No, no, no. This is important and you need to do it now.’ She pushed us, but with her support we were happy to do it. We are very glad we did it at that time. ■ ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES AUGUST 31, 2018 | 27
COMMUNITY
Contemporary Art Party Honors Kenny Blank tumed, circus-like professional minglers. Among the supporters was Jaime ART PARTY Sat., August 25, was Sherman Wender and David Wender, a night to celebrate contemporary art a center board member. David Wender in Atlanta and recognize the range of made a fashion statement by donning an voices necessary to create a vibrant arts anachronistic polyester leisure suit that community. Kenny Blank, the executive belonged to Jaime’s grandfather, Aaron director of one of our crown jewels, the Feldman, who was president of CongreAtlanta Jewish Film Festival, is one such gation Shearith Israel in 1972. Wender hero. said,” This museum allows contempoThe meandering Atlanta Contemrary art to make a significant impact on porary Art Center (off Bankhead Hwy. the Southeast and the broader commuand Marietta Street) indoor and outdoor nity.” The center is free and open to the facility had nibbles and mixologists popublic. It features paintings, prints, phositioned among the outlandishly costographs and sculpture by Georgia artists. Honoree Kenny Blank said the center “is one of the great institutions in our dynamic art tapestry. It’s an incredible honor to receive the Nexus award, an opportunity to put our arts in the spotlight in a Cathy Selig, Honoree Kenny Blank, Stan Cohen, Julia way that they so richly deChi, and Steve Kuranoff came out to celebrate. serve.” ■ By Marcia Caller Jaffe Local art doyenne Lucinda Bunnen announced the upcoming publication of her new book “Gathered,” about her own private collection.
Paid performers like Molly Rimswell mingled among the curious crowd.
Jaime and David Wender sported a suit that belonged to Jaime’s grandfather, Aaron Feldman, from when he was president of Congregation Shearith Israel in 1972.
Georgia State University sociology professor Elizabeth Beck poses in front of a museum art installation.
A Grand Milestone for Atlanta By Marcia Caller Jaffe The true meaning of community bloomed “Bukharian style” Aug. 19 with the official dedication of Beth Itzhak Synagogue in Norcross. Two hundred local and distinguished out-of-town guests came to fête founder and leader Anatoliy Iskhakov and admire the beautiful, newly redecorated building. True to Bukharian form, I was promised two things: back-to-back speeches; and an overabundance of elaborate food. Both rang true. Mostly in Russian, non-stop toasts filled both levels as I was seated in the top balcony with the women overlooking the sanctuary set up
with white fabric and gold bow-backed chairs. In any language the pride, joy, and thanks to Iskhakov for his leadership permeated. Grey Goose, Jack Daniels and cabernet contributed to the ebullience. Served family style, the first course was a variety of smoked fish: nova, mackerel, herring and a melt-in-yourmouth butterfish. The salads were spiced shredded carrots, pea-laced potato salad, stuffed mini peppers, marinated dill tomatoes and cucumbers, and a grilled eggplant-onion combination. The staff cleared all that was out and, violà, replaced with platters of garlic fingerling potatoes and planks of “just right” salm-
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Synagogue president Efriam Kusayev with wife, Elizabeth, lead the synagogue. Elizabeth is Anatoliy Iskhakov’s sister.
The traditional flaming samsa course delighted the crowd. Iskhakov’s daughter, Lilly, a research scientist, came from Jerusalem with daughter Shandel. She remembers the 1998 shul beginnings in the basement of a house.
on. Next was a dramatic variety of flaming Bukharian samsa pastries: pumpkin, onion, and chopped beef. The final course was fire-cooked pilaf with meat, garlic, and carrots. Refreshing fruit platters topped it off. The chief Bukharian rabbi from New York, Itzhak Yehoshua, who led the earlier Ma’ariv service, and his wife, Batia, joined well-wishers from Florida to Canada. Iskhakov's daughter, Lilly, a medical research scientist, came from Jerusalem with her daughter Shandel. “I just had to come to this dedication since I well remember when the shul first started in
Special guest Nina Abayeva, 93-yearold mother of Anatoliy Iskhakov, seated with rebbitzen Batia Yehoshua.
1998 in the basement of a house. Tonight, we see a melting pot of Moroccan, Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews celebrating in this fabulous structure,” Lilly said. Anatoliy’s brother-in-law, Efraim Kusayev, a local private investigator, has been serving as the synagogue’s president for the past four years. “About 200 families constitute our membership, 40 of which are in the immediate area. I am flying high with happiness at the culmination of this great event, watching it all come together!” ■
Simchas
OBITUARIES
COMMUNITY
Marriage
Joseph-Thome
Dr. Philip and Donna Newman of Sandy Springs announce the marriage of their son, Craig Joseph, to Mandy Laurene Thome, daughter of Charles and Debra Thome of Wheeling, Ill. Rabbi Ari Moffic officiated at the wedding on Aug. 11, 2018, at The Westin O’HareRosemont. The groom is the grandson of Edna Helfer and the late Wallace Helfer of Delray Beach, Fla., and the late Rose and Abe Newman of Sunrise, Fla. The bride is the granddaughter of the late Shirley Tepper and Robert Tepper and the late Laura and Charles Thome. Craig received his bachelor of fine arts in acting from Columbia College Chicago. He is a corporate trainer/facilitator for Adidas. Mandy received her B.S. in nursing from Chamberlain University College of Nursing. She is a nurse at Women’s Healthcare Associates. They reside in Portland, Oregon, with their Pembroke Corgi, Douglas Adams.
Roberta F. Schuman 82, Woodstock
Roberta F. “Bobbi” Schuman, 82, of Woodstock, died Aug. 21, 2018. Bobbi was beloved by all who knew her. She was a second mom to many of her children’s friends; a devoted servant to her synagogue community; a lover of beauty and style, including tea cups and butterflies; a great cook; and a giver of comforting hugs. She was the matriarch of her family, spreading seeds of love to whomever she touched, and that’s the legacy she leaves. We are all better because of her. We continue to see her shiny smile, her big blue eyes and her youthful spirit. Bobbi was preceded in death by her husband, Sidney Schuman. She is survived by many family members and friends who will miss her greatly, including her daughters, Iris Koplen (Brad) and Amy Lynch (Darren); son, Larry Schuman (Sherri); grandchildren, Sara Koplen (Blake Cannon), Garrison Koplen (Alexis), Lydia Schuman and Landon Schuman; more than 300 additional grandchildren from ARM of Care; and brother, Mel Schoychid (Myrtie). Donations in her memory may be made to ARM (Art, Recreation, Movement) of Care, a nonprofit agency using creative arts to restore and empower sex-trafficked children, www.armofcare.net or to the Atlanta Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at www.lls.org. Graveside services were held Fri., Aug. 24, 2018, at Greenwood Cemetery, with Rabbi Steven Lebow officiating. Those in attendance wore blue, Bobbi’s favorite color.
Annette Silverfield Shain 91, Sandy Springs
Annette Silverfield Shain, 91, of Sandy Springs, died Aug. 22, 2018. She was preceded in death by her husband, Herbert D. Shain; daughter, Faye Shain Amato; and sister, Shirley Marks. She is survived by her daughters, Marlene Shain Reeves and Rita Shain Silverstein; son-in-law, Albert Amato; grandchildren, Erica Krisel (Howie), David Amato (Channie), Shaina Abutbol (Nir), Jarrett Reeves, Jodi Baird (Ryan), Laura Silverstein; and nine great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Temple Emanu-El, 1580 Spalding Dr., Sandy Springs, Ga. 30350, or to Hadassah, 1050 Crown Pointe Pkwy., Suite 500, Dunwoody, Ga. 30338. Graveside services were Aug. 23 at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbi Scott Colbert officiating. ■
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Marriage
Rose-Straka
Carol and Marc Rose of Alpharetta proudly announce the marriage of their son, Michael Eric, to Callie Johanna Grace Straka, daughter of Katie and Jeff Straka of Marietta. The wedding took place at the Whitlock Inn in Marietta on May 27, 2018. The bride is the granddaughter of Amy and Gus Lamson of Fremont, Ohio, Tom and Sally Sprunk of Huron, Ohio, and Stan and the late Norma Straka of Arizona. The groom is the grandson of Marcia Tobin and the late Jack Tobin of Spartanburg, S.C., and Carrie Rose and the late Doran Rose of Dunwoody. Callie graduated with a degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech in 2012 and was a member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority. She works for Ernst and Young as a software analyst. Michael graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech in 2012 as a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi. He works as an analyst at Intercontinental Exchange. The couple made their home in Midtown Atlanta. ■
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CALENDAR CANDLE-LIGHTING TIMES
Mikvah, 700-A Mount Vernon Highway NE, Sandy Springs, from 6:45 to 8 pm. Free. For confidential registration, www.bit.ly/2OVtc95. For questions call Elana Frank, 770-843-7413.
Ki Tavo Friday, August 31, 2018 light candles at 7:46 p.m. Saturday, September 1, 2018 Shabbat ends at 8:41 p.m. Nitzavim Friday, September 7, 2018 light candles at 7:37 p.m. Saturday, September 8, 2018 Shabbat ends at 8:31 p.m.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 30
Elul Sound Journey – Temple Beth Tikvah, 9955 Coleman Road, Roswell, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sound therapist Michael Burke will share the sounds of Tibetan bowls, gongs, earth bells and more. $18 for Temple Beth Tikvah members, $25 for nonmembers. To register, www.bit.ly/2vYXkcM.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31 TO MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
Limmud 2018 – Ramah Darom, 70 Camp Darom, Clayton, from 2 p.m. Friday through 2 p.m. Monday. This is a celebration and festival of Jewish thought, arts, culture, life, learning and teaching. This is for Jews from all walks of life, all Jewish backgrounds, all lifestyles and all ages. For more information, tickets and registration, www.limmudse.org/.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
Congregation Beth Shalom’s Prospective Member Shabbat – 5303 Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meet Rabbi Zimmerman and other members of their Kehillah. Free. For more information, www.bethshalomatlanta.net or call 770-399-5300.
Road, Atlanta, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. A different volunteer moderator leads each session and provides participants with the week’s discussion questions in advance, ranging from current events to popular culture. Free for members, $5 for the community. For more information and to register, www.bit.ly/2PpgXmq.
Chabad Intown’s Body and Soul: Pre-Rosh Hashanah Event for Women – The Wimbish House 1150 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, from 7 to 10 p.m. Everything you ever wanted to know about shaping, forming and seasoning-topping artisan challah. $25 per ticket. To register and for more information, www.chabadintown.org/ bodysoul/.
Spalding Drive, Norcross, from 6:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. For more information call Alex Schulman, 404-6677752 or Pauline Weiss, 404-514-9036.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
Talking Heads Co-Ed Discussion Group – Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill 30 | AUGUST 31, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES
Yiddish Vinkyl – Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Talk about the Yiddish language and culture, listen to amazing stories and learn popular Yiddish phrases. Free for members, $5 for the community. For more information, www.atlantajcc.org/.
Atlanta Scholars Kollel Networking Event – 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., program starting at 7 p.m. An evening of noshing, networking and inspiration. $36 per person. To register, www.bit. ly/2MHWYAL.
Winters Chapel Road, Dunwoody, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meet Rabbi Zimmerman and other members of the Kehillah. Free. For more information, www.bethshalomatlanta.net or call 770-399-5300.
The Sixth Point’s Rosh in the Park – 1442 Ashford Creek Circle NE, Atlanta, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. An opportunity to get personal and feel connected. For young adults only. Free. No registration required. For more information, www.bit.ly/2MDDVYq.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
Kegels & Bagels – Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Enjoy bagels and listen to Dr. Amy Wolkin. Free for members, $5 for the community. For more information and to register, www.bit.ly/2vYXzEI.
Tikvah, 9955 Coleman Road, Roswell, from 8 to 9 p.m. Free. Tea and cake will be served. For more information and to register, www.bit.ly/2LdCyem
The Atlanta Jewish Bowling League Wants U! – Bowlero Spalding, 6345
Intown, 928 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. First in a series for 3 sessions. Free. For more information, www.bit.ly/2PpUcyN.
Congregation Beth Shalom’s Prospective Member Shabbat – 5303
Toddler Tuesday: MathArts – Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Educational mathematical experience for 18 months to 3 years old with a caregiver. Free and open to the community. Advance registration required, www.bit.ly/2nXO3gU.
High Holiday Bootcamp – Chabad
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
Saturday Night at the Movies Showing “The Quarrel” – Temple Beth
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
Main Street on Mondays and Wednesdays for you to enjoy popular strategy and skill games. Free for members, $5 for the community. To RSVP, www.bit. ly/2OWdP0h.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
JELF Webinar – From 10 to 10:40 a.m. Learn more about JELF’s interest-free, need-based, last dollar loans to Jewish students for college, graduate and/ or vocational school. Free. To register, www.jelf.org/webinar/.
Open Play Games: Mah-jong, Bridge, Rummikub and Scrabble – Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Open play tables are set up every week on MJCCA’s
Senior Day at the MJCCA – Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta, from 10 a.m. to 2 pm. For active seniors. Activities and kosher lunch included. $5, open to the community. For more information, www.bit.ly/2L99FQt.
Sandy Springs Infertility Support – MACoM, Metro Atlanta Community
Chabad of Toco Hills Presents: World History by a Jew – Torah Day School of Atlanta, 1985 Lavista Road NE, Atlanta, from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. The topic this week is “The Ottoman Empire’s Jewish State, Jewish Leaders, and Jewish Power in the Harem” by Seth Fleishman. Free. For more information, www./bit.ly/2MovDV0.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
Congregation Bet Haverim’s Shofar on the Mountain – Arabia Mountain, Georgia, from 4 to 8 p.m. With support from InterfaithFamily/Atlanta, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, Honeymoon Israel – Atlanta, and the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival. Free. RSVP to
AUGUST 30–SEPTEMBER 9
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
Shabbat, Me & Rabbi G @ the JCC – Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta, from 5 to 6 p.m. Activities and crafts followed by songs and blessings with Rabbi Glusman concluding with a visit from the popular “Weinstein School Shabbat Dinosaur.” Challah and grape juice will be served. Free and open to everyone. For more information and to RSVP, www.bit.ly/2BwiaoZ.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta Prime Minister's Event – City Springs,
receive information about location, ridesharing and potluck signup, www.bit. ly/2Ms8FfN.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Talking Heads Co-Ed Discussion Group – Marcus JCC, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. A different volunteer moderator leads each session and provides participants with the week’s discussion questions in advance, ranging from current events to popular culture. Free for members, $5 for the community. For more information and to register, www.bit. ly/2PpgXmq.
1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs, starting at 6 p.m. Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dinner and interactive experience celebrating Jewish Atlanta. Live music on the rooftop patio with The Joe Alterman Trio. For more information and to RSVP, www.jewishatlanta.org/prime-ministers-event/.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
Acoustic Shabbat Café Dunwoody – Alon’s Bakery & Market, 4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Atlanta, from 7 to 9 p.m. Join Rabbi Glusman, Drew Cohen and teen musicians from The Weber School for an evening of music and Shabbat prayers. Food and wine available for purchase. This interactive Shabbat themed experience is sponsored by Atlanta Jewish Music Festival and The Weber School. Free. For more information, www.bit.ly/2nVTxbJ. ■
Find more events and submit items for our online and print calendars at:
www.atlantajewishconnector.com
Calendar sponsored by the Atlanta Jewish Connector, an initiative of the AJT. Please contact community liaison, Jen Evans for more information at jen@atljewishtimes.com. ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES AUGUST 31, 2018 | 31
KEEPING IT KOSHER Atlanta Scholars Kollel Hosts Challah Bake into a mound and creating a crater in the center. Add 4 eggs, oil, and yeast mixture into the well. Led by Rabbi Yosef Shapiro and his Knead dough for about 10 minutes until wife, Rookie, the Atlanta Scholars Kolspongy, not sticky. If dough is too sticky to lel’s Brookhaven and Buckhead branch manage, add a little more flour. Cover with a held its third annual pre-Rosh Hashanah damp cloth and let it rise for 2 to 3 hours. challah bake. The inaugural event at the Braid dough into three loaves and let newly-built center was attended by 18 them rise for 30 minutes. Brush loaves with women who discussed the significance egg yolk and sprinkle with topping of choice. of Rosh Hashanah, particularly the Options include: sweet crumble (1 cup flour, choice to eat honey over other sweets in 1 cup sugar, and ¼ to 1/2 cup oil mixed until celebration of the new year. crumbly), sesame seeds, poppy seeds, cinnaAs explained by host Rookie Shamon sugar, za’atar, and garlic or onion flakes. piro, the holiday provides Jews “with Bake on 350 for 25-35 minutes until golden. the context to move on during times of This recipe can also be made in a mixer. Under Rookie Shaprio's guidance, challah Round challot made for Rosh struggle.” She likened the potential for Simply proof yeast and then add it to the rest prep began with activating the yeast. Hashanah symbolize eternal life. negative experiences to transform into of the ingredients (the order is not important) positives to the way bees, which are known to scare peoand mix on medium speed for 8 minutes. If you want to Ingredients ple, produce sweet honey. The group also learned about fulfill the mitzvah of separating challah, you can double 2 tablespoons yeast 1 tablespoon salt the mitzvah of hafrashas challah or separating the chalall ingredients (for flour use one 5-pound bag with 2 1 tablespoon sugar 4 eggs lah. This custom involves tearing off a small chunk of cups of bread flour). Freeze extras by wrapping baked 2 cups warm water 1 cup oil dough and burning it before baking. This offering was challah in foil and then storing in a ziplock bag. ■ 8 to 9 cups bread flour 1 egg yolk originally given to a kohen. ASK explains that today, 1 cup sugar “we burn that challah before we can eat the bread from The Atlanta Scholars Kollel is a local Jewish organiwhich it was taken. ... This tells us that whatever we are Mix yeast, warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar in a zation that provides Jewish education and programming given is not for our use alone. If we have wisdom, money small bowl and set aside for 8 to 10 minutes until foamy. throughout Atlanta. For more information, contact ryosefor good health, our first step is to put them towards a Mix flour, 1 cup of sugar, and salt in a large bowl. shapiro@gmail.com or rookieshapiro@gmail.com of the Divine purpose.” Create a well with the flour mixture by pushing the flour Brookhaven and Buckhead branch. By Deborah Herr deborah@atljewishtimes.com
Jewish Joke of the Week Memories
Moishe, 79, was talking to Yankel, 83, who had just dropped in for a chat and a moan. “Moishe, I’m not the same any more. I can’t remember so many things!” “It vas the same thing mit myselve! But I took a memory course.” “Vos? Does this help?” “Sure, it does.” “So Moishe, tell me how this vorks.” “This is called mnemonics. You take something that reminds you of other things and so it goes.” “I vant to take this course! Vat is it called?” “It is called...hum...the name...oy vey...Vait! Vat do you call that flower people in love give to their girlfriends?” “A rose, right?” Moishe immediately shouts upstairs, “Rose, Rose my darling, what is the name of that memory course we took?” Joke provided by David Minkoff www.awordinyoureye.comw
Yiddish Word of the Week tsures
Rabbi Abi Nadoff
Tsures comes from the Hebrew תורצ, meaning misfortunes. Used for any kind of trouble, from misbehaving kids to real disasters. For example:
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"Moish is really meshuge these days. He's got lots of tsures at work."
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Rabbi Joab Eichenberg-Eilon, PhD, teaches Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic at the Israel Institute of Biblical Studies, eTeacher Group Ltd.
32 | AUGUST 31, 2018 ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES
BRAIN FOOD
Splitters
By: Yoni Glatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com Difficulty Level: Challenging 1
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51. 20’s dispenser ACROSS 52. Not allowed in Israel? 1. Israeli juice chain 53. 71-Across to 42-Across and 6. Locale of 38-Across 27-Across to 37-Across 11. Place for some “me time” 55. Wear wool and linen together, 14. Whack-___ (it’s often next to e.g. 60-Down) 57. Octopus’s defense 15. Words before breed or treat 58. 1 or 66, abbr. 16. ___ in “Ulysses” 59. Weight abbr. 17. 42-Across used the 49-Down to 61. Current civil war president cross it 63. “Just kidding!” (sarcastically) 19. See 17-Across 64. Sign of labor...or a hint to this 20. Big lobby in D.C. puzzle’s theme 21. They often accompany a hot 67. He played Pharaoh mess 68. Ran, on TV 22. Longtime NBC show 69. Scholarly Dr. Brown 23. Radical group of the 60s, for 70. Bring into play short 71. Divider of 17- Across 24. ___ hanasheh (forbidden nerve) 72. Role for Desi 25. Nuts 27. Divider of 17-Across 30. Pledges 32. Jew ending 34. Daniel interpreted one 35. She played Jane in 1997 36. Item in a bucket 37. Divider of 17-Across 38. 71-Across led the Israelites through it 41. See 38-Across 42. Divider of 17-Across 45. Shabbat (in)activity 46. Challenger org. 50. “___ Hashem”
12. There’s a new one almost every week 13. King of Israel until 870 BCE 18. US security org. 23. Many are not for 61-Across 24. Tribal land to the east of 17-Across, once 26. Early Pierre Cardin employer 28. Doing nothing 29. Thurman of “The Avengers” 31. On the rocks 33. All tuckered out 36. “Give ___ minute” 37. Sixth sense, for short 39. “Not another word!” 40. Hoover and Boulder, e.g. 42. Write hastily, with “down” 43. Burdensome 44. Where Starbucks was founded 47. Afro-___ languages DOWN 48. Backyard basking spot 1. Rule opposed by Gandhi 49. See 17-Across 2. Showing excitement, e.g. 51. Leafy shelters 3. What a teen might “die” of 52. “Jeopardy!” “question” 4. “Bridge of Spies” actor Alan 54. “The river,” in Mexico 5. Provides new weapons 56. Kinsler who recently joined the 6. Canal zone? Sox 7. 1912 painter of Picasso 60. Kind of ball 8. Where Torah survived and thrived 62. Indian dress after 70 AD 63. Pricey Big Apple sch. 9. Green shampoo 64. A Rubble, when squared 10. Guam, e.g.: Abbr. 65. Harris and Burns 11. Float alternatives 66. Beam of light
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1
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25 Years Ago // August 27, 1993 ■ Atlanta based comedian Daryl Pinsky performed at Atlanta’s Punchline from Aug. 31 to Sept. 5. His recent wedding to his Israeli wife, Ronit, renewed his Jewish identity. During his genealogical research for the wedding, he discovered that his grandfather was one of Congregation Beth Jacob’s first members.
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15 Years Ago // August 29, 2003 ■ Gabe Kapler was drafted by the Boston Red Sox after he left the Colorado Rockies in June 2003. The Hollywood, Calif., native rewarded Boston’s gambit with a fiery start, smacking two doubles, a triple and a pair of homers in his first nine at-bats. As of Aug. 25, he was batting a respectable .297 ■ Camp Barney Medintz celebrated its 40th anniversary. The Cleveland, Ga. camp has provided summer fun for Jewish campers throughout the South. An Aug. Arthur Goldberg, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice. 23 Havdalah service at the MJCCA was followed by a day of swimming, sports and reminiscing at the camp. ■ Ron and Anne Rosenthal of Marietta announce the engagement of their daughter, Julia, to Todd Galanti, son of Randy and Janet Galanti of Dunwoody.
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■ Cobb County Jews protested against the county’s decision to condemn homosexual lifestyles and restrict public arts funding. Protests and counterprotests erupted following the commission meeting on Aug. 10. The initiatives arose from objections to the play “Lips Together, Teeth Apart,” presented at the Theatre in the Square in Marietta. The play contained references to homosexuality. ■ The bat mitzvah of Natalie Cohen of Atlanta took place at 7:30 p.m., Mon., Aug. 23, at Bijan. Natalie is the daughter of Tova and Leon Cohen. 50 Years Ago // August 30, 1968 ■ Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Arthur J. Goldberg was elected president of the American Jewish Committee. Goldberg served as secretary of labor in the Kennedy administration and was appointed by President Johnson to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. ■ The Justice Department began the process of revoking the citizenship of Hermine Braunsteiner, a former member of the Nazi SS who served as supervisor in two Nazi death camps. She was found by Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal. The Austrian-born Queens housewife had married construction worker, Russel Ryan, and emigrated to the U.S. in April 1959. ■ Mr. and Mrs. Barry Spector of Atlanta announce the birth of a son, Harry Bennett Spector, on Aug. 29. Grandparents are Mrs. Harry Spector and the late Mr. Spector and Mr. and Mrs. Harold Marcus of Atlanta. ■ ATLANTA JEWISH TIMES AUGUST 31, 2018 | 33
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CLOSING THOUGHTS
Elul: The Work Ahead Rosh Chodesh Elul began at sun- dedication to what matters. We are on set on Sat., Aug. 11, but the the verge of a great opportuwork of Elul continues. It nity to transform ourselves. occurred on the solar eclipse We have this chance at sunset, the third and final to reconnect with Divine eclipse of the season. Each Source and practice, with new moon is an opportuour loving G-d, putting our nity for beginnings, but changes into action. We those that occur during the ask for forgiveness in very twice-yearly eclipse seasons specific ways. We don’t just receive an extra boost. This say, “Please forgive me for one has been about pow- Dr. Terry whatever I’ve done wrong.” erfully manifesting your Segal There’s a list, a detailed list, dreams and releasing what New Moon Meditations of ways in which we may no longer serves you. have missed the mark. After Elul is the month in which the “King we flesh them out and have asked for is in the field,” walking among us, closer G-d’s forgiveness, then we can develop than at any other time during the year. the courage to go to one another and ask Hashem is more accessible, witnessing for forgiveness. Much harder a task. our cheshbon hanefesh, an accounting of On Shabbat and festivals, we cease the soul, and present to our individual from working. During Elul, however, pleas in a way that can feel more like con- we’re required to do the necessary work versation than prayer. to turn from the ways in which we’ve deviThe modern egalitarian view of ated from actualizing our highest selves. Hashem doesn’t reference a gender. Hash- We focus on teshuvah, tefillah, and tzedaem can be envisioned as a warm, glowing kah. Teshuvah is more than repentance. orb of light. The awesomeness of it is as if It’s turning away from negative choices the sun, itself, floated down from the sky and returning to our inner spark of goodto appear right in front of us. ness. Tefillah, beyond prayer, reconnects During Elul, we can stand in the us to G-d. Tzedakah, rather than charity, power of this Divine energy and imagine is an obligation to give to others. it being accessible to everyone. We have In further exploring the reason that the chance to glimpse our highest poten- Hashem meets us in the field, as opposed tial, as an overlay on our current selves, to a city, a palace, a desert, or a Chinese which is flawed and imperfect. Imagine food restaurant, in a field, things are that we reconnect to Hashem’s light, re- tended to and grow. It makes sense to charge our tired spirits, and refresh our plant the seeds of manifestation there.
Ellul is a time for mindfulness.
During this time, G-d’s 13 attributes are highlighted. One view offers that we not think of these attributes as “middot” because they are G-d’s qualities. Instead, “derachim” refers to the ways of G-d and how the universe is governed. When it’s Shabbat, there are 39 types of creative acts that we’re not supposed to perform. Listing them makes us mindful to stay on track. The Viduy (confessional prayers) is our list of the ways in which we commit transgressions. Often, there is more than a single action involved. It’s common for people to say, regarding a transgression, “Oh, it just happened.” In reality, we usually have several opportunities to step away from the transgression, and back onto the path, before committing it. Sometimes, though, the learning comes after the fact. The ac-
counting of our souls occurs within us when we own our actions. Next, we approach G-d. Elul’s Hebrew letter is yud, the smallest letter of the alef-bet. We are like the yud in the presence of Hashem. Finally, we say we’re sorry to others. While G-d grants us a chance to change, people don’t always offer forgiveness. Some damage is irreparable. ■
Meditation Focus Consider where you missed the mark with poor choices. What could you do differently, if faced with the same situation? What Divine sparks of goodness can reconnect you to G-d? Where can you offer a meaningful investment of your time, energy, or money? May it be a sweet and peaceful year.
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